by Madison K | Oct 13, 2016 | Asia, Engineering, Human Environmental Sciences, Semester, UA-Affiliate, _
14 kilometers up a mountain. 7 hours. 10,000 other freshman students. I was able to take part in a long held tradition that many students look forward to for years: the Freshman trek up Doi Suthep, also deemed, ‘the long walk.’ Over the course of 7 hours,...
by Madison K | Oct 13, 2016 | Asia, Engineering, Semester, UA-Affiliate, _
“I think we were the only Westerners there besides guys married to Thai’s,” “Oh, definitely, I didn’t see any other farangs there,” and as I said that, I realized although we were the only foreigners there, not at any point did I...
by Madison K | Oct 13, 2016 | Asia, Engineering, Semester, UA-Affiliate, _
“Do you want to fight in the freshman competition this Sunday?” One minute I was searching for a weights gym with a fellow study abroad student, and ended up peering in on fencing practice. The next moment we were asked if we’d like to join the...
by Madison K | Oct 13, 2016 | Asia, Engineering, Semester, UA-Affiliate, _
Walking among mounds of colorful chile peppers that will set your mouth on fire and bunches of cilantro that fill my nose with a delightful fresh smell, and I am the only ‘farang’ in sight. Locals load their motorbike sidecars with bags full of cabbage and...
by Emily P | Sep 22, 2016 | Arts & Sciences, Asia, Semester, UA-Affiliate
This might be one of the common questions that people ask me once I tell that I’m studying abroad in Jordan this year. If you’re not super into history/geography/politics and not obsessed with the Middle East (like me), it’s understandable that you...
by Kurt A | Sep 22, 2016 | Asia, Engineering, Semester, UA-Affiliate
It’s always interesting returning to your own country after being abroad, but it’s especially interesting whenever you return after such a long time. Living in another country changes you subtly, day by day, in really small ways that you can’t see until you hit...
by Madison K | Sep 22, 2016 | Asia, Community Health Sciences, Human Environmental Sciences, Semester, UA-Affiliate
-White shirt buttoned up all the way, black skirt to your knee, black belt, and a collar pin- thats the dress code. In college they are making us wear a uniform. It is Alabama summer hot every day and will be for months, and we have to wear a button up shirt. You...
by Amy W | Aug 23, 2016 | Commerce & Business, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate
Studying abroad in London was an amazing experience to say the least. As cheesy as it is, I feel like I left a piece of myself there in London and I am already itching to return to my home away from home. All of my expectations were met to the highest degree and I...
by Brianna M | Aug 23, 2016 | Education, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate
Wow, it blows my mind that in eleven days I will be on an eastward-bound plane to Madrid, Spain. Since the eighth grade, I have dreamed of studying abroad. I feel immensely blessed to have this opportunity to stay in Spain this fall. Last spring semester, I was...
by Ashton B | Aug 4, 2016 | Education, Semester, South America, UA-Affiliate
I’m about 3 and 1/2 weeks out from my study abroad trip to Santiago, Chile. It’s getting closer and it’s getting more real. I chose to study abroad so that I could fully immerse myself into Spanish culture, in order to learn the language more fully....
by Megan B | Aug 3, 2016 | Arts & Sciences, Asia, Europe, Semester, UA Non-Affiliate
I’ve been home for about a while now and I’m getting ready to head back to Alabama for the fall. So I have used this time to reflect on my time in Russia. Now it seems so far away and its weird to think that I’ve spent a semester there. At first I wasn’t sure...
by Kurt A | Jul 27, 2016 | Asia, Engineering, Semester, UA-Affiliate
Studying abroad is one of the best learning experiences for a student out there. It can teach a person so many different things. Not just about the world at large, but about themselves as well. One of the biggest skills I have noticed that many students learn, is...
by Kaila | Jul 25, 2016 | Australia/New Zealand, Engineering, Semester, UA-Affiliate
I cannot believe the semester is over! Since I left in the middle of January, I have been abroad for 6 months. The time has flown by. Finals were way more stressful abroad than they were at home because each final was worth either 60 percent or 75 percent of my...
by Megan B | Jul 15, 2016 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate
Prior to arriving to Russia, I tried not to have too many expectations. My main goal was to enjoy the experience of being here in Russia. Obviously things are different here and that took an adjustment to get used to. Now that my time here is coming to an end, I’m sad...
by Linnet K | Jul 12, 2016 | Asia, Commerce & Business, Exchange, Semester
안녕 Sitting in a coffee shop in the middle of Seoul and finally realizing that in exactly a month, I will be back in Alabama, is filling me with nothing but sadness. It seems impossible that four months have already passed of my study abroad experience, and it is now...
by Courtney M | Jul 1, 2016 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate
Thoughts and Feelings – When it was time to leave my host family, I woke up early and started off the morning packing then waited as the house came alive. I remember my host brother, Alex, coming in my room and saying, “You are one of the students that I...
by Grace V | Jun 29, 2016 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate
I have been home a month now. People always told me it would be just as difficult to adjust upon return home as it was upon arrival in a new place. Maybe for some that holds true, but I think I was just so ready to come home that I adjusted with ease. My sleep...
by Grace V | Jun 28, 2016 | Arts & Sciences, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate
Is this real life? I think I might be dreaming. *pinch*.. Nope this is real… Before: Excitement and fear brewed inside me in the days leading up to my departure. People would ask, “Are you excited?” I usually responded with “Very!” but I...
by Christina I | Jun 24, 2016 | Comm & Info Sciences, Europe, Exchange, Semester
I’ll start off this blog post with a cliché but oh-so-true sentence: Studying abroad was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I saw so many amazing places, met so many amazing people, and made memories to last a lifetime. Through ups and downs I...
by Kelsey A | Jun 23, 2016 | Commerce & Business, Europe, Semester, UA-Affiliate
As I lay in my bed the night before I leave to go back home, the only thing that fills my head are the unforgettable memories of the last 6 months. One of the reasons why I chose to go to London is because I thought it would be the most similar for me so I...
