by Andreea T. | Jul 23, 2025 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer, _
As a French major, one of the biggest goals I had before entering college was to study abroad in a francophone country. As I started as a freshman at UA, I felt secure enough in my French skills to apply for the “UA in France: Language and Culture”...
by Kaya H. | Jul 23, 2025 | Arts & Sciences, Asia, Faculty-Led, Honors College, Non-traditional, Summer, _
Traveling from the United States to Vietnam was no easy feat. Serving as my first international flight experience, the two-day commute with multiple layovers truly tested my resilience and patience. But all of this stress was relieved the second I landed in Hanoi,...
by Taj J. | Jul 23, 2025 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Summer, UA-Affiliate, _
After spending the last month living in Spain, I’m finally back home: jetlagged, disoriented, and wildly confused about when I’m supposed to eat dinner. (Seriously, how did I adjust to 10 p.m. meals so fast and now can’t seem to make it past 6:30 p.m. without my...
by Lucy R. | Jul 22, 2025 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer, UA-Affiliate, _
After a wonderful first week settling into life in Florence, I already feel like I’ve begun to adapt to the Italian lifestyle. From walking the historic streets and sipping espresso in local cafés to learning the flow of daily life here, the transition has been...
by Morganne L. | Jul 22, 2025 | Commerce & Business, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer, _
As I finish up my junior year, I can’t believe I’m just weeks away from heading off on my study abroad adventure to Ghent, London, and Amsterdam! I’ve always dreamed of traveling, and when I learned about this program, I knew it was the right opportunity for me. The...
by Liz R. | Jul 22, 2025 | Arts & Sciences, Human Environmental Sciences, South America, Summer, _
When I first signed up for 6 weeks of school in Barranquilla, I thought I knew and was prepared for everything. Well- I was delightfully wrong! When I first signed up for six weeks of school in Barranquilla, I thought I was completely prepared. I am a Spanish as well...
by Shifa J. | Jul 22, 2025 | Arts & Sciences, Commerce & Business, Engineering, Europe, Faculty-Led, Semester, Summer, UA-Affiliate, _
Our day trip to Waiheke Island, a 45 minute ferry ride out of New Zealand was absolutely my most favorite day of the entire trip.We started the day off with a visit to Waiheke Honey Company, a local bee farm that produces a variety of pure 100% honey, one of them...
by Shifa J. | Jul 22, 2025 | Arts & Sciences, Commerce & Business, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer, _
I am now on my 5th day of this amazing Study Abroad adventure through Australia and New Zealand, currently in Cairns. We have so much left to do in the city but we definitely did our big one yesterday. Snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef wasn’t just the highlight of...
by Shifa J. | Jul 22, 2025 | Arts & Sciences, Commerce & Business, Engineering, Europe, Faculty-Led, Semester, Summer, UA-Affiliate, _
Just an hour drive out of Sydney, Walkabout Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected 80-acre bushland space where native animals like kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, and of course, koalas roam freely and safely. Many of the animals here are rescued, endangered, or...
by Andrew W. | Jul 22, 2025 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer, _
After an incredible month in Germany and traveling in Europe, I am finally back home in the US and able to reflect on my time abroad. Following the three and a half weeks I studied German in Freiburg, I took a train through the Alps to Milan, Italy, where I spent a...
by Lillian J. | Jul 22, 2025 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer, _
Hello again everyone! Last time I checked in, I updated you all on my time in the cities of Konstanz and Strasbourg during my summer abroad in Germany. Well, I’m finally back home in Alabama, and I’d thought I’d use this last blog post to talk about my last couple of...
by Natalie R. | Jul 22, 2025 | Commerce & Business, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer, _
Hello Everyone! As my Greece Study Abroad trip is soon coming to a close, I wanted to provide an update on my thoughts and experiences so far. The first thing I have noticed is that almost everyone in Greece speaks English. However, if you can say simple words in...
by Campbell T. | Jul 22, 2025 | Commerce & Business, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer, _
After spending 17 days in Greece, I have had a rich experience, from spending 24+ hours in the Washington D.C airport to hiking Mount Olympus. I am grateful I was able to experience it all. After walking through the Jacksonville airport, I realized that I missed...
by Dan L. | Jul 22, 2025 | Asia, Engineering, Summer, UA-Affiliate, _
Now that the semester is wrapping up, I’ve had some time to reflect on my time in Korea and how it compares to other places I’ve visited. During these four months, I also traveled to China and Japan, which gave me useful context to think about what Korea does well and...
by Nicole J. | Jul 22, 2025 | Arts & Sciences, Australia/New Zealand, Europe, Faculty-Led, Honors College, Summer, UA-Affiliate, _
I entered this summer with one goal in mind: to see parts of the world I have never seen before and have fun while doing it. Both New Zealand and Italy were absolute whirlwinds, I can confidently say that I do not regret either study abroad experience. The two were...
by Caitlin S. | Jul 22, 2025 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer, UA-Affiliate, _
5/25: Before Departure Getting ready to go abroad has completely taken over my mind, my Pinterest boards, and my TikTok feed. I’ve probably watched over a hundred detailed videos on “what I wish I packed for study abroad” and “underrated travel essentials every...
by Willow M. | Jul 22, 2025 | Asia, Comm & Info Sciences, Faculty-Led, _
Hi there, it’s Willow, one month post-Korea! I expected that there would be some unexpected culture shocks when returning to America, but these are my top 5 shocks over the past month: Tipping culture: In South Korea, tipping is not normal because service...
by Avery T. | Jul 22, 2025 | Asia, Commerce & Business, Faculty-Led, Honors College, _
One of the biggest attractions of traveling abroad to Vietnam is the diverse cuisine of the region. I initially was excited to experience all of the different foods, but I also knew that my palate would never be the same after four weeks of eating like the Vietnamese....
by Beth K. | Jul 22, 2025 | Comm & Info Sciences, Europe, Summer, _
Norway’s beauty is no secret whatsoever, though it should never be underestimated. During my time here, almost every location looked like a computer background. The...
by Olivia B. | Jul 22, 2025 | Africa, Arts & Sciences, Faculty-Led, Summer, _
I left Benin on June 29, and have had time to reflect on the incredible experiences I had. The UA in Benin program was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, especially because it was a faculty-led program in our professor’s hometown. Having a local guide us through Benin,...
