Academic Programs International (API) offers comprehensive study abroad programs in 15 countries, 35 cities across Europe Latin America, and the Middle East.
Academic Programs International (API) offers comprehensive study abroad programs in 15 countries, 35 cities across Europe Latin America, and the Middle East.
Over the past couple weeks, I have been doing a lot of travelling outside of the UK. First, I went to Ireland. One of my friends from Colorado State, Meghan, is studying in Dublin through API. Once my parents flew back to the U.S. I went to Paris to meet up with another friend from CSU, Kevin, who is studying abroad through API in Seville. None of us knew that we were all going to be studying abroad in Europe in the same semester through the same program until just before we left. We’ve been abroad for the same amount of time and are coming from the same university culture, that of Fort Collins and CSU. We even have a lot of the same friends. Our experiences while abroad have been different, but we’ve had similar fears, reactions, and reflections. I think we will also have similar experiences once we return to CSU.
In study abroad orientation, they warned us about culture shock. At first I didn’t know what they meant; I had been to England before and even third world countries before and thought I wouldn’t go through culture shock. I did and all of the phases of shock they talked about have been happening. When I talked to Meghan and Kevin about this, they had gone through the same types of shock. We’re all pretty much on the same page now. At this point in the semester, we have our routines, we are comfortable with the cities we live in, and are overall enjoying life. I found it interesting, though, that we were so similar and seeing them recently has opened my eyes to how studying abroad affects a person.
If you haven’t seen them, meaning if you’ve been living under a rock for the past month, there are videos of “Stuff people say”. The videos are of phrases and moments that a certain group of people share, like “Stuff theater kids say” or “Stuff hipsters say and what they actually mean”. When we were in the Louvre in Paris, Kevin and I met these two girls from Wisconsin. They told us about this video called “Stuff study abroad students say”. We looked it up when we got back to our hotel, and while it was really funny and very true, I thought one of the sayings was questionable. The phrase was, “This has changed my life.” When Kevin asked me if this was true for me, I said that it was hard to say one thing changed your life when your life changes every day. I have changed as a person, I won’t deny that. When you live in a different country, you have a new life and a new world to get used to.
In the beginning, you can’t believe that you’re an ocean away from home. It feels like you could drive back to your campus and it would take half an hour. By this time, about half way through I guess, you know that you are here and your friends and family are somewhere else, but you like knowing this because you don’t want those two worlds to collide. Like I said, I realize I have changed as a person. I didn’t want to when I first got here, but now I’m really glad I did.
One thing I’m glad about is knowing that I was not the only one who was afraid. I’m happy I got to talk to Meghan and Kevin about their experience so far and knowing that the fears of making friends, changing, getting lost, and stressing about grades weren’t just in my head.
To all the people reading this who plan on studying abroad, there will be a few days when everything goes right, there will be a lot of days when nothing does, but most days there will be moments of normalcy and being comfortable with your surroundings. You will change, it’s not a bad thing. You will go through culture shock, still not a bad thing. And there may even be times when you regret leaving home. I can tell you truthfully though, despite the bad times and keeping in mind all of the amazing ones, studying abroad is one of the greatest things you could do for yourself.
Till next time,
Lianna Rose
Lianna Salva is an API student contributor to our Tumblr blog, and will regularly report on her adventures in Leeds, England.
Well, it’s spring break, or Easter Holiday, for me right now. While I am writing this, I am sitting on a plane going from Verona to London. RyanAir: remember that name. This airline is the best and cheapest option to travel outside the country (England, that is). They have some pretty strict restrictions for bags and such, but it’s well worth it especially for those weekend trips. I was reading the RyanAir magazine and saw that Leeds was one of the top ten places to travel for a holiday. So there you go, Leeds is certifiably awesome.
Like I said, I just finished in Verona. I was there with my parents for a few days and I have to say it is, as of now, my favorite city to vacation in Europe. Here’s Verona in a nutshell:
Juliet’s wall – Verona, among other things, is well known for its attachment to Shakespearean plays, one of which is the classic Romeo and Juliet. Now, my opinion of this play aside (not one of my favorites), I felt I had to go as a duty to being an English major. And yes, I wanted to see if the Letters to Juliet movie was real. Hey, I am a girl. Juliet’s house, the Casa di Giulietta, is near one of the main piazzas and shopping areas in Verona, just north of the arena (see below). There is an exhibit and the statue of Juliet. I guess you’re supposed to hold her left breast for good luck. I left my letter on the wall, asking for advice on love and the complications of men. And then three girls from Spain and another guy took pictures of my letter. So now, I’m a celebrity.
Piazza Bra and Arena –My hotel, Hotel Scalzi (gorgeous and super friendly by the way) wasn’t to far from another piazza that had a lot of gelato shops, a small park area, and a giant, crumbling arena. You can go into the arena for six euro unless it is the first Sunday of the month, when it is only one euro. They hold theater and music performances here; this season it’s Romeo and Juliet, Carmen, and Aida. Hopefully I can go back for one of these. When I was in there, they were building the set for Romeo and Julietwhich, as a theater nerd, I thought was super cool.
I don’t know too much information about the castle, but the bridge is amazing and offers some pretty nice views of the river. Walking around the river itself has some gorgeous views of the hills. It was a pretty good landmark when walking around the city from our hotel.
We also took a day trip to Venice, which, in my opinion, one day is more than enough. It took two hours by train to get there. The trains are double decker, which was new to me, and pretty interesting. Venice is nice, but the water made it cold and extremely humid and being from Colorado, I had no idea how that was possible. San Marco is the main tourist spot, and man, is it touristy. I guess if you wanted to go on a gondola with someone and get lost in the center of Venice, that would be fun. But other than that, I much preferred Verona. Venice, however, is the location for Carnivale, a giant masquerade party. I didn’t go because I had class, but my friends said it was awesome. If you do go to Venice, be sure to pick up a mask. I got a couple cheap ones at a stall, but also a handmade, more elaborate one in an art studio. My face was covered in glitter the rest of the day from trying so many on.
Arrivederci! Till next time, Lianna Rose
Lianna Salva is an API student contributor to our Tumblr blog, and will regularly report on her adventures in Leeds, England.
A major difference between the United States and the United Kingdom is that the UK is really old. Because of this, there is plenty to see and do for those who like some dusty old artifacts.
In Leeds, there is Kirkstall Abbey, just a 20-minute drive outside the city. On a trip sponsored by API, I went to the Abbey this past weekend. In my opinion, history is more interesting when the building isn’t all there. Sometimes you forget how old something is when it’s still intact. Yep, crumbly and gothic is how I like it. Exhibit A:
The Abbey Entrance
Our tour guide was very funny and told us some interesting stories about what life was like for the monks who lived in this Abbey. If you were the second born son in a family, usually you would work for the Church. Monks would start their education and training as early as age 7. They took a vow of silence and could only speak to each other in a special room in one of the courtyards, even if it was a short message. Women were not allowed in the Abbey but after a while they were permitted to attend services if they stood at the back and were quiet. There was a special room for those who were sick or dying so that they could worship while being taken care of. The doorways were in the oddest places and at one point, the picture below used to be a road:
This was my favorite area; another nerdy obsession is with architecture, especially columns and arches. That, and I just felt like I was in Lord of the Rings.
Across the road is another part of the Abbey that now serves as the offices and gift shop, but more importantly shows what Leeds looked like in Victorian times. You can walk through cobblestoned rooms with old shops selling produce, cloth, and even visit the undertakers. There are cases of old objects including some that I would love to have on my bookshelf, like first editions of Alice in Wonderland and theater programs for Leeds City Varieties (that theater is still operating in the city center and it is gorgeous). There are pictures and old uniforms for sports history. I can’t imagine who was responsible for uncovering all of these objects and putting the whole thing together but it looks like a really fun job. There is a pub as well that was graced by the presence of Her Royal Majesty, Queen Victoria:
Our program director, Rachel, told us that busts and pictures of Queen Victoria were everywhere during her reign because she was the longest reigning Queen in British history.
I hope API keeps this trip on the itinerary for future students because it is not to be missed.
Till next time,
Lianna Rose
Lianna Salva is an API student contributor to our Tumblr blog, and will regularly report on her adventures in Leeds, England.
In ways more than one, I am a nerd. I love Harry Potter, Star Trek, and know all the lines by heart to Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I’m a theater groupie and a movie freak. By some definitions, I guess I’m a little bit of a hipster too.
Although I live and study in Leeds, I am using this opportunity to see more of England and Europe. Don’t worry, I’ll fill you in on all the exciting stuff at Leeds Uni, but since I’m in Liverpool at this very moment, I thought I’d inform you of one of my other nerdy obsessions. I am a Beatles fan.
When I was little, I was very stubborn (ok, I still am). I would never watch a black and white movie because I thought they were only for people like my parents. I did like to watch music videos though, like Michael Jackson. So when I saw my dad watching the Beatles movie, Hard Days Night, I thought it was just a really long music video. Even though it was in black and white, I instantly fell in love. From there, my friends introduced me to their music. And the rest, as they say, is history.
When I was 10, I also started to play the drums so, of course, my favorite Beatle was and remains to this day, Ringo Starr. In high school, my friends got Beatles Rockband and sometimes at two in the morning I would get a call, “Hey Ringo! Come play drums!
Liverpool is a little over 2 hours away from Leeds by train. Leeds is in the geographical center of the UK, so it is a great place to live if you like to travel. Sounds a bit ironic doesn’t it? Liverpool is also where The Beatles started. Many inspirations for the songs are in Liverpool, like Strawberry Fields, which used to be a children’s home, and Penny Lane.
Today, I visited John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s childhood homes. I secured a tour with the National Trust, a non-profit organization that restores historical places. Both houses have been restored to what they would have looked like in the time that Lennon and McCartney lived there. John’s skiffle band, the Quarreymen, practiced in the living room. Paul and John wrote lyrics together in Paul’s living room while Paul’s dad gave his criticism, as he was a musician too when he was young.
The story of how the Beatles started can be seen in the recent movie Nowhere Boy. It was not filmed in the real house, but they did a very good job with the look and the casting especially.
I also visited The Beatles Story, which is a museum dedicated to the Beatles at Albert Dock. It was pretty cool and I liked seeing original pictures and hearing interviews with different important people on the Beatle trail. I also went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Ohio this past November, and honestly, they have a much larger Beatles exhibit. Still, this museum was worth the trip.
There’s a huge football game for Liverpool tonight, I think the finals….or something (I’m not too familiar but I hope to change that while I’m here) so instead joining the masses of crazy football fans I think I’m just going to stick around my hostel. Hatters Hostel, by the way, is one of the coolest places I’ve ever stayed in. And the reception gives free cookies
Till next time,
Lianna Rose
Connecting API sites - the Olympic Torch traveling to Dublin :)
Both great API #studyabroad cities!
It’s down to London and Doha in the bid for the 2017 World Athletic Championships, and both countries have high hopes of winning the chance to host the prestigious track and field competition.
A 26-member panel of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) will vote…
