My Study Abroad Trip

I'm a junior in college and I'm an art major.

About two months ago I found out about a study abroad opportunity at my college that sounded too good to pass up.

Three weeks in Paris and The Netherlands.

I've always wanted to travel but I've never had the opportunity to do so.

So I decided to look into the study abroad programs at my college (there are over 80 programs offered every year!) The Paris/Netherlands program fit my graduation and degree requirements perfectly - not to mention my budget!

The total cost of the program is $3550 - which seemed like a lot of out-of-pocket money at first. Then I learned about the various scholarships and grants (things I dont have to pay back!) and soon learned that I basically only need to save about $1000 to go toward the trip and a few hundred dollars for spending money. The rest should be covered by scholarships and grants.

As far as the $3550 goes - all travel and transportation is included. Most meals are included. All accomodations are included and we will have full and unlimited access to all museums in The Netherlands and Paris!

Unlike traditional study abroad programs where you stay at an international university, we will be staying in hotels and the cities will become our classrooms during the day! While in The Netherlands, we will be based in Amsterdam and other excursions include travel to the following cities: The Hague, Utrecht, Haarlem and while in France, we will be staying in Paris and travelling to Versailles.

The program consists of about 20 students plus 2 professors. We will be learning art history and European history for the month of May 2008.

I am incredibly excited about this opportunity! So up until my trip, I will be extensively researching the locations we're planning to visit. I will be posting entries here (hopefully often) at BloggerParty, so be sure to check in often for interesting information and photographs.

When I get back in June 2008, look for more entries regarding my trip - where I went, what I saw, various experiences, photographs (I'm a photographer & painter!) etc .

Until then, I will also be creating paintings for sell to raise money for my trip. If you're interested, let me know!

Have you been to any of these locations? If so, I would love to hear your experience!