These past couple of weeks have been pretty crazy! While battling a cold, I had three exams in Japanese to study for, as well as two additional research papers to write. Golden week is just a few days away and with it being so warm, I would had much rather been outside than inside studying.

A friend of mine who, like his fellow third years, had stayed in college revising for their final exam, envied that many visiting students, including yours truly, had been traveling the entire break.

The term ended on last Friday (eta: March 13).

The dreaded day has come where I have to begin saying my goodbyes to my colleagues, friends, and the city I love. Words cannot express how thankful I feel to have received this opportunity to study abroad in Paris. A part of me feels as if it was only yesterday that I arrived in Paris, with my two suitcases in hand. Now, the suitcases are packed once again. But I’m bringing home something more special than Parisian clothes; memories.

I am about thirty days away from the end of my study abroad journey. Saying that just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. So let's not talk about it. I think this really sunk into me about a week ago when I realized I have been doing absolutely positively nothing during my free time. I built up a routine, which is only normal, but found myself watching Modern Family during my free days rather than exploring. You get tired traveling, studying, cooking, cleaning, and just plain living.

I'm currently taking a break from my Easter Break trip posts because I’m so excited about how my semester here is progressing that I really feel the need to share.

Two posts in one night? Hot Diggity! This one is about the IES day trip to Brighton. This was a required trip for those in the British Youth Culture module (course) and optional for everyone else. This one's a bit of a mixed bag for me. I found the history of Brighton interesting, especially the Royal Pavilion. The architecture was incredible; largely due to the fact that despite the Asian/Indian style the royals that commissioned it had never visited that region. It was truly an opulent building.