I am currently sitting in the E-28 airport terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson international airport waiting to board my connecting flight to Amsterdam on my way to Zagreb, Croatia. There I will be studying intermediate macroeconomics at the University of Zagreb and the class will be co-taught by Alabama’s own Dr. Junsoo Lee, and Dr. Vladimir Arcabic from the University of Zagreb.
Now is as good of a time as any to start my blog and do some reflecting before I begin my trip. I chose to study abroad because I wanted to see parts of the world before I begin internships and my career in the following summers. A semester abroad is out of the question because of my parent’s opinions on the matter, but this three-week journey throughout Europe was just enough to convince them to let me go. Being a freshman without an internship, the structure of the trip, and the professor involved motivated me to choose this program for my first time abroad.
I am enthusiastic to go on the trip and many of the worries I had a week ago have seemed to fade away. I trust myself and those I’m with to make the trip safe, informative, and fun. I’m bringing with my clothes, my laptop, and my curiosity and energy to make this trip as impactful as possible. I hope to gain cultural exposure to the multiple countries I will be visiting, a glimpse into the European University system, and a deeper understanding of macroeconomic policy cultivated in the class and at the central bank, we will be visiting. I am optimistic that all these goals will be met and I will return to the U.S. in three weeks a much more cultured and learned individual.
As they say in Croatia, idemo!