by Madison K | Jul 8, 2018 | Comm & Info Sciences, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate, _
Culture shock. Before I left for study abroad and once I arrived at my new temporary home, it seemed to be all people could discuss. I patiently sat through at least five different lectures or online seminars with a graphic of the same culture shock curve presented...
by Katie Holcomb | Jul 2, 2018 | Europe, Semester, Summer, UA Non-Affiliate, _
Barcelona is a unique city full of many sights and Catalan charm. I have been studying in Barcelona for 4 exciting and super busy weeks. With so much to see and do in a short summer semester, here are a few tips to make the most of your study abroad experience. ...
by Justin C | Jun 28, 2018 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate, _
Well, it officially has been a month since I returned home from beautiful Florence, Italy. Many emotions filled me as I got home—depressed, anxious, happy, nervous—I didn’t know how to feel. I was excited to come home and see family and friends, but I was also...
by Margaret Selesky | Jun 6, 2018 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate
After spending more than four months living and studying in Scotland, I returned home to Birmingham three days ago. In these first few days, my adjustment back to life in the U.S. has been harder than I had expected. My body wakes me up by 5 each morning (noon in...
by Shakia B | Jun 2, 2018 | Africa, Arts & Sciences, By College, Faculty-Led, Nursing, Semester
After completing my junior year I decided it was time to study abroad. I felt as if I could accomplish anything considering I made it through a second semester of Nursing. The decision to study abroad was really with help from my instructors. We had a decision to go...
by Adrienne R | Jun 2, 2018 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate
I can hardly believe that I am already back in Alabama after an entire semester in Ireland. People always told me that the semester would fly by, that it would be some of the quickest months of my life. I did not believe them at first—my first month there was...
by Valerie W | May 23, 2018 | Engineering, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate
While most people have the attitude of “that will never happen to me,” the reality is that is happens to a LOT of people while abroad. Tourists always seem to have big bullseyes on their foreheads that say “TOURIST.” Most of the people who...
by Samantha C | May 19, 2018 | Europe, Faculty-Led, Human Environmental Sciences, Semester, _
This study abroad trip was my first time out of the country and up until two days ago I wasn’t even sure I was going anymore. I am very nervous. I didn’t brush up on the Italian language enough so I’m afraid I will have trouble communicating. I know...
by Anna M | May 19, 2018 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Semester, UA Non-Affiliate, _
It’s been almost a month now since I’ve returned from my study abroad program, and from the beginning of my journey, I knew I wanted to do a post about reverse culture shock. While spending three months in London with the Hansard Scholars Program was a life changing...
by Kaitlin W | May 18, 2018 | Arts & Sciences, Comm & Info Sciences, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate, _
Before leaving for study abroad (and leaving the country for the first time…ever), I often compared what I thought my experience would be like to a scene in my favorite movie-Tangled. It’s the moment when Rapunzel decides to jump from her tower, and is...
by Margaret Selesky | May 14, 2018 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate
In some ways, academics at the University of St Andrews is very different from the University of Alabama. I expected many of the obvious differences, such as new set of terminology: module instead of course, term instead of semester, or revising instead of studying....
by Caylee O | May 8, 2018 | Africa, Arts & Sciences, Semester, UA-Affiliate
I’ve been in Tanzania for almost 3.5 months now, and I’ve loved every minute of my time here. Despite being very different from the United States, I didn’t have any issues adjusting to life in Tanzania; however, I have definitely grown from exposure to the...
by Justin C | May 8, 2018 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate, _
Ciao Everyone! It is insane to be saying, but I already only have eleven days in this beautiful city of Florence, Italy. I honestly have no idea where time has gone and I am totally not ready to leave yet (but my Bank Account is). I have not really started getting...
by Elizabeth C | Apr 30, 2018 | Commerce & Business, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate, _
After being in Seville for a few months now, I can without a doubt say that I picked the perfect place to study for a semester. Seville is not exactly what I imagined, as I began my adventure in Madrid for orientation. However, unlike the city-like bustle of Madrid,...
by Victoria T | Apr 27, 2018 | Africa, Internship, Semester, Social Work
For my final weekend adventure in Ghana, I chose to fly to the Northern Region to Mole National Park. The northern part of Ghana is very different from the area I lived and worked in and I was told by many Ghanaians that to truly experience Ghana, I needed to see...
by Victoria T | Apr 27, 2018 | Africa, Internship, Semester, Social Work
With our weekends free, we have been able to explore a great deal of Ghana’s beauty. One of our favorite places to visit is Cape Coast, which is a historic fishing town with beautiful beaches. We were able to stay right on the beach in an eclectic brightly colored...
by Victoria T | Apr 27, 2018 | Africa, Internship, Semester, Social Work
I chose to study abroad because I believe there is only so much that can be learned through our own cultural lens. I have learned the most in life when immersed in conversations and experiences with individuals who view the world in a different way than I do....
by Anna M | Apr 20, 2018 | Commerce & Business, Europe, Internship, Semester, UA-Affiliate
Hello again from London! It’s been a while since my last post, and I’ve definitely adjusted more to my surroundings much more. Unfortunately, it’s only less than a month before I head back home to the states. My time and London, interning with Parliament and taking...
by Adrienne R | Apr 13, 2018 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate
When my friend Ruth told us about a student trad night, we knew that we could not resist going to check it out. But as we walked past the familiar sights and sounds of Galway’s Latin Quarter and into its West End, unfamiliarity began to settle in. I did not know...
by Valerie W | Apr 12, 2018 | Engineering, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate
As I am writing this, I am exactly 5 weeks away from my departure date back to the USA. That is almost surreal to write; I cannot believe how fast the semester has flown by! I have made some wonderful new friends from all across the globe and together we have created...
