This year, I studied abroad in Croatia & Italy while taking Intermediate Macroeconomics with Dr. Junsoo Lee and Dr. Hasan Isomitdinov. In my first post, I’d like to discuss how I got to this trip, as well as my first impressions in Croatia and my impressions of the class. My journey to this trip actually started during my freshman year, when I committed to study on this trip last year. However, I unfortunately tore my ACL playing intramural basketball and I had to withdraw from the trip last year. So when it came to this years’ trip, it was a no-brainer for me to sign up. I had never been out of the country besides going on a vacation to Cancun, and I had always been told study abroad was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Thanks to several scholarships and the generosity of my parents, I was blessed to be able to take this class.
Our trip started with some chaos, as our flight plans were severely impacted by the Newark Airport air traffic control shortage. We had to make several last-minute flight changes and ended up on a flight from Houston to London, then to Munich, then to Dubrovnik! After a long day of travel, we arrived at “Akademis Academia” , a dormitory in Dubrovnik. We had a welcome dinner that night with our group and our professors. My two friends who joined me on the flight to London, their luggage was delayed by a whole day, so I had to loan them some clothes to wear.
After our arrival, we had class the next morning at the University of Dubrovnik. During that morning and the walk over, there are several differences I noticed from America and Croatia. First, coffee is very different. The sugary lattes and frappucinos we are used to are a lot less common in Europe. You have to stir in your own sugar into your coffee and cappuccino is the most popular order. Another difference is all of the cars are so small, and bikes and mopeds are extremely popular. It was beautiful weather in the coastal town of Dubrovnik, and after class, we headed to the walls of Dubrovnik and toured the ancient walls in the Old Town of Dubrovnik, also known as “King’s Landing” from Game of Thrones. Our next few days in Croatia involved class, swimming in the Adriatic Sea, and eating delicious food. I will continue the account of our trip in my next post! – Kelby
