Hello all, if you don’t know me, my name is Catalina. I am a rising third year at the University of Virginia studying Public Policy and American Government. My job as a blogger throughout these next few weeks will be to describe my experience abroad in the various countries that we visit not only as an American student but also as a Hispanic female (of Colombia origin, in case you were wondering). I am currently studying with the IES Abroad European Union program for the summer.

When coming to London, I didn’t think that there would really be any culture shock. I mean, I recently spent time in China, so I felt like if I could handle that, I could handle anything. As it turns out, there are still differences between the US and UK that I wasn’t prepared for. Here’s a list of the top things that have confused me culturally since landing 2 weeks ago.

“Can I guess where you’re from? I’m really good at guessing.”

“Uh, sure.”

“Thailand? Cambodia? China? Is it a country in Asia?”

It's market day in Siena every Wednesday and with each week the Fortezza Medicea transforms overnight into a sprawling conflation of a flea market, flower shop, and one of the most incredible lines of food trucks and produce you've ever seen. Coming into a place where the language is foreign and the roads tangle around each other in seemingly senseless knots can be rather intimidating at first.

Good morning!

There's a lot of aspects to studying abroad that can be absolutely terrifying – a new country, new customs, new foods, new time zone. Yet so many people ignore one of the most common problems of studying abroad that students run into: loneliness.

Studying abroad doesn't come with a friend guaruntee. Granted, many people choose to pursue study abroad with their friends, but for the majority of us, we are thrust into a whole new world without any idea who we will be discovering this world with.

It had been an amazing weekend. A group of friends and I went to Milan, Italy and walked around the city, making sure to stop at the best restaurants and gelato stands. We took a day trip to Lake Como by train, which was breathtakingly gorgeous and absolutely awe-inspiring; I’d go as far as to say it is my favorite place I’ve ever been. We were so sad to leave Italy and all its history and good food, but reality called so we headed back to Barcelona.

My host mom’s house is in Gran Via, the most cosmopolitan place in Madrid, Spain’s vibrant capital. It’s somewhat like a boulevard in Paris center, but with the Time Square effects of business. The avenue reflects the extravagant taste of American jazz age, with numerous stores, luxury hotels, and endless streams of shoppers. Spain must have foreseen a globalized world when it brought Gran Via to life in 1910 because of this where you hear at least three different languages walking through just one block.

One of the goals I had for my study abroad experience was to immerse myself in the culture. That isn’t as easy as it sounds. I was taking most of my classes at the IES Abroad Center, with other IES Abroad students, and our group was actually a really cool group. So, it isn’t easy to branch out and make friends outside the program without feeling a little FOMO. But I pushed myself to meet locals and people outside my program, and I am so happy I did!

Wow. 

I can't believe that this amazing study abroad experience has come to an end.