Welcome to Aj Goes Abroad!
My name is Andrea Gentile and I am a 27 year old traveler. I am a Michigan native living and working abroad in Germany. I have had the privilege of living in four countries (including the US) and I look forward to more!
My first time overseas was with my university, Western Michigan University, on a short term summer study abroad trip to Australia in my sophomore year of college. It was also one of my first times on a plane and man was that rough! I then choose to study abroad again and this I went to Rome in my junior year of college. It didn’t go exactly as planned and I still have a love/hate relationship with Rome. I made a point after that to start traveling more. I started off by taking smaller trips in the US and then I finally took the big plunge and spent over three weeks backpacking through Nicaragua solo after I graduated college.
After undergrad, I knew I would need a Masters. I didn’t want it, but we all know in today’s society, it is kind of needed. I decided if I am going to do one (and going to go that much more in debt) then I was going to do it abroad. I settled on Queens University Belfast in Northern Ireland and it was one of the best decisions of my life, even with all the student loans I had to take out! I truly hope one day I move back to N. Ireland to live as Belfast will always feel like a home to me and where I belong.
After my masters, I knew I wanted to stay overseas so targeted my search that way. I am currently working in an American University in Germany. It combines my love of higher education and my passion for traveling. I love living in new countries where I can fully get immersed in the culture while completely getting out of my comfort zone. While I have not had the same experience and love for Germany as I did for Belfast, I still enjoyed all I learned. I have been here 2 years and I have to say, I am ready for a new place. Luckily, my school has locations all of Europe so I hope to relocate somewhere else!
You can find me most weekends travelling. Whether that is taking a trip out of the country or just traveling to a new city nearby, I do try to travel at least a few times a month. I have an amazing boss that lets me take off really whenever I want and for that I am super grateful. I am also taking classes through the university, which means I do have to dedicate some time to my classwork. I am also a huge reader and for some reason, that always seems to surprise people. Maybe it is because my English and grammar is so terrible, but you can find me spending another big chunk of my time with my nose in a book, or four. I do enjoy getting out in nature as well, though I prefer to spend my time in a city!
I think that is a pretty good summary of myself and who I am. If you want to know anything, feel free to reach out to me on the contact page or in a comment. I love talking about traveling and all things Harry Potter! Enjoy!
AJ goes abroad 