Category: SIT Study Abroad

During the very first few days of my program, I remember having a conversation with one of my fellow classmates that has continued, throughout the entirety of the semester, to perfectly encapsulate the tedious, complex, and yet entirely fascinating process of learning a new language. Our talk followed a particularly-lengthy orientation lecture, during which, at…

After a weeklong stay in a rural village, my knowledge and understanding of Samoan culture has grown significantly. I found myself doing things I never could have imagined – like scraping a coconut on a bench or having someone fan my food while I ate. I was accepted into an enormous family of about seventeen…

Yesterday marked the end of our first of two excursions during our program and, though physically exhausted, I feel a newfound emotional and mental revitalization that has brought me out of a slump that, before this trip, I hadn’t even known I was in. During the last six days, I have traveled to both Arica,…

I’m heading into week five of being here in Samoa. Week six of being away from home. I’ll never understand how these weeks have felt like forever but just like a day too. So much has happened in this month here. Places have been explored, cultural values have been understood, and amazing friendships have begun…

It has almost been two weeks since I first landed in Chile, and I am not sure how time can move both so fast and so, so slow. This paradoxical passing of time is part of the magic – and genius – of SIT’s study abroad programs, where the tightly-packed schedules keep you so busy…

There is exactly one week left in the agonizingly-long wait for the start of my study abroad program in Valparaíso, Chile, where I will be attending SIT’s Cultural Identity, Social Justice, and Community Development program. As someone who prefers to be continually busy, I have found this long break leading up to my departure unsettling,…

Although I left Hawaii over a week ago, I still need to make a post about the incredible island state. I had started writing this in the airport, awaiting my flight to Samoa. I figured I could post it once I got there, but that was definitely not the case. Wifi has been a struggle…

As I prepare for my next big adventure, I think it’s important to look back on where I come from, where I’ve been, and how those experiences have brought me to where I am going today. Or tomorrow, I suppose. I grew up in a very small town in Maine. Boothbay Harbor. I think we…

After three flights, two delays and a total of thirty-nine hours of traveling I am finally back home in Florida. The last time I made a post was right before I took my language pledge for a month and I’m now finally free to speak as much English as I want, so please excuse me…

This is my post-reflection blog post after my study abroad in Bali and Java in Indonesia. The program was cut shorts about 2 weeks because of Mt. Agung (volcano) erupting in Bali (sad, sad). I am still trying to process these last few months for me. The best words to describe them (although I can…