About 25 percent of all UW-Eau Claire students study abroad at some point in their college careers. We caught up with three students who are currently studying abroad for the fall semester to see where they’re studying, what their favorite memories have been so far and what their favorite place of travel has been.

Kyle Webster: Studying in Central America.

Favorite class: Race, Ethnicity and Social Class in Latin America.

Favorite part thus far: Becoming more confident speaking Spanish.

Favorite site: Monteverde, a cloud forest in Costa Rica. “The hostel was amazing, the views were incredible and I got to go ziplining through the forest,” Webster said.

Emily Torbenson: Studying in Valladolid, Spain.

Classes: Torbenson is taking all of her classes in Spanish with grammar, literature, culture and oral expression. Starting in a couple of weeks, she will also take history and art classes.

Favorite part thus far: Living with a host family. She lives with another Eau Claire student and a student from Germany with her host family, which includes a mother and her two kids.

“It has been a great way to experience the Spanish culture firsthand (as if studying in Spain wasn’t enough),” she said. “We get to eat the typical Spanish food, which is delicious, hang out with the kids and learn what school is like for them and have many interesting conversations, all in Spanish. I felt very welcomed by my host family when I came to Spain.”  

Favorite sites:  “So far, our group has had two excursions to nearby cities,” Torbensen said. “The first was to a city called Segovia, which was probably my favorite site. It is a smaller town, but unique. We got to see the Roman Aqueducts in Segovia, which were made about 2,000 years ago. It was amazing to see how well they were created and still standing after all this time. Overall, it has been really exciting to live and study in Spain. There is always something to look forward to and new things to try.”

Emily Johnson: Studying in Florence, Italy.

Classes: Psychology, a public relations course, Italian and a history of the Holocaust course.

Favorite part thus far: “My favorite thing so far has been Oktoberfest in Munich,” she said. “Not only is Munich absolutely beautiful, but the fest itself was such an amazing celebration. I also loved Croatia’s beaches. This has been the best experience of my life.”