It has been a while...but I figure I should answer one of the questions that I get a lot about my three semesters abroad. How did you afford to study abroad so much? Unless you are wealthy or your parents are willing to pay the bill there are really only three options.
1. Scholarships
2. Saving up
3. Debt
I had a combination of all three. I was lucky enough to have gone to a college that applied all financial aid towards one semester abroad. If you know in high school that you want to go abroad then choose a university/college that will apply all financial aid abroad. Another point to consider is choosing a program that your university is attached to, it is possible to enroll in a program not supported by your home institution through a consortium, but be warned in most cases institutional aid is not available for these programs.
I did have to take out student loans in order to finance my three semesters abroad. Hands down the best student loan lender is CHASE this goes for any type of student loan. They have low interest rates and they are efficient (unlike some lenders that I won't mention). The catch is that they are not partners with all universities and you have to have a student loan with them already or have a chase bank account in order to be considered.
Federal aid applies to any program as long as it is through an American institution.
Hope this helps!
-JJ
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Anti-Tourist and internship
Hi everyone!
I have spent a large amount of my young adult life being a tourist. I always felt it was unfair that the locals did not appreciate us tourist more, since we brought money into their economy. Well...I hadn't lived in one of the most tourist infested places yet. Now I live in a beautiful city that attracts hoards of tourist each day. I also live in the center of all tourist destinations in Florence. Let me tell you, my life would be so much easier if there were no tourist. It is very inconsiderate to just stop in the middle of someones way to take a picture. They don't realize that just because they are in vacation everyone else isn't! We have to live our normal lives with the added stress of having to live with tourist everyday. The streets are always crowded with them, which makes us almost not want to go outside. They are inconsiderate to those of us who need to get somewhere in five minutes and don't have the luxury to take a stroll down the street. I am not just talking about the "American" tourist but all tourist in general. Yesterday was a great day because it rained, and due to that the tourist stayed in. End rant.
On a happier note, I will start my internship at the Palazzo Vecchio soon. After months of waiting to see if i actually got the class/internship I was finally selected. There will be another girl also working with me from the same school. It will be an intense experience but a valuable one non the less. We will be regular tour guides in the museum. One of us will be doing the general tour and the other will be doing the secret passages tour. I don't know yet which one i will be doing.
Well on other news one of my roommates and i are planning on going to Pisa this weekend. It has been a long day so I am going to rest.
Until more exciting times!
-Jen
I have spent a large amount of my young adult life being a tourist. I always felt it was unfair that the locals did not appreciate us tourist more, since we brought money into their economy. Well...I hadn't lived in one of the most tourist infested places yet. Now I live in a beautiful city that attracts hoards of tourist each day. I also live in the center of all tourist destinations in Florence. Let me tell you, my life would be so much easier if there were no tourist. It is very inconsiderate to just stop in the middle of someones way to take a picture. They don't realize that just because they are in vacation everyone else isn't! We have to live our normal lives with the added stress of having to live with tourist everyday. The streets are always crowded with them, which makes us almost not want to go outside. They are inconsiderate to those of us who need to get somewhere in five minutes and don't have the luxury to take a stroll down the street. I am not just talking about the "American" tourist but all tourist in general. Yesterday was a great day because it rained, and due to that the tourist stayed in. End rant.
On a happier note, I will start my internship at the Palazzo Vecchio soon. After months of waiting to see if i actually got the class/internship I was finally selected. There will be another girl also working with me from the same school. It will be an intense experience but a valuable one non the less. We will be regular tour guides in the museum. One of us will be doing the general tour and the other will be doing the secret passages tour. I don't know yet which one i will be doing.
Well on other news one of my roommates and i are planning on going to Pisa this weekend. It has been a long day so I am going to rest.
Until more exciting times!
-Jen
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Patti Smith in Florence
HI everyone!
So I have been in Italy for a bit more than a week. Everything is still very overwhelming and it is definitely going to take a lot on my part to get used to this new culture.
We started out in Rome for our orientation. We saw all of the sites and I have to say that Rome was just like how I had imagined it. It was smaller than what I thought it would be, but it made things much easier to get to.
We also took some side trips to Pompeii, the Almafi coast, and Siena. Pompeii I am sad to say was not that impressive it could have been that it was really hot and there was no shade. The almafi coast was wonderful, we just took a drive around it and stopped to eat some fruit. The yellow peaches were amazing! Siena is a charming medieval city nothing really special but just a nice place to relax and spend some time walking around.
So we arrived in Florence on Thursday. It was all very overwhelming, because the moving in was not that smooth. There was luggage everywhere and no elevators to carry them up to the fifth floor. My apartment, which I share with four other girls two of which I previously knew from Wells, is located in the heart of the city but compared to the rest of the apartments it is kinda shabby.
Most of my classes are going well so far. There have been some rough times or un-forseen things happen but nothing to challenging.
Okay so to Patti Smith the singer, poet, writer, and painter from the 70's. For my contemporary and modern art class the teacher made us hop on a bus and go to a little tuscan villa outside of florence. To the NYU campus here where Patti Smith was giving a lecture. I am going to sound very ignorant but I did not know who she was until I wikipediad her just now. It was a very informal Q&A.
I finally found out that I did get the internship at a museum, which happens to be right behind my apartment. There is a lot of paper work that has to be done. I will basically be giving tours to English speaking tourists.
Well I will try to keep this up as much as possible but it might be a bit hard since we don't have internet at our apartment.
Until more exciting times!
-Jen
So I have been in Italy for a bit more than a week. Everything is still very overwhelming and it is definitely going to take a lot on my part to get used to this new culture.
We started out in Rome for our orientation. We saw all of the sites and I have to say that Rome was just like how I had imagined it. It was smaller than what I thought it would be, but it made things much easier to get to.
We also took some side trips to Pompeii, the Almafi coast, and Siena. Pompeii I am sad to say was not that impressive it could have been that it was really hot and there was no shade. The almafi coast was wonderful, we just took a drive around it and stopped to eat some fruit. The yellow peaches were amazing! Siena is a charming medieval city nothing really special but just a nice place to relax and spend some time walking around.
So we arrived in Florence on Thursday. It was all very overwhelming, because the moving in was not that smooth. There was luggage everywhere and no elevators to carry them up to the fifth floor. My apartment, which I share with four other girls two of which I previously knew from Wells, is located in the heart of the city but compared to the rest of the apartments it is kinda shabby.
Most of my classes are going well so far. There have been some rough times or un-forseen things happen but nothing to challenging.
Okay so to Patti Smith the singer, poet, writer, and painter from the 70's. For my contemporary and modern art class the teacher made us hop on a bus and go to a little tuscan villa outside of florence. To the NYU campus here where Patti Smith was giving a lecture. I am going to sound very ignorant but I did not know who she was until I wikipediad her just now. It was a very informal Q&A.
I finally found out that I did get the internship at a museum, which happens to be right behind my apartment. There is a lot of paper work that has to be done. I will basically be giving tours to English speaking tourists.
Well I will try to keep this up as much as possible but it might be a bit hard since we don't have internet at our apartment.
Until more exciting times!
-Jen
Friday, April 3, 2009
birthday, connmera, and the cliffs of moher
y
Hi everyone,
A lot has happened since my last blog. I turned 20 on March 19. I had to go into college on my birthday but after wards my friend Katlyn and I went to a fabulous restaurant in downtown Galway. I had amazing chicken spring rolls dipped in an orange jelly, the main course was penne pasta with chicken in a carbonara sauce, and an apple tart with ice cream for dessert. When I got back to my apartment my Irish friends and American friends were there with a guiness shaped cake. We then went out to celebrate.
Then on Saturday my friend Deanna and I took a tour to county Connemara. I was not very optimistic for the day since it started pretty coudy and windy, which is not enjoyable in Ireland. Our first stop was an old Franciscan church. Then we had a breakfast stop in a village where they shot a movie which I cannot remember the name of. I do remember that everything in the village was named after the movie they even had a museum. The next stop was a neolithic tomb which was not as impressive as the others I have seen in Ireland. The highlight of the day was Kylemore abbey. It is now a boarding school for girls run my Benedict nuns. It was built by an English man in 1863 for his new wife, but later he sold it when his wife died, not before building a church, mosoleum, and victorian garden. Only three rooms are open to the public but extravagence of the decor is oustanding. It is situated on a mountain side in the middle of nowhere with its own private lake. It is just gorgeous! If anybody reading this blog is ever coming to Ireland it is definitely a must see. The nuns are closing the school in 2010 in which case they might open more of the estate for the public to see. The bus driver was very entertaining and the people on the bus were not the usual annoying tourist.
The following day we went on another tour with the same company because we had so much fun the previous day, this time to the Cliffs of Moher in county Clare. The day was sunny and it seemed that it was going to be even better than the day before, also the Cliffs of Moher was one of the reasons why I wanted to come to Ireland. Well...it didn't turn out to be so much fun. The driver was kinda boring and the sites were not that interesting. We saw a faery fort which is just a ring of trees. Stopped to see a lot of sheep and a tower house. We finally got the the cliffs and it was misty and cloudy not so nice. there were a lot of tourists and overall a dissapointment. What was noteworthy was the discovery center which is a complex built into the surroundings.
So that is what I have been upto lately. School is officially over today. For me it was over last week. My only two finals are on the 23. The following two days Deanna and I have two more trips planned then hopefully I will be on a plane back to CA on the 27.
Until more interesting times!
p.s. i am trying to figure out how to post more pictures on here so bare with me.
Hi everyone,
A lot has happened since my last blog. I turned 20 on March 19. I had to go into college on my birthday but after wards my friend Katlyn and I went to a fabulous restaurant in downtown Galway. I had amazing chicken spring rolls dipped in an orange jelly, the main course was penne pasta with chicken in a carbonara sauce, and an apple tart with ice cream for dessert. When I got back to my apartment my Irish friends and American friends were there with a guiness shaped cake. We then went out to celebrate.
Then on Saturday my friend Deanna and I took a tour to county Connemara. I was not very optimistic for the day since it started pretty coudy and windy, which is not enjoyable in Ireland. Our first stop was an old Franciscan church. Then we had a breakfast stop in a village where they shot a movie which I cannot remember the name of. I do remember that everything in the village was named after the movie they even had a museum. The next stop was a neolithic tomb which was not as impressive as the others I have seen in Ireland. The highlight of the day was Kylemore abbey. It is now a boarding school for girls run my Benedict nuns. It was built by an English man in 1863 for his new wife, but later he sold it when his wife died, not before building a church, mosoleum, and victorian garden. Only three rooms are open to the public but extravagence of the decor is oustanding. It is situated on a mountain side in the middle of nowhere with its own private lake. It is just gorgeous! If anybody reading this blog is ever coming to Ireland it is definitely a must see. The nuns are closing the school in 2010 in which case they might open more of the estate for the public to see. The bus driver was very entertaining and the people on the bus were not the usual annoying tourist.
The following day we went on another tour with the same company because we had so much fun the previous day, this time to the Cliffs of Moher in county Clare. The day was sunny and it seemed that it was going to be even better than the day before, also the Cliffs of Moher was one of the reasons why I wanted to come to Ireland. Well...it didn't turn out to be so much fun. The driver was kinda boring and the sites were not that interesting. We saw a faery fort which is just a ring of trees. Stopped to see a lot of sheep and a tower house. We finally got the the cliffs and it was misty and cloudy not so nice. there were a lot of tourists and overall a dissapointment. What was noteworthy was the discovery center which is a complex built into the surroundings.
So that is what I have been upto lately. School is officially over today. For me it was over last week. My only two finals are on the 23. The following two days Deanna and I have two more trips planned then hopefully I will be on a plane back to CA on the 27.
Until more interesting times!
p.s. i am trying to figure out how to post more pictures on here so bare with me.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
St. Patty's day!
Hi everyone and happy belated St. Patrick's day!
Patty's day is indeed a big deal in Ireland it's even a national holiday. There are parades all over the country and people of all ages and beliefs celebrate. I could not come to Ireland and not take part so I was invited by two "mature" students (they are both 64) to spend a traditional day with them in Sligo county (the northwest countryside).
The journey started on Monday after we were done with class. It took two hours to get from the city into the village of Ballinafad (pop. 47). There is a church, post office, and pub. They live outside of the village in a cottage with a traditional thatched roof. There are sheep and horses behind their house and a lot of mountain scenery. It was all very breath taking.
So after a dinner of lamb chops we went to the pub. Now, if you are reading this then you know me and you know that I am not much of a drinker, so I have pretty much avoided the pubs in the city because they are very rowdy. The Mayflower (pub) was wonderful! there were only about 25 people which was more than it usually sees but the atmosphere is just like how you would imagine an Irish pub to be. And the most incredible thing is that everyone talks to everyone, 18 year old's with 80's over a pint and malibu with pineapple juice.
I did have to drink since it would have been rude not to. So I ordered the only drink in Ireland I have found to be passable Bulmers everywhere else it is called Magners. I usually only drink one, but the owner Dermott, kept bringing more even before I was finished! By the third I was holding to the bottle for dear life so that he wouldn't be able to take it and bring more. I met a lot of really interesting people that night. Such as a girl of 21 who is studying to be a cop in the North of Ireland and an old man and all of his daughters with their families. We did not get back until 2 a.m. and then we had to wake up at 7 to start St. Patty's day.
I will post what happened then later today.
Patty's day is indeed a big deal in Ireland it's even a national holiday. There are parades all over the country and people of all ages and beliefs celebrate. I could not come to Ireland and not take part so I was invited by two "mature" students (they are both 64) to spend a traditional day with them in Sligo county (the northwest countryside).
The journey started on Monday after we were done with class. It took two hours to get from the city into the village of Ballinafad (pop. 47). There is a church, post office, and pub. They live outside of the village in a cottage with a traditional thatched roof. There are sheep and horses behind their house and a lot of mountain scenery. It was all very breath taking.
So after a dinner of lamb chops we went to the pub. Now, if you are reading this then you know me and you know that I am not much of a drinker, so I have pretty much avoided the pubs in the city because they are very rowdy. The Mayflower (pub) was wonderful! there were only about 25 people which was more than it usually sees but the atmosphere is just like how you would imagine an Irish pub to be. And the most incredible thing is that everyone talks to everyone, 18 year old's with 80's over a pint and malibu with pineapple juice.
I did have to drink since it would have been rude not to. So I ordered the only drink in Ireland I have found to be passable Bulmers everywhere else it is called Magners. I usually only drink one, but the owner Dermott, kept bringing more even before I was finished! By the third I was holding to the bottle for dear life so that he wouldn't be able to take it and bring more. I met a lot of really interesting people that night. Such as a girl of 21 who is studying to be a cop in the North of Ireland and an old man and all of his daughters with their families. We did not get back until 2 a.m. and then we had to wake up at 7 to start St. Patty's day.
I will post what happened then later today.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Irish Culture 101
Hi everyone! sorry that I haven't kept up the blog in a while, but we didn't have internet for a month and I've been busy with school.So I've been in Ireland for two and a half months and I thought I would share with you all what I have learned so far about Irish people.
Yes, they do drink a lot. I am the only American in my apartment and the four other girls are from nearby towns. They all go out every night and don't come home until 2:30am or 12 the next day. They dress to impress these girls! I was shocked to how much effort they put on there looks, they look like they could be in NYC. I personally don't know how they do it, they wear impossibly high heals and short dresses. As if the rain and cobble stone streets weren't hard enough to walk in normal clothes and oh yea alcohol.
For those of us who can't afford to go out and party like there is no tomorrow the t.v. offers solace. We only have 18 channels and two are in Irish. They are very fond of Friends, Scrubs, and Charmed since they are on 6 times a day each. They are half a season behind on all of the American t.v. shows like Grey's, House, and Desperate Housewives. Oh yea! they love Desperate Housewives my super trendy roommate and friends have a viewing party each week they even order chinese food (her friends include guys, who are straight).
Now lets talk about shopping. The main grocery here is Dunnes it is opened 24 hours 7 days a week. It is much smaller than say a SaveMart the food part anyways. It is also a clothing store and home decorating store. They do have a law here that doesn't permit alcohol to be sold after 10:30pm so literally there is a rush at 10:15. It is also not sold on Sunday mornings. Sunday's are also odd here since most stores are closed except for major grocery stores (this is because it is a catholic country). In the states the concept of buying a reusable bag is catching on slowly, well not here everyone owns several cloth bags which are much bigger than the ones sold back home. It could be becuase they charge 22cents for everybag that is plastic or paper. Concerning packaging it is the same as back home.
Ecofriendlyness, is more about saving money. The cost of electricity here is so high that they do conserve a lot of energy. For example there is a on and off switch for every socket. There is only hot water for about 4 hours a day. At the beginning of the semester you have to decide what does four hours will be ours are 7-11am. Because the boiler only heats those hours. Now anytime after that the boost has to be turned on which heats water for up to 2hours, but it is more expensive. My housemates do use it frequently. The cars are a lot smaller like all in Europe. They are not to big on recycling. And campus is not very eco-friendly at least compared to Wells.
Phrases, that are really Irish. They use the word craic (which sounds likc crack) means fun "that was so much craick or that was the best craick." The word grand is used a lot here but it means fine. "Your man" is a phrase that refers to any man that you are talking about but don't feel the need to be specific about. "loads" is used instead of a lot.
Ok so I think that is it for now. Let me know what else you would like to know about Ireland and I'll try to answer.
Also next week is St. Patty's day and we have the day off from school. I will be spending the weekend with an old couple who invited me to spend a traditional Patty's day with them in Sligo which is about 4 hours away. I will write about it and my b-day next week.
Until more exciting times!
-Jen
Yes, they do drink a lot. I am the only American in my apartment and the four other girls are from nearby towns. They all go out every night and don't come home until 2:30am or 12 the next day. They dress to impress these girls! I was shocked to how much effort they put on there looks, they look like they could be in NYC. I personally don't know how they do it, they wear impossibly high heals and short dresses. As if the rain and cobble stone streets weren't hard enough to walk in normal clothes and oh yea alcohol.
For those of us who can't afford to go out and party like there is no tomorrow the t.v. offers solace. We only have 18 channels and two are in Irish. They are very fond of Friends, Scrubs, and Charmed since they are on 6 times a day each. They are half a season behind on all of the American t.v. shows like Grey's, House, and Desperate Housewives. Oh yea! they love Desperate Housewives my super trendy roommate and friends have a viewing party each week they even order chinese food (her friends include guys, who are straight).
Now lets talk about shopping. The main grocery here is Dunnes it is opened 24 hours 7 days a week. It is much smaller than say a SaveMart the food part anyways. It is also a clothing store and home decorating store. They do have a law here that doesn't permit alcohol to be sold after 10:30pm so literally there is a rush at 10:15. It is also not sold on Sunday mornings. Sunday's are also odd here since most stores are closed except for major grocery stores (this is because it is a catholic country). In the states the concept of buying a reusable bag is catching on slowly, well not here everyone owns several cloth bags which are much bigger than the ones sold back home. It could be becuase they charge 22cents for everybag that is plastic or paper. Concerning packaging it is the same as back home.
Ecofriendlyness, is more about saving money. The cost of electricity here is so high that they do conserve a lot of energy. For example there is a on and off switch for every socket. There is only hot water for about 4 hours a day. At the beginning of the semester you have to decide what does four hours will be ours are 7-11am. Because the boiler only heats those hours. Now anytime after that the boost has to be turned on which heats water for up to 2hours, but it is more expensive. My housemates do use it frequently. The cars are a lot smaller like all in Europe. They are not to big on recycling. And campus is not very eco-friendly at least compared to Wells.
Phrases, that are really Irish. They use the word craic (which sounds likc crack) means fun "that was so much craick or that was the best craick." The word grand is used a lot here but it means fine. "Your man" is a phrase that refers to any man that you are talking about but don't feel the need to be specific about. "loads" is used instead of a lot.
Ok so I think that is it for now. Let me know what else you would like to know about Ireland and I'll try to answer.
Also next week is St. Patty's day and we have the day off from school. I will be spending the weekend with an old couple who invited me to spend a traditional Patty's day with them in Sligo which is about 4 hours away. I will write about it and my b-day next week.
Until more exciting times!
-Jen
Monday, January 19, 2009
killer winds!
There are many things that I have to get used to being in a different country and all. Such as five minute showers, a 25 minute walk to school everyday, and a semi-language barrier. However, the most difficult of all aside from guiness has proven to be the weather.
The past couple of days have just been horrible and I thought I knew what bad weather was having lived in upstate New York and all, but nothing could have prepared me for Ireland's weather. The wind is so strong I almost got lifted up twice on Saturday walking to immigration. It is also not just the wind it is a combo of rain and wind. The rain is so hard that it hurts against your skin and umbrellas do not work against this weather. My brand new umbrella broke today due to the wind.
I generally do not mind severe weather because I either don't go out or dress accordingly. This weather I cannot escape it seems since I have to go out for school and no attire seems to be appropriate.
End rant.
Sorry just storms get me mad, who knew?
Until more interesting times!
The past couple of days have just been horrible and I thought I knew what bad weather was having lived in upstate New York and all, but nothing could have prepared me for Ireland's weather. The wind is so strong I almost got lifted up twice on Saturday walking to immigration. It is also not just the wind it is a combo of rain and wind. The rain is so hard that it hurts against your skin and umbrellas do not work against this weather. My brand new umbrella broke today due to the wind.
I generally do not mind severe weather because I either don't go out or dress accordingly. This weather I cannot escape it seems since I have to go out for school and no attire seems to be appropriate.
End rant.
Sorry just storms get me mad, who knew?
Until more interesting times!
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