POSTCARDS FROM ABROAD

Postcards are one of the forgotten treasures of international travel, but they are still one of the most exciting items that we receive from our students who study or live abroad. These postcards give us the opportunity to stay caught up on what our students are doing and where they have been while also giving us a quick snapshot of what they have seen.  Over the years we’ve received hundreds of these postcards and we’ve decided that we’d like to share these with you as well.  You can view, reblog, or sumbit these online at ufpostcards.tumblr.com. Below are some of our favorites:

While we’ve posted some of the more memorable postcards, we’d love to have more! You can send your postcards to the address below (maybe address it to your favorite study abroad advisor) and include a couple of lines about what you’ve loved most about studying abroad.  We’ll be sure to send you an email once we’ve received it with a link to the post online.

Mail your postcard to:
The University of Florida International Center (or a UFIC staff member/advisor)
170 Hub
PO Box 113225
Gainesville, FL 32611-3225

A New Look and a New Page!

Here at the University of Florida International Center, we constantly are looking for new ways to update and innovate our ways of making UF a more internationally connected place.  With that, the International Center is proud to announce their new Facebook Page and Twitter account. Please make sure to visit both pages to “like” and “follow UFIC!

We will be giving away UFIC t-shirts to some lucky new Facebook fans.

The 50^th 100^th 150^th and 200^th person to “like” our page will win the iconic UFIC t-shirt and will be announced here on the UFIC Blog from Abroad.

As you’ve noticed, we’ve given our blog a little face lift.  With a little color change here, and a new picture there, we are working make this blog stand out while maintaining our Gator identity.  In addition to these visual changes, we will be adding new content to this blog to keep you more informed about all the different programs and opportunities’ UFIC has to  offer Student, Faculty and Staff.  Keep checking in with us to see the latest updates.

Every New Beginning Comes From Some Other Beginning’s End

Yes, we borrowed this line from the 90′s one-hit wonder band, Semisonic, but it so perfectly describes the state the transition from summer to fall.

Although we are sad to see our summer blogger’s stories comes to an end, we welcome the additions from our new bloggers who will be studying abroad this fall and academic year all over the world. The past few months have brought an unprecedented number of views making our blog more popular in the months of May, June and July 2011 than it has since we started using WordPress as a platform in 2009.  I would like to thank everyone who contributed this past summer for writing posts that made us laugh (I’m looking at you Lindsay), that inspired us to look deeper into issues surrounding culture (Ben‘s take on politics and other issues in South Africa), and that shared some of the tougher aspects of immersing yourself into another culture (Mariana‘s revelation’s in Buenos Aires).  I encourage those reading our blog for the first time to cycle back in our previous bloggers posts to see some of the moving journeys that our students have taken.

This upcoming semester, we are also looking forward to expanding our blogging program to include students who are studying in the Middle East, students who are receiving Boren Scholarship and students who will be completing research projects that delve into global issues.  Please be sure to continue reading and sharing as our new group of bloggers head into their semester full of new experiences and surprises.

Study Abroad Peer Advisors now accepting applications for 2011-2!

UFIC is pleased to announce that the Study Abroad Peer Advisors are accepting applications until August 15, 2011. The Peer Advisor application is available at the following site:

https://www.abroad.ufic.ufl.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=10738&Type=S&sType=S

The Study Abroad Peer Advisor program is a volunteer organization founded in Fall 2004 as a means of providing study abroad alumni with an organized outlet for discussing and promoting study abroad experiences. Study Abroad Peer Advisors are trained to provide leadership to prospective study abroad students and assist UFIC with study abroad recruitment efforts. Study Abroad Peer Advisors are expected to attend regular general meetings and participate in the various committee options available. In addition, you are expected to volunteer time for select study abroad events on campus, including the Study Abroad Fair, info sessions, Preview, tabling, re-entry and pre-departure.

Our Peer Advisor program embraces the energy, enthusiasm, and wisdom of students who firmly believe in the value of international education or who are interested in developing a career in our field. Any student who has participated in study abroad while at UF is highly encouraged to consider becoming a part of this unique program. Over recent years, we have expanded our Peer Advisor program over recent years to include opportunities for participants to acquire and develop their professional skills. In 2010-11, this included internships, leadership options, international career opportunities, and workshops, seminars and weekend events designed to explore careers in international education.

Applications for the Study Abroad Peer Advisor group must be completed by August 15, 2011, after which selected candidates may be contacted for interviews. Applicants must be UF students in good standing (GPA: 3.0+) who have studied abroad at least once while pursuing their UF degrees. You must have one or more semesters remaining in your degree to be eligible for the program. A completed Peer Advisor application consists of the following documents:

1. Essay
2. Completed questionnaires
3. Electronically signed documents

Please apply now at https://www.abroad.ufic.ufl.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=10738&Type=S&sType=S.

If your application is accepted, you may be contacted for an interview at the beginning of the fall semester. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Kirsten Laufer, Study Abroad Assistant Director, at klaufer@ufic.ufl.edu. We look forward to reviewing your application!

Lindsay: Summer in Beijing

Lindsay Young

Lindsay Young is a General Business Administration major with an International Specialization and a minor in Chinese at the University of Florida.  When Lindsay was younger she lived in Japan for three years while her father was stationed in there.  In her spare time, Lindsay enjoys the world of entertainment (celebrities, music, television and film), reading novels varying from trashy teen novels to 19th Century classics, Harry Potter, adventures in New York City, $2 ice cream in her hometown of Port Jefferson, NY, Gator Football Season, crafting useless room decorations, and travelling (or at least wiki-ing) countries around the world.

This summer, Lindsay will be participating in the UF in Beijing – Language and Culture program in order to fulfill the requirements of her Chinese minor.  She hopes to garner a firm grasp on the language and culture through this immersive experience.  Click Here to follow Lindsay’s experience’s in Beijing.

Molly: Summer in Santander

Molly Vidmar

Molly Vidmar is a 2^nd year English and Political Science double-major with minors in Art History and Spanish at the University of Florida.  Molly has travelled to France, England, Italy, Mallorca and Luxembourg while travelling with her family and in one trip, she visited her mom’s German host family from when she studied abroad over 30 years ago.  Additionally, during the summer after her junior year of high school, Molly lived in Panama with a host family while taking Spanish classes and working on community service projects.  Molly has interests in art history, culture, food and travelling and in her spare time, she enjoys reading novels, going to musicals and watching movies.

This summer Molly is participating in the UF in Santander program to study Spanish language and culture.  She chose this program because she plans to minor in Spanish and her goal is to become fluent and she wanted total immersion.  Additionally, she loves Europe and is excited to live the European lifestyle.  Click Here to read about her travels in Spain!

Stacy: Summer in Berlin

Stacy Streeter

Stacy Streeter is a 3^rd year graduate student majoring in Printmaking in the School of Art and Art History at the University of Florida.  Prior to this summer, Stacy lived in Japan for 4 years while her Dad was in the Navy and she also travelled to the Phillipines and Hong Kong on vacation.

This summer, Stacy will be joining the UF in Berlin – English and Fine Arts program.  Although Stacy planned to study Fine Arts and English this summer in Japan, the program was moved to Berlin in response to the recent earthquake in Fukushima.  After her program, Stacy plans on staying in Europe for 3 weeks to backpack in Europe.  She is particularly excited to visit Rome, Paris, Amsterdam, Munich and London.  Click Here to see what Stacy is up to!

Jessica: Summer in Chengdu

Jessica Pu

Jessica Pu is a Chemical Engineering major hoping to minor in Chinese and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida. Prior to studying abroad, Jessica travelled to China many times to visit her family there.  In her free time, Jessica enjoys photography and she can be found wandering around taking multitudes of random photos.

This summer Jessica will be returning to China for her first study abroad experience with the UF in Chengdu – Language and Culture program.  She chose this program to its attractive price and its small group setting.  Click Here to view her adventures in China and Here to view some of her amazing photos!

Natasha: Summer in Chengdu

Natasha Phillips

Natasha Phillips is a 2^nd year Biology and East Asian Language and Literatures major at Valencia Community College.  Prior to this summer, Natasha traveled to Germany for her brother’s wedding as well as to the Netherlands and to Japan on vacation with her family.  Natasha has a deep interest in learning about other cultures and, therefore, enjoys reading nonfiction and fiction about foreign places or the experiences of foreign people.  She also likes to draw and she uses drawing as a way to depict her impressions of the things she experiences and observes. Writing is another form of expression she enjoys.  She also likes outdoor hobbies such as swimming and hiking as well.

Natasha will be participating in her first study abroad experience in the UF in Chengdu – Language and Culture program because she believes that being immersed in China will be the most comprehensive environment to learn the Chinese language.  Additionally, she is excited to further enhance her learning of the language through learning first-hand about Chinese culture.  Click Here to follow her blog!

Alyssa: Summer in the Outback

Alyssa Lai

Alyssa Lai is a fourth year Tourism and Hospitality Management major with a minor in Mass Communications. Even though this is her first time studying abroad, she has traveled for leisure to many places abroad including Hong Kong, Singapore, and Jamaica.  Some of her favorite procrastination tools include StumbleUpon, Rock Band, sewing, blogging, and going on spontaneous adventures.  Alyssa is very excited to be spending a month in Australia on the UF in North Queensland program. She will be studying tourism, aboriginal culture, biodiversity, and sustainability. Click Here to follow her adventures!