By: Marina Siu
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Hello from Prague!

My name is Marina Siu and I’m currently one of the study abroad liaisons in NYU Prague. For a little bit more information about me, I’m a sophomore majoring in Finance and minoring in Computer Science. I’m from Hong Kong, but grew up in Shanghai, and I’m so excited to share with you why I chose Prague as my study abroad site and my study abroad experience so far here in Prague.

Not only am I able to complete two of my Stern requirements here, marketing and organizational communication, a lot of the electives here in Prague are also extremely interesting. One of my favorite classes here is Prague Music Field Study. If you’re interested in expanding your music horizons and being exposed to different types of music, this is the perfect class for you. Every two weeks we go to a concert for free as a class and analyze our experiences. The first concert we went to a few weeks ago was in a jazz club underground, where our professor was one of the performers. Watching my professor rock out on stage with his guitar was an experience I would have never been able to have in New York.

One of the best things about this city is that all of its gems are hidden, and it’s up to you to search for and discover them. Before school started, I was here with my parents, wandering around Old Town Square, visiting castles and cathedrals, and just being a regular tourist. This place is pretty nice, I thought; but never would I have known about all of the cozy hipster cafes, underground music venues, restaurants on the riverfront, and boutique thrift shops. Never would I have known about a shop dedicated to more than 1000 yoyos, a secret garden with amazing cake and live Czech music, and an underground restaurant that doesn’t have a menu, but instead asks you for your choice in flavors and gives you a surprise accordingly. And the better I got to know Prague, the more I fell in love with this place.

Another reason why Prague is a popular choice is because of its location; it is located right in the heart of Europe, which makes travelling to other places extremely cheap and easy. Last weekend, I travelled to Munich during my 5 day weekend (I only have classes Tuesday and Wednesday). Although it was raining the entire trip, it was still an amazing experience nonetheless. One of my favorite parts was visiting the BMW Museum, where you learn about the history of the company, see their oldest and newest cars, and of course buy some cool souvenirs.

This past month in Prague has been one of the most fun and rewarding experiences I’ve ever had, and it makes me sad to think that a month has already gone by. But, I’m excited for the 3 more to come, and if anyone is thinking about where to go to study abroad in the future, Prague should definitely be deeply considered!­­­

By: Amy Elgin

Ciao da Firenze! My name is Amy Elgin and I am the USWIB study abroad liaison for NYU Florence. I am a Junior studying Marketing and Economics. I chose Florence for two main reasons: 1) They offer Stern courses in addition to CAS Econ courses and 2) Italian food
After only two weeks here, Florence is already starting to feel like home. I always compare every city to New York, but life and school are very different here. I live in an NYU owned apartment downtown with seven other students. The upperclassmen tend to live in apartments while the LSP freshmen live in dorms on campus. We are about a five-minute walk from the Duomo and right in the heart of some of the best restaurants and shopping Florence has to offer. NYU’s campus is located about one mile outside of the city center, so we take a local bus to get to campus. Italians are known to be very laid back and the transportation system is the embodiment of that. There is a bus schedule, but it is really just for show, as buses come and go when they please. Everyone always has to make sure they leave in plenty of time to get to class!

Campus is absolutely beautiful. Located on a 60-acre estate, NYU Florence is covered with olive trees and villas. It is unique to have a closed off campus since that does not exist in NYC. In addition to its physical beauty, NYU Florence is rich in history. Villa la Pietra houses an extensive art collection built by the Acton family and left to NYU in 1994. The gardens behind the villa are the second largest in Florence, only behind the Boboli gardens of the Medici’s Pitti Palace. Prince Charles and Princess Diana even visited here! I am lucky enough to have a class in Villa la Pietra and this is the breathtaking view from my classroom.

With views like this it is a little harder than usual to pay attention in three hour classes (most classes only meet once a week for a longer period of time), but the courses at NYU Florence are very unique and applied to the culture. All students are required to take Italian. In addition, I am taking an Italian History course, an Economics course on the European Union, and a Fashion Marketing course. A lot of the classes include site visits within Florence and some even include overnight field trips like my fashion class which is traveling to Milan next weekend! NYU Florence also has extensive programing such as evening lectures, wellness activities like yoga, and immersion activities including trips to Chianti, Venice, and Cinque Terre.

Florence is a great city to study in for so many different reasons. The Italian culture is certainly different, but one that is warm and welcoming. The food is amazing as I know first hand from the many, many types of gelato and pasta I have already tried. There is also great shopping both in traditional stores and open markets such as the San Lorenzo Leather market and the Le Cascine Tuesday Market. There is plenty of sight-seeing to do within Florence, as the birthplace of the Renaissance. Just walking home from school you can pass by the Accademia with Michelangelo’s David or the Uffizi gallery. Florence is also the center of Tuscany which makes day trips to the surrounding towns in Italy very easy by train. Here is a picture from my day trip to the leaning tower of Pisa.

This past weekend I was also lucky enough to travel to the Amalfi coast. Add this destination to your bucket list right now if it is not on there already. We spent one day relaxing on the pristine beaches of Positano with the picturesque stacked houses in the background. The next day, we took a boat tour to the island of Capri (where the Kardashians and Pretty Little Liars cast happened to be vacationing at the time!) and got to experience the blue grotto and views from Mt. Solaro. On our way home, we visited Pompeii for a history lesson in Roman civilization and culture. It was an amazing weekend and a trip I would definitely recommend.
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If the last two weeks are any indication, I think this is going to be a fabulous semester. Wishing all of the USWIB ladies in New York and abroad a wonderful semester as well!

By: Ashley Hall

Hello again! If my name looks familiar, it’s because I’m starting my third semester abroad and my third semester as a Study Abroad Liaison! After spending a year in London and a summer in New York, I was ready to tackle the next great adventure: Asia.

Studying abroad in London was an amazing experience. It was fun getting used to the new culture of things closing early and drinking lots of tea, and traveling around Europe on the weekends was like a dream come true.

However, studying in China is a completely different story. I’ve been here one week, and have already had some wild experiences. I landed in Pudong Airport knowing only the subway route to the dorms and holding a small map provided by NYU Shanghai with the address of the building written in Chinese. I hopped on the train to Jinqiao Road Station (which I had been pronouncing completely wrong – it’s “Jin – Chow”). And when I got out, I could not figure out where the building was. It was 7 am after a 6 hour flight from Malaysia, I was exhausted, and I could not communicate with anyone. I expected more people to speak English, but even hand signals and map pointing took me an hour to finally find the dorms. It turns out the entrance was down a side street that looked like a driveway to the nearby mall – oops.

I was frustrated, wondering how I had ended up in Shanghai when I felt that I ought to be with my friends in New York enjoying the last bits of summer, not sweltering in the 92-degree Shanghai humidity with everything I own. But then I remembered – “Ashley, you’re literally in China!” Since I’m in BPE, I have known I was going to Shanghai since my senior year of high school, and at last I was finally here.
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I went exploring that afternoon, snacking on the bread I bought for lunch because I’m vegetarian and had no idea how to order food let alone ask it to be meat-free, and was stopped by a tourist like a celebrity and was asked to pose for a photo. We tried to make small talk, but they didn’t speak much English and my Mandarin is limited to “ni-hao.”  But that small interaction made the whole enormity of being in the largest country in the world in a city of 24 million people just a little less overwhelming, and I am now ready to take on whatever China throws at me!