{"id":31467,"date":"2026-03-11T18:51:29","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T18:51:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/160-news\/?p=31467"},"modified":"2026-04-16T21:38:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T21:38:44","slug":"studying-in-another-country-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/studying-in-another-country-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Studying in another country"},"content":{"rendered":"

Study away gives Macalester students the chance to live and learn in entirely new cultural settings. This fall, students studied across Europe and Latin America, returning with reflections shaped as much by everyday routines as by big moments abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Santiago Cotera \u02bc27<\/strong> in Gij\u00f3n, Asturias, Spain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Two
Photo by Santiago-Cotera ’27<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For Santiago Cotera, studying away in northern Spain became a balance between exploration and settling into daily life. A program trip through the Basque region captured that feeling: visiting the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, sharing a meal in San Sebasti\u00e1n, spending time by the beach, and ending the night at a local music festival with friends he had just met weeks earlier. Living near the ocean for the first time reshaped his time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cWalks by the beach have been a near daily occurrence,\u201d he says, describing how the coastline brought calm and familiarity to an otherwise new environment. \u201cI\u2019ve learned that I\u2019m more capable than I thought, and that I value my independence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moyartu Manley \u02bc27 in Stockholm, Sweden<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Stockholm, Moyartu found growth not only through new experiences but through slowing down. Cooking Swedish meatballs with a professional chef, attending a sauna and ice plunge retreat, and experimenting with theater, sewing, and hiking all became part of daily life abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Swedish tradition of fika<\/em>\u2014a pause for coffee, sweets, and conversation\u2014shifted her relationship with time. \u201cBeing here has given me the opportunity to explore the city and myself,\u201d she says. \u201cBefore traveling abroad, I felt like I always had to be doing something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her advice for future students is simple: \u201cDon\u2019t rush things. When you arrive, it can feel like freshman year again\u2014but you\u2019ll find your people, your schedule, and your third spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vince Thousand \u02bc26 in Iceland<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For Vince Thousand, studying away meant saying yes to uncertainty. A trip to Gr\u00edmsey Island in the Arctic Circle\u2014hiking, meeting local animals, and watching the northern lights after a long ferry ride\u2014became one of many moments that defined the semester. Living with a homestay family in a small town also introduced him to a sense of closeness and community he hadn\u2019t experienced before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Icelandic phrase \u00deetta reddast<\/em>\u2014\u201cit will all work out\u201d\u2014became a guiding mindset throughout the semester. \u201cIt made problems feel smaller,\u201d Thousand says. \u201cThings really did work out the way they needed to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zayna Hopkins \u02bc27 in Cali, Colombia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Five
Zayna Hopkins ’27<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In Cali, Zayna Hopkins found belonging through community and routine. A hike through Los Farallones National Park introduced her to new friends and local traditions, while joining an ultimate frisbee team created an immediate sense of connection. Building small daily rhythms\u2014practices, shared meals, familiar places\u2014helped transform a new city into home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSmall is all\u2014create rhythms that make your new place feel like home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mihailo Vu\u010deti\u0107 \u02bc27 at Queen\u2019s University Belfast, Northern Ireland<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Student
Mihailo Vu\u010deti\u0107 \u02bc27<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mihailo Vu\u010deti\u0107\u2019s time in Belfast began with an unexpected airport introduction that quickly turned into friendship, exploration, and academic discovery. From learning traditional C\u00e9il\u00ed dance to engaging in conversations about history, identity, and political change, the city shifted from unfamiliar to deeply personal. Coursework and community experiences blended together, connecting classroom ideas to lived realities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve learned that I grow the most when I actively seek discomfort,\u201d Mihailo reflects. He encouraged future students to lean into connection: \u201cTalk to people. Ask questions. Settling in becomes much easier when you remind yourself you\u2019re not alone.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Students are able to study away on almost every continent.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":875,"featured_media":31469,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[657],"class_list":["post-31467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","tag-study-away","mediatype-articles","mediatype-photogalleries"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"fields":{"main_feature_story":"","custom_image":false,"custom_link_url":"","custom_feature_title":"","custom_feature_caption":"","custom_markup":"","custom_markup_link":"","custom_markup_title":"","custom_markup_caption":"","byline":"Sia Bomhore '29","article_type":[8,5],"post_thumbnail_style":"default","flickr_photoset_id":"","youtube_id":"","square_thumbnail":false,"press_downloads":false,"press_photos":false,"story_title":"","story_caption":"","rotations":false,"maps":false,"marker_title":"","marker_text":"","geographic_location":false,"feature_embed":"","news_icon_name":"","image_options":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/875"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31467"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31467\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32077,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31467\/revisions\/32077"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}