To be an effective studier, I depend a lot on my environment. These were the places where I was the most productive. Most of them are also conveniently located near to IES Abroad. There are tons of cafes that aren’t included in this short list but these are some of the ones I frequented the most.

It’s a good question. When I first left for Madrid, I was kind of nervous. While I was extremely excited to come to a new place and start a new life here with new people, it kind of felt like I was running away from my problems -- that I was just pausing life for six months.

Thursday, May 18

I'm home! But I feel foreign.

Okay, if you have been keeping up with my blog posts you would know that feeling foreign is pretty typical for me -- since I'm Brazilian but I currently live in the U.S. Nonetheless, New York is currently my home or as the hipsters say I'm presently based in New York. But the thing is, feeling foreign is probably one of the few familiar things in my life.

            Taking “Sustainable Energy” abroad has been one of my favorite classes so far in college.  It allows us the opportunity to experience firsthand how German people view the environment.  Yesterday, we got to travel to three different farms and see how the farmers there are dealing with Germany’s transition to renewable energy.  Germany has been committed to phasing out nuclear and fossil fuels for a long time.

This weekend I travelled to the Vosges Mountains in the Alsace Region of France.  It was an IES Abroad-led tour that went from Saturday evening until Sunday night.  It was only located about two hours from Freiburg, and we could actually see part of the city when we were on top of the mountains.  It’s odd to be standing in France and have the ability to see where you’re living in Germany.

“I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” – Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer Abroad

Hello! My name is Elisabeth, most people call me Allie, but I will respond to most everything. My middle school science teacher called my Liz for a month before I corrected her and I became Ellie for the remainder of the school year. No wonder I’m not a science major…

Anyway…

It’s official! In less than two weeks I will be leaving the dry, flat landscape of Denver, Colorado for the lush, rolling hills of Dublin, Ireland. On June 7, 2017 I will start my adventure of a lifetime when I arrive at the Gaiety School of Acting!

Last week, we all said goodbye. Thursday night, we had a farewell dinner for everyone in the program to say goodbye to the staff and faculty. Friday night, all the students got together on the Rabat beach to say goodbye to each other before we left. Saturday, we parted ways from our host families.