When I decided to come to Milan, I also made the choice to participate in an internship. For the last five years, the fashion industry has fascinated me. I read about it in my free time and look at the new collections when they are released. As such, I asked for a placement with a fashion company, if possible. I was lucky enough to end up getting an interview with a luxury menswear accessories company called Sera Fine Silk.

I’ve gotten to the point where when I’m traveling and get off the plane, I am thankful to be back in Paris again, because it has truly become my home. Seeing the Eiffel Tower as I land is a comforting sight. I have developed a daily routine and still find new things to explore in Paris every day.

For the last weekend of October I met up in Venice, Italy, with four of my closest friends from Occidental to celebrate Isabel's twenty-first birthday. I know I've said it before but I want to say it again: I am a very lucky person. On Friday, Ellen, Isabel and I flew into Venice (one of the most beautiful arial views of a city I have ever seen- the canals of Venice visible as a huge network of veins), bringing all of our belongings to our AirBnb on the mainland off of Venice.

In my last post, I wrote of my effort to see more than the top tourist attractions in the cities that we experience.  The results of this effort have been immensely rewarding.  I will carry these stories and friendships with me for years to come. 

It takes Amanda some Jamaican music to feel at home in Barcelona. Amanda Rickman is from Jamaica, she studies at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. Driven by an idea of stepping outside her comfort zone, Amanda went studying abroad in Barcelona by herself.

“My friends and I decided that we all need to study abroad, but we wanted to go to either some very different spots or during different semesters as it’s just better to go alone and to experience a different culture on your own,” she said.

October and November came and went with many amazing experiences. At the end of October, two of my friends from Occidental flew into Madrid to visit Habiba and I. Alex is studying in Greece, while Isabel studies in Toulouse, France, so Habiba and I were beyond happy to have them with us-- studying abroad is full of changes and uncomfort, but having some familiar faces around felt really stabilizing. The last eight photos of this album are from that weekend in Madrid.

よう. お久しぶりです！

Hello faithful reader!  Here are some highlights from the month of October that didn’t make it in to any other blog posts.

IES Abroad being the awesome institution that it is (thanks again for letting me write), tends to have some pretty cool excursions for a lot of its programs. IES Abroad: Nice edition is no different, so last week I found myself getting to miss class to go to an awesome city like Marseille. I could talk about the diversity there, the awesome food, the beautiful old port and surrounding architecture, but far and away my favorite part of the excursion was a day trip out to Marseille’s islands.

Time here has flown by and we’re already in November.   There are only six weeks left in the program, which is almost inconceivable!  I haven’t even finished with midterms, and we’re already on the way to finals.  I knew that this program would be over in the blink of an eye, but it never truly hits you how quickly it goes until you’re staring down the finish line.