The chance to pick up, move to another country, and return a few months later without any consequences does not present itself often. Through study abroad comes the opportunity to experience many new cultures and see the world while continuing your education.
As we know through our enhanced social media feeds this semester, many members from Q30 have embarked on this journey this semester. I checked in with some of them to learn about their most recent travels, favorite moments thus far, and how their semester has been overall! Needless to say, from awesome pictures taken beneath the Eiffel Tower or on a gondola in Venice to the ultimate foodie snaps of paella and gelato, ten Q30 members are living their best lives across Europe!
Tamara Lee, Josh Lurie, Lauren Kim, Alexandra Bergman, Barret Rus, Nick Zahneis, Juhi Rajgopal, Nikhil Modi, Jacob Wurman, and Rachel Rosenthal are spread across Rome, London, Vienna, Madrid, Barcelona, and Manchester. They have trekked across Europe, hitting new cities each weekend and even crossing paths a few times. Tamara recalled a weekend in Lisbon, Portugal:
“I was on top of the Castelo de Sao Jorge a few weekends ago. This random girl came up to me and here is how the dialogue went:
– Random girl: “Hey can you take a Boomerang of me and my friends?”
– Me: “Yeah, sure of course.” Looking down at her phone in my hands.
– Random girl: “Wait… Tamara?!?!”
– Me: “Wait…. Juhi?!?!?”
– And that is how I ran into my fellow Q30 peer. Here is a picture to prove it.”
Being abroad, the students have gotten to take really cool classes, both in the scope of their majors and beyond. Barret is taking a “bunch of out of the box classes like tourism, food/water crises, and open innovation.” Alex is learning Spanish as well as taking classes about international economics and art.
With hopping to a new city every weekend, our QUEST students have definitely found their favorites! Jake absolutely loved Venice and said, “There’s really no place like it. The entire island is alleyways filled with all sorts of small shops, and then you also have the canals to get around. [He] went during Carnival and got to see some festivities that go along with that. It’s a unique and beautiful place.” Barret’s favorite place is Bratislava in Slovakia. He told me that “some friends and [him] walked there from Vienna, and it turned out to be super under the radar city with great sights and food.” Alex loved visiting Girona, a city about two hours north of Barcelona. Fun fact – part of Game of Thrones was filmed there!!
While everyone has had a different favorite city, the general consensus after chatting with lots of Q30 is that the food anywhere and everywhere abroad is amazing. Lauren, who is studying in London visited Nikhil and Barret, both of whom are studying in Vienna, and recalls eating Viennese schnitzel all together — perhaps the largest meal of her life. Alex’s favorite part about being abroad is the “tapas, paella, and sangria.”
Being abroad has been an awesome adventure for everyone so far! They’ve become experts on booking the best Airbnbs and last minute trips to places like Eidenberg. They’ve grown to be more curious and willing to try new things while embarking on spontaneous adventures like running across London to a famous flower shop. They’ve even found a place for their QUEST minds time and time again whether it be discussing six sigma in an international business course or problem solving traveling unfamiliar cities when their phone service cuts out.
While Q30 members abroad are planning their upcoming weekend trips, they are wishing Q29 good luck as they push through 490H! Jake says, “Good luck on your projects! I wish I could be there to watch your presentations. Instead I’ll be hiking in Cinque Terre” and for spring break, Alex says, “Hang in there my dudes, you got this. I’ll have some sangria waiting for the Q29ers joining me in Barcelona for spring break!”