This is the village of Eguisheim in the Alsace region.

Author: Lane Laroche | Major: Biology | Semester: 2023

I chose this program, not only because I have always wanted to go to the southern Italian coast, but also because they offered a class here that I could get Biology credit for. This course is something I have always been interested in but in Arkansas there are not many opportunities to take a class like it, so I was able to take it here and get biology elective credit for it which is very helpful. This class is Introduction to Marine Biology. I learned so much about the ocean, and the conservation of it and the life that is in it.

I learned so much I think because our school is literally a stone’s throw away from the Mediterranean so we were able to take trips to physically see the things we were learning about in class. My favorite was actually a hike we took to the marine protected area of Punta Campanella where we snorkeled and kayaked to see so many things. While snorkeling we saw sea urchins, coral, sea anemones, starfish, bright colored fish, etc. It was awesome. My other favorite trip was when we went to the sea turtle rescue center in Naples, in which we got to see rescued sea turtles and they showed us all of the plastic they had pulled out of the mouths of the turtles. Some of these turtles had lost limbs from fishing nets as well which was very surreal to see that impact firsthand with the turtles at the center. These field trips were so informative and helped all of us students actually take something away from this class more than just words in a textbook.

My class was two days a week for 3 hours so I obviously had quite a bit of time for weekend trips- typically Friday-Monday. My first trip was to Greece to visit another University of Arkansas student while he was doing his program there and we got to hangout for the weekend. I went to Santorini, Mykonos, and Crete and they were all so beautiful. My next trip was to Paris, and while I was there I was able to take a train to the Champagne region and to the Alsace region. The Alsace region was my favorite place I went on my weekend trips, it is a region of many medieval villages; in fact, it is this area that inspired the Beauty and the Beast location in the movie. It is very close to Germany so it was very interesting to see how the French and German cultures combined there. My trip to the Champagne region of France was also very interesting, I was able to tour the Chalk Caves that the Champagne houses use to age all of the Champagne. My last trip was to London, but I was only there for 2 days. I was able to see most of the city and absorb all of the history that was there.

All of this to say, I have learned so much about myself coming here, especially by myself, and even as scared as I was to come by myself I wouldn’t change a thing. I was able to meet so many people from all around which was super cool. My advice to anyone looking to study abroad is to go while you can. I cannot even put into words how much I learned while getting to live in a different country for 5 weeks, but I have a much bigger appreciation for different cultures and how other people do things. The thing I wish I knew beforehand would be to not have any expectations, it is so different being here, living here, and studying here than what I see on social media or other things. I will forever be grateful that I was able to go on this study abroad, but with that said, I also cannot wait to get to the first Chick Fil A I pass as soon as I get off the plane at home.