There is so much I haven’t written about, crucial parts of my time in Vienna. Grocery shopping several times a week, walking through the park in Margareten to go to the train station, biking for free because Vienna public services are amazing, and of course, classes.

Before coming to China I was excited to meet new people on my program, and I was also excited to make local Chinese friends. I was looking forward to attending courses at a local university, expanding my comfort zone, and forcing myself to practice my Chinese. Of course, I have Chinese friends at Lafayette, but my excitement about making Chinese friends in China was focused on immersing myself deeper into my abroad program and getting to know the ins and outs of the city from locals.

Last week before my Literature and Place class, our instructor asked us what we were going to miss about London, and it really started sinking in that I’m leaving in less than two weeks. There are a million and one things about London that I’m going to miss once I’ve returned home, but what tops this list is, undoubtedly, theatre.

After traveling for 12 days in a country I've never been to nor speak the language of, I learned through trial and error which apps are necessary and which ones just take up space. For me, this is the ultimate list of the apps I cannot travel without-- they are all free, eco-friendly, and do not require data. Hopefully this list helps your next trip run as smoothly as possible!

Aside from obvious choices like friends and family, I miss…

• Iced coffee & Dunkin Donuts: Hot coffee is pretty much the norm outside the U.S., even when it’s 90 °F out. If you ask for an iced coffee here, you will probably get a blank stare or a coffee blended with vanilla ice cream. Rumor has it there’s a Dunkin by Canal Walk in Cape Town, but I have yet to see it…

This past weekend, I went on the IES Abroad led trip to Cremona, Parma and Modena. And let me tell you that IES Abroad did not disappoint!!!