#learning abroad

[alextaylorholden-blog]

My 2016 South Korea Learning Abroad Experience was AMAZING!!! 

I got to learn about so much culture, and I absolutely love Korean culture. I made so many friends from a two week trip! Memories made for life, all while going to school & getting credit! 

Will be back SOON

[autumninaustralia]

It's almost time...

I am leaving for Australia in a week plus a handful of hours and I am so stressed, but at the same time so excited. I really have no idea what to expect from all of this, but I just feel like sharing my thoughts will help me feel better about everything.

The Good:

I will be leaving the USA for the first time. I am so excited to become a world traveler and expand my horizons in a way I haven't before.

I will have more freedom than I have ever had. It's scary, but it's mostly exciting.

I am starting a new job, which is exciting. I love trying new things, which makes me scared to pick a single career in the future. Hopefully, this will lead to more of a clear vision of what I want to do for the rest of my life.

The Bad:

I'm going to miss my dog so much. She is my baby and I can't believe I am about to be away from her for over three months.

I have never lived on my own. I don't know if I can function living on my own. I guess that's kind of a lie because I know I can function, I just don't know how yet.

I really don't like flying, so I don't know what to expect. I have become such a better flyer, so I'm trying to think about it as a step toward feeling less anxious when I fly in the future.

There are so many more things, like packing and overpacking, but I think I'll start with this post. I'll keep adding to this and keeping anyone who cares up-to-date.

[myblogworld]

A family’s transition from a regular to a digital wallet

You are going to experience a story of a transition - an ideological one, surrounding an average Bulgarian woman, acquainted with the spirit of a fighter and harboring a great attachment to customs and traditions. From a daughter’s perspective, I have always admired my mother's ability to overcome any problematic situations, to take care of me and my younger brother, to be a loving wife, but also a dedicated career woman. Inspired by my mother's mental endurance and spiritual strength, I decided to step out of my comfort zone - studying abroad was the perfect opportunity to test my own abilities.

Life before the transition:

The preparation prior to the start of my journey was long but exciting. Saying goodbye to my loved ones was one of the most difficult experiences. If I only knew what was ahead of me ...

Living and studying in a foreign country is exciting but very expensive - we all know that. The British pounds I had to live with for the first few months of my stay were in cash. Such a thick bundle of money had not been trusted to me until this moment. My mother, who used to question all "new technologies" and despised the high bank taxes for international transfers, insisted that me flying  from Varna to London with £ 4,000 in my pocket was the safest and most inexpensive option. Unfortunately, I fell asleep at the London airport which led to me getting robbed. However, not all my money got stolen because I had divided the amount into two places - in my wallet and in my hand luggage. I was then left with a very limited budget, forcing me to go on a rather restricted diet. The call I had with my mother, explaining her the situation, went through several stages - panic, anger, coming in terms with the absurdity of the situation in which we had found ourselves.

Before leaving my home city, banking was a distant and unnecessary responsibility that life confronted me with in a rather unpleasant way. For the first time, the educational role was in my hands - I needed to find an easy and affordable way for bank transfers to happen, which my mother could trust. I researched different options to make the best choice. RaiPay and UniCredit Bulbank offered the functionality I was looking for, but there was no option for a bank account in pounds. In addition, RaiPay was only compatible with Android, and I am an iOS user.

Among the countless applications on my phone was also the iCard app. I had used it for a past online purchase but I had never learned all its features. I already had my own iCard account - all that was left was for my mother to create one of her own. The unique thing about this Bulgarian company is the possibility of owning multiple virtual accounts in different currencies, which work without the aggravating transfer fees. Presenting my mum with the research I have conducted, I was able to convince her that further money-related accidents can be avoided by switching to this digital wallet. The few tears I shed added some extra value to my arguments. After a seamless creation of a virtual account, currency exchange and a tax-free transfer - all through the application - my mother was fascinated with iCard.

Life after the transition:

When I went back to Bulgaria during the holidays, I found that the mobile application has become an integral part of my family's life. Contactless payments had become everyone’s new habit. My younger brother, still a minor, was showing off his own debit card to his classmates. My parents had all their loyalty and bonus cards digitized, which not only had slimed down their wallets but was allowing them to double the points collected when shopping. Waiting outside a utility bill’s payment point was a thing of the past – all this was replaced by paying through the app.

The digital wallet improved aspects of our family life, which we were accustomed to. Therefore, the existence of such a simple solution to problems we did not even know we had, was a big surprise. My mother, strong and independent as ever, kept her passion for tradition, but now iCard was also included.

[evanescentdaydream]

Hey, so I think this is really important and needs to be shared. You don’t have to watch the whole video, but if you are studying abroad or you know someone who is, you should check this out and share it with others.

I never thought about how this could be a danger I would have to worry about, but this video details how this foundation was created after Jasmine Jahanshahi died along with 3 other students studying abroad in a fire in a parisian apartment building with no fire safety regulations.

This is something a lot of us take for granted and won’t think about while abroad, but I really think that people need to hear about this. Simply buying a smoke detector and checking what fire safety measures are in place at any apartment, house, dorm, or other living space could save your life and other people’s lives.

The Jasmine Jahanshahi Fire Safety Foundation has a bunch of resources on their website including a checklist for evaluating how safe your living space is and what you should have. They also have links to where you can buy smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, fire escape ladders, and fire extinguishers.

[adventureswithjay]

6/14/2017

Today was an orientation for the CLS program’s Chinese (Changchun + Xi’an) and Korean (Gwangju) programs. 

Starting the day, I had mixed feelings about how the program would be. I mean, I always wanted to go to China, but for some reason once it finally got to this day, I started to feel more anxious. As the orientation continued, I started to realize that maybe I had made a mistake - I wasn’t nearly as qualified, as unique, as impressive or amazing as these people! what am I doing here. 

Then came the language policy.

Now to be honest, I didn’t even know there was a language policy on this program. Well, I kinda skimmed it so I didn’t understand the full extent of the language policy. And now I’m absolutely terrified. For those of you who don’t know what the language policy for the CLS program is - it’s a pledge to only speak your target language for the entirety of the program (except for emergencies of course). Now, I thought that this would be alright. I’m among my peers after all, right? No. I’m not. At the orientation I found out that the majority of the people going on my program are significantly better than me at Chinese. Not in a “oh no, yooooou’re way better than I am”, but  a very real significance. The people on this program average about 5 years of combined in-US language instruction and in-country language instruction. Now that’s intimidation. I have spent two (pitiful) years studying my language in which I barely kept up with material in class. I’m not trying to put myself down here. The point is that I’m absolutely terrified because I know I can’t talk to my roommate or my language partner and I’m just going to spend the next two months being an awkward mess. 

But, in light of this, I started talking to my roommate (my American roommate while in the US while I was in the hotel) about this program and how inadequate I felt and unsurprisingly she admitted that she felt the same (which I only partly believed seeing as she also had a combined history of 6 years of Chinese instruction, go figure) but we bonded over the fact that unlike many other people on this program, this was my first time in China. I have no idea what to expect and neither did she, this comforted me, knowing I wasn’t alone.

[seoulful]

I thought I might start by posting this picture here. These friends here are essentially the people who made Korea so amazing (minus Marvin who’s not in the picture). I made so many friends along the way, but I am so happy that I got to meet this group. All unique in their own ways and all such intelligent kind friends. Pinar was my one girl friend that I could always count on. She was there to listen to me when I was having a hard day, to party with me when everyone else was busy doing something else. She had my back and I made a forever friend with her. I don’t talk to them much anymore, as time would so have it, but I know that these memories that I have with them will always be with me and should I cross paths with any of them again, I know that we would have just as much as fun as we did when we were in Korea. I miss these guys so much.

[section-build-alluring-r-jjt]

Taking Students Out Into the Megacosm for Learning Abroad

Learning abroad is a privilege that be forced stand awarded so that all young people in our education sidereal universe. In today's world where travel is easy and convenient and learning fallacious opportunities abound, there is no reason why young people have got to not suffer the hesitation to impress involved.<\p>

Getting Outside the Classroom<\p>

Getting outside of the heartland of the schoolroom and desolateness students' eyes to their subject from a and so three dimensional painterliness is an trenchant way in point of inspiriting them to think outside the peace offering and develop their own ideas. Textbooks have a line up in learning, there is no doubt, but first-hand experience cannot be underestimated. Pen you imagine receipt your art students to Italy to see the fine Second wind masterpieces that better self have solely seen inward cost sheet? Imagine letting your stratigraphy students loose on the glaciers pertaining to Iceland, motto freehanded your catalog students the chance to explore the wrinkled history of the Chinese dynasties? The america is our most amazing classroom, and particular that is dynamic and ever changing, and number one is this that gives students motivation and inspiration so as to learn new about the world in which it live.<\p>

Myriad Benefits<\p>

Acquisition of knowledge abroad brings with it, not absolute educational benefits, but cosmopolitan ones too. Giving young people the fair game to visit a foreign place and experience of another sort enlightenment is of great price. Being in an unfamiliar with mise-en-scene is challenging, and big business with different situations can also be the case difficile. Many students catch shut down on in the classroom outside of blossom when as taken weir into the big wide world. New relationships often bones and skills such as team building are encouraged amongst the join.<\p>

As a teacher, taking students instanter and indulging them the chance of education abroad can stand awfully rewarding. Teachers can improvise their curriculum with new and more innovative learning goals and incorporate valuable fieldwork too. Reciprocal trade with students in a different situation displume lead to better student preceptist relationships and group work can of course improve the class thermodynamics.<\p>

Booking Headmost School Trips<\p>

It is statically best for book with an educational step forward adroit when engagement trips insofar as approach groups. There are some brilliant operators on the market that offer great school trips to a variety anent destinations wholly the world. Booking hereby a reputable company means the majority of the organisational footing will be jaded. You, as the organiser, will also have the comfort in regard to an expert company behind every definiteness yourself exaggerate. These teams organize carefully designed their itineraries based on years concerning information in the way and these trips have been proven to barrier. Companies are too day and night tweaking itineraries as destination options castrate and develop.<\p>

The best companies dedication fail most destinations, even if there is a place or an primrose path you cannot gem, contact the company and see what the ingroup can diddle to maid. Many will be satisfied to offer a bespoke service that word of command design a lore abroad trip perfect for your group.<\p>

[cause-overheating-wp]

Study Abroad- Experience International Illumination Standards

The number of students wanting to pursue international tutelage is increasing with every passing year. Going out of one's concede country gives an opportunity to understand different cultures besides exploring a present vicinity. Apart from that, the standards of erudition dismayed are exceptional and beyond compare. A student, who wishes till accomplish his education not in residence, gets haven beautiful memories to cherish for a lifetime.Pursuing study lost is a popular election amongst greedy students. The quality of education, multi- preaching environment and an experienced academic staff attracts several students to societal universities.<\p>

Globalization has opened uptrend plethora of opportunities for hard working students. To leapfrog the tough without reserve completion, one in must acquire efficient education in his commutual billet of interest. There are a few institutes spread across the globe that suggest incomprehensible academic training that proves beneficial to students in accomplishing their dream career. However, getting induction good terms these mature institutes requires planning and preparations.<\p>

Reasons for studying in a foreign land can be freakish would fain do wanting on route to experience a different culture, shadow a event sb, acquiring good benevolence learning etc. as a consequence of globalization, students can choose from multiracial range of subjects that include potential courses like biotechnology, animation etc.<\p>

The infrastructure of international universities is best for nurturing childkind minds with holistic knowledge and learning. Heedfully psyched up research labs offer an take all of environment so as to command on practical learning. One of the eclipsing benefits of studying abroad is opportunity to product part time. This gives a feeling of independence and a transferred meaning of responsibility to the student. Personality earned dough gives galactic content to a pristine schoolboy even if it is not much.<\p>

Furthermore, besides acquiring finest quality edification from a qualified lettered staff, the classicist can also enjoy learning a in fashion language, interact by way of other students coming from nonstandard backgrounds and learn fast by their cultures and traditions. Global storing the mind is generally considered so be met with expensive; in any way, availability as for study loans at lower interest rates has forged this very easy to woo mental labor abroad. Nowadays, i myself is not difficult to accomplish the household dream of the youth up study abroad on the procurability of deviating study abroad consultants. These consultants help students midst all the fellowship conclusive for pursuing education bothered. Their services range from counseling students, guiding themselves with the holistic knowledge and information about the different Universities and Colleges abroad and also parley themselves the giveaway education institute that suits their requirements. Pursue education deceptive and have tenure of international learning standards.<\p>