A few years ago, if someone told me that I would learn Swedish from the workers at pizzeria/Mediterranean restaurant/grocery store/post office, I’d be very confused. Yet, after studying abroad, I can say there is no better way to learn the language! The main reason I went to Sweden was… read more
Peer Notes
Battling Language in Bangkok
I decided to go on a whim and apply for a 6 week internship program in Bangkok, Thailand very last minute. I did not even tell my parents until about one month before I left to go to Asia for the summer. I had studied abroad before for six months… read more
The Uniqueness of Studying Abroad in a Border City
The location of Frankfurt (Oder) made for some very interesting adventures. I lived about five minutes from the bridge over the Oder River that separates Germany and Poland. Most of the time I would meet friends at the McDonalds next to the bridge and we would walk over to Slubice,… read more
Tuesday Adventures in Frankfurt (Oder)
In my last post, I talked about the importance of pressing into the home culture when studying abroad. I wanted to use this post as an opportunity to give a practical example of how I did exactly that. Every Tuesday I had a class called German Literature in the 19th… read more
Avoid the Study Abroad Bubble!
Walking home from the university in Frankfurt (Oder) was always a unique experience. When I left the university, the view of the ancient library and modern university buildings gave way to the mall that housed discount stores. The bustle and chatter of students from all over the world gave way… read more
The Forgotten Side of Germany
My gap year experience motivated me to travel to Germany when I studied abroad. I went to the Europe University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder) because I wanted to understand east Germany more deeply. The city was founded in the 1300s by merchants and the university was established in the 1600s.… read more
The Human Effects of the German Reunification
My first experience with eastern Germany was working on a tiny farm in a village called Lebehn. I was on a trip with my German class at the time, and decided to remain in Germany for a year instead of going back to the US. My goal was to be… read more
Don’t Tell People You Are American, Trust Me…
The word “American” sometimes leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of foreigners. Let’s be honest, vacationing Americans are not the most sensitive to other cultures and customs. We have created the stereotype that American vacationers can be quite literally “idiots abroad”. When students study abroad, we can sometimes suffer… read more
Traveling is Not Just Seeing but Experiencing!
This is your first time abroad. You want to see everything, as in all of it. This was the mentality that I had when I studied abroad for the first time in London. There was so much to see in Europe, and I wanted to see everything! I am not… read more
“Sooo… what’s the next step after graduation?”
It’s down to three days until graduation, and for most of us peer advisors, study abroad has greatly impacted the plans we have after walking the stage. As a reminder, peer advisors are available Monday through Friday from 9-5 during the semester and 12-3 during the summer on a walk-in… read more
