Want to see the world in 2014?
Can you see yourself living and working in Spain, Japan or Brazil?
Do you want to kick off you career by gaining international work experience in Shanghai, Istanbul or Buenos Aires?
When I first arrived to Melbourne, the heat attacked me fiercely. I was expecting a dry heat, but it was very humid. It actually reminded me of the warm humid weather in Haiti. My plane arrived and I was driven to a residential college by the airport pick-up service. In Melbourne, dorms are referred to as colleges. Each college has their own library, dining facility, gym, church, and recreational room. During the drive, I noticed that cars were driving on the wrong side of the road.
When I told my friends and family I would be studying at Melbourne University in Australia, they all had the same question: "Why Melbourne?" I chose Melbourne because it is very beautiful and has a strong focus on culture and art. Melbourne is ranked the most livable city every year and I wanted to explore the truths behind this ranking myself. Australia is far from where I currently live: Boston, Massachusetts.
Usually when one thinks about studying abroad, they immediately associate it with travel--and they are right to think about it initially. Traveling is one of the most important factors about going abroad. Traveling will open your eyes to everything and anything. This is how you learn abroad--most of the academic work you do will be slim to none in comparison to what you do in the United States.
So much of studying abroad is making the most of those days that you aren't headed to Paris, planning a trip to Prague, or getting ready for a ball. It's finding exciting things to do in your local area that will make your experience so much more worthwhile and cause you to feel much more connected to where you're studying.