Study Abroad Bloggers

Study Abroad Tips: Cultural Differences In Europe Part 2

Driving: Cars are generally manual transmission, and much smaller than American cars. Except in major cities and on super highways, avoid driving at night in Eastern Europe. Night driving can be hazardous because some roads are narrow and winding, and horse-drawn vehicles and bicycles may be encountered at any time on any road. 

Traffic regulations: Especially those related to driving under the influence of alcohol, traffic regulations are very strict. An international driver's license is usually accepted and, in some cases, required by Eastern European governments. You may obtain an international driver's license from an automobile association.

Study and Travel Abroad with a Kindle 2

Experienced travelers know that when packing for an extended trip, every extra pound counts. Especially when traveling to a country that lacks paved streets and sidewalks, rolling suitcases simply are not practical. Therefore, carrying luggage is the norm. Books are a necessary evil for travel: Guidebooks, phrasebooks, and even light reading books for time passing purposes add up to some heavy luggage. 

Enter the Kindle 2. With this wireless reading device, you can store all of the above, plus much more. Newspapers, magazines, blogs, and more are all available for download on one small, lightweight device. This gives you the flexibility to bring many more guidebooks, phrase and verb books, and entertainment books. While in the U.S., you can wirelessly download books instantly without connecting to a computer. Overseas, if you decide you want new books or some newspapers from back home, you can plug the Kindle 2 into a computer, download the book to the computer and transfer it to the device. 

Join the Movement for Study Abroad

Yesterday, the Simon bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives as part of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act. The Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act is a bill that will dramatically increase study abroad opportunitie4s for U.S. students. Read more about the Simon bill here. Last year, the bill passed the House with unanimous support and enjoyed strong bipartisan support in the Senate, including that of former senators President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, where is was one step short of passage when the legislative clock expired last fall.

Join the group on Facebook to help support the Movement for Study Abroad by clicking here.

Study Abroad Tips: Cultural Differences In Europe Part 1

Dates, Time & Measures: In Europe, dates are expressed by day-month-year, for example 23 July, 2002. For most of non-English speaking Europe, time is measured on the 24-hour clock. Europe also uses the metric system of measurments (i.e. kilometer, centimeter, millimeter).

Washing Your Clothes: Usually, European washing machines are front-loaded and only have cold water inlet, as compared to American top-loading machines with a variety of cold, warm, or hot water.