During my four years at Auburn, I have had several opportunities to gain international experience by studying and volunteering abroad. I studied abroad in what I think are two pivotal moments of my college career: once during the summer after my freshman year and once during the first semester of my senior year. I also…
As a sophomore in high school, I knew that I wanted to become fluent in Spanish and to study abroad during my undergraduate career. Auburn provided me with both of these opportunities, and I chose to spend the Spring semester of my Junior year in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. I lived with a host family that could…
Growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, I knew I would want to spend time abroad someday. I was always curious about other countries, cultures and languages. I was ready to get out of my comfort zone and travel the world. I spent five weeks with Auburn’s Summer Program in Vienna, Austria. I had my language and…
“It only ends once. Anything before that is just progress” It was not until the fifth day that I woke in my flat and I truly understood what I had gotten myself into. During the spring semester of 2013 I had the opportunity to study and intern abroad in London, England. During the entire pre-departure…
As a child, I lived in Bristol, England for two years. These foggy memories of my childhood’s past were the only glimpses of a life outside of the one that I knew within the United States. As I arrived at Auburn University, everything seemed all too familiar. My entire family had attended the university, which…
When I was in high school, I got a Sunmaid Raisins box with the advice (apparently raisins are the new fortune cookies), “Stay curious and you will travel to the ends of the Earth.” I posted this quote on the top corner of my computer screen where I could see it every day. Then Spring…
This summer I participated in Auburn’s very first Pre-Freshman Abroad Program. Sixteen of us were lucky enough to get to go on a week-long study abroad trip to Belize at the end of July! The trip focused on sustainability and Belizean culture. One of my favorite parts was going to Cyrila’s Chocolate Factory. It was…
My experiences in Japan were the most amazing and eye opening experiences I have had in my life to date. Although most people prefer to travel with friends to another country, I traveled alone on the Nihon University Exchange program. It may sound scary and perhaps unwise when you think about it, but it allows…
The four weeks I spent in Taormina, Italy were undoubtedly some of the absolute best of my life. Studying in the beachfront town on the gorgeous, culturally rich island of Sicily was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and the time I spent there passed entirely too quickly. Adapting to the laid-back Sicilian lifestyle was…
My love of travel started when I was very young. Coming to Auburn, the question for me wasn’t whether I wanted to study abroad or not, it was where should I go to study? I searched on and off for a program that combined my want to learn about a new culture and my desire…