Last time I wrote on here I was sitting in my bed while my suitcases layed open on my bedroom floor daunting me. I wrote about my nerves and anxieties and how I lacked any feeling of sufficient preparation for this trip. I was excited, but terrified; and, if I’m being honest, none of that was necessary. None of my fears or worries ever really came to fruition. Yes, it’s good to be prepared for some things to go south, but allowing my fears to diminish my excitement was a little much. 

I am officially one week away from flying to Berlin for the IES Berlin - Metropolitan & Urban Studies program, so what better time to show you how I've been getting ready for my upcoming German adventure! 

Upon my arrival to Spain I was very eager to immerse myself in all things Spanish cuisine. I would consider myself a food connoisseur. I love everything food, whether it be a quick bite at the deli underneath my apartment for cheap, or grand dinners that I spend my entire savings on; I love it all. 

Studying abroad in Nantes, France was an exciting, unique experience that I am endlessly grateful for. Now that I have been back home for a few weeks, I have been reflecting on this past semester and what it means to me. One of the recurring thoughts that I keep coming back to is that studying abroad made me realize how much I love home. I really want to clarify that this is not meant to paint my time in France in a negative light. Rather, I mean to say that being so far away from home for so long revealed what is most important to me.

My lifestyle while studying abroad in Nantes, France was certainly different than my usual day-to-day life at my home university. Throughout the semester, I noticed that many of my habits and routines had evolved in order to adjust to the new environment.

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All of the water in Quito comes from the mountain.

I’ve officially been in Dublin for two weeks, and it’s been a blur of exploring, meeting new friends, and trying lots of good food!! We spent the mornings of our first week in orientation on Zoom, then we’d go out in the afternoon to walk around our area and get things in order for our four months here. I got an Irish SIM card, bought a Leap card (to pay for public transportation), and figured out how to use the tram.

Getting to France was a process to say the least. Currently, France is requiring a negative COVID test taken 24-48 hours before departure. I tried to be prepared, so I booked a rapid antigen test for around 24 hours before my flight; what I didn’t expect was a snowstorm would hit my hometown and prevent the staff from being able to make it to the testing facility. While I was able to reschedule the test, the results wouldn’t make it on time. All of this meant my family had to pay for the rapid COVID test that the Newark Airport offers.

4 Castles in 2 days?? Yeah, I'm pretty lucky to say the least. In this video, I share some of the beautiful sights from the four catles we visited on our first weekend excursion with IES Abroad! In order, we visited: Château d'Amboise, Château Royal de Blois, Château de Chambord, et Château de Chenonceau.