by Jacob T | Jul 28, 2016 | Engineering, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer
Upon first arriving in Denmark, I was greeted with a very American-esque airport and crowds of people bustling about to their destination— a scene quite similar to the U.S. I pride myself on awareness, so I immediately found my exact location, my destination, the path...
by Mary P | Jul 28, 2016 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer
One of the perks of living in Europe is the ease of accessibility to other countries. In most cases, for less than one hundred Euros you can travel across national borders. Since I’m studying in Berlin, I decided to spend my free weekend in Prague. Along with...
by Devin V | Jul 28, 2016 | Engineering, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer
So the beginning of my tale starts with a CRJ700 out of the Birmingham regional airport to Charlotte, as can be seen in the picture included (I am obsessed with planes!). I knew before coming that it would be a fun and especially different experience that I would...
by Emily S | Jul 27, 2016 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer
Upon first arriving in Berlin, I immediately noticed how safe I felt. Granted, I took five years of German, so my familiarity with the language helped, but the environment of the city itself is genuinely open and welcoming to tourists. It gets dark late, locals speak...
by Jessie L | Jul 27, 2016 | Asia, Commerce & Business, Faculty-Led, Summer
Right when I landed back in the US, I still couldn’t get my head wrapped around how I’ve been away for a month. I knew that once I got home I’d be behind in my friend’s life and my families, even though we tried to talk every day, it was limited due to the internet I...
by Savannah W | Jul 27, 2016 | Commerce & Business, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer
At this point in the trip, days start to blur together. Life on a study abroad trip is a whirlwind, but one that you never want to end. We had a total of ten days in Dublin, Ireland and we jam packed as much of it in there as we could. On day two, we had to have a...
by Allison H | Jul 27, 2016 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Summer, UA-Affiliate
While on my language program in Berlin, I spent one afternoon walking around the park, Tempelhofer Feld. This park is really special, because it’s actually an old airport used around the time of World War II. Originally used by Nazis, the airport was later the site of...
by Austin P | Jul 27, 2016 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer
My time abroad was incredible and has definitely shaped the way that I interact with people. Throughout two flights from Madrid back to Chicago, I only talked in Spanish with native speakers. My first taste of reverse culture shock was going through security where I...
by Amanda B | Jul 27, 2016 | Arts & Sciences, Australia/New Zealand, Summer, UA-Affiliate
Sydney and I did not meet on the best of terms. Sixteen hours of flying across the Pacific Ocean right after six hours of flying across the United States and only a couple hours of sleep doesn’t make for a great first impression on my part. But Sydney welcomed all of...
by Elizabeth P | Jul 27, 2016 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer
The last leg of my journey led me to Venice, Verona, and finally seeing a live opera production! Our trip to Venice was too short, but the taste we got was delightful. It is a stunning city with a fascinating history and even more fascinating architecture. Verona,...
by Erin B | Jul 27, 2016 | Arts & Sciences, Asia, Faculty-Led, Summer
“I’m going to China.” I have been repeating this mantra in my mind since I decided to go on this trip back in November. Frankly, I don’t even know how I ended up here. I was simply walking out of my Chinese 101 class when my teacher said, “You should go to China.” My...
by Savannah L | Jul 26, 2016 | Commerce & Business, Faculty-Led, Summer
So how was Haiti? Everyone’s immediate question for me right when my feet hit the ground. Some of the students that had been on the previous trips to Haiti had warned me this was no easy question to answer. How would I tell people about this life changing seven-day...
by Michael T | Jul 26, 2016 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer
So far, my only journey out of my hometown was 4 hours away to the University of Alabama. Today, I’m packed up and getting ready for a flight to Brussels, Belgium, and the butterflies are finally kicking in. I have no experience abroad, and I fight even know...
by Savannah W | Jul 26, 2016 | Commerce & Business, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer
So, here I am again post-study abroad, writing blogs after the fact. They seem like such an easy thing to keep up with when heading off for your trip, but let me tell you for the SECOND time, I am behind again. For one, It is so easy to lose track of everything when...
by Allison H | Jul 25, 2016 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Summer, UA-Affiliate
While studying abroad in Berlin, I had the amazing opportunity to join my Norwegian friend on a weekend trip to her hometown of Oslo. It was such a cool and special experience to travel with one of my closest friends and share her home and her culture. I’d never been...
by Caroline P | Jul 25, 2016 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer
Although I was heartbroken to leave Europe, after two months abroad I was excited to see my family and sleep in my own bed. That being said, my journey home was anything but easy. For a whole host of reasons, my relatively straightforward flight from Paris to Dallas...
by Jennifer P | Jul 25, 2016 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer
France is an amazing country. The amount of history in the country is incredible. I feel like almost everywhere I looked there was another monument that was at least twice the age of the United States. It’s incredible. I love the United States, but we are babies when...
by Austin P | Jul 25, 2016 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer
My first impression of Spain was that it was a lucky place to be. When I looked out the plane window upon arrival, I saw a double rainbow encompassing the beautiful mountains and valleys— but the luckiness didn’t last long due to a little mishap with my...
by Savannah L | Jul 25, 2016 | Commerce & Business, Faculty-Led, Summer
When we first landed in Haiti, we stayed at a hotel near the airport since it was late at night and traveling to our home for the week was safer in the daylight. The next morning, we woke up early excited to see the city of Porte-Au-Prince while we rode a school bus...
by Paula R | Jul 25, 2016 | Africa, Faculty-Led, Nursing, Summer
After a long 17 hour flight back to America, and two more flights ahead before arriving back to Birmingham, I am very tired but excited to get home to a hot shower and soft bed. Yet, I am also really missing those sweet Ethiopian faces and their warm hospitality. As I...
