When I was choosing where to study abroad, I never had a doubt in my mind. I had my heart set on Italy for some strange reason, and a few years later, here I am. 

For the first time this semester, I finally decided to leave France for a few days. Our program recommended we stay in our host country just in case covid restrictions would abruptly change, and I heeded that advice, but with spring break, I figured I had a good chunk of leeway in the event that something went wrong.

Over time, the list of places I’ve been to has grown—just like everyone else. Right now I’m sitting at Rome, Venice, Florence, Switzerland, France, Ireland and the Netherlands. I’m incredibly grateful for every opportunity I was given to go to these places, I want to make that clear to begin with. When you first go abroad, the list of places to visit is pretty much endless; and, that’s so exciting.

A mannequin, eine Schaufensterpuppe if you will, I have recently discovered is all I ever wanted. Today, my friends, has been a glorious day because I purchased one from Facebook marketplace. As named by her previous owners, Ivanka is now my prized possession. I'm most excited to take her on picnics through Berlin as the weather gets warmer. It was interesting to see how passersby reacted to her when I took her back to Mitte.

Not far from the Piazza del Campo, there is an apartment with a view of San Domenico where three university students are making eggplant sandwiches for the second time in a week. While I almost cried when I saw the Acropolis in Greece and Giulietta’s balcony in Verona, these nights spent at the kitchen table with my roommates are the best moments I’ve had studying abroad.

Wow does time move fast. I had the idea to film this video one month into my study abroad experience. I filmed this video two months into my study abroad experience. And now I'm sitting here, uploading the video, three months into my study abroad experience. I only have one month left!!! When did that happen? In this video, I break down some of the noticings I had after living in France for a while. Some of these are very oddly specific (how much water is in the toilets), and some are very general (meal time).

Hello there! I’ve spent a lot of time writing about the other places I’ve traveled, so I wanted to make sure I gave my home city the credit it deserves. It’s been so fun to explore and make Dublin a new home by finding a routine in the places I keep going back to. 

Being queer, the concept of “found family” is not new to me.

The activities in this post were undertaken during the student’s free time and were neither sponsored nor encouraged by IES Abroad.