One of the most interesting excursions we’ve taken for my program in Economic Development in the Russian Far East, offered at VGUES in partnership with SRAS, was to the Three Borders Zone (“Три границы” in Russian) so named because this is where the borders between Russia, China, and North Korea come together. Because the course […]

Traveling abroad to an unfamiliar region can be scary. When logistical problems outside of your control happen it is easy for fear and panic to set in. Here is a breakdown of my first week in Vladivostok: both the positives and the negatives. Hopefully, my experience will give any future travelers to Vladivostok an idea […]

As promised, here comes the second installment of my University Life series. This time I am going to focus on what life is like in the dorms. Home sweet home. The dormitories are connected to the main university buildings by way of an escalator. This is quite nice in the winter when you don’t have to […]

At VSUES, my classes and coursework differ from my experience at my American university. Classes The first major difference is the length of a class sessions. Every class in Russia lasts 1:30. In the US, my classes were either 50 minutes or 1:15. It takes a little more focus to get through the longer classes, […]

It’s a little bit surprising to look at the calendar and think that half of my first semester in Vladivostok is already gone. Seven weeks seem to have effortlessly drifted by in strict contention with my own efforts at learning the Russian language. I can say that my knowledge of Russian when I arrived in […]

Did you ever stop to think about the fact that, technically, Harry Potter was also studying abroad? Here are 16 ways that Harry’s adventures are likely to be just like yours.   1. When you first decide you’re going abroad, you’re in a state of shock- you can hardly believe it’s real! 2. Getting on […]

Everyone knows the signs of a post-study abroad collegiate: constantly comparing everything to your study abroad city, using every conversation as an excuse to talk about your lifechanging experience, compulsively scanning the web for cheap plane tickets hoping that someday you’ll have enough money to relive the glory days that were study abroad. If you […]

After settling in with a host family in Ukraine, I’ve looked back on my notes from my first couple of weeks abroad and come to a realization – in a lot of ways, Abroad-Olivia is a child, just a little bit bigger. I’ve compiled these notes to make a list of seven reasons why living […]