Hidden Treasure: Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere
On my second day in Italy a friend of mine said someone told him he had to check out this Piazza and asked if I wanted to come. I went along and was blown away. We got lost, but using our map skills found where we wanted to be. A smaller, less touristy square, but...
[05.20.12] Easy days in Florence…
We’ve been taking it easy in Florence. We arrived 11amyesterday but could not check into the hostel until 3pm. It was a little inconvenient. We’ve all been really exhausted the last few days and we had nothing really planned in Florence other than to see the Statue of David. So we’ve been taking it easy...
As the Romans do #2
Italians don’t know what standing in line is. If there’s a space between you and the person in front of you, they will come in and take that space. I forgot about this tip given to us at orientation until I was at a gelato place near our school. (It’s called Frigidarium and it’s near...
The Flashback Series: Doha, Day 1
**Original post date: September 11, 2011** **Context: First full day in Doha, Qatar. I arrived the night before at around 10pm, after an 18 hour flight from San Francisco to Dubai, then another hour from Dubai to Doha. For the record, I did learn how to wrap a hijab** I need to get used to...
The Flashback Series: Intro
I was invited to contribute here recently on this blogging site, but I have been keeping a Tumblr blog since I arrive in Doha in September, and there is a lot of information on it that I want to share here. So I’m going to be reposting some of my older entries here, and they...
The Flashback Series: Thoughts from the Aya Sofya
**Original Post Date: April 14, 2012** **Context: I and five of my friends spent 4 days in Istanbul during spring break, exploring the old city and generally having an incredible time** Have you ever had this feeling where you realize that you are so small in the scheme of things that the only reasonable thing...
Introduction and Culture Shock
Hey everyone, I’m Alycia and I’m studying at John Cabot University for the next five weeks. I’ve been here all of three days, and the things I’ve experienced have already blown me away. From being frustrated by the language barrier, to getting lost in the Eternal City, to making new friends, and not being able...
Pre Study Abroad Part II: Packing.
Only 11 more days until I start my Study Abroad program! It is still very surreal that I will be in Europe in a little over a week! One thing I worry about constantly is that I’m going to forget something at home and I will have to live without it for the entire month...
[05.18.12] I can’t take it anymore…
ROME IS TOO BEAUTIFUL!! It’s killing me as each day goes that I spend time here. It’s too beautiful! Too too beautiful. Tomorrow we leave for Florence, Italy. Florence has a lot to live up to… There is a place that overlooks a good portion of the city of Rome. It’s called Pincio. Tonight we...
Ultimate Hammocking
2/24/12 My family does nothing but work all day. When I asked my three sisters what they did on their free time, they said they didn’t have much of it. They make hammocks all day. Beautiful, colorful hammocks. The three sisters and their dad. I asked if I could learn how to make one and...
Beyond My Boundaries
2/23/12 Right now I am currently writing under the light of the headlamp my dad insisted on giving me last minute before I left for the semester. Thank you Papi. I have never been so thankful for a miniscule source of light until now; the electricity is currently not working here in the home of...
Windy words
2/20/12 I woke up this morning at 4:45am. 9 hours later and I am now in Nicaragua. Another stamp added to my passport and another adventure on deck. As I sit here listening to a playlist consisting of Adele, Mumford and Sons, Angus and Julia Stone, Bon Iver, and The Civil Wars, I see volcanoes...
Los primeros días
Poco a poco, me estoy ajustando al ritmo de la vida española. Me desperté de una siesta hace una hora y media, y creo que es un buen tiempo para actualizar mi blog. Para empezar, me gustaría explicarles el horario típico aquí en España. Se come el desayuno cuando se despierta, entonce no hay...
This is an underground city.
Yesterday, we had our production meeting with Darius, which really clarified things for us. After our meeting, my group (Nuts for Nutella) had our own second meeting in order to figure out our shooting schedule for the next two weeks. As of right now, I feel like we are more prepared than we’ve ever been...
Church in Doha
Yes, I know. Sort of oxymoronic at first glance, don’t you think? But it’s true, they do exist, despite what some uninformed or bigoted individuals may think. But before I start in on my experience today, here’s a little background on Christians in Qatar. I don’t know much (it’s a bit of an underground subject)...
What to Expect When You’re (not) Expectant
(Please forgive the horrible allusion to a book series for soon-to-be-parents (which I have never read, thankfully), and the comedy film coming out this summer with the same title.) But I want to talk about expectations. Working in a study abroad office, I get to hear quite a lot about what students expect from a...
Packing!
Now, I know that I still have a little over 2 months until I leave, but I have a lot to think about. I need to: get voltage converters make copies of all of my important documents contact my bank and credit card companies take the practice placement exam read 7676357808 different things save up...
Positivity at its finest
2/13/12 When I do the reading for a class, I usually find myself going through entire paragraphs without knowing what the heck I read. This habit haunts me. College problems. But tonight while reading a chapter taken from The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen’s Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear,by Howard...
Volcan Arenal
2/12/12 In light of the boys doing a man weekend, three of us girls found it necessary to have a woman trip. So we decided to go to Volcan Arenal. Besides having to wake up at the ungodly hour of 4:30am and having to take a 5-hour bus ride, it was a pretty good trip...
[05.16.12] Bellisima Roma
This morning we got up early and took the train to Rome. It was about a 4 hour train ride from Venice. When we left Venice it was raining, windy, and cold. When we came to Rome, it was warm and strangely cloudy. Rome is absolutely beautiful! I’ve only been here for 10 hours!! Because...
The Nerves are Here!!
Everyday I think about the up and coming trip. In four months I will be on my way. The only thing I keep thinking about is what its going to be like. I’m living with a host family which is comforting and scary at the same time. It will be nice to be with a...
La llegada
¡Finalmente he llegado! Después de un vuelo de casi siete horas (y con cuarenta y cinco horas de atraso) mi vuelo llegó a Madrid a las nueve de la mañana. Dormí por 5 horas en el vuelo, pero fue bastante difícil acostarme a causa de todos los ruidos y el asiento incómodo. Pues, después...
PLANE!!!!!
From September 3rd to December 18th my voyage will be underway. My flight is all booked and I’m soo pumped (shout outs to me for getting this all done on my own..thanks for the independence mom). I’m so nervous but part of me just wants to start packing. From JFK to Frankfurt to Florence and...
We’re at the mouth of the river.
Today, we were able to see what a typical Roman city would have looked at by visiting Ostia Antica. As much history still lives on in Rome, a new modern city has been thriving over it. Ostia Antica, on the other hand, shows a way of life from neighborhood to neighborhood because no one built...
أُحب أَن أُسافر
Or, “I love to travel”. I have been lucky: I started traveling internationally when I was 15. I began exploring the United States even earlier than that. But before you go getting any ideas about me, it bears telling that I worked my tail off to be able to afford those trips. My first trip...
Watch me fail in another language
I’ve been in Tokyo, Japan, for almost 7 weeks on a CIEE study abroad program. The following posts will, I hope, ellucidate all the kinds of ways one can fail in another country. Cuz that’s what I’m good at: making mistakes. I like to think I make the mistakes, so you don’t have to. Cheers...
Predictions for my first two weeks home:
1. I will probably gain about 50 pounds 2. I will end up crying a lot at random things 3. I will spend a lot of time with family 4. I won’t know what to do with being so connected to wifi/3g on my iPhone and iPad at all times 5. I’ll go through my...
T-Minus 15 Days
I figured I would do an introduction post for this. My name is Cady (pronounced like Katie) and the Chinese name my teacher gave me two school years ago is Lin Kaidi (林凯迪）and for the summer of 2012 I’ll be in Beijing at an Intensive Mandarin study abroad program. Yay! :D I’m a 21 year...
As the Romans do #1
I started something like this on my personal blog and I wanted to do the same here. I figure it’s relevant, haha. Any post titled “As the Romans do” will be about differences that I’ve noticed between American and Italian culture and how we’re completely embracing it or trying to adjust to it. To start...
La parada en Filadelfia
He llegado a Filadelfia, y tengo que decirte algo…el show popular It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia está mintiendo: hoy está nublado y no hay ninguna evidencia del sol. Sin embargo, aquí en el aeropuerto internacional de Filadelfia tienen el Wi-fi gratis, así que no me puedo quejar. Pues, cuando llegué todavía tenía más que...
Head of the World
Capitoline Hill – head of Rome. Capital punishment – off with the head. So on and so forth. When Romans found some head – whether human or statue, they took it as an omen or sign that the spot where it was found was meant to be the head of the world. That was where...
[05.15.12] Genuine venetian mask and glass work? Check.
Today we spent the day wandering Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square). Venice is interesting. From the outside on the water’s edge, it looks like Venice is seemingly boring. Nothing to do. However, once you land on the island and you wander inside within the buildings there are a ton of shops, places to eat...
La espera…
El día casi ha llegado. Solo me queda veinte horas hasta que me vaya para Madrid. Estoy muy emocionado para mi viaje, pero a la misma vez estoy un poco nervioso sin saber que anticipar durante mi aventura. El verano pasado estaba en Ecuador por cinco semanas, haciendo una pasantilla. Entonces, tengo algún punto...
101 Days Till Florence
I booked my flight to Florence today! (Well my mom, Dotty, did!) I will be landing in Belgium then going to Florence. This is all actually happening! I have worked out everything except the final payments! I have my appointment with the Italian Consulate next week to apply for my visa. They take your passport...
[05.12.12] i hope you dance.
Last night I said goodbye to all my friends in the BCA program. I admit I cried. I was doing so well until the end. We were sitting on Montjuic watching the magic fountain show, which also overlooks a good portion of Barcelona (it’s Plaza España). I was taken by the moment and the beauty...
Busy, Busy, Busy, KOREA!
I finished my first semester of graduate school! After having emergency oral surgery the last week of class (and missing afinal exam), I eventually got through all of my final assignments, finished up my projects at work, and eventually started packing up my apartment. I even found a new place to live in the fall...
Back in Istanbul!
I’m currently back in Istanbul for a ten day summer course offered by Syracuse! I’m so happy, it’s wonderful to be back. I’ve missed the food so much. Other posts will follow soon now that internet is easier to access. I can’t wait to tell you all the other places I’ve been! Be seeing...
Greetings, friends!
Welcome to Study Ablog, a blog detailing my adventures in London during my semester abroad. As I have not yet left home (or even purchased my plane ticket, for that matter) posting will be infrequent and unexciting until September, at which time it will just be frequently unexciting. But if you enjoy that sort of...
Live Chat – Yay or Nay?
SGG Bloggers/Users: Would you be interested in having us implement a live chat feature like as seen in the header image above? Some of the benefits: Ability to create and join private one-on-one and group chats Ability to chat with international members in your native language You would be able to chat while continuing to...
School Trip to Karuizawa, Nagano Day One and Two
What crazy two weeks! Well, it was mainly crazy because I procrasinated doing my homework and it made my busy schedule even more busy… woops. I guess being in a foreign country doesn’t fix that little problem I have Anywayssss! Where do I start? Well, yesterday I got home from a three day trip to...
That other time SU London took us to Istanbul.
Like Paris, we had to apply for the chance to go to Istanbul but I’ve very grateful for the opportunity. I will be going back in a few days for a ten day summer course offered by my university. Our first day was a long one. We had to get up early to fly...
¡Bienvenidos!
Hola a todo el mundo. Me llamo Waldy, y me voy a Salamanca este verano. ¡Estoy muy emocionada para ir! Será mi primer vuelo fuera de los estados unidos. Okay, enough with the Spanish. I’m super excited to be going to Spain this summer; it has always been a dream of mine to travel there. Actually...
Hi Everyone!
Since I’ve officially accepted my ISEP placement at PUCV, I figured I’d make an intro post here (if you want, you can also follow my tumblr where I’ll probably be cross posting from a lot – valparadisecity.tumblr.com) Anyway, I’m beyond excited to be spending not just one, but two semesters in Valparaíso, Chile starting this...
Hello StudentsGoneGlobal!
My name is Chelsea, and I’ll be studying in Japan at Kansai Gaidai for this fall semester, and possibly for the year! I’m an Asian Studies major and Management minor from Clark University, in Worcester, Mass. I’ll be posting here as well as on tumblr. http://kawaii-chelsea.tumblr.com/...
I’d like to make a toast
Lift your glass: Your Efes, your kırmızı şarap, your rakı, your mixed vodka drinks. To İstanbul: You truly are the center of the cosmos. To Turkey: I’m in love with your ruins. I want to say some things to my friends before we go. Like thank you and I’ll miss you and I’m glad we...
Flexibility and Perspective
The past few years have been a roller coaster of new adventures and change for me. I had to file my 2011 taxes in Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. Everything I own right now is in my car. If it can’t easily fit in a 500 sq. foot apartment, it gets donated or tossed. I guess...
That one time SU London took us to Paris.
Technically speaking we had to apply and pay for it but the option was still there for us to choose to go with them and learn for a weekend. We left Thursday afternoon/late evening via Eurostar and took the two hour trip to Paris and when we got there we were exhausted and hungry so...
Break time!
Sorry I’ve been MIA for so long! I had finals to prepare for and then I had to pack up what was my life for the past four months and move out. That was very depressing. One of my flatmates I’d been living with since we met in Dublin, almost five months to the day...
My First Post
I can’t wait to head to Spain. My current bucket list for my time there includes surfing in Bilbao, finding a doppelgänger of a famous soccer player and taking a picture with him (I should say football since they play with their feet), and trying tapas at twenty different places. This list will expand as...
Sweden it is!
So… I ended up deciding on Sweden for the Spring 2013 semester. It’ll be quite a difference from Central America, where I’ll be in the Fall. I’ve been interested in the Nordic countries for most of this semester though. The societies over there are quite progressive from what I hear. I am also thinking of...
Never Get On A Train Without A Train Ticket
[Feb 7, 2012] Leaving Terminal 2 at Manchester Airport, I head over to the bus station, thinking to take the city bus back into city center. This nice old guy tells me that it was easier to take the train instead of riding an hour on the bus. And considering that in English cities, they...
The English Like Their Baked Beans
[Feb 24, 2012] England wins for the multiple uses of baked beans: You can have them with your breakfast. You can have them with your dinner. You can have them as a snack. Is there anything they can’t be eaten with?...
Don’t Ever, Ever, Ever, Ever Bring Your Hairdryer From Home
It does not matter how much you paid for it. It does not matter if you brought a voltage converter. It does not matter if the voltage converter is the best converter on the face of the Earth. Do not. Bring. Your. Hairdryer. Because it will die. And you will cry...
The U.K. Keyboard Is Different
[Oct 11, 2011] The first time I used a UK computer keyboard, I was wondering why I kept getting ” instead of @. It was kind of funny. I literally had to pause, bend over the keyboard and search for that @ button. Wish I had a picture. Also, the $ is on here! there is...
U.K. Supermarkets Deliver
[March 22, 2012] ASDA (the UK Walmart) and Tesco both have delivery programs. So if you’re out of food and are feeling lazy, you can go online, order the groceries you need and a few hours later there is a knock on your door. Bam. Food delivered. And I thought America was lazy. *joking!*...
Three Months in Turkey
Where do I begin? There’s much to tell. Sit with me and have some çay, apple if you wish, and contemplate the call to prayer while I fix us some cheese and bread. It’s lovely weather today, isn’t it? You’d be surprised to know that when I arrived in February there was nothing but snow...
ACCEPTED!
Just officially got accepted to NUI Galway for the Fall Ireland here I come!!!!!!!!! …if you can’t tell I’m excited. ...
Procrastination
Instead of writing my paper due in approximately 12 hours I’m blogging! I recently received my housing assignment for Galway! here is where I get to come home to everyday for a semester! I am going to be living with 2 irish guys and an irish girl! can’t say momma’s too happy about the guy...
Public Transportation in Istanbul
“You’re going to walk more in your life in this city than you’ve ever walked before,” said a student from last semester, and he wasn’t joking. Your main mode of transportation in İstanbul will be your own two feet. However, when the time comes that you want to take a trip across the Bosphorus or...
And so it begins…
Since everyone has a blog, I was thinking “eh, might as well make one too.” OK, not really…I wanted to create a blog as a way to record my experiences in Hong Kong so here it is! Plus, there are a lot of people who I want to share everything with so hopefully this will...
Five Things I’ll Miss About Turkey
As I enter the last full month of my studies abroad in Istanbul, I start to look around at all the things I’ll miss and what future travelers will come to appreciate, as well. I’ve had the time of my life in Turkey and there’s still time for more adventures. Here’s a list of things...
Adventures in Canterbury
Well, I’ve still got a few months before I begin my journey across the pond, but I thought I’d set up this blog so I can document my thoughts/experiences/pictures of my time abroad. Words cannot express the excitement I’m feeling, as well as the nervousness. I attended a small orientation meeting with the group of...
Hello world!
I studied abroad in Hong Kong during Fall 2011 for 5 months. I’m just reposting my blogs from my Tumblr to share with y’all my life-changing experience studying abroad. So sorry if the posts are not in real-time. Enjoy...
Hello world!
Hello all! My name, if you decided not to at all the places where my name is plastered, is Anne Wickland. I am a Religious studies major, Global studies minor. With that in mind, it seems quite obvious why I would want to study abroad! I have always been interested in traveling, even if it...
The 50 most inspiring travel quotes of all time
These quotes definitely apply to studying abroad as well! They got me more excited, if that is even possible...
Saint Patty’s shenanigans & other unexpected adventures
“Irish I was drunk!” As time passes and we continue to get to know Melbourne better, finding time to keep up to date with the blog becomes harder and harder. I think about occurrences and encounters I want to make sure to include all the time but when we finally make it back to our...
Central America in the Fall
As the semester is nearing its last days, I am already looking forward to the Fall semester. For the the Fall 2012 semester, I will be studying abroad in Central America. The program will take me to Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. To say that I am stoked is an understatement. The program is largely...
Well here I am!
SOOOO……. I’m going to France for a year!!! I’ve begun a blog to keep track of my trip to Marseilles to study abroad beginning in September 2012 through to April 2013. I’ll be visiting as many different countries as I can every weekend, learning French, and exploring the coast, and I figured I’d keep everyone...
Hello world!
I am very excited to be studying abroad in Germany this summer! My departure date is approaching very fast- I will be leaving Thursday May 10th! I am also very busy with finals and finishing up the semester. I will be very relieved when my finals are over, then the stress of getting everything ready...
Croquis and Gender
Holy hell am I exhausted… My classes are fun, but the commute definitely isn’t. Today I had class from 9-5, so I was squished between salary men and office ladies both in the morning and in the evening. My morning class was Color Theory and Design. For our first assignment, we had to do a...
Any highschoolers?
There seems to be a lot of college students on here; are there any other high school study- abroaders like me? My mom was telling me how rare it was for high school students to study abroad, and I’m really seeing that now. Everyone at my school is dumbfounded when I tell them that I’m...
Introduction
みなさん、こんにちは！ Hey everyone, my name’s Kathy. Seventeen. Female. I am a high school senior, well for one more month that is–graduation is coming up fast–,at A. B. Miller High School in Southern California in the United States of America. My purpose for starting this blog? I have been accepted into an amazing program at even...
Encompass: A Journey of Understanding
Encompass, in one word: fantastic. A quick background. Encompass is a charity organization and trust that was established in 2003 in memory of Daniel Braden who was one of the 202 people killed in the bombing of a nightclub in Bali in 2002. Encompass has been able to bring over a thousand young people from...
Introduction? Maybe later.
Normally I would start off with an introduction as to who I am and why I’m studying animation in Japan… but I’ll save that for another time and instead I’ll write out how my week has been going so far:) I officially started class last Monday, but the entire week consisted of going the syllabus...
Pre study abroad
My official countdown has begun. I’m leaving in 36 days! I already had the orientation where they gave us a check off list for packing and a few tips on money exchange and all of that. The program is called Passport to Italy: Perugia. I will be living in the beautiful city of Perugia for...
Why Finland?
Narrowing it down and deciding which host country to study abroad in can be a challenging process for some and easy for others. For me, Finland was almost a no-brainer. Here are the 3 major reasons why I chose Finland over the 19 other countries I could pick from: THE LANGUAGE Finnish? Completely awesome. Not...
Hey all!
The name’s Courtney. I’m a highschooler studying abroad my junior year (2013-2014). It’s still a while away, but I can’t wait to start my journey. I’m hoping to study abroad in either Germany, Denmark, or Turkey. I’m super excited to use this site and get to know other students...
4 months!
Hello All! In four months I will be on my way to Shannon Airport getting ready to begin my journey of studying abroad! For those of you who don’t know me, I am a HUGE homebody (I hate traveling, being away from my house, and especially my mom) so going abroad for me is like...
The days keep getting closer and closer….
Hello world! I am so excited to start reading blogs and hearing about others experiences studying abroad. In August, I will departing for Ireland until mid December. I will be in the lovely city of Galway at NUIG taking classes in Management and Psychology. I am so excited to be working with ISA (www.studiesabroad.com). They...
Why Sierra Leone?
Hello! For my first blog post, I’m going to tell you about my upcoming trip to Sierra Leone and expand on why I decided to study abroad there. Sierra Leone is a country in Africa. A surprising amount of people don’t know that. For the longest time Sierra Leone was known as the least developed...
4 months prior to leaving for Italy
So, I have been accepted to study abroad, I am currently applying for my visa, and saving money, of course! I am more than thrilled to have the opportunity to study abroad in Florence, Italy. There are so many things I will miss about being at USC: mostly my friends and football games. I am hoping...
Moi! Hello!
My name is Alex, I’m 21 years old, and I am currently in the 3rd year of my B.A. degree majoring in Linguistics at the University of Saskatchewan. In August 2012 I will make my way to Helsinki, Finland where I will be attending the University of Helsinki as an exchange student for the 2012-2013...
Welcome to Students Gone Global!
Welcome everyone! After months of hard work, we are excited to announce the launch of StudentsGoneGlobal.com, the website that will connect study abroad students like no other blogging platform has done before. When we began work on Students Gone Global over a year ago, our vision was to inspire students to travel the world by...
Fun Thai Factoid #7
The traditional name of Bangkok, Thailand’s capital city, takes roughly 20 seconds to say. กรุงเทพมหานคร อมรรัตนโกสินทร์ มหินทรายุทธยา มหาดิลกภพ นพรัตนราชธานีบุรีรมย์ อุดมราชนิเวศน์มหาสถาน อมรพิมานอวตารสถิต สักกะทัตติยะวิษณุกรรมประสิทธิ์. Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Phiman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit...
