Kaylyn W. - Sydney, Australia - Spring 2011

G’day from Sydney Australia!

I have been in Australia for just about a month now and so far it has been absolutely wonderful. I have gotten to do so many different things that I never thought I would be able to do, or even try doing. My flight was a little hectic because I had an allergic reaction on the plane to one of the meals, but other than that my first flying experience was not too shabby. I took Alice’s advice and did pack light. Although I hate everything I own because I have worn it twice or three times, it will save me room to take things home and it is fun to go shopping around here. My advice is to pack at least 3-4 dresses that are light, but business casual/formal if staying near a city in Australia because people tend to dress up a lot.

I had orientation with AustraLearn specifically with people attending the same Uni as me. We spent 5 days in Cairns learning about Australian culture and how to adapt here. I went around pronouncing Cairns wrong and realized that in Australia words are pronounced different than what they are spelled like, but not to be embarrassed because someone is always there to correct it. Of course we got to meet some koalas, kangaroos, wombats, and alligators. My favorite thing we did was go to the Great Barrier Reef where I was able to scuba dive and FIND NEMO! It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life, well besides looking like a blue man in my protective sting suit. I also got to swim in the Daintree River and through some waterfalls on my free day adventure.

I’m attending classes at The University of New South Wales, which is a large campus with about 60,000 people total. I’m living on campus in one of the residential halls and I couldn’t have made a better choice. There were 45 people in my AustraLearn group and only 3 of us chose and were accepted into living on campus. Living in a ‘college’ is like being in a club. Orientation week was kind of a form of hazing for the ‘fresher’s’, first years/fresh meat. Every day we were getting woken up at the crack of dawn by vuvuzelas and had to do a bunch of crazy stuff that helped us bond. Each week on Sunday night we have a ‘coffee night’ (although there is no coffee, it’s byo-c?) and discuss weekly events ranging from social, sporting, and cultural activities. There is always something to do here and a change to meet new people. It’s almost like Greek life surprisingly. The residence colleges all eat in the ‘dino’ and so far we have had 4 formal dinners. The formal dinners are like being in a real life Harry Potter movie because each college sits by themselves and most people wear academic robes. Even on the walls are tapestries and pictures of the founders of each college. There are three residence colleges within The Kensington Colleges, and we are very competitive against one another.

Things I have done with my residence college:

1. Sydney Harbor night cruise
2. Blind date night
3. Senior Fresher date night (senior guys/fresher girls)
4. Women of Troy play
5. Breakfast BBQs
6. Outside cinema night

Classes are much different here because a lot of them only have a midterm and final. It’s also very hard to get in contact with a professor to get additional help with a subject if you do not understand it. I’m taking a multinational finance class here and it’s a really hard subject for me that I am having much difficulty with. The first two weeks of class I had myself worried and almost to tears that I was completely going to fail this class and it would ruin my GPA I have worked so hard for. I had to get myself to the point to realize that studying abroad is supposed to be a challenge and that if I try my hardest and maybe end up not succeeding that it won’t be the end of the world. Studying here is much more time consuming and I am spending about 6-10 hours on each subject per week. I know that many people think that study abroad is a vacation, but in reality it is mostly studying. Another thing I wasn’t prepared for was to pay to print and for wireless internet access. To print it is $.21 a page or $.40 for double sided. For internet access it’s about $10.00 a week. I have learned to not use the internet unless I really need to and I’ve been more productive not being able to spend hours upon hours on Facebook.

Keeping in touch with family and friends has been really easy between my global gossip cell phone, Skype, and G-mail phone calls. I would suggest to really take advantage of the G-mail phone because it’s free to call anywhere in the USA from Australia through a G-mail account. I would also highly recommend buying a cell phone while studying abroad. The third week I was here I got really really sick with a bacterial intestine infection, most likely from eating bad food or drinking bad water, and having a phone let me get ahold of people really fast when I needed to.

One thing I have learned is that the cost of living in Australia is very expensive, so be prepared to spend some cash. When I first got here I passed up some opportunities to do things because I didn’t want to spend the money, but I had to put in to perspective that money will always be around and the chance to get to experience these new things may not be.

Some of the things I have been able to do since getting to Sydney are:

1. Go to the Mardi Gra Parade
2. Went to the World’s LARGEST Imax theatre
3. Saw a show at the Opera House
4. Walked in the Royal Botanical Gardens
5. Went to the National Historic Museum
6. Experienced my first wine tour
7. Ate at pancakes on the rocks- a must do in Sydney
8. Traveled to 3 beaches
9. Watched a professional surf competition
10. Learned how to play rugby
11. Watch a professional rugby game

There are many many more things I am planning to do and I can’t believe I have gotten to do so many wonderful things within such a short time period.

Additional tips/lingo for traveling in Australia:

1. Jumpers are sweatshirts, sunnies are sunglasses
2. Sizes are larger, don’t think people are calling you fat
3. Cars will run you over so be cautious even in cross-walks
4. Take a day and travel by bus to learn the routes
5. Bring a laptop- computers are actually hard to come by and usually you can only have access for an hour at a time.
6. Bring extra ‘stick’ deodorant because they use aerosol and roll on here
7. Don’t be embarrassed or discouraged if you can’t afford to do something others can- - a lot of people spend thousands of dollars on spring break. Instead find a friend and see if you can spend spring break at their home with them.
8. Tiger airlines have really cheap flights throughout Australia
9. If you go out you will have to pay a cover charge, buy your own drinks, and enjoy hours of techno or indie rock music. Be prepared.
10. Actually get to know Australians! Don’t clan yourself into a group of Americans the entire time you study abroad. I witness it all the time and Australians actually find it really annoying.

Let me know if you have any questions about anything!

-Kaylyn

Hannah W. - Newcastle, Australia - Spring 2011

Hello Mates!

I am studying in Newcastle, Australia at the University of Newcastle.  I came over through the program AustraLearn and have been in Australia for just over a month now. I was in Cairns for a week of orientation then went to Newcastle for their orientation week or O week as they call it.  I am about to start my third week of classes.  I like all of my classes so far and haven’t had a lot of work to do which is very different from the states.  We only have about four major projects in each of my class’s worth about 10-40% of my grade.  The final exams that I have are all about 50-70% of my grade.  This means I really need to make sure I study and do all my work really well.  I am also getting use to have more than just one class of the same class per week.  Two out of the four classes I have to meet for a lecture and also a tutorial or a lab.  It is kind of different compared to Elmhurst and the way they have their classes set up.  Enough about school! 

 

This is the first time in my life to be away from my family for this long.  Especially since I have a twin sister, I am so use to having her around all the time.  We have only been apart from each other for no more than a few days.  Here it’s so different because I haven’t talked to her very much and only been able to Skype her and my family a few times since I have been here.  These past weeks I have been super busy so really haven’t thought about being away.  Plus I have really good roommates that I hang out with and keep me entertained.  I feel like I am always doing something so I haven’t really gotten home sick yet but I know culture shock will be creeping up on me soon.

When you study abroad one of the first things you need to realize and accept that everything is going to be really awkward at first, until you get use to it.  I am a very shy person but I have noticed me putting myself in awkward situations either to do something or to meet new people.  I have made lots of friends and am always trying different things that are part of the Australian Culture, like vegemite.

Here are some of the things I have been able to do in the past month I have been here:

1. Visited Cairns (Pounced Cans)

2. Held and petted a Kola

3. Petted and feed a Kangaroo

4. Visited Sydney

5. Saw the Opera House and also touched it

6. Saw the Sydney Harbour Bridge

7. Went downtown Newcastle

8. Met many new Australian and American friends

9.  Got lost on campus trying to find my way back from class, but now starting to get the hang of 

      campus

10. Tried a Lamington (They are amazing)

11. Went camping for a weekend

12. Tried a Tim Tam

13. Scuba dived in the Great Barrier Reef

13. Tried Vegemite (Like I said above)

14. Went to my First Mardi Gras Festival

15. Went to my first Beach in Australia

16. Had my First Tart at Guylian Chocolates

17. Went on a Dolphin cruise and saw about 10 of them

18. Had my first Massage for $15 which was awesome!

19. Held a snake for the first time

20. Found out what a Didgeridoo is

21. Watched an Aboriginal Dance

22. Slept in my first hostel which was really nice and comfy!

23. Saw the Southern Cross

24.  Had Passion Fruit (If you come down here you must try it)

25. Saw where Steve Irwin died

26. Petted a Wallaby

27. Learned how to throw a Boomerang (Mine came back to me just about)

Katherine H. - Oxford, England - Spring 2011

Hello future study-abroaders!

I’m here in Oxford, England, and I apologize if my post is basically identical to Jessica’s a few posts down. I am also studying through the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies program. I’ve been here since January, and I can scarcely believe that I have a little over a month left. Listen to Alice! Everything she says is true! Initially, you will feel some intense culture shock and be terribly homesick (well, maybe you won’t, but I was) and then you will realize that time is running out and you will realize that you never want to leave.

This experience has been one of the most rewarding of my life. I have studied harder than I ever have before, pushed myself to new limits, discovered new qualities about myself as a person, and expanded beyond my comfort zone. I am sooooo happy that I decided to do this. I have definitely been bit by the travel bug, and I can’t imagine going home and living a perfectly normal, stationary lifestyle. I want to keep going!

When I first got here, it was certainly an adjustment. The time change, the money, the accents, the lingo… the meat pies that they serve at dinner… Like it has already been stated below, I’m here with 25 other American students in dorm-style living arrangements, but the lecture hall and tutorial rooms are in the building as well. CMRS is affiliated with St. Peter’s College of Oxford University. We eat in their dining hall with them (which strongly resembles a less elaborate version of the Hogwarts great hall), use their libraries, participate in their sports (if we so choose), and are able to attend their biweekly dances (called “bops”). You can make plenty of British friends if you try! Initially I was disappointed that my courses would not be with Oxford students, but there are many opportunities to get to know them.

To summarize my academic experience (as CMRS is more academic-oriented than some of the other programs where people actually have plenty of time to travel!!!): The first nine weeks I had two tutorials – Romanticism and Shakespeare, where I read and wrote two papers a week. It wasn’t bad, you just have to learn time management… a quality that I am still working towards… the tutorial experience is very different than what I am used to. There is no where to hide when you haven’t done the work! So do your work. In addition to the tutorials, I had a seminar twice a week (most seminars only meet once a week) which was Drawing in the Museums. This was a very involved seminar… our final project is pretty intense, but I loved going to all of the Oxford museums and exploring that cultural aspect. Next week we begin the Integral course, when everything else has ended. Integral is five days a week (I enjoyed having my Fridays and Mondays off with tutorials and seminar, but not everyone is that lucky) with lectures twice a day in the mornings. But enough of the academic stuff.

Oxford is a GORGEOUS city and I wish I could live here forever. Living in England is different. Here is a compilation of things that I have observed:

1. There are two separate faucets with the two taps for hot and cold... As they are both on opposite sides of the sink, it is impossible to have warm water. You can either scald yourself, or freeze. This makes no sense to me even after living here for two months.

2. There is no organization to the way pedestrians walk on the streets or side walks. One would assume that the designated walking pattern would mimic the driving pattern, and that one would not collide with passersby if one simply adopted this pattern... but no.

3. Eggs are not refrigerated in the grocery store

4. It is rare to see paper towels and kleenex. For the first few weeks, I noticed that most of the lecturers at CMRS carried only handkerchiefs, and used glasses and pitchers of water instead of plastic water bottles. Also, the bathrooms have hand towels instead of paper towels. Luckily, this does not apply to public restrooms (or toilets, as they are called here), which are equipped with hand driers.
5. Pigeons are just cuter versions of rats

6. Everyone bikes here. It makes me so happy to see 80 year-old men dressed in their suits biking around the city.

7. A line is called a "queue", fries are "chips", cookies are "biscuits", and REAL skim milk does not exist

8. Men here dress far better/have way better shoes compared to men back home. This is the truth.

9. You need to get used to military time. Who would have thought math skills would ever be needed in real life? Also, you will most likely refer to the six hour difference back home as what time it is in "real life" for at least the first month.

10. There is no such thing as free Wifi

11. Don't walk around in slippers.

12. Girls have to pay cover charges, too (?!)... and pay for their own drinks unless they are very fortunate.

13. The music played in clubs here is at least a year old from what is played on the radio in the States.

14. The residents of Oxford do not seem to be affected by the cold weather, and therefore do not feel the need to dress in anything but shorts and a sweater when it is 35 degrees and raining.

15. There is no censored television.

16. The perceptions about Americans are different wherever you go (as is true with any country). Some people love us, some people are indifferent, and some people find us obnoxious. I find that the television programs that are played may be partially to blame for this inconsistency... Generally speaking, all that I've seen are reruns of Gilmore Girls, Scrubs, Friends, and tacky reality shows like WifeSwap. I'm guessing that this leads to the belief that Americans talk too fast, have hospitals where doctors have a mass amount of free time to do absolutely nothing, and are the most moronic and ignorant people in the world. I don’t think the latter is true, though. At least no one has accused me of being moronic yet.

17. The novelty of the British accent wears off very quickly. (On average after week 3) Then you just realize that this is how people talk.

18. The buses will crush you, and you should probably look both ways before running across the street.

19. CCTV is watching you.

20. Sheryl Crow and Cheryl Cole are two different people.

21. CRUMPETS are the BEST creation ever, and will most likely be the one food item that I will miss, aside from the delicious German yogurt that they serve in the dining hall.

22. Sweat pants are "joggies" or "trackies"

23. Mayonnaise goes on everything.

And thus ends my list of incredibly important facts. Let me know if you have any questions! I would be happy to help.

Ellie P. - Melbourne, Australia - Spring 2011

G’day everyone!

So I have been in Australia for two months now, but just started school last week. I was worried that the classes were going to be a lot different from Elmhurst, but luckily because I am enrolled in all art classes, the classes are basically the same because they center around studio time.

Because I had so much time before school started, I went ahead and found an internship at an advertising agency. It took forever to find one; I ended up emailing about twenty different firms just asking for a chance, and I was lucky enough to get one!

Since being here I have some random tips that I wish I had thought about before leaving:

1. You will probably hate every piece of clothing you came with because you have to wear it so many times. Don’t bring something extravagant because chances are you won’t wear it.

2. Open a bank account if you can, because taking out money all the time from my Chase bank account makes me nervous (so many little fees that seem to be adding up). I know that there will still be a fee to change the money over, but it seems easier to do that all at once, rather than having to rely on ATMs that take about three dollars from your account just for using it.

3. Be prepared for any sort of weather. We were supposed to have a beautiful summer but it turned out to be rather mild.

4. Understand that things may not turn out the way you expected. I was supposed to go to Cairns for orientation, but of course a cyclone came through the DAY BEFORE. We went to Brisbane instead, and it turned out to be really beautiful. Be flexible and just go with the flow.

5. Make contacts. It is really nice to have met people at orientation that are living all over the country. Now I someone to talk and maybe stay with when I travel.

Overall, I feel like my time here is a constant adjustment, but a good one. I am taking chances and learning new things. Of course I am homesick, but it is getting much easier with school starting and things really picking up. Let me know if you guys have any questions about Australia or studying abroad in general.

Good luck!

Jessica N. - Oxford, England - Spring 2011

Hey everyone! I guess I should start by introducing myself for those of you who do not know me. My name is Jessica and I am a junior at EC. I am currently studying at The Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (CMRS) in Oxford, England. Words cannot describe how wonderful my experience has been here thus far. I still can’t believe that I’ve already been here for three months and that I only have one month left here. Time truly does fly when you’re having fun.

First, I will discuss the academic aspect which is probably much different from students who have not attended CMRS. The first nine weeks I had two tutorials; Shakespeare and Romanticism. I met with each tutor for about an hour once a week and was required to write a 2,000 word essay (yes, 4,000 words a week) about what we read each week. I absolutely loved both of my tutorials. I was warned by several people prior to coming here how intense the program would be, and they were right, but it has been a very rewarding experience. I at first was nervous to work one-on-one with a professor, but I’ve discovered that I prefer this approach to learning. On top of my two tutorials I also had a seminar (European Humanism) which was with two other students. We were required to read a different text each week and then would have discussions. Although we were not required to write an essay every week for seminar, we did have a final research paper due. This week marked the end of term for all of the Oxford Uni students, but our program continues with an integral course which consists of lectures, discussion, field trips, and a final research paper. For any future CMRS students, please feel free to ask me more specific questions regarding the academic experience here, however I do not want to bore other students. All in all regarding academics, I feel extremely accomplished and at the same time relieved.

In terms of the social life here in Oxford, I have been having an amazing time. The building I live in consists of 25 other American students. I have been building friendships with these people that I know will last a life time. Our program is affiliated with St. Peter’s College (one of the Oxford Uni colleges) where we had access to their dining hall and library. This has been a great way to meet new and interesting people; however next term CMRS will be affiliated with Keeble College. The night life in Oxford is a lot of fun as well. There are plenty of clubs and bars to go to. I have met a lot of amazing people here so far. I have also traveled to London several times (it’s only an hour train ride away) which has been a great time as well. This weekend I will be going to Paris and the following weekend I will be going to Barcelona with some girls in my program. I leave April 16th and will be staying at my friend’s place in Switzerland for two weeks then I will head back to sweet home Chicago!

As I am someone who has never blogged before, please excuse me and feel free to ask any questions.

Julia N. - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Spring 2011

“Esto es su casa”

I asked myself three questions as I arrived at O’Hare Airport yesterday afternoon.
Question #1: Are you excited for this?
Answer: yes.
Question #2: Are you prepared for this?
Answer: yes.
Question #3: Are you ready for this?
Answer: I have no idea.

After packing and re-packing, calling the bank, buying extra memory cards, and basically just trying to get all of my ducks lined up in a row, it was finally time to say the final goodbyes. I was seriously dreading having to leave behind everyone that I loved to fly off to a new place where I knew nobody. I imagined teary embraces and big dramatic goodbyes, but the only person that actually cried (at least, that I know of) was my mom. Everyone else was super happy that I was going; wishing me safe travels and telling me to have a lot of fun. My mom told me those things, too; she was just tearing up as she said them. But as that Saturday approached, I noticed that everyone seemed more excited than I was, and I thought I was pretty stoked. I guess those pre-departure nerves snuck up on me, even though I did everything in my power to prepare myself for leaving.

Once the plane landed in Buenos Aires, however, my nerves finally subsided and I was able to let the eagerness take over me. I found out I had to pay for a taxi (guess I should have read my Get-Set-Guide a little closer), but thanks to Mom’s insistence that I bring more cash, I had enough to change into pesos for the cab. Sharing the cab helped, too. It was cheaper and I got to know another student who lives near my host family’s house. There was a potential problem when we realized the guy at the taxi center at the airport didn’t give us our maps back, but thankfully IES called our host parents and got everything sorted out.

Things only got better when I met my host parents. They are an adorable older couple and they don’t speak any English. Or if they do, they are doing a mighty fine job of forcing me to use my Spanish. Anyway, the first thing my host mom told me when I stumbled up the steps (after “cuidado”) was “Esto es su casa” - this is your home. And it is. For the next four months, this adorable apartment with the world’s sweetest grandparents is where I live. This city, filled with history and culture so new to me, is where I live. They say home is where the heart is (so don’t worry Mom, I won’t forget about you), but as of right now, I am ready to make this new place mine. I am ready to explore it, learn about it, and live it. So back to question #3…

Julia, are you ready for this?
Answer: Bring it on, Buenos Aires.

It is March 11th and I have finally registered for my classes the spring semester. This has officially been the longest winter break of my life, and I am totally loving it! Leaving behind the snowy Chicago weather for summery Buenos Aires feels so wonderful. And although having to go to class means less time for my usual aimless wanderings and late nights, I am pretty excited about the classes I am going to take. I have a teaching internship, a class about leadership, 21st century Argentine poetry, and “the making of Patagonia”, which includes a four-day long field trip! All of the classes will be in Spanish, which is really intimidating, but hopefully I will be able to understand it all!

Getting myself adjusted to Buenos Aires has been a bit of a challenge. The first few days were really rough. I came down here not knowing anybody, and although I grew up next to Chicago, I wouldn’t classify myself as a “city-girl”. I walk 11 blocks to the IES center every day because I don’t trust the bus system. They pretty much just show up whenever they want to so you could be sitting at the bus stop for at least 20 minutes before one arrives. Since it only takes me 25-30 minutes to walk, I take advantage of the extra exercise. I’m also not used to all the crime here. Don’t tell my mom, because she’ll freak out, but not only are the thieves here prevalent, they are smart, too. We had a meeting with the US embassy today, and they told us a few of the ways the people here will try to rob us. One interesting one is called the “Mustard on the back” ploy. Someone squirts mustard, or some other liquid, on your back, and then a sweet old lady or woman with a baby stops to help you clean yourself up. Except for they aren’t being nice. In reality, they are distracting you so the other guys can take all your stuff. It is a pretty tricky business. However, it’s been two weeks and nothing like that has happened to me yet (knock on wood). I feel like the longer I am here, the more Argentine I will appear, and then there will be a less chance of my being seen as an easy target. So basically, what I’ve learned so far is that Buenos Aires is a little shady, but as long as you are smart and try not to stand out, it is actually a pretty awesome city, with really rich culture and a pretty crazy nightlife…

Also, if you are interested in reading more, I have another blog at http://blogs.iesabroad.org/author/julia-nelson/.  Hopefully you find it entertaining and informative!

Riley N. - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Spring 2011

Hey Everyone,

So I know it has already been a month since I first arrived in Amsterdam so I will try to bring you up to speed. The quick "layover" in Chicago was nice as I was able to pack and buy last second items for my departure. After saying goodbye to some friends, we departed for the airport. After some confusion checking in I went through security and waited for my flight. My flight was pretty empty. I was on the window and the seat next to me was open which was nice. I spent most of my flight sleeping, eating, uploading and looking at Costa Rica pictures. Overall the plane ride was fine and before I knew it I had arrived at Amsterdam Schipol Airport. 

After getting off the plane and going through customs, I found my other bag and tried to figure out what to do. Arriving in a different country with no plan or way to get into your room poses lots of different ideas on what to do. I figured out how to buy a train ticket and hopped on the next one. This took me to Centraal Station, one of the largest stations I have ever seen. I found a cab who took me the quick 5 min ride to my dorm. My dorm isn't the traditional dorm. I live in a place called Funenpark. Funenpark is this very long curved building that has different colored stairwells and windows. Here is a description I found on it. "The blocks on the perimeter of ‘Het Funen’ serve as a noise baffler for the railway and reflect the dynamism of trains. The glass, scale-like sound barrier was attached to the building like a second skin. The coloured panels recreate the rhythmic effect of a stroboscope, thus emphasizing the sense of speed..."

Rergardless our building, which we dubbed the Fun Zone will be a great place to live for the duration of my stay. 

The first day, since I couldn't get in my room until my roommate was back, I decided to wander. My 3 bags and myself started walking towards downtown Amsterdam. Not knowing where I was going I just continued to walk what I thought was West. After about an hour of walking around I decided to stop at a local cafe called Tisfris. This was a very nice and quaint little cafe. I got a mineral water and nice roast beef sandwich. After I continued to walk around and take pictures. Walking around for nearly 5 hours I decided it was time to walk back to Funenpark. By the grace of god and a few lucky turns I found Funenpark. I waited patiently until I found some students that looked American and they let me in the building. I finally had made it to my room where I was greeted by my roommate Nick. Nick attends Penn State (as does many other kids on the program, Penn State definitely is represented the most in our program). After settling and moving some of my stuff in I quickly crashed from the long day and slept through the night. The jet lag fortunately did not effect me for too long, it just messed up the first few nights of sleep. 

Classes at the Universiteit van Amsterdam have been great. I have enjoyed all of my classes thus far. Classes are generally with all Americans although there have been a few international students. The classes are usually pretty small and are very active. There is a lot of participation also. Classes are all three hours long and once a week so although the class itself is long and we go through a lot in class, they haven't been bad by any means. 

My Favorite Parts of Amsterdam:

• How active everyone is. Whether you are 3 years old or 75, you will be riding a bike in pretty cold weather. 
• Biking. With about 500,000 bikes in the city, the bike paths are very accessible and its a great way to see the city.
• How aesthetically pleasing the city is. The mix of modern and old buildings is very cool.
• How diverse the city is. Wherever you look you will always see people with different backgrounds and nationalities. I tend to hear about 3 to 4 different languages a day
• How small it is. On bike I can be pretty much anywhere in 25 min. 

Things that I have had to adjust to.

• Dutch. This language is very difficult to read and pronunciation is a lot harder than I expected it to be.
• No Grid System. The way the streets encompass the heart of the city, there is no "direct" way to get anywhere. It has taken this long to feel comfortable with "knowing" my way around the city.
• The euro, it is very easy to burn through money. 
• Small refrigerators. This means going to the grocery store every couple of days to buy for a couple of days.

So far I have had an amazing time in Amsterdam. I am planning to travel to Brussels and Bruge within the next couple of weeks. I have friends starting to visit soon which will be great to see familiar faces. As I have really started to settle in and feel more like a local rather than a tourist I am just grateful of this experience. I plan to join a club soccer team as soon as possible and will hopefully be able to work closely with some American businesses for my research project. 

I hope all is well! I will start to update more as I do more stuff!

Riley

Amelia K. - Freiburg, Germany - Spring 2011

Grüß dich! Greeting from Freiburg im Breisgau,Germany!

I’ve been studying with the IES EU study abroad program here in the most gorgeous city of Freiburg for about 7 weeks, and it has been quite an experience!

I’m currently living in an apartment in a student residential area in a section of Freiburg called Vauban. It’s labeled one of the most ecologically friendly neighborhoods in Europe, so for anyone studying in Germany be aware the everyone is extremely environmentally conscious. My two roommates were very welcoming upon my arrival, and there are tons of other international students around so it was comforting knowing I was not the only one.

Freiburg is beautiful. It has wonderful weather, and is right in the midst of the Black Forest so I’ve had so many opportunities to go hiking. Also, the public transportation is so convenient, especially living quite far from the IES Center and downtown Freiburg. There is tons of great restaurants, bars, and shopping, and though it seems that Germans like every type of food except German food, I’ve still been able to try some very common German cuisine like Spätzle, Flammkuchen, and Currywurst. Also Germans love their drinks carbonated, so make sure to ask for or check (especially for water and juice) that it is “still” or “ohne Gas” if you don’t like things carbonated.

I’ve had great classes so far. The IES EU program is amazing! Anyone interesting in politics, international relations or economics should definitely look into choosing this program. The only down side is that they are all taught in English, so I’ve had to try really hard to practice my German elsewhere. What is really amazing is that we’ve had SO much opportunity to go traveling. So far I’ve been to Berlin and Prague, made a trip to Switzerland and am departing on a trip to Luxembourg City, Brussels, and Paris tomorrow! Traveling has been a major part of my time here, and I recommend going out to as many places as you can while you’re abroad.

As always you’re bound to run into some difficulties while abroad. For example, I thought I knew German before I arrived but quickly learned how little I actually knew. Try not to get frustrated when locals have little patience with you or if you struggle with speaking to people. You’ll eventually get more confident in speaking, and will pick of key words and phrases that will make your time much easier.

The first week of study abroad wherever you go will be overwhelming. Things will go wrong, you will have awkward encounters with the locals, and you will get frustrated and stressed to some degree. But the key thing to remember is that it all passes, and that you WILL start to feel at home. Things fall into place no matter how different your city is. Just try to take advantage of your time there because no one exaggerating when they say time flies while studying abroad.

Hope you all have a great time wherever you chose to go! And I’d be happy to answer any and all questions you may have. Viel Glück und gute Reise! Good luck and have a wonderful trip!