“I am not buying a houseplant,” I say to myself again and again in restraint. I pass flower stands on Kärntner Straße, walking from the IES Abroad Center in Palais Corbelli to my UBahn (Subway) station. I daydream to various greens in Stadtpark and visit the shrubs of Schönbrunn, strolling through leaves that I long to see in my windowsill. Still, I don’t want a houseplant.
From the top of the TV tower, 679 feet above Alexanderplatz, the IES Abroad Center is only discernible by the mural across the construction zone asking, “How Long is Now?” From there, your eyes can follow the wide street, Unter der Linden, all the way to the Brandenburg Gate. On Friday, September 20th, however, the Brandenburg Gate was noticeable not just for its pillars and that winged symbol of victory and reunification riding in her chariot, but also for the 270,000 people amassed around it.
Hamlet is right! The play is the thing here in London. Between the West End, the Globe, and the Fringe, it can be difficult to know where to go and what to see. Here is a guide for a night out at the theatre at all price points.
Free
I’ve been in Freiburg for almost a month now, and it amazes me how familiar I’ve become with a place after such a short time. My apartment is located close to the Altstadt or “Old City” of Freiburg. It takes little time to get to the heart of the city, to the Black Forest for hiking, or to meadows and vineyards towards the south of the city. During the last three weeks, I attended my German language course in the morning and early afternoon and then spent many evenings exploring Freiburg.
Yesterday was a rainy day. The type of rainy day that condemns you to your bed because the stream of water coming from the sky was as if the Huangpu River’s source flowed from the heavens. Since I spent most of my day inside – avoiding doing homework, tirelessly waiting for my VPN to connect so I could watch “Avatar the Last Airbender” – I decided that the evening would be a pleasant, and relatively dry, time to go outside.
After my first week studying abroad, I was concerned about my financial situation for the rest of the semester. Barcelona has a huge tourist attraction which means expensive prices. In fact, Barcelona has one of the highest costs of living in the entire country of Spain. After eating out a couple of times, I had to sit down and create a budget for my entire trip. I gave myself a limit on groceries, travel, restaurants/bars, and recreational activities.
It's official, I have been in Paris for a month now and it has truly been an adventure. I have faced many obstacles during my short time here but have found joy in every situation.
Studying abroad can be very difficult when you have problems and need to communicate with people back home. Whether it's your phone plan or the time difference, staying in touch can be a bit frustrating when you have problems that need a quick resolution.
It’s been one month since I arrived at Narita Airport in Japan and began my study abroad journey. It’s hard to wrap my head around the reality that time has passed so quickly, and I’m so grateful for all the things I’ve already been able to see, do, and experience. Of course, being in another country often challenges you to see things in different ways, and there are a lot of differences from America and my hometown that I noticed right away. Here are just some of the differences I see and encounter in daily life.
From the Vistula River to the Seine.
Our first trip with the European Union program was through the "Heart of Europe." We spent time in the cities of Warsaw, Berlin, and Paris. Here we spent time in each city learning about the history, how memories of the past shape the future, and the current political and cultural issues pressing these three great EU states.
Moving over 4,000 miles from home is no small move, but the destination of the journey makes all the difference. The transition from my small town in Ohio to Washington, D.C. when I moved to college two years ago seemed so easy as I was flying alone across the Atlantic. The journey was long and the initial few days were a tough transition. The city of Freiburg, however, was nothing but warm and welcoming. As a university town full of students from all walks of life the town is young and vibrant.