MOVED!

Looking for me?
I have moved my blog!
Check it out at: 

http://www.arigoestocyprus.wordpress.com/

xoxo Ari

79 Days Away...

If not obvious by the title, I am LESS THAN EIGHTY DAYS AWAY FROM LEAVING FOR CYRPUS. The flight is booked. I leave January 22nd from Logan. Woah. 

This is all finally becoming so real. I am almost done getting my classes approved for the semester. I'm hoping to take Greek Language and Culture, Photography 101, Intro to Journalism, and European Cultures. I'm pretty nervous to find out how classes in Cyprus compare to classes in America regarding difficulty, timing, and such. Almost all of the University of Nicosia classes I've looked at are once a week for like, over 3 hours. Not gonna lie, I don't think I have the attention span for that but we'll see. 

This past week I had my birthday, and also attended NACA Northeast (National Association for Campus Activities) and with all of these events I have been truly realizing the loss I will probably feel when I am gone. I already miss home, my family, my friends, when I am here at Westfield, but when I am in Cyprus I know I am going to miss my second home, Westfield State, so so much. My roommates and friends are what drive me crazy and keep me sane at the exact same time and I wouldn't have it any other way. Planning Winter Weekend and events for next semester was driving me insane at NACA. I am so happy for everything we accomplished this weekend, but a litttttle bitter that I won't be there :)

With 79 days left I am really starting to feel the stress of how fast the semester is flying. Deadlines are coming and going, and soon enough I will be packing my bags and heading off to Cyprus.

Until next time!

It's Official!

Well, it's official! I will be spending my spring semester in Nicosia, Cyprus doing the Semester in the Mediterranean program!! I paid my deposit about a week and a half ago, and although I will always associate that day with a broken heart, I guess it was a sign. Now is my time to explore and find out more about myself without worrying so much about someone else. I could not be more excited for the semester to start, and also for January 23rd! So crazy.

So, two of my extremely close friends will be studying in Europe this semester (I'm still pissed at them for not going in the spring) and I know I am going to be SUPER jealous. It is going to be so hard without them this semester :'( I hope they will have good advice for me over winter break!

Going to leave this post with a quote from the random woman I met at Bliss Nails who works for a study abroad company that loved Australia so much she started working to promote study abroad for college students:

"Challenge yourself, go places on your own (with a functioning cell phone), and don't be worried about what you could be missing out on because you're the one that will be completely changed by the experience for the better"

She's no Aristotle or Shakespeare, but I'd say she's right. 

Stressin'

It's 10:22 on a Monday night. Just got back 3 days ago from my 2 weeks back at Westy for New Student/Parent Orientation as a student leader! It was one of the best experiences, and I am so thankful for it! That being said, I had to sit through 5 presentations from the international programs office. FIVE. All explaining (in detail, which obvs BOBBY from the office in Parenzo didn't give me) awesomely, affordable options for studying abroad. International exchange, direct enrollment, yet I choose the affiliated program that is $3,000 more than Westfield's tuition & fees NOT including the flight and other expenses. 

Now, I know this is a time where I need to think about what I really want out of this experience, and going to Cyprus would be AMAZING. But, wouldn't Dublin Business School WSU Direct Enrollment in Ireland be just as awesome in a totally different way? (Cheaper, too).  

Not to mention, being on the island of Cyprus doesn't exactly allow for convenient travel throughout Europe. I am having such a dilemma. Saving the financial heartache would be a real plus, but Ireland is not the sunniest country in Europe (Cyprus has the most days of sunlight out of them all!) and definitely isn't the interesting and greek-like culture I've been reading about for months now.

I also can't get a great tan in Ireland, and I really don't want to change the name of this blog. 

It feels a little better to write about it, but I'm still stressin'

That's all for now.

DEUCES.

"Sometimes, it's the things that scare you most that are most worthwhile.”

Hey Everyone! (And by everyone I mean the 2 maybe, 3 people reading this).

Welcome to my very first study abroad blog! As you may have noticed from the title, I will be studying abroad in Nicosia, Cyprus. Who knows where Cyprus is? Probably only a select few of you so for the curious people, Cyprus is an island located in the Mediterranean Sea nestled between Egypt, Greece, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey.

The "Republic of Cyprus" is a member of the European Union. The governing of the island is a little confusing, so here is a quote from the wikipedia site probably explaining it much better than I can: "However, the Republic of Cyprus is de facto partitioned into two main parts; the area under the effective control of the Republic, comprising about 59% of the island's area, and the Turkish-controlled area in the north, calling itself the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and recognized only by Turkey." Basically, half of the island is Greek cultured, and half of the island is Turkish and you need a passport to get into the northern part of the island. 

After the ball dropped on New Years Eve, some of my friends and I got in a circle and shared our new years resolutions. I had finally decided mine would be to study abroad! I was so extremely scared but I knew I would regret it if I didn't go through with it. So after that day I was determined to do my research, pick a location/program, when I was going to go etc. I will not be studying abroad until Spring semester 2014 but my new years resolution was to actually commit so, here we go Ari!!

I am starting this blog early because one, I love to write. I've kept a diary since 4th grade. Second, most blogs focus on the person's experiences while abroad so why not start early and show people the process before hand as well, ya know? 

The first part of the process is choosing the location. I was extremely stuck. I have already been to Sevilla, Spain but I definitely considered studying there. I also was extremely tempted to study in Greece or Italy, especially Greece. Ireland was on my radar as well. Then one day while I was on Westfield's study abroad search portal I saw a program for a "semester in Europe" and "semester in the Mediterranean." These are multi-country programs where you study in Nicosia, Cyprus and travel with your program. I chose the Mediterranean program, so while I am away next spring I will be traveling to Greece, Italy, Spain, and throughout the country of Cyprus as well with Global Learning Semesters. I am SO EXCITED. If you didn't notice, Spain, Greece, and Italy were all on my list of options when deciding so I'm extremely happy for this opportunity. Another reason why I chose this program is because I did not know much about Cyprus. How many people do you talk to have studied in Cyprus? Not many. I wanted something out of the ordinary, something I will probably never get to do again in my life. So, now it is actually happening. I have been accepted, and am planning on going to Nicosia in January!!

So far I have started looking at classes I want to take, figured out how many classes I want to take, and am very excited to start the process with my parents this summer. I am SO excited to learn the Greek language and explore the entire island!

I will be updating this as my study abroad process gets underway!

"Sometimes, it's the things that scare you most that are most worthwhile.”