I have one week left in Barcelona, and I can’t quite explain how I feel about it. This semester has been life-changing in so many ways (obviously—how could you move to Europe for four months and not come out different?). But it changed me in ways that I didn’t expect. Some of these changes I didn’t want, but some I really, really needed. Here’s how Barcelona has taken me in and spit me out as a new person.

One of the things I was most looking forward to during my semester in Barcelona was the ability to travel so freely. In the United States, going somewhere for the weekend is difficult. I usually have class until Friday afternoons, and flights are expensive. But here, I have class until noon on Thursdays and the flights are insanely cheap. I once paid $15 for a flight to Seville. This ease of travel is nearly impossible to pass up while abroad, so I’ve put together some tips for getting the most out of this experience.

Nantes is a wonderful place to live and study, and an equally wonderful place to eat. I’ve had many great meals at crêperies, French restaurants, boulangeries, Italian restaurants, farmer’s markets, Indian restaurants, Japanese restaurants and at my host family’s home. While I’ve tried a whole lot of great things, I would still consider myself a beginner when it comes both to gastronomical expertise as well as Nantes-specific cuisine. Still, I wanted to compile a list of foods that I’ve enjoyed and that have been unique to this place.

Hello beautiful people! Last month, I had the privilege of interviewing Claudia Palmira, and spoiler: she a super cool human being. I wanted to challenge myself by interviewing a creative master in their field. Fortunately, I was able to cross paths with Claudia. Perfect! Now you might be asking yourselves, “Wait, Cam, don’t you have a 1,000-word limit for this blog?” Yes, I do. And I don’t know how you know that. However, I will tell you some of the essentials which I gathered from this interview. Enjoy!

Who:

One of the things I’ve consciously tried to do while living abroad in Barcelona is avoid sticking to the touristy attractions. While I of course hit those the first month or so of being here, I was curious what it would be like to live like the people who actually live here. I still love to go to the clubs aimed at study abroad students and stroll through La Boquería with the rest of the tourists, but I’ve discovered some hidden local gems during my time here. Here are some tips/local places you should check out…

After bidding goodbye to Buenos Aires, our program sent us off to Peru! We had one week split between two cities: Lima and Cusco. We spent our first day in Lima exploring the downtown area and visiting a pre-Columbian artifact museum, Museo Larco. Here we saw ancient pottery, sacrificial tools, and gold and silver accessories that were worn by nobles. We also visited Basílica y Convento de San Francisco, a cathedral that contains a labyrinth of catacombs beneath its surface.

Identity is such an interesting concept because not only is it defined differently for everyone, but it influences the ways of life for many people, if not all. Generally speaking, identity is defined as the fact of being who or what a person or thing is. Identity is important for some regarding religion, race, sexuality, ethnicity, nationality, class, and many other aspects of life. Such categories related to identity are important for people because it enables them to navigate life more effectively.

My friends at home and I have a ritual we do after we’ve spent the day hanging out, where we’ll ask each other our gratitudes for the day. We’ll go around saying what we’re thankful for that day, with answers ranging from the silly to very heartfelt. I like this little pause in the day to reflect on what makes me happy, even if it is a little cheesy. This practice of reflecting on the positives is something I’ve tried to implement into my daily routine while abroad.

As the title of this post suggests, we didn't spend that much time in Sofia; nonetheless, I enjoyed the time we spent in the city.

This was my second time visiting Athens, but considering that I had previously only spent one day in Athens, I got to see a side of the city that I didn't get to see last time.