CAPA WORLD

In today's post, Ryan lists the top 10 tips to keep in mind and put into action when it comes to creating quality blog content and documenting your journey and experience abroad.

I can’t believe how lovely my summer semester was! It’s been a true whirlwind of experiences, and I could not be more thankful! I feel so grateful that I have been able to document this experience through blogging for CAPA, so that I can look back on all the great opportunities and times I have had in this program! This blog has been extremely beneficial in my travel by keeping track of all the things I have done while in London.

Marianne Zarzar is an official CAPA blogger, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Sociology of Law, Criminology, and Deviance major at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, she is studying abroad in Sydney.

In today's post, Marianne reflects on her study abroad and internship experience in Sydney, what she misses about it, and tips on how to handle coming back home and maintaining relationships.

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I never knew it was possible to miss a place this much. Coming back home was filled with mixed feelings. Even though I am happy to be back, I have missed Australia and all the friendships and connections I made throughout my study abroad experience. I have been back home for a couple of weeks now, and the most random things still remind me of Australia. I have also started noticing some of the slight differences between Australia and the US in terms of how we do certain things a bit differently here. For example, the tiny space between bathroom stalls here in the US are huge compared to the ones in Australia, but I had never noticed until I came back. Also, I got so used to walking on the opposite side of the street, which actually makes a lot of sense to me, that I still do it even after having been back for a while.

Having been an exchange student before, I somewhat knew what to expect when coming back. I knew for example that almost no one will be as interested in hearing about your overseas experience as you are in telling them. This is not to mean that they won’t be excited for you, but this experience will impact you so much that you will be able to talk about it forever.

Kelly is an official CAPA blogger, sharing her story on CAPA World. A Journalism major at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, she is studying abroad in London.

In today's post, Kelly reflects on her time studying and interning abroad in London and shares encouragement and advice on how to make this your best decision yet.

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If you’re having doubts about studying abroad or it has barely crossed your mind, look no further for advice than what I’m about to tell you.

Deciding to study abroad was quite possibly the best decision I’ve ever made. When I got into the CAPA London program to study and intern abroad, my dad asked me if I really wanted to do this. I was offended at the question and honestly teared up for a second at the thought of not going. That question did make me have second thoughts for a moment, though. I suppose that if I didn’t go, I wouldn’t know what I missed. But now that I’ve spent the best months of my life studying and interning in London (yes, I know—it’s a very cliche thing to say), I wouldn’t take it back for the world.

Kelly is an official CAPA blogger, sharing her story on CAPA World. A Journalism major at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, she is studying abroad in London.

In this week's post, Kelly shares what it's like to keep in touch with friends and family in the US and the apps she uses to bridge the gap.

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No matter where you go—whether it’s a state away or a completely different time zone away—there’s a good chance you’ll want to keep in touch with someone you left behind. You could be going on vacation, leaving for college, moving for a job, or chasing an adventure. When you’re studying abroad for four months in a completely different time zone, it can be a little trickier to keep in touch with those you care about from back home. It’s definitely doable, though.

I’m not much of a homebody, so going places for extended periods of time doesn’t tend to prompt homesickness. That being said, I haven't kept in touch with my family that much, maybe once a month or so. But I do keep in contact with two of my best friends every day. I often speak to my family over the phone using it as usual or using WhatsApp’s calling feature. WhatsApp is a messaging app owned by Facebook that you can download to keep in contact with people. A lot of people use it for talking to others overseas.

Zachery Burnham is an official CAPA vlogger for summer 2018, sharing his story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Finance major at  Champlain College, he is studying abroad in Shanghai this semester.

In this week's post, Zachery shares some tips on how to start a vlog and create videos using equipment you already have.

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Thanks, Zachery!

Zachery's journey continues so stay tuned.

Allyson Barnes is an official CAPA blogger for summer 2018, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. An Anthropology, Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, and Studio Arts major at University of Colorado Boulder, she is studying abroad in Florence this semester.

In this week's post, Allyson shares an obstacle she experienced while traveling in Italy and lists 4 things to do when you travel in Europe by train.

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I was actually lucky enough to be able to travel outside of Florence and even outside of Italy during my study abroad trip. First I would love to share about some of the things I learned from the places I visited and some of the amazing sights, but I would also like to do a brief tips and tricks for traveling in Europe by train, because my friends and I had our fair share of troubles.

I had a chance to go with my friends from Florence on a boating adventure in Capri.

My friends and I made quite the effort to plan an elaborate trip to the Amalfi Coast for a weekend. The Amalfi Coast is on the southern coast of Italy and it is fairly close to the luxury island of Capri. We stayed at a beautiful Airbnb overlooking the water and had everything we needed for a relaxing, yet fun weekend. We even booked a yacht for a day to tour around the island of Capri, see the caves, and even go snorkeling! It was such an amazing experience. We were a large group of people, so coordinating was difficult. I always recommend traveling in smaller groups if possible.

Andres is an official CAPA vlogger for spring 2018, sharing his story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Finance, Accounting, and Business Information Systems major at University of Pittsburgh, he is studying abroad in London this semester.

In this week's post, Andres shares the top 10 most important tips you should know when you study abroad in London.

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Thanks Andres!

Andres's' journey continues every Monday so stay tuned.

Brandon is an official CAPA blogger for spring 2018, sharing his story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Political Science major at Clark University, he is studying abroad in Dublin this semester.

In this week's post, Brandon shares 10 travel tips that will help you plan your own trips and have a great time between destinations.

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I thought that I would use this blog post to give 10 helpful tips on traveling in Europe. I traveled to Poland, Germany, and Switzerland over spring break, visiting Poznan, Berlin, Nuremberg, Munich, and Zürich.

Merchant's Houses in Poznan, Poland

1. Bring a water bottle

Bring a water bottle and fill it up before you go out for the day! Also, keep your eyes peeled while going about your day for water fountains to fill your water bottle if water starts to get low. In much of Europe, especially Germany, restaurants and food outlets will not provide tap water. As an American, I’m used to having a bottomless cup of free water whenever I go out to eat, but this is not the case in Europe. In Germany, I had to buy a bottle of water at every restaurant, and they often charge exorbitant prices. For instance, at a restaurant in Berlin, a bottle of water was 5.90 euros.

Hanna is an official CAPA blogger for fall 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Marketing, Finance, and International Business major at the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities, Carlson School of Management, she is studying abroad in Sydney this semester.

In her last post, Hanna reflects on the challenges she's been through and how studying abroad opened doors for her to grow personally and professionally.

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It took me a while to organize my thoughts and come back to the reality of campus life. Studying abroad definitely had a huge impact on me; not only do I notice it, but my friends and family notice it as well. Though, I have been studying abroad in the U.S. for almost 5 years already, participating in the CAPA study and intern abroad program represented a way for me to exit my comfort zone.

Back home in Kyiv, Ukraine, with my dog!

Let me think about where I should begin. Australia has a pretty laid back and relaxed culture, and I think it affected me to the most positive extent. Ever since coming to the States and starting my education career here, I've felt tension and pressure to perform and act in a specific way. I don't know whether it was due to a cultural shock, an attempt to fit in, and/or other reasons. However, going to Australia helped me realize that there is so much more to this world and our lives…the stress and tension should not limit us in our actions and thoughts. Sometimes, we just need to relax, go with the flow, and enjoy good moments without overthinking and emotionally exhausting ourselves.

Maureen is an official CAPA vlogger for fall 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A BFA major at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, she is studying abroad in London this semester.

In this week's post, Maureen shares her tips on creating interesting vlogs and how to be creative using video.

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Thanks Maureen!

Maureen's journey continues every Monday so stay tuned.