The city of Valparaíso has gone duck-crazy. A week before the arrival of our enormous yellow visitor I read the newspaper headlines and laughed, “The Worlds Largest Duck to Arrive in October.” My host mom Emma and her longtime friend and roommate Raul chuckled at the idea of the duck around the dinner table as we ceremoniously enjoyed our post-dinner snack, “once.”

This month, I had the honor to attend a reception at the ambassador's residence, organized by the US-China Strong Foundation and Project Pengyou. The event was an opportunity to mingle with fellow students and educators who are living and studying abroad in China. Regarding Sino-Chinese relations, Ambassador Branstad has reiterated his commitment to his friendship with Chinese president Xi Jinping and the well-established connection between Iowa and Hebei.

Brenda and Joe Ewing of Iowa City raised their kids to be curious about the world. Discussions around the dinner table included current events and what they might mean for Iowa. Family vacations exposed them to great museums and unfamiliar cities, and some of the travel was international. When all five Ewing children attended the University of Iowa, they pursued majors suited to their individual goals and ambitions, but the common thread was that each one studied abroad, some more than once.

Destiny Foster says she’ll always remember leaving the study abroad office and calling her mom to tell her they were going to “need to sell some candy bars or something” because she was going to Spain over the summer. “There was something that told me I needed this experience,” she said. “It was a calling and I had to answer it. I’m so glad I did because here I am, months later, filling you in on my unforgettable journey abroad.” 

UI students who are interested in studying abroad in Germany are invited to attend an information session on The Academic Year in Freiburg program, on Monday, November 6, from 4-5 p.m. in 315 Phillips Hall. 

The first week abroad is filled with different emotions. Every person is going to feel different emotions at different times throughout the week. I remember reading an article about culture shock a week before I departed for Thessaloniki. I was surprised that it did not hit me right away! It took a while, but it did occur while in my first week of classes. 

Are you interested in learning about earning UI credit while spending eight weeks during the summer interning full-time in the field of your choice in Dublin? UI students are invited to attend an information session with IES Abroad, featuring guest speaker Stephen McMahon, faculty member at IES Internships.

Are you interested in learning about earning UI credit while spending eight weeks during the summer interning full-time in the field of your choice in Barcelona? UI students are invited to attend an information session with IES Abroad, featuring guest speaker Dr. Cèsar Alegre Alsina, center director at IES Internships. 

Wow sometimes it’s hard to believe how quickly time passes. I feel as though I’ve only just arrived and yet I’m already a quarter of the way through my exchange semester! I do attribute some of this feeling to the fact that I have yet to begin my actual classes. The semester officially began this week, but my first class isn’t until next Monday.

My daily loaf of bread and the cheese and shrimp empanadas are catching up to me. It seems I’m getting a nice little tummy. However, my legs have never been stronger. This is because I am lucky enough to live in Cerro (hill) Yungay, one of Valparaíso’s 42 cerros. It’s generally quiet, covered in art, and has a great view of that big blue thing over there we call the Pacific Ocean. Cerro Yungay is run by groups of friendly multi-colored cats and overweight happy pups who come and go from house to house as they please. For this post I want to show the short, but oh so steep climb from the base of my street to my house. I will do so with photos…

In my high school French class, I recall learning about Paris’ arrondissements, or administrative districts, that circumvent the city. Following my freshman year at the University of Iowa, I spent a small portion of my summer break traveling in China. Of the mere two weeks I spent in China, one week was spent in Beijing. I remember noting the circular metro lines, regarding them as an inconvenience when trying to travel from a stop on one end of the rounded track to another.

Hey Hawkeyes! Below I have provided a list of items that you don’t want to forget to bring with you when you go abroad, the list especially applies to those going to Italy!