Study Abroad with UNA
Destinations
From Stranger to Family
We’ve had a few days to settle in here in Cusco. The food is great, the people are hospitable and it’s quickly becoming a home away from home. Here is Kayla’s story of her first day. This morning I woke up with the startling realization that later today I was going to meet the family that I would spend the rest of my time with in Peru. Nervousness and sheer excitement pulsed through me the entire flight to Cusco. When we arrived at the airport, the coordinators at the school greeted us. They then took us in a van to … // Read more
A Long Way Down
It’s been a really long and stressful first day filled with TSA checks, flight delays, and lost luggage. On the bright side, I’M IN LONDON!!! I love everything about the city so far and can’t wait to see what the next 23 days have in store for me.
Churros con Chocolate
After a long day of travel we arrived in Lima. The next day we toured the markets, tried a few restaurants and became familiar with the Miraflores district we were staying in. After a midday snack, I am now convinced “churros con chocolate” should be the 8th wonder of the world. And then we got to do the fun stuff. Our afternoon began atop a double-decker bus as we toured the capital. We saw some amazing sights but one of the most amazing things was experiencing Peruvian traffic on the second story of a bus. It was simultaneously terrifying and … // Read more
London Calling
I’m not really sure how to begin this month long journey in London, but I think going to make one last midnight Taco Bell run was a wise decision. I think when preparing for a trip you go through stages. First comes the excitement stage, where you download every travel app imaginable, and Google “exciting things to do in”. Then comes the realization stage, for me this was realizing my trip was two months away; I was still waiting on my passport, and I hadn’t booked a flight yet. After that is the get stuff done stage, or the “run … // Read more
From Cuy to Macchu Pichu: A Day Away
Tomorrow I will leave Florence to live in Peru for a month. High atop the Andes I, along with thirteen other students and the Department of Foreign Languages, will become immersed in the culture. We’ll speak the language, eat the food, listen and dance to the music and learn of civilizations that have come and gone. As a Spanish major, this immersion is the next step in becoming fluent in the language, and for others will be their first exposure to a new language entirely. Some people will eat cuy, or guinea pig, several of us will come back with … // Read more
There and Back Again
So I think I’ve finally recovered from jet lag. Some people can recover in a few days and others will take a few weeks. The best thing to do is try to figure out what time you’ll arrive at your final destination and plan when you sleep accordingly. By the end of your journey you will be exhausted regardless. Even if I had been jet lagged for two weeks, it would have been worth it. This trip to China has been one of the highlights of my life. Getting to see pieces of ancient China, like the Great Wall, exploring … // Read more
Venice of the East
Yesterday, our last full day in China, our group took a day trip to another city called Suzhou. Suzhou has many canals running through it, and because of this it is also called the Venice of the East. In Suzhou, we rode boats on the canals, visited a silk factory, and strolled through a famous garden in Suzhou. We also met up with some UNA students there. I wasn’t aware that we have business students in China until this trip, but it was great to be able to meet them all. We headed back to Shanghai in the afternoon, got … // Read more
Chinatown, China
Even though I didn’t have plans at the beginning of the day, I did end up having an adventure and I wasn’t disappointed. After class, one of the other group members, Kristen, and I went to Shanghai’s Chinatown. It is slightly ironic that a Chinese city would have a Chinatown, but it makes sense considering how much western influence and modernization has occurred in Shanghai. Kristen and I began exploring the markets in Chinatown and we finally got the hang of bargaining. It was hard for me at first, but after you lose some of that initial fear of haggling … // Read more
Shanghai Swing
It has been a busy past two days. On the 28th, we all visited a construction site of a shopping mall in the middle of the city. We had the chance to speak to the heads of the project, and it is insane how quickly they’re building it. For most of the day, I was exploring the city with a few other classmates. That night we visited this interesting place called the Cotton Club, a great diner that had live music. The first band, called the Swing Dynasty, was composed of French and American musicians who played fusion music in … // Read more
One Final Note
Traveling is not easy. Snaffoos and snags such as airlines losing luggage, missed flights, and severe jet lag are all very real downsides of traveling (and we experienced them all). However, the desire and determination to overcome these temporary ailments gets you through and delivers you safely home to relay endless stories and gift wonderful souvenirs– equipped with an incredible and unrivaled experience. I could compose a generic and uninteresting post about the conclusion of our UNA Tanzania study abroad and make an obvious connection to the end of our African adventure to a sunset picture of Zanzibar. BUT, that … // Read more
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