“India: My Visit to My 5th Continent!” – Theresa on Semester at Sea

India will do funny things to you!

I have now been to 5 out of the 7 continents! Bucket list: get to all 7.

Day 1: Our ship was docked in Cochin, which is in Southern India. We got off the ship and there it was: the hot, humid, sticky, sweaty feeling…yay! My roommate and I paid a rickshaw driver a total of $6 to drive us around and be our personal tour guide all day…try and find that kind of deal in the states. Our itinerary went sometime like this: we saw the Chinese fishing nets and the beaches, we went to Jew Town, Fort Cochin Beach, Siva Temple, the Ginger Warehouse, some cemeteries, the Spice Market, the Dutch Palace, St. Francis Church and we visited some schools. Not too bad for $3 a person, right? Lal (our ‘tour guide’) even bought us necklaces made of jasmine, they smelt incredible! Continue reading

Mia’s To Do: Down Under

Sydney Opera House

Visit the Sydney Opera House for a performance: The Sydney Opera House is an architectural wonder. Yes, I know I have been here a few weeks and this should have been number one when I got here. I have seen it at night and from a ferry to Manly beach but haven’t gotten my necessary million photos in front of the white behemoth. Just around the corner from Circular Quay (pronounced “key”) I am sure to get there soon. Beyond the photos though I would love to be able to go to the opera house for a performance. Currently a play with Michael Cera is running. Continue reading

The same class three times in one day!? Are you kidding? Academics at Griffith Uni

Griffith Uni

I’ve had three weeks of classes, so I’m finally getting used to it here now. You call university “uni.” You’d say “I have uni today.”

Classes are very different here! Some classes, I even have more than once a day. It’s very confusing. I’ll go into my daily schedule in more detail later. The grading scale is different too. You start off with 0% and have to earn your way up. In the US, you start off with 100% and get marked down for our mistakes. I like starting off with 100% better. Continue reading

Check out Forum-Nexus for great summer abroad program options!

 

 

One of the most difficult tasks of studying abroad is making a decision on where to go! There are SO many program options available, especially in Europe. If you’ve been dreaming of backpacking through the Swiss Alps, indulging in local cuisine in Italy, learning about the historical and cultural remnants in Berlin, or visiting multinational companies in Barcelona, then keep reading to learn more about Forum-Nexus and their multi-country summer programs! Continue reading

Misconceptions Of Greece As Seen On The Media

Abroad101 is please to introduce Monica, a study abroad student with College Year in Athens. Here’s what she has to say about studying in a destination that has some negative press:

Demonstrations in Syntagma Square

It can be difficult to decide where you want to study abroad when numerous destinations await you. It gets even harder when you weigh in political, cultural, economic and many other factors. Greece is an amazing, historical and picturesque country. However, when families and students in America see Greece portrayed as a dangerous and economically unstable country, it can be one of the first to be crossed off the list of study abroad options. After being here a little over a month, I quickly realized how skewed the media portrays the situation here.

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My New Home Away from Home: Apartment in Florence


In Florence, I live in an apartment with two other girls from my school, Jordan and Dominique. I knew Jordan before coming, and met Dominique when I moved in. So far, we have enjoyed some cozy movie nights and cracking up at Dominique’s hilarious sense of humor.

Our apartment is at the top floor of our building, which is in a great location between the Duomo and Ponte Vecchio. It is considered the fourth floor, but the bottom is considered the zero floor, and with two flights of stairs per floor, we walk up about 100 stairs to get to our apartment!

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Taking the Road Less Traveled in Sorrento

This past weekend, two of my classmates and I decided to explore the town we live in for the first time.  It was our first month anniversary of being in Italy (as well as my anniversary of falling in love with Italy), and we hadn’t yet had the chance to really experience and enjoy the small town we live in. Most of our time thus far has been spent walking the main town of Sorrento.

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New Faces and Technology Woes

 

As I arrived in Australia, I was running on 8 hours of mediocre airplane sleep and could not have ever imagined how long the day ahead would be. The “shuttle driver,” a girl resembling Miranda Kerr the Aussie supermodel more than any chauffer I had ever seen managed her way to my apartment. One hundred and nine pounds of luggage was painfully brought upstairs and I was left on my own. Continue reading

Commence Study Abroad: Hello Taiwan!

Welcome readers! For my first post, I’d like to share some details about my study abroad program and why I chose it!

During my ongoing quest for higher education and also through other various life experiences, I have seen myself grow in many ways. However, still unsatisfied, I looked for a way to expand myself and create new horizons. So I approached the office of study abroad at Western Illinois University, where I was graciously welcomed and presented with many study abroad options. Among them were destinations scattered all across the globe. When choosing a location, I had two primary goals in mind. First I wanted to expand myself culturally as well as intellectually. For me, this meant choosing a place completely different from home, so that I could experience the great diversity our world has to offer. Second, I wanted a location that might give me the skills or insights that can create new professional opportunities. The program I ultimately selected for my time abroad was an exchange between Western Illinois University and Ming Chuan University in Taipei, Taiwan.

And it is indeed very different from home. Continue reading

Brazil: My First Time in South America was INCREDIBLE.

Well my first time in South America was INCREDIBLE. I’m sure I will say this after every port, but I would love to go back at some point! Where to start…

We docked in Manaus, a huge city in Brazil. I didn’t get to explore around the city too much, but it was your typical huge city: lots of people, lots of crowds, lots of narrow pathways, and very dirty…not the biggest fan of big cities. The first day we spent exploring around the city, setting up camp on the riverboat, eating amazing Brazilian food, seeing the meeting of the rivers, and learning a lot about Brazil. Continue reading