Today is my 47th day being back home in Pennsylvania after I was instructed to leave Germany due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I'm still taking classes every day with IES Abroad, and I even have a virtual tour of the Swiss Alps tomorrow morning. While this isn't how I imagined my semester going, I'm still grateful for the memories and friends I made abroad. 

There are not many words that can capture how much I cherished my time abroad and specifically my time in London. It is unfortunate that it had to come to an end so abruptly due to the global pandemic, but I truly believe I made the most of the time I had and wouldn't change it for anything.

Carnivale: arguably the biggest party in Europe and definitely the biggest surprise I experienced during my entire time abroad. Carnivale is a celebration that happens before Lent and is a weekend, or sometimes week-long, party that happens in multiple countries around the world. Little did my friends and I know that we would get to experience it as some of the only Americans in the country of Malta. 

It's time to throw those sweatshirts and leggings to the side and start thinking about bumping up your style when you prepare to study abroad. With so many designer brands coming out of Europe, studying abroad in a European country means being surrounded by people who get up every day with the mindset of dressing to impress. Unlike universities in America, it is uncommon to see students in other countries rolling into class in their sweats with their hair in a tassel.

It has always been on my bucketlist to fly to Paris for the day in a spur of the moment decision. There is something about the idea that seemed so glamorous and exciting when I saw it in movies growing up, but I always knew that wasn't feasible since all trips require planning. I knew when I went abroad I would go to Paris at some point, but I never thought I would actually get to live out my dream of a one way trip to Paris with no plan and no warning. Here's what happened:

It has always been on my bucket list to fly to Paris for the day in a spur of the moment decision. There is something about the idea that seemed so glamorous and exciting when I saw it in movies growing up, but I always knew that wasn't feasible since all trips require planning. I knew when I went abroad I would go to Paris at some point, but I never thought I would actually get to live out my dream of a one way trip to Paris with no time, no plan, and no warning. Here's what happened:

Hello from Italy! Or ciao as the Italians say. This weekend my friends and I set out on a new adventure to travel to Milan and Como, two of the popular tourist destinations in Northern Italy. 

After I spent a decent amount of exploring Rabat, I was ready to explore more of Morocco. The public transportation system in Morocco is super affordable and easy to use. (Unlike Michigan, where this is almost no public transportation). Weekend trips were super easy to do! I could take the tram to the train station, take a train to a new city, and taxi wherever I wanted to go.

On Thursday (March 19) I bought a plane ticket back to the US. I started mentally preparing to leave Morocco. An hour after I bought the ticket - my route was canceled. Suddenly, it seemed like there were no more flights out of Morocco. I started preparing myself to stay in Morocco.

Well. This semester did not turn out the way expected it to. Like every single person on earth, my plans changed dramatically when it became clear how serious the coronavirus pandemic would become.