In most cases of study abroad, it should not come as a surprise that your new 'home away from home' speaks a different language. Maybe you speak that country’s language, maybe you are learning that language, or maybe you do not speak it at all. No matter the case, that language barrier is still there and adds to the experience of culture shock.

Travel is, of course, an exciting and desired part of a study abroad experience. That is one of the reasons why the IES Abroad European Union program is so favorable for students. Although the planned travel into the city is a huge bonus for the program, it is not getting to the city but what you do once you are there that makes it worthwhile. These trips are more than just sightseeing and food tasting.

I recently embarked on my first weekend trip of the semester. It was about time to get out of Shanghai and see someplace new. My friends and I went to the neighboring city of Nanjing, about an hour and a half train ride away from Shanghai. Before going, I didn’t know much about Nanjing - just that it was a site of a horrific massacre, was the former capital of China, and is a smaller city than Shanghai. I spent about 36 hours in Nanjing, and this is my rundown of the city.

High rise rectangular boxes block out the sun that pours into the rest of Sydney center. Although I prefer the sun and trees as opposed to skyscrapers, I can’t help but admit they do cool down the city today. 

This late October Friday might be the warmest it’s been since first arriving in Sydney, as we are edging slowly but surely to the summer months here which are December-late February. With no classes today, warm weather, and sun, my plan is to hit the beach...but first I want something to eat.  

The name “Mullumbimby” to most sounds made up, by the reactions of my friends and family when I tell them I spent a portion of my mid-semester break there. My Australian friends on the other hand usually just nod at the mention of the place and mutter something about it being a proper hippy town; they’re not wrong. 

It’s crazy to think that in less than three weeks I will be leaving this gorgeous country and heading back to the US! I feel like just a few weeks ago I was trying to plan my first trip with my new IES Abroad friends and now I am on the other side of our final New Zealand adventure together.

Dinner is a big deal in my host family; it’s a time for everyone to gather together and it’s not unusual that we spend an hour or an hour and a half at the dinner table eating and talking. The meals are usually delicious and languid. However, one night at dinner, I scarfed down three crepes without even noticing and I hardly managed to slow down to savor my fourth crepe. By the time my host mom turned to offer me a fifth crepe I was stuffed… and I was also stuck, I realized that I did not know how to refuse her offer of more food.

I have had type one diabetes since I was four years old, so it’s safe to say I cannot even remember a time when I was not living with diabetes. My relationship with diabetes has not always been great; I spent the first ten or so years of my life with diabetes feeling resentful and frustrated towards it. My diabetes management got so bad that my doctors started to warn me that my bodily functions would start to shut down if I did not change something soon.

Rome is an amazing city, but sometimes it’s nice to get outside the city for a weekend to experience some of the other unique places in Italy. Recently, I went on a day trip to the famous Eurochocolate festival in Perugia, the capital city of the Umbria region!