CAPA WORLD

This popular city is a worthwhile destination to learn new things about culture, cuisine, language, and a way of living. Let Grace give you an introduction to Barcelona with tips and tricks along the way! From knowing what to expect from "Spanish timing" to using common phrases, this post will enlighten you about local life and how to fit right in.

There's no better place to learn a new language than its home country. Brielle took on the challenge of learning Italian while studying abroad in Florence and shares four ways to overcome barriers and explore a new language. You may leave home knowing only how to say "ciao" or "grazie", but you'll come back from your study abroad knowing more!

In this week's post, Imani gets to the heart of learning Mandarin and shares an introduction to the language. Take note of the basics here and the keys to understanding how the Chinese language works as a result of history and context. After all, the possibilities in life are endless when you know another language!

One of the many things you can pick up while studying abroad is a new language! In this week's post, Maya broaches the topic of the language barrier in Spain and how she overcame her doubts to learn and practice Catalan and Spanish in Barcelona. She shares several tips and strategies to grasp a new language and make it one of the highlights of your study abroad experience. 

One of the biggest skills you can gain from studying abroad is a better grasp on a new language. For me, one of my goals is to be bilingual and Barcelona was a perfect place to do so! However, I did not know going into this that Spanish is not actually the main language spoken in Barcelona—it’s actually Catalan. While this is very similar to Spanish it is a completely different language and can really confuse you, especially if you had no idea this language existed.

In this week's post, Payton shares her initial concerns about not knowing any Italian when she moved to Florence and talks about the different ways she's begun to work on her Italian, leveraging her Ganzo! family, friendly locals, and even her past knowledge of Spanish. 

Ciao! I’m currently taking a break from studying for my Italian midterm tomorrow-- my last test before fall break!-- and I figured I’d write a bit about what my experience living in a country where English isn’t the dominant language has been like so far.

Italian is a very beautiful and interesting language, but since it’s only spoken in Italy, it’s rare to find Italian classes in American high schools. I took Spanish as my required language class, which I loved, but figured wouldn’t really do me any good when I decided to come here. When I arrived, I felt a bit rude coming into a foreign country without the ability to even say “please” or “thank you” to the locals in their own language. However, I learned very quickly that, not only is Italian relatively easy to pick up on, but that the locals are very kind and keen on helping you learn.

Daniel Powell is an official CAPA vlogger for fall 2018, sharing his story in weekly posts on CAPA World. An International Relations and Applied Economics major at  Ursinus College, he is studying abroad in Shanghai this semester.

In this week's post, Daniel shares his enthusiasm and first impressions of Shanghai.

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Thanks, Daniel!

Daniel's journey continues every Thursday so stay tuned.

Jolena is an official CAPA vlogger for spring 2018, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Finance and International Business major at University of Pittsburgh, she is studying abroad in Shanghai this semester.

In this week's post, Jolena shares what it's school is really like on her study abroad program in Shanghai and the differences between classes in the U.S. and China.

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How has it already been a month since I’ve arrived in China? Time is moving unusually fast, and it’s hard to believe how confused and out of place I felt a month ago. Now I’d say I’m able to live like a local by going through the basic motions of life without fearing that I’m going the wrong way on the subway or ordering a mystery meal while out.

And now that life in Shanghai is in full swing that means going to school. Being an international student is such an odd concept. Back at home, we barely see the international students around or interact with them—and it’s pretty much the same here and I feel like I’ve reversed roles. The international students interact with each other because we’re pretty much on the same boat, whereas we don’t really have classes or chances to meet native Chinese students. It’s a bit unfortunate, but I can understand because the school system between countries can be very different.

Celess is an official CAPA vlogger for fall 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Business Administration major at Riverside City College, she is studying abroad in Florence this semester.

In this week's post, Celess spends time with her GANZO family in Florence and shares how this cross-cultural experience has been so far.

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Thanks Celess!

Celess' journey continues weekly so stay tuned.

Kristopher (also known as Kip) is an official CAPA vlogger for fall 2017, sharing his story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Finance major at University of Colorado - Boulder, he is studying abroad in Florence this semester.

In this week's post, Kristopher introduces us to some Italian phrases he's learned while studying abroad in Florence.

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Thanks Kip!

Kristopher's journey continues every Tuesday so stay tuned.

Every country has their own idioms that mean something totally different than what they first appear to. You might say to your friend, “Wow! That cost an arm and a leg.” If someone from another country heard you- well, let’s just hope they don’t take it literally or they may get worried! If you think about it, you can probably come up with quite a few other unique phrases you use in daily life.

This is a common phenomenon that you'll encounter no matter where you go. To help you out, we’ve rounded up 10 important English colloquial phrases to know in Sydney that will help you speak like the locals!

1. Ace! = awesome, excellent

This is a phrase you'll probably hear every day. It can be used in any context to describe something that you find cool or amazing.