Melissa M. - Paris, France - Fall 2009

So I am studying in Paris for the fall of 2009. I can say already that I made the right choice in choosing to study abroad here. Leading up to leaving I was not nervous at all and very excited and kept telling myself that I was prepared what was up ahead. The trip to Paris could not have been any easier for me. I found out about three weekds prior to leaving that I had a roomate from New York and we talked a little to get to know each other, but then relized we were both going to get to Paris within an hour of each other. We decided to share a cab from the airport to our apartment and it was the best thing to do we did not have to deal with the train or metro with all our luggage.My host family is so nice I couldn't ask for anything better. When I arrived though I went through my first bit of culture shock. I stepped into this apartment where the living space was so minimal I freaked out a bit. We were shown our rooms and my room here is shaped very wierd and I have a sink in it which is not uncommon here. Yet, the other girl here has a room with no sink and has to use mine. Aside from that I just had to adjust to the concept that there is no air condition and they conserve so much more energy then we do. You only take a quick shower and there is no dryer for your clothes after the washing machine.Aside from that the program I am here with is great and they helped us adjust as much as they could and they still do so much for us when an issue comes up. We took two field trips the first two weekends we were here and that was a great way to meet people and explore more than just Paris.Paris is outstanding. I have been here so many times on vacation and in the first month I have lived here I have seen and done more in that time then in all my vacations here put together. I was lucky enough to be placed in a great part of the city. I live right off the Champs-Elysee and could not ask for anything better. There is so much to do here I feel like I wont get half of what I plan to do done because there is just so much to do.Night life here is undescribable. I am sure some wonder about that, and I can say that I have never seen so many options for going out as I do here. You can go to clubs/bars/art exhibits/the ballet/plays/musicals etc. there is just an endless amount of stuff to do.If anyone wants to know more in depth about something feel free to ask me.Melissa

Jenn K. - Salamanca, Spain - Fall 2009

Hey everyone! As you know, I am studying abroad in Salamanca, Spain this semester. While I am there, I am keeping a blog at the following link:

http://jennscoloringoutsidethelines.blogspot.com

and am keeping my pictures at the following link:

http://jennsfabulousphotos.shutterfly.com/

There is a link for the other page on each of them for easy access too. :-)

If you have any questions, please let me know. Otherwise I hope to hear from you and learn about what is going on with you back home. There's certainly a part of me that misses home and EC (they're one in the same for me, really), but I am also pretty excited to finally start classes today and get into the swing of things for this semester.

I hope all is well!

Hasta luego. :-)
-- ~ Jenn

Laura R. - Salamanca, Spain - Fall 2009

I couldn’t believe it; I was in Madrid again! It’s very exciting to come back and spend a longer time in Spain. It’s going to be a good semester, my luggage was not lost like in January, that’s a good sign and we made it safely to our hostel.
Although I am super excited to stay in Salamanca for almost four months, I still feel a bit nervous. My biggest worries is not much cultural shocked nor homesick, is actually getting things done for graduate school. That’s the one worry that has haunted me since I left home; all thru that long and uncomfortable flight. Other than stressing for graduate school applications, I also want to focus on other aspects in this experience, such as meeting new people other than those in our program, traveling to other cities in Spain, expanding my vocabulary, and reading more than one book in Spanish.
We spend three days in Madrid, so the countdown to meet my host family was very intense. I could feel the butterflies in my stomach, and I was growing impatient and at the same time regretting coming here. Once we arrived to Salamanca, our families were waiting for us; I peeked out the window and wondered out of all the families which one is mine. I finally met my family; they were heartwarming and immediately treated us like they have known us for years. This reassured my feelings about staying in Salamanca; I knew taking things step by step everything will fall into place. I know this semester is going to be a great time, and adjusting won’t be as hard people tell me is going to be.

This is the cathedral of Salamanca, at least the gothic side. We have classes in the buildings around the cathedral, so I see it every day.

Leslie - Ireland - Fall 2009

Hello from Dublin! I’ve only been in Ireland for 2 days, but I feel like I’ve been moving nonstop for all 48 hours. The flight here was shorter than projected, but we still had a 2 hour line to have passports checked. The taxi driver was very congenial. Admittedly, I have not seen the whole city, but from what I have seen, its very very clean. Maybe this only affects me so much because of living around Chicago, but this city is so clean that I really notice little pieces of litter, which are uncommon. There is a now light rail tram-type system called the Luas (which I believe means ‘speed’ in Gaelic) which is (as I said) new, fast, gorgeous, and clean. There is a stop 5 minutes walk from my flat and a stop another 5 minutes walk away from the program center. The flat is also 5 minutes away from the brand new-ish giant shopping mall (the largest one in Ireland). The whole city of Dublin is both very old and quite new. The city was established by Vikings, and just expanded with time, absorbing other villages until it became what it is today. Its full of new constructions and 55% of the city is under are 30, making it the youngest city in Europe demographically speaking. I have 3 flatmates- 2 from Minnesota and one from Wisconsin, who are quite nice so far. The flat is great, although the shower stall in the 2nd bathroom is absolutely tiny. We register for classes tomorrow and start on Monday.
So- that being said, I’m going to bed. For real this time.