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...

Returning From Spain

It has been about two weeks since I came back from Spain. My last couple of days in Spain were spent exploring the capital, Madrid. While in Madrid, I toured the Royal Palace. My favorite part of the tour was seeing the Royal Armory. The Armory has a wide variety of...

Snapping Back to Reality

Stepping off the airplane in Atlanta was one of the most bittersweet feelings I have ever experienced. On one hand, my mouth was watering at the thought of purchasing hot Cheetos after a month and a half without them. On the other, I knew I was truly going to miss...

A Not so Difficult Decision

Since I left Germany after a two week vacation in high school, my goal has always been to go back, but I did not know how. The opportunity presented itself with the Two Steps Ahead program at UA. The expectations were lofty: become a fluent German speaker inside of...

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...

Month in Madrid

Hola! Today marks the last Monday I will be spending in Spain (at least for a while). It’s a little bittersweet feeling. This country has for sure stolen a piece of my heart. But along with the feeling of never wanting to leave, I am excited to get home to see...

Back to the States

I’m finally back and rested ready to get back to work and my normal life here in Alabama. I have to say, I will be going back. I fell in love with how slow everything is. My favorite part about the trip would have to be the Church of Bones in Rome. I thought it...

The Adjustment Period

So after a very strenuous day of travel we have finally arrived in the beautiful city of Santorini. Santorini is a city full of beautiful white building and an even more beautiful crystal clear coastline. In fact, when you imagine Greece, this is probably the first...

Living History

One of the truly amazing things about studying abroad is the opportunity to make the history that you learn in the classroom come alive! While you are abroad, you will most likely visit so many beautiful (and not-so-beautiful) places where so many historic events took...