UA in Italy, while in Italia

by | Aug 3, 2018 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer

Nothing is more emotionally riveting than stepping off the plane walking and getting onto a boat to take you to your new home for the next month. Luckily, with my program type, we are going to be in different cities every week with several excursions that will take us...

Weekend Trips

by | Jul 30, 2018 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer

I am participating in the Summer 2018 UA in Spain program. The program is faculty-led and we are centered in Madrid, Spain, where we take classes during the week at a local university. However, one of my favorite things about this program is our ability to travel...

The Final Days

by | Jul 30, 2018 | All Year, Arts & Sciences, Asia, Exchange

It’s almost time for my study abroad journey here in Japan to end, and I must say that I’m rather sad about it. I’ve made plenty of friends here over the year, and though a lot of them are going to leave while I’m spending the week in Tokyo,...

Riding out the Heat Wave

by | Jul 30, 2018 | All Year, Arts & Sciences, Asia, Exchange

It seems like lately there’s been one thing after another in Japan. After the earthquake in Osaka that cancelled classes, we ended up with rain that lasted for about a week. It made it pretty difficult over the weekend since all the rivers had filled up and were...

Sakura, Sakura

by | Jul 30, 2018 | All Year, Arts & Sciences, Asia, Exchange

  Perhaps one of the best times to be in Japan is spring; right around the time the new school semester started, we were able to see the cherry blossoms begin to bloom around Kyoto. Though I was sad to have to start school again after getting to spend so much...

The Hidden Wonder in Spain

by | Jul 28, 2018 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer

  There are so many sights to see in Spain and it would be impossible to name them all. The Picos de Europa are a wonderful string of mountains that boast incredible views of the nearby fields. The Cathedral of Toledo holds so much history and incredible...

Greetings from Belgium

by | Jul 23, 2018 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer

I’m now more than halfway into my stay here in Belgium, and I have to admit, it’s starting to feel like home. Although it initially felt so foreign, our little neighborhood in Brussels is now familiar and comfortable, even after only a few weeks. Some things have been...

Adiós, inseguridades

by | Jul 17, 2018 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer

So there we were, high in the beautifully scenic mountains of Spain, huddled in a pack, trying to nominate the unlucky member of our group who would walk up to the nearest Spanish local and ask him to take a picture of us. Out of our group of seven girls, one brave...

Pre-Departure

by | Jul 16, 2018 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Program Type, Summer

Hi my name is Marissa, and I chose to study abroad because I discovered this great opportunity through a close friend. It seemed a bit risky at first because of the expense of Study Abroad programs, but PACT helped cover a large portion of costs, and then I was lucky...

Pax Europaea, in time

by | Jul 16, 2018 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Faculty-Led, Summer, _

There is a popular saying among parents: “If your friend jumps off a bridge, would you jump, too?” My parents found out very early on that I was always the friend that jumped first. In the small, blue-collar community outside of New Orleans where I grew up in, there...