Fall is officially in the air, and along with that comes lots of wind, rain, and piles and piles of leaves! The canal next to the IES Abroad Center is absolutely gorgeous right now, with yellow and orange leaves lining the pathways and the tree branches hanging over the water. I love it.
Ecuador, like many South American countries, has a little bit of a street dog problem. You often see dogs on the streets of Quito, particularly in the colonial center. In rural villages and towns, there is an even higher concentration of stray dogs.
The semester is now coming to a close and students are scurrying around trying to get last minute assignments finished and some study time in for finals. Leading up to this point, everyone had been planning a few last minute trips around the island during our week off before tests. I was lucky enough to only have one to worry about this semester, which has left me the time to enjoy my break by relaxing and soaking in as much of New Zealand as I could in the final 2 weeks of my trip.
After a great day in Sevilla, we made our way to Granada. The first stop was La Alhambra. La Alhambra is both a fortress and a palace that has beautiful gardens and stunning architecture. I think one of my favorite things about La Alhambra was the detailed tiles that adorned the walls. Below are various pictures from the visit. The top left shows an example of just how beautiful the tiles were, engraved with Arabic inscriptions. On the bottom left you can see the stunning fortress from a distance.
On the Friday morning before our trip to Sevilla and Granada, Jess and I woke up before the sun to make the 20 minute trek to the IES Abroad Center. The night before I had gone a bit crazy with the packing and ended up carrying over half my weight in the duffle around my shoulder. I think I packed enough clothes for a week for a 3-day trip.
If you've been keeping up with news in South Africa, you know about the nation-wide protesting that has been taking place for the past two weeks concerning education reform and the outsourcing of university jobs. Before you come to South Africa, you should know that protests and demonstrations are things that happen often here. Keep in mind, this country is a little over two decades away from Apartheid and in a lot of ways, they are still trying to create equality like the rest of the world.
Let's face it: You came here to study, but you're not going to have your nose in the books for the whole four months that you're here. You're going to want to see the country you traveled all this way to see! I know you already have plans to climb the peaks and mountains, hit up the beach, and check out the Waterfront and Long Street, but whatever you do, DON'T miss out on these 10 great things that Cape Town has to offer.
1. Old Biscuit Mill
In the second week of our program, IES Abroad took us to Potsdam, a city next to Berlin and the home of Sanssouci, the palace of the king of Prussia. While touring Sanssouci, we came upon a green room where our guide paused to tell us the historical significance of the couches and the fireplace, completely ignoring the red paint on the wall. It looked like someone had haphazardly scrawled with a paint brush, a lazy tag, right on the silk covered wall of the palace.
Hello all!
It's officially halfway through my time here in Barcelona and although I have had the time of my life, I am sad to say that it is almost over. Being halfway through the program and I’ve been noticing some things that I should/shouldn’t have packed so I decided to make a list of some packing tips.
I have also posted more photos! They are of places around Barcelona that I have been to and recommend!
Enjoy!
Packing tips for studying abroad in Barcelona
Time seems to be flying by here in Salamanca. Between classes, homework, and trips, it is sometimes hard to take time to write everything down. I am currently enrolled in 5 courses at IES Abroad Center and one Psychology course at a local university here called Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca, or UPSA for short (pronounced “oops-uhh”). At the IES Abroad Center, I am enrolled in a religion class, an art class, a literature class, a theatre course, and a daily Spanish grammar classes.