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...

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...

No Plan is the Plan

Back in Tuscaloosa, it seems like every one of my days is planned down to the “t”.  With multiple organizations I am involved in along with my chemical engineering major, I am kept very busy, and if I don’t have a game plan going into a day, I would quickly be lost. ...

Why I have to go back

There are a lot of reasons why I decided to study abroad this Summer in Greece. My first experience traveling to a foreign country came when I was in second grade. My family and I went to Italy for about three weeks during Summer vacation. That first trip made me want...

The Plane is Half of the Adventure

I belong to a rare group of human beings.  One that has never been past the security gates of an airport.  One that has never seen firsthand what the Earth looks like from up above.  One of the few that have never in their lives flown in an airplane before.  Usually...

Luck of the Irish

I left home exactly four months and one week ago – but to be frank and not cliche at all, Dublin has become my second home. It can be easy to settle into a life of routine while abroad but I strongly recommend to always seek new places, people, and activities...

Preparing for Germany

I chose to study abroad because I believe that studying abroad is an invaluable opportunity. My research professor, Dr. Anthony Arduengo, offered to take me abroad during the Fall 2014 semester, for the Spring 2015 semester. I did not have any other decisions other...

First week in Dublin!

After a sleepless flight from the states, I finally arrived in Dublin on Tuesday! Since then there’s been a lot of adjustment and settling in to the new city and surroundings. I am studying at University College Dublin (UCD) this semester as a senior in Civil...

The Week before Dublin

Nervousness. Excitement. Restless. Stressed. There are a tornado of emotions that could be used to describe the week before departure. I am constantly fluctuating from one to the other trying never quite finding a balance. There is so much to do: packing, goodbyes,...