by Lillian J. | Jul 22, 2025 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer, _
Hello again everyone! Last time I checked in, I updated you all on my time in the cities of Konstanz and Strasbourg during my summer abroad in Germany. Well, I’m finally back home in Alabama, and I’d thought I’d use this last blog post to talk about my last couple of...
by Faith G. | Jul 22, 2025 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer
I don’t think I have been as afraid as I am now to travel. This summer, I am spending about three weeks in France. I have never been too far from my hometown, much less out of the country. When I first decided to try studying abroad I didn’t understand the blood,...
by Campbell T. | Jul 22, 2025 | Commerce & Business, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer, _
After spending 17 days in Greece, I have had a rich experience, from spending 24+ hours in the Washington D.C airport to hiking Mount Olympus. I am grateful I was able to experience it all. After walking through the Jacksonville airport, I realized that I missed...
by Willow M. | Jul 22, 2025 | Asia, Comm & Info Sciences, Faculty-Led, _
Hi there, it’s Willow, one month post-Korea! I expected that there would be some unexpected culture shocks when returning to America, but these are my top 5 shocks over the past month: Tipping culture: In South Korea, tipping is not normal because service...
by Avery T. | Jul 22, 2025 | Asia, Commerce & Business, Faculty-Led, Honors College, _
One of the biggest attractions of traveling abroad to Vietnam is the diverse cuisine of the region. I initially was excited to experience all of the different foods, but I also knew that my palate would never be the same after four weeks of eating like the Vietnamese....
by Austen W. | Jul 22, 2025 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer
Arriving in the United Kingdom from the United States has been nothing short of transformative. Stepping into Oxford felt like entering a different world—one steeped in centuries of tradition, stunning architecture, and a vibrant academic culture. Our purpose here is...
by Hannah T. | Jul 22, 2025 | Engineering, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer, _
Hi readers! My name is Hannah and I am studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark at Technical University of Denmark (DTU). I’m packing up my safety glasses and lab coat to begin a critical course in the chemical engineering curriculum–Unit Operations lab....
by Faith G. | Jul 22, 2025 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer
I have been having a lot of fun in my summer study abroad program in France. I knew I would be okay once I got over the hurdle of starting the trip. There will never be a time in my life that nerves will never overwhelm me when trying new things. Leaving home was hard...
by Caitlin S. | Jul 22, 2025 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer
7/21: Home for a Week Coming back home felt familiar at first—English signs, the foods I know, the usual routines I had missed. But after a little while, I started noticing subtle things that felt unexpectedly different and new. For example, I found myself getting...
by Caitlin S. | Jul 22, 2025 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer
6/15: Half-Way Done Taking classes abroad has been a refreshing shift from what I’m used to at the University of Alabama. Everything feels more casual in the best way—professors go by their first names, which felt strange at first but quickly became natural. The...
by Roman L. | Jul 17, 2025 | Central America, Commerce & Business, Faculty-Led, Program Type, Semester, _
Hola, mis amigos! My name is Roman, and I got the chance to study abroad in Panama this spring break! I am so grateful for this opportunity! I chose to study abroad because my father went out of the country a lot, and I’ve always wanted to go. I’ve always...
by Katie M. | Jul 16, 2025 | Arts & Sciences, Faculty-Led, South America, Summer
Before studying abroad, you are told to expect culture shock. It is an inevitable part of traveling. As I settled into my first two weeks in Colombia, I found that adapting to a new culture has two faces: disorientation and wonderment. First, disorientation. The...
by Campbell T. | Jul 14, 2025 | Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer, _
As of writing this, I am halfway through my time in Greece. We have traveled to many different cities and seen a lot of other things! When I first arrived in Thessaloniki (after experiencing many delays in the U.S.), I found it beautiful. I was able to see Mount...
by Amelia W. | Jul 14, 2025 | Africa, Arts & Sciences, Faculty-Led, Summer, _
Now that I’m done with my experience studying abroad in Benin, I have learned a lot, but not only in terms of academics; it also has been a very personal journey for me. In retrospect, there are certainly things I wish I’d known before I flew the coop. So to anyone...
by Isabella D. | Jul 10, 2025 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, _
Now that I’m back home, it’s surreal to think that just a week ago I was walking the cobblestone streets of Florence with 17 other students from Alabama, strangers who turned into my lifelong friends. I remember stepping off the plane and feeling equal parts nervous...
by Isabella D. | Jul 10, 2025 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer
As I write this blog post I currently have the warm summer sun illuminating my funky italian room, my host mom is preparing our amazing and fresh dinner, and our 20 year old cat is snuggled up next to me. Who would have ever thought that I would find such a new...
by Isabella D. | Jul 10, 2025 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Program Type, Summer, _
Before I left for Florence I had no clue what to expect. Between the excitement of experiencing the unknown cultural normalities and the vast range of Italian food, I was already ecstatic! I was initially nervous about studying abroad by myself, as someone who is a...
by Gabriel S. | Jul 10, 2025 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Summer, _
Happiness is pleasure plus memories plus people Arthur Brooks Wow, I cannot believe it is over. Less than a week ago, I was in Ireland, trekking across the mountains, fields, towns, farms, and islands of that beautiful country. There is far too much to talk about in a...
by Gabriel S. | Jul 10, 2025 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Summer, _
Well, there it is. That suitcase will hold everything I need for the next 20 days. To be honest, I still don’t think it’s sunk in yet, and I don’t know if it will until I actually step off the plane. There is a part of me that wants that though, because I don’t want...
by Margarita A. | Jul 10, 2025 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer, _
Hm. I never thought I’d be sitting next to my mom buying a plane ticket with a minimum travel time of 14 hours. First time for everything I suppose. Speaking of firsts—this will be my first time overseas in Madrid, Spain, Europe; pretty much anywhere that is not the...
