My friend Jenn found this really awesome app that has “cultural tours” around Sydney. You choose a tour, it gives you a starting point, and you follow the app around Sydney almost like a scavenger hunt. It was such a cool experience following the app around to cool sculptures, statues, monuments, murals, and more! My favorite was an exhibit of sorts entitled “Forgotten Song”. In a small alley way there were 50 empty bird cages hanging from above honoring the 50 or so bird species pushed out by European settlers.

“We are torn between nostalgia for the familiar and an urge for the foreign and strange. As often as not, we are homesick most for the places we have never known.” • Carson McCullers

While there have been some tough aspects of adjusting to life abroad in Madrid, I’ve already had some amazing experiences in my three short weeks here. I have met some awesome people and have seen some awesome sights, all while attending college classes!

“You have to move out of your house by the end of the week.”

It had barely been a week with my family in Rabat when I got this message from my IES staff. I was shocked. My first week in Rabat was smooth and enjoyable. I had no qualms about my decision to study in Morocco and I loved my family. They were hospitable (as most Moroccan families are), caring, French-speaking and enthusiastic about hosting me. There was nothing to complain about, unlike other students who vocalized their dissatisfaction with their housing placements.

This past weekend I wanted to do a little hiking by myself. I decided to tackle Cape Town’s third famous peak (for those following along at home, I’ve hiked Table Mountain and Lion’s Head already), Devil’s Peak to complete the trifecta. I looked up the best way to get to the top: Google gave me a route that begins at Rhodes Memorial, which is located just above UCT on the lower part of Devil’s Peak. Once I got myself up there, I climbed up the mountain along a path that took me to a crossroads.