"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.”