Reflection after Semester at Sea by Chase Hirshorn

Embarking on my Semester At Sea journey, we were presented with an extraordinary opportunity—to travel from Belgium to Thailand, passing through the Suez Canal and visiting 12 diverse countries along the way. However, the course of our adventure took an unexpected turn due to an unforeseen conflict in the Middle East. Originally set to enter the Suez Canal and explore destinations like Jordan, Dubai, and India, our plans faced a…

Day in the life on Semester At Sea by Chase Hirshorn

Embarking on Semester At Sea is like stepping into a dream for any college student. The sheer awesomeness of traveling the globe on a cruise ship, hitting up three continents and thirteen ports, transforms us into true global citizens. Living among 500 fellow students and 300 staff members creates an incredible sense of community. We’re not just studying abroad; we’re coexisting, learning, and exploring together. This unique experience turns us…

Reflection by Chase Lee

I am writing this in my room, back home in the United States. It feels extremely weird typing that because I have been studying in Italy for the last four months. I am sad that my trip has ended, but I am so grateful for what this experience has given me. If I had any advice to give to future students, it would be to study abroad and don’t look back. You will only receive the opportunity once in your…

Education at Queen’s by Michelle Taylor

The education structure is a bit different at Queen’s to what I experienced at the College of Charleston. Courses at Queen’s would meet once to twice a week for lectures where a professor would stand in the front of a lecture hall and speak for several hours and meet once for tutorials which were run by TAs with smaller groups and were discussion based. This resulted in less face-to-face time…

What I Learned by Michelle Taylor

To any future study abroad students I would say the very cliche phrase: don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. You are going abroad to learn new things and have experiences you can’t have here in the States. That being said, having ties to home helped me a lot. I would set aside time each weekend to call home and I brought a couple of mementos from…

What Historical Sites or Landmarks Have You Visited and What Did You Learn? by Eva Tryon

One of my favorite parts about studying abroad in France was the ability to travel to other cities and countries. “ La Toussaint” is a holiday in France when all the schools and universities across the country get a week-long vacation, typically at the end of October. A friend from my program and I went to Italy during the break. Throughout the course of the week, we traveled to five…

Reflection by Caroline Benson

Overall, my study abroad experience was amazing. I was able to learn so much and make so many new friends. I lived in a very small town in Spain and stayed with a host family, with the goal of improving my Spanish. I think that if the main thing you want to get out of studying abroad is learning the language, this is the way you should do it. Most…

Culture, Customs, & Tradition by Caroline Benson

One thing I love most about living in Spain is all of the festivals. Just in my small town, Trujillo, we had a number of really fun festivals on the weekends, in which people came from all over to attend. In February it was Carnaval, which is celebrated with bull runs throughout the small streets and in the plaza. This was a time I definitely experienced culture shock. People ran…