-
Studying abroad in France has given me the opportunity to visit all different sorts of places, including those outside of the country. While on break from my university, a couple other students and I flew to Thessaloniki and visited Nea Kallikrateia, where we tried local cuisine, got a view of Mount Olympus, and took a…
-
A special aspect of my experience on the Choco-Rica Study Abroad Program that I did not originally anticipate was the group bonding with the students and faculty. By the end of the trip, we were practically one giant family. At the departure orientation prior to the trip all of the students and faculty had the…
-
Agriculture is an important sector to many economies. Aside from making food available, agriculture makes contributions to global GDP accounting for more than 4% and as much 25% to national GDP for some least developed countries. Additionally, the sector is major a source of livelihoods where 27% of all employment is agriculture related. Agriculture is…
-
Before departing, we took part in orientations to prepare us for our experience in Morocco where we were given information about the country. In addition, I researched about the country in relation to dress code, greetings, and other aspects about the culture not included in the materials provided. I recall reading about how liberal Morocco…
-
During the Maymester study abroad to Spain, we were able to visit multiple different types of farms throughout the country. The first farm visit was a private Iberian Pork farm that we stopped at on our way from Madrid to Granada. The farm we visited was run by two brothers, one that oversees the farm…
-
Before going on this study abroad program, I had no interest in being an elementary teacher. I still don’t have an interest in being one. However, one of the key takeaways I got from working with our partner school through the trip was my confidence and self-efficacy as a teacher. I recently completed my student…
-
One of my favorite aspects of the Choco-Rica study abroad program was being able to taste farm-fresh cacao fruit. When I first applied to the program, I was expecting to learn about chocolate and the process of making chocolate, but there was so much about that process that I was unaware of. I knew what…
-
Aside from everything we learned regarding agriculture, economics, politics, food security, and healthcare, I was able to experience so many unique aspects of Cuban culture. Cubans evidently have a very strong passion for music, dance, art, and food- which also appeared to be their primary forms of entertainment. We spent one night in Viñales, a…
-
As we toured farms that grew crops like coffee, mangos, sweet potatoes, and tobacco, the workers explained how they are required by contract to give a percentage of their harvest to the state, but that they are able to do what they wanted with the rest. We were also told that the state is trying…