Students blog about their summer abroad experiences

Throughout the summer, ASU students studying abroad are writing back to the states about their overseas adventures. Fostering international student experiences is just one part of ASU's commitment to making a global impact.

Tabarik Ahmad, global health junior

Taking a tour of Fiji
Tabarik's tour of Fijian facilities has opened her eyes and perspective to a world outside of the U.S.

Final reflections before Fiji
Tabarik reflects on her time, her experiences, her growth and the people of New Zealand.

Experiencing firsts 7,000 miles from home
So far on her study abroad trip to New Zealand, Tabarik has experienced her first kayaking trip and ferry ride, among many other adventures.

Taking in New Zealand, one day at a time
Tabarik spends the first part of her study abroad trip in New Zealand visiting historical sites and learning about the local culture.

Brett Fitzgerald, finance and accounting sophomore

Depicting the deeper meanings of currency
Brett reflects on the differences in design between American and Costa Rican currency, and what their depictions might mean in terms of mindsets and values for each government.

My Tican family: Not easy to forget
Brett's host family welcomed him into their home with open arms and loads of patience, which helped him ease into the Costa Rican lifestyle.

Danica Harvey, international letters and cultures junior

Trekking through a slice of the Great Wall
With just a week of classes left, Danica's summer abroad in China is beginning to wind down. But a trip to China would not be complete without a visit to the Great Wall.

The sights – and sites – of Beijing
Danica ventures out of Beijing for a few days to explore the city of Xi’an, one of China’s former capital cities.

Language learning: a very personal process
After an incident at a subway station in Beijing, Danica reflects on her Chinese language-learning skills and realizes just how far she's come along.

Beijing, broken down and explored
Danica has spent the past week exploring all the different parts of Beijing to truly understand what the city has to offer.

Meet the (host) parents
Danica is getting settled into her host family's house and customs in Beijing, China, where she will be studying the Chinese language and culture this summer.

Kinzi Hotchkiss, global health sophomore

Adventures await in Costa Rica
Kinzi is making the most out of her study abroad trip in Costa Rica. When she's not studying, she is ziplining, white-water rafting and witnessing a rare volcanic occurrence.

A vast change in scenery
Kinzi's summer abroad in Costa Rica has opened her eyes to an entirely different environment and culture.

Kitt Keller, creative writing senior

The quest for the perfect kilt
With her study abroad trip coming to a close, Kitt spends her final days in Scotland touring historical monuments, sipping tea at one of J.K. Rowling's favorite cafes and shopping for the perfect kilt.

Gaining ground, perspective in Edinburgh
With just a week left in her European summer study abroad trip, Kitt finds herself in Edinburgh, Scotland, taking in every moment of the last leg of her journey abroad.

Leaving London for greener pastures
Kitt spent her last days in London antiquing and crossing the famous Abbey Road. Now in Dublin, Keller is taking in some of Ireland's rich history and beauty.

Elephants and butterflies in the center of London
Kitt spends her final days in London exploring the elephants and butterflies that exist in the vast metropolis.

Sights, scenes and the queen herself
Kitt spends her first few days in London adjusting to the scenery, visiting historical monuments and watching Her Majesty the Queen open Parliament.

Jason Loose, Chinese and sustainability senior

Teaching and being taught in Beijing
Jason is not only learning about rural education in China at Minzu University in Beijing, but on the flip side he is also teaching Chinese elementary school students.

Marie Manning, global health senior

40 hours in Dublin
During a short break in the session, Marie hops on a flight and heads to Dublin for a quick adventure.

England's past navigated on foot
Marie's walking tour of England's historical monuments have left her exhausted and her feet sore, but it has all been worth the experience.

Walking through parts of England's medical history
Marie spends her first few days in London seeing all the requisite tourist sites before heading out to a smaller town that has an interesting medical history.

Final thoughts on Fiji
As Marie gets ready to depart Fiji, she leaves us with a few tips for future study abroad participants.

A fun-filled day in Fiji
Marie's first full day in Fiji was spent touring a local hospital, visiting a farm and shopping at the vegetable mart for fresh, local produce.

A few nights on the farm
Marie spends a few nights on a sheep and beef farm in New Zealand, and says it's been the best part of the trip so far.

A night climb up Mt. Victoria
Marie and her classmates take a night hike up Mt. Victoria to see what the city of Wellington looks like after dark.

Oceanic encounters in New Zealand
Marie heads to the sea in search of dolphins and other marine wildlife.

Finding inspiration in and out of the classroom
Three days into her study abroad trip to the South Pacific, and Marie is already learning about New Zealand's culture, ecology and history in and out of the classroom.

Christopher Robinson, Chinese and sustainability senior

Saying goodbye to China
After spending the summer studying abroad in China, Christopher Robinson gets ready to head back to the States – but not without a few adventures first.

The beauty of World Heritage Sites
While on his study abroad trip to China this summer, Christopher visited not one but two UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Seeing pandas up close
During his study abroad trip in China, Christopher visits a Panda Research Base located on the outskirts of Chengdu.

The opera, the earthquake and Pizza Hut
Christopher has been busy filling up on the food, culture and history of China during his studies abroad this summer at Sichuan University.

Discovering little neighborhood treasures
Christopher is getting situated into university life at Sichuan University in China, where he's discovering all the nooks and crannies of the neighborhood.

Getting oriented in China
Christopher is spending the summer learning the Chinese language at Sichuan University. Here, he talks about his first days getting settled and acclimated to a new university setting.

Chevas Samuel, broadcast journalism senior

A fun way of capturing history
While studying abroad in London, Chevas and her classmates decide to take a group assignment and make a fun day out of it.