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Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would spend my spring break on a beach in Barcelona, Spain, riding bikes in Faro, Portugal, and climbing the San Francisco-like hills of Lisbon. Yet, I did all of these things and much more during the most amazing spring break I could have ever dreamed of. My feet may never forgive me for the amount of walking we did during our 10 day vacation, but I had an incredible time seeing two countries with a unique way of life.
This semester is somehow, so quickly and unfortunately coming to a close, and sometimes I wonder why I didn’t choose to spend an entire year abroad instead of only 4-5 months. My travels throughout Europe have granted me the privilege of meeting beautiful people from wonderful places and it’s intoxicating to know that I’m nowhere near being done.
I spent this past weekend exploring Krakow with my family before their departure to London and then back to the state as my little sister can only play hooky for so long! We decided to visit Krakow over Warsaw due to its more walkable size and proximity to Auschwitz, a site we’ve all felt would be important to visit, but never knew when we’d make it close enough to go.
I chose to live with a host family. Most everyone recommended I do so before my departure from the US. They told me that I would get to know the culture better and be forced to practice more Spanish. What they couldn’t have told me was that this experience would become foundational to my perception of family altogether. (*From here on out I will be referring to by host relatives without the word “host”*)
...You Can Dance If You Want To: A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending Lollapolooza outside of Buenos Aires in the lovely town of San Isidro. The music was great, the weather was decent, and only beer was served inside the event so everyone remained conscious and in good spirits. The most striking thing about Lolla was the realization that Argentines don't dance at concerts.
There’s nothing like a weekend trip to Barcelona to wear you out, but I’d definitely do it all over again in a heartbeat. This past weekend was spent drinking great Sangria, eating amazingly fresh food, and lounging in the sunshine. Thanks to my three friends from Penn State, I was able to see tons of the city and relax all at the same time.
