Leland Blanchard: Post 3

Leland BlanchardProvider: Project GOKaohsiung, Taiwan2024 Summer   Much of my time studying abroad is spent studying. Class, (mandatory) tutoring, and homework takes up about 7 hours of my day – all involving some aspect of Mandarin Chinese. Typically, each day’s work involves learning 50-100 new vocabulary terms and various grammatical patterns. The course itself emphasizes spoken Mandarin – so most of our in-class work is conversations between classmates. Even though we’re given a lot of work, my classmates and I still manage to find time for fun. A picture of one of our lessons – we had to role play […]

Leland Blanchard: Post 2

Leland BlanchardProvider: Project GOKaohsiung, Taiwan2024 Summer Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the university administering my study abroad program, managed to find a hotel that was equally convenient to our host university, National Kaohsiung Normal University, and Kaohsiung’s MRT/subway system. In total, the walking commute is about half a mile – which can take up to 30 minutes due to the number of crosswalks and curving paths. Leland and one of his tutors, Selena. His program requires daily 30-minute tutoring sessions with graduate students from National Kaohsiung Normal University’s Center for Teaching Chinese as a Second Language. During these sessions, they only communicate […]

Frank West: Post 2

Frank WestProvider: IES Dublin, Ireland 2024 Summer Greetings from Dublin, Ireland! I finally feel like I have settled in and have adjusted to my class schedule. I have class Monday through Thursday which leaves me with a lot of time to immerse myself in Irish culture. I have class later in the afternoon, so I have plenty of time to explore before Dublin comes alive. Dublin has wonderful public transportation. I can get across the city in a matter of minutes via tram or bus for a couple of euros! My favorite part of my morning and afternoon commute is […]

Franklin West: Post 1

Frank WestProvider: IESDublin, Ireland2024 Summer   Greetings from Dublin, Ireland!   So far, my trip has been incredible, and I’m still at the tip of the iceberg! There is so much rich culture and history integrated into almost every aspect of life here and that is what I had hoped for! I chose Ireland because of its culture and history! I cannot wait to visit the Natural History Museum and take a trip out to the countryside to get away from the city a bit. I plan to visit Leap Castle, Loftus Hall, and the Hell Fire club.   I’ve […]

Summer 2024 Bloggers Announced!

We are delighted to have the following students blog for us this summer.  Follow us on Instagram to see when a new post is added. Leland BlanchardKaohsiung, TaiwanProgram: ProjectGo I love learning Chinese. There’s something about the complicated characters and funny grammar rules that makes even the most tedious assignment fulfilling. At Hampden-Sydney, I was encouraged by both my professors (especially Dr. Varholy in the English Department) and my peers to think about studying abroad. I was told about Project Global Officer, a fully funded opportunity for ROTC Cadets from across the United States … Project Global Officer funds numerous […]