It's New Year's Eve Somewhere...

This year, I was lucky enough to spend New Year's Eve at the world's first major celebration, in Sydney, Australia -- nine hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, fourteen hours before the ball drop in New York's Times Square, and a whopping eighteen hours before the US West Coast welcomed 2011.  Unlike my prior New Year's Eve adventures, freezing in Warsaw or Edinburgh with a bottle of cheap champagne while watching fireworks explode over ancient castles and Communist monuments, I enjoyed the warmth of a summer's night on a ferry directly in front of the Sydney harbor bridge.

New Years, 2011: Fireworks over Sydney Harbour bridge

While earlier I blogged about the homesickness and nostalgia that can come from celebrating the holidays far from loved ones, it is almost impossible for a student abroad to fail to have a good time on the 31st of December.  The sense of camaraderie and hope for the future that pervades New Years' celebrations inspires people from all backgrounds to join together in celebration, and that bubbly social lubricant can grease even the most rusty of language skills.

My best New Years' Eves have been spent as a student abroad.  In 2009, during my postgraduate study at Cambridge, my boyfriend flew to England for the holidays and we spent a week traveling through England, stopping at castles and cathedrals and even Old Trafford for a Manchester United game.  We left Manchester on the 31st and journeyed by train across the Pennines and up to Edinburgh for the world-famous Hogmanay celebration.  When we arrived in the mid-afternoon, the sun was rapidly setting and the extreme cold challenged our tourist instincts; if it weren't for the chatty and friendly cab driver who took us from the station to our hotel on the outskirts of town, we would have seen nothing of the historic city.  Duped by the darkness, we foolishly left the hotel around 8 PM to travel to Princes Street, where the New Year's Eve street festival occurs every year.  Four hours of loitering in the sub-zero temperatures was made bearable thanks to the presence of a Starbuck's and McDonald's, the only two establishments open during the festive occasion, and we made brief excursions into the street to see the bands performing at the various stages set up in front of Edinburgh Castle.  As midnight neared, the crowds thickened and finally, just prior to the start of the fireworks display, my boyfriend proposed in front of a crowd of sighing Japanese tourists.  (Naturally I said "yes.")  Dancing through the streets with the Scots and sharing a romantic evening with my new fiancé certainly made this a memorable New Year's Eve!

New Year's Eve in Edinburgh, 2009: fireworks over the Scott Monument at Hogmanay

Another memorable international experience was the New Year's Eve that I spent in Warsaw.  An American friend of mine I had met while studying abroad in Romania was living with a Polish exchange student, and he invited us to come to a party with him and a few other international students for New Year's in Warsaw.  We arrived at the party -- held in a flat owned by one of Mateusz's classmates from Poland -- to find dozens of flags hanging from every surface: Columbian, Polish, Romanian, Welsh, each one representing the nationalities of the guests at the party.  Although we knew hardly nobody, the holiday atmosphere and international students ensured we had instant friendships; we rang in the New Year a few hours early for the Russian girls, then bundled up to go out into the freezing cold Polish night for the fireworks over the Warsaw Palace of Culture and Science, a testament to the Communist era.  Standing together that night, with new friends and old, from East and from West, the bright future illuminating the shadow of the Communist past, was one of the most memorable experiences I had from that backpacking trip through Eastern Europe.

New Year's Eve in Warsaw, 2007: fireworks over the Palace of Culture and Science

What made all of these celebrations great was the mixture of adventure and friendship that came together so easily while studying in a foreign place.  Although the time difference between "home" and "away" can sometimes be tricky to navigate, there is something infinitely exciting in knowing that you are experiencing the new year several hours before anyone at home has had a chance.  What have been your favorite New Year's Eve experiences as students abroad?  Are there any international celebrations you particularly want to join?  Or have more general questions or comments about what I've posted?  Please leave a comment and let me know!

Top Christmas Gifts for Travelers

Got a student abroad who you need to buy for this holiday season?  Most travelers will tell you that much as gifts from home are appreciated, it is never too early to consider the luggage weight and size limits imposed by airlines for the return journey!  (In other words, although you'd love to give your friend studying in Switzerland a pair of skis for Christmas, perhaps you should think of a slightly smaller gift...)

Below is a list of gifts that every student contemplating (or already embarked upon) an overseas adventure would appreciate, both for their necessity and their portability.  With Christmas only a week away, these gifts are also excellent choices for their speedy delivery options.

1.  Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2011:  My favorite of all the guidebook series out there for their informal and friendly writing style, Lonely Planet's annual "Best in Travel" will be a great resource for students planning an upcoming adventure.  Touching on destinations worldwide, this book offers tips for unmissable sights and activities in 2011.  It lists the best regions, countries, and cities to explore, including such off-the-beaten-path places as Albania as well as more well-traveled countries like Italy.  The list-based format makes finding a potential day trip easy, while the calendar of events (specific to 2011) can help students organize their travels.  Finally, although this reference guide will endure with only minor updates, its time-sensitive material ensures that at the end of the year it can be safely left behind if there is no more room in the suitcase.

Eurail Tickets: From $49

 2.  Eurail tickets:  Perhaps a European traveler's most coveted item, the Eurail pass offers students the opportunity to travel for a select number of days by train without spending a fortune on rail tickets.  The website offers a daunting array of possibilities, from single-country passes to see more of one country to a global pass that allows travel through 21 countries for up to three months.  Students who will be under 25 on the first day of travel qualify for the reduced "youth" rates for the pass, saving gift-givers extra money.  With this pass in hand, all your student abroad will need to do is register the pass prior to travel and make any necessary reservations before enjoying one of the most reliable and pleasant journeys around Europe.

3.  Brookstone's 7-piece converter kit: Electronics can easily be a student's worst nightmare when traveling.  The pop, hiss, and slightly burnt smell can indicate the end of some portable speakers, or your hundred-dollar Chi straightener.  Knowing which plug is needed for which country can be daunting, as well -- students spending the year in Britain who want to take the two-hour train ride to France rarely think that they will need to bring an entirely different plug adapter with them.  In this 7-piece converter kit for appliances, Brookstone provides not only the power converter (the crucial piece that will prevent your expensive appliances from the power surge of non-American sockets) but plugs for a variety of outlets, conveniently color-coded with the continents and countries they are designed for.  This kit will be greatly appreciated for taking the guesswork out of the necessary electronic conversions, and will leave your student more time to figure out other conversions -- like kilometers to miles, for example!

Lonely Planet Digital Chapters: Only $4.95!

4.  Lonely Planet Digital Chapters:   Although I already mentioned Lonely Planet once in this list, their digital chapters make an excellent gift for the weighted-down student on the go.  Instead of offering an entire guidebook, which typically numbers almost 1,000 pages and can be one of the heaviest single items a student brings overseas, make a gift of several digital chapters.  Have a student planning a journey through London, Paris, and Rome?  Send them those chapters from the "Europe on a Shoestring" book for Christmas!  Not only will they appreciate the portability of a PDF guidebook, they will be treated to the best money-saving tips and must-see spots in their chosen cities.  And at only $4.95 per chapter, this makes the cheapest gift on the list!

5.  A good backpacker's pack: No student traveler is complete without a heavy-duty backpack like the one shown here.  Lightweight and convenient, they easily carry several weeks' worth of clothes and supplies for those long holidays spent traveling around the country or region.  The weight of your possessions is distributed evenly across your shoulders and extra support comes from a strap across your stomach, which makes carrying such a bag much easier than hauling a suitcase or duffel bag up and down the many flights of stairs in train stations, hostels, and so on.  Many of these packs have special compartments and straps to attach a sleeping bag, which can come in handy when stranded in a questionable hostel.  Search your local outdoors store for a pack that feels comfortable -- it will make your student abroad's adventure much easier!

Gap Year Humor

Although this video went viral quite a while back, it nevertheless bears reposting here, along with UK newspaper The Telegraph's comments about how to make the most of your gap year.  (For Americans unfamiliar with the term, a "gap year" is a year typically between high school and university which allows a young person to explore the world uninhibited, doing volunteer work or just exploring independently.)  Enjoy the laugh and remember, try to avoid being "this guy" on your trip abroad!

"It's very spiritual and political and cultural, but it's also kind of brutal and demeaning..."

Homesick for the Holidays

This time of year can be one of the most difficult times for American students abroad.  The weeks between Thanksgiving -- a holiday celebrated only in America and centered around foods that are often impossible to find overseas (try asking a British baker for pumpkin pie, or finding a turkey in Eastern Europe!) -- and Christmas can make students acutely aware of their distance from friends and family.  Nostalgia frequently hits as the traditions of their childhood clash with the expectations of winter holidays in their present locale, and the long, dark, cold nights certainly do not inspire a cheerful heart.

The impact of the holidays on homesickness was never more apparent to me than during my stay in Romania.  Aware that this would be a difficult time of year for me, I attempted to distract myself with a two-week-long train trip through Eastern Europe.  The excitement of seeing new and fabulous places -- including the Prague Christmas market, the museums of Berlin, and the cathedral of Krakow -- certainly dulled the ache of distance, but when I discovered on Christmas Day that most places are closed and I had to have my Christmas dinner in the only open restaurant in town -- a McDonald's -- I felt completely alone.

So then how can American students abroad help overcome the homesickness of the winter months?  Below are a few good tips:

1.  Stay busy!  Our feelings of homesickness often increase when we have little else to occupy our thoughts.  Taking a side trip, volunteering in the community, starting a new hobby -- any of these things can provide the distraction and excitement to fight homesickness, and will help the holidays pass more quickly.

2.  Find other Americans.  Although I never recommend staying in an American clique while abroad, the pain of spending the holidays alone can be reduced by spending time with people who are sharing your experiences.  Perhaps you will make your own Thanksgiving feast using whatever local substitutes are available -- while native friends might not understand the importance of these replacement dishes, your American companions will appreciate the attempt at moulding a turkey from tofu, or mashing yams instead of sweet potatoes.

3.  Learn local holiday traditions.  One of the greatest perks to studying abroad is the opportunity to mingle in a foreign culture.  Taking advantage of your local friends' novel ways of doing things will add some excitement to the holidays and help reduce homesickness.  Maybe the recipe for mulled wine you discovered in Germany will be delicious enough to bring back to the US for your own holiday celebrations next year.

4.  Share your traditions with others.  While you do not want to come across as imposing, keeping your traditions is often a good way to initiate discussion and share part of your culture.  If you always bake Christmas cookies, share them with your non-Christian friends in the Middle East as a tasty treat, and save the preaching for later.

5.  Chat with those at home.  Like #2 above, this piece of advice must be used in moderation.  While spending an hour on Skype with your relatives around the dinner table might allow you to feel part of the activities, spending the whole day chained to your laptop will not only make you feel worse about the distance but will also prevent you from exploring the more exciting holiday options discussed here.

Hopefully this advice will help you come through the New Year in good spirits!  Please share your experiences in the comments section, and if you disagree or have any other good tips let us know!

Merry Christmas!  הנוכה שמח!  ¡Feliz Navidad!  عيد مبارك!

Welcome! Bienvenue! Dobro pozhalovat!

For five years, wanderlust has lead me from the halls of my Midwestern state university across the globe, allowing me to see the great sites of antiquity and some modern miracles in Europe, the Middle East, Australia, and beyond. I met fascinating people, ate fabulous dishes, modeled new fashions, and entirely changed my perspective. My international education brought me to new levels of language learning and knowledge of world affairs, which I applied in my Master’s program at the University of Cambridge.

Although this nomadic lifestyle seemed normal to me, I recall being questioned by friends and relatives at home about why I chose to go abroad. When the destination was a popular choice — London, Paris, Rome — few would raise any objections; when I was venturing further afield — Romania, or Israel — it seemed like everyone had criticisms. Although I occasionally heard friends say how foolish I was for visiting these places, I was more taken aback by the comments about my bravery — choosing to leave behind what was comfortable in favor of the unknown. I have never felt particularly brave, but because the questions kept coming, it seemed that the decision to study abroad is one that requires more information and insight than most university students are provided with.

This blog is meant to be a starting point for anyone considering an overseas addition to their college education. Unlike most authors of travel books, my university days are barely behind me — I know that while museums and tourist attractions are important for student travelers, so are nightlife and student activities; I recognize that many students who are excited by international travel are also put off by the high costs it can incur; and I understand that sometimes it is difficult to explain to those close to you — family, friends, significant others — why on earth you would choose to spend a year on the opposite side of the planet.

I hope you enjoy. Please feel free to contact me for any questions, comments, or suggestions for future posts. Ultimately, this is a forum for you, the aspiring student abroad, to hear from someone a little older (and, hopefully, wiser) about the life-changing decision to travel internationally. Perhaps with some perspective studying abroad will seem like a less daunting.