While Abroad experience
As my semester abroad is coming to an end I feel as I have experienced enough to give an overview and the pros and cons of my time here in San Jose Costa Rica. Time has gone by fast and slow at the same time, I remember my first day here like it was yesterday, yet it feels like such as long time ago. To be completely honest the first day was probably the worst day I had to get up at four in the mourning to catch a five hour flight in...
Going Down Under!
By Riley W. My name is Riley, I’m a junior at UA studying marine biology and I decided to study abroad at James Cook University in Queensland, Australia. I decided to study here because of the location! Although the University of Alabama is a fantastic school, I can only take marine science classes during the summer on Dauphin Island; therefore, taking classes on the Great Barrier Reef seemed like a great way to expand my marine...
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...
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...
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...
Pre-departure experiences
The spring semester of my junior year I went to San Jose Costa Rica. There were many things that went into my decision to study abroad. The main reason I wanted to leave the country is to experience something new. College, in my opinion, is the perfect time to travel abroad because your responsibilities are lower. I can’t think of any other time where you can pack your bags and go to a different country for months. I knew this was a...