Pre-departure Thoughts

Three sleepless nights, two over-packed suitcases, and one pre-study abroad beach trip with the family down and tomorrow I head off to Europe. I am studying abroad in Denmark at Denmark Technical University, and am leaving the country for the first time. I am...

Coming Home

It feels weird packing up.  For the past four months, all of the people and friends I have met, the places I have seen, and the adventures I have been living will now all be a part of the past.  It is hard knowing that Italy is far away from me.  Don’t get me...

My Spirit Grows Faint Within Me…

I am home now from Cambodia, but I wrote this while there: It’s been a long few days. We flew for 22 hours (not including layover time in Atlanta and Korea) and arrived in Phnom Penh about 11 pm Friday night. Having lost 12 hours of our lives, our bodies were confused...

The Case for Photography

I am in a 9 week study abroad program that starts in Rome (3 weeks), continues in Paris (3 weeks) and London (2 weeks) and finishes in Glasgow (1 week). In my five weeks studying abroad, I have taken a lot of photographs.  Some of them have been pretty good, which is...

#america

I have just completed my first week back home in the United States and it was not what I was expecting. I have been able to see my family and friends as well as have some interesting encounters with strangers. When I arrived in the airport, it was weird hearing...

One Month in England

Tomorrow I set off for England! I’ve spent all summer preparing myself, planning what to pack, and just imagining what daily life will be like. I am studying abroad with UA in Oxford as part of the Honors College. I chose to study abroad because I absolutely...

Greece

I write this post from Rome, having finished my class in Greece. When we started the trip, it was difficult to imagine the scenery getting any better than it could have. We began in Santorini, a class of twenty students. Of those twenty, I had only known two before...

A Journey Across the World

I never imagined that I would have the opportunity to travel abroad during my college years. Yet, here I am, about to leave for China. My study abroad group and I will be traveling for thirty-six hours to arrive in Xiamen, China. I have absolutely no idea what to...

Headed Home From Greece

  Woke up on our last day and made last minute checks on all my assignments before turning it in. Three of us decided to go get waffles on a stick but turns out they actually didn’t have any so we got crepes instead, good last breakfast in Greece. From there...

Oxford Travel Journal Pt.1

Traveling, even for the most grounded person, is something I think all of us dream of doing. In secret, openly, everyone wants to see parts of the world they have never seen before. No matter if it’s a neighboring county or the opposite hemisphere. For me, I...

Why Chile

I’m wandering through the student union in midwinter, attempting to kill time before class. Fortunately for my wanderlust and unfortunately for my finances, today is the study abroad fair. Each booth whispers to me, reaching with phantom hands to pull me closer....

Stuck Between Languages

  When I got to the airport in Madrid, I knew that the adjustment back into English was going to be a difficult one.  The airport employees knew that our group was all Americans and as such, we would usually receive a barrage of English and Spanish words mixed...

East Asia Here I Come!

I can’t believe I’m going to be traveling to East Asia in a few days! Many factors played into my decision to study abroad. One of the factors that played into my decision is my desire to provide medical care to people that are not able to afford it. Serving others...

Burger King Sells Beer?

And Subway does too. This may come as a surprise for some of you (as it did for me too) when you travel to another country. Their rules and norms are sometimes completely different from the united states, which can be cool or sometimes even crappy. While living in...