This year I will spend more time abroad than in America, and I can’t say that I’m sad about it! I wrapped up my sophomore year at Northwestern in June and briefly went home to pack my bags for the upcoming 7 months. I traveled around Morocco with my family for a month and continued onto France before reaching my final destination: Milano!            

As I sit at home in sunny Los Angeles and prepare to leave for Europe tomorrow, I wanted to reflect back on my first summer in D.C. The decision to stay in the District over the summer was undoubtedly one of the best I have made, because it led to a challenging but productive three months.

Wow! What a busy month it has been.  I honestly cannot believe that I have been here so long already.  It feels like just yesterday I was eating my last slice of pizza in Jersey!!

It’s hard for me to believe that in just about a week I’ll be lugging my big blue suitcase through the airport to board a plane to Germany. I’ve dreamt of studying abroad ever since I was in high school, and now my dream is becoming my reality. As much as I can’t wait to fully submerse myself in German culture while I’m in Freiburg, I am just as excited to share my roots with other Americans and Germans.

Disclaimer: I am only sharing my observations, feelings and experiences. I cannot and do not speak for everyone.

"Are there any boys?" one student said aloud.

"Are there any minorities?" I thought to myself.

I don't love how overused this word is but I have truly had wanderlust my entire life. I have always been a dreamer and dreamed of grand adventures and travels. My sister studied abroad in London when I was in middle school and we visited her while she was there. The travel bug hit me when I was young and I have always known that I would study abroad. 

I have now been in Quito, Ecuador for a week. It has been a whirlwind, with orientation, adapting to life in a new country, and introducing myself to new people—fellow American students, my host family and many Ecuadorians in a variety of capacities. 

Meeting so many people has given me the opportunity to learn the typical Ecuadorian greeting—or, in Spanish, saludos. 

A few months ago my best friend and I discovered we would both be in Argentina this fall. We excitedly began dreaming up all of the things we would do while there Our future adventures consumed us and we found a way to weave them into every conversation (it was quite annoying I bet). By mid-summer I realized that I was so engrossed in what was to come, that I wasn’t enjoying what is probably the last summer of my college career where 80% of it was fun, not working scrupulous hours at an internship.