Studying abroad

One of the most rewarding things in my life was when I studied abroad. Talking to people about my experiences and sharing my stories is a lot of fun for me. I can talk for hours about the things I saw and people I met. I suggest to everyone that I meet that they should go and study or travel abroad. Seeing the sites that you read about in books, or see on TV and in the movies. It is a surreal feeling when you are there and when you get back you get to relive it every time you see the Eiffel Tower or the Vatican.
I have seen more things and been more places than my parents have and I know they are jealous. Also most of my friends have never been to Europe or out of this country for that matter so they don’t understand the feelings that I have towards traveling abroad. I start into a story of something that happened or something I saw and none of them can relate. This is one reason why I think everyone should go over there.
While traveling and planning to travel you may have many questions. Questions on what to do and where to go, or how do I pay for this. All of these questions can be answered by the people that have gone before you. In most cases we all know someone that has been abroad. Asking them about what they did and how they did it is the best way to find out what you should do. People that have gone before you will help you out the most.
This is the reason I have made a website about traveling and studying abroad. I believe that my tips and suggestions along with my stories can help many others. I have been to several different countries in Europe. I have been to England, France, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Austria, Italy, Luxemburg, and Switzerland. Seeing most of these places within two weeks was amazing but being in England for three weeks can not be beat. I studied abroad in Bristol England for three weeks and spent a week in Belgium with that program. After my first month abroad and my program were over I spent another two weeks on a bus tour of Europe. My aunt and uncle met me in London and we ended in Paris. The last two weeks I saw more places in a less time than I ever imagined.
Something that I learned is that if you are going to be traveling for a long period of time than you need to mix up who you are traveling with. However if you know you can stand someone than you should be ok. The last part of my trip I think could have been a little bit better if there was someone else on it with me around my age. I did make a lot of knew friends, people that I will never forget.
If you want to find out more information about traveling abroad or studying abroad please check my website. I try and post new things every week and will try and answer your questions.
Thanks for reading.
Andrew Hennig

Socializing While Abroad

Welcome back to my blog. This week I am going to talk about the social aspect of studying abroad. This is a big part of studying abroad because interacting with people and talking to the locals will teach you more than you ever thought. I encourage everyone to travel with someone they know, but I also encourage everyone to talk to and go out with people they have never met before. I found that one night out with the locals was better than 2 nights just with someone you know. The first thing is that you will learn about their culture and how they do things. You will learn new games, toasts, and drinks. You will find that the social aspect of life is a big deal abroad and you need to experience it.

When you are abroad you will find that life is much more relaxed than it is here. It was put to me this way. “Americans life to work, we work to live”. In other words as Americans we work to much and don’t have as much of a free time or social life. When I was in England it seemed that the shops opened later and closed early suggesting that they don’t work as long of hours as we do and they don’t worry about work like we do. I can not explain how this concept has changed my life and I know when you experience it for yourself you will too.

My suggestion for finding a social life while you are abroad is just go and have fun. Drinking is a big part of college life, and when you are abroad drinking is much more excepted than it is here. Having a drink with friends after work is an everyday thing. A social drink is a big part of their life and they have many places to go for this. Where I went (Bristol, England) they had over 185 bars and it wasn’t that big of a town. I drank with some of my professors and other people in the community. Making friends abroad is an easy thing to do and these friendships can last along time. I still talk to people in
England and they are coming to visit America soon.


I have told you that you will learn much more from the locals than you ever thought. Well this is very true. The customs and the way the look at life is much different than ours. You will see this first hand and take it all in. I also encourage you to talk to many people from other countries. I talked to a gentleman from Scotland when I was there and it was very interesting to find out his thoughts on America. The thing that shocked me the most was how much they knew about American politics. They know more about our political leaders than I ever want to.

Thank you for reading this week. Please read more of my blogs to find out helpful information about studying abroad. If anyone has any quesitons or anything you would like me to write about please don't hesitate to contact me. Thanks and have a good week.