A Not so Difficult Decision
Since I left Germany after a two week vacation in high school, my goal has always been to go back, but I did not know how. The opportunity presented itself with the Two Steps Ahead program at UA. The expectations were lofty: become a fluent German speaker inside of two years, take some of my hardest electrical engineering courses at a top German university in German, then cap it all off with six months at Daimler. I always wanted to...
Navigating limbo: A month behind everyone else
While the buzz of life on campus restarted, while my friends started filling their agendas and while others studying abroad started taking off for their adventure, I have been stuck in a weird kind of limbo. As a future exchange student at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, my semester does not start until the end of February. Due to Australia’s cozy position in the Southern Hemisphere, their seasons...
Life Across the Pond
Once I stepped off the plane at London Gatwick, I felt as if I was in the middle of dream. Everything was different. The people talked funny and the signs I had to follow were different than the ones in America. Flash forward almost an entire month and I still feel as if I’m catching up to my new home for the next few months. London was great. Buildings from centuries ago and skyscrapers that are still being worked on. When I...
La vie français: Des pâtisseries et du café
I have lived in France for a little over three months now, and every day is still an adventure. My exchange program is placed in Tours, France, and idyllic and quaint French town about an hour train ride outside of Paris. This little town, located along the Loire River, is the perfect mixture of old renaissance buildings and modernity. I live right in the center of the historic quarter—I’m actually typing up this blog post in my...
First Week in Australia
Lemonade is actually sprite. Thongs are flip flops. Toasties are sandwiches. And everyone screams “Yeeew!” when they’re excited. Tim Tams are delicious and Aussie guys will make any girl swoon! This first week in Australia was nothing less than awesome! I landed in Brisbane to begin our orientation with ISA – the program that is hosting my study abroad program. Our group travelled to Byron Bay where we...
![[Pre-Departure] Why I wanted to go to Japan and Ritsumeikan University](http://bamabloggersabroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/ritsumeikan-university-240x240.jpg)
[Pre-Departure] Why I wanted to go to Japan and Ritsumeikan University
Traveling to other countries has always been a dream of mine. As a child and teenager, I did not have the fortunate opportunity to travel the world like some people I know; however, I did not let that deter me away from challenges. When I entered the university, I immediately knew I wanted to study abroad. During my first semester at The University of Alabama, I visited the study abroad office. The main question, where do you want to...