In Retrospect
Exposure is a tricky thing. Exposure to the western world and it’s ideas, products, and way of life has always seemed like a beneficial thing in my eyes. Who wouldn’t want what we have? Who wouldn’t want to have access to everything we do? The healthcare, the free market, the education, the distractions? Seriously, if I didn’t have Game of Thrones I believe I might be lost. I am still convinced that everyone needs to have access to...
Returning to the USA
Getting back home was a bit of an adventure. My flight was delayed 2.5 hours, causing me to almost miss my connection back to New York. By some miracle, I made it through customs in Dublin and boarded my plane. Upon arrival I was exhausted, and shocked at just how different things were back home. The main thing being air conditioning/circulation and readjusting to less daylight. Aside from the rush of delayed flights and jet lag,...
Abroad in Belize
Academics: This trip is a little unconventional because it is more of a field-study set up. We are doing research projects that require us to snorkel. My group is observing the behaviors of one species of fish – Sergeant Majors. This is a small-scale ecological study. It gives us a basic idea of the health of the reef because if the Sergeant Majors are not behaving normally, it indicates a larger problem in the reef’s ecosystem. We do...
UA in China: Visiting a Chinese Family
Our professor instructed my group of four students to be in the lobby of the hotel by 11am for a local family visit. With no information about the family, where we were going, or what we would be doing I anxiously got ready for the day hoping to make a good first impression. The only thing that we knew for certain was that the family spoke very little English. A fact that our professor emphasized when we pressed for details about the...
What To Do When Things Go Wrong During Study Abroad
I have learned the hard way, through roughly 10 years of traveling abroad and two study abroad experiences, that it doesn’t matter how much you plan, things are always going to go wrong at some point or another. It might be that bad weather delays your flight, an unexpected issue causes an excursion you planned to get cancelled, or you simply get sick. All of these things happen a lot more frequently than you would hope, but I...
Finally back to the States
Having spent 5 weeks in Germany, I felt that I wanted to stay longer, but alas I had to return to prepare for fall classes. The travel back home ended up being somewhat of a nightmare. First, a security incident in Munich left hundreds of people delayed or stranded. My flight thankfully wasn’t delayed too long, but the airport was on high alert. Then, due to going the cheap route on tickets, I spent 12 hours in the Dublin...