We are excited to announce our Fall 2015 Ambassadors! Get to know them by reading their favorite memory of their time abroad and their best advice for living like a local.
Feel free to contact them if you have a questions about their home or host university.
Anastasia Ugolik
Home university: Southern Connecticut State University, Connecticut
Host university: Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Austria
Email address: ugolika1@owls.southernct.edu
Favorite memory: My favorite memory of study abroad is the first day my roommate and I explored our new host city. We saw everything there was to see and ate everything there was to eat. It was a great way to get to know each other and our new home.
Best advice: My advice for students who want to live like a local during their study abroad program is to get out of your comfort zone and try everything there is to try. In most cases, you will come across things that were not normal back home. All you can do push yourself to try and understand why locals like what they like. Different foods, social customs, complicated transportation systems are some of the things you must open yourself up to. I truly started feeling like a local when classes started, I had realized I was comfortable getting around, and I had local and foreign frends to go places with.
Anthony Asmar
Home university: Western Connecticut State University, Connecticut
Host university: Universidad de Almería and Universidad de Vigo, Spain
Email address: asmar007@connect.wcsu.edu
Favorite memory: I had so many incredible experiences that it’s hard to pick just one! But if I were to chose, I’d definitely say that kayaking in the Mediterranean Sea off the south-eastern coast of Spain with my university’s Erasmus Program is something I’ll never forget. I never saw water so clear in my life. and we had the opportunity to kayak through a maze of beautiful volcanic rock structures that were millions of years old. At the end of the trip, we kayaked to a secluded beach that the other international students and I pretty much had to ourselves!
Best advice: My best advice is don’t expect to feel like a local overnight – especially when there’s a language barrier. It will take some time to learn the local dialect and customs, but every day will get easier. However, the best way to expedite the process is to take chances, explore, and don’t get discouraged by your mistakes! I began to feel like a local when my day to day activities became second nature: i.e. Knowing where the bus stops were, knowing which restaurant had the best food and learning the servers’ names, navigating the grocery stores with purpose, and incorporating local expressions into my conversations!
Ashley Grillo
Home university: University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Host university: Edinburgh Napier University, United Kingdom
Email address: ashleygrillo377@gmail.com
Instagram: @ayyegrillo
Favorite memory: Ahh favourite memory? That’s a tough one. Every city and country is so unique and wonderful in its own way. I enjoyed every chance I got to experience a new culture and new food; Greek food especially. I would say that one of my best memories was when we went to Greece for Spring break. We rented cars, beach-hopped, and tried some of the best gyros I’ve ever had. Visiting Prague and reliving one of my favourite books was pretty rad too. Trust me, no one will ever be able to have one city or memory that outshines everything else. You’re experience studying abroad will be full of many different and wonderful memories.
Best advice: I first felt like a local whenever I realized I could get around the city by myself. The best advice I can give anyone is to get lost to be able to be found. You have to wander around and find your own way. Yes, a map will help, but do you really want to be stuck looking down the entire time. You’ll miss everything that’s going on around you! Get lost, and ask the locals to help you if you need it. Make everyday an adventure.
Berkley Churchill
Home university: UNC Asheville, North Carolina
Host university: Ulster University, United Kingdom
Email address: bchurchi@unca.edu
Favorite memory: There are so many favorite memories I have from studying abroad. What really sticks out to me, is all the variety of experiences I got to share with other students I met during my extent at Ulster University. Between meeting home students and them showing us the local culture, to spending weekends in other foreign countries with some of my best friends.
Best advice: My advice to “live like a local” is to become friends with them. By getting to know them and spending time with them, they end up showing you their culture and ways without you really even realizing it. Whether its restaurants or places they take you to, or mannerisms and colloquialisms you start to pick up.
Brittany Meehl
Home university: Missouri Southern State University, Missouri
Host university: Universität Bern, Switzerland
Email address: meehlb001@mymail.mssu.edu
Favorite memory: This has been a question I have struggled to answer. During my experience abroad everyday was different and was a new adventure in itself. Some of my favorite things though would have to have been first my arrival! It was my first time out of the United States or even on a plane! The initial arrival and settling in process was invigorating and terrifying all at once. Then throughout my studies I was able to truly experience the Swiss culture living like a local. Being in central Europe I was also able to make many side trips and travel to six other countries! But I believe the most impacting experience was getting to know so many people from all different parts of the world. Each individual whether we became close friends or had a simple conversation, they each left an impact. Being surrounding by so many different cultures and views makes us realize how similar we all are. It is the simple moments and conversations that I believe have had the biggest impact and will have forever changed my perception for the better.
Best advice: The best advice I could give to someone wanting to live like a local is to be as open to new experiences as possible. Studying abroad and living in a country different than your own, many things are going to be different. Rather than looking down upon the differences the best thing to do is embrace the changes. Try to come into this experience with as little expectation as possible. Try your best to get out of your comfort zone in order to let yourself experience the culture. In order to experience the local culture try new things you would not have at home, whether it be the local food, sport, or dance. Try your best to talk to many different people, learn the language, and make friends with locals. You are only here for a short period of time and it will fly by faster than you can imagine. So embrace every moment and enjoy your time abroad!
For myself I didn’t feel as if I was truly living like a local until about two months into my time abroad. By that time I had settled in with school, my new housing, and made many friends. At first everything was so fresh and new, yet within such a short period of time I began to start feeling at home. One of the best feelings was when I would leave and travel to another country and as soon as I arrived back in Switzerland and saw the Alps I felt at home again. That was my first time truly feeling like a local.
Danielle Green
Home university: University of Wisconsin – Stout, Wisconsin
Host university: University of Western Sydney, Australia
Email address: greend0768@my.uwstout.edu
Favorite memory: My favorite memory was seeing the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Best advice: The best advice I can give is to meet people and ask questions, that was how I felt I was living like a local. I felt like a local when I knew of my surroundings and began to feel comfortable in my new place.
Deanna Rayala
Home university: Dominican University of California, California
Host university: Universidad Pública de Navarra, Spain
Email address: deanna.rayala@students.dominican.edu
Favorite memory: My favorite memory abroad? Ooooh that’s a hard one! My favorite memory abroad was traveling to the 5 countries I got to visit during my 6 months in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands, France, and my host country Spain. I traveled with amazing friends, experienced new cultures, ate the most amazing food (!!), and learned so much about different countries that you can’t learn in the classroom.
Best advice: My best advice to live like a local would be making friends with students who live in the city you are studying in. About two months into my stay I met two amazing friends who lived in Pamplona, Spain. We made the effort to meet every week to practice English and Spanish. During those times not only did I learn about their city, but I truly felt immersed in the Spanish culture. “Live like the Spaniards do!”
Drew Crawford
Home university: Northwestern State University of Louisiana, Louisiana
Host university: Johannes Kepler Universität Linz, Austria
Email address: drew.c.2@hotmail.com
Instagram: @drewwwcrawford
Favorite memory: My favorite memory while studying in Austria was traveling to Gmunden, a small town about a one hour drive from Linz where I was staying. There were a few mountains and a beautiful lake right between them. We hiked up 1600 meters and had the most beautiful view I have ever seen in my life. One of the best parts was making the trek with other international students from Croatia, Hungary and the Czech Republic. It was great to enjoy the experience with students from around the world.
Best advice: My best advice to live like a local in your host country is to get out of your comfort zone and talk to the local students. They are typically interested in learning about you just as much as you are about them. Have them take you to a local restaurant not known to the tourists and get the real local experience of food and service. I first felt like a local when I was invited to have lunch in the home of an Austrian. She prepared me the traditional “Wiener Schnitzel” and I really felt like I tapped into the local culture.
Emily Fontenot
Home university: Northwestern State University of Louisiana, Louisiana
Host university: Ulster University, United Kingdom
Email address: emilyann791@gmail.com
Favorite memory: My favorite memory was my last day in Rome. I was alone, walking aimlessly across the little paper map in my hands. My mind was still reeling from my tour of the Vatican, making the whole world take on an ethereal glow. The gelato, the young lovers kissing, the old gypsy selling fake prints and playing the Red Hot Chili Peppers – it all felt divine. It was one of those rare moments when traveling didn’t feel like I was walking through a 3-D postcard. For the first time in a long time, I connected. I leaned against a tree and looked down at the city below. I glanced at my map and realized I had just reached the border. I was in a place that didn’t’ exist according to the map I bought at the train station kiosk, but at that moment it was the only real place on earth.
Best advice: I really felt like a local when I became so attached to my favorite little pubs and shops that I wouldn’t go anywhere else. I had tried every sandwich at Bob & Berts, had dinner with the couple who owned the Christian bookstore and befriended most of the taxi drivers. I had found my place to buy groceries and clothes, my coffee shop, my church, and my pub. That’s when I really felt like a local.
Hailey McDonald
Home university: Frostburg State University, Maryland
Host university: Nihon University – Mishima, Japan
Email address: hjmcdonald0@frostburg.edu
Favorite memory: My favorite memory of my time during Japan was when I took the bullet train from Mishima to Osaka for my friend’s wedding. The ceremony was beautiful, and the next day we went to Nara Deer Park (where a deer licked my face!) and the Osaka Aquarium (where I got to touch a small shark and a manta ray). That was definitely one of the most fun weekends I had in Japan.
Best advice: In order to live like a local, you need to make friends with the locals. Find out what they eat, where they shop, and what they do for fun on the weekends. Personally, I felt like I was living like a local by the time I had the route to the nearest grocery store memorized. I’d recommend a small town over a big city if you really want an authentic experience.
Jacqueline Archdeacon
Home university: University of Northern Colorado, Colorado
Host university: University of Botswana, Botswana
Email address: jacqarchdeacon@gmail.com
Favorite memory: My favorite memory from studying abroad in Botswana was my first day of safari! Within minutes of climbing in the truck, we were fortunate enough to spot a lion chase and kill a cape buffalo. Some people search their entire lives to spot something so rare, but I was lucky enough to see it on my first day. It was a fantastic memory to start off my semester in Southern Africa!
Best advice: Do not be afraid to feel uncomfortable and try new things! You will feel awkward at first when beginning to adapt to a different culture’s customs. However, your initial awkward feeling is what makes your experience so much more fun and memorable! Get to know your surrounding areas and make yourself at home. I first felt like I was truly living like a local when I felt confident enough to walk around the city by myself without a map or having to ask for directions.
Jenna Ortiz
Home university: Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia
Host university: Plymouth University, United Kingdom
Email address: ortizjn2@vcu.edu;
Favorite memory: I can’t pick just one favorite memory from abroad! However, I do have two memories that may take the top of my list. First, riding the London Eye both during the day and at night. During the day, you’re able to see how many amazing things are in London waiting to be explored. At night, you’re able to see London truly come alive. I also loved my trips to Florence, Italy. I was able to travel there twice while abroad and spent time eating at all the local restaurants and getting yummy gelato. Take the bus ride up to Fiesole, and you can see how magnificent and beautiful Florence is.
Best advice: My best advice for students going abroad is to talk, talk, talk. Talk to everyone! Your fellow classmates, the cashier at the local grocery store, your waiters/waitresses, your professors, talk to everyone. I had the best experiences while I was learning about other people and their culture abroad. When you take the time to speak to the local people of your host city/town (and the locals when you’re traveling), you have the opportunity to see and experience so much more than what’s in the local tourist guides. I made amazing relationships with the people I met while abroad. Take this opportunity to meet any and everyone you can.
John Goodman
Home university: West Virginia University, West Virginia
Host university: University of Tampere, Finland
Email address: jwgoodman@mix.wvu.edu
Favorite memory: In late November of last year, I hosted a thanksgiving dinner at my apartment in Finland. I invited 10 of my closest friends I’d met during my exchange. We ate, we drank, and we made memories that would last a lifetime. It was at that moment that I realized it doesn’t matter what you’re doing as long as you love the people you’re with.
Best advice: A lot of exchange students make the mistake of only spending time with their exchange counterparts. If you want to truly immerse yourself in your new world and live as a local, ensure that you make a point to befriend those who live in your destination city. Don’t be afraid to make friends with non-students, as well. Some of the best friends I had while abroad didn’t even go to my university.
Joseph Gomez
Home university: University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Host university: Universidad de Vigo, Spain
Email address: joseph1gomez@gmail.com
Favorite memory: My favorite memory from studying abroad is when I traveled for 8 days through Italy. A friend that I made in Spain and I went to Milan, Venice, Florence, and other cities in the Tuscany region. It challenged me to speak Spanish as well as explore a new country!
Best advice: In order to live like a local, you have to take your “cool cap” off. It is OK to ask students in your class for help or just start up a conversation! After about one month, I felt like a local. I had a good group of friends just as I do back home, and I was getting along in my classes well. Go the extra mile! It’s worth it.
Juliette Ambrogi
Home university: Elmhurst College, Illinois
Host university: Wroclaw University, Poland
Email address: juliette2651@yahoo.com
Favorite memory: My favorite memory from studying abroad was meeting so many other people who have the wanderlust gene. Curiosity gets you a long way.
Best advice: I would recommend taking a language course in the language you will be surrounded in. Showing locals that you care and are willing to learn a language will make them smile!
Katelyn McGuffin
Home university: Marshall University, West Virginia
Host university: Al Akhawayn University, Morocco
Email address: mcguffin5@marshall.edu
Favorite memory: My favorite study abroad memory was taking the Trip to the South with the Explorer’s Club at Al Akhawayn University. From riding camels in the desert and learning to make mint tea, to zip-lining through the mountains and surfing in Agadir, I got to experience a whole new side of Morocco and grew many friendships along the way!
Best advice: If you want to live like a local during your time abroad, do your best to connect genuinely with the local people. I began to feel like a local when I was going regularly to the marche (market) with my Moroccan friend, Sara. We shopped for groceries, ate at local restaurants, and took strolls around town as she shared with me about her experiences living in Morocco. Intentionally getting off-campus with Moroccan friends to dwell in the area among the Moroccan people made me feel so much more a part of the culture. Acquainted with my home-away-from-home, it was not long before I was getting taxis on my own to teach dance class at the local school! At that point I truly felt like a local, finding a niche within my own community and engaging with Moroccan families.
Kathrine Gilman
Home university: West Virginia University, West Virginia
Host university: Universität Trier, Germany
Email address: kegilman@mix.wvu.edu
Favorite memory: It’s very late in my stint abroad, but it’s definitely what sticks out the most. I was on the plane heading back home and had what was probably my first full length conversation in German. There was a little boy and girl sat next to me. The flight attendant came by to collect our trays and the little boy had fallen asleep, so I asked the girl with him if he had finished. Once she realized I spoke German she talked to me for awhile, where I was going, where she was going, our plans, where we were from. I’d always been scared to speak German when people could hear me, but the combination of this being a child and my last few moments in country I felt I had nothing to loose. Knowing I at least got some command of the language there was probably one of the most thrilling experiences I had while abroad.
Best advice: Do it by yourself when you can. It’s easy to find a crutch, a lot easier than you think; someone who speaks the language better than you or even a local wanting to help. I was really bad about this, but one day I went to buy shoes and the lady at the counter assumed I was a local and started talking to me about inserts and how they’d be useful if I were on the cobblestone streets downtown a lot. It was exciting I knew what was going on and could participate, even though it was something so simple.
Mackenzie Hoffer
Home university: University of Nebraska at Omaha, Nebraska
Host university: University of Hyderabad, India
Email address: mhoffer@unomaha.edu
Favorite memory: I couldn’t even pinpoint a favorite memory from studying abroad, the entire semester is my favorite! My favorite part of studying abroad was meeting like-minded people from all over the world.
Best advice: Say yes and be willing to be uncomfortable, you’ll accommodate faster and with good stories!
Olivia Duncan
Home university: Fort Lewis College, Colorado
Host university: Plymouth University, United Kingdom
Email address: omduncan@fortlewis.edu
Favorite memory: This is one of the most difficult questions I have to answer. However, I would like to say my favorite memory would be my time spent during the last few weeks with my friends I’ve made. We were definitely going to miss each other so we made the best of our time together.
Best advice: One thing I would advise is getting to know more of the locals such as the students and join in with their activities and get-togethers. I first started to feel like a local in England when I crossed paths with a local and they called me ‘love’ which is a common word used in England. I felt like a local the moment I was called that.
Olivia Simpson
Home university: East Carolina University, North Carolina
Host university: Ulster University, United Kingdom
Email address: simpsono11@students.ecu.edu;
Favorite memory: My favorite memory from studying abroad was making friends from Northern Ireland, and letting them show me around from their point of view. They would take me to their favorite local restaurant, favorite landscapes, and would tell me all they knew about the places. Learning from different perspectives was a great opportunity.
Best advice: My best advice for students who want to live like a local is to ask the locals what they do in their free time. I first felt like I was living like a local when I stopped using written sources to find things to do, and started letting locals tell me where to go.
Renee Cornue
Home university: St. Edward’s University, Texas
Host university: Ulster University, United Kingdom
Email address: rcornue@stedwards.edu
Favorite memory: How can I choose? One of the last nights that all of us were together, before friends started fizzling out & back to their home countries, we went and filed up good ol’ Anchor Pub for karaoke night. I sang Tiny Dancer with the first girl I met in Ireland, who quickly became one of my best, life-long friends. We all had our arms around each other, singing at the tops of our lungs to songs we barely knew or even liked. I experienced the purest form of joy, being there with the large group of friends that were strangers months previously, without a care in the world other than wishing to prolong the moment as long as possible.
Best advice: Walk. Everywhere. Learn the backroads, make your own trails. Learn the terrain and you’ll feel at home. Talk to everyone you can about anything. Be open to conversations, making friends of all ages.
Be open-minded, adventurous, and unafraid to step outside of your comfort zone. This is a chance to completely change your perspective on the world, be open to the possibilities of it.
Simone Bradley
Home university: University of Montana, Montana
Host university: Université du Havre, France
Email address: sebradley23@gmail.com
Favorite memory: My friends and I went on a 10-day trip through Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland. Seeing all of the history and culture there was something I’ll never forget.
Best advice: Speak up in class as much as possible, you will make friends who are from the region who can show you the places only the locals know about. I felt like a local when I spent a Sunday with a friend and her family preparing a large, late lunch using French cooking techniques taught to me by her mother.
Taylor Haynes
Home university: Northern Arizona University, Arizona
Host university: Aalborg University, Denmark
Email address: taylorhaynes135@gmail.com
Favorite memory: Among my favorite memories from studying abroad in Denmark is going to the local pastry shop. It was family owned and there was always a huge line out the door– everyone was waiting for the freshly made chocolat-boller that could be smelled from several blocks away. The scent of freshly baked pastries was the best advertising. Early in my experience, though, I asked for a Danish (thinking of the American, flaky pastry), and got very strange looks from the cashier; apparently ordering a “Danish” is not understood in Denmark.
Best advice: Feeling like a local definitely will take some time– don’t expect to be completely assimilated in your host culture for at least a couple months. I found that escaping my comfort zone and conversing with my neighbors was the best way to get to know the locals and begin spending time doing “Danish” things. I always tried to keep an open mind and be willing to have new experiences.
I first felt like I was living like a local when I went to a music festival held in the park down the street from my residence. My Danish neighbors and I rode our bikes and brought a cooler full of snacks and drinks. We listened to several local bands’ cover classic rock ballads while a bonfire kept us warm during the chilly evening.
Teige Arnott
Home university: Appalachian State University, North Carolina
Host university: Thammasat University, Thailand
Email address: arnotttg@appstate.edu;
Favorite memory: The friendships that I made abroad were incredible. Being able to live with 100+ kids from all over the world was pretty special.
Best advice: Meet and interact with as many students at the host university as possible. If there is a buddy program take full advantage of it!
Theodore Freed
Home university: New Mexico State University, New Mexico
Host university: Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands
Email address: theodore.freed@gmail.com
Favorite memory: It’s impossible to just pick one, over the year I had so many amazing experiences in such a variety. From festivals to travels with friends, and even international dinners where everyone cooked a meal from their country. One noteworthy at the top would be when my friends and I went to Ireland for St. Patricks day, and had my Irish buddy Niall and his friends give us a tour of Ireland for a week. That was the kind of local experience you can’t pay for.
Best advice: Make your new room feel like home, and go explore the town. I think that you begin to feel like a local and get comfortable after a month or two. Once you have found a routine, and have discovered some places around town that you like. Even a preference to which grocery store you go to.
Thu Dang
Home university: University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Tennessee
Host university: Chukyo University, Japan
Email address: thudangphat@gmail.com
Favorite memory: Out of all of my memories, my favorite would have been the time I went to Nabana No Sato with two people who later on became lifelong friends. I had knew the two from the previous semester; however, we rarely spoke to one another. Once the stranger barrier was broken, I asked if they wanted to make time to become something more than aquaintances. On this day, we visited the infamous Winter Illumination of Nabana No Sato. One girl covered my eyes once the lights turned on and I was struck with amazement at the beautiful scenery of tulips and illuminated trees and buildings. Since the month was April, the illumination should have been closed, but lucky for us the park extended the illumination and the three of us set out for what turned out to be the beginning of a wonderful friendship.
Best advice: Become friends of friends and take chances with people. Also, speaking in the native tongue everyday will increase your language skills more than books will ever do. Sometimes the locals only know of popular over crowded places, so take a look around for yourself. Who knows, maybe you will find an area which a local did not know about. I found this to be a chance to exchange information about restaurants, cafes, and hiking areas.
It took me about 6 months before I felt like I had found a piece of home in Japan. For the first six months I rarely spoke in Japanese and I rarely spent time other Japanese students from my host institution. However, something just clicked in my head and my shyness broke. I began taking more chances in speaking in Japanese, going to friends’ hometown, and spent more time meeting more people. I can honestly say my last 5 months were stepping stones towards building myself into becoming someone both strong spiritually and mentally.
Tucker Hyde
Home university: University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Host university: Universidad de Palermo, Argentina
Email address: tuckhyde@vols.utk.edu
Favorite memory: Iguazu Falls was magical. I went with a group of students from all over the world and we had a big party getting to know each other on the bus. It didn’t even seem real. It was so overwhelming in the best way possible.
Best advice: Don’t feel obligated to stay with “the group” the whole time. Get out and explore things on your own! At the same time it’s good to make friends with other travelers because they may have the same interests as you. It’s smart to make a good mix of locals and foreigners. I felt like a local when my host mom gave me the job of explaining all the tourist attractions to her Air B&B guests.
ISEP Study Abroad Blog 