Per CofC requirement, my Sophomore year I was in an Honors Western Civilization course. I remember being in the Wells Fargo auditorium at 8am being intrigued by the topic of the day, Vlad the Impaler or otherwise known as Dracula. Before traveling abroad, it was my goal to travel often and explore other countries, as well as my host country. My friends and I made a list of places we wanted to see and on my list was Bran castle, the castle of Dracula. I boarded the plane in Paris excited to expand my previous knowledge and understanding of Vlad the Impaler from class into a real life experience.

I found other CofC students who were abroad and made plans with them to visit Romania. My advice for travel is to always travel in a group. I never did any traveling alone but I really enjoyed the company of others and felt a lot safer with other people with me. Finding a group to travel with can be tricky, especially when you are the only CofC student in your program. My advice is during the orientation, you should talk with other CofC students who are going to be abroad, maybe even in the same host country. These groups of people can make great travel buddies and can ensure that you have a fun and safe time during your travels abroad. We landed in Bucharest, Romania to explore the city before making the trip to Bran. We had the opportunity of touring the parliament building in Romania, which is the heaviest building in the world. Visiting a place like a parliament or government building can teach you so much about the history and culture. Just the building itself is the most extreme expression of the systematization program imposed upon Romania. Visiting Bran castle was an enlightening experience. I knew Vlad the Impaler’s role in Western history from my previous course, but I was able to see this history come to life. The castle was set up in a way to honor Vlad as one of the greatest Romanian rulers in history. Little markets lined the streets up until we got to the castle, each paying homage to the ruler who fought for their independence throughout history. This experience opened my eyes to the benefits of studying abroad. I was able to expand the classroom into a life experience, which was really rewarding.