After all the hard work done at GSA, it was time to take a little mid term break with friends.

I had joined a group of GSA IES Abroad students who were planning to go to Verona, Venice, and Edinburgh. I hadn't been to Italy since I was about twelve years old and had never been to Scotland before in my life.

So, Italy and Scotland. What was I prepared for?

-Plates upon plates of spaghetti

-A gelato or two to taste along the way

-Waltzing down cobble stone streets

My first post on London is about one of my favorite things, public transportation! My friends all know that I am a subway connoisseur, and I couldn't wait to get to know the Underground. London's Ungerground, or most often called 'The Tube', is huuuuge. I love how many lines there are because it always means you're roughly a 10 minute walk from a stop at most. I live next to Kings Cross, and it's so convenient how may lines run through it.

Studying in the library day after day can get boring and monotonous. I needed to get out of the stacks and into the city! Dublin is full of quirky cafes and delicious chai tea lattes—I just had to find them. So I did the online research and hunted them down to bring you this: an ultimate list of my favorite Dublin coffee shops and restaurants that allow you to get work done with a coffee in one hand and a pen in the other. Take a look at each of my descriptions and then decide where your next Dublin study location will be!

It’s finally fall in Barcelona. I shiver without a thick sweater, and the light fades come 7 pm.  With the new chilly weather I find myself craving comfort foods. Nothing is better than sitting in the many cozy cafés Barca has to offer. So I have generously broken down a few of my favorites for fellow foodies who savor the dining experience as much as the food itself:

For Those Lazy Mornings: Trópico

Getting around Beijing is pretty easy, whether you take public transportation, do ride-sharing, or just walk (which in Chinese is humorously referred to as taking the number 11 bus, because your legs look like the number 11).

The Beijing subway is user-friendly, safe, and cheap. Even when there are a ton of people using the subway, I haven’t encountered any major problems. Before swiping your subway card, you pass through a quick security check and pass your bag through security as well.

As my days in Barcelona wind down, and the countdown to home begins, I have developed the feeling of being torn in two. As much as I am in love with Barcelona and all that it has taught me, I miss home. And as much as home is my sense of comfort and true joy, I love the adventures and experiences that Barcelona has provided me. A few days ago I began again to reflect on my identity within this space. And thus, this is my second installment in the soul searching, cultural investigation series that I began with my love letter to tacos.

When I was in preschool, I unashamedly announced that I wanted to be a princess when I grew up. When I was in middle school, I played Cinderella in Into the Woods Jr. and imagined what going to the ball would be like. When I was in high school, I donned a tiara and played a Baroness in my choir’s madrigal gala and had a masquerade ball for my 18th birthday. Now, as a 21-year-old college student, my lifelong dream has (almost) come true because, on Friday night, I attended a real-life Viennese ball.

Last month, in between all my midterms, exposés, and class excursions, I finally had friends who were also studying abroad in Europe come to visit me. It was a fantastic experience and I was so happy to see familiar faces. I learned a lot about being a guide and showing off a city at the same time. So here are a few tips on how to best show off your new city.

Soloing isn’t just a travel style but a brand new way of experiencing travel altogether. In study abroad, it is something you'll quickly hear about. As a very social person, it was always something I feared. For me, traveling alone meant taking a step towards independence. To some travelers, making plans and traveling completely alone to a foreign country is not a big deal. To me, making plans and traveling completely alone to a foreign country was a very big deal.

One of the hardest parts about adjusting to life in the Netherlands, and abroad in general, is the amount of free time I now have. At University of Rochester, my home school, I've been involved in a myriad of activities.