A Lot to Learn

The EC 309 class that I took during my 3-week trip to Europe was the least of the lessons that I am taking into my future. That’s not to understate the terrific teaching of Dr. Lee and Dr. Arcabic, but this was also my first trip out of the country. Understandably, I...

Discover Something Unique

Throughout the extent of my UA Macroeconomics in Europe course, I was able to visit some of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Between Prague, Budapest, and Venice, I’ve taken so many beautiful pictures and made lots of lasting memories. However, the memories that I...

Missing Belize

Being back in the U.S. for almost a month now is still odd. While in Belize, my skin was acne-free from eating fresh, unprocessed food and swimming in salt water every day. Now, my face is breaking out and I easily get cold since I’m not used to air...

Field Trips in Spain

The Study Abroad schedule in Spain is structured where we have class Monday through Thursday and on Friday and Saturday we take a field trip to a different city to see the historic places like cathedrals and palaces. During June we have travelled to unique parts of...

Before Berlin

Although I have been in Berlin for a week, I have decided to take the time to reflect on what it took to get here. I will write about my first experiences in another country sometime soon. I chose to study abroad for a number of reasons. One big one was the cost....

Pre-Paris Departure

I’ve wanted to visit France since I began learning the language as a freshman in high school. I never would have guessed that I would still be studying French in college, let alone taking it on as an additional major with chemistry. Once I heard about UA’s Alabama in...

To Madrid…and Beyond!

Lisbon. Barcelona. Sevilla. Rome. Budapest. Morocco. What do all of these places have in common? I’ve been there! It was always my dream to study abroad as an attempt to quench my thirst for travel, and I chose Madrid to be my home base for the semester, a place...

Comida Comida Comida

Spanish tortilla dishA little something similar to homeMy first tapa!! My favorite thing about being somewhere other than Texas is the different kinds of food (by the way, comida means food in Spanish). Even in a place like Alabama the food is different than home, so...

Why Go Abroad?

Hey y’all I’m Courtney and I am prepping to spend my summer in Madrid! I want to go abroad because WHEN ELSE are you young and able to drop everything to spend a month in Europe? (or any location of your choice). This educational opportunity is truly too...

Beginning Italian Course

Academics here in Florence, Italy is quite different than it is at The University of Alabama. Florence University of the Arts is broken up into different classroom buildings based off of the class category. My building is a little over a mile from my apartment, which...

Cinque Terre

Sunday June 16th, we had an excursion to Cinque Terre with our study abroad program, ISA. I have been so eager for this excursion ever since I first found out about it. We boarded a charter bus early in the morning and made our way towards the coast. The closer we got...

Initial Thoughts

I have been in Italy for approximately four days and I can already state that I am in love with this new culture and environment. At first, I was hesitant to all the new and unfamiliar things that I would encounter coming to a foreign country. As the days progressed I...

Kia Ora!

Kia ora is the standard greeting in New Zealand, a bit of the language of the indigenous people (Māori) that means “be well.” It is what the flight attendant at the Air New Zealand desk said to me when I checked in for my flight. This was the first time...

Reflection

On this trip I will have switched back and forth time zones six times by the time I get back home. My sleep schedule is going to be pretty whack for the next couple days. I tried to stay up pretty late last night in a desperate attempt to get myself back on track. I...