My days here in Ecuador are so vastly different than my day to day back in Charleston. My days usually started at 5am from a rooster call (which was annoying at first… but honestly, I kind of enjoy it now) with a fresh fruit breakfast and amazing coffee. When then go on some sort of excursion or hike looking for birds, monkeys, or caymans, depending on the day. Something I…
For my final blog post, I thought it would be advantageous to both reflect on my thoughts on my trip as well as provide advice for future students who may participate in the same trip. Overall, taking part in the College of Charleston in Panamá trip was an extremely beneficial learning experience for me with regards to both classroom concepts and cultural engagement. Since the study abroad course was considered…
Although I have been lucky enough to travel to dozens of different US states and a number of countries in Europe, I had never visited anywhere in Latin America before embarking on the College of Charleston’s Maymester trip to Panamá to study the Panamá Canal and its related business implications. Having no family of Latin descent and with only classroom experience and Spanish, I had not considered the region as…
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…
I just got back from a week-long trip to Paris, and I can honestly say it was one of the most memorable and mind-blowing experiences of my life. I am a huge fan of museums. Everywhere I go, the first thing I do is scope out the local museums, botanical gardens, aquariums, arboretums, and historical sites. In La Rochelle, I was delighted to discover how many museums I had access…
Before starting my time abroad at Kansai Gaidai, I kept having people tell me about how wonderful an opportunity studying abroad really is. I heard them, but I never anticipated it being so monumental for my life and my personal growth. As soon as I touched down in Japan, I hit the ground running by going to all sorts of places and meeting many people along the way. While the…
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…
