Hi everyone! I’ve been in Milan for a little over a week now and I wanted to come on here to share some views and some of my initial observations. It’s been quite a great experience so far and I am ready to share what the rest of the semester has in store! Observation 1: There are a LOT of dogs. When walking on the street, you will see all kinds of different dogs, most of which are purebred and distinct. I even saw one with a raincoat and matching boots on a rainy day. I live

In my last blog, I explored some things I wished I knew before I went abroad. And believe me, I wish I knew some of them. But let’s take a breather. You took your five hour, ten hour, fifteen hour (in my case) flight and you’re there. The air smells… different. You won’t expect that, but it is fresh, new, exciting, and honestly a bit scary. The people (probably) speak a language that you don’t (or maybe you do if you followed the tips from my last post!) So what now? The fun

Everything feels so much more official, despite having been confirmed for this program since mid-November. My name is Kiki, and I am spending the spring semester of my junior year studying in Buenos Aires, Argentina, en la Universidad de Palermo. I’ve never blogged before, but I get the feeling that I’m going to be a wordy blogger, so feel free to skip to the end of the post for the highlights if long-windedness isn’t your thing. I just finished booking my housing, discussing

Здравствуйте из Латвии! I find it hard to believe that three weeks have already passed since I arrived in Latvia. I find myself already adjusting to life here, from the language, to the food, and even the public transport. I flew into Riga, the capital city of Latvia, on January 10th, before driving 3 hours southeast to a small city called Daugavpils. Russian is the everyday language of communication in Daugavpils. In fact, some of the only places you won’t find Russian in Da

Hi everyone! My name is Jordan and throughout this semester I will be blogging about my experience at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy! For some background, I am a junior in the International Business program with a second major in Economics and minors in Spanish and Dance. I am typing this in Milan, but gathered my thoughts about leaving for abroad beforehand, so before the fun part, I want to talk about my feelings leading up to landing in Italy from past personal journal

Hey, there! My name is Mike and I studied abroad in Nishinomiya, Japan - a “small” (I use the word lightly when it comes to Japanese cities) city outside Osaka during the spring 2025 semester. What an experience that was. You’ll always experience some shock when going to a foreign country. That is a given. I’ve been fortunate to visit some awesome places! From the Scottish Highlands to Mexico, I like to think I’m pretty well travelled, but I never experienced culture shock qu

Ciao, Gamecocks! I’ve officially arrived in my new home, Florence, Italy, and have spent the past 48 hours adjusting to an entirely new lifestyle. Florence is incredibly bustling, especially considering how narrow the streets are. For comparison, I’d describe it as similar to Charleston: a beautiful, historic city with the commotion of a much larger city, like Chicago. Street vendors in Florence The biggest shock so far has been how accustomed Italians are to living among suc

It is currently January 19th and I have been here for roughly two weeks!! I landed on January 4th with all of my luggage in stow. It helped that it was a direct flight, despite my family and I driving roughly two hours to the airport. I definitely recommend looking at different airports to see which has the best deal and shortest flight! I arrived in the morning and received airport pickup with a local student through my university. They were super welcoming and definitely ca

Hello Gamecocks! I am finally just a few days out from my departure for Sydney, Australia! Leaving home on January 3rd means my winter break is a bit shorter than normal, so I have been lucky to be able to visit my friend in New Jersey and have a trip into NYC with my best friends from USC! I am trying to soak everything up before leaving home. I am so excited about leaving, but I expect some nervous feeling to hit me closer to departure. I am preparing by making many packing

Where in the world would the cast of New Girl study abroad? Welcome back to our “Where Would They Go?” series!  This time, we’re hopping into the delightfully chaotic loft of New Girl  to imagine where each of our favorite roommates would take their study abroad adventures. From Jess twirling through Paris like a rom-com heroine to Nick finding his literary soul in Dublin, these destinations match each character’s energy, interests, and let’s face it—very specific personal vi

Lexical gaps occur when one language has a word that doesn’t exist in another, creating untranslatable words in a language. It’s not that the word can’t be explained in another language but it would take multiple words instead of one. I have been interested in this concept for a while, but traveling has really brought the thought to the forefront of my mind. How integral must a sensation, idea, or feeling be to a people that it requires simplification to one word? To give you

Today marks Day 10 in Ireland, and officially, my first day of class at the University of Limerick! Just a few days ago, I landed at...

I can hardly believe it’s already been over two months since I first arrived in New Zealand. Stepping off the plane in Auckland, I traded...

Hi, fellow Gamecocks! Today is the day I take flight to Ireland to study at the University of Limerick. This Autumn 2025 semester will be...

Where in the world would the cast of Outer Banks study abroad? Welcome back to our “Where Would They Go?”  series! This time, we’re...

The most rewarding part of my summer in Kosovo has been the work I’ve done through my internship. This study abroad program stands out at...