Last week, 17 weekends into the program, I was finally ready to go to a boliche.

For those of you who don't know what that means, a boliche is an Argentine night club. To provide some context, they are crowded from 2 AM until they close at 6 AM on any Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night and my friends have been going at least once a week since we got here. 

I have been blown away recently! And I mean that in the most literal and figurative sense. It’s been immensely windy here in Dublin, and every day it seems I come back from my internship or classes and can hear the wind relentlessly blow through the keyhole of our apartment door, whistling loudly. It is almost frightening at times how strong it is, but it also makes for thoroughly cozy evenings, sitting and watching the nasty weather outside and enjoying a nice cup of tea inside. Truly peaceful.

           “Hello?” says the man sitting across from me on the Luas headed toward St. Stephen’s. It is just past noon. “What’s the craic?”

One of my very favorite things about Freiburg is the markets. All year long there is a daily market at the Münster called the Münstermarkt. There is tons of fresh produce, cheese, eggs, meat, bratwurst, tea and even little trinkets and toys.  It is always very lively and has a huge selection of great food. I loved to go there in place of a grocery store. There was also a tradition of walking over to get bratwurst for lunch.

Marhaban bikum! Welcome to the penthouse view of the Rabat Medina!

1.) Dates: It would have been very useful to have a list with dates for all our midterms and final exams sent to us either during orientation or before we arrived. We are told to make travel plans before arriving, but as final exams are over a week long and cannot be made up, I know it would have made planning a little easier and less stressful for many to have had all our dates beforehand. That being said, explore when you can.

If you are looking for a getaway with warm weather, a lively city life, and a great taste of the native culture, then Barcelona, Spain is the place for you. The city is home to Park Guell, which consists of some very unique architecture designed by the infamous Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi. Officially opening in 1926, the park provides stunning views over the city and the Mediterranean.

Disclaimer: My art for this post will not be a good representation of the Galapagos' beauty. Trust me, it's gorgeous. 

We were in the Galapagos for more time than we were in the Amazon. We stayed in San Cristobal and Santa Elena.