Last night, October 12^th, Japan experienced the worst typhoon to hit the country in almost 60 years. Many cities and neighborhoods in the Kanto and Tohoku regions suffered great damage, with multiple people reported dead or missing. Millions of people across dozens of prefectures were issued evacuation advisories ahead of harsh winds, flooding rivers, and landslides. This is the story told from the perspective of one student in a small apartment just outside of Tokyo who’s had a lot of thoughts about his first typhoon experience.

During my study abroad journey, I have become a blogger, aspiring Instagram guru, and olive oil connoisseur. None of these titles were anticipated evolutions and only one is something that I would have believed could be me a year ago. 

I’ll let you in on a secret: I’m writing this blog from a Starbucks.

In any new environment, safety is my #1 priority and I'm glad that with IES Abroad Quito the safety of all students is taken very seriously. I have come to realize that here in Quito, most people on the streets or those who take the bus are not actively looking to steal or cause harm towards anyone. Additionally, while traveling through different provinces, I found it necessary to be aware of my surroundings because it is sometimes obvious I am a foreigner.

A few days ago, I officially made it one month in the City of Light! In this first month, I have learned about numerous cultural differences from discussions in my French class, with my host family, and my new Parisian friends and from my own experiences.

I've been in Rome for about a month and a half now and I feel like I've finally settled into my life here (it only took half of the whole semester.) When I first arrived, I was so timid and easily overwhelmed! If I wanted to go somewhere, I would pause and think, “how can I go if I have to take the train! I don’t know how to do that!” If I wanted to go into a store, I’d think, “what if they speak Italian to me and I don’t know how to answer and I accidentally offend them and can never come back to this store again.”

Is it just me or did every person that encouraged you to study abroad also say that it would be a “life-changing experience?” While I’m sure that I’m not the only one to have heard this promising phrase, I am also pretty sure that like me, you probably didn’t receive a clear guideline as to how you could begin to make your experience abroad a life-changing one. Unfortunately, I can’t be the one to provide you with this guideline, but I can tell you what has worked for me. 

Last weekend my roommates and I finally made it to Rome and enjoyed the incredible sights the city has to offer, but there are definitely some tips I wish I had before our trip. Although the trains in Italy and Europe are very accessible and convenient, they can be expensive if you are booking on short notice. So, in order to save money, my roommates and I took an overnight Flixbus from Milan to Rome which took 12 hours... So book in advance! The bus was long, but somewhat comfortable and very affordable.

I have been in Barcelona for a full month now and it would be safe to say I’m still in the “honeymoon phase” of abroad that people told me about before I left. I am definitely still adjusting to the culture shock and things like taking the metro to school every day, remembering to speak in Spanish, living with five other girls, and the strange eating times, but I think I’m learning pretty quickly!