What is it like to study abroad in places like London, Amsterdam, Chile, or Australia after studying at a small liberal arts college in Midwestern Ohio? Juniors Brad Douglass and Hanna Larsson, who studied in London and Santiago, Chile respectively, say that the lifestyle abroad was much more extravagant and exciting than life at Witt.
“Chile had a much bigger party atmosphere [than Wittenberg], and the way they partied was also different,” said Larsson.
A night in Chile would start out drinking and having a barbeque at someone’s house, explained Larsson. And in Chile, people drank for the social effect, not just to get drunk, she added.
After pre-gaming, they would proceed to take cabs to the local bars where “I would sometimes be on the VIP list and get in for free with free drinks, and most of the time [we] would party until 5 a.m.,” said Larsson
In London, Brad’s party atmosphere “was nuts.”
“I went out hard probably five nights a week,” he said, “and the rave scene was huge.”
One night Brad even found himself partying into the early hours of the morning at an illegal underground rave.
The type of alcohol consumed abroad is also different than the typical drink that you would find in the hands of Wittenberg students. In Chile, there was a lot more wine, and the liquor of choice was Pisco. Mixed with coke, it was called a Piscola. Chileans also had a Pisco Sour which was the Chilean version of the Amaretto Sour.
Being back at Wittenberg has shown Brad how much fun he had while in London, saying he misses being there every day.
“There was no down time,” he said, “if I was bored, I could always go to a museum, to the local bars, or to a club.”
For Hanna, even though her semester in Santiago was exciting and original, she couldn’t wait to get back to Witt. “I missed my sorority sisters a lot. I missed hanging out with them, and being able to see them every day. I couldn’t wait to get back to Witt.”
(Amber Reyes / s12.areyes@wittenberg.edu)
