More and more of our students apply to ASA with hopes of having a chance to give back to their community in the form of service. To meet the demand, ASA has worked with our partner universities in several locations to develop courses and programs that include community service opportunities. So far, all of our students who have participated have given great feedback. They’ve not only given back to their community, but they’ve used their service hours to practice their new language with local residents, and have gotten to learn more about the local culture and economy in the process.
April 29, 2011 was a landmark of a day in London. For me personally, it was two days before I had to leave my new best friends, and all the amazing adventures I had experienced while studying abroad. For the rest of the world, it was the day of the Royal Wedding. Luckily, I was in London on that day, which turned out to be a whole new adventure and one of the most memorable days of my life.
Trevor Gilchrist is a student from the University of South Carolina who studied on ASA’s Spring 2011 Dublin program at Griffith College. During his time abroad, Trevor wanted to explore not only his new surroundings and how they would affect him, but also to understand what his influence on those surroundings would be. Trevor documented his experience with a video camera, interviewing friends and making personal observations about different topics that interested him, such as race relations, alcohol, and the impact world travel can have on an individual’s perspective. Watch Part One and Two of this documentary as Trevor discusses his first impressions of Dublin, his travels around Europe and his personal growth as the semester unfolded.
As part of the ASA London program, you get to go on a few day trips, and then two weekend trips of your choice built in to the cost of the program. One of the weekend trips I went on was a visit to Paris. This was awesome, because most of my friends not from ASA had to pay for the trip, so it made me realize how really awesome it was to get to go cost free!
We went to Paris in late April. After getting to King’s Cross station, we took the Chunnell to Paris. It was a surprisingly quick trip! As soon as we checked in to our hostel, my friends and I set off. After navigating the Tube, the Metro was pretty easy to figure out. We took the Metro straight to the Lourve , where we were admitted for free when we flashed our Regent’s student ID’s. After checking out the “Mona Lisa”, obviously, and some other timelessly famous art, we walked through the Jardin de Tuileries, down the Champs Elysees, and to the Arc de Triomphe. That alone is a lot of sights to take in during one afternoon! If studying abroad has taught me anything, it is how to fit a lot in to a short amount of time. We stopped and ate French macaroons and éclairs, while also buying some baguettes and wine.
Dear ASA Students,
April 29, 2011 was a landmark of a day in London. For me personally, it was two days before I had to leave my new best friends, and all the amazing adventures I had experienced while studying abroad. For the rest of the world, it was the day of the Royal Wedding. Luckily, I was in London on that day, which turned out to be a whole new adventure and one of the most memorable days of my life.
As part of the ASA London program, you get to go on a few day trips, and then two weekend trips of your choice built in to the cost of the program. One of the weekend trips I went on was a visit to Paris. This was awesome, because most of my friends not from ASA had to pay for the trip, so it made me realize how really awesome it was to get to go cost free!