API at Libertas International University in Croatia

Definitely make sure to explore the entire city. Visit the areas outside of the Old Town and closer to the large neighborhoods of locals.

I wish I would have explored these areas at the beginning of my program. The apartments we stayed in were close to the Old Town, but are away from the main neighborhoods, so there were things that I missed out on for much of my time in Dubrovnik that I could have found if I had wandered out of the areas immediately surrounding the Old Town a bit sooner.

During a typical day, I would wake up and eat breakfast on my beautiful balcony. If I had class that day I would go to class, often stopping at the bakery to pick up a sandwich for lunch.

Professors are flown in from all over the world, and so classes do not run on a typical schedule. Many classes will run every day for three weeks and then finish for the semester.

Class was usually around 3 hours long, with some sort of break for lunch or a snack. The class generally consisted of a lecture and some sort of student presentation or discussion.

After class I would often stop by the Konzum (a small grocery store) on my way home and then walk up 200 stairs to my apartment, where I would cook dinner and relax with my roommates before meeting up with other students from my program later that evening. On warm days we would meet up at the beach before and after class.

It is scary to fly across the world knowing that you'll be living somewhere for four months.

I think many study abroad students experience the same fears - language barriers, academic requirements of the local schools, standard of accommodations.

These were all things I was worried about, but also found exciting. All of these fears were relieved once I arrived in Croatia and got settled.

Only twenty-two Americans chose to study in Dubrovnik at the same time as me, and only around 100 students attend Dubrovnik International University. Because of this, we quickly got to know each other and became friends, despite coming from all different parts of the U.S. and a variety of majors and backgrounds.

We were also forced to step out of our comfort zones and interact with locals regularly. The locals were often eager and willing to engage in conversation, and we were able develop many relationships with local waiters, bartenders, and store employees.

It really made Dubrovnik feel like home when I could walk down the street and see familiar faces. This allowed us to learn about Croatian culture and everyday life, as we interacted with and learned from the people who lived there.