Salaam, Dobry Den,
Merhaba and Ciao! My name is Ayesha Erkin and I am a senior (5th year)
studying Architecture and minoring in Historic Preservation and Sustainability
at the University of Arkansas. I studied abroad in Prague, Czech Republic in
the summer of 2013 and then studied in Rome, Italy in spring 2014.
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My Favorite city.
Okay, fine, one of my favorites. Istanbul,
Turkey
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Travel is no stranger
to me. My family led a pretty nomadic lifestyle, moving continents and
countries until finally settling in the United States about 8 years ago. Oddly
enough, I didn't really enjoy travelling as a child, but as soon as I began
college, the nomad in me (funnily enough, I am part Arab) began raging; I
needed to travel. A friend of mine mentioned studying abroad in the
Czech Republic and so I decided, rather spontaneously, that I wanted to go as
well. I had no prior knowledge about the Czech Republic but as soon as I set
foot in Prague, I knew I was in trouble. I was in love. In love with every
detail; from the colours of the rooftops to the texture of the cobblestone. It
wasn't a surprise when I experienced the same feeling in every city I visited
that summer. I was hooked on traveling.
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| My nomadic days
circa 1995. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia |
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| The only non-failed
jumping picture of me at the Lennon Wall. Prague,
Czech Republic. |
Luckily for me, I got
another chance to study abroad in Rome. Hooray for majors that require studying
abroad! Rome was an absolutely incredible experience. The food, the
people, the architecture, the culture... just everything about it was so fascinating.
I was in love again. No surprise there! In my semester in Europe, I got the
chance to travel to France, Spain, Switzerland and Germany as well. I made some
incredible friends, from the U.S. and other parts of the world. I truly can say
I had the time of my life while I was abroad. I cannot wait until the next time
I'm on a plane on my way back to Italy!
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| The
after result of this was far from graceful. Paestum,
Italy |
With studying abroad,
you gain so much more than academic knowledge. It really does change you as a
person. You learn to be confident and independent and get to partake in so many
adventures. I am incredibly excited to be a Peer Advisor with
the Study Abroad Office so that I can share my obsession of traveling with
other students and help them have the most wonderful time while they’re abroad!
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Taking a shameless selfie. Cinque Terre, Italy
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