Bonjour! Over the past two weeks I had the opportunity to embark on a culinary journey of France and Italy with 17 fellow CofC students and two CofC professors. This trip was a very unique experience and a memorable one for sure. We began our journey in Lyon, France. The city itself was a combination between classical and modern architecture blending the city into a European paradise where the old…
Hi, my name is Adam Schaich and I am participating in the College of Charleston Maymester Study Abroad to Panamá. This trip is specifically focusing on the Panamá Canal, its operations, and the business impact in both the local community and the country as a whole. Today, I would like to share my experience in the “global classroom.” Through studying abroad and participating in hands on, on-site visits to a…
I had three goals going into this semester abroad, and I am thrilled to say I accomplished all of them. The first is a little administrative, so I’ll get it out of the way: I passed the DALF! The DALF is basically a proficiency test for the French language, and if you pass, it’s essentially global proof of proficiency at a certain level. It was hard fought, and I absolutely…
It’s been two weeks since arrived in Trujillo, my Spanish home for the semester, and it feels like it was both yesterday and three months ago at the same time. I’ve learned and experienced so much but I’m still only beginning my study abroad experience. I came to Trujillo with plenty of goals but few expectations or ideas about what life was going to be like in a medium-sized Spanish…
Embarking on my Semester At Sea journey, we were presented with an extraordinary opportunity—to travel from Belgium to Thailand, passing through the Suez Canal and visiting 12 diverse countries along the way. However, the course of our adventure took an unexpected turn due to an unforeseen conflict in the Middle East. Originally set to enter the Suez Canal and explore destinations like Jordan, Dubai, and India, our plans faced a…
Embarking on Semester At Sea is like stepping into a dream for any college student. The sheer awesomeness of traveling the globe on a cruise ship, hitting up three continents and thirteen ports, transforms us into true global citizens. Living among 500 fellow students and 300 staff members creates an incredible sense of community. We’re not just studying abroad; we’re coexisting, learning, and exploring together. This unique experience turns us…
I am writing this in my room, back home in the United States. It feels extremely weird typing that because I have been studying in Italy for the last four months. I am sad that my trip has ended, but I am so grateful for what this experience has given me. If I had any advice to give to future students, it would be to study abroad and don’t look back. You will only receive the opportunity once in your…
One of the major cultural differences I’ve experienced here in Belfast is the drinking culture. One of the major reasons, of course, being that the drinking age here is 18, not 21, as it is in the States. This means that alcohol is much more a part of life in university in a casual way, a way it cannot be at American universities. For example, clubs and societies are able…
Food is a somewhat different experience in Belfast than it was at the College of Charleston. First of all, all of the student accommodations at Queen’s University are self-catered, which means that students have to cook all of their own food. The freedom of being able to choose what you want to make for dinner is very nice to have, but having to make your own food does mean that…
The education structure is a bit different at Queen’s to what I experienced at the College of Charleston. Courses at Queen’s would meet once to twice a week for lectures where a professor would stand in the front of a lecture hall and speak for several hours and meet once for tutorials which were run by TAs with smaller groups and were discussion based. This resulted in less face-to-face time…
