So my winter break started last Friday, when I got on a bus in Nantes with 4 of my friends and arrived 5 hours later in Paris. Surprisingly, this bus ride was very easy, and allowed us to sleep plenty. Luckily, there was a break about half way through where we stopped at a gas station/convenience store and we were able to grab some snacks and a drink before we finished the bus ride. Unfortunately, our bus was a little late arriving in Paris due to traffic. Fortunately, this bus had wifi! It didn't work all the time, but I was thankful nonetheless.

With orientation over, six of my friends and I decided to plan a trip before classes started.  Our plan was to stay at Lake Tekapo Thursday night and then…well, there’s no point in telling y’all what we planned after that because after Lake Tekapo, all of our plans changed.  But anyways, back to my story. 

I've been told by Salamancans that locals have little respect for public property.  That means lots of graffiti, trash, (that magically disappears by morning by the obsessive cleaning crews) and art.  Salamanca is filled with art.  The Barrio del Oeste is a neighborhood that doubles as an urban gallery, the city having invited young artists to paint walls, doors, and entire buildings, as well as cover trees and bicycles in a rainbow of yarn.  I expected a neighborhood covered in such vibrant culture and creativity to be filled wi

Monday, February 22nd, 2016 23:30

Alhamar, Granada

Bonjour from AH215!

In America, many people are proud to be American citizens, but still have close ties to their heritage.  After all, America is made up of lots of different cultures coming together.  In America we tend define ourselves by our family heritage.  In America, when people ask “What are you?”, we don’t answer “American”.  We call ourselves Polish, Portuguese, Italian, Brazilian, Puerto Rican, Korean, Indian, Russian, etc.  But when we leave America, we are no longer defined by these titles.  Even t

Two weeks ago, before midterm presentations and projects were a thing, we went on a tour of the Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio! The excitement from the group was contagious and the self guided tour blew me away. We saw a glimpse of every step in the movie making process, from sketches and concept art to the advanced technology used for some of the flying scenes. I never realized how much work and planning actually went into movie production until this tour. A personal favorite of mine was learning about the set designs and construction.

There wasn’t a formal invitation, but I think New Zealand has invited me to fall in love with the country more and more each day.  I wasn’t sure at first, seeing as I missed my connecting flight, causing me to spend 5 unplanned hours in the Auckland airport without a working phone, edible food, or Internet.  

Over the next week, I had seen enough beauty that I would have spent a week at the airport if I had to. 

Hey everyone!

T-7 days before I leave for my semester abroad in Buenos Aires. There are several stages that precede a departure for a study abroad adventure, similar to the stages of grieving, except obviously much more positive.