What country should I study abroad in?

What is the best country to study abroad in?

• I'm preparing for my first study abroad next year & have to decide where I want to go. I am leaning towards Europe, because of the central location & access to so many other locations. I'll be doing the study for credit towards my master in Economics. Tell me about your personal experiences studying abroad. Thanks!

• Answer:

  I studied for a semester in Taipei, Taiwan last summer and in Krakow, Poland last fall. Before I studied abroad, I was fluent in English and conversational in German. I'd also taken a few semesters of Mandarin Chinese, but a while had passed, and I'd forgotten most of it. I didn't know any Polish at all. Since studying abroad, my Mandarin has improved and I've learned enough Polish to maintain simple conversations :D Taipei was amazing. The people are so friendly, and I made so many friends that I still keep in touch with. These people not only made me feel at home on campus, but they also cooked meals for me, invited me to their homes, took me out after class, showed me their city, and were just all-around amazing people. Every day after morning classes, a group of us would meet to go to lunch off campus. What started as a group of 5 turned into a group of 15 as the semester went on. I'm not really a "people person," but I felt very comfortable with these people. Taipei itself was an amazing city. It's a great mix of the very contemporary with the very ancient, and the very traditional with the very modern. Their public transportation system can't be beaten, their food is cheap and amazing, and their nightlife is beyond description. I'm considering moving back. Krakow was another amazing city. I went there to bond with some distant relatives (not to make friends my own age), so I didn't get much experience in hanging out with Polish college kids (other than my relatives and a few of their friends). I do know that Krakow is my favorite place to be, and I love the Polish culture. People don't walk down the street smiling unless they've got a specific reason to be smiling, so they can look unfriendly to outsiders. However, these are people who will bend over backwards trying to be hospitable to you. The food is delicious, the lifestyle (lots of fresh air) is very healthy, and the culture of the city is so rich. My favorite thing about Polish people is their openness. In Polish shops, if the salesgirl shows you a shirt that you don't like, you can come right out and tell her, "No, this is ugly, I don't want it" and nobody will get offended or even surprised. If you're standing in line at a grocery store and the cashier and a customer are arguing, you can expect the people in line with you to begin to openly discuss what's going on and choose sides and argue on behalf of their pick. At the security line in the airport, you can hear people saying, "That woman should be allowed to cut line! She has two small children" and "Why is that man cutting? There's nothing wrong with him!" and "Aren't these security checks ridiculous?" It sounds like they complain a lot, but it's really a sort of form of friendliness because it's also striking up smalltalk and turning groups of strangers into temporary teams. I've also spent 5-14 days in: Beijing, China Sevilla, Spain Germany Vienna, Austria Prague, Czech Republic Calcutta, India ...and 2 days in London, England and 1 day in Gibraltar So if you want to know about any of those cities, add some info to your question and I'll let you know what I experienced there :) One of the best things I can tell you is don't let language hold you back from studying in a place that you find interesting or intriguing. Figuring things out as you go is part of the fun! Every single moment is part of a huge adventure. When you wake up in a country where you don't speak the language, you say to yourself something like, "Okay. Today is Operation: Chocolate Milkshake. My goal for today is to buy a chocolate milkshake." Then, the adventure begins. What words do you need to know to buy a chocolate milkshake? Do they even sell chocolate milkshakes in this country? Where I can I buy the ingredients to make my own? Will I have to substitute fresh strawberries for chocolate? When you go to bed at night, another day of adventure over (and a new day of adventure waiting for you tomorrow), you have such a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.