Maia Suwala – UF in Europe

Major: Marketing

I studied abroad because… I love to travel and thought that it would be a great opportunity to continue my education while being exposed to new cultures and foreign experiences.

One of my biggest challenges before studying abroad: The idea of being away from home and from my family for such a large amount of time was really scary. I had travelled abroad before, but I was always

either with my parents and/or staying with family or close friends. A typical meal I had while studying abroad:

In Paris, my friends and I would walk across the street to Carrefour and buy baguettes, butter, cheese, and meat and make our own sandwiches for lunch. They were cheap, easy to make, and we had a fridge to store everything in so that it didn't go bad.

My favorite spot in my host cities: The whole city of Limerick was such a delight to live in! It's small, quiet, and definitely has a small-town feel to it. I loved walking from school back to Pery's hotel every day and just enjoying the outdoors. In Paris, the Luxembourg Gardens were my go-to spot. They are only a 15-minute walk away from campus and have tons of fountains, walking trails, and lawn chairs to sit in and enjoy a sunny day! In Rome, the Piazza Navona had stunning architecture and there

was always some sort of street performance going on! One cool event I got to experience while abroad:

In Rome, we went to a Papal Audience and got to see and listen to the Pope and get his blessing. As a Catholic, I felt especially grateful for this opportunity, and it definitely brought me closer to my faith!

The strangest experience for me while abroad: On a day trip to Dublin, my friends and I could not find the correct bus that would take us back to Limerick. We asked the locals and looked at our tickets, but everyone was giving us different information! We were running in circles trying to find the right place, and when we finally did, it turns out that it was

the stop we were originally at but it was too late! We were eventually able to get on the last bus going back and while it was stressful at the time, we definitely look back on it and laugh at it now!

A hobby I picked up while abroad: In Europe, we regularly walked for 45 minutes to get somewhere in order to avoid paying for public transport or if it was just a nice day outside. Now, I

love to go on daily walks around campus or my neighborhood at home, and I opt to walk around campus instead of taking the bus. What I found most challenging while abroad:

It was hard to go from country to country at the end of the five weeks. Just when I was starting to feel at home in one place, I had to pack everything up and move to a new country, culture, and language. Moving from Limerick to Paris was especially hard - Limerick is a much smaller city with English as the

first language and a culture that is more similar to America's, while Paris is larger and more foreign in every way. What surprised me most about study abroad was…

just how much I miss it after coming home! Towards the end of my trip, it was starting to sink in just how long I had been in Europe, and I was counting down the days until I got to come home and see my family. Now that I'm back, I think about my study abroad semester, all the people I met, and all the

unique things I experienced every day, and I'd do anything to go back! My last bit of advice:

Don't feel like you have to go on a weekend trip to a different country every weekend in order for your experience to be worthwhile - there's so much to do in and around the city you're in! Save your time and money for a few countries or cities that you really want to visit and take advantage of local things

to do the rest of your time.