10 Things I Learned (Thanks To Studying Abroad) By Age 22

10 things I’m glad I learned by age 22 while studying abroad Part 1

Street meat became a staple while I was traveling

I’m pretty adamant about the fact that most of what you take away from studying abroad isn’t learned in the classroom. Some of it consists of life lessons, maybe new self-confidence, personal realizations, or just general observations and opinions about the world. Although this had the possibility to be very cliche, I tried to keep as real and down to Earth as possible. Inspired by the post, 8 Things I Wish I Knew When I Was 22, here’s the first half of 10 Things I Learned By Age 22. Continue Reading

Culture Shock, Homesickness, And The “Aha Moment”

Experiencing homesickness and culture shock while studying abroad – you’re not alone

It's hard to be homesick when your family comes to visit you!

The common sense way of starting a post about culture shock and homesickness would probably be to define them, but they’re different for everyone so I’m not going to try. The bad news is that they’re both pretty much inevitable when you’re abroad. The good news is that if everyone else can overcome them, there’s no reason you can’t too. Here are my experiences with homesickness and culture shock while I was studying abroad, and a bit about my discovery of what I like to call the “Aha moment”. Continue Reading

As Young Americans We Should Make Every Effort To Study Abroad

It's your duty to study abroad!

Like I’ve said before, I went/am going abroad because I want to see and study about the world while I’m young and there’s nothing holding me back. Recently, I was inspired by a number of posts (which I’ll list at the bottom) to reconsider why myself, and all young Americans, should go abroad at some point in their young lives. Believe it or not, I am coming to a somewhat contradictory realization that it’s almost my duty as a good U.S. citizen to go abroad. Continue Reading

How To Fit Your Life Into Two Suitcases

Packing for study abroad finally made easy

Packing for Study Abroad: It's not as daunting as it looks

A long while back, I wrote a post called, “2 Suitcases + 1 Year = Study Abroad Packing List“, which included a detailed packing list and a number of helpful notes. I realized that, since in its entirety it was longer than the Bible, a lot of people probably didn’t get to the most important part – the helpful notes! So I’ve decided to cut the notes out of that post and expand on them in this post, “How To Fit Your Life Into Two Suitcases”. Don’t forget to revert back to “2 Suitcases + 1 Year = Study Abroad Packing List“, and feel free to print both out as your complete guide on how to pack when your studying abroad! Continue Reading

10 Mistakes I Made While Studying Abroad

Mistakes I made and things I would change about my study abroad experience

View of St. Andrews from the Castle Course

I can safely say that I didn’t leave St. Andrews with any regrets. I met new people, traveled and golfed just about every free minute I had, and actually learned a ton of cool stuff in my classes. However, there are a few things I would change if I were to do it again and here they are 10 Mistakes I Made While Studying Abroad – St. Andrews edition. Continue Reading