In case you haven't noticed, I (and basically any student studyin abroad) like to travel. A lot.

It also makes for great opportunities to make some videos, which isn't to say that when I'm home in Madrid it's not exciting too. It's just that I'm not always carrying around a camera/phone with a decent camera whereas while I'm traveling that's exactly what I'm doing. Anyway, the gist is that I post about traveling a lot (both here and on my own social media), but life at HQ in Madrid is good too.

I've always been one to dread getting my haircut. Usually, I just don't know what to do with my hair or I end up hating what the cut looks like. Also, I am very picky when it comes to haircuts in difference places as my entire life I've been used to my mother giving them to me (she's a hairdresser). Consequently, I wanted to see how long I could go before I started losing it and needed to transform once more. The answer: three full months.

So it's been a month since my beautiful days in the beautiful country of New Zealand. I find myself calling and texting my program friends that I made, and catching up on the little ins and outs of their everyday lives back in the States. Things are different and changing as per usual, but I'm having fun going with the flow of it all. While away, my parents had decided to move to the sunny state of Florida where I've spent my days basking in the sun, laying in the hot salty sand.

Wow! I really can't believe its already over. Another prime example of the truth behind the saying "time flies when you're having fun." Although it seemed quick, the moments I experienced, friends I made, and everything in between was truly a once in a lifetime experience. This post isn't necessarily my re-entry post, it's more so just me sitting in the airport, wishing I had more time to spend in Japan. Also I figured I'd use this opportunity to feature any photos I have yet to post on this blog that I feel are worth sharing. 

I am officially back in the states after the best semester of my life… 

Saying bye to the friends I made was probably one of the saddest things I have ever had to do. I've never spent SO much time with the same people, so being away from them will be difficult. It’s pretty strange to be back home where I can take really hot showers, throw toilet paper in the toilet, and eat tofu. Not to mention, I forgot that it was December and walked out in shorts and sandals a few times…Reverse culture shock is definitely real. 

If you are reading this, it’s too late.

I have eaten my last Friday couscous.

Somehow, my semester in Morocco has become my last day in Morocco and I have just taken my last exam and tonight I will be saying my last goodbyes to the friends, and staff, and city that I have grown to love. They all have a lasting place in my heart.

I spent close to my last weekend in Austria romping around the mountains in baggy men’s pants and an unintentionally cropped (children’s) snow coat. Let me explain. IES Abroad organized a ski trip in the Austrian Alps, and being indecisive as I am, I didn’t end up putting my name on the list for the trip until it became a long waitlist. Well, December rolled around, and I was emailed that I was off the waitlist. There was no chance I was passing up a ski trip, and absolutely not one in the Austrian Alps.