The Blog Express Newsletter
Season 2: Volume 2
An Update to Our BlogAbroad.com Bloggers
Jon
Nessie
Amy
Kez
Dear Readers,
The BlogAbroad.com Express is back to regale you with more fascinating stories from the other side of the ocean. Our four new bloggers have really hit their stride and have not only started to feel at home in their new countries, but have started to find a community in the blogosphere. There has been some great dialogue between our bloggers and their readers, so if you've been dying to ask someone a question about studying abroad, this is the perfect opportunity.
This issue is dedicated to what studying abroad can do to change your life. Enjoy it.
Sincerely
~The BlogAbroad.com Team (John, Matt, & Kim)
New Opportunities = Life Changing Experiences
As you may have observed already from reading the adventures of our BlogAbroad.com bloggers, studying abroad is an amazing, life-changing experience. Keeping that in mind, let's explore what might happen if you were to pursue such an adventure.
New friends
Just from the short time our bloggers have been abroad, we've already seen them meeting new people and making new friends. Jon took us hitchhiking with his new roommate and just recently found his "flatmates" opening their arms to a stranger traveling from Switzerland. Amy took us to a surprising sanctuary within Cairo where some of her new friends opened her eyes to a hidden religious world. Nessie took the time to treat some underprivileged Venezuelan children to candy from a nearby chocolate factory. And Keri took us slip-n-sliding with her water polo teammates to relax from a few tough practices.
While it's always exciting to make new friends, it's particularly interesting when studying abroad to meet people who may have a very different worldview from that which you are used to. Not only is making new friends rewarding in itself, but it's also a way to develop cross-cultural communication skills and learn how to relate to people who may have been raised differently with very different beliefs.
New culture & language
In addition to making new friends, you will also encounter a new culture and potentially a new language with each person you meet. You will encounter different customs and holidays, different ways of expressing affection or anger, and different ways of speaking and communicating.
If you are studying a language, there is no better way to perfect your grasp of that language than to immerse yourself among native speakers. Amy is mastering the difficult language of Arabic among those who speak it every day. If you are studying history or art or architecture you can experience the places where those objects or events you are studying originated. Jon is studying Maori culture and literature and has gone to traditional dances and festivals. Studying abroad is the real deal. Birds will never learn to fly if they don't jump out of the nest.
New educational system and classes
Studying abroad can give you access to classes that are not available through your home institution. Nessie, for example, is taking a class on Women in Religion, which is something she has always been interested in but would not have gotten the chance to take at her home university. Taking the class on Semester at Sea also introduced her to Candomble, a religion she finds infinitely fascinating and plans to study further.
If you are a marine biology student, you could study on an island rather than in a landlocked state. If you are an art history major you could see first-hand the riches of European artwork and stare up at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel as Phil Assetto did during our inaugural season last semester in Rome. Adjusting to a different educational system can be challenging, but the rewards are well worth the trouble.
New location
Another excellent advantage of studying abroad is the ability to experience a new type of location. For instance, Jackie Kleist, another first season cast member, spent last semester in Santiago, Chile - a buzzing metropolis, which was a wholly new experience for a girl from rural Wisconsin. Being in a new location can also provide different types of opportunities than you might have available at your home institution. Many programs offer internship opportunities. An international business major interning in London will have whole new opportunities to explore an international marketplace.
You get the idea...
All of these new opportunities are life-changing experiences that will allow you to expand your horizons and view of the world while laying the foundation for your future. Studying abroad can open doors in your career as well as give you new guidance and direction in pursuing your goals for the future.
So, while we certainly hope you enjoy reading the adventures of our bloggers, we hope that you will take the next step and investigate options for studying abroad yourself. Go to http://www.StudyAbroad.com today to start your search. And who knows, maybe you'll be a future BlogAbroad.com blogger.
Study Abroad Resources
StudyAbroad.com
Our website offers you a comprehensive program search to investigate your study abroad options by subject, country, language, and duration (semester, year, short-term, etc.). StudyAbroad.com also provides a Marketplace with other services you may need such as airfare, student ID cards, insurance, and more.
StudyAbroad.com Student Handbook
Our handbook is online for your convenience and provides answers to most of the commonly asked questions on studying abroad from how to choose a program, to how to apply, to how to find financial aid, to what to pack.
Your Study Abroad Office
You may be surprised to find what extensive resources are already available to you. Check out your school's website to see if there is a study abroad office at your school. Talking to a study abroad advisor will be a vital part of this process to assure that you can transfer back the necessary credits to your home institution. Your Study Abroad advisor can also provide you with support and guidance throughout this process.
CollegeAbroad.com
Are you interested in pursuing a full degree abroad, as Keri is doing in New York? Consider the schools listed on CollegeAbroad.com. Pursuing a degree abroad can provide you with international perspective and experience as well as being highly cost-effective as education is frequently cheaper in other countries and the exchange rate can also be favorable.
Well, there's an update on our cast and your invitation to come abroad for future seasons. Get reading and get searching.
And once again, this train isn't called Express for nothing. It continues moving whether you hop on board or not. So make sure you get in before the doors close. Uh oh, I think I hear the whistle. All aboard!
This is the second of Season 2's many action packed newsletters detailing the adventures of Jon, Nessie, Amy, and Keri. We will continue to follow them as they explore the world. We will also continue providing useful information about studying abroad and blogging, as we feature different programs, provide answers to your questions, and more. Tell us what you would like to see in this newsletter.
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