Olomouc, Czechia

Meet and Greet

My name is Alivia Carlton, and I am a junior University of Nebraska at Kearney studying Social Work. This semester, I’ve decided to do something different from my normal life at UNK; I’m going to study abroad at Palacký University, located in the Czech Republic! I am so excited, as well as anxious, to go on this once-in-a-lifetime trip. I’ll be using this blog to document all of the amazing things I will be doing, and I will use it as a way to look back on this trip once I’ve returned home.

My Purpose and Goals for this Experience

I can’t even begin to count how many times my family, friends, classmates and coworkers have asked my why I decided to study abroad. My answers have been all over the place, ranging from ‘I have an extra semester,’ to ‘This is something I’ll only be able to do in college,’ or even ‘It sounded like fun.’ But honestly, it was a combination of these reasons, and the fact that as I’m getting ready to take this trip; I’m terrified. I have never pushed myself this far out of my comfort zone, and likely never will again. I want to make the most out of this trip and enjoy every single second. I have a few goals that I hope to achieve by the time I board my flight back to the United States:

First of all, I want to adopt a more global mindset and get out of the bubble that has been my life in Nebraska thus far. I will embrace all of the cultures I’ll be experiencing on this trip and develop an appreciation for them, not only for how they differ from mine, but also any similarities there are. The easiest way for me to do this is to try new things while traveling, and talking to new people about their cultures. I want to meet with the other international students at Palacký University and stay in touch with them after we part ways.

I also want to achieve a 4.0 this Spring 2020 semester. I have had this goal every single semester since enrolling in college, and every time I fall just a few points short of an A in one or two classes. I really want to make this semester different, and develop new study habits while I’m abroad. One thing in particular that I would love to do is to find a particular spot on campus, where I can go be alone and focus solely on my coursework.