€4,50 by the way, if you're wondering the price. That's not really the point of this short story though. Let me back up a little. The point of this of this story begins with a girl on a mission. That girl is me. And that mission is to find a café.

Before returning home after the end of my study abroad experience, I spent some time traveling through Europe because why not? I went to Portugal, France, Italy, and then returned to Spain for a time. Here, I just wanted to quickly show some of the famous sights I was able to see and hopefully encourage you, dear reader(s), upon seeing these obviously amateur shots of famous places to travel to them yourself and take even better photos (and of course, have an amazing experience. Good luck to all you future world travelers out there!

Dear Reader(s),

After an amazing experience studying abroad for four-ish months, an entire semester filled with ups and downs, great food and sometimes (rarely) not so great food, laughter, tears, and an unprecedented amount of churros, I am once again in the United States and I’ve gotta say: it’s a little underwhelming. It’s difficult to explain.

I sat thinking to myself the other day, “I have plenty of time left to get my visa, I’ll just do it later – I don’t leave for over a month.” Then I thought, “WOW – I leave in a month!” So, for the past month I’ve been back home working, studying for the LSAT (don’t ask me if I plan on going to law school), and spending time with family and friends.

On Monday I fly to Madrid and on Tuesday the demolition crew comes to knock down the walls of my childhood bedroom. I’m packing my suitcase, my duffel bags, and my backpack with all the clothes and appliances I’ll need abroad but I’m also filling plastic containers and trash bags with the relics of my years at home. Everything needs to be packed up for storage, thrown away, or taken to Madrid to accommodate the renovation that will transform my parents’ house.

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." – Winnie the Pooh It has been three weeks since I have come home from Europe, and about four weeks since my program ended, but it feels like a lifetime ago. I cannot believe that I will be leaving for my last semester of college in just two days. The semester coming to an end was definitely a bittersweet moment for me. I had felt that once I finally got the hang of my life abroad, it was time to go.

Hey guys, My name is Reid Larsen and I am a sophomore at the University of Michigan studying biomedical engineering with an international minor. I’m originally from Acton Massachusetts, a little suburb about 45 minutes west of Boston. A lot of people at home and at school call me ‘Reido’ or ‘Reido Burrito’ and although this nickname was given to me when I was five days old, I love burritos, especially from Chipotle.

“Ineluctable modality of the visible: at least that if no more, thought through my eyes." –James Joyce, Ulysses. I still can’t believe what I see as I gaze upon the Liffey. While words do it some justice, the view of this majestic river and its many bridges transcends its literary representations. Yet I am more astounded that many of the bridges are named after revolutionaries and writers.

Fourteen hours on an airplane and I was bound to Beijing, my new home for four months. Words can't describe how I felt when I waved goodbye and smiled to my parents. I was ready- or as ready as I’d ever be. I was the only one out of my friends in Texas that choose to study abroad in China, so I was excited to make new friends and tell my friends back home about my Beijing adventures. The airplane ride was interesting, to say the least. I forgot how long the flight felt.