Escaping the City
I was so lucky to have avoided the homesickness and feelings of being completely overwhelmed when I arrived here in Santiago. In fact, it took me exactly 43 days to feel a twinge of those things, which I know is something to be very appreciative of. That’s not the story from the beginning, though. My doubts existed before arriving, they just went away the moment I stepped off the plane. At that point, I was in and I wasn’t leaving so...
Leaving a New Home to Return to Your Old One
During my study abroad I was always a little excited to return to the United States and to my family and friends, but when the time to leave was actually near, it was more scary and daunting than exciting. Saying goodbye to my new friends and host family was so hard (knowing I would likely not see them again). But nevertheless, I boarded the plane and made my way back to Chicago. My mom picked me up from the airport, but I was in such...
Preparing to Leave for Germany
I did not have long to prepare before I left for Germany. I was returning home from an internship and knew I would only have 5 days to pack. It would be at least 5 months before I would have a chance to be home again, so I needed to be sure that I would have all the necessities. The physical packing wasn’t so much a problem as was mentally preparing to leave. I am an out-of-state student, so moving away wasn’t new to me, but Germany...
Off to Mannheim, Germany
Howdy y’all, my name is Colin Owen Turybury and I am spending my spring semester in Mannheim, Germany. I came to Mannheim on January 27th and spent 3 days in Frankfurt before riding German rails to my apartment by the university. I felt that it was important for me to actually arrive in Mannheim before I write about me pre-departure actions, hence the late post. With the past few weeks firmly in the rearview, I am excited to...
January
Hiroshima, Japan; January 2020 Before starting my semester abroad, I felt nervous about encountering new cultures within both the host countries and my study abroad program. Semester at Sea involves living aboard a ship for a full semester with students, professors, and lifelong learners from all over the world. One of the first people I met on the bus to our ship came from Milan, Italy and had already studied abroad in Eswatini. I,...
Arriving Back Home
Arriving back home was different than expected. What I had initially expected was the annoyance of the south to come back, but in reality, I was just highly confused and ever so grateful to see my dogs and my house again. Upon arriving back home, the Christmas feeling was in the atmosphere and most of my family was already home for the holidays which made for a jam-packed schedule and no time for jet lag. Along with my family being...