Ciao everyone! I am so excited to begin this journey of interning in Rome this summer and to be sharing it all with you primarily through my vlogs (linked below)! Entering this program I was filled with anxiety, excitement, and severe wanderlust. I had been abroad before for a couple weeks on a pilgrimage to Bosnia and Croatia, but besides that I have only travelled throughout the United States. When I arrived in Rome about a week or so ago, I was shocked.

After landing on foreign soil for the first time on Tuesday, I am now writing this from my gorgeous IES Abroad housing, where I am unpacked, well-rested, and most importantly, completely set up in the electronics department.  This took me time, tears, and ten thousand steps, and it's become quite the lesson that I wished I was prepared for, which has inspired this post.

We all arrived in Paris early in the morning on May 20. We traveled to the IES Abroad Center where we met everyone in the program. Afterwards, we got settled into our apartments in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. The next day, we had lunch at a local crêperie before boarding a boat for a tour of the gorgeous Seine river. We have been taking two classes while in Paris and alternating between each every other day. One group has class in the morning, and the other class meets in the afternoon.

Last week, I spent one of my first afternoons exploring Buenos Aires completely alone. I wandered around Recoleta, the neighborhood of my homestay, and and settled at the Mediterranean restaurant called Florentin. I was sitting at an outdoor table eating a messy but delicious falafel sandwich with a side of potato chips, journaling about my past weekend in Mendoza, when it registered with me that everything that had once been confusing and out of the ordinary had become my new normal.

I’ve never quite appreciated Bloomington nights like this one. Nobody is making sounds and the wild streets are empty. The stars are out, and their light is different tonight. Usually the streetlamps hide them, but a few have managed to cut through. The moon is dark, very dark, so difficult to see I almost missed it. The bugs and small animal noises aren’t annoying tonight, they’re quite comforting and familiar. One last summer night before I fly to Dublin.

I know I’m lucky because not everyone has a pilgrimage to make in their life, a trip to help us grow as people. I know the idea has its roots in religion, but for me it was as simple as my trip to Signy de l’Abbaye this past weekend.

Hola chicos/as/ques/xs aka all of y’all!

In my life and especially in travel, getting organized has been essential to being successful. During the pre-departure process, there has been nothing more helpful than preparing a to do list. To do lists are great organization tools, particularly for when one has many things that must be completed in a set amount. They are great tools for time management, preparation and getting stuff done, in general.

Hi everyone! This post is for anyone nervous about adjusting to a new language abroad (particularly if you have heritage ties to the language), but all are welcome to read!

Tigre, a suburb of Buenos Aires, is one of the top day trip destinations from the capital city. It's easy to get to, tranquil when compared with the madness of Buenos Aires, and still has plenty of things to do. Better yet, it's situated on the Paraná Delta, which makes it ideal for boating or enjoying a waterside lunch.