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.

The final IES-sponsored field trip took us to Kamakura, a hub of spiritual culture in Japan. Home to countless Buddhist temples and numerous Shinto shrines, the town draws tourists both from all over Japan and all over the world. This time of year, it is most famous for its hydrangeas, which bloom en masse around mid-June.

Today, a few of us ventured to San Gimignano, a small touristy medieval town only a little over an hour from Siena. After a great night at Siena’s Notte Bianca, we were ready for some beautiful views, delicious food, and good shopping. That is exactly what we got.

Vienna’s rich history shines through in every aspect of daily life, but never clearer than in the cafes, gardens and palaces. These sites give an insight into how Vienna was and how history stays through the modern. Even through all the tourists and city bustle, the smell of Viennese coffe, feeling the breeze off the gardens, and the refracting of the sun through the old windows in the palaces all make it seem like time could be stopped, if even just for a moment.

The Cafes

To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations for Bosnia. I thought it would be cool and unique, but not really a fun place to stay in for an extended period of time- I was so wrong. We’ve been in Sarajevo for most of this week, and I am loving it. It’s smaller than I expected, so I can pretty much find my way everywhere by myself. We’re staying in the older part of town, which is probably half souvenir shops and half ćevapčići restaurants (classic delicious Bosnian dish, pita filled with onions and meat fingers).

The first weekend in Ecuador was crazy! We did so much stuff it made me worry that there wouldn’t be much to do when we started classes. Each thing was exciting, even the drives from city to city. The first thing we did was go to Otavalo to go to the markets there. The markets have many textiles made by the Ecuadorians and I had never seen so much alpaca wool in my life. The experience was colorful and I would definitely like to go back!

Ciao!

It’s been two weeks, and I’m still a little dizzy. Each day here has been completely new. Not new in the sense that its date on the calendar is distinct from the others, but new in the way that each day has thrown something completely confusing or frustrating or intimidating, or just generally unexpected, at me to overcome.

I’ve said it before and I’ve said it again – this is an amazing time to be in Latin America. Since Kiah is home from Rio I thought I’d use this post to give some attention to the protests rocking Brasil – from Brasilia to Rio to Sao Paulo, people are taking to the streets. Spurred by the threat of a fare increase for public transportation, these protests are strongly anti World Cup. This is especially important given the fact that the Confederations Cup is happening in Rio right now!