My first trip to Ireland was Mother’s Day of 1997. I was six months old and I obviously have no recollection of our trip, but looking back on all the pictures of my Dad holding me at the Cliffs of Moher, being bundled in a white wool blanket, and sitting at a vibrant pub in Temple Bar were, in hindsight, a foreshadowing of this abroad experience. Here I am nearly twenty-one years later and experiencing Ireland all on my own.

Well the day came, I cried and said goodbye to my parents, boyfriend, and best friend. I did my time waiting in airports and on planes and I made it to Paris, France. There were of course some unexpected bumps along the way. My suitcase was 10lbs overweight, which cost a lot more than I initially thought. My host mother’s mom died and my host mother was unable to welcome me herself. But her son and a neighbor took good care of me. Life and travel come with many curveballs, you just need to take them as they come and go with it.

I arrived in Freiburg on Wednesday afternoon, after having spent Tuesday in Zürich, Switzerland. After navigating the German train system and regretting the amount of clothing I packed and had to lug around, I was relieved to have finally made it!

Hallo! Guten Morgen, Tag oder Abend! My name is Zac and this is an introduction to just who the hell I think I am. In this video you’ll learn such important facts and my interests and even where I go to school. You’ll also see a heartbreaking moment between me and my dog Gus. If you’re still reading this, which you’d have to be to read that, I might as well summarize the video given you very clearly love to read. My name is Zachary Spink but I go by Zac and I will be attending the IES Abroad Berlin program this Fall (2017).

Okay we all knew this was going to happen eventually. It’s day three and I found myself in the middle of the city, lost and alone. Now those who know me aren’t surprised, and I will totally embrace the fact that when it comes to navigating an unfamiliar area, I’m usually not the first person my friends turn to when they need someone to lead the way.

52.3lbs. Dammit. “Guys, the Uber’s here!” my dad yelled from the front door. “Uh ok, just take out the jacket,” I said to my mom.

            “Which jacket?”

            “The white one”

            “This one?”

            “No, that’s tan, the other one.”

Wow! I have been in Dublin for about two weeks now and I swear I have been going non-stop ever since I have arrived. There is so much to do, so much to see, so much to taste (!) that I feel like there is no way I will never have enough time to do everything that I want. So I guess that means I either have to pick and choose wisely what I do, or somehow manage to visit three castles/cliffs every other weekend, eat out for two out of three meals every day, and also fly to other parts of Europe as needed. That seems possible, no?

Whether Ecuadorian or Estadounidense (someone from the States), the commonalities between we college students greatly outweigh the differences. In fact, we all end parties the same way...by ordering pizza and belting out Oasis' "Wonderwall" (which sounds even bettter with an Ecuadorian accent, might I say). I guess these habits are ubiquitous. 

Whether you’re reading this as someone considering going abroad, or from any other perspective, welcome! I’m Miranda, but I also go by the name J.M., and I’m a writing student. There’s a lot I don’t know yet so I’ll share whatever I learn the next few months.