Time for the truth: For the past few months, every other day I would ask myself if I had made a mistake. I traveled for a month before this program, and after this, I’m moving on to do the IES Abroad Summer EU Program before traveling on my own for another six weeks. When I go back to the United States, I will have been abroad for eight months. Eight months is a long time. Regardless of where you are, being abroad means you’re pretty much at a constant state of low-grade discomfort.

After a long walk across the city, my friend Jeremy and I finally got to see Athens and the Acropolis after ten years of waiting. We decided to book a free walking tour the next day because we thought it would be a good way to see the city. Upon leaving from Madrid, we were a little disappointed that we wouldn’t be able to practice our Spanish during a week and a half of the last month we had in Spain.

I know you have all been wondering what I have been up to in the past month; well, I have been on island time. I was really only on an island for a week with no service and no wifi (which allowed me to appreciate my time there), but island time has extended from the beginning of April until now.

For the first time since our German midterms, I stayed in Vienna this past weekend. After seeing all the new things I discovered this past weekend, I feel like there is still so much to see and try in Vienna. This was one of my favorite weekends because so many of my friends were also staying in town. By then, and certainly by now, most people had finished traveling for the semester. We had reached that two week stretch when our time in Vienna is limited, valuable time.

This semester has been filled with me constantly saying, “I can’t.” Honestly, I have surprised myself in more ways than one. Being back home in Texas, I have had time to reflect on my semester abroad in China.

I know my major is tourism and hospitality management, but one of my favorite subjects in school was always history. I love learning about the past and seeing how it influences our lives today. One of the most influential events in history was World War II and I have a fascination with it. So when the opportunity was presented to me to join some of the other IES Abroad Rome classes on a field trip to a World War II monument and museum, I couldn’t pass it up.

Scenery in Cabo de Gata

Since the IES Abroad program has concluded, most of the IES Abroad students have returned to their countries, but a few IES Abroad students and I remain since we opted to take classes at the local university where final exams are imminent.