As I leave the Metro station and begin the long trek up the hill towards the piso after a long day of classes and commuting, I look forward to my return to the wonderful company of my host parents and an amazing meal. Living with a host family is definitely one of the highlights of my experience so far, and I recommend it to everyone who is interested in studying abroad! I always knew I wanted to stay with a host family, because I wanted a chance to practice speaking Spanish and to experience and witness the daily life in Madrid.

Out of the 2015 “Refugee Crisis” grew a polarization and divide in politics seen in states across the European continent.  From such an environment has grown radical ideology as evidenced in the rhetoric of parties such as the AFD in Germany and the National Front in France.  These extreme thoughts and opinions have been elevated to the front of many minds with the vast press coverage that has been dedicated to such topics in recent months.

Everyone has a unique story to tell. I’m sharing a series of those from people who chose to leave their home universities and explore Barcelona for a semester. What are their ways of adjusting to a new culture and environment? I interviewed students who came to Spain from different backgrounds and even countries. I asked them about their epiphany moment, when they realized they were not simply tourists in Barcelona, they actually lived there. Here’s one of the stories:

I love Dublin. The weather here definitely needs to figure out what it wants to be when it grows up (such as either sunny or rainy for longer than fifteen minutes at a time), and all the pedestrians walk so slowly, and there doesn't seem to be anywhere to get a really good burrito, but other than that, I'm pretty sure it's perfect. And one of the best things about Dublin--and Ireland in general--is all the people you'll meet when you live here.

Here’s a day in the life at Sydney Uni! It’s a short 10 minute walk from my apartment to the entrance of campus. I walk past a couple of sports fields (AFL, rugby, and soccer football) and check out any games that are going on that day. I usually will stop by Ralph’s cafe for a long black and occasionally treat myself to a slice of homemade chocolate chip banana bread...it’s truly the best. One of my favourite things about Sydney Uni is the insane amount of coffee shops that there are on campus.

During what I believe was our second weekend of the program, we all took a bus up to the northern cities of Bilbao and San Sebastián. Though these cities are located within Spain, they have a unique history of Separatism, maintaining their origins in El País Vasco (Basque country).

今日拝なびら

For me, the scariest part of going abroad or going to college for the first time, is finding out who I will be living with. When I was a freshman, I was terrified of living with another person I didn't know and that fear followed me to Vienna. Right before I arrived, I found out the name of the 5 strangers who I would be sharing an apartment with for the next 5 months. I have been here for 2 months now, and I would not change anything about my living situtaiton. My roomies are some of the most amazing people here in Vienna!