melissa grace kreider

       I think it is obvious now that travel and exploration are things I hold as a priority. Florence was an adventure that taught me a lot about myself and humans in general! To commemorate this love of travel that I've had since I was small along with my rabid wanderlust, I have graced myself with the following...

planes...

trains...

The numbers (in blue) on the plane and the train (on the cab of the train, your left, not really viewable by the above), are the zip codes of my first apartment and my school while I was in Florence. Indirect, but memorable of my very big first adventure. I drew them while I was in Florence and designed them to look like blueprints; I'm extremely pleased with how they turned out!

Ciao for now,

Melmobile ;]

Succeeding in missing my Trans-Atlantic flight sans sleep, watching half of The Avengers on my rerouted flight, getting violated by Customs and stepping back into Cleveland  to a monsoon, I have made it home and settled back in after a week.

My Jet Lag lasted for four long days. Truly, it gave me a reason to randomly sleep: one of my favorite activities to pass the time spent here in Akron! 

...so my European Adventure comes to an end. I am safe and sound, drenched in familiarity again.

To see a small and often updated album of my Grand European Adventure, click here.

I have torn down my room:

Before.

In progress......I began to build it back up with treasures of Florence, Paris, London, Hamburg, Arnhem, and Meerhout married with all of the other things that trigger memories of the last seven months of my life. 

Now.For now, I have nothing else to say. If ever I have a moment of reflection or feel the driving need to speak up, this will be my platform! Any questions, comments, etc, feel free to email me at mgk11@zips.uakron.edu. I'm always a fan of getting coffee and talking about my wonderful experiences abroad. 

Thank you for reading,

-m.

This morning we got up to watch the sunrise one last time before we jet off. Got some beautiful photos, but one of my roommates captured why I shouldn't be in public. 

thought process: look at this beautiful view! lemme jump down and get a better photo from the precipice of the bridge-

oh. oh, melissa fell. surprised?

Hazard to myself.

then this happened.

..i wanted my camera back. embarrassing. 

…serious business…

...walk...

to this.

…finally we get home and i call it a day by taking yet another photo outside of our window. i have once again been successfully contained inside of the apartment, have no fear.

ciao for now!

-m.

My roommate, Christina, took this of myself and my other two roommates walking down our street at dusk.

I am really going to miss this.

-m.

...how do I feel about studying abroad? I have lived in Florence for 6 months, 26 weeks, or 182 days  (but who is counting?). I am not the same person I was before, and I have changed. Better work ethic, different study habits, able to conquer public transport in one fatal swoop...but that's a completely separate blog topic.

If you, reader (is there anyone out there?), are thinking about studying abroad, I urge you to do it. There is never a more ideal time than now to up and leave everything familiar and relocate to a new country to further your studies. No matter your major, your career will benefit, and your character will do a complete One-Eighty. I sound like a broken record, but I don't care. Go to the Office of International Programs at UA or otherwise. Get a pamphlet, make an appointment. Get your passport. The world is your oyster or whatever. Just do it, already!

Oh, and money? With all respect, reader, do not give me your excuses of money. Scholarships and loans are completely worth the trouble; I know how expensive studying abroad can get. Need I drop the term 'invaluable experience' again? 

So if you do end up studying abroad, my advice to you is this...

• Do everything. Walk down every street, go on trips, don't stay in the city center, eat weird food, speak the language, and make friends with shopkeepers. Take buses. Volunteer. Don't sleep and see your new surroundings in the wee hours of the morning. Get up early and go to the market. Make it into a real, constant adventure.
• Make connections with your professors. Get their emails, ask them about their lives, show them your portfolio. You will now have networking in another country that could further benefit you in the long run. Network and make friends. You never know who knows who.
• Be humble. Do not assume that everyone speaks English, and if they don't, try anyway. Communicating through gestures can be embarrassing and hilarious for all parties involved. Get your eyes, ears, and mind open for cultural differences and accept them with grace.
• Career-wise...take every oppourtunity handed to you. Even if something isn't completely aligned with your career/chosen path, do it anyway. Any experience is good experience, and it will get your name in people's heads.
• Have fun! This talk of professors and careers is all quite serious. All in all, let yourself go and be spontaneous. Stay safe, but be dangerous. Don't play by the rules. Do what you want, because in the end, you'll regret that you didn't. Often when you allow yourself to have fun, that's when you learn the most.

As usual, there's more I could say, but above are my top five! I'm always available for more information if needed.

Ciao for now,

-m.