I cannot believe my eight weeks in Milan have come to an end. It seems like just yesterday I was getting ready to leave home for those eight weeks. I remember feeling so nervous because I had no idea what to expect. Reflecting on my time in Milan, I am honestly so happy I chose IES Abroad for my study abroad program and even happier that I chose Milan.

Here I am in my seat, hundreds of miles above the earth and sea on an airplane back to my home. Everything I did throughout my internship abroad is done, I took all I could fit with me in my suitcase, and I left some things behind. Now there's just me, my thoughts, and several more hours of travel.

Australia is amazing!!! I’ve been here for less than a week now, but I am thrilled to say I’ve found another home. Although it was tough saying goodbye, and the 24 hour flight...well that was certainly very tough, ever since I arrived in Australia I have loved every second in this foreign wonderland!

Most students traveled out of Shanghai for our 3-day weekend, last week. Two of my friends and I headed to Chengdu, the capital of the Sichuan province, known for extremely spicy food, lots of tea, and PANDAS!

We embarked on our journey Thursday night on an evening flight; Chengdu is three hours by plane. The impending tropical storm heading toward East China caused ourflight to be delayed until 11pm, when we finally boarded our flight. We were off to a little bit of a rocky start, but were excited for an action-packed weekend.

Writing this post has taken me a lot of time and thought. I was avoiding thinking about leaving Spain for, well, my entire trip, and when the time came I was brokenhearted. Although I had some low points during my trip (cancelled flights, a stolen phone, 2 hours stuck in a tiny, cramped elevator, and a hacked debit card), the highs far outweighed them, and I didn’t want to leave that behind. But I couldn’t avoid it forever; I had to start packing up my things and documenting as much as I can.

Sometimes, I just look back on some idiot thing I did, and it’s like, who am I??? There’s so much I don’t know about myself. I start to think I can kind of see my pattern of behavior and understand it, but I really can’t. People are so unpredictable. This occurred this weekend when a couple of my friends and I got the address wrong for our bus tour meant to explore the Great Ocean Road outside of Melbourne. We found ourselves 40 minutes outside the city, with 10 minutes to go before the bus was supposed to leave.

Last week was the final week of my internship program with IES Internships and LivItaly (it was a for-credit internship that was offered through IES Internships, and my placement was at LivItaly for those of you confused on how things were working out with that this summer). Not going to lie, the entire week felt a little bittersweet since I’d most likely never see many of the people in my program again after it ended. Though I was glad to have met them and spent most of the summer with them.

After this past weekend, I can honestly say that I feel like I am exactly where I am supposed to be. I have began to feel my heart fill with love and appreciation for this country even though I have only just begun to explore and experience it. New Zealand is absolutely stunning, with postcard views every way you turn, making it an outdoor lovers playground and a view chasers dream.

72 Hours from now, I'll be on my way to the airport. We've reached The Final Countdown.

After weeks of going back and forth, challenging my FOMO, and embracing the growth that I am bound to achieve by studying abroad, I am days away from begining my semester abroad in Buenos Aires. This moment was a long time coming and my journey to deciding to study in Buenos Aires is an interesting one.