The food was, in a word, excellent. For one, it was so much fresher than most American food. Cyprus is a small island, but it has a thriving agricultural sector and a climate perfect for growing potatoes, olives, tomatoes, and melons. So when you went to a restaurant or the supermarket, there was a good chance that the fruits and vegetables were grown locally. Like many Mediterranean cultures, there was also more of an emphasis on homemade dishes rather than the junk food drowning in preservatives that is ubiquitous on American street corners. Unsurprisingly, this diet is... Read More
Pitt Global Experiences Students' Blog
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My expectations going into my trip to Ireland were that I wouldn’t have too much of a hard time adjusting to the culture mostly because their primary language is English. I think one of the biggest challenges when traveling abroad is overcoming the language barrier, but that was not an issue for us on our trip. Yes, some Irish people have thick accents that take paying extra attention to understand, but there weren’t many difficulties when it came to communication. Navigating a new city is always intimidating, but after living there for just a couple days, we began to get the hang of it,... Read More
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As I reflect on my time studying abroad in Graz, Austria with Pitt’s Comparative Healthcare program, the biggest challenge I faced was the language barrier. The official language in Austria is German, and I had no previous experience with the German language prior to the study abroad program. Although we did learn introductory phrases on our second day of class with our onsite Austrian coordinator, Julie, it was a challenge to communicate in some stores and restaurants, as some locals did not know any English. For example, for our free weekend we went to a rural, small village of Admont.... Read More
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Each day varied in terms of what activities we had planned. We had a set itinerary with site visits, tourism opportunities, and lectures that took place each day, but every evening we had free to explore on our own.
Every morning we went to a small café about a 10-minute walk from our hotel where breakfast was provided. We were very grateful to get a delicious breakfast each morning and it definitely helped keep our energy levels up as we went about our day. We typically either had time in the classroom, a site visit, or a lecture in the morning and would go our separate... Read More -
Whether it’s specifically Plus3 Ireland or any other Plus3 program, the best advice I have is to make the most out of your time. The program is very short (only two weeks), and you will constantly be busy. The program really packs in a lot of activities such as site visits, lectures, and tourism opportunities and it can be exhausting. However, the exhaustion is worth it. The time really does fly by, and you don’t want to leave wishing you had gone to a certain restaurant, walked through a certain museum, or visited a certain sight-seeing spot. Use your free time to explore with others and... Read More
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As a student on the Comparative Healthcare in Graz, Austria study abroad program, we are living in Graz for 4 weeks. The Hotel das Weitzer is a very nice hotel in a great central location. It is close to two tram stops that we use to get to the university every day. It also is within walking distance to numerous restaurants with outdoor seating in the popular location called the “Bermuda triangle.” We are also close to the main Congress square and the famous Bell Tower and fortress of Graz. I have one roommate, who I met previously in my science classes at Pitt as well as through Ballet... Read More
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Studying abroad has influenced many of my goals. Some goals I want to accomplish initially from studying abroad include learning more in depth about the European healthcare and insurance systems and healthcare delivery, so that I can have the knowledge to be open minded and have diverse ideas regarding global and public health as a future physician making decisions one day. Also, I hope to compare the strengths and weaknesses of both American and European healthcare. I plan to reach these goals by paying attention in lectures as we progress through the content and also by continuing to... Read More
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So, you’ve decided to study abroad. Maybe you already have some familiarity with what you’ll be doing, but most likely you are in the same position I was: anticipating the travel without a firm idea of what to expect. You’re aware of some broad generalities. It’s going to be hot, or there’s going to be a lot of walking, or you won’t have access to the same comfort foods you’ve gotten used to relying on during those midterm crunch weeks. But it’s impossible to say what your trip will really be like. If you’re like me, that stresses you out a little bit. That’s okay! That’s our... Read More
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When I was younger, I lived in Switzerland for two years. Being in another country in such formative years really transformed my own identity and desires in life. I grew to appreciate European culture more and more. It had been a while since I spent a long time in Europe until this study abroad in Cyprus. Being immersed in the European lifestyle once more really reinforced that I want to live abroad. The culture surrounding meals that emphasizes quality time and bonding over great food really resonates with how I want to live. At home, my family and I always sit down at the table for meals... Read More
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During my short two weeks studying abroad in England, we went to many brilliant restaurants as a class as well as having the opportunity to explore on our own. I have always been someone who loves to bond over a good meal which is why I loved to try new things on this trip. We mostly ate out every meal because we were staying in a hotel room without a refrigerator and were traveling to different cities some days.
One of my goals for this trip was to try the classic English dish of
fish and chips. Since many of my classmates shared this desire with me, we got some on... Read More