Our New Blogger
If you read the updates on our bloggers, you'll notice a slight change. Phil Assetto, the great storyteller who whisked us on an unforgettable journey through Rome, is no longer with us. His semester is over and he is back with his family in Coatesville, PA.

While his wonderful stories of Italian adventures have come to an end, he will be bringing us a report of what his reentry back into America was like, and how he had to get re-accustomed to the American way of life.

In his place is our first special guest blogger, which is a new feature of BlogAbroad.com Bonus Material. Tonnia Harry has been in Nice, France since January. She has been blogging with us since a week and a half ago.

So far she has posted five blogs, and all five were nominated by the MindSay blogging community as being one of the six best blogs of that day. There are often more than 50,000 blogs a day, so that is pretty impressive.

It just goes to show how interesting and introspective her blogs are.

International Education
An Increasing Student Population Studying in Central & Eastern Europe
By Kristine Zamastil-Vondrova, Ph.D., J.D.
Managing Director - European Study Abroad Center

While Western European countries continue to be a traditional destination for undergraduate and graduate students studying abroad, recently, Central and Eastern European countries have become increasingly popular. This part of the world offers an abundance of multinational and domestic businesses, historical sites and preserved villages, beautiful architecture, and diverse cultural activities. Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, is commonly referred to as the "gem" of the new Europe and is proving to be an excellent destination for both long term and short term study abroad programs. Currently there are over 62 different study abroad programs based in the Czech Republic and the number continues to rise as does its superior reputation with high school, college, and graduate students. There are numerous different models and areas of focus and while some programs are run by Czech institutions of higher education, the majority are operated by U.S. or British universities or private overseas educational firms. (http://www.studyabroad.com/europe/czech-republic.html)

Studying abroad can be a profound experience for students of any age, from any country. This experience offers them the opportunity to explore traditions, perceptions, and concepts not found in their own culture. This experience is valuable because it enables students to broaden their view of themselves and the world in which they live. Recently, Eastern Europe, in particular the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary became a magnet region for students not only because it remains a relatively good bargain, but also because it offers such a wide range of rich educational opportunities and unique cultural experiences.

Generally students decide to study overseas for a variety of reasons including the chance to increase their language acquisition, develop academically, increase their cross-cultural perception, see the world, meet new people, and take the opportunity to enhance their resumes. Finding the right location is usually one of the top priorities for participants as they are not only searching for the right academic program, but also a destination that will meet their expectations from a cultural and social perspective. In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, there are a number of excellent programs students can take advantage of, each offering a variety of academic opportunities from business to art and a vast array of distinctive cultural activities.

Read on for a more in-depth discussion of two popular Central & Eastern European destinations.

Also, for check out the student perspective on Central & Eastern Europe study abroad opportunities.

And finally, check out some program providers who offer opportunities to study abroad in Central & Eastern Europe.