Lauren Esterle - Spain, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Global Studies and Spanish major

1. What were you totally freaked out about before going that turned out to be no big deal?

At first I was completely freaked out about being so far away from my friends and family and almost did not sign up for the whole year because of it. In the end, however, I made the commitment and am so glad that I did. Although there are days when you miss the people back home, there are so many new people to meet and experiences to have during your time abroad that homesickness (at least for me) did not play a large part. What is more, skype made it really easy to stay in contact with my family. It was great because I could use the camera feature and actually see their faces. In many ways I actually talked more to my parents while abroad than I do at home because I felt I had so much more to tell them. The funny thing was that upon leaving, the fear returned but in reverse! I found myself missing Spain and all the people I met there. What I learned, however, is that even though you may miss people or places or even restaurants, there are always so many new and exciting experiences abroad that the adjustment phase quickly passes and you find yourself comfortable and happy in your new surroundings.

2. What do you wish you had done to better prepare before going abroad?

The one thing I wish I had done better was research more trips I wanted to do abroad. Although I had trips in mind, and every one worked out great, things always seemed last minute. I wished I knew more of specific places that were more off the beaten track.

3. What’s something you did for the first time while abroad that you’ll continue to do now that you’re home?
Although the thing in general that has really stuck with me is the fact that I am now more outgoing, one of the things I did for the first time that I still do now is cook Spanish food! I lived with an amazing group of girls who taught me how to make different dishes and helped me get some of the techniques needed down. I now use way more olive oil and cook tortilla española all the time.

4. What’s the most annoying thing about everyday life in your host country?

The most annoying thing about everyday life in the host country was probably the fact that you had to guard your purse or pockets to make sure no one would pick your pocket. Although it became second nature, many people (myself included) had things stolen.

5. What local food and drink do you miss most now that you’re back?
In general, I miss tapas the most. I loved going to grab just a small bite with some friends and sharing different plates of food. Specifically, I miss this amazing restaurant around the corner of my house that served chicken kebabs with cheese and great wine. The drink that I miss most is actually coffee. Although you can get coffee here, it is different. In Spain, you would have various small coffees throughout the day that were more like shots of espresso than large American-style cups.

6. What food and drink from home did you miss most while abroad?

As most of everyone on the program would agree, I missed Mexican food the most. The first thing that I did when I got home was get a burrito. I feel like everyone spent the entire year looking for that one good Mexican restaurant but no one ever really found it. There were some places that definitely held our cravings over but they were nothing like the Mexican food we get in California.

7. What standard local fashion styles would elicit strange looks in California?
A lot of people wear what when we first got there we called balloon pants. The pants often look more like skirts since they come together closer to the ground. Once I bought a pair, however, I realized they are probably the most comfortable pants ever.

8. What’s something you witnessed while abroad that would never happen in California?

The first thing that comes to mind were the celebrations in the heart of Barcelona after Barca won La Liga. A vast majority of the city came out to sing, drink, and cheer for their team. People were lighting bikes on fire, climbing street lamps and letting off flares. It definitely was a night to remember and would never happen in the states because the police would break it up within seconds.

9. What’s the coolest place you visited while abroad?

That is a very hard question because each place I went was amazing in its own way. The most different place I went, and maybe because of that the one I talk about the most, was my trip to Morocco. Although I was only able to go for one weekend, I felt like I saw and did so much. I was able to travel for a day outside the city of Marrakesh and found to my surprise that Morocco is not all desert! In fact we saw lush green hills and snow covered mountains. The people were also extremely friendly and I got to try so many different foods. One of the best parts was walking about the markets, trying different foods, and learning how to bargain for goods. If you go, you have to try the amazing mint tea that they make!

10. Where do you want to go next?

Hard question again! Can I say everywhere? Once you start traveling you do not want to stop! My dream, however, is to one day be able to make it to Africa and travel around to different countries like Ghana, Tanzania, and Kenya (to name a few).

Vernessa Shih - China, ECNU Summer + JPIS Fall, Sociology and Global Studies major

1. What were you totally freaked out about before going that turned out to be no big deal?
I was kind of worried about missing my friends from back home. I thought it would be difficult to find a really great group of friends to hang out and travel with. But it was actually the easiest thing ever, and I ended up with a family made up of kids from all the UCs. Ever since I’ve been back, we’ve already had 3 reunions just because we all wanted to hang out. And with cell phones, skype, emails, and facebook it was so easy to stay in touch with everyone while I was abroad. I’m so glad that I went abroad if just because I got to meet the awesome people that I did, some of them became my best friends. The nice thing about EAP is that when you go abroad, all you have is the people on your program and it makes it quick and easy to become friends. Everyone is going through a shared experience being abroad and it helps everyone bond and then stay together when you get back to the States.

2. What do you wish you had done to better prepare before going abroad?
Probably to be more careful with what I packed. I brought some things that I didn’t even use and then I needed to send home for a lot of stuff. In general, Shanghai is such a big and global city that you can get pretty much everything you need. If there is a specific product that you use exclusively, bring that, but otherwise I packed way too much random stuff that I didn’t even use and then had to carry with my back home. I probably should have packed less because I acquired a lot of stuff while in Shanghai and then had to get it home somehow.

3. What’s something you did for the first time while abroad that you’ll continue to do now that you’re home?
Traveling spontaneously. In China we had a lot of time to travel and it was quite cheap to get tickets on sleeper trains to Beijing and a bunch of other cities. Normally we would just pick a place for the weekend and then buy tickets that day and leave 2 days later. It is so easy to travel and there were so many places that we wanted to go that we would just pick a place that sounded cool in travel books and just leave. I’m definitely carrying this over now that I’m back in the states and plan on doing some random traveling.

4. What’s the most annoying thing about everyday life in your host country?
The weather is very extreme in Shanghai, either very hot or windy and cold. So it was difficult to get used to harsh weather after growing up in California. Other than that the most annoying thing is getting use to the public transportation system. I had been used to driving everywhere, but in Shanghai you have to learn to use a mixture of buses, metro lines, pedicabs and then cabs. After a while I got the hang of it and it just became part of life, but we learn to factor in travel time to everything.

5. What local food and drink do you miss most now that you’re back?
All of the awesome and cheap street food. There is a lot of street food nearby Fudan University which is delicious and let you eat full meals for under one dollar. Every night after 9 pm around ten street food vendors who all have different food will set up right outside the gate that is closest to the dorms. That is definitely the thing that I miss the most.

6. What food and drink from home did you miss most while abroad?
In-N-Out. It is hard to find a really good burger, fries and milkshake. There are a lot of places that you can get them because Shanghai is such a global city and there are amazing American style restaurants, but nothing replaces In-N-Out. It was also kind of difficult to find good Mexican food, but after some serious digging we managed to find a place that kept us happy until we got back to California.

7. What standard local fashion styles would elicit strange looks in California?
Shanghai is a fashion forward city, but the Asian aesthetic is different from California’s. I don’t really think that any fashion trends would look strange in California because there tends to be similar fashion trends.

8. What’s something you witnessed while abroad that would never happen in California?
Something that happened in Shanghai that is unlikely to happen in California is the forcefulness of the beggars. I’ve seen homeless people all around California, but they normally won’t come up to people or ask forcefully. In Shanghai and all over China, it is something that you will encounter and need to get used to. We were told that they are often scammers and they actually do get quite forceful, sometimes following you around, sometimes grabbing an arm or pushing on our taxi windows.

9. What’s the coolest place you visited while abroad?
The coolest place that I got to visit while abroad was Tibet. There were five of us and we had a two-week break so we contracted with a travel agency to get us travel permits and a tour guide in Tibet and then took the train there. It took 50 hours one way on a sleeper train and we ended up staying in Tibet for around ten days. It was the most rewarding and awesome place that we visited just because of the cultural and spiritual history as well as the current political situation between China and Tibet which was interesting to observe firsthand.

10. Where do you want to go next?
I want to spend time traveling around South East Asia, maybe Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia. Traveling with friends is so much fun and the freedom of traveling in Asia is awesome because the dollar is so strong there.

Liz Lopez - United Kingdom, University of Sussex Summer, Feminist Studies major

1. What were you totally freaked out about before going that turned out to be no big deal?
I was mostly scared about the long plane ride- and it was a big deal.

2. What do you wish you had done to better prepare before going abroad?
Saved money.

3. What’s something you did for the first time while abroad that you’ll continue to do now that you’re home?
Cooking.

4. What’s the most annoying thing about everyday life in your host country?
Rain, it's hard to go anywhere when you are used to the Santa Barbara sunshine.

5. What local food and drink do you miss most now that you’re back?
I did not like their food but I miss their pubs and bars because the legal age is 18.

6. What food and drink from home did you miss most while abroad?
Everything ! They have no Mexican food over there.

7. What standard local fashion styles would elicit strange looks in California?
Their fashion is good, not too different. Only for the guys. They dress a bit more feminine then they would here.

8. What’s something you witnessed while abroad that would never happen in California?
The nightlife was never ending. Everyday is a perfect day to go out and find a really good club or pub.

9. What’s the coolest place you visited while abroad?
Amsterdam. That place is crazy. Check out discoverytours.com they have weekend trips to Paris, Amsterdam, and other areas.

10. Where do you want to go next?
I want to go to semester at sea, travel the world.

Neha Paymaster - Italy, Siena, Psychology major

1. What were you totally freaked out about before going that turned out to be no big deal?
I was really nervous about not knowing anybody in my program before I left but once I got there I realized that everybody was in the same boat as I was and that everyone was there to have new experiences. I found that the people that ended up being in my program were some of the most open-minded individuals that I have met in a long time. I was also afraid about not knowing any Italian before I left and although it was nerve-racking and slightly hard for the first week, that was all. After that I was so thrilled to be in a city where I could be fully immersed in the language and because we took Italian language classes, I picked it up so quickly. I was actually amazed at how well I could speak Italian by the end of my semester there.

2. What do you wish you had done to better prepare before going abroad?
I wish that I had looked up information about other places that I wanted to visit before I got there more thoroughly. Although it didn’t end up being a problem that I didn’t do this, I would have had a lot more free time to do other things if I had thought of this before hand. I also wish I had been able to talk to people who had done this program a little more. I did get to speak to them at orientation but I was pretty shy and didn’t ask many questions and I definitely wish that I had and that I had taken notes on things that they did tell us about.

3. What’s something you did for the first time while abroad that you’ll continue to do now that you’re home?
I not only learned a new language but I tried using it when speaking to the locals. Although there aren’t many places were I can use Italian being back home, whenever I do get the opportunity, I have caught myself trying. I would have never had the courage to do this before I went abroad. I also taught English to middle school Italian students while I was abroad and it was really a great experience. I have already continued to work with children since I’ve been home and I think that I will continue to do so for a long time. It was one of the best experiences that I had while I was abroad.

4. What’s the most annoying thing about everyday life in your host country?
I know that this didn’t bother most people and it may have just been the placement of my room but I absolutely detested the church bells going off every morning starting around 6 a.m. and continuing every half hour. They were so loud it was horrible. Something that I think bothered almost everyone in our program were the large amount of stairs that we had to climb every single day, whether it was to get to class or to get back to our residence. The Italians really don’t believe in elevators so be prepared to get quite the work out. Even after four months it was so difficult to climb four stories of stairs. Also buying groceries was a pain. Since you have to walk to the grocery store and walk back to your residence with all of your groceries in your hand, I would stress not buying too many groceries at once. You’ll notice that most Italians buy groceries that’ll last them only for a few days and I quickly learned that was the best thing to do as well. Another thing that I really did not enjoy was the amount of people that smoke cigarettes in Italy. There was always someone smoking wherever you went and you just really couldn’t get away from it.

5. What local food and drink do you miss most now that you’re back?
Oh man this is a tough one because all of the food was absolutely amazing. I can’t chose one favorite so I’m going to have to list a bunch. Obviously I miss the pizza from Italy. My favorite ended up being a margarita pizza with potatoes on it. It was my go-to dish at our favorite restaurant NoNo Mede. My favorite pasta dish was Pici with this tomato-garlic sauce. Oh my goodness, do not miss out on this dish. We learned to cook it in our cooking class and it was sensational to say the least. My favorite soup ended up being something that we learned in our cooking class as well. It’s called Papa col pomedoro and I would definitely tell everyone to try it at some point while you’re in Siena. Dessert is always a weakness of mine so I have more than one favorite as well. Of course I miss the gelato above all. Ice cream just does not measure up so my advice would be to eat gelato every single day (not joking at all). My favorite by the end of my stay ended up being chocolate and strawberry mixed together because it tasted just like a chocolate covered strawberry! Besides gelato my most favorite dessert in Italy had to be Tiramisu. I hate tiramisu in the U.S. but Italy’s tiramisu is completely different. Simply put it is like heaven. And last but not least, drinks. Of course I miss the wine. I developed a really large liking for Italian wine and miss it so much, so drink as much as you can while you’re there and try to bring back a few bottles for when you get nostalgic. And last are cappuccinos. Now I’m not a big coffee fan but I definitely could go for a cappuccino every morning.

6. What food and drink from home did you miss most while abroad?
I think almost everyone has this same answer but I would have to go with Mexican food. I made sure it was the last dish that I ate before I left to go abroad and that it was the first dish I ate the night that I got back home from Europe. There is no Mexican food anywhere and if you’re looking for beans in the grocery store, well good luck. Italians are not fans of Mexican food and therefore you will hardly find it anywhere. And if you do find it, chances are that it will be horrible. We often had cravings for Mexican food during the semester and the closest we could get to satisfying that craving was to make breakfast burritos in our residence halls.

7. What standard local fashion styles would elicit strange looks in California?
While I was studying abroad the color that was in in Italy was purple. There was purple everywhere, from pants, shirts, shoes, jackets, scarves and hats. One day I remember seeing a woman dressed completely from head to toe in purple. I’ve never seen a color fad so crazy like that. If you didn’t own anything purple, it almost felt like you wouldn’t blend in with the locals.

8. What’s something you witnessed while abroad that would never happen in California?
The drinking age in Europe is obviously much lower and so it was really strange to see all of the high school students out in the clubs and bars or out in the campo. The day that they were out the most was on Saturday because Sunday is there only day off from school (Italians have school on Saturdays). You sometime couldn’t tell whether they were younger or not, so you had to be really careful when you were out talking to locals and drinking. Also, as long as you weren’t belligerently drunk, you were allowed to walk around the streets of Siena with a cup of alcohol, which you obviously could not do here. We often would go out during the afternoon or at night with a bottle of wine and just sit in the campo and hang out. Also the men were much more forward in Siena than in California. They will often make comments as you walk by and will even come up and try to start a conversation with you.

9. What’s the coolest place you visited while abroad?
This question is just too difficult to answer with only one place so I’m going to name my top few that I would want no one to miss. My first place is Greece (Mykonos and Athens). This was by far one of the most beautiful and most fun places that I traveled too. It was an experience I’ll never forget because we got to ride ATV’s, have authentic Greek food, see the ruins and meet locals. The next place would be Cinque Terre. This is by far my favorite place in Italy and I bet it’ll be yours too. Five beautiful towns on the water and you can do an amazing hike from one to the next. Then there is Sorrento, Capri and Pompeii which you can do all in one trip. These places are the land of the lemons and just extremely beautiful and fun and have so much history. One of the most fun places that I visited was Barcelona. Besides how beautiful the city is, with all the Gaudi architecture, the food and night life cannot be missed. You cannot miss out on trying tapas, sangria and churros from Spain and the night life is nothing like you’ve ever seen. And the last place is Paris. Of course you cannot miss out on all architecture and history in this beautiful city. But along with that you need to eat the best croissants you will ever have, enjoy the delicious crepes and get a sandwich on a fresh baguette.

10. Where do you want to go next?
If I went back to Europe I think I would want to go back to Barcelona or Athens. They were the most unique and welcoming cities that I visited. I really liked the atmosphere in both of these places. I think that my first choice however would be Barcelona because I was just amazed at the lifestyle there and I think it would be a completely different experience. I also have thought of traveling outside of Europe and the one place I would like to go to would be Australia. I don’t know too much about it but I’ve only heard good things and will hopefully be able to go there one day.

Bao Nghi Le - Japan, Doshisha University, Japanese and Global Studies major

1. What were you totally freaked out about before going that turned out to be no big deal?
I was scared that I would not be able to make any friends in Japan. I know the language fairly well, but only through classroom communication and I was afraid that if I live in a strange country completely void of my natural habitat, I would not be able to mingle with the local Japanese. To my surprise, I was able to make so many Japanese friends throughout the course of staying there. They were so kind and friendly to me, and they looked up to me because I was an American.

2. What do you wish you had done to better prepare before going abroad?
I wish that I packed warmer clothes because when I went during spring and it was still freezing over in Japan. It wasn’t until July that the humidity starts to kick in. I would also suggest that you purchase a two-prong adapter because the power outlet in Japan is different from the U.S. I had to search all over to find a two-prong adapter so that I could use my laptop (which has a three-prong adapter).

3. What’s something you did for the first time while abroad that you’ll continue to do now that you’re home?
I did plan a lot of get-togethers with my friends over in Japan. We also went out to karaoke a lot, and that is a tradition that I would like to continue in the U.S. as well.

4. What’s the most annoying thing about everyday life in your host country?
The laundry machine is the most antiquated piece of machinery ever. There are not that many options to choose from, and the dryer is a nightmare. The best way to dry your clothes is to just hang it in front of the balcony, and find an apartment with a good washer.

5. What local food and drink do you miss most now that you’re back?
I miss Okonomiyaki and Takoyaki so much. Okonomiyaki is a type of Japanese dish where you put in any type of ingredients you like and form it into a giant pancake, then grill it on the table. Takoyaki are squid balls marinated in a special sauce. These two dishes you’ll never be able to find in the U.S., and they are the specialty dish of the Kyoto region so please be sure to eat as much as you can!

6. What food and drink from home did you miss most while abroad?
I just missed being able to shop at Costco and buy fresh produce. Fruits over in Japan are so expensive, because they are all imported. I also miss Vietnamese food.

7. What standard local fashion styles would elicit strange looks in California?
The fashion in Japan is way cooler than the U.S. There are trends over there that you would not be able to find in any U.S. apparel stores. There are a few examples such as the Gothic Lolita style for girls, and the ultra metrosexual style that many men adopt over in Japan.

8. What’s something you witnessed while abroad that would never happen in California?
I was able to attend the Gion Festival, which is one of the biggest and most festive festivals in Japan. You dress up in a yukata, and they would close off an entire street just for vendor shops to set up. The foods are all delicious, and you get a chance to dress up and walk the street with your friends.

9. What’s the coolest place you visited while abroad?
There are too many places. But I would have to say Uji, the green tea capital of Japan.

10. Where do you want to go next?
I want to go to go back to Japan, and then tour Korea and Taiwan. I eventually want to see all over Asia!

Amanda Strauss - Brazil and Mexico, Pontifical Catholic University, University of Michoacán, Linguistics and Spanish major

1. What were you totally freaked out about before going that turned out to be no big deal?
I thought I was going to miss California a lot more than I actually did. Time goes by so fast when you’re abroad. It turned out that I didn’t have enough time.

2. What do you wish you had done to better prepare before going abroad?
I wished I had packed less. You will buy so much abroad that you’ll need to buy an extra suitcase. Pack less than you think you will need.

3. What’s something you did for the first time while abroad that you’ll continue to do now that you’re home?
I didn’t have a T.V. for 7 months and instead I did so much more with my time. I read 15 novels, I explored places, I socialized a lot more, not that I hadn’t before, but I realized what a waste of time watching TV is. I cook a lot more as well. Being in IV, food (and delicious food at that) is extremely accessible and relatively cheap. However, being abroad, walking to a variety of good, low-priced restaurants is not as convenient. Fresh food at the grocery store is. So, learn to cook!

4. What’s the most annoying thing about everyday life in your host country?
Men! Brazilian, as well as Mexican men are extremely aggressive and love woman and love to STARE, cat call, and harass women. Any kind of woman! Any time I went anywhere by myself or with another girl, men were an inconvenience and made us feel extremely uncomfortable.

5. What local food and drink do you miss most now that you’re back?
Brazil- Caipirinhas, Acai, fresh fruit juices, the hamburgers at Lanchonettes, Churrascarias, and the feijao aka Beans.
Mexico- $1 massive ta

Publish Post

cos at El Gran Taco (across from campus), homemade salsa.

6. What food and drink from home did you miss most while abroad?
Brazil-Chips! Every kind! Pizza, (the pizza cheese is really different in Brazil) Vegetables, (they don’t have much of a variety in the grocery stores, peanut butter (its about $9 for a small Skippy jar, and they only have Skippy).
Mexico- Mexican food is so good; you don’t get tired of it!

7. What standard local fashion styles would elicit strange looks in California?
Brazil- Everyone looks like they shop at Ross or Goodwill.
Mexico- Almost every young guy has a “fashionable” mullet. They dress almost like Europeans do.

8. What’s something you witnessed while abroad that would never happen in California?
Brazil- Positive: the nature is unbelievably beautiful. Negative: mugging at knife or gunpoint, sporadic, yet extreme violence, intense poverty mixed with wealth, the favelas.

9. What’s the coolest place you visited while abroad?
The Argentinean Patagonia – El Chaltén. I went to the Amazon, but if you had to chose between the two, Patagonia would be the most amazing place, hands down.

10. Where do you want to go next?
I really wanted to visit Cuzco, Perú, but I didn’t get the chance to. Next, I want to travel to Asia.

Robyn Brown - France, University of Bordeaux, History major

1. What were you totally freaked out about before going that turned out to be no big deal?
I was really scared that I would get lost on the way there, changing flights and dragging my huge suitcases around. It turned out that I made all of my flights with time to spare and my host mom was waiting in the airport with a sign with my name on it! I was also scared that I wouldn’t be able to understand anything, but my language skills improved so much while I was there.

2. What do you wish you had done to better prepare before going abroad?
I wish I had known a little more about politics because French people are so informed and so active in politics and it made me feel like an ignorant American sometimes.

3. What’s something you did for the first time while abroad that you’ll continue to do now that you’re home?
I learned how to live in cold weather! I will never complain about Santa Barbara being cold ever again, after walking to school in the snow. We all had to buy new coats and boots because no one was prepared for the freezing weather. I don’t know if I ever want to live somewhere that cold again, but at least now I know how to deal with it.

4. What’s the most annoying thing about everyday life in your host country?
There were a lot of strikes. It was annoying when the tram went on strike because that was the only way for me to get into downtown and I would just be stuck at home sometimes. And when classes got canceled there wasn’t always advance warning, so I would wake up for my 8 o’clock class and walk to school only to learn that it had been canceled. Signing up for classes was also difficult because I didn’t know how hard they would be, and there was no schedule that told you where or when the class was. You kind of just had to figure it out yourself.

5. What local food and drink do you miss most now that you’re back?
Baguette and CHEESE! There was so much cheese everyday and it was so delicious. I also loved the thick hot chocolate and little coffees from the coffee machine at school.

6. What food and drink from home did you miss most while abroad?
I missed Mexican food a lot. I also missed fat-free milk, which does not exist in France. They only have whole milk and ½ & ½.

7. What standard local fashion styles would elicit strange looks in California?
Everyone in Bordeaux was very fashionable. And everyone only wore all black; there were no other colors involved. When the weather started getting warmer, they still wore heavy coats, sweaters, and tights. They definitely dressed modestly by our standards.

8. What’s something you witnessed while abroad that would never happen in California?
Our school went on strike and classes were not held for a couple of months. I couldn’t believe that the students were okay with it! All of the students and faculty were very active in the strike and would hold meetings and protests. And then they had to extend the school year to make up for all of the lost time.

9. What’s the coolest place you visited while abroad?
Barcelona, Paris, and Rome. Everywhere I went was amazing, though! There is so much to offer no matter where you go.

10. Where do you want to go next?
I really want to go to Greece and Australia and, of course, back to France!