As a film major living through the pandemic, I have definitely forgotten the energy entering a bustling cinema. I think this past month has been the first time in years I've seen a sizable group amass for any film other than something made by Disney. I'm talking about my experience at the 72nd Berlinale, otherwise known as the Berlin Film Festival. Over ten days in the middle of winter, many films played to eager audiences, most productions from outside of German-speaking regions.

This weekend, for my spring break, I flew over to Barcelona, Spain to meet up with my friend Hallie! She’s studying abroad there for the semester and has a spare bed in her apartment, so I got to enjoy a free place to stay and a wonderful tour guide for the weekend. 

A couple of weeks ago, I had the amazing opportunity to go to London with my roommate Sammi! She decided to get a hotel in the city, while I got to stay with my old friend Holly, who lives in southeast London near Wimbledon. We unluckily chose to visit over the weekend that Storm Eunice rolled in, which was one of the worst storms that the UK has seen in a while, so we were glad for our planes to land safely and to make it into the city. The wind was crazy our first day; we could hardly stand up straight!

After a month of newness and a week of quarantine, I think living in Rome is just starting to sink in. 

It’s going to happen at one time or another, sadly. You’re gone for two to four months, thousands of miles away in another country across the world with very few commonalities of anything you’ve ever known — I’m probably not helping at this point. However, I’ve always believed that the best things in life are almost always on the other side of fear — discomfort can be a really good thing. Sometimes, though, it can all catch up to you at once, and it never really does so at the right time.

I’ve been on San Cristóbal island for a little over a month now, and I feel like I was greatly under-prepared for the amount of vaginal stress I have had to endure on this trip.

There are some things you just can’t get used to. For example: scented toilet paper (who thought that was a good idea?)

I was drifting off to sleep last night, exhausted from a long day at work and bracing myself to do it again the next day, when a wisp of a thought drifted its way harmlessly to the forefront of my mind and electrified my consciousness. 

I jolted awake… I leave for Buenos Aires in THREE DAYS?!?!

Today is Wednesday, which means I only have two classes; I actually have just two classes every day here in Paris. My Monday and Wednesday classes are identical, and then on Tuesday and Thursday, I have the same morning class, but a different afternoon class. Since it’s Monday, I don’t start until around 10:30 a.m., so I get to sleep in a little later than I do on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I have to take the Metro to classes, so I leave my building around 9:45 a.m. to make sure I get to the BIA center in plenty of time.

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of exploring Porto, Portugal – the country’s second-largest city – with a few friends. Porto was a vibrant city with breathtaking views of the ocean, delicious food, and friendly people. I 100% recommend visiting the city. For my first venture outside Spain, I'd say it was a perfect trip. To get to Porto, I took a 5-hour bus ride directly from Salamanca. The journey was exciting in and of itself.