study abroad | Voices

A Man in Amman

Posted on May 17, 2018 by Ethen Lund

By Ethen Lund '19 [Ethen studied abroad in Amman, Jordan on the SIT Jordan: Refugees, Health, and Humanitarian Action Program] In Arabic, the name of this city is one character different than the word for safe. This coincidence holds credence in that the people of Amman are overwhelmingly benevolent. Crime is an afterthought, as the government and population take great pr...

Oceanía Es un Continente?

Posted on May 10, 2018 by Sarah Binau

By Sarah Binau '19 I was in my Spanish class at the public university (La Universidad de Chile) in Santiago, the sprawling, smoggy city at the foot of the Andes in the noodle-like country of Chile. Our professor, Claudia, paused during the lesson and remarked that our class had representatives from every continent. My classmates were a global mix: Brazilian, Japanese, Portug...

You Do Not Know What You Do Not Know

Posted on April 27, 2018April 27, 2018 by cyhg2015

By Cheryl Yau '19 A key aspect of a liberal arts education that I really relish is the serendipitous exposure to ideas and people I would have not actively sought out on my own. In my very first semester at college, I registered for a class that I thought was titled “Violence, Media and Transnational Justice.” I later found out during the first class that I had misread the c...

From the Acropolis to the Athens Lawn Tennis Club: Being a Student Athlete Abroad

Posted on February 22, 2018 by Arianna Chen

By Arianna Chen '19 Tennis has always been a constant in my life and it shows. I'm pretty sure some people have only seen me in athletic wear and think that my tennis rackets are permanently glued to my hands like Thor and his hammer. Being a student-athlete has inevitably been central to my identity. My desire to study abroad has also been a constant in my life-the abili...

Where Rory Taylor Interviews Jack Buyske and Learns about Claremont Pizza Culture

Posted on September 7, 2017September 7, 2017 by Rory Taylor

by Rory Taylor '18 This week I sat down with Jack Buyske, a rising senior at Pomona, to talk about all manner of topics. A Public Policy Analysis major, Jack is on track to head off to medical school after he graduates. Our conversation ranged from the fierceness of the Sagehen mascot to his experience in the college process. Jack, first welcome, but just really quickly w...

Studying Abroad in Melbourne, Australia: The Finale

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Kyra Sanborn

I sit here on my couch in my new Sontag suite, back on Pomona's campus, stumped as I try to organize my thoughts into a sort of summary of my experiences abroad in Melbourne. Should I mention the differences between our cultures? The prevalence of amazing Chinese and Thai restaurants? The various hilarious, crazy, and fascinating interactions with people from all over the world...

Why I Actually Studied Abroad

Posted on January 28, 2016February 24, 2016 by Anthony Bald

Hi everyone! Maybe it’s the winter weather, or my fear of losing track of my thoughts, but I finally managed to huddle inside and finish writing this post. Here it is: the “Why I Studied Abroad” post that you’ve been waiting for. Kind of. Back in August, before I left Vermont for Paris, I jotted down a few questions in my very first post. Questions like: What will I learn ab...

Saving Money While Abroad

Posted on December 4, 2015 by Anthony Bald

Hi, everyone! Today, I’m writing from a cozy coffee shop in the 10th arrondissement. Yes, Paris is slowly coming around to the idea of coffee shops, though café terraces are still, and will always be, the norm. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about money’s role in study abroad, especially as I stare at the €5 drinks being offered at this particular coffee shop. As a complement ...

Studying Abroad in Melbourne, Australia: Being an Athlete Abroad

Posted on November 30, 2015November 21, 2015 by Kyra Sanborn

One of my main/only concerns with going abroad initially was my sport. Swimming has been such an integral aspect of my college experience, from the exercise worked into my daily schedule to the close bonds I developed with my team. I was nervous about leaving the comfort, support, and structure of my friend group and of the daily routine swimming provided me. I wondered, would ...

To Those Who Wander

Posted on November 20, 2015November 18, 2015 by Anthony Bald

Flâner (v.): To stroll, wander, or roam without an end goal in mind. How appropriate it seems that this verb should be one of the first I encounter upon arriving in Paris. Appropriate? No no, that feels too… formal. Serendipitous, there we go. How serendipitous… that one of the first verbs I learned during orientation would come to define countless afternoons, would reveal t...