Bama Bloggers Abroad
From UA to UA in Greece
As an Illinois kid, I never would have thought that Alabama would be where I was headed. I even thought that 4 years of Latin throughout high school was the end of a brief journey. It was somewhat...
Study Abroad Part 1 : Flights to Prague
Study Abroad 2018 has been the best trip I have been on. Starting from the moment I got the acceptance into the program, I have been nothing short of excited. This was my first trip out of the...
Morocco Exceeding Expectations
I’m now...
Excursion to Hong Kong
The study abroad faculty-led program that I chose took us around China and Vietnam. We started in Shanghai, China where we learned about the cultural aspects of China and its people. We also visited...
Europe has Beauty like no other
Upon arrival to Munich Germany my whole body was sluggish due to the jet lag and amount of time I had gone without sleep. Even with this though, I couldn’t help but rush off the plane to see...
Safety Suggestions for Europe
While most people have the attitude of "that will never happen to me," the reality is that is happens to a LOT of people while abroad. Tourists always seem to have big bullseyes on their foreheads...
Learning Spanish and Medicine
Here in Peru, the language is Spanish. Since I have been studying Spanish since high school, I felt prepared coming into the country. Even though I have never been immersed in country with native...
Early Morning Tai Chi
This is the first picture that was photographed of me abroad. It was taken by one of my friends on the trip with me after we had done tai chi in a park with some of the locals. Everyone in the...
Arrivederci, America!
As I am sitting in the Chicago O’Hare International Airport, during a f i v e hour layover, I am already reflecting on how this experience will change my perspective on so many different...
Italy, here I come…
To be completely honest, the thought of traveling gives me an unsettled feeling. This feeling shows no discrimination to distance, as I become anxious over a simple trip to a neighboring state. That...
Study Abroad 1: Lost in New York
On May 10th I arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta, Georgia,eager to get my journey to Prague started. I knew my layover at JFK in New York would be tight, as it was only scheduled to be...
Going to Europe!
My first time out of the country and away from my parents. In my case that’s a huge step for me because I have always been the type of person to never go too far from home. Both of my roommates were...
Bring on the Pasta!!
On a typical day during the fall semester of 2017, my best friend and I were sitting in our night class when a former professor came to speak to our group about a trip that she had in the works to...
Day 2: wanting to go home
May 20 11:15 AM. We took the train from Rome to Florence. I am fortunate enough to have my mom and aunt accompany me to Italy and travel with me before classes start. I thought I learned my lesson...
Pre-departure jitters!
This study abroad trip was my first time out of the country and up until two days ago I wasn't even sure I was going anymore. I am very nervous. I didn't brush up on the Italian language enough so...
Here We Come Zambia!
Coming to UA, I never really saw myself leaving the state of Alabama. Alabama is home to me and I grew up just 2 hours north of Title Town. I always heard people talk about their adventures in Spain...
Some Reverse Culture Shock
It’s been almost a month now since I’ve returned from my study abroad program, and from the beginning of my journey, I knew I wanted to do a post about reverse culture shock. While spending three...
Florence, Y’all
May 18, 2018 10:34 am: Currently, I am anxiously awaiting for my 11 hour layover to pass so I can officially embark on my journey of a lifetime. As I sit here watching plane after plane takeoff, I...
Up Up and…17 hour flight away
Hello all!! This is my first ever blog post, so here goes nothing. I just finished my senior year! Yay class of 2018! So you might be asking yourself, why is this person going on a study abroad and...
Back in Belgrade!
Almost a week ago, we arrived in Belgrade, Serbia for the start of our program. Last year was my first time coming to this country as a delegate with the Serbia Fellowship Program and this year I...
Only a Few Weeks Till Greece!!
Studying abroad was something I always knew I was going to do in my collegiate years. I did not know when or where I would study abroad, but it was something that was always in the back of my mind...
You comin’, blondie?
Before leaving for study abroad (and leaving the country for the first time...ever), I often compared what I thought my experience would be like to a scene in my favorite movie-Tangled. It's the...
First Time For Everything! Zambia Bound
Never in my life would I imagine that my first trip out of the country would be to Zambia, Africa. I have always dreamed to visit there one day in the future, but not as a nursing student. When the...
Prague First Impressions
I have never been to Europe therefore I did not have many expectations for Prague. Within the first hour of arriving and walking around Old Town Square I realized this place was amazing. The...
Shenzhen and Shanghai. Off to Vietnam!
China is incredible. I can’t say enough about the country. However, my view is biased as we only saw the high-tech cities of Shanghai and Shenzhen. I stepped off the plane and the temperature was a...
Academics at St Andrews
In some ways, academics at the University of St Andrews is very different from the University of Alabama. I expected many of the obvious differences, such as new set of terminology: module instead...
Off to Asia! Pre-Departure!
I chose to study abroad because I have never truly traveled outside of the United States for an extended period of time. I hadn’t intended on going to China or Vietnam, but this class gave me a...
The Serbia Fellowship Experience: Belgrade Bound
On May 12th, I along with fourteen other UA students will journey to Serbia for our Summer Interim semester. Many of us didn't know much about Serbia before being selected for the Serbia Fellowship...
Wait Serbia?
In a matter of thirty-one days, I have graduated from The University of Alabama, will travel to Serbia and teach high schoolers about American Music and its relevance in America today and then I end...
Why study abroad in Asia?
A year ago when I was deciding where I wanted to attend college, my school counselor laid out a list of common deciding factors that were supposed to help me decide. There were the obvious ones like...
An Update on my Tanzanian Adventure
I’ve been in Tanzania for almost 3.5 months now, and I've loved every minute of my time here. Despite being very different from the United States, I didn’t have any issues adjusting to life in...
Preparing to Return Home from Italy–Crazy!!
Ciao Everyone! It is insane to be saying, but I already only have eleven days in this beautiful city of Florence, Italy. I honestly have no idea where time has gone and I am totally not ready to...
Returning to the United States
My post trip experience has been a very interesting one. I have officially been home for a little bit over a week and I am glad to be back home! Despite my elation to see my family and spend time...
Study Abroad: The Decision Process
I am so excited to go abroad! I have always wanted to travel abroad, especially to a Spanish-speaking country. Though I have learned about Hispanic culture, I have never had the opportunity to...
Feeling Like a Sevillano
After being in Seville for a few months now, I can without a doubt say that I picked the perfect place to study for a semester. Seville is not exactly what I imagined, as I began my adventure in...
Beware of Baboons
For my final weekend adventure in Ghana, I chose to fly to the Northern Region to Mole National Park. The northern part of Ghana is very different from the area I lived and worked in and I was told...
Cape Coast Castle
With our weekends free, we have been able to explore a great deal of Ghana’s beauty. One of our favorite places to visit is Cape Coast, which is a historic fishing town with beautiful beaches. We...
This is Ghana be an adventure
I chose to study abroad because I believe there is only so much that can be learned through our own cultural lens. I have learned the most in life when immersed in conversations and experiences...
A Multi-Cultural City
Hello again from London! It’s been a while since my last post, and I’ve definitely adjusted more to my surroundings much more. Unfortunately, it’s only less than a month before I head back home to...
Off The Proverbial Beaten Path
When my friend Ruth told us about a student trad night, we knew that we could not resist going to check it out. But as we walked past the familiar sights and sounds of Galway’s Latin Quarter and...
Time flies when you’re having fun!
As I am writing this, I am exactly 5 weeks away from my departure date back to the USA. That is almost surreal to write; I cannot believe how fast the semester has flown by! I have made some...
Appendicite…
"What's the scariest thing you've ever experienced?" Before last month, I used to say that I was scared of heights, of spiders, or even public speaking. Then, on a weekend trip six hours away from...
The Semester of Me
At the start of 2017, I promised myself that I would push myself to do things that scared me. Last summer, I decided to move to a new city alone for an internship, and it created a renewed sense of...
¡Quien lo vive es quien lo goza!
This semester I am studying abroad in Barranquilla, Colombia--home of the world's second largest Carnaval and I arrived just in time to experience the wonderful celebration. Carnaval is a...
Closer to God: Semana Santa in Colombia
Studying abroad is all about embarking on new adventures that challenge you to expand your comfort zone, right? In a small town tucked away in the Andes Mountains, Villa de Leyva, I had such an...
¡Una cálida bienvenida a Palenque!
One of the reasons I chose to study in the Atlantic coast of Colombia was because I wanted to learn more about AfroLatinx culture in the Caribbean. Cartagena, and the neighboring town of Palenque,...
Espresso, Architecture, and Pastels
I don’t think there are words to succinctly summarize my past month and a half in Budapest, but here’s my best shot. I’m sitting, laptop out, in a small square in the Palace District of this capital...
When the tide is high
During my final day in Costa Rica, I had the opportunity to do something on my bucket list I had yet to cross off. Surfing. I’ve always been a land person—running, hiking, backpacking and camping. I...
A New Mode of Transportation
As I sat in a rocking chair on the porch of my little Costa Rican cottage, I watched an assortment of cars, busses and bicycles zoom by. With no plans for the afternoon, I hoped to make my way into...
(Water)Falling Into Costa Rica
As a writer for VIDA Magazine at UA, I somehow found myself flying solo to Costa Rica less than 48 hours ago. Upon landing among the surrounding Costa Rican mountains and volcanoes, I hopped aboard...