Search results for: “summer”
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How to Play Pick Up Like a Porteño
I wasn’t in Buenos Aires 24 hours before I was being stared in the face by a massive plate of french fries covered in melted cheddar and bacon. In the back of my head, I heard the faint beeping of the YoYo Intermittent Recovery Test (a common fitness test used to test athletes on their…
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Study Abroad as a Married Student
There are many reasons why I chose to study abroad in Lima, Peru, during the spring 2016 semester, but the dominant motivation was the choice to marry my husband, who is from Peru.I always get mixed reactions when I tell people that I got married at the beginning of my study abroad program with IFSA-Butler,…
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Loving the Irish Language
Dia dhaoibh! An bhfuil an Ghaeilge agaibh? San ollscoil nó ag spaisteoireacht, you’re bound to encounter the Irish language one way or another, and it can come as a bit of a surprise. It’s sometimes a point of confusion; many people outside of Ireland may not even be aware that…
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How Does a First-Generation, Non-Traditional Student Study Abroad?
My Story My parents did not attend college, and I was not really expected to attend either. My family also does not travel, and international travel was always a far-off fantasy for me. I never really expected for it to be possible for me to go anywhere; it was just something I daydreamed about from…
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What the Food in Buenos Aires Taught Me About My Latina Identity
As a person of Mexican descent living in the United States, I also identify as being a Latina. To be quite honest, I didn’t even know that the term “Latino” or “Latina” existed until about the third grade when I started taking standardized tests that asked me to bubble in my ethnic identity. At the…
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Why I Chose to Study a Full Year Abroad in London
While many students are beginning to reflect back on their fall study abroad experiences, I am only halfway through my full year abroad. Sometimes I worry about what I will be missing at home in the spring, and I definitely miss my friends and family back home in the United States, but I think that…
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Dear First-Generation College Student, You’re Gonna Be Okay
Studying Abroad as a First Generation College Student Being a first generation college student, studying abroad seemed out of reach at first and a bit terrifying. My decision to study abroad in Buenos Aires is one that I am deeply happy with and wouldn’t change it for anything. One of the hardest decisions before studying…
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Taking STEM Further
As an Engineering student, it was important to me that my study abroad program was centered around a course that would fit into my degree plan and offer me the opportunity to further my career network. IFSA-Butler’s program at Ulster University: Engineering and Irish Studies offered me just that. Choosing your program One of the main points…
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Being Black and Muslim in London
Studying in a foreign environment, as exciting as it is, can be a little daunting. For students who identify as members of marginalized groups, transitioning can be even more difficult. As I was preparing to study abroad, I remember hearing that only 5% of Black students travelled abroad, and I found this statistic to be…
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Coming Out: The Abroad Edition
I have always felt uncomfortable about the phrase “coming out” because of the inherent implication about there being a “normal” or “standard” sexuality, while others are regarded as “other” or “strange.” This past summer, I had to wrestle with this concept. I spent a lot of time thinking about my own sexuality. After many conversations…
