More Study Abroad Musings

Welcome back!

After a few weeks back on campus, I had the opportunity to assist with Marquette's Office of International Education Study Abroad Fair. My job was to talk to students interested in studying abroad in France and give them any information they might need about the different programs. It was great to get to see other people get excited about living in Paris, Lille or Lyon. For reference, here is a map of the major cities in France:

 I felt like volunteering at the study abroad fair was a way for me to give back and use my time abroad for a good cause. I love that Marquette makes it as easy as possible for students to be able to study abroad and experience cultures different from their own while still being able to stay on track academically. I realized when I was applying to go abroad that this would probably be the only time I could have an experience like that; spending half a year in a different country just wouldn't be as feasible or probable any time other than in college. Of course talking about my time in Paris also made me miss it even more. If you are a Marquette student and want to know more about study abroad programs, visit this site: http://www.mu.edu/abroad/

I really admire my friends who decided to do a full year abroad; while this wouldn't have worked with my school schedule, it would have been nice to stay in Paris longer. Not only could I have traveled more but I think I would have become much more immersed in the culture and would have been able to make more friends who were native Parisians and not just other American students. Paris had so much to offer and so much to explore than even in four months I feel like I barely scratched the surface of all it had to offer. And, getting to go to Italy and Austria wouldn't have been terrible either. I think more students should consider a one year program if they can so that they really can say they learned all about the culture and traditions of the country. Bonus: photos from my time in Amsterdam