Greetings all!

     First and foremost, I want to take the time to say congrats on being able to be apart of an EXTRODINARY EXPERIENCE! Many people are not able to have an experience going abroad, so to be able to be apart of the Study Abroad Program here at Columbia is not only a once in a lifetime experience, but an honorable one.

     Now allow me to introduce myself. My name is Veronica. I am a student at one of Columbia College's Satellite locations here in Savannah GA at Hunter Army Airfield. I am prior service military (Army National Guard), military spouse of almost 9 years and together we are a blended family of 4 kiddos and 2 pups. Over the past 9 years we've been able to live in a few places such as Virginia, Hawaii (so much fun!), North Carolina, and now Georgia. Georgia is only another stop on our traveling quest, only time will tell where we will be off to next.




     Now the good stuff...THE TRIP!!!!!  Honestly I thought I'd be able to write while I was there but the way we were moving so much and so quickly, by the time I was able to write I was so exhausted! But exhausted in a good way! London is a large diverse metropolitan city, so there is so much to do, so much history in the city, and so many people. I was amazed by it all. But I will start off with some general tips when in London. I will go into more detail on some topics in future posts. (NOTE: if its capitalized and in bold, its very important)

1. Get familiar with the tube system- The London Tube system and bus line is in my opinion by far the BEST transit system I've ever used. Its clean, fast and literally takes you everywhere. The oyster card will be your best friend.
   
   
2. Move quickly- people in London move quickly. They have places to be do not want to slowed down by tourists who doesn't know their way around. 
   They will bump into you if you are in their way with no remorse. So be sure to follow the flow of traffic. Walk on the sides where the majority walks and if you are in way, simply step to the side until you have yourself together.
   
   
3. Wear comfy shoes and be sure to HYDRATE- You will be walking A LOT here in London as many of our coursework is covered around the city. Ladies; DO NOT BRING HEELS. Its not worth it. some of the roads are made of cobblestone and will be going up and down stairs. Please, just don't do it. I brought mine and never wore them. It is good you carry a bottle of water with you as you may never know when you will be able to get something to drink. Many places do offer tap water but with all the walking around you'll be doing, you may need some sooner than expected.
4. ALWAYS LOOK TO BOTH WAYS BEFORE CROSSING: I repeat 
   ALWAYS LOOK BOTH WAYS BEFORE CROSSING- Londoners drive on the opposite sides of how we drive here in the states. It is IMPARITIVE that you be sure to loo before you cross and cross at the crosswalks when there is one. If you are to get hit by someone and you are not in the crosswalk. You will be liable for the accident. So please, be safe and look right (well both ways really lol)
   
   
5. Wear LAYERS: During the time I was there, we were spoiled with the beautiful weather. But it was important to wear layers as you will be taking things on and off throughout the day. Some time its warm and then it gets chilly, going in and out of the tube station, you are bound to warm up and cool down throughout the day.
6. Understand that customer service is different here than in the States- Please understand this now as many of the students had a hard time adjusting to the difference. It is very different. Servers do not wait on you hand and foot like you are experienced. They only come around when you need them to. Other restaurants like Pubs for example, require you to go up to the counter and order instead of a server coming to you. They will only bring your food to you. Anything else you go to them. Once you are comfortable with this you will be good to go.
7. Most Importantly....EXPLORE!!!!! You will be there for 4 weeks, and you will have down time to explore in the evenings and on weekends. Please take advantage. I went to so many places both in and outside of London that I could write a book about it. There is so much history in the city and so many different cultures to explore that honestly, 4 weeks isn't even enough time to cover it all.

      I will go more into detail in the upcoming posts about some of the places I've visited, what I've learned, and provide you guys with more specific tips to make it here in London if you decide to take this program in the future. 

Ciao a tutti!

I am about two weeks into my study abroad experience to Italy, and it has been a blast! I have experienced more places the past two weeks than I have the past five years of my life! Instead of telling you all about how much fun I am having, I think I am going to make my blogs mostly advice for future study abroad students! Being across an ocean in a new country, Italians do things a little differently than Americans do and here are some things I was either told OR I found out myself from experience! So learn a little from my mistakes: 

• Prior Trip Tips: this is the most stressful part so hang in there
• Make a To-Do List: I had so much to do prior to my flight left and I kept losing track of everything I needed to putting it all down on paper or in my phone notes section relieved me majorly
• What do you need to wear? Well obviously look up the weather before you go, but I will put down some mistakes I made
• I should have brought more warm clothes, it was chilly the first week and it wasn't as fun being cold
• I brought mostly cute clothes, because I am forcing myself to not wear leggings everyday! I am trying to fit in with the Italians, because they tend to dress a little nicer than casual Americans
• Bring a rain jacket if you have one! I did not and I regret it. Also an umbrella is handy!
• START👏PACKING👏EARLY👏: I mean it, start thinking about what you are bringing a long time before you leave. I personally tried on everything I was bringing to see if I wanted to bring it in my suitcase. It's hard bringing one suitcase for a month!
• Little things to not forget: European adapter, pillowcase (if they tell you to bring sheets, I brought sheets but forgot a pillow case), a bath towel (don't be like me and drop 15 euro on a bath towel), that one thing you use everyday (mine is my speaker, it may take up space but I am so happy I brought it)
• Keep up to date: you are going to be shoved a lot of info about your trip, try to be sure to read over things at least once maybe 2-3 times to be sure you have everything in order
• Contact people in your group: I didn't know anyone going on the trip prior to going abroad, but I did get in contact with a girl a month prior to the trip. She was so helpful! Often the person has the same questions you have and you at least have one familiar face that you are going to see in the beginning! Don't feel weird, they probably feel the same way!

• Restaurant Tips: the food here is DELICIOUS but can be difficult to maneuver 
• Don't tip: It is not a thing to tip in Italy, because the waiters don't get paid minimum wage
• "coperto" = table charge (you may see this on your receipt and wonder what I did not order that, but what I came to find out this is basically your tip. This is how they cover waiting on you)
• They do not like to split checks, so often you have one person pay for the table and you pay them back. If you don't have Venmo highly recommend! Also make sure you pay them in euros and not US dollars!
• Water costs!! I know I am still getting used to this one! Oftentimes it is just as cheap to get a glass of wine than a bottle of water so look out for that.
• Also be sure you order "acqua naturale" or flat water, otherwise you may be disappointed with carbonated water. I do encourage you to try it though!
• Often times you have to ask for the check if you are ready to leave, Italian dinners take longer than Americans. They do not bring you the check, because they do not want you to feel rushed! 

• Coffee Tips: I don't personally drink coffee, but this was very helpful for others :)
•  “latte” =  a warm glass of milk, so trust me you don't want warm milk so try the others
•  “caffe” or an espresso = a shot of coffee
•  “cappuccino” = a shot of espresso with a lot of frothy milk
•  “macchiatto” = a shot of espresso with a dollop of frothy milk
• In Italy it is a thing to only drink coffee in the morning, it is considered odd if you drink it in the evening

• Shopping Tips: 
• Do bargain: I was not a very outspoken person when it comes to shopping, but Italy has changed me a bit! Bargain with those men on the street trying to get you to buy things! You often can get it a lot lower than the price they tell you!
• Try the Central Market: if you need some fresh ingredients try the Central Market! It is an experience you have to see how fresh all the produce and meat are! Also they have basically a food court upstairs with amazing food!
• Don't touch fruit at Central Market: they have signs a lot of places, but the people do not like it when you touch their products.
• Bring your own bag: when buying food or anything really they do not like giving you plastic bags but they do offer reusable bags for 1 euro in many grocery stores so when you go buy groceries try and bring your own bag

• "Fit in" to Italian Culture: if you're trying to get really vibe with the Italian culture these are just some observations I have made. But as always it's okay to be a tourist and be your own self!!
• Jeans: so jeans are odd here, everyone wears dark jeans a lot, but jean shorts are not a thing. I still wore jean shorts but I don't think I saw one Italian in jean shorts. Normal jeans here are popular here
• Don't pet the dogs: obsessing over dogs here is not a thing, they do not like it when you pet their dogs. Even the cutest dogs no one stops to pet! But trust me from experience my friend pet this one guys dog because he came up to her, the man yelled at her so just be careful. I have heard that you can ask if you can and some people don't care but for now I will have to put my dog loving self in restraints
• Use the crosswalks: cars are more likely to stop if you actually use the crosswalks. Italians are ummm let's say intense drivers so finding a crosswalk will increase your chances of crossing streets safely
• Learn some Italian: learn some simple Italian phrases! It will help you immensely! A lot of people here (especially in the city) know at least some English but knowing the basics is very helpful!!

Heyo, it's been a hot minute since I posted. I've been quite busy with finals and such. Spring break has started and is a little different than it is in the U.S. Rather than a week off, we have about a month and a half off, but I don't have a summer break this year. I will go back early August, so I already know it's going to be stressful between catching up with everyone I need to before going back to Columbia and starting classes for the fall again. But I will cross that bridge when I get there. The break will be relatively lazy, but I am going to Seoul, South Korea for a few days with two friends. We also have to move due to issues found with the buildings we are currently living in.

Winter Break

Christmas isn't that big of a deal here, but the university did host a small Christmas party for the students that didn't travel during break. It was quite nice because when isn't food, drinks, and friends a good time? We went to karaoke after, which I've come to really enjoy. I much prefer the private rooms over the open mic that is common in America.

I went with my friend Ayame to meet her family for New Years. It was a three hour train ride and an additional 45 minutes in the car. Wakayama prefecture is stunning. It's much more rural compared to Shiga. It's very mountainous and there are SO many trees. I love trees so much, so I had an absolute blast. I had never seen orange trees before so getting to see so many was amazing.

They have an annual pilgrimage to the kumamo hongu taisha shrine which was a really cool experience. The drive there was quite long from her hometown, but well worth it. I loved the trip along with the actual shrine experience. We went with her mother and sisters, grandparents, and an uncle and cousin. There were a lot of people there, and it's been a place of pilgrimage for a long time. They obviously now have roads, but people used to walk the distance. The trip could take a month by foot. While the trip is still important, it's more of a tradition than holding a religious meaning. Her grandparents still go due to belief, but for Ayame it was a tradition. We got little fortunes, which foretold how our year would go. Mine is going to be a good year according to said fortune. Her mother also bought me a small emblem that is supposed to promote good health for the year. There were several shrines in which different gods resided. There was one that was much more popular than the others. The line to pray was quite long. We didn't pray at those shrines. There was another structure there were the owner would pray over the people. The person praying wasn't a monk, but was a believer. Each family gets a small piece of wood that the person would bless as well. Ayame's grandparents kept it in their home. This is renewed each year, and the one from the previous year is burned. It signifies that the gods are watching over the family. They are held in high regard, with the wood having a special place in the home. The process of blessing us and the wood was interesting. We all sat on the floor, then bowed for a while while he chanted.

Then when that was finished, we were given an orange tree branch that we placed at an alter type thing and prayed there again. Then we went to see the original place of the temple. It was destroyed in a natural disaster, but the shrine remained standing. It is the largest in Japan. It was a sight to behold.

After this, the second part of the tradition is to go to a natural hot river to boil eggs and sweet potatoes. There were many people here as well.

It was a lovely experience and location. We also stopped by an outdoor onsen for a bit, but I didn't go in because it was rather cold out.

Not part of the tradition was making a pit stop at a bridge over part of a river. It swayed slightly as we walked on it, but that was part of the fun.

The next day, upon discovering that I hadn't been to the beach before, we went to the beach. Well we went to two beaches and also to a lighthouse. The first beach had rocks rather than sand. It was quite windy, so we flew kites as well. It was delightful.

Then we went to a smaller area to pick up shells. It was cool to get another perspective.

And then the lighthouse. It was further up the mountain, and it was incredibly windy. Luckily I had a hat and hair not long enough to actually be messed up, but we got some fun pictures of Ayame and her sisters hair. Seeing the ocean like that really makes you realize how small we are. I love that feeling.

Ayame's uncle, our driver for the day, was very kind and stopped often so I was able to get pictures. Watching the sunset over the ocean was incredible.

On the last day, we went to Osaka for some shopping before we went back home. It was my first time in Osaka. I love cities so I enjoyed it. It was also the first time to be in a subway, so that was cool too. It wasn't super eventful, but shopping areas are a bit different here than they are in the U.S. Shops often have people shouting about deals. It's a bit startling at first, especially if you don't see them right away.

Overall, it was a great experience. I thoroughly enjoyed it. 10/10 would recommend.

I got quite busy, but I've been meaning to post about several things so I will make a master post of sorts for the past few weeks. I am officially on break, so I've got the time now.

Fall here is absolutely incredible. Paired with temples, day trips are stunning. I went to Nagahama on the last Sunday in November and then to Kyoto on Tuesday. Both trips involves several miles of walking, but the scenery makes it worth it. I absolutely love trees and the temples. The sheer size of the temples is astounding. I feel so small when visiting. The trees make fall one of my favorite times of year, except for the cooler weather. I will add only a few of the many pictures I took.



It's definitely starting to get cold here, but the temperature is far less volatile than both my hometown in Texas and Columbia. It's snowed in both places, but have warmed up drastically after that. The temperature here has just steadily declined. There is a chance for snow next week though. The mornings are quite chilly and there is some snow on the mountains already. It makes them look them visually appealing, but I cannot get a good picture unfortunately.

We went to Koka City for one of my classes two weekends ago. We had a booth at an international festival about SDGs. It was quite interesting. After lunch there were performances from the many cultures that live in Koka. There were dances and other performances from all over the world, and it was really cool to watch. I will add a short clip and I apologize for the poor quality.



Last weekend, my German friend Flo and I did a sort of homestay thing in Nagahama. We got to both experience four star hospitality and how such a hotel is maintained. We did dishes after lunch, and I don't know if I have ever seen so many different kinds of dishes. It was incredible really. They put a lot of focus on presentation. We worked with two high school boys who were going to graduate soon that worked there part time. They were really nice and helpful. I didn't count on having to take my shoes off a hundred time though. The system they had for how they stored the dishes was cool. I don't even know how to begin trying to describe this system, so I will leave you with only that it is cool. They had a separate hotel for those with pets, and I have never seen any place so much accommodate to pets. They had kennels and even a menu for pets. They had baby gates in place and many latches so the dogs wouldn't bolt when the owner was closing the door. They also had cameras in the elevators and screens on each floor so people could see if there were pets in the elevator already that might cause issues. Fun fact: Mercedes-Benz makes dog carriages. I didn't know this, but I will provide photo evidence. I also got to experience an onsen, which is a hot spring. I didn't know if I would be able to since tattoos are taboo here and I have several. I asked the owner and he let me use the private one rather than the public one. It was fabulous. The tubs are made locally and they're beautiful. They had some indoor and outdoor. The water was 40 degrees Celsius inside and 44 outside. I really liked the outside because it was 5 degrees and dark, so it was so so relaxing. I loved it. We also made beds the next day, which is a lot more difficult than you would think. I'm pretty sure I ate more in those two days than I had in the whole week before. After lunch on Sunday, we went to a bird sanctuary where we got to see an eagle that had migrated to the same spot every year for the past 21 years. Then we went to a traditional doll puppet school. It was really cold in the building. It takes three people to do one doll. We got to try and it's really interesting. We also got to see the closet where the dolls are assembled. There were heads that were hundreds of years old that had their original hair. I will add a photo of the doll heads.



That concludes this post I believe. I plan to have a pretty chill break, maybe go on a day trip or two. New Years will be spent with Ayame and her family and I look forward to that.

I began this series with the three things I will miss most from home. I'm excited about home, but there are definitely things I will miss from Canterbury too, so I made another little list -

Walking. I love going on long walks, and it has been so great being able to walk everywhere. Most of the other Americans say they miss driving and are looking forward to having their cars back, but I've enjoyed having long walks as an integral part of my day. Instead of having to make time for a walk at home, it's just my primary mode of transportation. And I've gotten to explore a lot more of the city and become more familiar with it because I walk everywhere.

Travel. This is actually rather two part: the location and the public transport.

• With Scotland above, Wales on the side, Ireland a hope away, and the Continent just over the Channel, it is so easy to travel. For one of my classes, we went to Bruges for a day. Basically everyone here has been to at least 3 other countries. When you talk to British people, they casually talk about weekends in France or holidays in Germany, Spain, Italy. You don't even have to fly if you don't want to. Like I said in an earlier post, the US is like the whole of mainland Europe, so people travel to different countries like we travel to different states. 
• I know it sounds crazy, but I actually quite like the public transportation here. There are so many trains and buses, and they're  actually pretty nice, because so many people depend on them. Unlike in the US, lots of students and adults don't have licenses, and some never get them. Having a car isn't such a priority here. There are so many more pedestrians, and, in fact, the traffic light system is entirely based on pedestrian crossings, not other four-way stops. As someone who vastly prefers walking to driving (purely as a method of transportation, not because of other, more pragmatic factors like time, independence, etc.), I appreciate being able to walk everywhere, and I think the rides are nice. 

In one week, I'll be back in the United States. It's much easier to leave something when you're going to something else. I don't really think about it as leaving Canterbury so much as going home to Christmas with my family.

Again, it's not really something I'd been thinking about when choosing to study abroad during fall term (actually, I'd initially been intending to make next semester, my final semester, the one abroad), but I'm happy, once more, that I came this term. The weather has been amazing; I've met great people; and I'm going home for Christmas, so it's easier to leave. Don't get me wrong, I am going to miss being here. I'm anticipating going home, while also enjoying being away. I'm so glad to be here for the Christmas season - it's truly special - and I wouldn't have had this if I'd chosen spring semester. I'm getting the best of both worlds by getting to a taste of Christmas here, but then going home to have it there too.

I know the house is already being decorated, which will make it even more lovely to return to. Home and family are always full of love and warmth, and then there will be the extra glow of Christmas to enhance everything. I live out in the country, where we have the most beautiful view and a cozy fireplace, and I've been hearing that there's quite a bit of snow, so I'll be home for Christmas, and I'm dreaming of a White Christmas!

PS - Can you tell that I love Christmas songs? I especially enjoy Josh Groban's version, not just because it's Josh Goban (though he's phenomenal and a definite favorite!), but because it's a tribute to those who are separated from their family for Christmas in service.

I didn't think Christmas would be all that different here, but there are a few things. Perhaps everyone else knew about them, but I didn't.