by Riley R | May 19, 2019 | Africa, Arts & Sciences, Summer, UA-Affiliate, _
When we arrived at our hostel in Johannesburg, the experience became real. I had three roommates, so our dorm/hostel room consisted of a bathroom bunk beds and two stationary beds. We did not immediately hit it off, but I think it was understandable since we had all...
by Claudia M | May 17, 2019 | Arts & Sciences, Australia/New Zealand, Faculty-Led, Summer, _
At 4am tomorrow morning, I will be dropped off at the Birmingham airport where I will catch a flight to Houston and then to Auckland, New Zealand. It still seems quite surreal that all of my preparation has finally paid off and the day has finally arrived. I spent...
by Brooke H | May 15, 2019 | Arts & Sciences, Faculty-Led, South America, Summer, _
Sitting in my terminal waiting to board the plane that will take me to Belize, I’m nervous. I’m wondering if I forgot anything. I’m worried about customs since I’ve never flown by myself or been to a foreign country without my family. I’m scared the other students I’m...
by Kate S | May 15, 2019 | Commerce & Business, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate
I didn’t think I would miss Barcelona for a while, but I have been home for a week or so and I actually already miss living there. I miss being able to walk out of my apartment and be almost anywhere in less than 20 minutes. It was so easy to live in the city because...
by Emma B | May 15, 2019 | Arts & Sciences, Faculty-Led, South America, Summer, _
This week before going abroad has been crazy! I was on the way home from UA when I realized I did not have my passport. I went back to my apartment in Tuscaloosa and looked EVERYWHERE before accepting defeat. I was freaking out because I only had 8 days before...
by Matthew D | May 15, 2019 | Commerce & Business, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate, _
In just a few days, I will fly home from Dublin back to the United States. While I am incredibly excited to see my family and friends again, it has not yet hit me that I have been here for 4 months. The time has gone by quickly, but I believe I have made the most of...
by Ellie N | May 14, 2019 | Arts & Sciences, Education, North America, Summer, UA-Affiliate
Spanish speakers are so incredibly prevalent in the United States, yet too often they are unfairly marginalized. As a future educator, I can prevent this from happening at the student level by educating myself in order to better understand and communicate with people...
by Emily J | May 10, 2019 | Asia, Faculty-Led, Summer, _
Processed with VSCO with f2 preset In China, the government blocks all access to Western media, including google, and many other sites. So, I wasn’t able to post any blogs while there. Better late than never, right? Before our arrival in China, we had many...
by Kate S | Apr 30, 2019 | Commerce & Business, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate, _
WOW. It really feels like I got to Barcelona only a month ago and now I will be leaving on Friday to do some traveling around Spain before I go home. It’s so hard to put into words all the different things I learned in the three and a half months I’ve been living...
by Emily C | Apr 30, 2019 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate, _
I can’t believe I only have a month left in this magical city! I have met so many incredible new friends and travelled to so many new places. One of the main things that has surprised me about this experience is how much I have ended up traveling in my host...
by Averi L | Apr 30, 2019 | Arts & Sciences, Education, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate
When I made my decision to study abroad in Florence, Italy, it was a pretty hasty choice without much research to back it. I had known all throughout college that I wanted to study abroad, and...
by Amber U | Apr 26, 2019 | Central America, Internship, Semester, Social Work, _
Trying to comprehend how 4 months swiftly passed me by is mind boggling, yet beautiful. My time in Mexico cannot be explained in the way that I want because it opened the door for me to reach new heights and achieve things I never thought I would achieve. I am...
by Oscar V | Apr 24, 2019 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate, _
Living in the United Kingdom has been eye opening I would say. I have seen, eaten, and tried so many new things. From visiting Hampton Court, to exploring the Victoria-Albert Museum, attending so many productions (experimental, theatre, dance, and music), and even...
by Anna K | Apr 23, 2019 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Exchange, Semester
When I found out I was going to Leicester, I was skeptical because I had never heard of it before. I thought that it was a ‘nobody’ town, especially since no one else I knew had heard of it. Turns out that Leicester is one of the bigger cities in the UK....
by Zach S | Apr 23, 2019 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate
The past three months have flown by in a blur, and the realization that I return home in a month is slowly beginning to set in. Studying abroad in Europe has presented me with one amazing opportunity after another, ranging from traversing beautiful gardens and villas...
by Caila B | Apr 22, 2019 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate, _
In the weeks leading up to my semester abroad, I had a a lot of worries running through my mind, but above all, I was nervous about “culture shock.” It seemed as though I couldn’t escape that term, as warnings flew at me from every direction whether...
by Johnathan A | Apr 18, 2019 | Arts & Sciences, Comm & Info Sciences, Europe, Exchange, Semester
I knew coming in that Leicester was known for its diversity, but it wasn’t until I became more comfortable that I would realize just how special and interesting this city was. When I had locked in my decision to study abroad in the UK, everyone’s first...
by Dy'Qwan L | Apr 5, 2019 | Commerce & Business, Europe, Exchange, Semester, _
Upon my arrival to Bordeaux, France I had the same reaction to the French language that I believe most Americans hold, “French is beautiful” and “ The French Language must be Fun”. My mind was changed very quickly. Yes the language still sounds beautiful but once I...
by Blake Childers | Apr 5, 2019 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate, _
The month of March has been one full of travel! I’ve been somewhere new each week! I went to Belfast with AIFS (included in my program fee) for the first weekend of March. When we arrived in Belfast, we went on a bus tour of the city. We saw the Peace Wall, Samson and...
by Caroline C | Apr 5, 2019 | Australia/New Zealand, Semester, UA Non-Affiliate, _
During my time in Australia, I had the opportunity to travel to Bali, Indonesia. It was just a little over a 5 hour flight from Sydney. I was excited because it was going to be my first time ever in Asia. Traveling with me were three other girlfriends in my...
