A Sojourner: My Way
At 5:00 one morning, I was abruptly awoken by the ringing of my alarm clock. The pitch-black sky outside the slats of my blinds made me want to indulge in more sleep, but I managed to get out of bed.…
UT Education Abroad Blog
Inspiring Longhorns to Explore the World
UT Education Abroad Blog
Inspiring Longhorns to Explore the World
Tag Asia
Celebrating Ramadan in Singapore
This week, I kicked off the month of Ramadan during my exchange at the National University of Singapore (NUS). The multicultural city of Singapore takes various cuisines and holidays to the next level, including Ramadan. Many of the friends I’ve…
Step by Step
When I missed my connecting flight to South Korea three weeks ago, I thought it was a sign from the universe that leaving home wasn’t the best idea. I struggled to find peace while I hastily shouldered my heavy duffel…
Endings and Beginnings
As the weather starts to slowly turn from the bitter cold of winter to the gentle breeze of spring, there is a lot to reflect upon and much to look forward to in the time that I have remaining in…
Let’s Take a Field Trip
I think it’s safe to say that I’m in the thick of things now. The excitement that was lost in translation and manifested as anxiety — anxiety that I would not be liked, that culture shock would electrify me to…
Unfamiliarity Unexpectedly Breeds Connections
As an undergraduate student in my third year, studying linguistics and Chinese, I chose to attend National Taiwan University (NTU) to learn more about my family’s cultural heritage and to master the Chinese language. My early childhood in Gongguan, “公館,”…
Shifting Expectations
Part of me has always known that I wanted a different study abroad experience than most people. I wanted to integrate completely into a society that was so different from my life back home in Texas. That’s why I originally…
Familiar but Distinct
As a Chinese international student at UT Austin, I am familiar with how studying abroad feels. I can’t recall exactly how I felt when I arrived at the airport wearing a long-sleeved shirt and pushing two large suitcases out of…
Comfort Zones, Making Friends
As someone who is a special brand of an extrovert-presenting introvert, I had anxiety just thinking about how long I would be away from my family and friends with no guarantee of a social life while I was abroad. My…