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Postings from resident directors and students currently abroad, important announcements and useful infomation for planning your study abroad experience.
March 2007 Entries
With April 1 on Saturday, I was curious about how April Fools’ Day started and how (or even if) other countries took part in this custom.
The origin of this custom has been much disputed and many theories abound. What seems certain is that it is in some way or other a relic of those once universal festivities held at the vernal equinox, which, beginning on old New Year's Day, the 25th of March, ended on the 2nd of April.
One theory is that Europe derived its April-fooling from the French. France was one of the first nations to make January 1 officially New Year's Day (which was already celebrated by many), by decree of Charles IX. This was in 1564, even before the adoption of the Gregorian calendar. Thus the New Year's gifts and visits of felicitation which had been the feature of the 1st of April became associated with the first day of January, and those who disliked or did not hear about the change were fair game for those wits who amused themselves by sending mock presents and paying calls of pretended ceremony on the 1st of April. French and Dutch references from 1508 and 1539 respectively describe April Fools' Day jokes and the custom of making them on the first of April.
Though the 1st of April appears to have been anciently observed in Great Britain as a general festival, it was apparently not until the beginning of the 18th century that the making of April-fools was a common custom. In Scotland the custom was known as "hunting the gowk," i.e. the cuckoo, and April-fools were "April-gowks," the cuckoo being there, as it is in many countries, a term of contempt.
In France the person fooled is known as poisson d'avril. This has been explained from the association of ideas arising from the fact that in April the sun quits the zodiacal sign of the fish. A far more natural explanation would seem to be that the April fish would be a young fish and therefore easily caught. The French traditionally celebrated this holiday by placing a dead fish on the back of friends. Today the fish is substituted by a paper cut out.
The Dutch celebrate the 1st of April for other reasons. In 1572, the Netherlands were ruled by Spain's King Philip II. Roaming the region were Dutch rebels who called themselves Geuzen, after the French "gueux", meaning beggars. On 1 April, 1572, the Geuzen seized the small coastal town of Den Briel. This event was also the start of the general civil rising against the Spanish in other cities in the Netherlands. The Duke of Alba, commander of the Spanish army could not prevent the uprising. Bril is the Dutch word for glasses, so on 1 April, 1572, "Alba lost his glasses". Dutch people find this joke so hilarious they still commemorate the first of April.
Other Prank Days Around the World
· The April 1 tradition in France includes poisson d'avril (literally "April's fish"), attempting to attach a paper fish to the victim's back without being noticed. This is also widespread in other nations, such as Italy (where the term "April's fish" is also used to refer to any jokes done during the day).
· In Rome, the holiday is known as Festival of Hilaria, celebrating the resurrection of the god Attis, is on March 25 and is also referred to as "Roman Laughing Day."
· In Spanish-speaking countries, similar pranks are practiced on December 28, the Day of the Holy Innocents. This custom also exists in certain areas of Belgium, including the province of Antwerp. The Flemish tradition is for children to lock out their parents or teachers, only letting them in if they promise to bring treats the same evening or the next day.
· In Iran, people play jokes on each other on April 3, the 13th day of the Persian calendar new year (Norouz). This day is called "Sizdah bedar" (Outdoor thirteen). It is believed that people should go out on this date in order to escape the bad luck of number 13.
· In some countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, the April 1 tradition requires jokes to be played before midday: if somebody pulls an April Fools' Trick after midday, then the person pulling the trick is actually considered the fool.
· The Huli Festival is celebrated on March 31 in India. People play jokes on one another and smear colors on one another celebrating the arrival of spring.
· In Denmark the 1st of May is known as "Maj-kat", meaning quite simply "May-cat", and is identical to April Fools' day, though Danes also celebrate April Fools' day ("aprilsnar").
· Some Jewish communities have a traditional event called a Purim spiel, which is similar in many ways to April Fools' Day. Fake newspaper articles are common.
· In Portugal, April Fools’ Day falls on the Sunday and Monday before lent. In this celebration, many people throw flour at their friends.
This entry was inspired by Holly, our Paris Director, who always takes the students on a bike tour of Paris at the beginning of their program (weather permitting of course).
More and more Americans have discovered what the rest of the world already knows—bicycles are great for the environment and your health! If you are a cyclist and want to keep up with your bike riding while abroad, here are some resources for you.
This site offers information, links, and reader feedback on bike rentals and traveling with your bikes on planes and trains (we do not recommend you take your bike with you—safer to rent/buy one in Europe).
Sells single and 18 speed bikes at reasonable prices and will even buy them back (sliding scale) within a 120 day period.
In addition to holidays, they also provide bike rentals for Granada.
London Excursion
This semester our students in Rome have excursions to London and Brussels. Here is Cortny and Brandon's report from their trip to London.
We got into London late on Thursday night and didn't do much, just went back to the Hotel and fell asleep, because we had to get up early the next morning. On Friday we got received an all-you-can-eat breakfast at the Hotel, which was much needed because on Friday we went to the business district to tour some financial institutions (European Bank of Reconstruction, Bloomburg, and ING) and then went out to Westminster to the American embassy, which I swear probably took longer to get into than the White House itself. After we finished up our tours at around 5:30 we went back to the Hotel and ate dinner there, (Fish and Chips, we were in England so I had to try them). After I went out to a local pub with some of the other students and Cortny stayed back at the hotel with some of the other girls. At the pub, it was the day before St. Patrick’s Day and it seemed like they had already started the festivities! It was a lot of fun. No need to say more, you have all been to a pub.
On Saturday, Cortny and I met up with my cousin Claire, and spent the entire day touring London, we started at Buckingham Palace to St. James Park, down to the Kings guards barracks (the name of the square slips my mind). Next we made it over to big market (also a St. Patrick's Day Irish Market) which was pretty neat and full of Life! After the Market we caught a bus down to the Tower Bridge area where we went up to the top and could see all of London, then we walked down along the river to get lunch at a Mediterranean chicken place, it was scrumptious. After lunch, we walked down by Shakespeare's Globe (reconstruction), down past the London Eye, and all the way to Parliament (location of Big Ben) and Westminster Abbey. From here we were all starting to wear down, so we hailed a cab and set off for Piccadilly Circus, which reminds me of Time’s Square. We went to the famous toy store, Hamleys, and then ate dinner at a burger place which came to something like 50 pounds (100 dollars), so I tried to forget about the horrible exchange rate. After dinner Cortny and I said goodbye to my Cousin Claire. After which it was St. Patrick's Day, and I love my heritage so of course we celebrated after dinner.
On Sunday we went to the British Museum and saw all of the Egyptian stuff, unfortunately that was all we had time for, because we had to catch a bus for the airport at 1:30 in the afternoon.
-Brandon
Hey all! Yeah I loved London! It is such as beautiful city. All the people are so different there and the architecture is so cool. You will see the really old buildings such as Big Ben and then you will see all the modern looking buildings all in the same area. Also, London reminded me a lot of home which is also why I liked it. I swear there was a Starbucks on every corner ~ I was in heaven! Also, they have the cream-filled Cadbury eggs (they come out around Easter-time in America) everywhere! Not only did they have them but they also had minis! At McDonalds they were advertising for a Cadbury cream egg McFlurry! I definitely tried it and it was really good! I really enjoyed spending the day with Brandon's cousin Claire on Saturday. She gave us a tour of all the important stuff in London and she did a good job of giving Brandon a hard time! It was a lot of fun! Anyway, I wish I could go back because we decided that just a couple days was not enough time to see and do everything plus I just can’t afford it. Maybe one day in the future when I'm making big bucks.
- Cortny
Paris Fashion Week
It is amazing the things that come your way. Things that you would never think you would have the opportunity to participate in; one of those for me is Paris Fashion Week! But somehow things work their way out and the already amazing experience you are having continues to get better. The week before Paris Fashion Week, I received an email from our resident director, Holly, asking if we would want to go to any of the fashion shows. She had tickets to two already and had an opportunity for us to help dress the models and such for another show. Of course I told her I wanted to go and the next day she dropped off tickets to Marithe Francois GIRBAUD and LEONARD shows. Needless to say I was totally stoked about this opportunity.
The first show was on Tuesday the 27th at the Carrousel du Louvre. My friends and I waited for what seemed like forever, fashion shows never start on time, and finally got into the show. The runway was set up much different that what I have seen other runways to look like (Project Runway), it was multi-level and had red chairs set up around it. The lights dimmed and the show began. The music was perfect because it was somewhat of a remix of The Nutcracker, very original and catchy! About half way through the "performance" a ballerina came out in a red dress and danced around stage for a while, it was beautiful. The whole line was amazing, but the ballerina added a special touch that I am sure no other designer has thought of before. Girbaud used many "fall" colors in their line, it is a husband and wife team. At the end of the show the ballerina walked out with the designers and he took pictures of the crowd. I loved it!!
Leonard was my next experience on Thursday, same place, different room. This runway was set up more of how I imagined runways to look like, but there was two catwalks instead of only one, it was not raised, and there was two rows facing both directions in the middle of the runway. Leonard was much more my style with flowing dresses and lots of bags. There was nothing "special" about this show, but I definitely liked it a lot more. He brought in more bright colors for fall. Tall boots and leggings are still in, and every girl needs to own a dress with pockets for this fall/winter. The music was very fun, upbeat, and "frenchy", it really made the show and went perfectly with what I think Leonard wanted to portray in his line.
Finally, my last Fashion Show experience started with going to dress the models for Elie Saab, but something went horribly wrong so I was graciously let into the show and sat in the third row. This show was by far my favorite. He used tons of colors and very flowy fun dresses. It was not your normal fall/winter attire, especially for the Midwest, but definitely workable if you wear it correctly. Again, dresses with pockets were huge!! Saab's line seemed a bit more put together than the other two and very detailed.
There were a few models that were extremely skinny, but most were "normal." At each show there was at least one model that was running late, so it was a really good thing that the shows do not start on time. After the Elie Saab show, we went across the street from the Louvre to eat lunch and one of the models sat next to me...she ate a whole sandwich and probably smoked three cigarettes! haha
Holly Warner, our director in Paris, received this lovely announcement the other day – an Abroadco alumna is getting married to a Frenchman she met while studying abroad—the first Abroadco wedding! They are getting married this April in Paris. I asked Holly for the story behind the romance.
Tawna studied abroad in Paris during Spring 2006. Holly got to know Tawna immediately as she stayed at her apartment for five hours while her room at the FEU was being prepared. Holly discovered she was a bit older than the traditional students (mid to late 20s) and had been a professional singer at a theme park and at Jazz bars in Orlando.
Tawna adjusted well to life in the residence hall (not always easy when you have been out of school for awhile). Holly encouraged all the students to attend the ERASMUS party, where the international students have a chance to meet French people their own age. That night, Tawna met Alex. Alex is a student at the ISIT, the school for translators and interpreters. After that, they were inseparable.
After her program ended, she came back to the States and then moved back to France in July. She went back to the Sorbonne to complete her French education and graduated from their program in January. Alex graduates from ISIT in May. They continue to live in Paris.
I'm sitting at Montmontre by Sacre Couer listening to an American singing with his guitar! This is by.jpg) far my favorite place. It is so relaxed and "chill".
It is officially tourist season so there are tons of people everywhere including here, but it is so much more enjoyable than walking around and fighting the crowds. I came here today after my singing lesson and walked up most likely the biggest hill ever!! Got to make the Basillica reach the heavens.
Anyway, nothing overly has happened lately besides friends coming to visit! Who would have known that you could do all the main sites in Paris in 3 days!? I would advise to have more days devoted to this though. And I am sure my friends will agree!
Taylor, Ali, Sadie and I are the only ones from our Abroadco group that didn't go to Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day, but it seems like there are a lot of Scottish and Irish here along with plenty of pubs, so I think we will probably hit one of those up Saturday night.
Next weekend Taylor and I are headed to the Dijon valley to meet with friends of my family who own a hotel barge. We are totally stoked about this and should be an amazing winery experience :). The 29th we are headed to Brussels to visit the economic headquarters of the EU. The next weekend is Easter, and I am staying here to experience Easter Sunday at Notre Dame.
April 19th we leave for Amsterdam to see all that Amsterdam has to show! My mom and dad arrive April 25! Very excited to show the parentals my new home :) just kidding I'll come back!
Spring Break, Part II
The flight to Dublin was pretty good, and we saw the sunset from the sky, which is really nice. But we completely forgot about the relaxing flight when we came in for our landing in Dublin. It was extremely windy and raining, and for about the last 15 minutes of our flight it was like we were on a roller coaster, but 10 times as bumpy, the plane was all over the place! At one point it tilted to the left like in Top Gun when Tom Cruise is dodging missiles...just kidding, we didn't tilt that much, but we still did. Continuing on, when we landed we repeated that same left tilt, but  this time we were on the RUNWAY! (We came to find out later, via a pilot, that during windy landings, it is standard protocol to land at angle to avoid sliding horizontally off the runway).
We got to the City, the rain and wind didn't stop, at one point Cortny's umbrella turned inside out, just like in the movies! We had to walk to our Hostel in the weather and it didn't bother me too much, because I was too excited to be in my homeland that I wasn't thinking about it! Cortny however, minded just a little bit! We stayed at a place called Barnacles that a friend at school recommended, and it was right above Temple Bar, and right next to all of the nightlife, more or less.
After we dropped our stuff off, Cort and I went to this place called Eddie Rockets, which is a 60's style diner (not many of those down here in Italy, none actually...). The burgers were huge, and soooooooooo gooooooood. The next morning we woke up bright and early and headed for the best place in all of Ireland, the Guinness Storehouse! We toured it, and then each received a  complimentary pint of Guinness! (Actually I got two because Cortny didn't like it!) It is so cool, because you drink it straight from the source (which is 100 times better at the source) in what is called the Gravity Bar, Dublin’s highest bar. From here you can see all of Dublin, and at entrance you are given a pamphlet with a picture description of various locations in Dublin! The elevator ride to the Gravity bar was hilarious, because we didn't know we were going there yet and the elevator is made of glass and open so you can see the outside, so Cortny freaked out and said, Oh my gosh, where are we going...She thought we were going to shoot out of the roof like in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory!
After we ate lunch and such, we went looking for Trinity College Old Library and the Book of Kells and I followed signs right near the college that said, Library and Archives, come to find out it was the actual public Library, by this time it had started raining and Cortny had long returned to the Hostel for shelter (the smart thing to do). I however continued on with my sightseeing and it finally stopped raining by the time I made it back the college campus, only like 10 - 15 minutes. I then headed over to the spire, a tall pointy needle in Dublin, then to the department store, where they had extremely cheap clothes. I then went back, got Cortny and we went back out, got coffee, went to the book store, department store and such and then returned to the hostel. Here a couple of the French guys in our room invited us to go watch Futbol (Soccer) in the bar. Lucky us, Rome was playing the French team Lyon and won 2-0, so I was very excited about that. For the record, beer is still expensive in Ireland, even though it is brewed only 2 km or so away, what is up with that!
On Wednesday we decided to go out to a small town in Ireland on the coast, (just a short and  cheap train ride away) called Dalkey, to kind of get a feel for rural Ireland. It was so neat to see a typical small Irish town, and the ruins (from a distance) on Dalkey Island. In the summer we heard you can get fishermen to take you out to the Island, but of course we hit it in the early Spring, so we couldn't get out there. We then headed back and did some small sightseeing-- I finally made it to the Trinity College Library, and Book of Kells. After this we walked to Dublin Castle, and decided it looked fine from the outside and we didn't want to tour it (It is basically city hall with a stone tower and not a typical castle that you would think of). That night we went to two bars, The Mezz, which had a like band that played classic rock, and then Temple Bar, which had live Irish Folk Music. It was pretty awesome, but not on the wallet.
Thursday was our last day, and Cortny slept in while I went and checked out St. Patrick's Cathedral, and some of my heritage. In the process of checking in for our flight, a lady in front of us noticed some people taking pictures of somebody, and I thought she was talking about a couple weird guys, but then I turn around and the entire Irish Rugby Team is directly behind us checking in for their flight! That just made our trip!
Spring Break, Part I
Ciao all! We just got back from our first big trip to other countries! We just finished our month courses in Intensive Italian and Art of Rome and we had a week off before we had to start our new classes. We decided to visit Florence, Pisa, and Dublin.
Florence was our first stop and it was beautiful! I loved it there because it was so much more clean than Rome is, no trash on the streets, and it was not as big (as living in Rome as much as I love it here I have come to realize that I'm not a big city person). I would describe Florence as a much more tamed down version of Rome. We stayed in a little Bed and Breakfast for two nights and it was for the most part very nice. We invited our friend from school to come along, her name is Andrea.
The first day we went to see the one and only Michelangelo's famous "David." I thought that it was amazing, but Brandon thought it was not really worth paying $6 to see. I will admit that most of these museums have one or two pieces of art that you want to see and the rest you don't really care about. Brandon was saying that they should just put all the famous pieces that everyone wants to see in one museum and for one price (yeah I wish).
The next day we headed off to the Uffizi (the famous art museum in Florence). We had to wait in line for like almost two hours but it was worth it to get to see Primavera/Spring and The Birth of Venus. I guess they originally went together but they showed them separate at the museum. They were really beautiful to look at. After that Brandon went to visit Santa Maria Novela while I waited outside. I guess I am just too burned out on churches already. We then headed up the steep hill to Piazza Michelangelo and boy did the hike suck but it was totally worth it. The view from the top was amazing! I could have sat there all day. It was definitely something that I wish you all could see.
After that we headed back down the hill and back to Ponte Vecchio and it was so beautiful because the sun had just set and the sky was a pretty pink color and the lights lit up the water around the bridge. We then went to this little Greek place that was recommended in Let’s Go Italy and it was my first time trying Greek food. It was actually very good and I felt healthy eating it. I got a felafa which is a veggie patty with lettuce, tomatoes, some kind of Greek cheese, and a white Greek sauce. I really had no idea of what I was ordering because they did not speak English but it turned out to be good and a fun experience. It was nice to try something different for a change.
 The next morning we woke up early and took a train to Pisa. Pisa can definitely be seen in one day. We saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa which was really cool to see and we were surprised that is wasn't bigger. But it is definitely one of those monuments that you see and say "oh wow that's cool" and then that's that. Brandon went to see another church while Andrea and I waited for him near the Leaning Tower. Something kind of interesting I learned was that everything built in that same area as the Leaning Tower is sinking like 2 millimeters a year due to the soft soil it was built on. Also, they had just finished stabilizing the Tower.
We then went and got lunch at a pizza place that was pretty cheap. The pizza there was sooooo good. It reminded me of pizza from home because it was kind of greasy. Most of the pizza you get here is very thin crusted and not greasy at all which is actually probably a lot better for you but hey it's nice to have the greasy stuff every once in a while too.
Excursions
Well we were lucky enough to have perfect weather the Saturday of our excursion. Our first stop of the day was the only bodega (winery) in Granada called Señorío de Nevada. We walked around outside in the sunshine looking at the different sections of grapes and finding out what type of wine each one made. We took a break from the sun and took a tour of the inside and saw how the wine was made. I couldn’t believe how complex it was to make a bottle of wine! It takes up to 2 and a half years! We made our way to the cellar for the best part: the sampling of Granada’s finest Merlot. I couldn’t forget to buy a couple bottles to bring home as they make a great souvenir for the family!
We all got back on the bus as we headed off to “Las Torcas” an organic farm that doesn’t use pesticides, for a tour an d lunch. I didn’t think that this would be something that I would be interested in, but, I went and was proved very wrong. The tour of the farm was beautiful and very interesting. We walked around and learned a lot about the fruits and veggies grown in Spain. After working up an appetite from the tour we sat down to lunch, an Andalusia feast that was indescribable. I couldn’t remember eating that much amazing food, EVER! Eggs, potatoes, salad, and, of course, the most popular Andalusia food, Gazpacho. When I thought it was over they brought out cake with an amazing orange glaze and of course I ate every bite. The staff was all so nice and it was the perfect afternoon.
Everyone was groaning with full stomachs as we made our way back to the bus. The day wasn’t over yet but we had a little bit of a bus ride to digest our food. We headed off to Almuñecar, a beach close to Granada, to relax and take in some sun. It was the perfect spring day and the ocean breeze felt amazing. I’m learning so much here in Spain but I still can’t help but feel like I am on an extended vacation!
There was an article in this morning's Arizona Republic about the long delays in processing ne w passport applications. Instead of four to six weeks, it is now taking up to 10 weeks for passports to be processed. This is the result of the new passport regulations for Canada and Mexico.
So, if you are planning on studying abroad this summer or fall, please apply for your passport now! For those of you going abroad this fall, you may think you have plenty of time, but you will need to apply for your visa duing the summer and will need your passport in hand to do that.
To learn more about applying for a passport, including downloading the application and locating a passport acceptance facility, visit the State Department website at http://www.travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html.
Okay, now it’s time for a little quiz. I did a little research into some fun and interesting facts about each of our program countries. Below are some questions for you.
1. Where was the guitar invented?
2. What country produces more films than any other country in Europe?
3. In which month is Oktoberfest held?
4. What country has more hotels than any other nation in Europe?
5. In what country is the oldest existing lighthouse in the world?
6. Where was the thermometer invented?
7. In what country was Levi Strauss (of Levi’s jeans) born?
8. Who is the world’s fourth leading manufacturer of automobiles?
9. In Spain, most rivers run a) north to south, b) east to west, c) south to north, d) west to east?
10. Which country is roughly the size of Texas?
11. Which country is the roughly the size of Montana?
12. Which country was not unified until 1861?
If you think you know the answers, you can look now. If you don't, no peeking!
1. The guitar was invented in Andalucia region of Spain in the 1790s.
2. France
3. Oktoberfest is held in September and ends in early October.
4. Italy
5. The lighthouse in La Coruña in Spain dates from around 20 BC.
6. Italy
7. Germany
8. B) east to west
9. France
10. Germany
11. Italy
I was browsing the website of NAFSA: Association of International Educators (the professional association for all of us in international education) and came across the "Student Diplomat Essay Competition": http://www.nafsa.org/public_policy.sec/study_abroad_2/student_diplomat_essay.
The winning essay, "Conquering Fear, Embracing Differences" and the runner-up, "Going Abroad to Find the Meaning of Home", both illustrate how study abroad can make a tremendous impact on our lives. I encourage you to read both these essays !
So you want to study abroad but don’t know how to make it happen financially. Don’t worry, you are not alone. Financing a study abroad experience is the most common concern for students and their families. Although there are no magic answers, we will provide you some ideas and suggestions about how to make your dream of studying abroad a reality.
First and foremost, always go to your school’s study abroad office. They can give you the best information on your campus about how financial aid works with study abroad, if they have any special study abroad scholarships, and also provide suggestions for affordable programs.
When looking at study abroad programs, compare them academically, service-wise, and cost-wise. What does the program fee include? How much will it cost in total, including all the extra fees that the program might charge, along with your airline ticket and personal expenses abroad? Don’t be afraid to ask questions and demand complete cost information from the program. They have this information at hand and should be willing to give it out so you can do a complete review.
Financial Aid
Financial aid comes in a variety of forms, including federal, state, and institutional aid. Alternative loans have become more popular in recent years as the cost of higher education continually increases faster than the level of federal aid.
Under federal law, you cannot be denied access to federal aid just because you study abroad as long as your coursework and credits are pre-approved by your home institution and will count towards graduation. However, your home institution may have policies about what programs are approved for credit so it is important for you to understand those policies by talking your study abroad office.
If your aid does apply, you need to follow the instructions given you by both your study abroad and financial aid offices to ensure your continued eligibility and the timely disbursement of that aid. In some cases, students will increase their eligibility by studying abroad if their program is more expensive than studying on campus. Financial aid covers all reasonable costs associated with your study abroad, including transportation and living expenses.
Scholarships
Many study abroad providers offer scholarships to students who study on their programs. Make sure to get all the information you can from the provider, including average award amount, qualifications for applying, and what the odds are (how many awards do they give in relation to the number of applications). Also, don’t forget your study abroad office and major department—they may have scholarships as well.
In addition to scholarships offered by your campus study abroad office and the study abroad providers, there are also national scholarships such as the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship and the National Security Education Program (NSEP) Scholarship. Your study abroad office and/or your scholarship office on campus should have information on the programs and application processes. These scholarships are very competitive.
One word of advice regarding scholarships: if you are basing your decision of whether or not you can go on a study abroad program on receiving a $1,000 scholarship, you really do not have enough financial resources to attend that particular program. A small scholarship should not be the deciding factor.
Be Creative
Many students have come up with creative ways to fund their study abroad experiences. Here are some successful strategies past students have shared with us:
· Instead of birthday and Christmas presents, ask parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles to contribute to your study abroad fund.
· Plan ahead and save! One student worked two jobs one summer and lived very frugally (no concerts or travel) to save enough to pay expenses in addition to what his financial aid would cover.
· One student who went for a year sold her car—it saved her the insurance payments too.
· Another student hosted a fundraiser picnic in his hometown, inviting all his parents’ friends (and friends’ parents).
· If you are active in your church or in a service society, talk with them about donating to your experience. In return, you can give a talk when you get back.
· Talk with your school or hometown newspaper about being a columnist from abroad.
There are many more creative ideas out there and you may have one of your own.
Funding Resources
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