English: The other day I was walking around after work, looking for a cute place to stop for a bocadito and café con leche, and a woman stopped me and asked me for directions – she made a valiant effort to communicate with me in Spanish but once I recognized her accent I asked if she preferred English. She was grateful and asked me how to get to La Boquería – one of Barcelona’s best eats, a huge market with millions of options – and luckily for me, I knew how to get there from where we were standing.

Good news, I made it back to Freiburg safe and sound! I have to say that flying is so much more enjoyable when it’s with a group of friends (even when you get on a flight with three babies all crying in unison). Here are some highlights from the rest of the field trip in Bosnia: -Tour of the Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial Center: Okay, I’m not sure highlight is the right term for something so depressing, but it’s an experience I’m definitely glad that I had.

Footage from a hidden gem 1200 miles off the coast. 

It's filled with hindu relics, mystical jungles, bustling Sunday markets, white sand beaches, and smiling people. 

I was on the island for five days, camping on beaches, and exploring each its vast landscape. 

Mountains, oceans, reefs, and jungles, truly a magical and untouched place. 

I am officially done with my first week in Siena!  It’s been challenging at times, but it’s also been wonderful.

When I last left you, I was sitting at JFK waiting for my flight to Rome. I’m happy to report that the flight went very well, and flying with Alitalia made it sink in that I was going to Italy.  When I made it to Rome, I bought a new SIM card for my phone with an Italian number, and then I took another plane to Florence.

Is Italy even real? It sounds crazy, but I've actually had to ask myself this question multiple times during my first week here. Ah, Roma, I love you! Leaving the fleeting familiarity of Paris was daunting, I won't lie. Leaving a place where I knew the language and going into a completely foreign city was surely something I thought was going to take an adjustment period, but as soon as we walked through the narrow Roman streets that first night, I felt at ease.

The end, it seems, is in sight.

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened”