I did not fall in love with Barcelona at first sight. When my taxi took me down Gran Via on the first day towards my homestay apartment, I didn't know what to feel. For the first 2 weeks I began to ask myself what my role would be in this experience and what I wanted to get out of it. But with creating that imaginary checklist I began to form expectations.

Today was my last day in Barcelona. That sad reality has brought with it a whirlwind of nostalgia, sadness, and excitement that usually comes with any big life change. I found myself being torn in two, as my eagerness to return came in conflict with my love of this city. And so begins one of the saddest blogs I have had to write during this experience: my farewell to Barcelona.

Here is a list of my top 6 places/things I did in London that included good pictures. I did so many fun things, but sometimes the pictures did not turn out alright or I was too wrapped up in the moment to pull out my camera! Even in my 3 months here I barely scratched the surface of things to do and places to see. It just means another trip back!

In no specific order here's my list:

1) Kings Cross

So obviously I’m not the only one in this program so I decided to post something a little different. I gathered the opinions of my classmates and thought I would share this with you all. I’m going to be honest, initially this idea manifested from writer’s block but it has turned out to be one of my favorite posts. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of friends to share this experience with.

What has been your most memorable moment / favorite experience during your semester abroad?

Well here I am, sitting in Caledonia Coffee House, sipping on a smoothie, my final exam behind me. ¡Cómo vuela el tiempo! IES Abroad is hosting La Gala de Despedida tonight and then we are all heading to the plaza to celebrate La Nocheviaje Universitaria. This time tomorrow I will be en route to the Madrid Airport to catch my flight back to Boston. I really still can’t believe it. Finals week was a drag but now that the end is here, I feel like time won’t slow down.

Less than a week left in Ecuador, and I keep getting the question "are you excited to go home?"

In all honesty, I can´t say that I am. In fact,  I will be boarding this plane kicking and screaming. Having experienced such a beautiful semester here, it is easy for me to feel devestated in anticipation of my return home. 

Most university students understand the struggle of final exams. First comes the stress of realizing you have to study soon, then the stress while studying, and finally the stress of the actual exams. Some students tend to be more prepared than others. They’ve been revising their notes all semester, regularly attending office hours, and will most likely get a full eight hours of sleep the night before the exam. Others are procrastinators (I admittedly fall into this category).

I’m writing this in one of my favorite cafes in Rome. The bartender drew a cartoon in my cappuccino foam, and I am eating a beautiful apple pastry that looks like a rose. No one could accuse of me of doing anything of short of “taking it all in.” 

I leave the day after tomorrow, and I have already teared up several times. I haven’t even packed yet, because that would mean accepting that I have to go soon.

One of the best things about being in global city in Europe is the ability to travel! This term I was lucky enough to do two trips to 4 different cities: Porto-Portugal, Barcelona-Spain, Dublin-Ireland, and Edinburgh-Scotland. Each were so much fun in their own way! Portugal and Spain both spoke different languages than English and so it became a interesting game of how am I going to understand and get around... but we do live in a world where many people speak English so I was fortunate enough to be able to understand some people!