Discovering Italy and Myself

For the past three months, I have been living in a reality that has felt surreal. Studying abroad has been one of my favorite chapters in my life, and has altered who I am as a person. It has opened my mind up to the size of the world, has exposed me to new cultures, has given me confidence in places I didn’t know it was lacking and has challenged me emotionally and mentally in an indescribable way.

One of the most important things that I have come to embrace, as I have mentioned in my previous posts, is being alone.

Great Memories of Studying Abroad

My time studying abroad in Scotland is rapidly coming to an end, and personally it has gone by way too fast. I still have about a month left before it is time to return to the U.S., however it is going to go by incredibly quickly with everything there is to do.

Finals are approaching. I have to find time to say goodbye to some friends who, come January will be thousands of miles away. And then I have my last trip to Europe to finish off the year.

Before it is time to leave, I would like to share some photos that made my study abroad experience great!

From Fall to Winter

Greetings, friends and family!

These past few weeks I have been taking it easy compared to the previous weeks. I have been spending more time in school, as the season of presentations and critical papers has arrived. I am taking this time to get to know my peers in the master’s program for international affairs.

The Pros and Cons of Prague: My Two Month Czech-in

Tomorrow marks two months since I arrived in Prague, and the halfway point of my time here. I can’t make up my mind whether I feel like I’ve been here a longer or shorter time than that. Time feels like it passes differently for me while I’m over here. I think this is because I am so far out of my normal routine.

I think missing home is natural, and my occasional moments of brooding have inspired me to compile a list (in no particular order) of what I’ve been missing most from home. To keep things balanced, and to avoid this post being just a negative rant, I will follow with a list of things that I definitely do not miss.

Lessons from My Fellow International Students

One of the great aspects of studying in the United Kingdom is that there are so many international students. Some of them are studying on exchange, while others do their whole degree here. Either way it affords me the opportunity to meet people from all sorts of different countries.

Two of the amazing people I’ve become friends with are from Denmark. They have taught me a lot about their home country. Something I found quite interesting was the fact that the east side of Denmark, around Copenhagen, and the west side of Denmark have a friendly rivalry.

Ready, Set, Go!

Sometimes, the scary things in life are the most rewarding. The thought of studying abroad, for example, can seem frightening. Further, actually studying abroad is down right terrifying at times, and traveling alone has the power to turn you into a statue if you let it.

However, making the decision to study abroad, actually following through with it and embarking on travels alone are some of the best decisions that I have ever made — no matter how terrifying they seemed or even were.

My Solo Trip through Central Eastern Europe

Greetings from Hungary, everybody!

These past few weeks have been some of the best days out here on my journey. To start, I have been getting closer with my friends from the program.

To highlight a few of them, I will start with my friend Batu, from Turkey. He is here studying engineering in his third year of college. He never learned English in school; he is actually self taught in it. He has learned a good amount of phrases but struggles a lot speaking with those who have studied it and with me who has practiced it all throughout my life. Although we have a language barrier we have become close tight knit friends.

We have broken down the walls between us to share personal stories about who we are, where we come from and what we aspire to in life. We now call each other “best friends” which I really believe, because we have earned each other’s trust.

Actually Studying During Study Abroad? Believe it.

We all know the rumor: “studying abroad doesn’t really require studying!”

Of course, that is at least what I had the notion of when I decided to study abroad. In the past month and a half of being abroad, however, I have been proven wrong to an extent. That is, I do have classes and attendance for all of my courses is mandatory. I have exams, and yes, I have essays to write.

I believe that my experience at SDSU as a student has prepared me well enough to take my studies abroad. It has also prepared me to balance study and travel, and BOY have I been traveling!

Welcome to Berlin

Class here in Germany has begun and I am now — officially — studying abroad.

I currently live in Berlin, a city that has more bridges than Venice, Italy. Now how is that a relevant fact? It is just the start to explaining how huge of a city Berlin is, and my challenge to explore all of it.

Driven to Learn About Hungary

Hi everybody! Or in Hungarian … szia!

Time is flying and it is already October! It feels like I just arrived yesterday, yet I have made so many wonderful memories here. I cannot believe I am still here in Pécs, Hungary. I feel that my experience and time only gets better as the days go by.