Sam Coale
University of Stirling
Stirling, Scotland

My time here at the University of Stirling has been great. The campus is situated in a valley surrounded by mountain/hills which glow gold as the sun sets. It looks far more like something out of "Lord of the Rings" than an actual college campus. There are three four-story nightclubs on campus, making it seem like a town within itself. My set-up with my flatmates has been great, as many of us all came together on the same group flight. We have our own individual rooms and share a large kitchen. Having previously depended on a diet of McDonald's and Cyber Cafe at Chapman, I now know how to cook steak...and pasta! Whoa! (Maybe I could fulfill course requirements from such an enormous achievement as that!)

Melissa Luczak
Richmond
Florence, Italy

I can not even find the words to express what an amazing time I am having here (Italy). Everyday I love it more and more. I find so many new things with each dawn! New things about myself, about the culture, about people in general, and about Italy. I love it more than ever, and to anyone who is presented this opportunity should grasp it and take it! Everyday is a new adventure - finding and exploring the city, traveling, tasting new things, conversing with the people here - it is all so amazing. My roomie worded the experience very well, "we are going to school in a storybook." So true.

Megan MacDonald
San Jose, Costa Rica

I wish I could express the value of simply being here (Costa Rica) - the amazing insight I am offered in every new person I meet and every new, or even repeated, experience. For so long I felt limited by my language skills, but now, even as I can communicate better I realize that the things I have learned or am beginning to understand have little to do with being able to use proper Spanish grammar! I am going to continue working with Foro Emaus this next month, and just today visited for the first time one of two communities that the Lutheran Church works with just outside of San Jose. Both are comprised primarily of immigrants from Nicaragua, and have many problems with poverty and the struggles of this people group here in Costa Rica. I will hopefully be helping with tutoring, English classes for the kids, youth group and even music classes. Being away from home, one month seems like a long time, but in terms of working it feels barely sufficient to truly get involved. Still, I am looking forward to getting to know these communities and the people that work within them a little bit before I return to the States.

Brook Casey
London, England

Leaving the confines of the conservative and antique store ruled Orange Circle, I craved a city with culture, nightlife, and a never-ending circuit of excitement. Attending Richmond University in Kensington London was an ideal choice for me. Wide-eyed and like a child in a candy store, I strolled through the many street markets and conquered the underground.

As I reflect on my memories and timeless adventures, the one thing I realize I was not prepared for was all the wonderful people I would meet and the friendships that quickly formed. I still don't know how in such little time we could all bond and feel as if we had known each other forever. My study abroad friends ultimately created my trip, and London simply became our wonderful playground.

As if the world's finest museums and numerous historical attractions weren't enough to suppress my appetite for adventure, I jumped around to some of Europe's finest cities for entertainment. Graveyard tromping in Edinburgh, gondola riding in Venice, sunbathing in the Canary Islands, and sitting down with my musical inspirations in Amsterdam are only a fraction of the things that I was able to do.

Clarissa Chun
Kansai Gaidai University
Osaka, Japan

My host family is great and I'm getting along with them very well. I have a mom, dad, 16 year old brother and 14 year old sister. I also have a grandfather who lives in the house although I only see him at meals. My room is pretty big, it's about six tatami mats big which is somewhat small/medium in American terms. I have tatami mats on top of a wood floor so I can only wear socks or bare feet in my room. I sleep on a futon instead of a western style bed. Most futons are pretty comfortable, but sadly mine isn't, but I'm adjusting. The food here isn't bad and I've only had to eat a few things that I normally wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. And I've managed to only get by with a few meal time taboos. Once I "made the farmer cry." I guess when you don't eat every grain (and I mean every grain) of rice, you are insulting the farmer and it makes him cry. So ever since then I've been careful not to make the farmer cry. Other than that I'm getting used to life here including having only one ply paper products... although the heated toilet seat does make it all better.

Mike Campbell
James Cook University
Queensland, Australia

I flew 8,000 miles to the only country that is a continent. I went to a country that has the ten most deadliest snakes, seven of the most deadliest spiders, and insects as big as my hand. I went to a country where the largest living organism exists (being The Great Barrier Reef), a massive rainforest that kisses the ocean, and a land that has been burnt by the sun for thousands of years. I flew to Australia to test the waters of a country less traveled and is so vast that most of it has yet to be touched or seen by man.

Now being here for just over two months I am beginning to understand the people and subtle differences of a commonwealth country. I have recently finished my diving certification and been to the reef already a few times, with more trips planned to see the beauty and splendor of such a massive and complex ecosystem. I came to James Cook University in Queensland, which has one of the top marine biology programs in the world, which is what I am studying. While the classes are difficult and the grading even harder, my science classes have shown me parts of the reef and insights about it that I would have never gotten if not for coming here.

Jill Flaherty
Berlin, Germany

Everyday that I am walking on the streets of Berlin, I walk past parts of history. While many of the most historic buildings were destroyed during the war, many have been restored. It's wonderful to finally see all of the places that were discussed in my classes growing up. When I was learning about European history, it always seemed like the events took place somewhere that no longer existed. Now this history has become a reality.

Not only is the history of the city amazing, but the hustle and bustle of the city makes me feel more alive. People are forced to interact with each other more frequently because they either walk or ride public transportation to wherever they are going. My favorite thing to do is sit in a cafe and watch the world go by.