Study Abroad - Do it

"This one time in America" "When I was in America".........If you know me, you are probably sick of me starting sentences like this. I studied abroad in Rhode Island (USA) for 4 1/2 months in 2012 during the autumn term of my final year of university and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I am such an advocate for studying abroad - If you ever get the opportunity to study abroad, do it! I am going to share a few of my pictures and memories of my time in the US and reasons why I think studying abroad is great.

I managed to pick my schedule very carefully so that I only had class on Tuesday - Thursday, leaving long weekends for optimum travelling. I managed to do so many fun things - trips to Washington DC, Atlantic City NJ, Boston, Canada, New York....and so much more!

NYC 2012 

New York City in November -such a clear day and a beautiful view from the Empire State Building. My boyfriend came to visit me half way through the term and as NYC is only 4 hours from Rhode Island we spent a week in the city. A distant relative has an apartment in NYC which he kindly let us stay in so we got to live like real newyorkers in the upper east side. New York is one of my favourite cities. 

RedSox's Vs Yankees Baseball game at Fenway Park.

A few weeks in to my time in Rhode Island I got the chance to travel to Boston with the other international students and go to a real life baseball game - as a British girl who has only ever seen baseball on tv, this was beyond exciting. I can't remember the score and I didn't really catch much of the rules but I do remember eating hotdogs, peanuts and cracker jacks whilst singing 'Take me out to the ball gaaaaaame'. Oh, and we all bought foam fingers (typical tourists)!

Newport - Rhode Island

The Rhode Island coast really is beautiful. In early September we took a trip to Newport, a small town in Rhode Island. It is so beautiful and the town itself is really quaint - typical of New England. 

Hot dogs in the USA - photograph by Anya Kubilus

American 'Candy'

A trip to the US wouldn't be complete without eating all of the stereotypical snacks - Hotdogs, corndogs, pretzels, cheese steaks, froyo, twizzlers, hersheys, lucky charms.....You name it, I tried it. I am surprised I didn't gain 10 stone!

You've seen a few of my memories - why should you study abroad?

1. You make friends from all over the world.Sharing such memorable experiences with new people helps form a really close bond and a friendship that I will cherish for a lifetime. I have friends in Norway, France and Canada who I am so lucky to have met. 
2. Studying abroad is such a unique experience. You get to spend 4 months experiencing new things and living life to the full without having to take time off work or university to do so.
3. It looks great on your CV - studying abroad shows that you're adaptable, determined, willing........and all those 'Buzz words' that employers love to hear.
4. Every weekend is an adventure.

Don't ask yourself why should I study abroad, ask yourself why not? I encourage you all to speak to your professors and see if you're able to study abroad! Let me know if you have or are thinking about studying abroad. I love to hear other peoples experiences  :) 

xxx