Scholarships and other Resources

If you've been following my blog, or just so happen to stumble upon this entry then you'll find a couple of resources for choosing the right study abroad program and ideas on how to fund your trip.

First if all, your college or university is a great resource! My university has a study abroad office where I was able to meet with an adviser and receive information on scholarships. To begin with, you should check your options when it comes to study abroad programs. My program is International Studies Abroad, or ISA, but there are many more with different features and costs.

Here is a list of a few, but a Google search should present plenty:

www.ciee.org/

http://studiesabroad.com/

http://www.apistudyabroad.com/

Another important thing to note is whether your school has an affiliation with a certain program. This is important to remember, because affiliations can lead to discounts and much more. In my case, I was able to save $200 by choosing ISA. Aside from this, you may also consider other things such as price, where your friends are going, your major, required classes and much more, but in my opinion, just go for what feels right and go all out!

Paying for my trip was also a big concern for me, but my adviser was able to direct me to scholarship such as the, Gilman Scholarship, and much more. Many of these scholarship require a short essay to be written about your self and how studying abroad could change your life. All in all, nothing to complicated. Just remember that you also have resources such as professor, for recommendation letters, and school officials for counseling and advice.

Here's a list of a few scholarships, but, again, a quick Google search will display much more:

http://www.iie.org/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program

http://www.borenawards.org/

http://www.iie.org/fulbright/

Plus, a few more links for help on decision making.

http://www.experience.com/alumnus/article?channel_id=Ventures_Abroad&source_page=additional_articles&article_id=article_1130797730791

http://okcu.abroadoffice.net/chooseprogram.html

All Saints Day and Festivals!

One thing that I really like about living in Sevilla is all the reasons to celebrate. One of my professors even went as far as to mention that Spaniards celebrate for any reason. This leads to plenty of Bank holidays such as "Dia de Todos los Santos" and "Dia de la Constitution," but more importantly three day weekends!

These weekends usually have parades or festivals that last until late at night. These holidays range from different meanings whether they be spiritual or governmental. What I really love is the atmosphere. Spaniards really go all out for these holidays. They string up lights, play music, set up displays and much more! What may be even more exciting is that many American holidays/customs are becoming more common in Spain. I was actually really surprised to know that they love Halloween and even have a 1,000 zombie parade on this day!

All in all, Spaniards really know how to celebrate!

Bologna, Italy

I'm really proud to say that my next out of Spain journey is to Bologna, Italy. It may not seem like the most desirable place to go, but it has a lot of meaning to me. I'm a brother of the Kappa Sigma fraternity and my fraternity actually has roots that date back to Bologna, Italy. Given this, there was no way I was gonna pass up a chance to visit, especially considering that my round trip ticket was just under $100!

Aside from not knowing any Italian, My trip started out well as I was able to navigate the airport and shuttle into the city with relative ease. I was actually really looking forward to this trip because a few of my fraternity brothers, who are also studying in Europe, were coming as well and couldn't wait to catch up with everyone!

I really enjoyed my trip and was able to recognize and visit a lot of places important to my fraternities founding. All the while, soaking in the Italian culture and sharing that experience with my friends.

All in all, I really enjoyed my trip and hope that I can revisit this great culture!

More pictures:

Lisbon, Portugal

Aside from the few In-Spain destinations that my study abroad program planned, we were also scheduled for a visit to Lisbon, Portugal! I was really excited for this trip, because were going to see some of the coasts and was really interested and had heard wonders of the Portuguese cuisine.

First stop on this trip was the Castle of Sao Jorge, this place was gigantic and was really a testament to the amazing architectural work of Portugal. Here' some pictures:


We also visited Jeronimos Monastery and the tower of Belem. Two sites named by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. Here's some pictures:




I was also able to visit the Colombo Shopping center, one of Europe's largest malls!


The Baccalao, or cod in English, is a traditional and very well known dish in Portugal, but I'm sad to say that it was gone off of my plate before I could take a picture! It was really some of the best seafood I have ever had!


Finally, the nightlife in Portugal is very similar to that of Spain's. People stay out late at night and enjoy drinks with friends. What I will not forget, however, are the Portuguese taxis. We were warned on our arrival that, while safe, taxi drivers in this country are a little reckless and to prepare for a rocky ride. I thought they were just playing up a bad experience or something, but, boy, was I wrong. In my taxi ride, we were able to cover a Google maps estimated trip of 30 minutes in slightly over ten minutes. It was ridiculous, as the driver swerved in between streets and inches from civilians. It was definitely not like something I had experienced before, but also something that made my trip to Portugal so worth it!

Overall, this was really a great trip, and would encourage anyone to visit if they have the chance.