We have another exciting semester of stories from our GW Office for Study Abroad Bloggers. Check in weekly to hear stories from our various Blog Abroad Bloggers who will talk about everything from academics to food to their life in a new country. Our Commitment to Community Bloggers will discuss their involvement in the local host culture and give us an insight into their community projects every month. Our Global Identities Bloggers will reflect on their personal identities in a foreign country and share their experiences through their own digital story. Lastly, our Study in Israel Scholarship Bloggers will write about their experiences living and studying in Israel.
Spring 2019 Blog Abroad Bloggers
Commitment to Community Bloggers
C.J. Roey
What’s up! I’m C.J. Roey, and I’m a junior studying International Affairs and concentrating in Conflict and Conflict Resolution. I’m spending the Spring 2019 semester studying abroad in Rabat, Morocco. The exchange program is through IES, and I was shocked to see how many students in the program were from George Washington and Georgetown University. We all must’ve been drawn to the regional North African studies courses, and the foreign policy courses offered through the exchange. On top of that, I am an intermediate French speaker who will be living in a French speaking household, so I look forward to hopefully becoming close to fluent by the end of my exchange! While abroad, I will participate in service opportunities and an internship. In my free time, I know I will explore every street and neighborhood in Rabat, searching for the spiciest of foods, and keeping you all up to date with the adventures I will have in the North African region.
Read C.J.'s blog entries
Program: Rabat, Morocco - IES Abroad
Bre Floyd
Hello! My name is Bre Floyd and I am a junior at The George Washington University. I am double majoring in Political Science and Criminal Justice, and I chose to study abroad in Barcelona, Spain through the IES Liberal Arts and Business Program. I chose this program because I love that it is located right in the center of Barcelona, and it gives me very easy access to Europe, especially since I want to travel a lot. I also really like this program because they offer classes that work with both of my majors. The type of volunteer work that I have chosen to do abroad is volunteering at a local elementary school and help teach the students there English. Learning English is something that is becoming very common around Barcelona, and I so I think it would be really cool to go in and help these younger students with their English while they would be simultaneously helping me with my Spanish. I am very excited to have more of an opportunity to interact with the locals, and I love kids, so this is something that I am really excited to be a part of.
Read Bre's blog entries
Program: Liberal Arts and Business in Barcelona - IES Abroad
Global Identities Bloggers
Sofia Alpizar
Hi all! My name is Sofia Alpizar, or Sofi, and I am a Junior at the George Washington University. I am majoring in International Affairs with a concentration on the Middle East and minoring in Arabic. I am spending this spring semester studying in Amman, Jordan with CIEE. I chose CIEE as my study abroad program because of its vast variety of great classes, its focus on Arabic learning, its internship and community service opportunities and, of course, its great excursions. Being in Amman is the perfect location because of its history, culture, and amazing people, which will strengthen my Middle Eastern and Arabic studies. I will be living in a homestay with a Jordanian family to improve my Arabic and to gain a more personal understanding of the culture. Because I am an immigrant in the US, I plan on researching about the lives of immigrants in Jordan and their path towards establishing an identity. While, abroad I hope to grow academically, personally, culturally, and to expand my knowledge of this part of the world.
Read Sofia's blog entries
Program: Middle East Studies in Amman - CIEE
Deah Dushyanth
Hi! My name is Deah Dushyanth and I am a sophomore studying International Affairs and Economics with a minor in Business. I was born in Bangalore, India and grew up in Westchester, New York. I still visit India every summer and consider traveling to be an integral part of my identity. Needless to say, my frequent flyer miles are my most prized possessions! I love music and play the guitar, so I plan on exploring the artistic scene in all the countries I visit during my time abroad.
I am part of the Global Bachelors Program and will be spending the Spring 2019 semester at Fudan University in Shanghai, China. At Fudan I plan to study an array of topics concerning international trade, conflict resolution, the rise of nationalism, and international economics. I am looking forward to learning under the unique cultural lens of East Asia. I think studying in China will be particularly interesting due to the dichotomy of traditional ancient practices and modern thought that exist in a distinctive harmony that comes from being one of the oldest civilizations in the world. As an immigrant in the U.S., I have always been interested in immigration policy around the world. I plan on understanding the rhetoric towards immigration in China and the other countries I decide to visit as part of the Global Bachelors program.
I am excited to be traveling a lot this year and hope to study in Paris in the fall! I look forward to immersing myself in the cultural sphere of different parts of the world, and pushing myself past my academic and personal comfort zone.
Read Deah's blog entries
Program: GW Global Bachelor's Program - Shanghai Semester
Dom Reynoso
Read Dom's blog entries
Program: Florence, Italy - Syracuse University
Study in Israel Bloggers
Benjamin Aviv
Hey, what’s up Ben Aviv here blogging about my time studying at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. I’m a Junior here at GW studying International Affairs with a concentration in Security policy and likely concentration in Middle East with a language focus of Hebrew. I was born and raised in South Florida and very happy that I chose to study abroad in a warm country for the spring than freezing in the long winters that exists in America except in Florida. Just look out for me around campus next year if my blogs interested you enough about what its like to study in Jerusalem. Also as for why I chose Hebrew University and that is because for me it is a completely new opportunity/experience that I can interact with in terms of my experiences with the country of Israel. Although most people go abroad for all around new experiences sometimes it is best to become in expert and well grounded in areas that you have a passion for or see yourself being in the future. Israel for me is a country I’m definitely passionate about and could see myself far in the future very well living in Israel.
Read Benjamin's blog entries
Program: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Christine Jiha
Shalom everyone! My name is Christine, and I am a junior in the Elliott School majoring in International Affairs with concentrations in International Development and International Economics with a minor in Sociocultural Anthropology. This spring semester, I’ll be studying abroad at Tel Aviv University in Tel Aviv, Israel. While abroad I will be taking a variety of classes to expand my knowledge on Israel and the Middle East. Outside of the classroom, I will be traveling throughout the Middle East and Europe to experience everything the world has to offer. I can’t wait to explore this beautiful country and share my adventures with you!