When in Spain, do as the Spaniards do. Or I should say, “When in Catalonia, do as the Catalonians do.”

I have been in Barcelona for more than a week now, and it didn’t take long for the culture shock to kick in full force. The lifestyle here does not match the flamenco-dancing-siesta-taking-Spanish-speaking stereotypes of Spain. Cataluña is a region of Spain with its own history, language and traditions. The residents here take great pride in that.

Vienna Vienna Vienna….oh woops! This isn’t my first blog is it? Sorry I meant, Wien, Wien, Wien! Ja, das ist besser. Austria and all it has to offer has been a gracious host since my arrival. Its wonderful wild life, picturesque Alpine environment, and subtle spiritually have eased my travel sickness, homesickness, stomach illness and all around exhaustion. Yes, although we’ve made it to the other side of the pond, the arrival hasn’t been as glamorous as one might think.

It’s so strange to realize that I’ve now been in Quito for almost two whole weeks. I’ve been so busy attending orientation, starting classes, and exploring the city that it’s weird to think of how quickly the days have passed. At the same time, two weeks out of a whole semester is really only the beginning, and the fact that I’ve found myself having to re-learn such basic skills as riding the bus is a reminder of that.

One week from now I will be taking my first steps through the streets of Siena, Italy! My emotions are a rollercoaster—one minute I’m so excited that I can’t sit still, the next minute I’m so nervous I want to cry, the next minute I’m wondering how I am going to fit everything in this week—packing, shopping, and saying goodbyes. Everywhere I go I am bombarded with questions. How long? Where are you living? Are you done packing (to this question I give an incredulous look—I’m just starting!!)?? Are you nervous? Are you excited? Are you CRAZY?

Sitting in my room listening to my 14 year old host brother (who I am absolutely determined to make friends with by the end of this semester) play his guitar makes me wonder. After orientation today at IES I thought I was doing everything wrong. I wasn’t greeting my host family as I should, I wasn’t being either nice enough or respectful enough. Because I arrived early due to the expectation that business courses were going to start this Monday I had to figure out the mannerisms of my family.

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of going on an open-top bus tour of Dublin! It was a rewarding and beautiful experience despite the cold weather. I managed to get so many pictures on the tour that I exhausted the batteries in my camera! Dublin has so many incredible and historic areas; my list of places to explore further kept getting longer as the tour went on. Since Dublin is a very pedestrian-driven city, and I got the chance to see a lot of it by bus, I feel that I can navigate my way through Dublin pretty well by now.