I remember first searching for program options to study abroad. My university has a huge database to find different countries, with options to filter by academic major or language requirements. I remember spending hours filtering through different options and practically drooling at all of the wonderful places that I could potentially be.

Uffda. We have reached the halfway point of our time here in Rio. We are 2 months deep into our 4 month program. At this midway point, murmur around our study abroad program is pretty evenly split between positive and negative feelings about this realization.

The idea: A trip – 9 days in duration (from Friday, after our German exam, to the next Sunday before classes resumed on Monday). Perfect! But where should we go? How will get there? Where will we stay? The planning questions kept coming. France? Italy? Austria? Hungary? the wonderful Alps? or the gothic architecture of Prague?

Too many decisions to make!

Two week ago I had the pleasure of venturing up to Kruger National Park with the IES Abroad program for our Spring Break trip. Although I knew we were going to see tons of wild animals, I failed to realize just how beautiful nature could be. We started our adventure by flying from Cape Town to Jo’burg, and from there we ventured to the Apartheid museum, which contained a wealth of information that couldn’t be fully digested in the mere 2 hours we had to tour the space.

This week we had off from classes, so I went up to the north island with my friend Eric.  We traveled the middle part of the island, going to Hamilton, Waitomo, Turangi, Tongariro National Park, and Rotorua.

You know that book “The Five People You Meet in Heaven”?  Perhaps you don’t. Mitch Albom’s award-winning novella follows a maintenance man named Eddie as he suddenly embarks on a journey through the afterlife, meeting along the way five people who impacted his life significantly. From encounters with each of these five people, Eddie comes to understand the interconnectedness of his life and experiences on Earth.

A few weeks ago, I went on an incredible trip with IES Abroad to Morocco for 5 days. Although I could probably write an entire book about all of the things we experienced, I’ll stick to the highlights for the sake of brevity

With the realization that my study abroad experience is already halfway over, I feel the urge to abandon my academic responsibilities so that I can travel and see all that I can.  Midterms are tomorrow and instead of studying I am writing this post and reflecting on the past two months I have spent here and anticipating the two months I have left.  It scares me that I might go home thinking, “I should have done this, should have gone there.” Once I graduate I probably won’t have the funds or the time to travel like I do now, and I

Hola y Feliz Pascua a todos!