Merhabalar! My name is Hannah, I’m a sophomore at Oberlin College, and I’m going to Istanbul for the Spring 2016 semester attending Boğaziçi University.
Here’s the hot question I’ve been getting: Are you excited?
In this post I'll talk about a few things: my arrival, my first weekend, food, first impressions, and how I (somehow) underpacked.
Oh hey there, future Santiago study abroad students! What's going on? How's it hanging?
I know that you are all getting ready to embark on this journey and that you're all feeling different things: anxiety, wonder, excitement, unsureness, and of course that whole "WHAT DO YOU MEAN 50LBS OF STUFF FOR 4 MONTHS"ness that is packing. But above all, I hope you feel curious.
Salut!
I hate to admit it but I overpacked despite all the advice not to. My host mom offered to lend me everything that I could possibly need. I underestimated how amazing it is to live in a homestay. I absolutely adore my host mom, but more on that later. Now that I'm here, looking back on all that I packed yesterday, here is a list of advice I would have for packing.
(Skip to the bottom for a summary)
I’m Brandon Berardo, a Junior Finance and Chinese double major at Wofford College. In the following post, I will try to give you a sense of my home and my life, all of the things that I am leaving behind that make me who I am. I’ve chosen to travel to Beijing in the hopes of improving my Chinese language proficiency as well as gaining a better understanding of the complex Chinese culture. As I sit here staring at my open, and still empty, suitcase, I am trying to wrap my head around this study abroad experience.
I'm finally back in the States and it's still a bit surreal to me, but I feel an overwhelming sense of calm in life. Adjusting back to life here isn't the hardest, but rather trying to not long for what was proves more difficult. It's done and over with—my study abroad adventures have ended and I have to use them to shape my life now and in the future rather than obsessing over them for sentiment's sake. Obviously, this applies for any and every experience, but I think it's a bit more nuanced here.
The other day the John Mayer song, "Waiting on the World to Change" came on the radio. As I listened, I thought to myself, this is exactly why I'm studying abroad.
Well, I think I’ve finally done it. Looking around my room, it seems my affairs are in order. I am as ready to go as I’ll ever be.