I'm Iggy Takahashi, a junior studying biochemistry and French studies at the University of Portland and studying abroad in Nantes, France. I love baking, cooking, travelling, exploring, and of course spending time with my family and cats. I have traveled to Spain, China, and throughout the United States, and I hope to continue to do so after graduating!

Hi! My name is Roya Moussapour and I'm a physics major and teaching minor at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, ME. I'm super psyched to be studying engineering for the first time in Madrid. I've made it to 23 countries while traveling with my family and hope to make it to at least a few more this spring. I'm enrolled in my first Spanish class this semester since junior year of high school, so get excited to hear about my attempt at language immersion! When I'm not working on physics homework up at Bowdoin, I'm usually either in a cappella or orchestra rehearsal, so expect to hear a good bit about my experiences finding music overseas. ¡Mucho gusto!

Kelsie is a junior at Skidmore College, double majoring English and music. Her academic interests include creative nonfiction, piano performance, German language, and feminist theory. When she isn't in class or at the library, Kelsie spends her time playing piano, writing personal essays, knitting, or just curling up with a good book and a few cats. While studying in Vienna, Kelsie hopes to improve her German and piano skills, as well as immerse herself in Viennese culture.

I am a sociology and cultural anthropology student from Olympia, Washington, who has been lucky enough to study abroad in Spain, Costa Rica, and Chile. I am now headed to Brazil for my final semester of my undergraduate studies, and could not be more excited to learn a third language and enjoy some of Brazil's natural and cultural beauties. In addition to traveling, studying people and learning languages, I like to read, write, rock climb, play violin and drums, hike, swim, do yoga, and enjoy quality conversations that run late into the night. Please join me on this blog in processing some of the crazy stuff going on in my life, and in Brazil.

I am Jane from Janesville, Wisconsin.  I study communications and French at the University of Saint Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota, but I like to spend as much time as possible studying abroad.  One day, you'll probably find me living in Paris.  If you can't find me there, you must not have searched all the boulangeries.

I was once told that acting is professional lying. But in my work and in my art I'm constantly reminded that we're all looking for truth, whether that be the simple truth of a friend's laughter or the truth of a moment in time. And that's why I'm here, to find a little bit more. I'm sure I'll come across something.

I'm Chey - 20 year old college senior pursuing a degree in International Communications at American University. I love to travel and and experience different cities from a local's point of view by fully engaging in the local culture. I was born in Los Angeles and raised in London, so I'm really excited to come back and experience it all once again!

Sarah Axtell hails from the steel-forged hills of Pittsburgh, PA and is a Linguistics/German double major at Lawrence University in Appleton, WI. Her interests include derelict architecture, modern art, and cutting-edge lowbrow pop culture. Berlin has plenty of these things to offer, and she's so excited to be spending a semester there.

I am a cognitive and brain sciences major at Tufts University minoring in entrepreneurial leadership. I have been shooting photos since my freshman year of high school, finding a passion in photography that has followed me to college. I will be enrolled in the French studies program of IES this fall, working to improve my fluency in French.

Fluent in Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, Spanish, English and currently perfecting her Italian, it's clear why Jiaqi chooses her next adventure in the dynamic capital of Milan! An art lover and a free spirit, Jiaqi is now majoring in Art History and Latin American Studies at the University of Richmond. During high school, a month of staying with a host family in Helsinki, Finland opened the doors to a world of exotic saunas, lake kayaking, and inspired her wanderlust. A self-proclaimed travel sensualist, her favorite way of seeing the world is experiencing the culture through its people: she's volunteered in rural Nepal, conducted Holocaust research in Poland, and has lived with seniors in Spain.