I’ve somehow slid into second half of my time abroad, and I find myself reflecting more and more on my cultural identity and relationship with home. Living in a very touristy city means that I am constantly encountering French and American cultural intersections. Sometimes, I feel a vague awkwardness when someone realizes I’m American, particularly…
Category: abroadSELECT
Taking inventory: a brief interlude
A few key takeaways from my time in Ireland so far: You know how when babies learn to swim, they’re often just tossed right in and they eventually get the hang of it? That’s a fairly accurate description of my early adjustment period in Dublin – in a good way! Keeping with the aquatic theme,…
Great Expectations
Hello again! After officially completing two months at my study abroad program in Copenhagen, I have come to meet many of the academic, professional, and personal expectations I had created for myself prior to departing for my program. It has been a wonderful experience to see the visions I had for my study abroad experience…
Living Up to Abroad Expectations
As I enter my seventh week living in Paris, I am faced with my first big exam in both of my classes and a distinct feeling of unpreparedness. Adjusting to the French style of learning has occasionally been complicated, but in other ways it has exceeded my expectations. I arrived in France anticipating the classic…
Howya Now?
No matter how hard I fought the feeling, I couldn’t help it. It was a losing battle against the notion that once I embarked on what will be a once in a lifetime experience, I would find myself, instantly metamorphosing into who I’m meant to become. Don’t worry, I’m cringing just as much as you…
Chez Moi
Hello again! It is time to update on my Parisian living experience now that I have officially been here for a month, goodness how the time has flown! I have been truly blessed with my housing location, although I didn’t initially realize it since many of my peers in the CEA program live quite far…
Living North of the Liffey
With all this talk of studying abroad, it can be easy to forget about the “living” part of the experience. I was assigned to Kavanagh Court through Pitt, and even with a photo gallery on their website, I had no idea what to expect when I got there. It was nerve-wracking – housing can always…
My Goals While Studying Abroad!
Within the first two weeks of my study abroad experience, I have developed many academic, professional, and personal goals that I wish to accomplish during my time in Copenhagen. Academically, I hope to gain more knowledge about topics in Neuroscience and Psychology. As a Rehabilitation Sciences major on the pre-PA track, I believe that it…
Spring, in potentia
Big changes bring even more ambitious goals; as I lay out my aspirations for the next few months, I hope to do this tenet justice. Academically, I’m aiming to refresh my zeal for learning over the semester at TCD. This past fall, I’d finally settled in at Pitt, feeling adjusted to recurring professors, classrooms, and…
Shipping Up (Over? Across?) to Dublin
Fáilte and Happy New Year! My name is Isy, and I’m just about ready to head to Ireland for a semester at Trinity College Dublin. I’m a junior at Pitt studying Political Science and Law, Criminal Justice, & Society along with a minor in French. During breaks and holidays, I get to call the exotic…