“It really was the time of my life”
Last July, I went to Japan as part of an ongoing study abroad agreement between UCR and our sister school, Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan. Just saying that it was the best month of my 20 years on this earth would be an injustice to everyone I met and everything I experienced...
Marvin Gomez
Senior
Study Abroad Session: Summer 2013
Program: The Education Abroad Network; Southeast Asia: Chiang Mai, Thailand
Email; Questions About my Adventure: [email protected]
It took me about four years to finally work up the courage to go on a study abroad program.
I was always making excuses to myself about why I could not go. I would scare myself out of actually following through...
Carina Glasser
Second Year
Media and Cultural Studies Major, Spanish Minor
France
UC Center Paris (Language and Culture Program)
I came to France without knowing any of the language, the culture or the monuments (besides the Eiffel Tower and “bonjour”). I was worried that I would get lost and not be able to find my way home, or I would try to order a...
Name: Kimberly Rolan
Major: Sociology
Area of Study: Madrid, Spain
Year: Junior
Host Institution: UC Center Madrid
What do I remember about my summer in Spain? I remember admiring the colossal and luminous Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela during warm evenings. I remember the sights, sounds and smells of Pamplona during the Running of the Bulls Festival. I also remember dancing in the streets...
Name: Francisco Campos Malpica
Most people dream about traveling the world and experiencing new things in countries far away from home. Typically, they’ll have a list of places they would like to go with all the activities they want to do. I was not one of these people. I actually had no intention of studying abroad until one week before the...
When I decided I wanted to study abroad, there was only one choice: London. And no, not (just) because I was hoping to run into Prince Harry. A previous trip when I was 11 years old sparked my love for the city, eventually morphing into serious obsession with “Doctor Who,” “Sherlock” and “Primeval,” copious buckets of tea and multiple...
Name: Kimberly Huang
Major: Business Administration
Area of Study: London, UK
Year: Junior
Due to indecisiveness and procrastination, studying abroad seemed perpetually labeled as “saved for later” on my undergraduate bucket list. Summer was close by, and I was in dire search of opportunities to pursue during the break. Tempted, I looked into the EAP program and discovered a short 3-week summer session...
Tina Kim
Year: Senior
Major: Entomology
Host Institution: International Summer School, Yonsei University
Chop! Chop! Chop! Here I am in Busan and handed an octopus that was chopped alive. It was still moving when it was given to me. I look around at my peers. They all had faces with expressions of surprise, disgust and curiosity, while the local people all had faces...
Name: Analise Gay
Year: 3rd year
Major: English
Country: York, United Kingdom
Area of Study: English
Before leaving for the United Kingdom I told numerous friends that I thought I might cry when border officials finally stamped my passport. While no actual tears fell, the moment was still surreal as a Heathrow official welcomed me to the country. Now that I’ve been here at...
Name: Neil Crowley
Year: Senior
Major: History, Anthropology
Area of Study: Russian Area Studies
Country: RussiaI always had wanted to weather a Russian winter. For some reason, I thought doing so would give me an insight I lacked—considering I have spent my entire youth in Southern California. However, it turns out winters here aren't as severe as in the Midwest. But it's the...