The Study Abroad Experience

"There are stark differences between the Dutch and the American way of life that you don’t notice when you simply visit. You have to live there, you have to participate in this daily lifestyle to fully appreciate…..and fall in love with it. Never mind getting in your car and driving to Wal-Mart when you need oranges and a new t-shirt. Instead you get on your bike and try desperately not to get hit by other riders and the sparse number of cars driving on the roads as you go from shop to shop searching for your treasures. You don’t hurriedly grab some fast food in a drive-thru on your way to pick up your dry-cleaning, clogging the air with smog from your SUV. You sit down in a café with your friends and chit-chat, catch up on what’s going on in their lives instead of a rushed phone call. Have a cup of coffee or tea or beer to pass your afternoon hours instead of sitting in front of the TV watching re-runs of Oprah."
  -- read more of Wendy Boone's stories from Utrecht, the Netherlands

"My travels took me all over Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea. I was able to visit Finland, Latvia, and Estonia with relative ease because of Stockholm’s ideal location on the coast. Groups of exchange students at school and our flat building would organize very inexpensive boat trips to these countries through local cruise lines. At the end of my studies I was able to go to Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. I concluded my journey in Germany by joining thousands of other fans from around the world at the FIFA World Cup."
  -- read more of Nicholas Fedor's stories from Stockholm, Sweden

"Following a fun mid-semester break trip along the beautiful Garden Route, the feelings of culture shock and homesickness had completely disappeared. I began to settle into the second period of my time abroad. Instead of being annoyed by the slow pace of life in South Africa, I learned to embrace it. It was during this time that I learned to slow down, stop, and truly appreciate everything. It was no longer necessary to cram everything possible into 5 months. I realized that no matter how much time or money I had I would never be able to see and do all that South Africa has to offer."
  -- read more of Laura Encalade's stories from South Africa