GVSU Study Abroad

May 22, 2013

GV Blogger: Sofia Sirchia

Sofia is a Grand Valley State Alumni who graduated with a BA in Psychology and Special Education who studied abroad in Darwin, Australia during her senior year. Her time in Australia helped her to embrace different educational systems. She stayed in Australia for two months, lived with a host family, and became immersed in the…

GV Blogger: Jessica Smith

Jessica Smith is a Grand Valley State University Alumni who studied International Relations and Latin American Studies while attending university. She studied abroad for a year in Queretaro, Mexico, and then studied abroad for one semester in Hungary, and one semester in Poland. She then went on to live in Bogota, Colombia after she graduated…

March 13, 2013

January 16, 2013: A Day in Munich

By Erin Lutenski Munich is a huge city, and nowhere is that more apparent than on the crowded “U-Bahn,” or subway. My day begins by stuffing myself into one of the already crowded cars, where one can observe almost every drama of the human existence. I like to listen to people’s mindless chatter as we go, and can’t help but be jealous of the ease with which they speak the language. One of my favorite parts of each day is getting off the U-Bahn. It’s very dramatic: when one climbs up the stairs to ground level, Munich looks as though it has been transformed into Athens! “Königsplatz” is a collection…

March 11, 2013

Courage, Compassion, and Uyghur Noodles: My Semester in Chengdu

By Taryn Borst In preparation for this article I looked over some of my writings while I was abroad. What I wrote about my experiences in Chengdu, China is that studying abroad and not knowing the language is like swimming. The bits of Mandarin I learned to speak were like breaking the water’s surface and breathing air. Yet experiencing the culture while not know the language was like having an aqua lung. I was able to experience the water, swim, see, and survive, but I was not able to breach the surface between water and air. As a wildly talkative (and notorious eavesdropper) this challenged me to use the language…

March 1, 2013

La Escuela de la Vida: Learning Through Living

By Samantha Cuncannan Everyone who goes abroad does for a certain reason, whether it is to immerse oneself in another culture, to travel as much as possible, or just for a change of scenery. A quote from “Romance de la pena negra” by Federico García Lorca perfectly summarizes why I chose to study abroad: “Vengo a buscar lo que busco, mi alegría y mi persona.” Essentially, this translates to “I come to find my happiness and myself.” I have been dreaming of studying abroad since high school. To me, the question was never “if” I would go, but rather when and where. Once I got those questions answered, everything started…

February 25, 2013

Biking Through a Snowstorm in a Skirt & Heels

By Zoé Kilbourne Danish is not easy to learn. Hygge* is a cultural novelty. Biking is the transportation mode of choice. These facts and many more have been engrained in my psyche since living and working in one of the premier city of northern Europe: Copenhagen. As a Biomedical Science major at GVSU with aspirations to go to medical school, I knew that I would have to make a dedicated effort to study abroad for a full semester. I was determined to find a program that, a: taught classes in English, b: offered a curriculum involving the health sciences, c: provided extensive opportunities for immersion, and d: was located in a place that…

February 4, 2013

Taking a Leap of Faith

By: Chanon Cummings First moving to England to settle in for five months was one of the scariest, most rewarding things I have ever done. I have never truly left my comfort zone in nineteen years, I’ve barely ever left my parents house until the big adventure of college, but suddenly, I was in the big adventure of England. It was nerve-wracking, to get on a plane, and say goodbye to everything I was familiar with. It was also the best thing I ever could have done with my life. My home in England became a home away from home. The lady I lived with, Sally Palmer, became my second…

January 24, 2013

¡Pura Vida! Life as a Language Minority

By Stephanie Nelson What is a typical day look like here in Puntarenas, Costa Rica? Well, my day usually starts around 6:30 a.m. when my host mom or dad usually has breakfast waiting for me. We greet each other with a “buenos días” and a kiss on the right cheek. Breakfast usually consists “gallo pinto” (rice, beans and shredded chicken), scrambled eggs, sometimes an avocado, “pan dulce” or sweet bread, and coffee. Costa Rican coffee is absolutely delicious! I may or may not become an addict. Most mornings I will sit with my parents eating and conversing in Spanish. I love talking with them in Spanish because I learn more…

January 23, 2013

Bridge Over the River Kwai

By Megan Dekievit I am Grand Valley student currently studying at Mahidol University in the Bangkok area of Thailand. A few weekends ago, I took a trip with a couple friends from the university to the nearby province of Kanchanaburi. There are many interesting things to see in Kanchanaburi, including the Bridge Over the River Kwai, which was made famous by the 1957 British war film of the same name. I took this photo of the bridge. Some of you wonder how this bridge exists, because it’s destroyed in the movie. Actually the movie is mostly fictional and was filmed in what is now Sri Lanka. The river itself had…

January 23, 2013

Renewable Energy for Kenya

By Erik Nordman Fullbright Scholar, Dr. Erik Nordman will be spending the school year in Kenya, helping to develop renewable energy technologies. I am very excited to be spending my sabbatical year at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya. I received a Fulbright Scholar grant to teach in Kenyatta’s Environmental Studies and Community Development department and conduct research on renewable energy options at Kenyan tea farms. My wife and two children (ages 8 and 5) have joined me here for the year. The university has generously provided a guesthouse for us right on campus and the kids will attend an international school near the university. My wife, Jennifer, will take some…

GVSU Study Abroad

Welcome to the PIC Blog!

GV Blogger: Sofia Sirchia

GV Blogger: Jessica Smith

January 16, 2013: A Day in Munich

Courage, Compassion, and Uyghur Noodles: My Semester in Chengdu

La Escuela de la Vida: Learning Through Living

Biking Through a Snowstorm in a Skirt & Heels

Taking a Leap of Faith

¡Pura Vida! Life as a Language Minority

Bridge Over the River Kwai

Renewable Energy for Kenya

Follow “GVSU Study Abroad”

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GV Blogger: Sofia Sirchia

GV Blogger: Jessica Smith

January 16, 2013: A Day in Munich

Courage, Compassion, and Uyghur Noodles: My Semester in Chengdu

La Escuela de la Vida: Learning Through Living

Biking Through a Snowstorm in a Skirt & Heels

Taking a Leap of Faith

¡Pura Vida! Life as a Language Minority

Bridge Over the River Kwai

Renewable Energy for Kenya

Follow “GVSU Study Abroad”