I have always been a serial overpacker, and true to form I arrived in Granada with three large bags stuffed with clothes and everything else I thought I needed for studying abroad. Now, some of the things I brought along have been absolutely essential, but I've gotten very little use out of others. I also didn’t really take into account that I would be buying plenty of things here, so trying to fit everything back into my luggage for the way home has been a struggle.

When preparing to study abroad, there are always a million questions swirling through your mind, but somehow you only manage to ask a few of them. I arrived in Spain feeling decently prepared for the semester, then of course got my world turned upside down. So, to prevent the same from happening to you, here’s a list of things I wish I knew before studying abroad, in Granada and in general.

Oh my gosh! Qu-est-ce qui s’est passé? The title of this blog sort of gives away what happened, but here’s the story for anyone who doesn’t know that méduses do (in fact) exist in the Golfe du Morbihan. Dear future Nantes students…you’ve been warned by this blog.

Rather than leaving you and London on a sad note, I wanted to list some recommendations here for future reference or for any Study London students coming in Spring 2022. The list provided touches on coffee shops/study spots that I am so glad I found while here. Enjoy!

1. Biking around the city – I personally am not a huge fan of biking, but even I can see what the hype is about when it comes to Amsterdam and its biking culture. In a city that has more bikes than it has people, it is a must to experience this at least once or twice, if not more. You feel a different kind of joy when you’re moving along the streets of Amsterdam on wheels and you are surrounded by hundreds of others on their own.

Studying abroad is definitely a life-changing experience and has opened my eyes to several aspects of life in France compared to back home. It hasn’t been easy of course with lows and highs. Before I leave a couple of days from now, I would like to take a moment to share with you all some of my favorite moments or aspects of life here that I’ll miss. This isn’t an exhaustive list nor in a particular order, but it’s just to give you an idea of some of my favorite moments abroad.

My time in Paris is coming to an end, so here are some packing tips for things to bring from home and things to buy here that I’ve discovered since arriving to Paris!

Tote Bag

As I wrap up my semester in London, I have the same exact bittersweet feeling that I had at the beginning of the program. On one note, I feel that I have grown tremendously in terms of who I am and how I want to progress in my life moving forward. On another note, I will miss my friends here and the connections I’ve made.

As we wind down to the end of the semester with finals around the corner, I have this strong urge to buy mountains of presents for my family and friends. Especially with the many Christmas markets in Paris and thousands of potential Christmas presents to go home with. All of that sounds good until I have to start packing. This week is not only the week of finals, but I have to start packing as well. I guess we just have to do one thing at a time.

As my time in London is coming to an end, (trying not to think about it) I feel that over the past four months I have been able to adapt to life abroad pretty well. However, that doesn’t mean I didn’t have my fair share of slip ups along the day. Studying abroad is such an experiential learning opportunity, so I felt it would be keen to share my advice of the “do’s and don'ts” of studying abroad. 

DO:

Make time for school.