As part of my French Cooking and Gastronomy class this semester, we went on a field trip to Verrines, La Rochelle, Bordeaux, and Cognac. In Verrines, we visited a chèvrerie, or a goat farm, and we got to see the goats and observe the process of making goat cheese. After visiting the chèvrerie, we made a stop in port city La Rochelle to explore and have lunch. Then, we made our way to Bordeaux and learned about (and tasted!) the specialties of Bordeaux like canelés and wine.

“So, I don’t know if I’ll be able to get ahold of a SIM card as soon as I land in Ireland, so I don’t know how much I’ll be able to talk to you that first day. But the student housing has wifi, so I’ll be able to send you a Facebook message to tell you I’m okay at the very least.”

“Yeah, I know. The parent-slash-guardian email I got said to give the student a few days to settle in before bugging them about calling.”

As I’m sure is the case for many other IES Abroad students heading abroad this Spring, my mind is buzzing with nervousness, excitement, dreams, and fears. For the past few weeks, I’ve been dutifully adding to my small black suitcase, a hand-me down from my mum. I know that as a suitcase it has been through many airport terminals before me, and will only bring good luck and as I’m told reassuringly, “good angels on the journey.”

I’m a procrastinator. I leave to study abroad in Barcelona in two days, and I’ve yet to load my first suitcase up. I have a general idea of what I’m going to bring – it’s all laid out on my bedroom floor, but I have a long way to go. And this morning, instead of starting to pack, I’ve decided to write this blog post. Because I’m still being productive that way, right?

Hi! My name is Brianna Logan, and I am a junior at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY. I am majoring in International Affairs and minoring in Business Management. In less than 24 hours, I will board my plane to study in Freiburg, Germany for the spring semester. Away from the comfort of Skidmore’s campus, my family, and friends. Considering I live on my home university’s campus, being away from my family and friends is not an unfamiliar experience. However, going to Freiburg has caused me to develop a mixture of emotions.

I’m home! Though I’m excited about the next semester, there was so much that I wasn’t expecting to be shocked or surprised by when I got home. I knew that reverse culture shock was a thing that I was probably going to experience, but I wasn’t really sure what aspects would bother me. Here are a few things that I noticed were major differences between my life in Siena, and my hometown of Chicago.

Italy – the country where every city boasts an extensive history of food and wine. Every city you visit has something they are famous for, whether that be the pizza in Naples or the tortellini in Bologna. Spending a semester in Siena, I quickly learned to appreciate high-quality food and the process of creating it. To take this appreciation to the next level, a group of friends and I decided to try our hand at cooking a traditional Italian dish from scratch, and that is how our Gnocchi Night began.

Welcome to my blog! My name is Julianna Connelly, and I am a Junior at Indiana University studying abroad in Quito, Ecuador, for the Spring 2019 semester. I am a double major in English and Spanish with a minor in Environmental and Sustainability Studies. Way back in my Junior year of high school, I was completely unsure about what academic horizons I hoped to explore in college.

Italy is one of the most incredible countries in the world, full of culture, food, and adventure. One of my main focuses when coming to study abroad in Siena was getting to know my host country as much as possible. Therefore, I focused most of my travel within it and spent as much time as possible seeing what makes it so special.

When I applied to IES Abroad - Nagoya in the summer, it seemed pretty far into the future. Throughout the fall semester, after receiving my admittance, I still didn't register what it meant. The past 48 hours have been unreal. I realized that I am going to JAPAN. Yes, I am going to an Asian country with only a year and half of language study under my belt, and no guarantees that there will be another Latinx student at Nanzan University with me. 

What?