Studying abroad in Milan has been extremely exciting, fun, and fast-paced, but it has also left me feeling socially, academically, and mentally exhausted. Living in a new country with a cultural difference and a language barrier can be difficult. I know I'm not the only one who suffers from mental illnesses, so you guys know that the colder months make everything a lot harder.
Being abroad has been an unforgettable experience but I have had moments of homesickness and adjustment and have found constant support from the IES Abroad Nantes staff, center, and experiences.
The IES Abroad Nantes program has numerous resources and opportunities so I have done my best to list and describe them below to give a glimpse of what being in the Nantes program includes :)
The moment a lot of study abroad students get the dates for their programs, many begin the exciting process of looking at weekend trips to neighboring countries and thinking about all the different possibilities for foreign exploration. Once you arrive in the country and complete your many adventures, what you suddenly discover is you have many weekends where you feel a tough tension between wanting to visit new places and try new things while still giving yourself needed recovery time.
Two weeks into the school year, I went to see the Han River with IES Abroad!! The Han River is a popular place in Korea, having been featured in multiple K-dramas, music videos, webtoons etc. You can often find parents watching their kids play with toys that toy vendors are showcasing, couples biking together, people walking their cute tiny dogs, friends having picnics together, and people playing in the water.
Having just started settling in that same week, my study abroad journey started off strong with learning more about the history of the demilitarized zone and the idea of reunification. We were able to see the U.S. Memorial as well as other memorials dedicated to the soldiers who fought in the Korean War and the families that were separated. Not shown in my very first mini vlog, our tour guide Sunny showed us a short video on the Korean War and took us down one of the tunnels that North Korea used to travel to South Korea. The last stop on our DMZ tour was viewing North Korea.
