And just like that, my time abroad has come to an end! It seems like I was just landing in Buenos Aires, and now I am sitting in the Santiago airport anxiously awaiting to board my flight. It’s such a cliché, but time really does fly in the blink of an eye! The past few days I have spent my time trying to savor my last moments in Santiago, but admittedly the anxiety of packing and prepping was a big distraction.

I have no idea how this happened, but my program officially ended last Sunday—I must say, it still hasn't hit me yet. The last few weeks were filled with final papers and presentations, so I was so busy studying I didn't register that exam week meant the end of the program. I started to think about it the day we had our farewell gathering with all the IES Abroad students and the dinner with members of our host families.

Hola, chicos, chicas, and my gender non-conformers!

Hi! My name is Maddie, and I am currently studying Early Childhood Education and Special Education at Temple University in Philadelphia. I will be traveling to Europe for almost seven weeks, spending about two weeks each in France, Italy, and Spain. First, we are going to Paris, then Rome, and finally Madrid. This is my first time traveling to Europe, and I am super excited to be able to visit three beautiful cities and countries. I also do not know anyone in the program and know that they are from all over the United States.

It’s been more than a week since I’ve left Freiburg, but the city and the time I spent there is still often on my mind. The four months that I spent there might have felt long when I was still in the middle of my program, but looking back, it feels as if the past four months of my life have gone by in the blink of an eye. 

I am grateful for the trips that I went on. I visited numerous countries for the first time—these countries were, in the order that I travelled to them: Switzerland, Belgium, Denmark, Hungary, and Bulgaria. Each and every country that I visited offered a new insight into the continent and was unique in its own way, regardless of whether I travelled to it as part of my program or on my own time.

Dear Student Studying Abroad in Freiburg, 

Congratulations on choosing to study abroad in Freiburg! Here are three tips for living in Freiburg:

One: Always have some kind of valid ticket on you when taking the tram. Remember to validate your ticket. Remember to get a new monthly pass at the start of each month.

Hey, everyone! I’m Addie, and I just finished my sophomore year at Davidson College. I’m a sociology major and super excited to leave for France. As I prepare to begin my journey to Nice tomorrow, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what I want to do while I’m abroad, what I’m worried about, and what I’ll miss most about being at home.

The last two weeks of my program involved studying for finals, questioning how I am going to pack all my clothes into my suitcase and fitting in last-minute activities in Berlin. Unlike most people in my program, my last two weeks also involved a visit from my family. I left home in February to fly to Berlin, and almost four months later, I was reunited with my family in my new home.

In chambers underneath the ancient city of Fez, men sit tending the flames of furnaces. The rooms are cavernous but half-filled with sawdust, like great sand dunes; the men perch on them, stirring the embers.

Above them, the Fez's old city bustles like a beehive, its streets filled with vendors and buyers and tourists, but you wouldn't know that, sitting among these fire-feeders. The city's many voices do not reach them. Crouched there in the dust and shadows, I felt like I had stumbled on Fez's beating, burning heart.