Students from University of Florida Talk Abroad Advice

Dreaming of Dublin

Kaiti Decker

Dublin Fall 2009

atop Brey Head Mountain after a 2 hour hike to the top (30 minutes south of Dublin in County Wicklow)

What made you decide to go abroad?

I went to a high school right by Marist, and I felt I needed an opportunity to be able to experience life truly on my own and step outside of my comfort zone because I’m a person who always strives for personal growth.

What is the first thing you did after you decided you wanted to study abroad?

Dublin offers a home stay or apartment option and I had to decide which I wanted. I chose the home stay and did a lot of research on my own and a lot of familiarizing myself with it with handbook information and by emailing my host family. I may not have done as much research as I should have, but what I did do definitely helped me.

What helped you pick your program? How did you decide?

I chose based on the home stay because I thought that was the best way to totally immerse myself in a new culture and since Ireland is an English speaking country, I wanted to push myself a little bit more since I wouldn’t have a language barrier to challenge me.

Do you feel that you were prepared when you left?

Mentally no, physically, I was overprepared.

How could the abroad office have made your preparations easier?

I wish it was easier during the summer to get a hold of them. Sometimes questions I had didn’t get answered as in-depth as I could have hoped and when it came to registering for classes over there I wish the office was more accessible in the period before I was leaving.

Is there anything you wish they could have told you?

I did an internship while I was there. I wish they had told me I had to find the internship on my own, and didn’t use the website so much as a substitute for answering questions students have.

I also wish I knew about Marist health insurance. Make sure you check that out before you get sick abroad!

Once you get there…

What did you think of the classes there? Was there an orientation or anything that helped ease your nerves before your first class?

Cliffs of Moher, Ireland's top attraction, West of Ireland

There was an orientation for all the American students and we also did weekend excursions which were really cool. I only took one class since I interned 4 days a week, along with a Marist online course. They didn’t take attendance and my class was all Irish students. We really only had one paper…it was very different from Marist classes. The class I took was a media law class, which was really cool since the government in Ireland is much more controlling about what they allow for release on the internet. Most of what I learned came from my real life interactions with people I met with and lived with.

How different were your expectations from the real thing? If very different, did that stress you out? And how did you relieve that stress?

I went into it with the expectation that I was going to learn a lot about myself and along the way. All of the unknowns and lack of communication I experienced allowed me to grow as an individual. Before, I would have been freaking out and stressing about those things.

Your favorite place to eat?

There was a fish and chips place on the ocean in the town I lived in that we would go to a lot. We would get takeout and sit on the Irish sea and eat it.

Food or drink you MUST try?

I don’t care if you don’t like Guinness- you have to drink it, and lots of it! There were a lot of American chains, but all the traditional stuff, I would say to try even if it looks gross, like Irish breakfast and Irish stew and definitely cider!

Favorite place to go out with friends?

Anywhere in Temple Bar, which is the main row of pubs in Dublin. No matter what night of the week it is, the streets are crowded with people and live music in every pub, very night. It’s just fantastic.

Place students MUST visit?

The west of Ireland and Galway, which is the center of college and youth in Ireland. It’s such a young city and it’s the most fun I’ve ever had. We were also there for Arthur Guinness day which was great.

Place with the best deals?

Clothing wise, Dunnes and Penneys had fantastic fashion forward European stuff that was affordable. If you wear that sort of clothing over there, everyone’s wearing it, but if you bring it back, you’re trendy.

Best place to get souvenirs?

I picked up a lot of things along the way, but there was this souvenir chain of shops called Carrolls and they have everything from Guinness souvenirs to Irish soccer jerseys.

Place that was a little over-hyped, you wouldn’t recommend?

No- you have to go everywhere you can because every experience is well worth it.

What is the best piece of advice you can give others going abroad?

View from the Seaport village of Howth, about 30 minutes north of Dublin

For me, it was taking every second as an opportunity for personal growth or reflection about yourself.  It doesn’t matter if you’re sitting at a café by yourself or in a crowded bar meeting people, push yourself- especially if you’re with primarily other Marist students, forge your own path and realize your experience abroad is going to be totally based on what you decide to make it.

Insider Tip #6

Group flights are great, because all the details are worked out for you already by the MIP Office and you travel with the people in your program, but if you're on a super tight budget, sometimes you can find cheaper flights if you don't mind traveling in a smaller group!

Insider Tip #5

Don't say no to any chance to do something new. Try new foods, visit new places, meet new people!

All Aboard for Argentina

 Landon Greene
Argentina Fall 2009

What made you decide to go abroad?

Well, my minor is Spanish so I wanted to continue to learn the Spanish language, but I had already been to Spain twice, and I had always wanted to go to Argentina, where Marist already offers one of its programs.

What is the first thing you did after you decided you wanted to study abroad?

I started looking at other Spanish speaking countries that Marist offered programs through. I knew I was interested in Argentina, but I was actually only going to be the second person to go there.

What helped you pick your program? How did you decide?

Besides Spain, the only other Spanish speaking program Marist offered was the one in Argentina. I also have family in Argentina and I had already heard so many good things about it. I started to research the school, the program itself, and looked at all the different options they had for study abroad students.

Do you feel that you were prepared when you left?

I wasn’t really nervous or anything before I left, but when I got there, we landed in the slums of Argentina which was a little nerve wracking. We took an extremely sketchy taxi ride that lasted 40 minutes through the slums of Argentina. It wasn’t until we finally drove into down town Argentina that I could relax a little. This was how I found out that Argentina is a mix of third world and modern world areas- the outskirts are a little scary but once you get into downtown, it’s a lot better.

In terms of preparation, I had also Skyped with the woman I was going to be living with and she also facebooked me before my flight. I was most nervous about my Spanish, but she was so good about everything, it ended up working out fine. We used Google translator a lot in the first few weeks, but it got easier as time passed.

How could the abroad office have made your preparations easier?

I had heard the girl who went to Argentina before me didn’t have such a great time there. Jerre Thornton had forewarned me about that- but I think part of the fun of me going there was not being prepared and not knowing what was going to happen. I didn’t really have a lot of information about being abroad before I left, just the information I knew about Argentina itself- I liked not being prepared.

Once you get there…

What did you think of the classes there? Was there an orientation or anything that helped ease your nerves before your first class?

The school was all American students which was the only thing I wish would have been different. I specifically chose not to go to the University of Buenos Aires because its free to go there, so it’s a huge school and I thought learning Spanish that way would be too difficult. All of my professors were Argentinian, though.

We lived in an apartment and we had a neighbor who I met that was my age and didn’t speak any English. We became really good friends and became the primary way I worked on my Spanish. This actually helped a lot because the Spanish you learn in school is not the same Spanish that you hear abroad and in real interactions.

An orientation was given by the school, but it was really just about getting a phone, hailing a taxi, where to stay away from and how to stay safe, and some of the other necessities for just getting around the area.

How different were your expectations from the real thing? If very different, did that stress you out? And how did you relieve that stress?

I don’t think I had too many expectations before I went because I didn’t want to be disappointed. At the same time, though, I didn’t know what to expect at all. I relieved any kind of stress I felt by just going with the flow. Like I said before, I liked not being prepared and not having any expectations to fulfill.

Your favorite place to eat?

They have the best empanadas ever in Argentina. There was a place around the corner from the apartment I lived in that served them and my friends and I would go over there all the time and get a ton of them.

Food or drink you MUST try?

Definitely steak, which they eat a lot of in Argentina; milanesa, which is thin, battered meat, empanadas, and yerba mate, which is steeped dry leaves in hot water, which is a traditional tea that I found out will get you wired for hours.

Favorite place to go out with friends?

There was this one bar that was the only American bar around. The owner was also American so every Saturday they had football on and Tuesdays was game night. It was always fun when we went there. There’s also an area called Palermo which is kind of like the up and coming area in Argentina so they have a lot of cool restaurants and bars there as well.

Place students MUST visit?

Casada Rosada, which is basically a version of the White House, and Plaza de Mayo, which is famous for all of the demonstrations that go on there and political activists always there doing something.As for traveling, I would definitely say to visit Pategonia as well as Mendoza, where you can get some great wine and go on a wine tour.

Best place to get souvenirs?

In Palermo they had a street market on the weekend and they had some traditional Argentinian gifts you can bring home.

Place that was a little over-hyped, you wouldn’t recommend?

Boca was a street in the city of Boca painted all of these crazy colors, kind of like Burbon Street on Mardi Gras. It was fun going, but it was so touristy and everyone was trying to get you to buy things, so it was just one of those places that was supposed to be traditional but it’s just not anymore.

What is the best piece of advice you can give others going abroad?

One of the things I most enjoyed was actually meeting people from Argentina. Even though I went to school with all Americans, I honestly tried to not associate all the time with them. I tried to spend as much time with my friends who were actually from Argentina and learned about their lives and their language, which I wish I had done more in the beginning. There were some people I met there who didn’t want to try anything new. You definitely have to be open minded to whatever you’re going into and willing to experience everything that particular place has to offer.

Some more packing advice...

Interviews from students from the University of Oklahoma on everything about packing and what they learned from their own experiences with packing for a semester abroad. This video is kind of bland, but it really does touch on some important tips you might not think of when you're packing.

Insider Tip #4

Don't be afraid to take too many pictures!!

Switzerland Savvy

Lydia Charney

Switzerland Fall 2009

What made you decide to go abroad?

It was kind of always my college plan. I wanted to live in another country and it’s such a unique experience that I always wanted: to study and travel as a student.

What is the first thing you did after you decided you wanted to study abroad?

I started researching where I wanted to go because I knew I didn’t want to go with a bunch of other Marist students. I was making my own program regardless, so I just did what I thought was in my own best interests.

What helped you pick your program? How did you decide?

I pretty much did most of it on my own, so studyabroad.com helped a lot. The school I ended up going through was a program that had academic travel; so while I was abroad I’d also be taking a one credit course in another country. I chose Greece, so I got to travel all around Greece for this class which was already paid for in my tuition.

I chose Switzerland because initially, I wanted to speak French, which was the language I learned in high school, but  I actually ended up going to the Italian speaking part of Switzerland. Also, the Swiss Rail program makes it really easy, convenient and affordable to travel all throughout Switzerland and the surrounding countries.

I was also really interested in Swiss policies and how they’ve managed to keep such a peaceful and neutral country for so long- over 200 years, and I wanted to see the type of people that were able to maintain that interaction with the rest of the world and with each other.

Do you feel that you were prepared when you left?

I was going alone so I was kind of prepared to be unprepared. I did a lot of my own research and bought a lot of books about Switzerland and culture and I wanted to get myself as prepared as I could, but it really came down to preparing myself to be unprepared. I landed in Milan and had no one, no program greeting or anything, and I just went with it!

How could the abroad office have made your preparations easier?

I think what I was most annoyed about is that I had to go to really, really general meetings full of individuals who had all made their own programs but who were all going different places. Although we all got most of the Marist paperwork done there, I also had a lot of paperwork to do on my own for the school in Switzerland as well. I had to go to the college’s NYC office to interview for their program. I’m not sure if it would be possible for the Marist abroad office to schedule individual meetings for every person going alone to a different country, but it was frustrating being an individual in such generalized meetings.

Is there anything you wish they could have told you?

They definitely put in effort and gave us each an individualized packet with information like, how much we should expect to spend and what the weather would be like, etc. I’m sure that took a lot of their time, and I definitely appreciated that. I know when I got there that there were things I wish I would have known before I got there, but it was primarily things that the abroad office couldn’t really have told me specifically.

Once you get there…

What did you think of the classes there? Was there an orientation or anything that helped ease your nerves before your first class?

Classes were a lot different than at Marist. Franklin was a really small, really liberal school with a significant amount of international students. I took a class called comparative cultural literary studies: marriage and family- and it was all about gay marriage. That class was so different than anything I’d ever taken at Marist so I was kind of shocked because it was a much more liberal environment than I’d ever learned in before.

All the people I was in the orientation with were freshman because I went in the fall, so it was more of a “welcome to college” orientation rather than, “welcome to Franklin College: Switzerland,” which I think would have been a little more helpful for my specific situation.

How different were your expectations from the real thing? If very different, did that stress you out? And how did you relieve that stress?

I almost felt like a stereotype of an American in Europe. I landed and I went to order a coffee and I couldn’t read the menu… I ended up ordering espresso without anything in it which tasted awful, and I was just alone and had so much to figure out, I really didn’t know  a thing. By the end of my whole experience I was a pro at ordering coffee, though!

Your favorite place to eat?

My favorite pizza place was Bella Riva

Food or drink you MUST try?

Fondue is Swiss, so you absolutely have to try that, and they’re also known for their risotto. I was in the Italian section of Switzerland so their pizza was unlike anything I’ve ever had in my entire life, and it was everywhere!

Favorite place to go out with friends?

Titos, which was in downtown Lugano, where I stayed primarily.

Place students MUST visit?

Downtown Lugano is so beautiful. It’s a resort town so celebrities live there and it’s right on the lake. It’s absolutely beautiful. You have to find San Salvatore, which is a mountain that looks over the whole town. I also absolutely loved Zurich, it’s such a cool city; and Lucerne is a beautiful Swiss village…You know what? Switzerland, just in general, is so amazing. There’s mountains and lakes and everything is just so, so beautiful. Even my daily walk to class was breathtaking.

Place with the best deals?

Migros was a multi-level shopping center all under one roof, almost like a mall. Each floor had something different- from cosmetics to groceries. I think this is the most economical place to buy most things. Manor was another place to check out, which also became my favorite place to go clothes shopping.

Best place to get souvenirs?

They’ve got little souvenir shops in all cities and they have all the traditional Swiss souvenirs and a whole bunch of stuff specific to their canton. (Switzerland is divided into cantons, based on the countries they boarder.)

What is the best piece of advice you can give others going abroad?

I would say, talk to people who have been where you’re going, do research on your own, learn how to say “please,” “thank you,” and “sorry, excuse me,” in every language of the places you’re going to travel to because they are the words you’ll likely be using the most. I would also warn not to expect anyone to cater to your needs- this is your experience, and no one else can tell you how to live your time abroad. Just go with the flow and take the responsibility to make it the best experience you can.

Living with a Host Family?

Insider Tip #3

When traveling abroad, try to pack carry-on luggage only. This will save you checked baggage fees and make your trips quicker and easier!

Insider Tip #2

Plan your trips early on in the semester. This way, you can make sure you fit everything in (not to mention budgeting money for travel costs!)

Message from Morocco

Andrew Clinkman
Morocco
Fall 2009

What made you decide to go abroad?

To me, the debate of going abroad was never really an option. My brother, who went to American University, said that he always regretted not going abroad. Therefore, I made it a point to do it even knowing that I would miss a lot of opportunities at school. 

What is the first thing you did after you decided you wanted to study abroad?

I made the decision in high school. So I started researching online for a program that fit what I was looking for. I wanted to study in a non traditional setting; a place that I couldn't visit when I was retired.

What helped you pick your program? How did you decide?

I found my program online with the help of Google. I wanted a unique experience in a city. Marist did not provide a program in a city in Morocco so I chose to find it online. As for going to Morocco, I mentioned my not wanting to go do Europe and my friend mentioned, why not Morocco? 

Do you feel that you were prepared when you left?

No. I did not take Arabic seriously enough before I left. My language skills in Arabic and French were okay and I did decently while I was there, but life, in comparison to American life, is vastly different. The language barrier only disappeared after a couple months. However, while I wasn't ready for the shift in lifestyles, that definitely added to the experience.

How could the abroad office have made your preparations easier?

They couldn't have. Very few students travel to Muslim countries and there is not much of a support line there. As for students going in the future, Marist is preparing them by having them talk to me.

Once you get there…

What did you think of the classes there? Was there an orientation or anything that helped ease your

nerves before your first class?

My language classes there were a lot more in depth than at Marist. This is due to the five days a week i spent in the classrooms. There was an orientation in which we stayed in very nice hotels for 2 days. This allowed us to acclimate to being in a very new environment.

How different were your expectations from the real thing? If very different, did that stress you out?

And how did you relieve that stress?

Well, life definitely was slower, however it didn't seem that way. The constant traveling was stressful and wearing on the body. Being in a strange place that had very little stuff in common with the US was stressful. We would use my apartment as a way to feel like we were back in America again. We would hang around drink and just talk about things we would discuss in the USA.

Your favorite place to eat?

Someone's house. Restaurants are only for foreigners and therefore the best cooks are in the home.

Food or drink you MUST try?

Sweet Moroccan tea. It's delicious. Or Yawmy, it's a yogurt drink. 

Favorite place to go out with friends?

The cafe or around the country. We went to the cafe a lot because there would often be internet there, plus it was a lot easier to relax there. However, we also traveled every weekend, which was kind of hit or miss. We went a lot of great places around the country, and a lot of not so awesome places. 

Place students MUST visit?

Chellah, which are Roman ruins in Rabat (the capital where I stayed). Volubilis, which are some more Roman ruins. Fez, which is one of the best known cities. It is breathtaking. 

Place with the best deals? Or to get great, but cheap souvenirs?

Go to the souks (markets) in the cities. Be ready to negotiate yourself to a better deal. Buying anything besides food is always a struggle. 

What is the best piece of advice you can give others going abroad?

Do everything. Forget about money, you're only there once

Anything else you would like to share with those who are planning to go abroad in the future?

Pay attention to your body. If you get sick, make sure you take care of it. In my travels, I got very sick and I waited too long to seek care. 

Abroad Insider Tip #1

If you're like me, you'll end up acquiring tons of souvenirs and other things while shopping abroad. I had more than double my luggage I had brought over when it was time to fly home. Be prepared to leave things behind like toiletries, towels, shoes, and anything else you can live without. Be aware of international luggage restrictions, because overweight baggage and extra bags will cost you a fortune!