For our next Postcard from Abroad, we travel to Edinburgh, Scotland, where Erica Schultz of the volleyball team is studying. She is an economics major and a mathematics minor and has been enjoying her time in the United Kingdom.
What school are you studying at, and where else have you traveled during the semester? Do you plan to travel anywhere else during the remainder of the semester as well?
I am studying at the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh, Scotland. So far, I have taken a few trips just around Scotland, and then I've been to Belfast and Dublin. I have plans to go to London, Geneva, Düsseldorf, Amsterdam and Brussels, and I'm hoping to squeeze in a few more places!
What classes are you taking, and which is your favorite/why?
I am taking Visualizing Scotland, Behavioral Economics and Economics of Strategic Behavior. Both of my economics classes are pretty hard, but what we are learning is so interesting and cool. For instance, my next Behavioral lecture is all about how people perceive happiness in relation to their own wealth versus their neighbor's wealth.
Have you gotten any opportunities to play or practice your sport while abroad?
Yes! I joined a club volleyball team with the university. The players are from all over the world. There is also a men's team we get to scrimmage with sometimes which we don't have at Muhlenberg. Being on the team has allowed me to travel around the country to places I probably would have never been to on my own. It is nice getting to play a sport I love and get to meet new people in the process!
What is the main reason you decided to go abroad and what has been the best experience of the semester?
I wanted to go abroad because this is the one opportunity we have in life to go live in another country for 4-5 months. Maybe in the future, our jobs might move us around the world, but this is the one time where we get to live somewhere purely for the purpose of enjoying it (and also doing school work). The best experience so far is tied between my trip to the Isle of Skye and going to Dublin for St. Patrick's Day. The Isle of Skye is an island off the western coast of Scotland that was voted the fourth-best in the world according to National Geographic. The views of the island were absolutely beautiful and I got to meet some new people too! In Dublin, I met up with some friends from Muhlenberg and we just had so much fun watching the parade and wandering about the city. Everyone was so friendly and festive, I had such a great time!
What do you miss most about being on the Muhlenberg campus?
I definitely miss the dining hall! I also miss just seeing familiar faces all the time. This university is a lot bigger than Muhlenberg and so I usually don't see people I know around campus.
What would you like to say to your teammates back in Allentown?
Happy Spring season!! I miss you guys so much!! I hope you're all having a great semester and I can't wait to see you guys again in the fall (or the summer J)! I hear that Coach Krampf is great and I'm looking forward to meeting her when I get back. Also, congratulations to Coach Keckler for her new position at Lehigh! Love you guys!! (P.S. please, no more injuries!)
Previous "Postcards":
Shaun Bartholomew, Men's Soccer (Dublin, Ireland)
Sarah Theurer, Women's Soccer (Florence, Italy)
Meghan MacAskill, Women's Soccer (Copenhagen, Denmark)
