Coming Home Because of COVID
As everyone else this semester, I was forced to end my exchange early and come home amid the Coronavirus Pandemic. Not only was this very disappointing and sad but it was also a very scary experience with how quickly everything escalated. First, Italy shut its borders. At this point, the severity of the situation had not hit me yet. Sure, Italy was closed, but in my...
The Best Month of my Life: February 2020
I’ll admit, my first month in France was hard. I could speak as much French as the average 3-year-old, and for me, reading French takes the brain power just short of calculus. I knew no one and I was all alone for the very first time, with more than an ocean separating me from all I knew and loved. On my first day, I was very anxious about meeting new people and making friends. Luckily for me, KEDGE did a very good job with their...
Welcome to Seoul!
After a total of 35 hours spent traveling (most of which I was awake for), I finally touched down in South Korea. This was the moment I had been looking forward to for months, and it was finally within my grasp. From the moment I stepped into the cold air outside of Incheon Airport, I was filled with an array of emotions. The main emotion was excitement. I was ready to explore the city and my new home. I spent the first day exploring...
Pre-Departure Anxieties
By studying abroad, I faced my fears and boarded a plane all by myself for the first time in my life. For an hour, tears streamed down my face as I contemplated my decision to study abroad. I think most people are excited; they just can’t wait to leave, ready for the adventure that awaits them. While I was enthusiastic, I couldn’t help feeling like maybe I made the wrong choice. Everything was great in Alabama; my friends and family...
First Excursion — Iceland!
One of the best parts of studying abroad is the multitude of opportunities to travel. This is what I was most excited about when I chose a location is western Europe. Compared even to domestic travel within the United States, international travel across Europe is ridiculously cheap. I planned to take full advantage of this and got to work on an extensive list of travel destinations. Number one on my list was Iceland. The...
Interning in Australia: Motivations and Goals
My journey to deciding to intern abroad was fairly simple. Currently, I am a junior studying marketing in the Accelerated Master’s Program. I am thankful I am attending Alabama with a full-tuition scholarship. Additionally, I am ahead in my program coursework because of my AP exams and dual enrollment in high school. Therefore, with this scholarship funding and flexible time in my program, I began to explore opportunities abroad....