CAPA WORLD

International study, especially with an internship, is an excellent way to show future prospective employers that you are willing to push the boundaries of your comfort zone and that you are able to cooperate with people from diverse backgrounds. Does the destination you choose make a difference to the type of experience you’ll have in terms of your future career goals? It can. If you are thinking about entering one of these fields after graduation, London could be an excellent choice for you.

Instagram addict? If you're studying abroad in Dublin, take note; here are 10 of our favorite places to take snap away in this CAPA global city!

1. DOORS OF DUBLIN. The famous brightly-painted doors can be seen all over Dublin, and have become such a difining characteristic of the city. However you frame them with your lens, they’ll certainly add a splash of colour to your Instagram palette. #NoFilterNeeded!
3 related hashtags: #dublindoors, #doorsofdublin #doors #doorsofinstagram

Photos via sosoyork, willkoike, irish_architecture & thedoorsofdublin (clockwise from top left)

In this post, Grace talks about her favorite day trip that she took during her summer abroad in Dublin.

Of all the day trips I took while studying abroad in Dublin, Ireland, my trip to the town of Howth during the first weekend of the program was by far my favorite. Howth is a quaint fishing town located just a quick forty-five minute train ride north of the Dublin city center. One of my CAPA professors had suggested this spot as a must-see of Dublin because it offers a little taste of everything, including shops, restaurants, the beach, a cliff walk, a castle, and my favorite, fish and chips. 

Michaella Estevez is an official CAPA vlogger, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Marketing major at University of Massachusetts Amherst, she is studying abroad in Florence this semester.

In this today's post, Michaella takes us on a trip to Capri and shows us the beautiful nature and scenic views of the island.

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Thanks Michaella!

See more of Michaella's journey in Florence.

Hannah Hardenbergh is an official CAPA blogger for summer 2018, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. An American History and Literature major at Harvard College, she is studying abroad in Florence this semester.

In this week's post, Hannah shares how studying abroad has given her a sense of freedom to explore—this time at Val Gardena outside the Tuscan region.

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Ciao ragazzi!

Following one of my previous posts, I’ve been excited to share a weekend trip I took to Northern Italy to mountain bike in Val Gardena. It turned out to be one of the exciting weekends I spent outside of Florence. It was exciting to experience a new region, one that is quite close to the Austrian border and has a completely different feel than being in the Tuscan region. In place of palazzi (palaces) made of pietra forte (a modest stone commonly used in Florence to build large 15th c. palaces and older churches) and loggias—the open areas underneath Romanesque arches in Florentine courtyards—wooden Chalets with overhanging roofs and second-level wrap-around decks, and small barns with paddocks outlined the mountain towns in Val Gardena. I stayed in Ortisei, a small ski town settled between two mountainsides about an hour-and-a-half bus ride from Bolzano (north of Trento and Venice).

A photo of me traversing across a narrow rock path on my bike as we make our way down to Ortisei.

The roads were narrow, and our bus was quite large. We had to wait on a few occasions for oncoming downhill traffic to pass before heading up the hillside from Bolzano. I sat quietly and watched, and listened. I heard German, Italian, and broken English every so often. Most of the passengers spoke German and dialects from southern Austria. The street signs had both the Italian and German translation of towns and locations.

Nora Callahan is an official CAPA blogger for summer 2018, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. An International Affairs and Math major at Northeastern University, she is studying abroad in Buenos Aires this semester.

In this week's post, Nora navigates a 16-hour bus ride from Buenos Aires to Northern Patagonia, a boat ride to Uruguay, and a trip to Iguazu Falls.

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Buenos Aires is South America’s second largest metropolitan area on the coast of one of the 20th century’s most prosperous countries, but all the other attractions, and, really, all the other places, are really far away. There’s a lot of other areas in the country to visit if you’re staying in Buenos Aires for a while. I was able to make it to three in my short six weeks and I’ll let you know where, how I got from point (B)A to point B (that’s a little city name initials joke by the girl from DC), and how it is navigating domestic travel in Argentina.

At the transit museum in Uruguay with Megan!

Our first Friday happened to be May 25th, a national holiday in Argentina celebrating the May Revolution, so, seizing the day off from classes, I decided to pack my bags that Thursday morning and head straight from class to a get on a 16-hour bus ride out of the city with a friend I’d just met four days prior at orientation. Where were we headed? Bariloche, a nice little mountainous town in Northern Patagonia. But, back up—how did we get there?

Rachel is an official CAPA vlogger for summer 2018, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Visual Media major at Auburn University, she is studying abroad in Dublin this semester.

In this week's post, Rachel shares several beautiful spots you should absolutely see when you study abroad in Dublin. These places are in or close to Dublin and are worth a visit!

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Thanks Rachel!

Rachel's journey continues every Friday so stay tuned.

Rachel is an official CAPA vlogger for summer 2018, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Visual Media major at Auburn University, she is studying abroad in Dublin this semester.

In this week's post, Rachel goes on a day trip to Malahide Castle and Garden and shares some history and beautiful sights from this place.

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Thanks Rachel!

Rachel's journey continues every Friday 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.

Hannah Hardenbergh is an official CAPA blogger for summer 2018, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. An American History and Literature major at Harvard College, she is studying abroad in Florence this semester.

In this week's post, Hannah shares about the time she recently spent in Cinque Terre and what it's like to be spontaneous in new places.

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Ciao! As I sit on a train back to Florence from a day trip in Siena today, I can’t help but reflect on my adventures so far in Italy and consider the value of branching out, engaging in a new experience, and exposing oneself to new surroundings, both cultural and environmental. Being present and willing to stumble upon beauty (instead of searching for something in particular) has led me to many exciting moments during my trips in and out of Florence. I decided to try to do an activity in each place I went to; I hiked between the coastal towns of Cinque Terre, “The Five Lands,” I biked in the breathtaking mountainous terrain of the Dolomites in northern Italy, and, due to extremely good timing of my travels, I got to see a historical horse race in Siena today. While it may seem obvious that traveling exposes one to new experiences and excitement, I wanted to share my perspective on branching out.

Corniglia from above.

This post focuses on the value of having a non-plan and being present. While I get to share with you the beauty of the places I’ve visited, I also get to emphasize the value in engaging in my surroundings in social and physical ways. Having grown up in a family with a very active lifestyle, I love working out. It makes me feel happier and as a student-athlete, I really enjoy endurance training like long runs and bike rides, especially when there’s a destination. So, I knew that my love for sport and the outdoors could lead me towards new experiences in Italy as well.