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Well, dear reader(s), it’s hard to believe it but I have officially reached my last day doing study abroad in Salamanca, Spain. Seriously, it’s crazy to think that I’ve spent the better part of four months living in a foreign country, exploring a new culture, and taking classes in a different language, all without my friends and family right there by my side. It’s been a great four months and I’ve definitely learned a lot, both academically and about myself.
Now that my time in London has come to a close I wanted to give you a list featuring some of my favorite places that are scattered around the city. It's in no particular order because it would be impossible to rank my favorites among the favorites.
The night before I left Dublin, I spent a couple of hours with a group of fellow students who had become like family. We laughed and reminisced and made a promise for a future reunion, which is usually how those sort of goodbyes tend to go. But I think we really meant it.
Upon asking one of my IES Abroad mates what his favorite part of the semester was, he told me it was “hanging out with people.” He said that it wasn’t so much the city itself that he would miss, but the friendships he had made and the people he had met along the way.
Finals are over, my suitcases are halfway packed, and my flight home leaves in just a few days. That must mean the semester is over, right? Think again! Because at IES Abroad European Union, nothing is over until you have put your knowledge to test by roleplaying as the EU itself.
Saturday, December 15, 2016
Dear Family and Friends,
I've officially completed (and survived) my first semester abroad in Milan! The semester that I had anxiously been anticipating for so long has come to an end and I'm half way done with my year abroad. The phrase, "Time flies when you're having fun", has a lot of truth behind it...
Friday, December 16, 12:15pm: Dramatic title, but I'm feeling a little dramatic (the théâtre went to my head). It's Friday afternoon and my plane leaves tomorrow, and how much packing have I done? Very little, because I'm in denial. And on a boat.
It’s finals week here in Nantes, and it’s not just difficult to get through because of the tests. It’s that on Saturday morning I’m going to wake up, go to the airport, and get on a plane back to Los Angeles.
I’m not ready to leave. At all.
Milan is a simply incredible city. For Americans it’s fairly unknown, taking the backseat to the Amalfi coast and Florence in terms of Italian vacation destinations. But after a semester in Milan, I want to shout Milan’s wonders from the top of the Duomo. I walked around the city with my mouth open at its beauty for four months straight and I know that it will always hold a very special place in my heart.
Today was my very last final exam. I have to admit that I stayed up too late playing Neopets (feel free to add me but neomail me first - my username is bishadow!) so I didn't very much, and wanted to just DIE the whole exam as a result, but I still never wanted to finish that test because I didn't want my semester to be over. But it is!