Bama Bloggers Abroad
Glasgow Impressions
It was 8 am and it was still dark outside. Forget jet lag messing with your sense of time, the light here made me constantly question what time it was when I first arrived. The sun doesn’t rise...
Barcelona, Here I Come!
Pre-Departure Get to know me! My name is Amanda Catalano and I am a junior at Alabama. I am studying Psychology and Spanish, and I am from Wisconsin. I am studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain through...
My return
My program was unfortunately cut short by about 2 weeks due to the coronavirus. I was told Thursday that I had to leave as soon as possible and I was on a plane Monday morning, so my experience...
Corona Chaos
Well, it is March 16th, and I am back at home in my bed writing this last post, when I should be at my homestay in Barcelona right now, exhausted from a weekend trip to Amsterdam and trying to catch...
While Abroad experience
As my semester abroad is coming to an end I feel as I have experienced enough to give an overview and the pros and cons of my time here in San Jose Costa Rica. Time has gone by fast and slow at the...
Going Down Under!
By Riley W. My name is Riley, I'm a junior at UA studying marine biology and I decided to study abroad at James Cook University in Queensland, Australia. I decided to study here because of the...
Pre-Departure Anxieties
By studying abroad, I faced my fears and boarded a plane all by myself for the first time in my life. For an hour, tears streamed down my face as I contemplated my decision to study abroad. I think...
Escaping the City
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,...
First Excursion — Iceland!
One of the best parts of studying abroad is the multitude of opportunities to travel. This is what I was most excited about when I chose a location is western Europe. Compared even to domestic...
Pre-departure experiences
The spring semester of my junior year I went to San Jose Costa Rica. There were many things that went into my decision to study abroad. The main reason I wanted to leave the country is to experience...
Interning in Australia: Motivations and Goals
My journey to deciding to intern abroad was fairly simple. Currently, I am a junior studying marketing in the Accelerated Master’s Program. I am thankful I am attending Alabama with a full-tuition...
Midterm Season
As I write this, I am avoiding studying for my four impending midterm exams for my classes I am taking abroad here in Barcelona, Spain. I am also in shock that I am already halfway through my...
Leaving a New Home to Return to Your Old One
During my study abroad I was always a little excited to return to the United States and to my family and friends, but when the time to leave was actually near, it was more scary and daunting than...
Preparing to Leave for Germany
I did not have long to prepare before I left for Germany. I was returning home from an internship and knew I would only have 5 days to pack. It would be at least 5 months before I would have a...
Off to Mannheim, Germany
Howdy y'all, my name is Colin Owen Turybury and I am spending my spring semester in Mannheim, Germany. I came to Mannheim on January 27th and spent 3 days in Frankfurt before riding German rails to...
January
Hiroshima, Japan; January 2020 Before starting my semester abroad, I felt nervous about encountering new cultures within both the host countries and my study abroad program. Semester at Sea involves...
Arriving Back Home
Arriving back home was different than expected. What I had initially expected was the annoyance of the south to come back, but in reality, I was just highly confused and ever so grateful to see my...
Homesickness? It’ll pass
In fall of 2019 I studied abroad in San Ramón, Costa Rica, a small town in the heart of the country. I remember getting to the airport in Chicago to fly to Central America and really understanding...
Deciding where to study abroad
During high school I always dreamed about studying abroad in college, so when I started at UA I made it a top priority to plan ahead and make sure I could fit it in/ take classes that worked for my...
Choosing Chile
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...
Heading to Athens!
Hello everyone! I am Alexis Fagan a sophomore at the University! I am a Psychology major on the Pre-med track. Studying abroad is something i’ve always wanted to do, It crossed my mind multiple time...
Pre-Departure Toronto, Canada
I was in class when my professor mentioned a free study abroad trip for business students, not only the free part caught my attention, I thought it would be neat to go study abroad as a freshman. I...
Back at Bama
After coming home from an eventful semester abroad, I have been met with a mixed set of emotions. I have loved getting to see family and friends, but I still find myself adjusting back to the way...
Prepared? Prepared.
Hi, I’m Nia and I am going to be studying abroad at the University of Roehampton in London, England. I am a sophmore at the University of Alabama, majoring in Anthropology! My new Uni for the...
The Start of the Adventure
Growing up, I had always wanted to see the world. I loved meeting new people with different backgrounds than my own to learn about new cultures and gain perspective in my own life. However, with...
Loneliness Abroad
There are a lot of incredible things about studying abroad. And most of the time, you’ve talked to other people who have done it and seen instagram posts of your acquaintances. It’s going to be...
Traveling Solo
One of the most amazing things about studying abroad is the opportunity to live in a new place and take the chance to travel and see more of the world than you could from home. But traveling is...
Wrapping up the semester at Kedge!
The center of Bordeaux. As I enter the last couple of days with my Kedge studies in Bordeaux, I wanted to take this time to reflect on the experience that I have had studying abroad. First, Kedge...
Preparation for KEDGE
Bordeaux, France I only knew one thing before applying to study abroad, and that one thing was just that I wanted to go abroad and experience life from an outside perspective and work my way into...
Ich liebe dich: The BvG and I
I love the BvG. Which is great, because the BvG’s logo is a heart and their slogan is “Weil wir lieben dich.” In German, that means “Because we love you.” So the feelings are mutual. What is the...
The Experience @ KEDGE Bordeaux
Honesty, so far, Bordeaux has been a whirlwind. Upon arrival into Bordeaux, I can say that the world felt a little bit larger due to the abundance of the unknown at the time. So many new faces,...
Returning to the Homeland
When I first landed in the US I was instantly greeted with familiarity. I loved being in Scotland but it’s just something about being in your own country that makes you feel more secure. After my...
Getting Prepared for China
This is my second study abroad trip, to China, and so I am preparing for this trip did not pose any difficulties. I was looking forward to this trip, nonetheless, because I’ve never been to northern...
Back at Home
UA in Oxford Reflecting on being abroad, I realize how remarkable of a journey I’ve committed to. It was such a fulfilling time and I learned many things, not just about myself but life and other...
While in Scotland
When I first arrived in Edinburgh, I was jetlagged and disoriented. I was more than ready to get to Heriot Watt University, find my flat and settle in to my new home for the month. My taxi ride to...
Headed to Bordeaux!
Hi everyone, my name is Evans Johnson and I am a senior at The University. I have decided to spend my first semester in the beautiful city of Bordeaux, France at KEDGE University. I write this post...
UA in Oxford: Reflecting on a Journey
Upon returning home, I was reminded of the differences in everyday things in England compared to the United States. The accents, grocery stores, and currencies are just few of the things that made...
Safari Before I Go
Returning home from South Africa was honestly heartbreaking. I enjoyed my experience immensely and could not believe how quickly the time passed. I was so glad I was able to check off something that...
Losing a Loved One While Studying Abroad
I participated in the UA in Ireland: Chemical Engineering program in June 2019. The dates for this program were May 27th - June 28th, 2019. We took two courses, Transport Phenomena (CHE 324) and...
Zipper Pants for the Win!
I decided to study abroad this summer because I will be beginning my senior year this fall, and it will be my last opportunity as a student to have new academic and personal growth experiences...
My Bodleian Library Experience
I am a huge fan of libraries and books of any sort and got my first library card when I was 3, so needless to say I was very excited when I was told that those of us on the UA at Oxford trip were...
Home Sweet Home Baby
The first things going through my head as I arrived in Chicago were my family. It’d been a while since I had seen them, and I missed them so much. The part that really got me though was that...
Missing France, Plus Advice
I miss French being spoken around me all the time. This is one of the first things which strikes me as I wait for my connection in the Atlanta airport, back on American soil. I am tired from my...
Walking and Diversity
I love the town of Tours. Although home to a similar population size as Tuscaloosa, everything in Tours is built close together, allowing you to walk everywhere. I walk from my host family to...
A Day in Rome: How I Learned to Enjoy my Own Company
While there are many moments that I will treasure forever from my time studying abroad in Italy, there is one day that I can’t help but talk about every single time. My group and I were about a week...
Life in Berlin
Studying abroad is an experience, and it's one that has its ups and downs. Upon arrival, the airline lost all of my luggage. I came to Germany for the summer and had barely any personal belongings....
Keep Calm and Stay Out of Temple Bar
While participating in the UA in Ireland: Chemical Engineering program, you will spend an excessive amount of time studying and doing homework. Your best friends will be coffee (which is €1 before...
Oh, Humidity
The morning above London. I've been home for two weeks now, and they have been slightly rough. A few days after getting back I woke up one morning to realize that I, unfortunately, took some germs...
Reflections
I have been back for less than a week and I am still a little jetlagged. Only a few days until the semester starts and while I am shocked by how fast the summer flew by, I wouldn’t change what I did...
Life After London
After an unforgettable six weeks in London, I was ready to come back to the States. The UK is similar enough to the US that I didn't experience too much reverse culture shock. But of course, I find...