Though I never would have imagined that the rest of our trip could live up to the precedent that the first week set, we were able to find even more beautiful scenery, and charming entertainment this week. Our group made trips to the District 6 Museum, the Groote Schuur Hospital, and the Cape Peninsula, in addition to several other small endeavors.

It seems so crazy to me that this experience – the one I’ve been waiting for since high school – is almost over. I have just two days left in Buenos Aires before I head to NYC and then Tel Aviv. It’s been an incredible semester in this beautiful fast paced city. While I have of course gotten frustrated by systematic inefficiencies and language barriers, it’s been so wonderful to get to know a new city, especially one as busy as Buenos Aires.

This past Sunday I woke up in Fez, travelled to Volubilis, where I explored the ruins of the Roman city, and then went to Meknès: once the capital of Morocco. I went to sleep in Rabat.

My birthday weekend was full of surprises. I thought I would go to the train station, catch a half-day ride to a northern coastal town, and live a little precariously for a few days. Unfortunately, the station sold out of those adventures by the time I got there on Friday. They only offered a smattering of tickets to a few far-flung places for eye-widening prices. So, lesson learned: Next time I tackle the train station I do it a few weeks in advance.

Finding a good travel buddy has been one of mankind’s greatest dilemmas over history.  Throughout the ages, numerous partnerships have been challenged by the hardships of travel.  I’m sure that Meriwether Lewis and William Clark had their issues during the pair’s exploration of the American West.   However, the partnership must have been a good one, it being that they survived the experience without driving each other nuts.

For my last big trip, I decided to finally get down to Stewart Island.  It was my top destination all semester.  Alayna, a fellow IES’er also wanted to get there before she left the country, so we made plans to hit it during study break.  I know most people at UC use that period to actually prepare for final exams.  To this notion we responded, “YOLO”, ditched the books, and caught a bus down to Invercargill.  Another friend, Hailey, decided to join us at the last minute.

Ciao, belle! I cannot believe that I have reached the halfway point of my trip in Rome. The first three weeks flew by, and I am eager to encounter the events of the remaining three. Each day has been filled with beautiful weather and with even more beautiful cites. My art history class, Rome as a Living Museum, visits different monuments and museums during our weekly field studies. The latest visits include the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. Roman history becomes more interesting and easier to remember when experiencing the subject first hand.

On Wednesday, we went to La Sureña with Pato and Parker, two spring semester students, and César, one of their Spanish friends.

“You have to be careful with your iPhone if you’re going to take it out with you,” Pato said, gesturing at Jackie.

“I usually only take this with me,” Jackie said, holding up the same crappy Samsung that we all bought on the first day. It is red. It is a flip phone, the first one I’ve held in my hands since 2007. “Would they steal this from me?” she asked. Pato burst out laughing.

So this week was kinda sad. My best friend in the program (who hates being mentioned on the Internet so she’ll stay anonymous) left to go back home with her German boyfriend. I made the decision to stay another month when I was good friends with people who were staying but now we’re not friends anymore and I’m feeling pretty lonely. I have my German friend but I can’t hang out with him everyday and kinda another IES friend but I don’t know. I’m just feeling super mopey.

Do you know those days when you look around and you think to yourself, I’ve spent some money. But the only reason I know that is because I no longer have any money, and I have nothing to show for it.