“No mom, I was crying because I wanted a sandwich not because it was a long walk.” This is just a short quote from a skype call that I had with my mother earlier this evening. The topic of conversation was the pas three days that I’ve spent living at the University of Newcastle in…
“Bring me back a kangaroo”- Feb 11th
This past Wednesday was a really interesting day on our trip as we took a journey to a nearby animal reserve and then went on a walking tour through a local rainforest called Mossman Gorge. This was one of those days where we were going to get a chance to get up close and personal…
SPRING BREAK= Travel, Explore, and Relax.
I can not believe that I have completed half of my study abroad experience in London. When I first arrived in London the days went by really slow, but now the days are going by fast and the weeks even faster. I have truly come to love London a lot. Being here I have learned…
New Zealand: Growing Pains of a Student Abroad
So I’ve been in New Zealand for a little over a week now- and I don’t think ever want to go back. Yes, of course it was overwhelming at first. After growing up in South Florida around so many foreigners and international students, I just assumed assimilating into a new culture in a land that…
Yogyakarta – Java
Five days ago, I arrived in Yogayakarta; I was welcomed into my Javanese homestay on Tuesday. My family is a family of five: bapak, ibu, a son and two daughters. All the children speak English, which has been very helpful and we have engaged in discussions about each other’s lives and cultures. During these three…
Sydney & Cairns Orientation
Blog Post 1 – February, 22 2017 Alrighty! So, I may have forgotten to blog before I left Turkey, oops! So I am writing this at a coffee shop called Lotus Story near Urbanest Sydney Central, which is where I am living this semester. Sydney~ After 20 something hours of flying, and a 5-6 hour…
Predeparture Blog
I used many adjectives to describe my identity in the study abroad application. A few of them being; brother, American, student, and Christian. Those words help create a framework for who I identify as but they do not completely define who I am. My individual identity allows me to experience the world as a free,…
1 Month in
It’s been about 4 weeks since I’ve arrived in Ireland and so far the experience has been great. I’ve finally started to understand and work with the public transportation in Ireland and took a train for the second time in my life. Getting my Leap card allowed me to better access public transportation and is…
Newgrange
This past week I was lucky enough to be able to go on a class trip to an archaeological sites called Newgrange. This site is located in the Boyne Valley and provides a wealth of archaeological evidence for burial practices during the Neolithic Period in Ireland. We are talking around 3,000 B.C.!! The tombs at Newgrange…
Arrival in New Zealand
It’s funny noticing the similarities and differences between New Zealand and home. I never felt like I grew up with a strong focus on culture and tradition, but after being in a foreign country, it became clear that all the little things we do form a culture. I immediately stand out as American because of…