McKenna and Oz in Australia!

Hey Mates, Oz and I are saying G'Day from across the globe in Australia!

Little Oz and the Australian flag

Meet Oz, my dragon.  Australians refer to their country as Oz sometimes, because is sounds like the abbreviation AUS, and because this gorgeous land is filled with crazy creatures.  Oz and I are at James Cook University in Townsville.  Townsville is the largest city in Tropical North Queensland.  It's never been under 70 degrees while I've been here and the beach is a short bus rid away from pristine coastal beaches.  A short ferry ride away is the beautiful Magnetic Island, and a few hours boat ride away is the spectacular Great Barrier Reef.

In addition to Townsville, Oz and I have seen Sydney and Brisbane: two of the most exciting cities in Australia.  Sydney was a whirlwind filled with rushing people and cars and boats.  The iconic sights, the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, are gems to see.  But experiencing the SydneySider lifestyel is an amazing adventure, too!  Brisbane is an impressive city filled with amazingly beautiful parks and a sparkling river weaving through the bustling city.  For Spring Break, Oz and I are going to visit Fiji, and also seeing Melbourne and Cairns and maybe even New Zealand!

Sydney Harbour with the Harbour Bridge behind the famous Sydney Opera House

Brisbane skyline seen from the boardwalk along the Brisbane River

Australia is full of wonderful, crazy things.  The university is situated in a valley surrounded by beautiful hills perfect for hiking!  A giant mountain called Castle Hill is situated in the middle of Townsville overlooking the entire city and Magnetic Island.  There's a road that goes all the way up to the top, but there's also heaps of different trails and tracks to get a workout while getting to the top.  We took the infamously hard Goat Track just last week.

The view from atop Castle Hill with Magnetic Island in the background.  Candice, Kate, and I conquered the Goat Track

Mark in Lyon, France!

Bonjour from Lyon, France!

The last three months have been quite a whirlwind, and I can safely say that I wouldn’t have it any other way. Lyon is an absolutely beautiful city; in fact, I think it’s France’s best-kept secret.  For starters, Lyonnais cuisine is arguably the most delectable in the world; and, personally, I can corroborate that assertion.  Of course, French food is not the only reason to stop by Lyon.  The city hosts a number of beautiful cathedrals, monuments, museums, parks, and a charming old town.  Of these attractions, I would definitely mark the Basilique de Fourvière at the top of the list.  This cathedral is undoubtedly the most popular destination in Lyon, and due to its geographic position on top of a hill overlooking the city, it can be seen from just about any street.

 

View of the Basilique de Fourviere in Lyon

These attractions, however, do not play that significant of a role in my day-to-day life.  Instead, I like to focus on embracing French culture and getting to know other international students in my program.  As some of you may know, there is a program at Lyon 3 University that caters to English-speaking students (the SELF program).  It is through this program that I am able to sharpen my French speaking skills, while simultaneously deepening my understanding of certain topics directly related to my major at UNCG.  For example, this semester I am taking multiple courses on the European Union and comparative law, which has given me a far greater understanding of European politics.

Aside from enjoying French bread and spending time with friends in Lyon, I have been very active in traveling around France.  Fortunately, Lyon is in an ideal situation in terms of travel—I am within hours of Paris, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain.  So, for the sake of this blog post, I will briefly describe some of my favorite trips since January. 

The first trip I embarked on was to Marseille, France’s second city.  Marseille is, in all honesty, a fairly sketchy and dirty city.  For instance, it’s quite easy to walk down the wrong street and end up in a rather bad part of town.  However, the old port, calanques, and Cathedrale de Notre-Dame de la Gare are absolutely beautiful.  For starters, taking the ferry out to some of the islands off of France’s coast is quite an experience.  First, you’ll get to see the island that inspired the Count of Monte Christo, and then you might even to get to catch a glimpse of the famed calanques.  Following our ferry trip, my group went up to the summit of Marseille where the cathedral is almost perfectly placed.  It is from this point that you will see not only a beautiful church, but also some of the best views in Europe.  The sprawling mountains bordering Marseille are unlike anything I had ever seen and contributed to the many picturesque views that seem to occur at nearly every angle.  Of course, nothing can compare to the views seen from this perch at sunset; there’s simply nothing greater than watching the sun disappear over the Mediterranean on a clear night.

 

In Marseille

Savannah and Leonardo Miguel in Toledo, Spain!

Hey guys, my name is Leonardo Miguel and I am Savannah Smith’s dragon. She, and I are currently studying in Toledo, Spain which is right in the center of the country. Though not well known, it was the religious capital of Spain for a while and was settled by the Catholics, Jews, and Muslims at various times in its history. Where she goes, I go (I even have my own special spot in her purse) and I have gotten to experience so many adventures with her. 

My spot in Savvy's purse.

 

We’ve been to Madrid more times than I can count and even traveled as far south as Malaga which is on the coast of Spain where Savvy is studying. I’ve experienced long car trips, annoying plane rides, and surprisingly short bus rides. I’ve seen her laugh so hard she cried, and cry so hard that the only thing she could do was sleep. I’ve seen her so frustrated that she almost threw her phone and so excited that if she could have flown, she would be halfway to Australia. But my favorite thing I have seen is how much she has grown. When she first came, she was a shy, quiet girl who had very little confidence and didn’t think to highly of herself. Now, two months later, she is like a new person. She has finally accepted that she is an introvert and knows her limits but also knows how to fiesta. She is more confident than I have ever seen her and is finally discovering what makes Savannah “Savvy” and no one else. And I personally think it is all because she went to a country that doesn’t speak English. 

Climbing in Malaga

I feel like people are afraid to go to a country that speaks a language different than theirs because they will have to experience culture shock AND language shock but I can tell you without a doubt that it’s worth it. Why? Because I’ve seen it. Savvy couldn’t have predicted the changes that would appear in her life from this study abroad experience. When she first got here, she didn’t know if she could do it but now, she doesn’t know what life would be like if she didn’t. Sure, the first few weeks are hard. But they were more than worth it. 

A Prince in a Castle in Malaga

Here’s how she knew:

 "Before I came to Spain, I created a benchmark in my head that would say that I made it, that I was successful in Spain. My benchmark was this: to sit around a table with friends from Spain just hanging out and talking and while feeling completely accepted and at ease with them in their stereotypically closed Spanish group. On Saturday February 21, 2015 my dream became a reality. This night, though I was a sick as a dog and shouldn’t have been out, period, I knew without a doubt that I made it, made it to Spain. All it took was a month of confidence and patience to help my dreams become a reality.

I have two amazing friends from UNCG, one quirky classy gal from England, a slew of friends from Mexico, and other countries from around the world. But I don’t only have international friends, I have friends who have grown up in Spain and go to my University. I finally found a group to call home who opened up and let me into their circle of friends. I have a seat in class to call my own, a group to sit with before class in the hall or the cafeteria, a group to text if I am bored and hear about all the crazy drama going on in Spain. And the coolest thing for me is that I feel comfortable with them. All it took was for me to be really extroverted and put myself out there for them to take notice and let me in."

Lost in a Toledo Dream

I hope that if you are considering studying in a country that doesn’t speak your native language that you do and that this post encourages you to follow your heart and chase your dreams. Savvy had a lot of lessons to learn when she got here and the cool thing is that she is still learning. Each day is an adventure full of possibilities of success or failure. Don’t live life regretting things you didn’t do. Take a chance, make a mistake, and LIVE. 

Leonardo Miguel and Savannah Smith

UCLM Toledo

Toledo, Spain

Darcie and Hanabi in Japan!

こんにちは、みなさん！

Hello everyone! My name is Darcie Knight and I am a student at Seinan Gakuin University in Fukuoka Japan. Fukuoka is a large city located on the island of Kyushu, Japan's southern island. I am working hard trying to learn Japanese language and culture. My dragon has been learning along with me, her name is 花火 or Hanabi, which means firework in Japanese (it is actually my favorite Japanese word). 

Hanabi studying Japanese.  She is trying her best!

Living in Japan has been fun but it also has its difficulties. Fukuoka is a really good city to live in if you are a student. The cost of living is not as high as other places in Japan and transportation around the city is easy to navigate. There is plenty to see and do in just this one part of Japan. Once I become better at Japanese, I feel like Fukuoka would be a place I could live in again someday. Seinan is a great college to go to. I live in an international dorm with people from all over the world. I have made so many new friends from different countries who same similar passions about Japan. Classes here are also interesting. I take Japanese four times a week and also other cultural classes such as Japanese history, traditional theater and dance, and a class about manga and anime. I am even taking judo, which is super tough but also fun! 

I have managed to go on so many adventures since I came to Japan in January! My first big trip was to Tokyo during a break in February. Tokyo is so different from Fukuoka. It is bigger, more complex, and filled with a lot more people from all over the world, like New York City or Paris. I was overwhelmed with just how many people there! I went to many famous places in Tokyo. I saw the Tokyo sky tree and went to the largest fish markets in Japan (I think it's also one of the largest in the world) to eat real, fresh sushi. 

Sushi at Tsukiji fish market, Tokyo

I went to Akihabara twice, since it was one of my number one places to visit in Japan. I am a huge lover of Japanese anime, and Akihabara is the center for it, so I spent hours running around and collecting as much anime merchandise as possible (maybe even a little too much). I also went to Shibuya, which reminded me of Times Square, and visited the imperial palace. Tokyo was an interesting and a fun experience, however, I would never live in such a big and confusing city. I actually prefer Fukuoka. 

My next big adventure was a school trip my college organized for international students and Japanese students to explore the island of Kyushu. I loved this trip because I got to see more of the island that I live and study on. On the trip, we went to a pottery place out in the country and painted our own plates. We went to Yufuin in Oita prefecture, which was near the mountains, and visited the crowded tourist area near a popular lake. I ate ice-cream made from the local limes, which is one of the foods the area is known for, and saw a bakery that was a recreation of the bread shop in the movie Kiki's Delivery Service! We then stayed the night at a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn, in Kumamoto. I got to wear a yukata and have a really amazing meal with everyone in a very Japanese setting.

Group photo of students from the Kyushu trip wearing yukata at a ryokan in Kumamoto

I also went to an onsen or hot spring for the first time. The onsen was my favorite part, it was surreal sitting in an outdoor spring looking up at mountains. The only thing was I had to be naked in front of a bunch of other women for the first time in my life, but I got over it since onsen is something you just have to experience when coming to Japan. The next day we went back to Oita prefecture and visited an historical town called Hita Mameda Machi, famous for being a government center during the edo period and for producing the Japanese dolls seen on Girls Day. While here, I somehow ended up on the news! I was interviewed while viewing an old exhibit of Japanese dolls, and later while eating lunch, I saw myself on TV for the first time! It was shocking. On the last part of the trip we went to Dazaifu, a famous shrine where people come to pray to do well in school and their studies. I hope being there helped me a little for my future studies in Japan. The Kyushu trip was a great memory for me, not only did I get to see more of the island but I bonded with the other international students and made new Japanese friends that also came on the trip. So far, it has been one of my favorite adventures here in Japan.

Brittany and Callum in Strathclyde, Scotland!

Hiyah everyone! I’m Brittany and I am studying this semester at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland with my little dragon Callum. It is hard to believe we’ve already been here for eight weeks.  I am so happy that I chose Strathclyde Uni. It’s in the city centre meaning there’s great night life, plenty to do, and you can see street performers on any given day. The international student community here is extremely close and I’ve yet to meet a mean Scottish person. So far the experience has been amazing. I’ve made several friends, visited sites in Glasgow and Edinburgh. I have participated in a two day tour to the Isle of Skye and the Highlands, where we saw castles and breath-taking landscapes.

Most Recently, Callum and I travelled to Dublin, Ireland (somewhere I’ve always wanted to go) for St. Patrick’s Day weekend! We stayed at Isaac’s Hostel (I highly recommend it) for two nights in a 16 person room. Although it looked like a scene from Annie, it ended up being a lot of fun and incredibly inexpensive. 

Flight to Dublin!  Don't be afraid of Ryan Air.

 

The first day my flatmates, Callum, and I attempted to adventure the city with 6 other girls which we quickly realized was a terrible idea. I definitely recommend traveling with no more than 5 people in a group or it just gets too difficult to keep everyone together and happy. We spent the day wondering around the city centre, mainly along the river and the famous Temple Bar District. Later that night we checked out the Dublin nightlife. We found a random pub called “Bad Ass” (I kid you not) where there was live music, dancing, a bachelor party of men dressed as leprechauns.…to say the least it was a great night. 

Strathclyde girls take Dublin! (I'm third in the front row)

The next day we did 8 hours more of site seeing. We went to an Irish restaurant, Dublin castle, various cathedrals, Ireland’s oldest pub, and visited the Guinness store house which is really impressive! The Guinness store house is about 7 stories high and from the top floor you can see everything in the city. The only things I regretted not seeing while there was the Book of Kells, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral but I know I will visit again in the future. 

Callum tastes his first Guinness!

Callum and I have been bit by the travel bug and can’t wait to visit more places! For spring break in April we have decided on a 10 day trip to Amsterdam, Hamburg, Berlin, and Prague ending with 12 hours in Brussels. It’s going to be a tiring 10 days and we’ll probably hate each other by the end but it will be well worth it. If you are thinking of applying to Strathclyde Uni, go for it! Don’t believe what everyone says about the weather. Yes it is quite chilly still but since being here I’ve only seen it rain a handful of times. I still have so much to knock off my Study Abroad bucket list and I hope the next 3 months here will be just as unforgettable as the first 2. Cheers!!

Brittany Jones

University of Strathclyde

Glasgow, Scotland

United Kingdom

Marion and Colin in Staffordshire, England!

Greetings from Staffordshire, UK! My name is Marion, and my dragon Colin and I are going to offer you some tips and tricks when traveling while studying abroad. 

I decided to take a risk and spend a week in London by myself before classes started. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Since then, I have had the opportunity to spend most of my weekends traveling. But there were certainly a few hiccups along the way. I wanted to share a few of the lessons that I learned and hopefully offer some advice along the way. 

Colin climbing along the town walls of Conway, Wales

Tip #1: If you are traveling with approximately one hundred pounds of luggage, you should consider booking a hotel/hostel that is close to your point of arrival. Carrying luggage on a train, the Tube, a bus, and uneven sidewalks while getting accustomed to oncoming traffic coming from opposite directions is no easy task. 

Getting lost in the Hampton Court maze

 

Tip #2: Maps, directions, and where in the world is this hostel? If you are in a major city, there may be maps scattered around the city. Most cities do not offer free maps (but most hostels do!), and the cheaper ones that can be purchased are often not detailed enough for tourists. If you are not good with directions (and functioning Wi-Fi hotspots can be hard to come by), I suggest screenshotting directions from Google Maps or downloading a city map onto your phone in order to save yourself some time. However, keep in mind that your directions may be incorrect. I have found that to be true when using Google Maps to find hostels. Most of the hostels that I have stayed at are in odd locations. I have had to wonder around late at night spending half an hour or more locating hostels. Maybe I’m not very good with maps. However, when Google is telling me that I’m supposed to be spending the night at a bank or a Starbucks, there must be some other factors at work. 

Walking around the Markt in Bruges, Belgium

Tip #3: Bring medicine. I decided to do a weekend trip to Amsterdam. The trip started out nice, and I was feeling great. Then the coughing started. Then a headache. By the time I arrived outside of the city, I had a fever. I arrived in Amsterdam feeling like I had been hit by a train, but I didn’t bring medicine because who would think that it would be necessary for a weekend trip? There were no pharmacies so I decided to walk around and see the sights while looking for one along the way. Four hours later, I felt like I was going to fall over, and finally, I came across a store that sold medicine. Several euros later, I finally had some medicine in my system, but the effects wouldn’t kick in for another few hours. I still wanted to enjoy the city after coming all this way. But after queuing for two and a half hours, in the rain, to enter the Anne Frank House, I started to wonder if going back to the hotel to sleep would have been a better idea (which brings me to Tip #3.5: Purchase tickets ahead of time.) Learn from my mistake. Bring the medicine with you and save yourself the embarrassment of passing out at a table in the cafeteria of the Anne Frank House.

Marion walking along the beach at sunrise in Llandudno, Wales

 

Tip #4: Tour companies. One of the main motivations for studying abroad is to travel. However, it can be very stressful planning all the nuances of the trips. There may also be instances where you cannot find anyone to come with you, and you have to choose whether or not you want to travel alone or skip the trip altogether. Luckily, there are several tour companies that will eliminate several of these problems. They will plan all the details for you often for approximately the same cost as booking transportation, hostels/hotels, and activities on your own. While it may be daunting traveling with a group of strangers, it also provides a great opportunity to make new friends from all around the world who are studying abroad as well. 

Learning to enjoy travel by coach

Marissa and Reggie in Wales, Part 3!

READING WEEK PART THREE: Brecon Beacons in Wales

For the last part of reading week we did yet another hiking trip (see post about the Pembrokeshire Coast). Thankfully this hike was much more relaxed, only lasting a couple hours instead of 8 hours. We left the coast and walked along the valleys of the Brecon Beacons. Our hostel had a wonderfully cozy feel to it with a fireplace in the lounge. It was so nice to read a book (that was not assigned or in Latin) by the warm fire.

The cozy fireplace at the hostel

The next day, after feeling fully relaxed, we got up and hiked the Beacons. We soon felt the burn in our legs, our bodies still being broken from the coast. However we pressed on because 1) the Beacons are gorgeous, 2) hiking hurts but it feels great after and 3) that was literally the only reason we went to the Beacons and that would have wasted money. Of course I was rewarded when we reached the top with the spectacular view of mountains upon mountains. 

Hiking on the snowy Beacons

The day had started out sunny, but eventually the fog rolled in bring an eerie feel to the landscape. It was also nice to see some snow at the top, even if I got some in my socks. 

There was another view that we wanted, but unfortunately there was a fence blocking us. But we had become somewhat master fence jumpers, so we strayed from the path once again (like we had in the coast). After taking a million selfies and adventurous “candid” pictures, we began the walk down. But of course going down would not be as easy as up, and we had to hold on the fence so we would not roll down the hill. There is always some kind of obstacle! 

That night we went back to the lounge and read and talked by the fireside. It has been strange coming back to my home away from home, having to settle in and do actual school work. But we had to come back to school eventually, and after all the next adventure is never far away.

Reggie on the hike

Marissa Sarver

Trinity St. David

Wales