I thought I would start this post off with a picture. A beautiful, typical picture of someone who is studying abroad in Paris for the summer. New friends, the Eiffel Tower and big smiles. That is how I felt when I first got here, as you could tell from my previous post. I was absolutely elated. There’s the Eiffel Tower! I can walk across the street to this cute little bakery and buy pastries! I’m in PARIS!

This is a representation of my first three days in Quito. I arrived late at night then had 3 days of orientation around the city. I wanted to take pictures of what it was like to arrive in Quito and go through security but I did not want to attract the attention of the security guards. I will say that I had no trouble getting through immigration and customs and was only asked a few simple questions.

Hey all!

From the moment I arrived in Sydney, I knew that there was going to come a day when I would have to leave. We all know all good things must come to an end and the end for this good thing has arrived.

For my senior quote in high school, I quoted the first line of Charles Dickens’s novel David Copperfield: “Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.” I still think that I chose a great quote, because it encapsulates two things I hold dear: writing and self-discovery. I consider myself beyond lucky that I get to explore both of these things this summer in Arles.

This week has been overwhelming, meeting the group, going through orientation, and starting classes, but I can tell already that it’s going to be an unforgettable summer.

I thought that this week I would talk about the German higher education system because I find it utterly fascinating to be in such a different academic environment this semester.

Buenos Aires!

I spent the last three weeks in three different time zones, in three homes—two of which I called my own—and one country.