Among average Americans, Costa Rica is known for just about one thing: tourism. It is not just a large part of country’s image, it is the only image I or anyone I know has about Costa Rica. In my research leading up to this program and throughout my stay, it has been confirmed that tourism…
English But Quiet
I’m now finished with my third week in London and with that my third week in my internship. The first few days were definitely stressful, as I walked in on the first day without an understanding of what I or the department I was joining was responsible for. It started off slow, with my supervisor…
你的中文说得非常好!
“你的中文说得非常好!” (nǐ de zhōngwén shuō de fēicháng hǎo) This is the statement any non-Chinese person will hear by uttering a simple “你好” (nǐ hǎo, hello). It means “You speak Chinese extremely well!” and people say it whether it’s true or not. One of my biggest surprises arriving was hearing this from the front desk lady…
Already 1/4th into my London Internship
I can’t believe that I am already done with two weeks of my eight week study abroad. I have been so lucky to do so much and learn so much in the last two weeks. My first day in London I was able to do the Hop on Hop off bus tour which was my…
Żegnaj, Polsko
As my study abroad experience comes to an end in Poland, I want to look back on my time in Poland and the Czech Republic as a whole. I came into this experience wanting to understand how the Central European economies transitioned from communism to market systems. Seeing Prague and Krakow firsthand made the concepts…
From the Bench to the Bedside: England’s National Health Service
Studying precision health and genomics in England has given my classmates and I some wonderful opportunities to learn from and connect with a number of professors in the Nursing and Public Health fields. As a molecular biology major, it was fascinating to learn about how scientific discoveries at the bench are being integrated into clinical…
Arrivederci!
As I arrived home from my study abroad program in Florence, I felt a deep sense of gratitude and fulfillment. This experience abroad was like nothing I have ever done in my entire life. For the first time, I was forced to adapt to a completely new environment and culture. Although there were some challenges,…
Improvement Over Perfection
For my elective course in Florence, I decided to take Beginning Composition Drawing. Prior to this course, I had no experience with drawing, unless you count elementary school. Day one of the course was very straightforward: after buying our art supplies, we were tasked with drawing a wine bottle. What I initially deemed a simple…
Finding Fun in the Discomfort of Growth
When wondering if I should study abroad this year, the idea of “personal growth” and “stepping out of my comfort zone” was perhaps the biggest draw. I tend to be very anxious and perfectionist, so I almost always hate doing activities that don’t come naturally to me. Every mistake weighs so heavily, whether anyone saw…
Food and Dining in Florence
In my Italian course, we did an activity where we went to a local market to learn about its prevalence in Italian culture. On the walk to the market and while walking through the market, I had a variety of conversations with my instructor, who is a local. One topic we discussed was fast food…