GEO Blog

My name is Calvin, and I have now been in Melbourne, Australia, for almost two months! It has flown by, packed with adventures, new faces, and more self-reflection than I expected. Last weekend I spent time on the Gold Coast surfing and hiking with friends I've made here. Image…

Image Seeing the bigger picture. For each person, this could mean something different. Whether it be experiencing a different culture or becoming aware of new opportunities, studying abroad opens your eyes.  For me, it meant…

Hello! My name is Valeria Manzano Ballesteros, and I am a first gen Latina/Hispanic student at the University of Oregon. This is my last year at UO, and I am ready and excited to see what the future holds for me! I'm looking forward to highlighting my experience abroad through my identities as a…

Image My boss and I When most people think of computer science majors, they picture us hunched over laptops in dimly lit rooms, but here I am in sunny Melbourne, Australia! My name is Calvin, and I chose to do an internship through the GEO…

Hello blog!  Where do I begin! I believe my last post was a bit fire and brimstone, because I was not really feeling great here on my internship experience, honestly. There were many expected challenges interning abroad alone, such as cultural and language barriers, but it was…

The first semester of my year in Svalbard has finished, and I simply cannot believe how fast it has gone by. It feels like I blinked and suddenly the sun set and polar night started, the sky lighting up with the moon and northern lights rather than the sun. But time truly doesn't go by any faster…

Image Hi everyone! This is Ava, updating you with my final blog post. Coming back to the US has been a mix of excitement and heaviness. I was so ready to see my family and friends again, but it honestly hurt to leave behind the people who became…

So, frankly, my perspective has changed quite a bit since my last blog post. My time in Japan previously both traveling and as a student did not prepare me for the Japanese workplace in the way I thought it would. This was to be expected, but here I am. There's been a lot of challenges for me in…

Image I am just over my three month mark living in Norway in Svalbard! I cannot believe how fast the time has gone, and I am so excited to continue during the polar night! The sun set for the last time until February on October 25th, and now we…

From advising at my desk to a personal experience: How an advisor visit to a GEO Center Transformed my study abroad advisingAs a first-generation college student, I did not have the opportunity to study abroad. Now as an advisor at the Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence (CMAE). I have…