You’d think that I would have been familiar with Paris, it being one of the most well-known cities in the world. I mean I thought I knew about Paris, with its Eiffel and its Notre Dame and its Arc and its Louvre and its fashion and its food. Before I went, I definitely would have said I knew Paris as well as someone could without having been there. But then I actually went to Paris…

Last year, around this time, my favorite purse broke. It was a grey leather bag that slung over my shoulder and ended level with my left hip. I found the bag, on sale, for $15.00 during my freshman year of high school and to this day I still consider it one of the best purchases I've ever made.  It wasn't obnoxious in size, but it could hold more than it looked; it was neutral enough in color and went with everything and since I could wear it over my shoulder, I never had to worry about leaving it behind.

I've been proud of myself for taking this experience a day at a time. Usually, it's quite easy for me to get caught up in the flurry of being busy; to live in the moment is a process of constantly reminding myself to do so. However, I promised myself that I only had four months here, and that I would take each day as it came. 

That is, perhaps, one of the things I am most grateful for: living in the moment; being grateful for each day that comes.

This past month I took a trip to Italy with three of my good friends. We decided to take advantage of this four-day weekend and explore another country. We flew into Bologna, took a train to Florence, and then a train to Rome. I felt a bit of culture shock as soon as I arrived in Italy because of the language difference—I didn’t really experience this in Barcelona because I am already fluent in Spanish (although there is Catalan everywhere, it still wasn’t as huge of a shock as Italian).

In Santorini, the beginning of November means that the tourist-season is coming to an end. For me, it meant that I immediately had to book a flight to explore the magic of this quaint island. Luckily, the end of the season indicates cheaper prices for anything that one can find or do on this island. Therefore, my friends and I decided to explore the entirety of the small island and make use of the still wonderful weather.

So far, this IES abroad program has sponsored 12 + school field trips. For the fact that I am paying the same tuition as my home school (and have yet to go to on school sponsored trip ever)–this abroad program is pretty unbelievable.

And this past week…? Well, they sponsored an all expenses paid 9-day spring break trip for us to hop to 4 of the other islands on the Galapagos. And yes, it was magical.

Even though it is always fun and exciting to travel outside of Dublin (whether it be within Ireland or internationally), it can be equally rewarding to see the sights and sounds of what the city and its neighboring towns have to offer!

This past weekend, I went on a trip to the provinces of Salta and Jujuy (pronounced "HOO-HOO-ee"), located in the northwestern corner of Argentina. IES Abroad greatly exceeded my expectations in terms of hiring informative but personable guides, feeding us extremely well, and bringing us both to the classic tourist destinations and also the more local, cultural spots.