Tomorrow I leave for London to start my study abroad program.

Tomorrow.

“No way. I don’t believe it.”

I remember filing all the paperwork and scheduling all the meetings that were necessary to make this dream happen.

I remember constantly feeling as though there were something else…another paper, another form, another meeting…but there’s not!

“Wait, so this is really happening?”

Being an American in Paris means getting used to a new way of living. Here are some tips to keep in mind when traveling around the City of Light.

10) Public transit will be your best friend.

I'm an incredibly nostalgic person. If you don't believe me, check out the bag of momentos I'm carrying back from Amsterdam—it's full of ticket stubs, brochures, boarding passes, business cards from favorite places, photo booth strips, and some foreign currency. I'd haphazardly thrown them into a desk drawer throughout the semester, but on my last night in Amsterdam, I carefully sorted through the physical memories of my abroad experience. There's the boarding pass to Arrecife, my first-ever solo travel experience.

Living in the center of Granada is inextricably tied with living in the shadow of the Alhambra—an old Islamic city complete with breathtaking palaces, extensive gardens, and a complex defensive system of imposing towers and walls. On any given day, walking to Plaza Nueva or along Paseo de los Tristes you can see the Alhambra and the Generalife—the beautiful almunia (aka summer palace) which served as a lavish country home for Nazarí kings starting during the 13th century.

Hey everyone,

Since my semester in Nagoya has ended, I wanted to share photos I took throughout the semester. Before heading to the pictures, I want to reflect on my time abroad.

What my grandmother remembers best about Morocco is the moment she stepped off the ferry at the port of Tangier. I can imagine what she saw, because it’s hardly changed since the 1960s: a white city on a hill, shadowing the sea, its buildings glinting like porcelain in the sun, or the insides of oyster shells. As she stood and gazed at it all, she was swarmed by the insistent vendors who wait at the road that runs by the docks for tourists to stumble off the boats, offering them taxi rides and trinkets.

Hi everyone,

I’ve made it back to the States! I am exhausted from traveling, but I’m glad I made it back safely. I’d like to talk about my time in Japan—what I liked, what I didn’t like, what advice I have, etc.

It’s been a week since I’ve left Granada. Yet, I’m also not home. For the past few days I’ve been traveling by train with a friend, trading one city for the next every few days. It’s a completely different daily experience, one of constant motion: having fun but trying to save every penny; communicating in languages we don’t fully understand. We don’t stay long enough in a place to have a favorite café, nor to learn people’s names.

Coming home from study abroad is a total mix of emotions. I felt as though I was leaving from one home to return to another, conflicted about which I would miss more. Departing from an experience that is so formative (and fun!) can be challenging and sometimes upsetting, but seeing how that experience leads to even more makes it at least a bit more bearable.

Hi! My name is Anna, and I am a rising junior at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. Nerves and excitement swirl around my mind as I prepare for my upcoming adventure in Salamanca, Spain. I still don't know if I am more excited or nervous, but I know that in a few days, all my concerns and unanswered questions will be resolved when I land in Madrid and meet the people I will be spending the next month with.