Ashlee Hespen, junior in public service and administration in agriculture from Conrad, Iowa, spent four months of 2010 as an exchange student at American University in Bulgaria. She blogged about her experience, and the following account is her entry for Feb. 23, 2010. For a link to her blog visit www.ag.iastate.edu/stories.

Now that I've been here for a month and a half, I'm truly beginning to realize the diversity sitting right in front of me. American University in Bulgaria (AUBG) is more diverse than I could have ever imagined. Students from various countries across the world attend this private university of 1,000 students. In the main building, which previously hosted Soviet headquarters, hang the flags from all the countries, which have had students attend AUBG in the past and present. So far, I've met students from over 20 countries!