BEAVER, Pa. — On her first day in Paris, Sydney Jean stood under the Eiffel Tower and looked up. She was so mesmerized, she stayed there for an hour, until her stomach begged her to find nourishment at a sidewalk café.
In her first week in Vienna, Alexa Di Pietrantonio stepped onto the wrong tram, train or bus more times than she’d like to admit. But because of those mistakes she was introduced to parks and markets she never would have explored otherwise.
This is what it’s like to study abroad for a semester in Europe. And Jean and Di Pietrantonio will share all of their adventures on Penn State Beaver’s website, as they navigate their new cities, languages and cultures.
Jean is an information systems and technology major — with a minor in security risk analysis — who will transfer to University Park in the fall. Di Pietrantonio is a junior corporate communications major who worked as a resident assistant in Harmony Hall.
Their stories of studying French and German, eating Wiener Schnitzel and brioche avec sucre, and seeing the classic architecture of Notre Dame and the Belvedere Museum can be found under "An American in Paris" and "Auslandsemester."
Also, be sure to follow them on Instagram: Jean can be found @misssydney_j and Di Pietrantonio can be found @adventuresinaustria.