2019 Spring, Semester

Laken Williams: Post 5

Laken Williams Akita International University Japan Spring 2019 Saying Sayonara to Japan and All of My Friends As much as I enjoyed every minute I was in Japan, I knew it had to come to end at some point. For most, the end of their adventure in Japan was the last week of July and the first few days of August. But, for me, I had an archaeological excavation that was part of one of my classes and ended August 7th. So, as one of the last to go, I had to say goodbye to everyone. Some left quietly on […]

2019 Spring, Semester

Laken Williams: Post 4

Laken Williams Akita International University Japan Spring 2019 Working with AUWA Since being at AIU, I have done my best to stay busy, whether that be with studies, clubs, events, or friends. That plan has been a resounding success, but, on the down side, I have not had much time for retrospection or blogging. Nevertheless, I wanted to take the time to talk about my wonderful adventures with a club on campus named, AUWA. The premise of the club is to connect AIU students, especially International students, with the local community. During my time with the club, I have planted […]

2019 Summer, Summer

Ethan Gaines: Post 4

Ethan Gaines Virginia Program at Oxford Oxford, England Summer 2019 Overall, I am very happy that I decided to study abroad in Oxford for six weeks. While the program was certainly very challenging, it was a very rewarding experience and I am grateful to Hampden-Sydney for providing me with this opportunity. The stereotype of Oxford being an unexciting city where the only things to do are study and attend lectures is very wrong. University Park and the Thames and Cherwell Rivers provide excellent places to relax and hang out with friends, and there are numerous bars and pubs throughout the […]

2019 Summer, Summer

Ethan Gaines: Post 3

Ethan Gaines Virginia Program at Oxford Oxford, England Summer 2019 During my time in England on the Virginia Program at Oxford, I was blown away at the how good the food was and how culturally diverse the cities of Oxford and London were. St. Anne’s College was surrounded by amazing Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Spanish, and French restaurants that offered delicious meals and reasonable prices. As for my favorite meal on the trip, nearly every place I went to offered an amazing burger, which I would say is my favorite food of all time. Every week, a large group of us […]

2019 Summer, Summer

Ethan Gaines: Post 2

Ethan Gaines Virginia Program at Oxford Oxford, England Summer 2019 On our first weekend at Oxford, the program director, Dr. Ken Fincham, led the group on a tour all around the city of Oxford. We were able to see the majority of the colleges that make up Oxford University, and learned a little history about each. We ended our tour at the world-renowned Bodleian Library, seeing the famous Radcliffe Camera, Sheldonian Theatre, and Divinity School, which were all absolutely fascinating. Over the duration of the program we were able to use the Bodleian Library and its vast resources to help […]

2019 Summer, Summer

Ethan Gaines: Post 1

Ethan Gaines Virginia Program at Oxford Oxford, England Summer 2019 I chose to participate in the Virginia Program at Oxford because I wanted to experience the academic atmosphere, historical reputation, and cultural prominence that the University and City provides. I am very interested in residing in England for six weeks as the cultural diversity present in the country is astonishing and the scenery is absolutely beautiful. Also, while I have visited Europe on a number of occasions in the past, I had never visited the United Kingdom, so I am really excited to experience something completely new. Overall, the Virginia […]

2019 Summer, May Term

Nick Zurasky: Post 4

Nick Zurasky H-SC May Term Abroad Münster, Germany Summer 2019 This is my last week in Germany! I will not lie I am excited to go home soon, but I will miss Germany so much. Just this past night I was out until 3:00 am talking at a bar with people from all over the world. Most were from Germany, but other nationalities include British, Russian, and even Czech. If there’s one thing that I will miss the most, it has to be these conversations. I think that it is the coolest thing that I can walk anywhere here and […]

2019 Spring, Semester

Laken Williams: Post 3

Laken Williams Akita International University Japan Spring 2019 A Competitive Cultural Exchange As I promised in my last blog, I plan on catching back up with the present, which means I will have to go back in time a few weeks. A few weeks ago, I stumbled into an amazing opportunity, but I had no idea what was actually involved at the time: all I knew was that there was an opportunity to stay over a weekend and meet people from other colleges in the area, as well as a group of Taiwanese students. The program was called, “Yokote City […]

2019 Summer, May Term

Nick Zurasky: Post 3

Nick Zurasky H-SC May Term Abroad Münster, Germany Summer 2019 Germany is still amazing. Recently, I’ve been going back and forth from class doing my work and eating in town. To start my day, I typically will listen to music, hop onto my bus, and ride to the bus stop closest to my school. Many times, I will see average people, of whom most likely have average day to day activities just like me. That “averageness” is the most intriguing part of another country for me. Knowing that halfway across the world there are people who go to work, come […]

2019 Summer, May Term

Nick Zurasky: Post 2

Nick Zurasky H-SC May Term Abroad Münster, Germany Summer 2019 This week has been a blast. It started out as a normal week with classes and walking around the city, but this weekend I went to Cologne. I ordered a ticket for a train earlier in the week, and this past Saturday I traveled to the city. On my way in, I did not see the main cathedral, but right out of the train station, I was met with the immense height of the cathedral. I felt pretty, insignificant standing under such a monolithic structure. The cathedral had delicate and […]