Being in France means that I have to be a tourist for at least a little bit.  So on my first sunny day in France, along with a friend, I went to the Chateau de Fontainebleau, a castle about an hour from Paris.  Arriving around 11:00, we ate a long lunch in the beautiful gardens around the castle and then wandered around the enormous castle grounds, before finally entering the castle.  The castle was beautiful with a history that encompassed many French kings and queens.  By the time we finished walking through the castle, we were

Remember what I said in my last post about trying not to have expectations? Well, if I had any, Dublin has blown them out of the water. I’m having a wonderful time. There’s a lot to talk about and this might be a fragmented, rambling post, but it’s how life is going for me so far, so here we go.

I’ve only been in Santiago for a little over a week, but I’ve already had quite a few adventures. From exploring my own city to the one of Pablo Nerudo, from trying to overcome mountain-like hills to the notorious language barrier, this trip has presented me a number of wonderful, and at times challenging, experiences. To give you a glimpse into my experience so far, here are some thoughts and notes in no particular order:

1. Chileans walk slowly and talk quickly.

The third week of break, I went on the IES Abroad sponsored field trip to the Cook Islands!  If you come here through IES Abroad, you absolutely must go!  It’s not a place I would have planned a vacation to myself, but I’m glad I went.  It was more about bonding with the other students in the group and learning about the Cook Island culture.

It’s been a month since I returned home from France and honestly it feels as if it was all just a dream. When I first got home, it felt like I was constantly catching up on my friends lives. It was similar to waking up from a coma; like I had been living in this dream world for four months, which was partially true. Am I sad I had to leave my life in France? Yes, but I also have a life in Philadelphia. However, there will always be a part of me left in France.

As I’m typing this out, it’s 5:00AM, and I’m sitting in the lounge letting my computer and phone charge. According to the AC, it’s 30˚C (or 86ˆF), so I’m definitely bringing my hand fan everywhere I go for the next two months.

People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character- Ralph Waldo Emerson