by Dy'Qwan L | Jan 9, 2019 | Commerce & Business, Europe, Exchange, Semester
Hello, My name is DyQwan L. and I will be writing about my feelings on my pre-departure to France. This is my first time out of country and I am very nervous. I find myself daydreaming of the adventures that are to come but also the challenges of intergrating myself...
by Garrett C | Jan 7, 2019 | Arts & Sciences, Central America, Faculty-Led, Semester
In just a few days, I will be departing to Costa Rica to spend two months taking classes there. I’ve traveled some before, but I have never been anywhere like Costa Rica. It will be my first time to truly experience another culture, too. I suppose I chose to go there...
by Alexandra M | Jan 5, 2019 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate, _
In a week I will be boarding a plane that will take me to London, England. This is a trip whose mental preparation has lasted about a year and physical preparation about half of that. However, before I embark on my 5 month study abroad journey, I must sit and wait in...
by Kate S | Jan 4, 2019 | Commerce & Business, Europe, Program Type, Region, Semester, UA-Affiliate
I have known that I wanted to study abroad in Spain since I began taking Spanish classes during my freshman year of high school. My Spanish teacher constantly talked about how beautiful it was and how the experiences that you will have in Spain will be unlike those in...
by Lexi S | Dec 29, 2018 | Arts & Sciences, Asia, Semester, UA-Affiliate, _
My last day in Russia was a lot of things. It was stressful, it was fun, it was full of nostalgia, but most of all, it was meaningful. I was responsible all semester and left every last bit of my packing to the last day — but there were still lots of fun...
by Oscar V | Dec 27, 2018 | Arts & Sciences, By College, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate, _
Where to start…. I dance, I sing, and I act. Some would call me a triple threat. But I usually just say I’m a student of the University of Alabama double majoring in Dance and Theatre. My main concentrations in my majors are concert dance and acting. Since a...
by Michael R | Dec 25, 2018 | Arts & Sciences, Asia, Exchange, North America, Program Type, Region
“Why Japanese?” is the question most people will pelt you with when you tell them you’re learning the language. Some people will go the softer route and ask, “Oh, so what led you to that?” Others will go directly for the explosive option:...
by Lauren P | Dec 16, 2018 | Asia, Commerce & Business, Exchange, Semester
As the semester comes to a close and the temperature continues to drop, I constantly find my mind wandering away from my studies and thinking about better, warmer days. Specifically the days during my trip to Thailand in October, when six friends and I stayed in...
by Alyssa P | Dec 12, 2018 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate, _
More often than not, in my experience discussing traveling alone, I endure apprehensive warnings of caution and horror stories. There is a stigma around the idea of being alone. Human nature is meant to be shared, which is why we all have a yearning for companionship...
by David M | Nov 28, 2018 | All Year, Arts & Sciences, Commerce & Business, Europe, UA-Affiliate
I’m very excited for London. I’ve never been to London, not even to the UK, although I got close when I visited Dublin. I think the most exposure I’ve gotten to British lifestyle is through pop culture. The Who, The Smiths, The Beatles and the Rolling Stones are all...
by Emily H | Nov 26, 2018 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate, _
25,969 minutes left until I go home. which sounds like a lot until you also take into effect that I’ve been in London for 134,232 minutes. Also a lot of minutes. I was speaking with my...
by Lexi S | Nov 25, 2018 | Arts & Sciences, By College, Comm & Info Sciences, Duration, Europe, Program Type, Region, Semester, UA-Affiliate
Being Hungarian, a trip to Hungary had always naturally been a dream of mine. With my great-grandmother on my mom’s side being born there, I definitely felt a connection to the country, but I had simply chalked it up to an impossibility for me. When I was talking to...
by Candace R | Nov 14, 2018 | Europe, Internship, Semester, Social Work
My name is Candace, I am 24 years old, and in the Graduate Social Work program. I have always wanted to study abroad but the opportunity never came up. It was not until orientation that I was able to see myself leaving the states. I wanted to go to a diverse city...
by Danielle R | Nov 14, 2018 | Africa, Internship, Semester, Social Work, _
“A ship is always safe at shore, but that’s not what it’s built for.” -Albert Einstein I have officially committed to my Spring 2019 field placement in Ghana, West Africa. You would not even begin to believe the emotions I am trying to contain....
by Michael R | Nov 14, 2018 | Arts & Sciences, Asia, By College, Duration, Exchange, Program Type, Region, Semester, _
Of all the unread books on my shelf back home, none is more intimidating than Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji. The translation I own, the 1926 translation by Arthur Waley, lands at over a 1000 pages. (The Tale of Genji taking up a large amount of space on...
by Lexi S | Nov 13, 2018 | Arts & Sciences, By College, Comm & Info Sciences, Duration, Europe, Program Type, Region, Semester, UA-Affiliate
Russian fashion sense is truly a thing to bear witness to. Before coming to Saint Petersburg, I had only heard that they “dress a bit nicer” than we do in America. I had no idea what I was in for. The women here dress in a rotation that often consists of some sort of...
by Lauren P | Nov 13, 2018 | Asia, Commerce & Business, Exchange, Semester
Hi, my name is Lauren Phillips and for the past 3 months I’ve been studying abroad at Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Japan. These last few months have gone by so quickly, and I’ve been having so much fun here that I’ve barely had time to write about my...
by Hannah J | Nov 7, 2018 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer, _
This study abroad trip was definitely one for the books. I made friends that will last a lifetime and not to mention the new culture that I experienced. I was in a culture very different from the one that I was used to back home. The experiences I had from new foods...
by Fredericka B | Sep 24, 2018 | Africa, Internship, Semester, Social Work, _
There is no doubt that there are highs and lows when studying abroad. One minute, you can be having an amazing conversation with a Ghanaian, the next, someone may be trying to talk to you and they get frustrated because you cannot understand them. You can have a...
by Fredericka B | Sep 18, 2018 | Africa, Semester, Social Work
The day before I left to start this amazing journey, I felt as if my heart would explode with all of these emotions that I couldn’t express. I was excited to experience a different culture, I was excited to meet my host family. However, I was also nervous about the...