Matthew Sinanis
College of Engineering
“My study abroad experience was incredibly life-changing for me because it taught me adaptability and truly allowed me to experience different cultures through traveling. I have many amazing memories from this past summer studying abroad but there is one that sticks out.
My friends and I were traveling from Paris to an alpine village in Switzerland which was a 6-hour journey with 4 train changes and a bus ride. We had an amazing time hiking, swimming in lakes, and exploring our new surroundings and the breathtaking nature.
On our way back we got to one of our train changes and our train was canceled for whatever reason. After arguing with the French staff, where I was the only one who could speak enough French to converse, we got placed on another train headed directly to Paris. However, since there were no seats we were put in the bar car where they serve food and drinks. We met some other Americans here and after conversing for a little while we found out they were from Ohio State University and were also studying abroad in Paris. So the entire car was filled with students from rival schools for 5 hours, but we made the most of the circumstances by playing music and sharing food and drink. This was a memorable experience for me which ended up being one of the most spontaneous yet fun aspects of the trip. “
