I’ve been in Glasgow for roughly two weeks now and I wanted to share some of my experiences and some things I’ve learned. Hopefully this will give you an idea of what to expect if you were to come study abroad with the amazing people of Scotland.
When I arrived in Scotland I needed a phone service because your phone is the most important thing, right? No, not really but it is useful; the first couple days I went without data, and I wasn’t able to add anyone I met on Facebook or Snapchat.
“If I cry the whole flight home, don’t mind me,” I said to my middle-seat partner during takeoff from Paris to Dallas.
It was finally time to return home to the land of big trucks and country music, and I was feeling bittersweet. My seatmate, Nancy, continued the conversation and we began to trade stories; hers about living the life of a flight attendant for 30 years and mine about the lessons, successes and failures of five months abroad in France. Ten hours later as we deplaned, we exchanged emails, promised to stay in touch, and wished each other luck in making our layover flights.
“The greatest gift of life is friendship, and I received it.” —Hubert Humphrey
I want to dedicate this post to a simple but very important thing: friendship. Moving to another country, I left all my friends in Russia. I still chat with them, but sometimes you need someone around — a person with whom you can hang out, go to watch movies or celebrate something.
Hola! Greetings from Cafe Milagro in beautiful Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. Cafe Milagro is a Coffee shop founded by a few college students in the 1990s. Located along the main road that connects the towns of Quepos and Manuel Antonio is where you can find this sweet spot full of tropical plants, a good meal and all the locally grown coffee you can drink (if you are anything like me then that’s a lot).
Continue reading “On Pura Vida and New Friendships in Costa Rica”
One thing about study abroad that can be overlooked is the connections you can make with other students. Exchange programs, like mine in Germany, allow you to make quick friends in your new home.
Continue reading “Making New Friends as an Exchange Student”
Looking back on four weeks in Finland, I can confidently say that studying abroad was one of the best decisions of not only my college career, but my life. I explored places I never expected to see, I took classes that just aren’t offered anywhere else, I met new friends from both SDSU and around the world, and I had the time of my life. So, why were there so many tears the last week?
I’m about nine weeks into my study abroad experience and it has been amazing. My classes have been great, I adore my roommates and interacting with other international students is enlightening. Meeting students from different countries has been truly amazing; learning about a different lifestyle and what they did growing up intrigues me. So, when I heard about Studifahrten my friends and I took the opportunity and went for it.
Continue reading “Travel with Internationals From Other Universities”
I love everything about England, so studying abroad here is a dream come true. I’ve imagined what living in England would be like and it’s everything I’ve pictured and more; from the people, the cloudy weather, the history and even the accents.
When I arrived in Mannheim, Germany I was nervous about how I was going to befriend people. Was I going to get the opportunities before classes began? When classes began? Will it be more towards the first couple of weeks of classes? What will my roommates be like? Will we get along and have adventures together? Will I barely see them? I do not consider myself a very outgoing person; I need support from an event, a class, anything that can help me start up a conversation.
Traveling around Mexico is really cheap. The hotels are cheap, the food, the souvenirs – my friends and I have found a lot of tours to visit different areas. About three weeks ago we went to Coahuila the state next to Monterrey.
Continue reading “Amazing – and inexpensive – travels around Mexico”
The global experience, as told by SDSU students 