Aubree Compton, senior study abroad advisor and program coordinator at the University of Iowa, recently received her professional certification in education abroad. She is the first individual to successfully complete the program in Iowa, the Big Ten conference, and 19th overall.

Being in CIEE’s Santiago de Chile program has been an extraordinary and seemingly-existential experience thus far.  I’m having a wonderful time, my host family is so nice and so supportive—I couldn’t imagine a better housing arrangement—my classes are so interesting and thought-provoking, and Santiago (well… Chile, itself, really) is full of unexpected adventures.

Travel anxiety is not a recent development of mine. Of course, I call it “travel anxiety” because I don’t know what else to call it, and it’s difficult to pin with words

It’s now been a week since I moved in with my host family and began classes in Cochabamba! Much has changed in this short time both for me and Bolivia as a whole. With that, I want to take a moment to touch on what’s been going on in the heart of South America.

Bolivia is not even close to being a popular study abroad location for American students. You will seldom see it advertised at study abroad fairs (although the number of programs for American students recently increased from one to two). Rarer yet will you hear from actual alumni of such a program.

Unfortunately, my first blog will not be a very happy one.  A strong message presented itself on August 4th and I felt compelled to share it with all of you.

We're excited to announce our Study Abroad Bloggers for the fall 2016 semester! These unique individuals were selected from a competitive pool of writers to tell the story of their destination and represent the voice of University of Iowa students while abroad. Throughout the semester, these students will share their experiences through writing and photography to be published weekly here on International Accents. 

Before I left to study abroad, I applied for Iowa’s study abroad scholarships. In one of my short essays that I submitted, I said the following: “I have often found after I visit a place, I remember the people far more than the action or the scenery, and far off down the road, many years from now, I will probably remember the people I met in Lancaster more than any course I take or attraction I visit.”

Coming to Italy was a hard adjustment. You are given little video seminars on culture shock and how it feels, but honestly, I don’t think any of us took it seriously. We’re going to be living in Italy, how could it feel anything but great? We were all in for a surprise.

As my study abroad experience is coming to a close, I often find myself scrolling through my camera roll remembering all of the beautiful places that I have had the opportunity to visit. I use social media to post pictures and keep friends and family up to date, and also as a way for me to document the memories I made here. There have been countless experiences that have not been caught on camera, but here are 4 main things that my social media does not tell you about my study abroad.

Graduating from college can be a long, tough road as it is, but for college students who are the first in their family to attend, it can be even more challenging. Emii Le is a University of Iowa senior who will graduate this year with a double major in marketing and graphic design. Le was born in Vietnam and moved to Sioux City when she was in middle school. Le will also be the first person in her family to graduate from college.

When I first arrived in Florence, I knew that I wanted to be able to give back to the community in some way, I just wasn’t sure how. Lucky for me, my answer came quickly. My college informed us that they were offering the opportunity to volunteer at an Elementary school helping teach English.