by Blakely P. | Jun 24, 2022 | Arts & Sciences, Faculty-Led, South America, Summer
My biggest concern before leaving for my trip was if I’d be able to handle the work-life balance of studying abroad. Because I’m in Colombia to study Spanish, I knew the classes would be important, but the time outside of class would make or break my experience. In...
by Rachel Marsh | Jun 21, 2022 | Arts & Sciences, Faculty-Led, South America, Summer
View from my quarantine hotel window Two weeks in to my six-weeks study abroad program in Colombia, I went snorkeling in Santa Marta with a group of other students from Alabama. We had a great time floating around the bay, watching the colorful fish swim, and making...
by S. Dyer | Jun 21, 2022 | Arts & Sciences, Faculty-Led, South America, Summer
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by J. Holmquist | Jun 16, 2022 | Arts & Sciences, Faculty-Led, South America, Summer
The best part of traveling is the friends you make. There are always a lot of great people you meet, but sometimes you find a friendship where everything just feels easy. In the past couple weeks I have realized that those people for me on this study abroad are my...
by Blakely P. | Jun 9, 2022 | Arts & Sciences, Faculty-Led, South America, Summer
Hola a todos from Barranquilla, Colombia! Traveling to Colombia has been a dream of mine for five years now. In May, that dream became a reality! I’m currently in Barranquilla taking Spanish classes for my minor. We are three weeks in, and we have three weeks...
by S. Dyer | Jun 9, 2022 | Arts & Sciences, Faculty-Led, South America, Summer
My first two weeks in Colombia and my experience with the...
by J. Holmquist | Jun 5, 2022 | Arts & Sciences, Faculty-Led, South America, Summer
I have been in Colombia for two weeks now. The flights were a little complicated with an overnight layover in Bogota, but I was very happy when I arrived. I am doing the faculty led UA in Colombia program to work on my Spanish. In fact, this is my first time writing...
by Ben B | Apr 16, 2022 | Africa, All Year, Arts & Sciences, Asia, Australia/New Zealand, Central America, Europe, Exchange, Faculty-Led, Honors College, Non-traditional, North America, Semester, South America, UA-Affiliate
One of the most under-appreciated benefits of study abroad programs, particularly those based in Europe, are how easy and affordable it is to travel internationally on weekends and breaks. Here I will give a few tips as to how to make the most of this opportunity, a...
by Emma W | Jul 30, 2021 | Commerce & Business, Home, Internship, North America, South America, Summer
With my final meeting come and gone, I suppose it is now time for me to reflect on the unique experience of an international internship experienced exclusively over ZOOM. In an unprecedented time it is appropriate to expect unprecedented experiences and that is...
by Emma W | Jul 26, 2021 | Commerce & Business, Home, Internship, South America, Summer
Greetings again, this time from my new hotel room in Chicago! After 1200+ miles and a full day stopover in Nashville I’ve just clocked out of my first day in the new place and I’m excited to hit the dinner reservation I’ve been looking forward to all day. I’ve been to...
by Anna S @annadove__ | May 1, 2020 | Arts & Sciences, Comm & Info Sciences, Semester, South America, UA-Affiliate
“Sí po, cachai?” Yeah, you know? Had this phrase been said to me in any Spanish class or come up in a conversation before living in Chile I would have stood there dumbfounded and wondered if maybe it was Portuguese instead of Spanish. “Quiero una palta y un jugo de...
by Anna S @annadove__ | Feb 26, 2020 | Arts & Sciences, Comm & Info Sciences, Semester, South America, UA-Affiliate
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...
by Anna S @annadove__ | Feb 3, 2020 | Arts & Sciences, Comm & Info Sciences, Semester, South America, UA-Affiliate, _
I had wanted to study abroad immediately upon my discovery of the ‘other cultures’ section of my elementary school library as a third grader. I knew, sitting in my room at home pouring over every book I could find about other customs and routines and places I knew...
by Ellie N | Jul 15, 2019 | Arts & Sciences, South America, Summer, UA-Affiliate, _
Here is a glimpse of what I have been up to the past few weeks in the Dominican Republic! I was so fortunate to receive a grant to study here this summer. I am taking intensive Spanish and Dominican language and culture classes every day to finish my Spanish minor and...
by Emma B | Jul 9, 2019 | Arts & Sciences, Faculty-Led, South America, Summer, _
Six weeks have flown by in Colombia, and now I’m back in the USA. The first couple days back, I found myself saying things in English but in grammatical structures of Spanish or even saying certain words in Spanish in the middle of an English conversation. I...
by Emma B | Jun 14, 2019 | Arts & Sciences, South America, UA-Affiliate, _
The professional soccer team from Barranquilla is called Junior. The iconic red and white stripes of their jersey can be seen all around the city on any given day, along with people calling out their famous phrase “¡Junior tu papá!” Earlier in this trip,...
by Brooke H | Jun 6, 2019 | Arts & Sciences, Faculty-Led, South America, Summer, _
Being in Belize is like a whole other world. It’s definitely hotter than Alabama. I came off the plane and had to take stairs down to the ground, I felt like a movie star. Once we got into a van to go to our first destination, the landscape started changing. It...
by Elliot S | Jun 3, 2019 | Arts & Sciences, Faculty-Led, South America, Summer, _
The key factors that led me to choose studying abroad were a chance to go to a country that I have never been to, being able learn more about the country than you ever would on vacation, and getting to do this with other UA students while earning class credit. I chose...
by Molly L | May 30, 2019 | Arts & Sciences, Faculty-Led, South America, Summer, _
We are halfway through our trip and so far it has been incredible. Of course it has not been without its challenges. Our first destination, Lime Caye, was a remote 5 acre island around 2 hours away from the mainland by boat. There was few structures, and most...
by Brooke H | May 15, 2019 | Arts & Sciences, Faculty-Led, South America, Summer, _
Sitting in my terminal waiting to board the plane that will take me to Belize, I’m nervous. I’m wondering if I forgot anything. I’m worried about customs since I’ve never flown by myself or been to a foreign country without my family. I’m scared the other students I’m...
