One of the benefits of living in Paris is how easy it to get anywhere within the city; There are buses, trains, Ubers, taxis, motorcyclists and my personal favorite, the metro. As a tourist, you might be tempted to get on a tourist bus that drops you off at specific touristic locations, but today I want to encourage you to do something different. I've had friends visit Paris for a weekend and spend way too much on transportation when they could be putting that money elsewhere. The most efficient way that I've found to get around Paris is the metro.

Traveling to a foreign country on a tight budget can spark grueling internal warfare. On one hand, you want to make the most of this once in a lifetime opportunity in every possible way - on the other hand, every cool experience seems marked with a price tag that would only create an even bigger hole in your wallet. 

Oh, blog. I’ve been neglecting you.

Growing Pains

After the conclusion of my stressful and sleep-deprived midterm exams, I’ve found myself sick for the second time this semester, munching on pieces of chocolate and rice crackers, hunched over a youtube video in my room at my host family's house. Not exactly the glamorous image of a young traveler fulfilling her dreams and having life-changing experiences in France

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.