1st Place

Rush Urshel  – Surfer on the Beach

Surfer on the Beach by Rush Urshel

2nd Place

Linda D’Arezzo – Costa Rican Monkey

Costa Rican Monkey

3rd Place

Natalie Swanson – Picos De Europa

Picos de Europa by Natalie Swanson

Spain

Un Móvil  -  Spanish slang for cell phone. People will look at you funny if you use un celular and since practically everyone in Spain has one, make sure you know it!

Picha  – This is a popular Andalucian word that a lot of the Spanish use for a mate or comrade.

Petardo – This refers to someone who often puts their foot in it and says the wrong thing at the wrong moment and therefore a person who is unpopular (it literally means firecracker).

Pasta – Spanish slang word for money

Buenas – A greeting used at any time of the day. More informal way of saying hi.

Finde – A shorter way to say “the weekend.” Shortened from fin de semana.

Marcha – to go out, to party. Shortened from Salir de Marcha.

France

Un Accro – an addict. Addicted to something, like shopping.

Un Appart – Shortened word for an apartment.

Apéro – Short for apéritif.

Boulot – French slang for a job

La fac – short for college or university, short for french word ‘faculté’

MacDo – Easy way to say McDonalds in France

Ouais – The french version of say yea. Derived from “oui”

Costa Rica

Mae – Mae can be used to mean “dude” between friends, or simply to refer to any man or woman

Pura Vida – Pura vida means “pure life,” but more than anything, it’s a way of life. This phrase symbolizes the Costa Rican idea of letting things go, and simply enjoying life. Use it as an answer to “como estás?” (“how are you?”), or to say “thank you” or “you’re welcome.”

Tico – Due to a quirk of speech, Costa Ricans are called Ticos. Since Spanish uses gendered nouns, a Costa Rican man is a Tico, and a Costa Rican woman is a Tica.

Que pereza! - ugh, what a drag! (synonym of “que tigra!”)

Soque!- hurry up!

Una teja – Una teja is 100 of anything, usually money (100 colones). If someone is giving you directions, however, una teja refers to “100 meters,” or one block.

Pulperia – small corner store

Italy

Bel niente – nothing, zip. Literally: a beautiful nothing

Colpo di fulmine – love at first sight. Literally: a thunderbolt of love

Nuotare nell’oro – to be rolling in money; Literally: swimming in gold

Uggioso/a – In Tuscany it means boring. Literally it means an annoying person.

Volente o Nolente – like it or not; Literally: willing or unwilling

Quattro Gatti: only a few people; Literally: four cats.

Puzzare de fare schifo – to stink to high heaven; Literally: to smell/stink to disgust

Founded in 1996, SPI High School Study Abroad Programs offers high quality French, Italian, Chinese, and Spanish language immersion summer programs exclusively for high school students.  We believe traveling abroad develops independence and maturity by expanding students knowledge of the world and increasing their understanding of other cultures.

Well, it’ll be an experience you’ll never forget, but you also need to be prepared for what your about to dive into. No matter what country you visit,  there are always a few things that you need to think of before you board your flight. Asking yourself the questions below will allow you to mentally prepare for your study abroad experience as well as physically prepare with your packing:

1. Talk to other people that have been there.

Although number one isn’t a question, it is probably one of the most important things to do. Let everyone know that you have an amazing experience coming up and ask those who’ve been there what their experience was like. The answers may be exactly what you thought, or better yet, they may actually surprise you. It’s normally friends who tell you the best places to go or the places that are best to avoid. Take their advice and siphon through it to make your experience your own.

2. What is your study abroad country’s overall views on gender, race, sexuality, etc.?

You’d be surprised to know how many students know very little about the views of the country they choose to study abroad in. If neglected, this is something that can get you in major trouble, especially for women who are not aware. Many countries around the world are more forward towards women than the United States. Features like blond/red hair, or pale skin will be more noticeable in many countries and a cause for curiosity. It is not uncommon for European men to be a bit more vocal when it comes to seeing women on the street. This shouldn’t scare you though or stop you from studying abroad all together. Women should be aware of what they can expect from their country and know how to act accordingly. Knowing how to stop unwanted attention will solve the problem almost every time.

Students should also be aware of their countries views on race and sexuality. Countries all around the world view things differently and you should be aware of the status quo. Simply being aware of this will help you tremendously while you’re abroad.

3. What’s your living situation like?

Know your living situation well and what you should expect from it. Majority of students stay with a host family so they can better learn the language but you should be prepared for the living experience as well. Tell them about your normal routines, what foods you like to eat, and what you want to take from the experience overall. It’s also nice to ask if they’re any house rules or things that they expect of their guests. Talking about these things will clarify what’s to be expected and make for a much more pleasant stay. Some students opt to stay in an apartment or with a roommate for the duration of their study abroad experience. Make sure to look for a place that meets all your standards or at the very least, something you can live with for the duration of your stay.

4. What’s the weather like?

This may seem a bit obvious and probably something you should know before you even study abroad, but it’s actually true that manystudents have no idea what the weather was like in their host city. Does your host city have a tendency to get real cold in the winter and real hot in the summer or does it stay moderate year round? Are you planning to visit any other cities while abroad? Knowing the weather can save you a lot of time and money, as you won’t have to buy more clothes once you get there (unless you stumble across those great boutiques).

5. How is the school structured?

This should be something that every student abroad students pays attention to because after all, this is probably the main reason why you’re studying abroad. Try to research what the classroom environment will be like. How big will the classroom be? Are you expected to only speak the local language? How long is a school day? When are your days off from school? This is all important stuff to know. You may be thinking that you’re in a classroom of only 10 people where you’ll have lots of time to talk and find out that your in a classroom of 100. Knowing your time off from school too is also important as you can plan to tour the city or take a trip while off.

SPI Study Abroad, the leading provider of first-rate high school overseas programs, is pleased to announce that John Paul II High School will make up the first SPI travel group in 2012. The excursion begins March 10, 2012 when language savvy John Paul II High School students depart for Rome.

While other high school students are spending their spring breaks with their families, high school students at John Paul II, with at least one year of a romance language under their belt, will be experiencing the learning opportunity of a life time with one of the their own teachers, Mrs. Laura Hudec.  A condensed list of activities reveals that these students will undoubtedly receive high amounts of Italian input and expand their global cultural understanding by immersing themselves in another culture.

Activities for the week of March 10-17, 2012:

Day 1—Depart Dallas for Rome
Day 2—Visit Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, the Coliseum and Roman Forum
Day 3—Visit the Vatican, Saint Peter’s Basilica, and San Giovanni in Laterano Church
Day 4—Optional tour to Pompeii
Day 5—Leave Rome, visit Cathedral (Duomo) in Siena, dinner at a local restaurant (four course meal) Day 6—Leave Siena, travel to Florence, visit Uffizi Gallery, optional excursion to Pisa
Day 7—Leave Florence, travel back to Siena, visit San Francesco Basilica and travel back to Rome
Day 8— Return to Dallas.  Breakfast and dinner are included every day.

Interested in our high school overseas programs? SPI Study Abroad is still accepting applications for our summer high school overseas programs in Spain, France, Italy, Costa Rica and China. The deadline to apply is March 15^th, 2012.

Needless to say, there’s always those frustrating moments when you’re adjusting to living with a host family. These days it takes just a mere 10 hour plane ride to leave behind a world you understand and replace it with a world of foreign customs and traditions. Throw in jet lag, carrying luggage, and trying to converse in a different language and you can see how easy it’d be to get frustrated. Now that may sound inconvenient and a bit unglamorous, but in many ways, that’s truly what high school study abroad programs are about.

So what advice can be passed on for a smooth sailing with your host family?

1. First, your host family is doing you quite a favor if they only speak to you in their native tongue, even if you have to tell them to repeat themselves twenty times. (We’ve all been there.) Those first conversations will be a struggle but when you speak to a local and realize that you can actually speak with a local, you’ll be thanking your host family for making you speak only their language.
2. Immerse yourself in the culture and tradition of the family and they will in return give you a rewarding experience. Living with a host family is probably the best way to learn local culture, but that isn’t going to do you any good if you stay cooped up in your bedroom Skyping home. Make a point to sit down with your family and ask about where they like to eat and shop. More than likely, you’ll end up in places off the beaten track.
3. Food is maybe the most important thing in several countries around the world. You will be served food that you’ve never even heard of before. Here’s a word of advice, try everything once before you knock it. You may not be apt to eat certain things, but normally quite the opposite happens: You eat something you never thought you’d like and then find out that you love it.
4. Most importantly, become part of the family. After getting over that first awkwardness, embrace your host family as if they’re your own. Remember, you make this experience what you want it to be and host families 99% of the time want to add on to a positive experience. Learn their local customs, but also teach them a few things about your norms. If you like to cook, cook them a dish from your native country. Be attentive, help out around the house as best you can, and live as if you’d normally live.

Living overseas with a host family is certainly a trade off when it comes to privacy. You will be around them constantly and they will know more about your life than perhaps even your friends do. But what you trade off in privacy, you gain in cultural immersion and superior knowledge of the language. It’s no easy task and it takes a brave person to give up personal comfort for such a gain, but it’s worth it.

SPI Study Abroad offers overseas programs for high school students in Spain, France, Italy, Costa Rica, and China. Click here to learn more.

SPI has been proudly running study abroad programs for high school students since 1996 with many interested students, but recently we’ve noticed an obvious increase in the amount of high school students wanted to study abroad during the summer. We find that these students are dedicated to learning a new language and want to be prepared as much as possible before they enter college. Students are also learning that they can petition for college credit for their time abroad, saving them time and money in college. High school is a critical time to stand out amongst the rest of the crowd and there isn’t anything much more unique than studying abroad, especially while in high school. As a matter of fact, it is still true that a mere 1% of American students (high school and college combined) study abroad. With such a low percentage, students stand out on college applications as looking more qualified than others.

The image of college prep has certainly got a boost since companies started introducing high school students to their programs. Students are no longer staring at language books during the summer, but instead chatting with locals at European cafes and conversing over host family dinners. More importantly, it is almost certain that students will be put into situations that they have no choice but to use the language they’re trying to learn, a teaching method that has been proven to be more effective  then doing homework exercises or reading from a text book. Students tell us all the time that they were forced to work through speaking the language with a local and there is never a time that they don’t feel more accomplished for having gone through it. It is these types of experiences that prepare students for the challenging college courses ahead.

U.S. students are undoubtedly opening up to the idea of studying abroad and it’s clear that study abroad is an emerging trend for high school and college students alike. For the first time, students are realizing that their jobs have a great possibility of being in the international market and having an advantage on their competition is not only smart but vital. Yes, for now the mere 1% statistic remains, but as the image of “college prep” gets a much needed facelift from high school students one must wonder if such a growing trend will soon be strong enough to give a facelift to the overall American education system.

1. Girl Taking Picture of Horse by Emily Bloch

Girl Taking Picture of Horse by Emily Bloch

2. Surfer on the Beach by Rush Urshel

Surfer on the Beach by Rush Urshel

3. Costa Rican Monkey by Linda D’Arezzo

Costa Rican Monkey by Linda D'Arezzo

4. Ice Cream on the Beach by Madeleine Schmidt

Ice Cream on the Beach by Madeleine Schmidt

5. Toledo, Spain Landscape by Jacob Kositzke

Toledo, Spain Landscape by Jacob Kositzke

6. On the Border between France and Spain by Elizabeth Mack

On the Border Between France and Spain by Elizabeth Mack

7. Street Scene in France by Kayla Wilson

Street Scene in France by Kayla Wilson

8. Yellow Grass by Bailey Surtees

Yellow Grass by Bailey Surtees

9. Group Looking Out to the Sea by Mike Holland

Group Looking Out to the Sea by Mike Holland

10. Girls in Picos de Europa by Natalie Swanson

Picos de Europa by Natalie Swanson

We are offering a $100 CASH BONUS if you help us spread the word on Facebook and collect an interest list of students by February 15.  All you have to do is invite your friends (and SPI) to an event you create called “SPI Study Abroad this Summer” and collect an interest list with at least 50+ interested student’s contact info. If interest, just follow these steps:

1. Create an event called “SPI Study Abroad this Summer”
2. Invite your friends and Celeste Weary to your event.
3. Collect a LEGIT interest list of 50+ Student Names, Emails, & Addresses
4. SPI pays you $100 cash. It’s that easy!

You can also contact us at info@spiabroad.com if you’d like us to send you a recruiter packet with additional information on recruiting students.

We are grateful for your continued support and hope that you continue to succeed in your future endeavors.

Immersion experiences like the ones offered through SPI Study Abroad are truly the best way to become proficient in another language and culture.  The fluency with which SPI’s students return attests to the success of its summer language immersion programs. Izabel, a participant in SPI’s Biarritz, France program returned home to Austin, Texas saying about her experience, “I grew really close to my host family and I caught a glimpse of France’s culture in a way I never imagined possible before going on this trip.  I learned 10 times more French this summer than a full year of classes at home.”  These language skills are ones that can benefit a student for the rest of his or her life, especially in an increasingly globalized society.  In today’s professional world, employees capable of speaking another language and operating within another culture are in great demand.

The high school students that participate in the immersion programs rave about their decision to study abroad with SPI. “Studying abroad in Santander with SPI was a once in a lifetime experience! You won’t know how much you loved it and how much you’ll miss it until you return back home,” exclaims one student upon completion of the trip. Parents were equally impressed with the confidence their teens have gained, as well as how drastically their speaking skills have improved.

So what’s included in SPI’s Language Immersion Summer Programs?

• Experienced On-Site Bilingual Program Directors & Teachers
• Tuition & Books
• Room & Board with Caring Homestay Family
• Overnight & Cultural Weekend Excursions
• Hotel Accommodation at 3-4 star hotels
• Entrances to Museums & Attractions on Itinerary
• Detailed Orientation & Pre-Departure Info
• Basic Medical Insurance through ISIC
• Opportunity to Earn College Credit

Check out our programs today!