Unlike several of the other Rollins Abroad programs, my program allows for only two independent travel opportunities. Our program coordinator approved only independent visits to countries of the former Yugoslavia and for my first trip I ended up in Skopje, Macedonia. I was originally planning to go to Slovenia with a friend but hours before…
Category: SIT Study Abroad
Excursion #2: Savai’i
Following our week in the village of Lotofaga and a week back on campus at USP, we found ourselves unable to get too comfortable before we left again for Savai’i. Savai’i is the other major island in Samoa and is the larger of the two. One of the most vivid memories from the trip was…
Armando Abroad: Safety Revisited
The “everything is awesome and new and exciting feeling” of being here has largely worn off and I have started to notice more things beneath the surface in Jordan. I feel just as safe as I did when I wrote “‘but isn’t it dangerous?!” (Read Post), but I have started to realize that, ironically, law enforcement…
Lotofaga: Village Stay
After two weeks in Apia on USP’s campus where we were all finally adjusting, we packed up our things and were sent off to Lotofaga. Lotofaga is one of the 300+ villages in Samoa, on the southern coast of the island where it is very rural. When we arrived, us “palagis” were welcomed with a…
September/Septembar: Collusion and Cohesion
I have had to include 2 blog posts simultaneously. The first is from my first week in Serbia, and the second is from this week as I prepare to go to Kosovo. ABeCeDa and Azbuka The past week has been an exciting, yet very introspective time. I have been pulled to my limitations in terms…
Turning 21 in Amman with 12 cakes and 3 Parties
I am honestly feeling a bit speechless. Jordanian and general Arab hospitality is indeed world renowned, but the love I have felt these past several days is with little comparison. Turning 21 in Jordan was a dream realized. We left on the day of my birthday, September 19th, to a city named As-Salt, as part…
Why Nicholas Cage is Weird… in Arabic
A few weeks in and I am quite fascinated by Jordan, much more so than I ever had anticipated. Traveling somewhere new always brings with it an initial feeling of elation. Being in a new place is exciting! However, I have been in Jordan for several weeks now and still, the feeling has not worn…
Armando Abroad: “But they kill Christians there!”
While I never thought I would face physical danger for not being Muslim, I admit I was unsure about how to identify religiously while on this trip: would it be better to identify as “Catholic” since I was raised as one or frankly express my atheism? Maybe I should just stay as far away from…
Armando Abroad: “Isn’t it dangerous!?”
I spent a lot of time pre-departure ensuring friends and family that Jordan is a safe and stable part of the Middle East and that they needn’t worry excessively about my safety. The staff here spent almost as much time convincing us of the same thing during our Day 1 orientation. All the pre-departure research…