1. Freiburg is really cute. 

I am finally excited to be going to Amsterdam for six weeks. Don’t get me wrong, I was super pumped the entire time I applied and did the paper work necessary to enroll. But this last week or two before I leave, I have been pretty panicked about going. Not the run around screaming kind of panic, but more of if-I-think-about-this-for-more-than-a-minute-I’m-going-to-throw-up kind of panic. But now everything is in place, all I have to do is pack and then I am ready to go!

It is the last day of my third month in Berlin, and I have no topic for my final blog post!

So on that note, I bring you updates on my life that no one asked for or, probably, wants.

1.     I am in an orchestra now. It’s a wonderful group of people that rehearses in Friedrichshain on Thursdays, and the practices are my weekly therapy. There’s going to be a concert in a bit over half a month, for which I am unprepared but also really pumped.

大家好！(Hello Everyone!)  I’m Crystal and I can’t wait to share all my new experiences with you as I study abroad in Beijing, China at 北京外国语大学 (Beijing Foreign Studies University) to study Chinese.  This will be my second study abroad experience, but I am still pretty nervous.  I previously studied abroad at Swansea, Wales in the UK for my Spring 2015 semester and I have been hooked on travelling and cross-cultural immersion ever since.  Although I have traveled to Hong Kong before, I have never visited Mainland China.

     Hi everyone! I'm Peter, and this summer I'm studying the Japanese language in Nagoya, Japan. I've been studying the language for almost two years already, and since I've always had an interest in Japanese culture as well, I figured that it was definitely time I went out to study in Japan itself! There's so much about this country I'm excited to see and experience, from the simple things like food all the way to exploring the different islands.

Home at last! I arrived back in New York almost two weeks ago, and in classic Roya fashion, I’ve been traveling ever since. This has given me at least 16 hours on long car rides, countless trains into NYC, and even some time on my bike to reflect on my past semester.

What a whirlwind five days it's been! Since landing in Paris on Wednesday morning, my days have been filled with places to be and things to see. The other four girls in this program are sweeter than the crêpes at the cafés on every street corner. ​Since arriving here, we've been so incredibly lucky to have the support of the IES Abroad Center staff who have made the transition into a foreign country incredibly easy.

Bonjour de Paris,

Living à Paris as a student is a dream come true. You don’t have to worry about the high cost of housing. You don’t even need a job. As a student, my normal weekday went something like this:

7:30 am - Bonjour Paris! Wake up before the sun rises (I always thought that I was early because the sun rose so late in the mornings, especially during the winter). Open the windows to let in some fresh air and get ready for an awesome day.