Getting to spend four months in a foreign country learning and playing, is one of the best parts of the college experience. Whether you spend your time traipsing through Europe, cozying up to your host family in Africa, or learning to surf between classes in Australia — the collegiettes who spent a semester abroad experience some amazing times and they’re now sharing their favorite memories with you!
If you’ve been abroad, share your most cherished memories by leaving a comment below!
There was a cold front in Europe and I was walking 25 minutes to school on a sheet of ice, during my time in Tours, France. My cousin who was studying in Paris made a snap decision for us to go to Marrakech, Morocco. We really didn’t think twice about it but it ended up being the best decision we made. We were led through the old city by a man who didn’t speak a word to us, passing donkeys and pigs who blocked our paths while people stared at the two American girls who were definitely not dressed appropriately. We felt like hiding but it was an incredible experience. We tanned in the sun, wandered the souks, got a taste of Marrakech life, tried delicious food, got a famous hamham and best of all learned about a completely new culture from a decision we made on a whim.
– Sarah Dubow, Campus Correspondent, Bucknell University
The best thing I did while I was abroad was never sleep! I studied in Barcelona where the hours of the night are just as lively as the daytime, and I definitely sacrificed my sleep schedule to assimilate to their happening culture. My daily routine consisted of class in the morning, sightseeing during the day, jogging to a gorgeous park or taking a scenic walk around the city at dusk, enjoying tapas (and don’t forget sangria) in the evening, and dancing the night away at las discotecas! Sleep is important, but make sure to squeeze everything in so that you do not regret a single moment of your months spent overseas!
– Elizabeth Wagmeister, Campus Correspondent, UCSB
I took a weekend and traveled by myself! I was studying in Paris in the fall, and I’d always wanted to visit Normandy. So one weekend in December I just did it – hopped on a train, stayed in an actual hotel instead of a hostel, and explored all around Bayeux, the invasion beaches, and the American cemetery. It was really great to have a weekend all to myself to do some reflection, especially in such a historic place. Also, going in the off season let me afford a really FANCY hotel and really fancy restaurants in their off season prices.
– Erica Spurlock, Marketing Services Associate, Tufts University
When I was abroad in Venice, Italy the best thing I did was to stay in Venice on some weekends. Everyone encourages you to travel, which is a great advantage to being in Europe, but those weekends I spent in Venice helped me to bond with some of the locals, improve my Italian language skills, and discover areas of the city I had never seen! It was listening to live music in small piazze, buying wine from places where they pump it straight from the barrels into bottles, and eating at hidden aperitivi that made me feel as if I had actually lived in Venice rather than just toured it for an extended period of time.
– Allison Lantero, Contributing Writer, Boston College
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The best thing I did while being abroad was make friends with the locals. I studied in a small town in The Netherlands (about an hour from Amsterdam) and I got to travel a lot and see some amazing sites, but my most valuable memories are from getting close with the locals. It makes for such a different experience and really opens your eyes to the culture of whatever country where you’re studying in a totally different way. A year later, two of my Dutch friends came to visit me in Boston and I got to the return the favor of showing them around places that aren’t in travel books.
– Michelle King Health Editor and Editorial Intern, Emerson College
I went abroad to Florence, Italy and there were two great things that I did while abroad. The first was that I realized about halfway through the semester that I needed to stay in Florence to learn about my city instead of traveling every weekend! That helped me learn more about the language and culture. And the other was the amazing trip that I took was to Greece. My friends and I spent our last week in Europe traveling from Italy to Athens and then to Santorini. We stayed at a tiny hostel, called Stelio’s Place, and we did so many fun things that week – riding around the island on ATVs, eating delicious food, laying in the sun, swimming in the pool, climbing a volcano, riding donkeys, watching the sunset in Oia… it was one of the best weeks of my life!
– Jenni Whalen, Editorial Intern, Bucknell University
I studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina for five months in 2010. There are really two things I would say are the “best things” I did while I was abroad. One is that I did a 3-month, part-time internship at a start-up company in Buenos Aires. Not only was it a great experience and resume builder, but I am now good friends with the owner and his wife, so it was a good networking opportunity as well. The other best thing I did while abroad was to TRAVEL AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. Most people don’t realize that Argentina is 1/3 the size of the U.S., so there is so much to see! I saw enormous waterfalls in the rainforest (Iguazu Falls), deserts (Salta/Tucuman), wine country (Mendoza), hiked in the Andes (Bariloche), and even saw penguins and sea lions in the wild (Ushuaia)! I probably never would have gone to half of those places if I hadn’t studied abroad and there’s a chance I may never see many of them again, so I really cherish those memories a lot.
– Makena Sage, Campus Correspondent, Bryant University
Zorbing in Rotorua, New Zealand, where it was invented. Where else in the world can you roll down a hill in a huge plastic ball?!
– Lesley Siu, Campus Correspondent, American University
I was studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and one weekend my program took a trip to Iguazu Falls. It was amazing and one of the coolest places I’d ever been–there are bridges built right on top of the edges of the falls, so when you look down you are literally looking down to the bottom of the falls!
– Kali Grant, Campus Correspondent, Ohio State