Author: Caroline Dienes

Program: Cambridge Study Center – England

What can I say? It’s bittersweet. My semester in Cambridge has come to an abrupt ending. My trips to Liverpool, Spain, Estonia, and many others seems like years go, but they all happened pretty recently in retrospect. The four people I have been living with for almost five months will now just be classmates and not roomies. A few relationships I created there ended in the phrase, “If you ever find yourself near Chicago, let me know.” I’m leaving the life I created in Cambridge.

However, I left a very familiar life when I decided to study abroad for a semester. I left my family, my friends, my Valpo, my comfort zone. I let all the adventures that I could have had a Valpo slip by. I’ve been virtually absent from the lives of all my closest friends. They’ve learned to deal without me, which may seem like a harsh thing to say, but it was one of the most important things I had to remember before I started my journey.

I was told this interesting consequence of studying abroad and immediately got a little upset. I never really thought of that aspect of being away. Your friends learn to move on with their lives without you around. However, I had to remind myself that I was doing the same thing. I honestly thought I was going to be a wreck without my friends around, but I learned to live life without them as well. It’s something you need to accept if you decide to study abroad. Your friends will inevitably change while you are away, but so will you.

While you’re studying abroad, things change – whether you like it or not. I’ve noticed  changes in me, all of them improving my outlook on myself and things around me. I couldn’t be happier with the person I grew into with my time in Cambridge. Ever since I arrived in Cambridge, I became aware that I was laughing, smiling, and appreciating more. This is the Caroline I was trying to look for with my time abroad. New and unknown little qualities inside you rise to the surface when you go somewhere new and unknown for a few months.

All in all, a brand new edition of Caroline got off that plane at O’Hare while it was 6 degrees, a temperature I didn’t necessarily miss. I gained so much out of my time abroad, and I plan to put all that I gained to good use. It’s a little sad coming back and leaving the life I created in Cambridge, but I have an endless amount of memories, whether they’re in my head or physical things like pictures of videos. Here’s some final advice. Never delete any Snapchat videos you take while you study abroad. On certain occasions, they may just brighten up your day.

Stay Fresh,

Caroline

Author: Caroline Dienes

Program: Cambridge Study Center

I know keeping up with a journal isn’t the easiest thing to do. It starts with one night where you forget to write in it. That one night turns into two nights. The next thing you know, you forgot an entire week’s worth of things you’ve done. And finally, you give up. If you plan to study abroad, or just travel in general, I highly suggest keeping some kind of journal. You won’t regret it.

I personally have had three ways of journaling with my time abroad. The first is video blogging, where I have been taking a 5 second video each day. The little videos range dramatically, from walking under the Eiffel Tower to trying to open frozen mac and cheese. You could also create a little video blog through Snapchat now, thanks to the option to save your memories. This has been a lifesaver.

A second, and more conventional way I have been journaling is with an actual journal. I received this journal as a gift from a good friend before I flew away in August, and it was intended to just be a book where I kept tickets, brochures, and receipts. However, this little book turned into quite the stuffed book, full of those three things, but along with descriptions of what happened each day I was abroad. Not a day went by where I didn’t jot down tidbits of what I did every single day.

The third way of journaling is probably the easiest way to journal ever. It is called a one line a day journal. However, you write in this diary for 5 years. You can write as little as you want each day, and the diary repeats itself for 5 years! So you’ll have 5 years worth of memories, and, in my case, one of those years will include my time abroad. I cannot wait to read all that I’ve done in the future.

Deciding to journal was a monumental decision. Flipping back to the earlier days abroad makes me recall the little things that happened those days. Not only did I write down the major things that occurred each day, but I also scribbled down funny things my cohorts said or noted times where I felt truly content with what was happening. I know when I look at these different journals down the road, it will be as if I am reading a book. The story in the book will be my story. The characters will be me and the rest of the Cambridge cohort. The adventures outlined in the pages will be indescribable memories. Journal. When you really think about it, you are writing yourself a personal autobiography. That’s something I would love to read.

Stay Fresh,

Caroline

Author: Caroline Dienes

Program: Cambridge Study Center

People say that I am my parent’s shadow. I share their same interests. I have a perfect blend of both of their senses of humor, and I even, apparently, walk and  stand like both of them. With my time abroad, I went to longest time without seeing my mom or dad. That is until they came and visited at the end of October. That was when the two people who truly understand and share my love for The Beatles entered into my abroad world.
The plan for the parents was to take a trip to Scotland, take a highlands and castle tour there, and then spend the rest of the time exploring Cambridge with them. The moment my parents arrived to the Cambridge house, my dad made an announcement that I wasn’t expecting, but, honestly, I should have saw it coming. He got out his wallet and pulled out a little picture of a trojan rabbit that appears in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. This  implied that we were going to recreate the exact scene of the rabbit approaching the French castle at the real life Doune Castle in Scotland. And people wonder where I get it from.

Back in England, we went on a tour of Stonehenge and Avebury, two well-known mysterious rock formations. When we arrived at Stonehenge, there were probably hundreds of tourists there all gathering around to look in wonder at the stones. What were my parents and I doing? We were trying to figure out where The Beatles were positioned in relation to Stonehenge when they were filming Help!, one of their movies. I guarantee that we were the only three people at this worldwide known destination pondering over that particular dilemma.

Having your parents visit you while you’re abroad is similar to having them visit Valpo but times 100. They may have the intuition that you know all there is to know about your new home for that semester. In reality, you don’t. You may take them on a three-mile walk, thinking you’re heading to a specific tea place, but end up walking in the complete opposite direction. You may slightly run out of things to do in Cambridge and just end up watching Mary Poppins. Trust me, this is okay.

When you’re abroad, you’re almost thrown into this completely, independent realm. You don’t have a meal plan, and you’re in charge of making flight, bus, and hotel reservations. Your parents are not there to help you out and tell you where to click next. If your parents decide to visit when you finally get used to this sense of independence, things may be a tad off at the beginning of their visit. But let’s get this straight – it is no one’s fault when rocky situations arise. Your parents may not be used to the way you’ve been dealing with travel issues and unexpected circumstances. On the flip side, you may have forgotten your own regular family vacation routine. It honestly takes some getting used to it.

One thing you MUST remember to do it this: be thankful your parents are there. They made the trek to visit you. They put in the money and effort to spend time with you and enjoy every second of it. Having my parents visit made me remember all the other family vacations we had the pleasure to go on. However, I stayed behind after they began their long walk home. You never know how much you miss your parents until they see you in a whole new light. I felt a little different from being away for so long, but they still saw me as the same old Liney they left at the airport back in August.

Stay fresh,

Caroline

Author: Caroline Dienes

Program: Cambridge Study Center

You never know where you’re going to end up when you study abroad. You sit around with your cohorts and end up planning a trip to Spain. You could be standing in the kitchen with your roommate and ask, “Hey, can I go to Paris with you and your parents?” And you end up going to Paris that weekend. On the rarest of occasions, you could slightly know someone who lives in Estonia and take a trip to the capital of Estonia. I did that last one.

Long story short, I have distant relations in Tallinn, Estonia, who opened up their
home to me. I hesitated at first to jump on the opportunity, but then I started thinking, “When will I, or anyone I know, ever be able to go to Estonia or anywhere remotely close to Estonia?” The answer to that question was never, and I booked my tickets. I was off to Estonia, which is a little country bordering Russia, Latvia, and the Baltic Sea.

I arrived and the first thing I noticed was snow. The two things I wasn’t expecting to see with my time abroad was snow and a beach. I have now seen both of those things. I met my host, and he took me on my own personal tour of the old town in Tallinn. It was absolutely breathtaking and pastel. Every single building was pastel. I also saw Tallinn from above when we visited the TV Tower. I also got to experience a supermarket all in Estonian…that was difficult.

It’s weird for me to describe my trip to Estonia. I didn’t go to any museums, if you don’t count the TV Tower. I didn’t spend my time as a tourist there as you typically do in brand new places. I think this trip was meant for me to just be. No set plans or bookings for tours. I was an Estonian for two days, and I was content with that.

This abnormal viewpoint may scare some future travelers. Most people want set plans, pre-booked tickets, and a list of restaurants that they found on Trip Advisor. I think I threw these normal pre-planned tasks out the window for one reason. I honestly knew nothing about Estonia before going. I knew I wanted to see the Beatles sites in Liverpool, and I know I wanted to see the Eiffel Tower in Paris, but I hardly knew what was even in Estonia. I let my hosts be the guides and show me around.

Don’t be afraid to take a trip like this. Always make sure you have a way to get somewhere and a place to stay when you get to that certain somewhere, but let the rest of the trip be a surprise. That way, expectations won’t be ruined, and everything will turn out for the better. One thing I will never forget about my trip was being shown a Buzzfeed video of Americans trying Estonian sweets. I watched the video and was then GIVEN some of the sweets that were in the video! It was unexpected, and it was a special, yet simple moment. Estonia was so ordinary, but not at the same time. Places like this are hard to come by.

Stay fresh,

Caroline

Author: Caroline Dienes

Program:  Cambrige Study Center

I know it may sound cliche, and everyone has probably said this (and also said it sounds cliche)…but when you go abroad, your cohort becomes your family. I am with at least one member of the Cambridge cohort almost 24/7. Whether we are traveling to brand new places, eating, shopping, studying, or even sleeping (I have a roommate), everyone always seems to have a buddy. I broke this notion of always having a buddy on adventures when the Cambridge cohort went to the Lake District. The way I decided to break this habit of constantly having a partner was to climb a mountain.

With our time at the Lake District, our group went to the Grizedale Forest, a public forest preserve that includes many hiking paths, a sculpture walk, and ziplining. The majority of the Cambridge group wanted to go ziplining, but while they were figuring out all that went into that, I was fumbling through the hiking maps. Eventually, my finger finally found the red, bold letters that said “strenuous.” That strenuous description was for the Carron Crag Trail. That was the path for me.

That hike up to the highest peak in Grizedale, a height of 314 meters, was the longest time I have spent by myself with my time here abroad, and let me tell you something – It has been one of my favorite moments. I know my list of favorite moments is growing with every trip, but this moment will always stick out to me. Although I literally climbed up and down a mountain bike trail for a good chunk of the hike, I enjoyed every minute being on my own. I even celebrated getting to the very top by eating a sandwich and gazing out to all that I could see.

I know that some people would always like a buddy when they go off and experience never before seen places, but I advise those people to try it solo at least once while they are abroad. It can be as little as what I did – being in the same general area as the group, but doing your own thing. Or it can be as drastic as traveling to a whole different country on your own! Anything that will tell you, “Hey, I did this all by myself,” will feel like the greatest accomplishment. I promise you. To be honest, I felt like I was starring in my own version of 127 Hours on my entire hike. However, I did not have to cut my arm off.  When you go rogue, don’t fall into a situation where you have to cut your arm off. Just go rogue.

Stay Fresh,

Caroline Dienes