Home Sweet Home

By the last week I was so ready to get home and see my friends, family, dog, and to chow down on some Chick-fil-a. It wasn’t until the last day of classes when our teachers started to say their goodbyes that I actually realized that I was sad about leaving. It was...

Readjusting Again

Currently, I am sitting at home and watching TV with my family for the first time in five weeks. It is a very bittersweet feeling; I am happy to be with my family again, but sad to be home already. For five weeks my life was completely different than normal, and...

Enjoying Berlin

One of my first thoughts upon arriving in Berlin was that it isn’t much different than any other large American city. Tall buildings, lots of people everywhere, a confusing public transportation system. On the surface, it seemed like I hadn’t even left....

Reminiscing

Previously, I wrote a post about how homesick I was; now, I am homesick for the country that was temporarily my home. It has been exactly 38 days since I have returned to Alabama, but the experience of studying abroad in France still weighs heavily on my mind. I long...

Skomer Island, Wales

  While abroad I have learned a lot, and had the wonderful opportunity to travel. This is a picture of me and a dear friend I was able to meet here, Elyssa. We had just finished hiking a natural reserve, Skomer Island in Wales. This is my favorite weekend of the...

While Abroad

The first emotions I experienced after arriving in Bali, Indonesia were excited, but also quite nervous. Arriving at midnight, taking a cab in an unfamiliar city, and concluding that I might die on the seemingly unregulated roads left me feeling terrified as well....

Bonjour de Bruxelles!

Although I’ve only been in Brussels for two weeks, I’ve already come to feel at home here. I’ve found my favorite café on the corner of Place du Jordan and have eaten enough frites to feed a small family for a month. So far we’ve toured the Magritte Museum, visited...

Ciao Firenze!

Italy is beautiful, even more beautiful than I thought. I am enjoying living with my Italian mother, Anastasia. I was worried about living with an Italian family because I thought it might be awkward, but she is wonderful, hospitable, and so kind to both me and my...

More Than Just the Lago

During each session we had one free weekend to travel on our own. For the second free weekend I decided to travel to Zurich, Switzerland with my friend. The highlight of the weekend was Saturday. We left the hostel early and took the tram to the main train station. We...

While Abroad

When I arrived in El Escorial, Spain for my study abroad program, I was extremely overwhelmed and jet lagged. I was nervous and afraid of making new friends, speaking to the locals, and classes. Still, I couldn’t stop looking at the breathtaking views of the...

Finishing my Travels

7/1/17: My final week and a half of traveling abroad in Spain was bittersweet. For the past four weeks, I had come to love my new country and I was sad that I had to leave it. I had made tremendous friends on this trip and I was very disappointed that I had to leave...

Greece Abroad

First Impressions My first impression of Greece was “Wow, this looks like home.” The airport in Santorini is up on a cliff and looks a lot like the Sonoran Desert at home in Arizona, except with an ocean view. It was so funny that I had to take a picture....