Blogger
Zach
Zach's Bio
Twenty-year-old Zachary Dionne is a junior journalism major at the University of Maine, with a minor in English and a love for writing. His main goal for spending a year in Bangor, Wales is, "To broaden my world perspective and find a greater sense of my self," but he adds that, "seeing as much of Europe as possible, settling into the culture of Wales, meeting great people and creating lasting, amazing memories are all high priorities."
We asked Zach some personal questions before he left, and have pasted them below to help you learn more about the person behind the blog:
What is the aspect of your upcoming semester that makes you most excited?
I am most excited to assimilate myself into an entirely different country, culture, society and university for a full year. I think that this will be one of the most challenging and simultaneously rewarding experiences of my life. I specifically chose an entire year rather than a semester so I will have that much longer to truly settle in and be a part of the culture. I look forward to trying to take part in as many things as I can, see as much of Europe as possible and leave feeling that I lived for a completely successful, worthwhile year of my life, while abroad.
What are you looking forward to the least in your upcoming semester?
I am trying to be as positive as possible about my forthcoming year abroad, as it will be one of the only experiences of this nature that I may have for a long time. With this in mind, I am concerned with how much I will miss my family and friends. I plan to maintain a positive attitude and enjoy my time abroad, and not allow myself to sink into unhealthy bouts of homesickness. Frequent e-mail contact and as many telephone conversations as time and money will allow should help ease me along.
What made you want to study abroad?
Studying abroad has always been a major interest for me. My family hosted two exchange students when I was in grade school - one from Sweden, one from Czech Republic, each for a year. I witnessed firsthand what a life-changing experience they each had and decided to undertake a similar journey in my future. In college, I began to research the possibilities and found that my school's options were extremely affordable and intriguing. With the addition of some close friendships formed with British exchange students in my sophomore year, the deal was sealed.
Why did you choose this destination/program?
The University of Maine offers five direct exchange schools. I narrowed my decision down to the United Kingdom since I am a journalism student and am very much intending to write for any available English publications to continue getting experience in journalism while abroad. I chose University of Wales, Bangor because it looks beautiful and accommodating; Bangor is a fairly small-scale setting compared to some of the other city-based universities, which I think will suit me well. As far as the academic program, I will complete my minor in English and continue classes in journalism. I am excited to learn about subjects not offered at my home university and to experience the different teaching, learning and studying styles.
What are your hobbies and interests?
Writing and reading vie for the position of my favorite activity. I love both equally; fiction and journalism in particular. I also play tennis and am very involved with music; listening, playing guitar, collecting albums, going to concerts and meeting and interviewing bands. I also love lists, details and trivia.
What are your favorite books and magazines?
Stephen King is my all-time favorite author. My favorite books include Salem's Lot, It, Lisey's Story, Flowers for Algernon, The Catcher in the Rye, Jurassic Park, The Godfather, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Stand, Timeline, Wuthering Heights, Great Expectations, Chuck Palahniuk's Survivor, and the Harry Potter series. I am never without a book. I try to steal as much of my book time for magazines as possible, since I am aiming to graduate and write in magazine journalism. I enjoy Esquire, Guitar World, Electronic Gaming Monthly, GQ, Entertainment Weekly and Decibel, to name a few.
What type of music do you listen to?
Modern rock (Muse, Alkaline Trio, Guster), metal (In Flames, Sonata Arctica, Black Sabbath, Arch Enemy,), classic rock (The Police, Queen, The Rolling Stones) and other anomalies that fall somewhere in between (Andrew W.K., Bob Marley, Stevie Ray Vaughan). I am extremely passionate about music.
What are you favorite TV shows and movies?
My favorite movies are The Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction, The Usual Suspects, Forrest Gump, Children of Men and all or most Pixar, Star Wars, Die Hard and Quentin Tarantino films. For television, I watch Lost and The Office. My all-time favorites also include Ed, Friends and Survivor.
If you could have dinner with one famous person - alive or dead, historical or celebrity - who would it be and why?
Stephen King would be my choice, hands-down. I have grown up in the state of Maine and idolize the best-selling novelist's unbelievable success, storytelling ability and utter versatility as a writer. Not only has he written a beyond-impressive amount of novels and short story collections, he has written numerous essays and regularly contributes a column for Entertainment Weekly. While it has always been my goal since beginning journalism to interview him (something I still hope to achieve, perhaps even as I follow in his footsteps as a writer for The Maine Campus - UMaine's student newspaper), I would really like to sit down with him for a nice long meal and chat, so I could not only thank him for all his work and terrific inspiration, but have a friendly discussion about his life and his thoughts, beliefs and advice on the matter of writing.
When asked about what he thought of being chosen as a BlogAbroad.com blogger, Zach told us, "I am thrilled at being chosen and feel confident that my appetite for travel and my background in writing will make for an interesting and insightful blog that will be both entertaining and informative."
Want to see if that confidence was warranted? Read his blog.
