Not everything about going abroad has to be brand new. Some things can still feel like home. For me, the biggest example is dance, something I have done for as long as I can remember. I danced competitively from ages 9 to 18, and currently minor in dance at USC. For this week, I wanted to write about how dance has kept me grounded for my first few weeks in Milan. When I was narrowing down my schools roughly a year ago for the IB requirements, I was pretty certain that none of

Welcome back to my blog! Before starting my next semester abroad in Singapore this time, I want to recap my fall semester at the University of South Carolina! 2025 felt like two separate years. January to June looked completely different from June to December. As soon as I arrived back in the States, I visited lots of family and went back to working as an undergraduate advising assistant at the Darla Moore School of Business. It took some time to adjust back to the U.S. pace

Daugavpils has exactly five trains, and all of them go to Riga. Riga, the capital city of Latvia, is around three hours away from Daugavpils, which was the perfect amount of time for an early morning nap ahead of a fun day trip. Although my program has a planned excursion to Riga, I, along with two of my new friends in my program, wanted to take a trip on our own to explore the city in our own time. We bought our tickets and each had ideas of what we wanted to see while we we

Bonjour Toute le Monde! I am back for another helpful (hopefully) guide on all things studying abroad. After this one I'll start actually getting into the exciting part of being abroad, the traveling! But before I was able to start traveling, I had to get to France first. I have been to France twice before so I kinda knew what it was like and a bit on how to prepare. I knew that I had to get a phone plan, but this time I decided to get an esim since I was going to be there fo

Every abroad program is different. From attendance policies to participation requirements, not everyone is in the same boat. This can be especially difficult when you want to do the classic weekend trips and visit as many countries as your bank account will allow—and then some. My program is a full-semester program in Barcelona, Spain. I arrived one week late and honestly had a bit of catching up to do. Luckily, a lot of that catching up involved learning different aspects of

Hi there! My name is Ashley Chittum and I am studying abroad this semester in Sydney, Australia. My first steps in Australia took place in Cairns during orientation. As part of my study abroad program, WorldStrides, we spent five days in Cairns learning about the culture, lifestyle, and atmosphere of Australia all while fighting the jet lag of a 16-hour flight. Here is my experience from my first days in Australia. Flying Alone Despite being twenty years old, I’d never flown

So we’ve covered some great tips for your initial weeks in Japan. From predeparture, your first week there, and even that “going through the motions” slump, which, believe me, is real. I hope that you found those tips at least useful. But how about we dive into some of the good stuff. My trips while abroad in Japan! I really emphasized making sure you travel - see the cool stuff in the country you’re studying abroad in. Not doing more of it was certainly one of my biggest reg

If you're reading this, I'm assuming you are interested in going abroad at some point during college. There's a decent chance your birthday will also happen during your time in another country. Coming from someone that usually doesn't plan a lot for her birthday, I knew I had to make this one special. I'm writing this after an incredible weekend where I turned 21 this past Monday. Along with sharing my experience, I want to explain what made my special day feel so great. Befo

Bonjour toute le monde! So, you're thinking about studying abroad? Well I think that's a terrific idea. Studying abroad is a great way to see the world while also perusing your degree, not to mention experiencing things about different cultures that you wouldn't be able to do in the U.S. However, before you even get to your host country, you have to get a visa. Since I am attending a school in France, I am only able to speak on how that process went. Each country has its own

You made it to week three! You’ve probably gotten through orientation, gotten settled in your new place of living, and have hopefully made a few new friends. Routines have been set and you’ve probably gotten your first assignments. So what else is there to do? Have fun, of course! Keep in mind that you’re in a new country! New people to meet, new things to see, and new foods to try, so let’s jump start that initial week three slog (which is a thing, believe me) and set you up

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