Since last time- I got a nice visit from some family friends from Frankfurt, have been embracing Berlin 'summer-life' activities, and even took a nice trip to Amsterdam this past weekend (we had Thursday off for 'Himmelfahrt'). Now it's back to school in the meantime. I have quite a few presentations for classes going on this month, so we'll see how that all goes-- hopefully not too stressful... Here are the photos!:

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Iconic Brandenburger Tor photo with my close childhood friend, Natalia:

One of our first adventures during our stay in Tokyo was to a nearby Ryokan where we were able to not only have a fantastic view of  Fujisan but also was able to partake in one of the best meals of my life.

I have officially been in Dublin now for one week and it has been a whirlwind to say the least. While one week does not seem like much time, I feel like I have been here for months. It is so easy to make this city feel like home with all of the friendly people and faces. Not only that, but I got extremely lucky with my "flat" (new term I am using") mates. They are all so eager to explore the city and the country as well and they have made for great travel partners so far. On Sunday we went to Dun Laoghaire and explored the Sunday market.

Getting ready for a trip is always a daunting task, especially if you are going out of the country. There are so many things to research, prepare, and pack before the trip. These past couple of weeks I have also been feeling a mixture of emotions about leaving home (California) for so long. I will definitely miss the beauty of home and my friends and family, but I know I will be going on the greatest adventure of my college career making memories I will never forget. 

As you get well settled in your host country, you will probably start paying attention to the small details in your town. While shopping for fresh vegetables, herbs and fruits at the local market, I started noticing how many cats are there at different stalls. So I decided to grab my camera and get as many of them as I could. 

My favourite part was when the food sellers where asking me what am I looking for, and I responded that just for some cats. Check them out! 

My first 4 days here in Santiago were quite a whir! My flight from the states left just 22 hours after my graduation from College ended. I spent graduation day running around saying goodbye to friends and family, finishing my packing, and verifying one last time that everything was in order for my flight and arrival. Among many other errands, these were some of the tasks that I hardly had time for in the previous days and weeks as I was overscheduled with final exams and senior projects, as well as with other preparation tasks for this trip.

“You must not judge people by their country. In South America, it is always wise to judge people by their altitude.” – Paul Theroux

My glasses began to fog up as I sipped the steaming mate. Through the condensation on my glasses, I looked out the long glass window before me and watched as the sun painted the city of Cusco in a fresh morning blaze.

Was that really two weeks? Are we really leaving in two days for Rome?  It seemed so much longer when I was back home, looking over the calendar at our packed schedule. “I’ll have plenty of time to see other cities on the weekends,” I thought. “I’ll be so tired of Paris by the end.” But here I am, wondering if there’s any way I could just stay here for the rest of the program (of course, as soon as I get to the next city, I will abandon this thought completely).

Another week down! It’s so crazy how quickly time is going. Since the last time I wrote, I feel like I have done a million things. I went to the Narrenturm, took a weekend trip to Prague, took my first German test, and booked a weekend trip to Salzburg!