Being back in the great old US of A was awesome, but damn, it was expensive compared to Egypt. I got to see just about everyone I was hoping to see in the month I was back, and share my experiences, but also listen and hear about their summers, which I think is important for people to remember when they study abroad. Although your summer or semester may have been life-changing, make sure to listen to what has been going on in your friends’ and families’ lives and don’t just d

With one week to go in my summer program, three of my friends and I rented a car and headed up to the North Coast along the Mediterranean. Known for its teal-colored water and white sandy beaches, the beach itself lived up to the hype. Beautiful beaches of the north coast However, our Airbnb had no Wi-Fi, no AC, and only one working shower (or more accurately, one working hose). That, combined with our rental car, which, after passing a pack or two of wild camels, decided to

When you see your friends on Instagram while studying abroad, you may see them in a different country at a different club every weekend. And while that does look like one hell of a time, I am almost a little happy that being in the Middle East I am not afforded that luxury. This past summer however, I did take one trip abroad with my previously mentioned group of friends, where we went to Istanbul, Turkey. This had been at the top of my bucket list for places to visit for yea

My first few hours in Egypt were quite hectic, I must say. My bus driver, who was assigned to me by the university I was studying at, dropped me, along with my two duffel bags, off on campus. But I soon realized my dorm was not on campus. After getting an Uber (man, Ubers are so cheap in Egypt, it’s amazing) and reading off the extremely unclear address that I was provided, my new friend and I were driving around for, I kid you not, an hour trying to find my accommodations. M

Where should I even start? Through the International Business Middle East and North Africa (IBMENA) cohort in the Darla Moore School of Business, I have been abroad for nine of the past 10 months. Pretty crazy. My name is Josh Pasternak, a current junior studying International Business and Finance with a minor in Arabic, hailing from “the ville” Rockville, Maryland. If we rewind the clock a little bit to May of 2025, I was getting ready for my first of three stints abroad, th