The Bloggers With The Most To Say
Study/living abroad stories!
Spend a semester or a long period of time abroad and love to talk about it but feel like no one cares because they weren't there? I care! And I bet so do my fellow travelers here on 20SB! I love to hear about long-term time spent abroad and some favorite stories about adjusting to life in a different country/city. long stories, short stories, words, phrases, photos-- bring 'em on! I've also only spent a long period of time in Europe and love to hear how experiences differ in other parts of the world.
I spent a semester in Perugia, Italy my junior year of college and absolutely fell in love with everything Italy. my time there is actually what started my blogging-- I was using it as a journal of what I did so I didn't forget anything as well as a way to keep my family and my friends updated. I hope to turn it into a book someday. since returning to the states I have dreamed of moving back to Perugia at least for a little while, and traveling around Europe with a backpack and without a plan.
to get things rolling, my favorite things/times were:
-- learning Italian. and not only traditional, but Perugian slang.
-- befriending a cafe owner who spoke no English.
-- taking trains to multiple countries in one weekend! amazing!
-- eating gelato multiple times a day and not being judged for it.
-- falling in love with an Italian man, with whom conversation was interesting because we each had to meet halfway between Italian and English, but falling in love nonetheless. it's possible, I swear. it was like something out of a movie (and yes, before you ask, we're still in touch, but nothing more than friends).
Can't wait to hear other stories!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Amber on -
The time I spent studying abroad in London was really the best time of my life. Not only was it a total blast but I met the girl who would eventually become my best friend.
Some of my favorite moments were:
-Meeting buckingham palace guards (who are basically just army dudes, not as fancy as thought) at a bar, going back to their barracks, and trying on their tall fuzzy black hats.
-Almost getting killed by a double-decker bus.
-Frenching a French dude.
-Staying out, drinking all night, waiting around on the streets for the Tube stations to open for the morning, and then drunkenly stumbling upon Westminster Abbey at 5 am.
-Getting Samosas from liquor stores.
-Living in Chelsea and knowing that Hugh Grant and I were breathing the same air.
-Going to plays. I went to 7 of them while I was there.
Most of the trip revolved around drinking, which is probably kind of pathetic. I didn't really take pictures of anything touristy or whatever until the second-to-last day when I decided to take one of those bus tours of the city. I was only 20 and it was the first time that I could go to clubs and drink legally, so I went crazy. I had this false sense of security while I was there and when I think about it, I don't know how I managed to stay alive. I did things there that I would never do in the States. Things that I'm not going to even talk about here.
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Permalink Reply by Christy on -
I USED TO GET SAMOSAS AT THE LIQUOR STORE WHEN I LIVED IN LONDON!
Haha that excited me way more than it should =)
I also did things I would never do in the states that don't need to be talked about, lol.
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Permalink Reply by allisongsNYC on -
these pix from Granada are so beautiful! really brought me back, thanks so much!!!
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Permalink Reply by Kisekae on -
I've always dreamed of going to Italy, but I haven't made it there just yet. Last summer I spent a few months working in England as an AuPair. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life and I had so much fun doing it! I'd recommend it to anyone and hope to travel again soon!
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Permalink Reply by floreta on -
I never did the study abroad thing :( Wish I did.
I'm kind of making up for it now though.
I volunteered for three weeks in India last January 2010. I've been in the Philippines since February and am spending 5 months monastery hopping in Zen temples. I've got two more months to go and I'll be going to Taiwan for the last month of it! After that, I'm not sure what i'll be doing, but I'm up for lots of exploring and adventure!
Some 'highlights':
Getting a free massage by a creepy Indian man at my hotel room...
learning hindi and going to the Taj Mahal
learning tai chi kung fu fan and sword routines
eating vegetarian meals with chopsticks and monastic robes in silence
learning chinese calligraphy and mandarin chinese
drinking coconut juice straight from the coconut!
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Permalink Reply by Annah Rondon on -
I loved reading about this. I've fallen in love (not real love but I guess that transient love) many times while abroad, especially Europe... there's just something about it.
Annah,
http://whenredmeansgo.blogspot.com
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Permalink Reply by kristy elena on -
i can relate so much to you! i moved to italy last summer. milan, specifically. i'm originally from new york. it has been quite the wondrous, wonderful, crazy, lovely adventure. when i was young, i lived in greece for 4 years with my family, so i wasn't a complete stranger to living in europe. but this time around has been different for sure. the worst part was dealing with italian bureaucracy while trying to get my boyfriend's papers with him. it worked out in the end, thank god. but man... it sucked! hahaha. now we laugh about it... but in the moment we were mortified.
things i love:
definitely learning the language
the discovery of piadinas and how gloriously simple yet delicious they are
the mediterranean lifestyle and it's wonderful side effects
living a much healthier life
being overall happier and less stressed out
how much more receptive people are
being immersed in a culture that appreciates design this much
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Permalink Reply by allisongsNYC on
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totally commented on this and then saw your note 2 minutes later.... raaaaaaandom
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Permalink Reply by kristy elena on
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=P it makes sense though cause we've both had these abroad experiences.
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Permalink Reply by Kate W on -
ahh... piadinas! i'll take rucola prosciutto formaggia, grazie!!
and yes... being so much happier and less stressed out... that is one of the best parts of living in italy. bureaucracy is one of the worst. i love it!
xx kate
transatlantic sketches
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Permalink Reply by Jo on -
I have been incredibly lucky. I have studied abroad in the States-my third year in my undergraduate degree and I taught English as a foreign language in Korea last year for a whole year. I also come from a military family, so I have also spend 3 years as a child living in Cyprus (it was a horror returning to the UK as a tanned and jaded 8 year old believe me.) So in my 25 year on this planet I have spend 5 years outside my country of birth and hope to spend many more. Don't get me wrong, I am a proud Brit (prefer British to English) though for my sins I do support England (And South Korea) in the World Cup and my football team is a London one (Spurs). I am constantly telling my friends to live abroad, and I had a fantastic time on each occasion-with a lot of rants in between-I hate doing this, but I say it best on my blog so it's best checking it out there-http://thetravelsofjo.blogspot.com/
From being on crutches in Korea and teaching the whole time, to getting really pissed off at so-called anti gay therapy when I was in the States back in 2006, it's all there.
I don't think that I have blogged about it, but one of the most nuts moments in the US was a 26 hour journey on the Greyhound. I had the misfortune of someone overhearing my accent-so for 8 hours (I KID YOU NOT!) I had a bloke trying to doing an Austin Powers impression..."Do I make you horny baby?" URGH!
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Permalink Reply by allisongsNYC on
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Love this topic, Alison! Hey, my name is Allison too!
I studied abroad in Granada (Southern Spain) also during my Junior year of college. I loved living with a host family, walking to school everyday, hopping busses for weekend trips to the coast and becoming fluent in a second language, it felt like being admitted to a secret club!
That six months also started my 'blogging' career... I would write long e-mails to a list of about 50 people back home, complete with photos and historical information. Everyone told me they felt like they were right there with me and it really inspired me to keep writing about places I love and experiences that make me happy.
Although I can't really afford to spend six months abroad (or even fly trans-Atlantic right now, haha!) I did get to travel abroad last year for work. I saw Prague, Nice and Corsica for the first time, as well as returning to London. Even though work sucks most of the time, international travel for work is pretty sweet (especially when you don't have to pay!).
Today most of my travels are to American cities, I love to experience the different ways people live. In New York City, life is so crazy, so you need to escape often to give yourself a break. My blog, Manic in The City, is all about my travels and the little ways I stay sane in this Manic life. I hope you will stop by for a visit sometime!
happy travelling
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