Bama Bloggers Abroad
2 Weeks in Copenhagen, Denmark!
On July 18th, our group departed from Amsterdam and flew to Copenhagen, Denmark! We have spent the last two weeks in Denmark and I have loved it! From the relaxed, slower pace to the beautiful...
2 Weeks in The Netherlands!
Upon arriving in Amsterdam on July 3rd, I immediately recognized the city as a lively, bustling place! There were consistently people traveling through Amsterdam from all over the world, and it was...
Experiencing Pre-Program Travel
Travel to Italy and Belgium before Study Abroad Program in Amsterdam and Denmark! I have had the wonderful opportunity to travel to two other European countries prior to my 4-week faculty-led...
¡Madrid, te amo! Vivir en, and ¡Viva España! 🙂
Hola chicos! I’ve been in Madrid since June 4th, and still wake up everyday completely in awe of this city. The people, the culture, the SHOPPING, and the sheer amount of enthusiasm that...
My Weekend Excursion to Moneglia!
During my month-long stay in Florence, I took advantage of the weekends to explore different parts of Italy. One weekend, I decided to visit an Italian beach that wasn’t crowded or expensive. After...
Portugal: Beyond the Classroom
During my three weeks at UA in Portugal: European Innovation Academy, I had the opportunity to participate in many activities that greatly enriched my study abroad experience. While the classroom...
Savoring Porto: A Culinary Delight
To all foodies, With a little over three weeks in Portugal under my belt, I can tell you unequivocally that this country is the place to be. I knew going into UA in Portugal: European...
Heading Home! – successful trip!
Currently sitting in the airport, waiting to fly back to the States. What a full circle moment! This journey with the Europeon Innovation Academy has been incredible. I was able to be CEO of a team...
Halfway there! I made it to CEO!
HALFWAY POINT: This experience at the European Innovation Academy (EIA) has been nothing short of incredible! Although I was quite nervous entering this entrepreneurship competition, it has been...
Portugal Bound!! – Awaiting my (FIRST) flight
Hey Everyone! My name is Taylor Schnorbus and I am a pre-medical Senior at UA in the STEM Path to MBA program. In about an hour I will embark on flight 1 of 2 to Porto, Portugal! I am participating...
Thoughts Upon Returning
As soon as I knew I was going to study abroad, I was filled with excitement and focused solely on the trip itself. For months, I prepared by buying new clothes and making sure I had all the...
Having an UnBELIZEable Time
As my plane landed in Belize City and everyone began to unboard the plane, I was greeted with the hot and humid air. As I went through customs, I started to meet the other students I would spend the...
UA in Oxford – Ending Thoughts
My return trip from the United Kingdom was signficantly less smooth than the way up. But my getting bumped off a flight, having to spend a whole day sorting out new flight plans and accomodations...
Oxford Impressions
I write to you two weeks into my program with what remains of an immensely disappointing cold that took me out of commission for three agonizing days to bring you some belated thoughts about my...
Traveling to the UK – Better than my anxiety thought it would be!
Last Saturday, I departed from the United States going through Wilmington, NC and Logan International Airport in Boston before taking an overnight flight into Heathrow. For the weeks leading up to...
Boisterous Fun in Bangkok: UA in Thailand 2024 Days 1-12
Hey there, treasured reader! My name is Clay Boeninger, and I am a rising third-year student at the University of Alabama majoring in economics and finance and minoring in Spanish and liberal arts...
Cheerful Week in Chiang Mai: UA in Thailand 2024 Days 12-17
Welcome back, treasured reader! Glad to have you here with us yet again. If it’s your first time reading this blog, here’s a short intro: My name is Clay Boeninger, and I am a rising third-year...
Positively Picturesque Phuket: UA in Thailand 2024 Days 18-24
Hello once again, treasured reader! I hope this blog post finds you well and in good spirits. Final quick intro, here we go: My name is Clay Boeninger, a rising third-year student at the University...
First 2 Weeks in Madrid
Before coming to Spain, I was not sure what to expect. I was unsure of how my Spanish language knowledge would hold up. I also did not know how the people would act towards us Americans. When we...
Lessons learned through Cooking in Rome
During my time in Rome studying abroad through a faculty-led trip with the C&IS college, we had the opportunity to take a cooking class. Now this wasn’t just your average cooking class, this was...
Como Italy: A Fairytale Town
During my 3-week study abroad trip in Rome, Italy I had the opportunity to go to Lake Como with three of my classmates for the weekend. We started out the week in Florence with our whole group, and...
This is your sign to Study Abroad with UA
I had the opportunity to study abroad in Italy through UA with the C&IS college. As someone who had never traveled out of North America I was super excited to experience a new country while simultaneously being extremely nervous about being in a new country. My time in Italy was absolutely incredible and the memories, friendships, and growth I walked away with was very special to me. My program was so welcoming and as someone who went on this trip not knowing anyone I walked away with 15 new friends who I am so excited to see this fall at school. If I could give someone debating about studying abroad some advice I would suggest going on a faculty-led trip with UA. Choosing to go abroad with UA took the stress out of planning activities and site seeing as well as the comfort of being with people who you already have a connection with no matter if you knew them before or not. Additionally, the class you take abroad will transfer correctly and you won’t need to worry about a language barrier. Some of my favorite experiences from the trip was spending time as a whole group and going to dinners. I was fortunate to be a part of a program that wanted to spend time together and share meals with one another. Italy taught all of us the importance of slowing down and really enjoying the company around us especially over dinner. During our impromptu dinners, I learned more about my fellow students and realized even though we are a part of different organizations on campus and from all over the country we all had so much in common. In all, choosing to go abroad with UA this summer was one of the best decisions I have made through my 3 years at Alabama.
Morocco: A Reminder on Why I Love to Travel
Sometimes I wonder why I like to travel. Airports are intense, car rides are long, and trains aren’t very far-reaching (at least in the US). I will say that this flight has not made me any more...
UA in Spain: Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia
For the last activity of the UA in Spain faculty-led program, we took a trip to the Reina Sofia museum in Madrid. Last week we visited the Prado Museum with 17th, 18th, and older century styled...
Representations of Oxford University Through Literature
Throughout the first week of courses here at Oxford University we have begun to analyze the connections between numerous pieces of classic literature and the town/university itself. Some of the...
UA in Oxford: Honors, History, and English
Choosing the UA in Oxford program may be the best decision that I have made thus far. I first saw this program my junior year of high school while researching colleges and it heavily influenced my...
Twenty Seconds of Courage: Embracing Opportunity and Overcoming Self-Doubt in Cannes
When I was eight years old, I saw a movie called We Bought A Zoo in the theatre. It is loosely based on the story of Benjamin Mee and his family who purchased a zoo following the loss of his wife....
Stereotypes to Surprises: How France Revolutionized My Worldview
I never thought I would have the opportunity to go on a study abroad trip and to be fair, I doubted whether the experience would be worth it. I read articles and books about living in France, but my...
Discovering Paris: A Cultural and Personal Exploration
French culture presents a unique blend of elegance, practicality, and historical richness, evident particularly when observed from an American perspective. Using the Parisian metro is an experience,...
My Time in Italy: Exploring Italian Art!
My time in Italy was packed over 2 weeks, and I was able to experience much of the art, history, and amazing landscapes Italy has! As part of the Art History course, we were expected to write about...
Returning Home from Italy!
Coming back from a trip full of so much amazing art and history, I'd say it was both a bit challenging and refreshing to learn a topic contrasting with my major. With my different experiences as a...
10 Weird Creatures of the Belize Barrier Reef
Almost 1400 species have been documented on the Belize Barrier Reef, the second longest coral reef in the world. During the UA in Belize: Rainforests and Reefs trip this May, we spent two weeks...
Trip to the White Cliffs of Dover
Being my last weekend with UA in Oxford, we wanted to explore the United Kingdom one more time. A few of my friends who I made on this amazing study abroad experience and I decided to visit the...
Leaving Worcester College
Leaving Worcester College for the last time as a part of UA in Oxford is a bittersweet moment. I had so many great experiences that I will never forget about. However, I am also glad that I finally...
Packing for Oxford
Finishing packing up for my faculty-led study abroad program to Worcester College in Oxfordshire, England, there a lot of emotions going through my mind. I chose this study abroad as it was one of...
How Should I Feel Now?
Why am I not more changed? That’s all I could ask myself the past few weeks as I have been home. I think an explanation might be that we never spent more than two days in one place, so I never got...
Off the Beaten Path
Wow! Genuinely all I can think so far is wow. This trip is a first of its kind since we are hiking every day and not staying in one place. Rather than seeing all the things one city has to offer or...
My Norway Experience: Top 4 Pieces of Advice
View of the quaint islands of Oslo!
PSA: Don’t Be Scared of Hostels!
View from Lofoten Hostel
A Letter to Myself Before I left for Madrid
The day before I left for my study abroad in Madrid, I sat in my room sobbing. This was about to be the first time I was away from my family from this long, with an ocean separating us if something...
Cannes Lion Film Festival!
Welcome to Paris!
Upon Return: Lessons from Madrid
UA in Spain: Drawing to a Close
The Joy of a Local Market
Nothing makes me quite as joyful as walking through an outdoor market in another country. I must say that Africa holds some of the coolest outdoor markets, and the markets I visited in Ghana did not...
Sunrise in Ghana
There is something so grounding about sitting on the beach, especially in a foreign country. The ocean is vast and, yet, when you are sitting at the shoreline of any beach, you are watching the...
Reflecting on my Time Abroad-University College Dublin
My time abroad was such an amazing time in my life thus far. After these 5 short months, I can say I have gone from 1 country (the USA) to 11 countries! I got to meet new people, explore the world...
Landing in Italy: Mosaics, Markets, and Mouthwatering Moments
Stepping off the plane in Italy, I could barely contain my excitement. There I was, in the heartland of pasta, pizza, and fine wine, ready to dive headfirst into all the culinary wonders I’d dreamed...
Full Circle: Back to the Roots of My Hospitality Journey
I can’t believe this is really happening! Thanks to the Education Abroad scholarship from the University of Alabama, I’m about to embark on a journey that feels like a homecoming of sorts, even...
Reflections and Revelations: Coming Home After Italy
Touching down back in Alabama after weeks in Italy felt surreal. There’s something about coming home that makes you see it with new eyes, especially after living a completely different life halfway...