Bama Bloggers Abroad
Advice For Students After Study Abroad
The return of abroad!! Thoughts and Feelings
Forensic Psychology: London Edition 🙂 Reasoning why I made the decision
Pre-Departure Goals Don't say you want to do it one day, do it now. Save and work hard to experience a life changing trip. #London #StudyAbroad #Pre-Departure
Italy so far: Ups, Downs, Looking Forward To….
Study Abroad Trip Extended
I just started my first official week of my study abroad program in Porto, but I wanted to write about how I spend the past couple of weeks before arriving here in Portugal! Because I was already...
Italy Bound T-5 days
While Abroad In Colombia
Preparing For Colombia!
If you're thinking about it...do it.
Thoughts from a Month in Brussels
As my study abroad trip comes to an end, I would say I have mixed emotions, but I am mostly just sad that it is over. While I do...
Halfway Through a Month in Belgium
Halfway through studying abroad in Brussels and I already feel like I have spent a lifetime here, but in a good way. Before I came, I was worried about the other people and the new environment I...
Self Reflecting in Flam
From Japan to Iceland, I've visited many countries, but none were as special as studying abroad in Norway. From meeting my fellow travelers on the first day I knew this was going to be a special...
Returning from Norway
To say leaving Norway was difficult would be an understatement. From the moment I stepped off the plane, I was entranced by everything from the street vendors to the ungodly amounts of salami that...
First Half in Madrid: Success
The halfway point of my semester in Madrid has now come and gone, and I thought it was a perfect time to think about how things have gone in the past two months. While it has not always been easy...
Getting Ready for Spain
I chose to study abroad for a few reasons. My family and I have traveled around the US my whole life, so I thought it was only necessary to take this opportunity and travel Europe. I have family and...
After Returning
After a 13 hour plane ride ( and some tears) I arrived back at LAX. The past four months came and went so quickly as if the whole thing was an elaborate dream. My adventure coming to an end is...
The Effects of Culture Shock while being abroad
When you first arrive at your new home, you're totally amazed at how beautiful and how unique the country feels. After two weeks of feeling like you are on vacation, you start to really see the...
Finally feeling at home
I am now seven weeks in to my ten-week Study Abroad experience here in Meknes, Morocco. I feel like I am at home. In the pre-departure orientation, they told us that there are four stages of culture...
Getting Ready for Germany!
I am so excited to begin my study abroad experience in a few days. I will arrive in Germany on May 7 and study abroad there for 3 weeks. I am very excited to study abroad because this will be my...
Day One in Denmark
As this is my first time travelling abroad, just the preparing and packing for this trip was pretty overwhelming. I spent hours researching Copenhagen, places to go, even the route I’d need to take...
This is a Lot More School than I Expected
About half-way through my four-week program, I realized that I definitely had the wrong idea in my head about studying abroad. I knew that I was taking a pretty intense engineering lab class and...
Finishing up in Rome, Italy
My Final week in Rome had to be most chaotic yet. While wanting to fit in as much as I possibly could, I was also faced with finals. I got to go to the Sistine chapel, the catacombs, and walk once...
Adjusting from Poland to the US
I've now been back in the United States for just over two weeks. It's definitely felt like a lot longer. The culture change has been an adjustment. In Poland, it's custom to say 'do widzenia'...
45 days In.
Today marks 45 days since I’ve arrived in Rome, Italy so without further ado let's get right into the process of getting here and getting settled into my new home. Traveling to Rome with my mom and...
How Travel Journaling has Improved my Study Abroad
I had never done a travel journal until this trip, but I am happy I started one. Traveling prior to now, I usually just try to take pictures as a means of remembering my travels. To a point that has...
The Magic of Paris
There I was standing in a crowd of hundreds of anxious people waiting for the clock to strike 11:00 p.m. Those same voices began to countdown from three to one. After the last voice echoed the...
Motorcycles in Thailand
In addition to cars, trucks, vans, and buses like we are used to here in the United States, motorcycles are very common on the road in Thailand. Motorcycles I have seen in Thailand include scooters,...
An Eventful Arrival: My Journey to Porto for the European Innovation Academy
Embarking on a journey to a foreign place is often filled with unexpected twists and turns. My adventure to Porto, Portugal, for the European Innovation Academy began with a delay and a minor...
A Day in Stratford-upon-Avon
It’s hard to believe I have been studying abroad for over two weeks! While I love Oxford, having the opportunity to take day trips outside of the city to places like London has been incredible. This...
Adjusting Back to Home
My trip was filled with so many new things, and coming home was definitely an adjustment. First, I caught myself saying "gracias" or "perdón" or "sÃ" when I was talking in English. Clearly the...
Mid-Trip Reflection: Cultural Context
The cultural context within Amsterdam could not be more different than my hometown of Moulton, Alabama. The main difference between the two is the rural nature of my home. Being in a city setting...
Homebound from Barcelona
Hey everyone!! This is Caitlin and I am wrapping up my study abroad here in Barcelona. The last six weeks here have been amazing and for our last morning here, my friend Sophie and I went to the...
Hola from Guatemala 🙂
Hey there, fellow travelers and curious minds! I'm thrilled to share my exciting study abroad experience in the enchanting city of Antigua, Guatemala. As a doctoral student at the University of...
Irish Goodbye
Ireland, I'm coming back for you The realization of coming back to the United States was a lot harder than expected and while it is said to be common for there to be more of a culture shock when...
Exploring Guatemala: Embracing Responsible Tourism and Being a Respectful Guest
Welcome back, fellow travelers! Today, I want to share an important aspect of my visit to Antigua, Guatemala – the commitment to responsible tourism and being a respectful guest. As we venture into...
Looking Back on Mannheim and Time in Germany!
After spending 5 months abroad in Germany, I am finally done with my travels and settled back home. My time abroad felt so short, and I already miss it and all the people I got to know. It honestly...
Two countries down, one to go!
The European Innovation Academy starts in two days and I could not be more excited. This has already been an amazing summer and I have gotten to do a lot of cool things and meet a lot of great...
final thoughts of being abroad
Processed with VSCO with av8 preset okay! so my final thoughts where do i begin. my last blog post was honestly coming out of such a place of hurt that i couldn’t fully enjoy where i was and the...
My Love Letter to London
London, you stole my heart. I went into this study abroad trip anxious about flying internationally by myself, being in a city I am not used to, and all the while trying to do well academically (as...
How I Prepared for my Venture Across Ireland
I recently traveled abroad on a faculty-led program to Ireland, where we began in Dublin and made a large circle to visit other cities, including Wexford, Killarney, Doolin, Inishmore, Galway, and...
Guatemala: Farewell to the land of the eternal spring
Welcome back, fellow adventurers! Today, I'm here to say farewell to the enchanting city of Antigua, Guatemala, where a sensory feast awaits at every turn. I dived into the colors, art, and...
An after-class breather
The hustle and bustle of London is place one can lose themselves. I definitely found myself entranced with the sounds and sights of the city. A big and fast paced city is one to lose your thoughts...
Summer in London 2023
Weekly Museum Visits This summer I had the opportunity to study for three weeks in London. I traveled with nine other students through an API program where we took classes at Richmond American...
From One City to the Next
The amazing thing about Europe is the endless routes and possibilities of travel. As someone who had only been out of the country once before, I wanted to take full advantage of Europe’s trains, and...
My Time in Florence
Despite our many weekend trips and different experiences, Florence continues to be my favorite place in Europe. From the food, to the culture, to the people, Florence never disappoints. In Florence...
Preparing for a Summer in London
The weeks leading up to going abroad, I could not WAIT! I was counting down the days until I could finally be in London, a place I have always dreamed of visiting. I was of course slightly nervous,...
Leaving Tours and Coming Home
My host family in Tours (two people are missing here—it was a large family) I've now been home for roughly two weeks or so, and I've decided that now is a good time to write my last post for Bama...
The Importance of Being Open to Other Perspectives Abroad
This may seem like common sense to some, but it is vital to the study abroad experience to be open to other people. Whether you are in a program with other students you already know, a program with...
Being Okay with Being Touristy
Being in London, there is so much history to learn about and places to see. At first, my friends and I felt a little ashamed to act like every other tourist: taking pictures of anything and...
Back to the States
Before leaving for Greece, I tried my best to lower my expectations. I knew the country would be beautiful, the course would be immersive, and that the trip was carefully planned, but I still had my...
Stray Dogs of Thailand
Stray dogs are ubiquitous throughout Thailand. It should be noted that in Thailand, most cats and dogs are not neutered or spayed. As such, feral and wild cats and dogs are far, far more commonplace...
UA in Colombia: Time Flies When You’re Having Fun
Wow! It has been a really fun few weeks in the UA in Colombia program. We are on the final two weeks of our program right now, and I think now is the perfect time to reflect on the amazing memories...