“Esos ya no tenemos, los vamos a recibir mañana.” I had been able to get most of my books at the librería near school but the three I needed for my Prado class still hadn’t arrived. I would have to pay Librería Visor another visit.

“Entonces probablemente vuelvo mañana para comprarlos.”

Being out and about in Spain has really made it evident how much I don’t know about the world. There are so many cultural differences, nuances and common knowledge that come with growing up in a different part of the world. Whether it’s how many people smoke on the street or the fact that there are hardly any skyscrapers in the Madrid. Or that most college students live with their parents and hardly any live on their college campus.

My first adventure outside of Spain was to the beautiful city of Amsterdam, Netherlands. It was awesome to explore the culture and get back to my Dutch roots. We flew in to the Amsterdam Schiphol airport from Barcelona which was about a 2.5 hour direct flight. It was about $150 for a roundtrip international ticket which is still hard for me to wrap my head around...I can't even fly from Albany to DC with that! Regardless, the budget airline wasn't too bad and the entire journey was relatively quick and easy. 

a wise man who would know
told me that you will never see
the exact same London twice
and I believe him
because I have seen a thousand
Londons in far less days

from the back alley curry houses
   in Tower Hamlets to

Fleet Street whirling by from the front seat
     top level of a double-decker bus to

the awareness of spanning the entire
    Earth at once on that line in Greenwich to

My last week here in Cumbayá is bittersweet. I wish I got more time to explore the mainland and I hate to say goodbye to my host family but the Galapagos Islands are waiting for me. I had a bunch of things I wanted to get done during my one-month stay here in Cumbayá/Quito and although I didn’t complete all of them, I did make it to Baños…Finally!! The marine track returned from our coastal field trip on Friday leaving us one final weekend to spend here on the mainland and I just had to go to Baños. My friends and I only spent one full day there.

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I think it’s finally time to gush all about how I met my study abroad soulmate: London. Finding the perfect place to study abroad can be a tough decision and for multiple reasons. Not only are there so many beautiful and interesting places to choose as your home base for when you're abroad, you also need to find a program that facilitates your personality and interests.

Although I haven’t been here for long, I already have a lot to say about why I like Nantes. This post was inspired by IES Abroad’s campaign on finding the perfect study abroad match, which will launch this Valentine’s Day.

4 weeks ago, I arrived in Milano. I was tired after 24 hours of flights and layovers, of toting my massive Vera Bradley duffle on my shoulder, of waiting for and planning this semester. But I arrived. 4. Weeks. Ago. 

One month of Italy- of family, of food, of linguistic immersion. I threw myself right in the mouth of the wolf (in bocca al lupo) and I let Milano happen.