I thought I would make my pre-departure post about all the things I did this summer leading up to coming to Amsterdam. I am a musician and attended an orchestral festival in WA, I learned how to bake desserts, and I went to Paris with my mom before taking the train to Amsterdam. I am really looking forward to a great semester abroad!
There are only a handful of places I can safely call home, and I’ve been giving those places particular thought leading up to my departure for my new home in Ireland. The fears I have about leaving are comforted enormously by the hope that by the end of my semester abroad I will be able to call one more place home. I have exactly one week before I leave, and I thought it would be fitting to share some of my most cherished memories via photographs I’ve taken at my favorite location in the world thus far. See you soon, Dublin!
I had planned to write this “predeparture” post during my layover in Chicago, but even still, this would have been late. I’m no stranger to this awkward position, as my chronic procrastination has given me quite the concrete trait. But that is something I plan to work on in the four months I will be out of my element, able to really focus on myself and my goals, which are many.
First week done… time flies!
This first week was the perfect entry to what this semester holds for us and even though the weather hasn’t been in our favor Rio couldn’t be more beautiful.
We are 11 IES abroad Rio de Janiero kids spread all around the city. From Laranjeiras to Copacabana, Jardim Botanico and Humaitá: Chris, CJ, Jean Carlo, Nick, Brianna, Kaya, Holly, Josh, Rosemary, Dave and I are all pumped up and ready for the fall semester in this paradise.
The group spent this past weekend– our second full weekend here– in Montañita, a small town on the coast of Ecuador. We left Thursday night around 8:30 pm, and after four bus rides, finally made it to the coast at 10:30 am on Friday! The streets are surrounded by food and souvenir vendors, hostels, clubs and small stores. After choosing a hostel which claimed to have wifi, private bathrooms with hot water, lock boxes and fans, we settled in and went straight to lunch.
Last weekend, IES Abroad took us on an outing to an estancia! It was nice to escape the hustle and bustle of the city in favor of fresh air in the countryside.
Hello, my name is Ella Fornari. Junior, Occidental College. Human, Earth. This semester I will be traveling 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador to study evolutionary biology and ecology in the Galapagos islands. As a New York City native I look forward to the transition from concrete to Amazon jungle (for 1 week) and to the volcanic rock of the Galapagos.
