So IES was able to visit Bahia, and honestly it was one of the best experiences of my Brazilian life and general-Ramelcy life! The city is just so different from Rio in a refreshing unique way. It has a much slower pace, but the people are so warm and welcoming. Their pride in their Blackness and their ancestral and cultural history is so genuine, you can’t help but want to learn more and want to feel that way even about your own history.

Before coming to Brasil (that’s the Brazilian spelling; you learn something new every day!), I thought a lot about what my experience would be like as an AfroLatina in a different Latinx space. I wondered about racism and colorism, and even what prejudices might exist against natural hair. I was trying to mentally prepare for anything, and I think that is real and necessary to admit when thinking about traveling as a natural Black Latina.

Something that is really awesome and unique about Rio is how every Saturday (pretty much without a fail) there are street markets all over the city. They vary in size and goods sold, but I’m pretty sure it is almost impossible to go to the market without wanting to buy at least ONE thing.

As it turns out, the monastery where Gregor Mendel (aka: the father of modern genetics) did all of his research is located in the Czech Republic. To be more specific, it is located in the second largest city of the Czech Republic, Brno, which happens to be about an hour and a half long train ride north of Vienna. Of course, being the biology nerd I am, this means that, when I decided to go to Prague over a three day weekend, I needed to make a pit stop. In Brno. To fangirl. Over scientist monks. It’s just a thing, you know?

When it comes to absorbing knowledge, Oxford students are as porous as humanly possible, but overall we are highly insulated in a bubble. One thing that struck me when I first started traveling was how isolated I had been from proper adults in the real world. The deeper I slide into the quicksand that is my twenties, the more reluctant I am to admit, let alone declare, that I am one myself. So it was kind of fascinating, even exotic, to hear the table of five middle-aged men talk shop behind me in the pub at the lobby of my hostel in London.

Now that I’m in my final month of study abroad here in Madrid, I can say with confidence I have fully adapted to the tapas culture here in Spain. It’s a way of life I’m going to greatly miss when I go back to the states.

Tapas are all about sampling many different types of food, because tapas are small dishes, they are meant to be shared by everyone at the table. In addition, it’s a necessity to either be drinking wine or sangria in accompany with your tapas.

On Sunday afternoon we landed in Dubrovnik Croatia, home of unesco protected old town, home to some of the most magnificent coastlines and crystal clear water, maybe most importantly home to the hit TV series game of thrones.

Semana Santa has finally begun, it seems surreal because Ive spent countless hours on Skype and travel sites planning the perfect itinerary for this break. The hard work has paid off and now the trip is finally coming into fruition. First stop Barcelona and I couldn't be more excited.