As I travelled to Portugal, I was very nervous because of the large language barrier. Portuguese can be like Spanish in some ways, but I did not know any Portuguese except from some songs that feature Portuguese and Brazil artist. However, I was able to understand some of the words around the restaurants, supermarkets, pharmacies and around the city. Also, because we were in the capital, almost everyone knew…
Today was such an amazing day in Florence. I woke up later than usual because I was exhausted from my long travel day yesterday returning from Cinque Terre for the day. When I woke up, I made some espresso in the apartment and had some biscotti and fresh fruit to go with it. The espresso here is to die for it is so delicious. Then I went for a…
One of the main goals I had for my study abroad experience was to push myself out of my comfort zone in as many ways as possible- and I think I accomplished that. I am normally a very picky eater, but I wanted to try as many new foods in Italy as possible and not limit myself. I normally hate anything tomato- but here I found myself eating tomato dishes…
I have absolutely loved my experience in Trujillo. I’ve gained valuable knowledge about other cultures, people, and countries. I also gained so many new friends on this trip, for which I’m extremely grateful. I was pushed outside my comfort zone in many positive ways. Being in a different country where I was not entirely familiar with the language gave me a new perspective on what it’s like for people to…
I am very thankful that my study abroad experience has significantly helped prepare me for my future endeavors. The study abroad I went on was in Florence, Italy. This was a psychology study abroad where I got to take a psych class entitled Cross-Cultural Influences: Parent and Child Interactions. This was the perfect course for me because in the fall I am beginning my master’s degree in social services. Once…
Our island trip yesterday has been my favorite part of the program so far. The boat we were on was a beautiful sailboat and we started the day with pastries and espresso from the ship. It was a beautiful, sunny, calm day and could not have been any more pristine for having a day on the water. It was about a two hour ride to the first island of Agistri…
I am back from Ecuador and am missing the jungle every day I am not there! Personally, I experienced more culture shock when returning back to the USA than I did when first arriving in South America. Upon reflection, it has changed my day to day and how I see the world we are living in. Studying abroad is so different than learning in a classroom because of the realness…
My typical day here usually involves waking up early to get ready for class. On the way to class my friends and I stopped at a local cafe with the best coffee and sandwiches. Some days we will enjoy our breakfast at the cafe, or other days we will take out and eat it in the building where our classes are. After class, if we don’t have a field trip,…
Week two in Italy and it has been such a wonderful week! I have been going on awesome excursions this week and learning so much. I am getting my master’s in Child Life and thankfully we have had amazing opportunities this week to work with children in Italy. Starting with going to school and facilitating medical play, visiting an old asylum for the mentally ill, touring a children’s hospital, and…
As an entire group, we took a five-day trip to Andalucía, a southern province in Spain. We visited the cities of Sevilla, Granada, and Cordoba. These cities are major tourist sites and have much larger populations compared to Trujillo. Sevilla has a population of close to 700,000. It includes major tourist sites like the Sevilla Cathedral, Jewish quarters, Guadalquivir River, and the Plaza Mayor. Sevilla, as was all of Spain,…
