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One aspect of the Christchurch IES Abroad program that is not typical for most programs is that in mid-semester they offer a trip to the Cook Islands. This has been one of my favorite parts of my time abroad so far and strongly recommend to anyone deciding to study abroad in Christchurch—you won’t regret it! A little background: the Cook Islands is a nation in the South Pacific with about fifteen islands.
I was on spring break last week, and I must say that it was a break well needed. IES Abroad took us to visit Kruger National Park and Johannesburg, a trip that lasted four days (Saturday, April 13th – Tuesday, April 16th). I also went on some other adventures, which I’ll detail in another post. But for now, let’s talk about Kruger National Park and Jo-Burg!
Day 1
When an opportunity to see Eastern Europe's three most beautiful cities on a budget come up, you don't ignore it—or at least I simply couldn't! The International Student Network at Universiteit van Amsterdam offers an annual trip to Prague, Budapest, and Vienna over the Easter weekend in April, and when I saw the price, I couldn't resist signing up. I signed up, however, knowing very little other than the locations, the dates, and the price. The trip that resulted was like nothing I've ever experienced before.
Hey all! Sadly, I am leaving Shanghai very soon, and I couldn't be more sad to be leaving this fun and easily loveable city! Studying abroad, you experience some amazing adventures and visit some crazy beautiful places. Everyday life abroad is not always some wild adventure, but you learn to appreciate the little things and take every moment as a little baby adventure and experience in itself. You don't have to travel far and wide to experience these moments, they are a mindset.
There’s a joke about how you can’t get study abroad alumni to stop talking about “The time when I was abroad…” They seem to find a way to incorporate one of their global experiences into any topic of conversation, even when it doesn’t seem fitting. I’ve witnessed that a little bit in my own life with friends and family, but now I know why they do it! There’s so much to digest, reflect upon, and share once you experience months in a new country.
I am very happy that IES Abroad took my program group to Poland. Warsaw and Wrocław are not places I would have sought out and gone to myself, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. It had a lot of old architecture and history found in most European cities without it being overly touristy, expensive, and crowded.
Hi everyone,
I’ve been meaning to write about my experience with healthcare while in Japan. While I won’t delve into the details, I will let you know where I have gone and how the process went.
After a few weeks of what felt like non-stop travel, I’ve spent the last two weekends in Berlin. Berlin has transformed into a seemingly new city these past few weeks, since the grey skies that have loomed since I landed in February have moved aside for blue skies and sunshine. As someone who grew up in Buffalo, New York, I am no stranger to the urban shift that occurs when Spring suddenly arrives. Experiencing Spring in Berlin has shown me a new side of this city.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from study abroad, it’s that no day is the same. Each weekday and weekend brings new discoveries, changes, and events, and the key to enjoying the experience abroad is to embrace all those. In the United States, I find that my life is very mapped out between Google Calendar, meeting reminders, a regular alarm, and almost every hour of the day booked for something. Here in Nantes, it’s completely different.