CEA Global Education wishes Sunshine Acres Children's Home and you a Happy Holidays!
CEA Global Education is excited to wish the Sunshine Acres Children's Home a Happy Holiday! This year, CEA staff donated holiday gifts to 40 children at the home in Mesa, Ariz. Founded in 1954 by Rev. Jim and Vera Dingman, Sunshine Acres has provided a home to more than 1,600 children, ages 5-14 at the time of admission. Once admitted, a child may stay as long as he or she wants, even into early adulthood (college).
This year, the staff at CEA Global Education's U.S. headquarters collected more than 80 gifts, including toys, clothing and shoes. CEA's resident elves Carolyne Horton, Joseph Weber, Kelly Walker and Theresa Blancas delivered the presents in time for the children to open on Christmas. It turned out to be rainy day that day, but just as CEA was hopefully able to brighten the day of these wonderful children, a rainbow peaking over Sunshine Acres brightened the dark sky as the CEA group left.
This marks the third year CEA Global Education has reached out to Sunshine Acres, which does not solicit financial support as part of its mission. Thanks to the support of many individuals, foundations and corporations, Sunshine Acres has made it its mission to never turn away a child for financial reasons. Sunshine Acres is a long-term residential home, with an initial placement of one year.
For more information on Sunshine Acres Children's home including how you can help, go to www.sunshineacres.org
10. Request a CEA catalog and leave it lying around the house, where Mom or Dad is sure to discover it.
9. Cook them an Italian meal for dinner (don’t forget to set the iPod to play some freshly downloaded beautiful Italian dinner music). This time next year they could be experiencing the real thing while visiting you!
8. Tell your parents you will earn college credit and, thus, still graduate on time.
7. DVR Anthony Bourdain or Samantha Brown on the Travel Channel, then switch over to their shows every time a family member walks into the room.
6. Introduce them to CEA's Student Financial Advisor (1-800-266-4441, Ext. 2804), who can help the family find funding for your trip.
5. Pickup one of those coffee table books - the kind with big, glossy photos - about France, Spain, China, South America, South Africa, the U.K., Ireland or Australia (whew!), and leave it in the Family Room.
4. Prepare for their questions! Take books out of the local library or Google the destination and read up on the traditions and customs you will be exposed to. Review the CEA website and get in touch with your Admissions Counselor - we speak to parents all the time and are here during break to help!
3. Get in touch with a CEA Alum - they can help you reinforce the benefits of studying abroad and the value of CEA programs.
2. Show them another "My Kid and My Money Go to (fill in the blank with school name)" sweatshirt. Then have them imagine where their holiday presents could come from next year!
1. Set your parents' cell ringtones to play "Fly Away," by Lenny Kravitz.
Need more help? Our Admissions Counselors are available until 7 p.m. today and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday before New Year’s. We resume normal business hours Monday, Jan. 4. To speak with someone, call 1-800-266-4441.
Are you a CEA Alum?
Upload a quick video on how you convinced your family of the value of study abroad and post a comment with the link, and we'll get it posted.
9. Cook them an Italian meal for dinner (don’t forget to set the iPod to play some freshly downloaded beautiful Italian dinner music). This time next year they could be experiencing the real thing while visiting you!
8. Tell your parents you will earn college credit and, thus, still graduate on time.
7. DVR Anthony Bourdain or Samantha Brown on the Travel Channel, then switch over to their shows every time a family member walks into the room.
6. Introduce them to CEA's Student Financial Advisor (1-800-266-4441, Ext. 2804), who can help the family find funding for your trip.
5. Pickup one of those coffee table books - the kind with big, glossy photos - about France, Spain, China, South America, South Africa, the U.K., Ireland or Australia (whew!), and leave it in the Family Room.
4. Prepare for their questions! Take books out of the local library or Google the destination and read up on the traditions and customs you will be exposed to. Review the CEA website and get in touch with your Admissions Counselor - we speak to parents all the time and are here during break to help!
3. Get in touch with a CEA Alum - they can help you reinforce the benefits of studying abroad and the value of CEA programs.
2. Show them another "My Kid and My Money Go to (fill in the blank with school name)" sweatshirt. Then have them imagine where their holiday presents could come from next year!
1. Set your parents' cell ringtones to play "Fly Away," by Lenny Kravitz.
Need more help? Our Admissions Counselors are available until 7 p.m. today and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday before New Year’s. We resume normal business hours Monday, Jan. 4. To speak with someone, call 1-800-266-4441.
Are you a CEA Alum?
Upload a quick video on how you convinced your family of the value of study abroad and post a comment with the link, and we'll get it posted.
Hi, future CEA students!
We're studying abroad in Alicante this semester and we wanted to share with you all how much fun we had on our excursion to Granada recently! Even though 5 hours on a bus sounds daunting, fun people from around the United States, comfortable seats, and beautiful scenery make the time fly by. Once we arrived in Granada and put on our coats (it was a lot colder there),
we hopped on another bus to head to our first-ever authentic Flamenco show. It was held in the gypsy village where the houses are built into the side of a mountain. They were beautiful and gave us a great view of the Alhambra by night
The performers were dressed in colorful, traditional Flamenco-wear. We had the best seats in the house for the performance and we really enjoyed it! It felt so Spanish! The next day we headed out to see the gigantic city of Granada. We all really liked the Chapel Real where King Ferdinand and Queen Ysabel are buried. The chapel was very gilded and Lidiana explained to us all of the symbols and secret markings. Outside of the chapel there were a lot of cool things to see, too. There was an awesome street performer dressed as a knight with his extremely talented dog, Gordi.
After the Chapel, we all headed off to what was our favorite stop, the Arabic market. It was full of the neatest souvenirs and keepsakes. I think between Maria and I, we bought about 8 scarves and several pairs of earrings! After this we stopped by a tetería and relaxed with some delicious and warm tea. The tea place was decorated in Arabic style and had lots of detailed tiles.
Then we spent the next few hours relaxing before a night out. In Granada they have the incredible tradition of giving you free tapas when you order a drink in the many tapas bars. We were lucky to get tuna with tomato, bocarones (look it up!), meatballs, pasta, French fries, and a bagel sandwich. This was over the period of the entire night, don't worry! The next morning we went to one of the most visited places in Spain – The Alhambra. We had high expectations for it and it exceeded them.
In case you don't know, the Alhambra was an Arabic fortress during the 8 centuries that they ruled Spain. Once the Christians took over control of Spain again, it became a paradise for the royals to relax in. The architecture was so intricate that it's hard to believe it was all done by hand. The buildings were mostly Arabic in design, but you could easily distinguish the ones built later by the Christians. As awesome as the architecture was, the gardens must be some of the most beautiful in the world. Naturally, they were filled with granadas, or pomegranates, following the name of the city. We also saw lots of interesting new plants and plenty of places to relax and take in all of the beautiful scenery.
Feeling inspired by the Alhambra, we decided to have lunch in an Arabic restaurant. The inside made us feel like we were sitting inside the Alhambra. One of the cool things about being in a new country is tasting all the different foods they have to offer. Maria ate Tajin, which is chicken with almonds, plums and honey. It looked and smelled soooooo good. I got some killer cous-cous with chicken. We were definitely not disappointed after that meal! Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, but we were glad to get on the bus once more to return to our pseudo-home, Alicante. It really is home now and it will be hard to say goodbye. Thank goodness we still have a month left here on the coast. ¡Nos vemos!
Besos,
Maria y Shelley
We're studying abroad in Alicante this semester and we wanted to share with you all how much fun we had on our excursion to Granada recently! Even though 5 hours on a bus sounds daunting, fun people from around the United States, comfortable seats, and beautiful scenery make the time fly by. Once we arrived in Granada and put on our coats (it was a lot colder there),
we hopped on another bus to head to our first-ever authentic Flamenco show. It was held in the gypsy village where the houses are built into the side of a mountain. They were beautiful and gave us a great view of the Alhambra by night
The performers were dressed in colorful, traditional Flamenco-wear. We had the best seats in the house for the performance and we really enjoyed it! It felt so Spanish! The next day we headed out to see the gigantic city of Granada. We all really liked the Chapel Real where King Ferdinand and Queen Ysabel are buried. The chapel was very gilded and Lidiana explained to us all of the symbols and secret markings. Outside of the chapel there were a lot of cool things to see, too. There was an awesome street performer dressed as a knight with his extremely talented dog, Gordi.
After the Chapel, we all headed off to what was our favorite stop, the Arabic market. It was full of the neatest souvenirs and keepsakes. I think between Maria and I, we bought about 8 scarves and several pairs of earrings! After this we stopped by a tetería and relaxed with some delicious and warm tea. The tea place was decorated in Arabic style and had lots of detailed tiles.Then we spent the next few hours relaxing before a night out. In Granada they have the incredible tradition of giving you free tapas when you order a drink in the many tapas bars. We were lucky to get tuna with tomato, bocarones (look it up!), meatballs, pasta, French fries, and a bagel sandwich. This was over the period of the entire night, don't worry! The next morning we went to one of the most visited places in Spain – The Alhambra. We had high expectations for it and it exceeded them.
In case you don't know, the Alhambra was an Arabic fortress during the 8 centuries that they ruled Spain. Once the Christians took over control of Spain again, it became a paradise for the royals to relax in. The architecture was so intricate that it's hard to believe it was all done by hand. The buildings were mostly Arabic in design, but you could easily distinguish the ones built later by the Christians. As awesome as the architecture was, the gardens must be some of the most beautiful in the world. Naturally, they were filled with granadas, or pomegranates, following the name of the city. We also saw lots of interesting new plants and plenty of places to relax and take in all of the beautiful scenery.Feeling inspired by the Alhambra, we decided to have lunch in an Arabic restaurant. The inside made us feel like we were sitting inside the Alhambra. One of the cool things about being in a new country is tasting all the different foods they have to offer. Maria ate Tajin, which is chicken with almonds, plums and honey. It looked and smelled soooooo good. I got some killer cous-cous with chicken. We were definitely not disappointed after that meal! Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, but we were glad to get on the bus once more to return to our pseudo-home, Alicante. It really is home now and it will be hard to say goodbye. Thank goodness we still have a month left here on the coast. ¡Nos vemos!Besos,
Maria y Shelley
Our Grenoble, France, students embarked on a two-day excursion filled with colossal sights, charming new friends, and authentically satisfying French cuisine. Our journey began at the Arles train station, where we walked past the monument showing where Vincent Van Gogh’s house once stood to the inviting and warm Hotel de L’Amphitheatre.
After checking in, we headed over to the Saturday street market to scrounge for deals and a bite to eat before meeting our guide, Vanessa. A trained architect, Vanessa speaks English and French perfectly. She lead us on an exploration of the history of Arles from Roman times, its medieval and Gothic architecture, Vincent Van Gogh’s contributions and torments while residing here, as well as the fact that Arles is considered to be one of France’s leading centers of photography.
Our guided tour ended with an underground visit to the Roman cryptoporiques or subterranean passageway. This spooky, cavern-like space was built in the first century B.C. as an underground maintenance access site for what was once Arles Roman forum.
A Regional Meal (Soupe de Poisson et Gardianne de taureau de Camargue)
Knowing that some in the group may have never eaten fish soup, we sat down to enjoy a satisfying French meal after a long day of sight-seeing.
This is how fish soup is made: Take a homemade crouton, rub it with a piece of fresh garlic, place a spoonful of rouille (a sort of rusty-colored, peppery garlic sauce) on the crouton and sprinkle it with shredded cheese. Place the prepared croutons in a soup bowl and ladle in the soup around them. The croutons soften (though remain crunchy) just enough to break with a spoon. The combination of textures and flavors is fabulous!
We finished our meal and headed past the glowing Amphitheater back to the hotel to rest after a fulfilling day.
The Camargue
After a hearty continental breakfast, we said our adieus to our hosts and strolled over to catch a bus to the Mediterranean coastal village of Les Saintes Maries de la Mer.
The 30-minute ride took us to the Rhone River delta area, known as the Camargue. The Camargue is famous for its salty marshes, wild black bulls, equally wild white horses, and an amazing assortment of owls, hawks, geese, storks, swans, egrets, herons and, of course, pink flamingos.
The Notre Dame de la Mer is the highest point in Les Saintes Maries and is discernable from a distance of several kilometers. There we sought to witness the annual Pelerinage, or pilgrimage, dedicated to the village’s Patron Saints: Marie Jacobe, sister of the Virgin Mary; and Marie Salome, the mother of the apostles James, John and Lazarus. According to legend, the Maries arrived where the village now stands, after having been set adrift at sea from Palestine. This ancient seaside village also hosts the annual Roma (Gypsy) pilgrimage in May, honoring the Roma Patron Saint Sarah.
We climbed the very narrow, internal staircase to the rooftop, where we waited for the procession to begin. The procession to the sea, lead by a retinue of Les Gardians or horsemen, lasts about 40 minutes and includes locals dressed in period costume from the early 20th century. Les Maries are carried to the shore where their arrival is re-enacted with much fanfare.
Afterwards, everyone makes a mad dash back to the village to try to find a place to eat in one of the many sandwich shops or restaurants lining the narrow stone streets.
No Horsey!
Having been inspired by Les Gardians, our equestrian urgings led us down the road to Les Cabanes de Cacharel, one of the many ranches dotting the coast and offering horseback treks.
We opted for an hour and a half and were assigned horses according to our levels of experience. We were told our horses names – Grizzly, Sol, Pant-Pant (means to plod along) and Grisou – in order to be in command and tell them what to do in a more personalized manner. Apparently, horses have a keen sense of socially accepted behavior and greatly dislike being referred to as 'Yo, horse" or "horsey."
Our guide – 7-year-old, raven-haired Tess – led us along the coast through sand, wind, gravel and mud. We picked our way along roads, over canals and finally back to the shelter of the ranch and Tess’s mother and father, who were no doubt proud of their daughter’s first time leading a group of 25 horses with a bunch of inexperienced riders.
With bowed legs and sore bottoms we climbed into our bus for the short trip back to the Arles train station. Our train arrived on time and everyone scrambled on board, searching for a comfortable place to rest. More than a few of us nodded off on the way back to our snow-peaked mountains and the city of Grenoble.
Go to www.GoWithCEA.com to discover how you can embark on your own study abroad adventures next semester! Create a MyCEA account so you can stay abreast of new programs and additions at CEA Global Education.
After checking in, we headed over to the Saturday street market to scrounge for deals and a bite to eat before meeting our guide, Vanessa. A trained architect, Vanessa speaks English and French perfectly. She lead us on an exploration of the history of Arles from Roman times, its medieval and Gothic architecture, Vincent Van Gogh’s contributions and torments while residing here, as well as the fact that Arles is considered to be one of France’s leading centers of photography.Our guided tour ended with an underground visit to the Roman cryptoporiques or subterranean passageway. This spooky, cavern-like space was built in the first century B.C. as an underground maintenance access site for what was once Arles Roman forum.
A Regional Meal (Soupe de Poisson et Gardianne de taureau de Camargue)
Knowing that some in the group may have never eaten fish soup, we sat down to enjoy a satisfying French meal after a long day of sight-seeing.This is how fish soup is made: Take a homemade crouton, rub it with a piece of fresh garlic, place a spoonful of rouille (a sort of rusty-colored, peppery garlic sauce) on the crouton and sprinkle it with shredded cheese. Place the prepared croutons in a soup bowl and ladle in the soup around them. The croutons soften (though remain crunchy) just enough to break with a spoon. The combination of textures and flavors is fabulous!
We finished our meal and headed past the glowing Amphitheater back to the hotel to rest after a fulfilling day.
The Camargue
After a hearty continental breakfast, we said our adieus to our hosts and strolled over to catch a bus to the Mediterranean coastal village of Les Saintes Maries de la Mer.
The 30-minute ride took us to the Rhone River delta area, known as the Camargue. The Camargue is famous for its salty marshes, wild black bulls, equally wild white horses, and an amazing assortment of owls, hawks, geese, storks, swans, egrets, herons and, of course, pink flamingos.
The Notre Dame de la Mer is the highest point in Les Saintes Maries and is discernable from a distance of several kilometers. There we sought to witness the annual Pelerinage, or pilgrimage, dedicated to the village’s Patron Saints: Marie Jacobe, sister of the Virgin Mary; and Marie Salome, the mother of the apostles James, John and Lazarus. According to legend, the Maries arrived where the village now stands, after having been set adrift at sea from Palestine. This ancient seaside village also hosts the annual Roma (Gypsy) pilgrimage in May, honoring the Roma Patron Saint Sarah.
We climbed the very narrow, internal staircase to the rooftop, where we waited for the procession to begin. The procession to the sea, lead by a retinue of Les Gardians or horsemen, lasts about 40 minutes and includes locals dressed in period costume from the early 20th century. Les Maries are carried to the shore where their arrival is re-enacted with much fanfare.
Afterwards, everyone makes a mad dash back to the village to try to find a place to eat in one of the many sandwich shops or restaurants lining the narrow stone streets.
No Horsey!
Having been inspired by Les Gardians, our equestrian urgings led us down the road to Les Cabanes de Cacharel, one of the many ranches dotting the coast and offering horseback treks.We opted for an hour and a half and were assigned horses according to our levels of experience. We were told our horses names – Grizzly, Sol, Pant-Pant (means to plod along) and Grisou – in order to be in command and tell them what to do in a more personalized manner. Apparently, horses have a keen sense of socially accepted behavior and greatly dislike being referred to as 'Yo, horse" or "horsey."
Our guide – 7-year-old, raven-haired Tess – led us along the coast through sand, wind, gravel and mud. We picked our way along roads, over canals and finally back to the shelter of the ranch and Tess’s mother and father, who were no doubt proud of their daughter’s first time leading a group of 25 horses with a bunch of inexperienced riders.With bowed legs and sore bottoms we climbed into our bus for the short trip back to the Arles train station. Our train arrived on time and everyone scrambled on board, searching for a comfortable place to rest. More than a few of us nodded off on the way back to our snow-peaked mountains and the city of Grenoble.
Go to www.GoWithCEA.com to discover how you can embark on your own study abroad adventures next semester! Create a MyCEA account so you can stay abreast of new programs and additions at CEA Global Education.
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