To those of you who know me personally, welcome to my blog. To those of you who do not, I assume you clicked here by mistake, but since you’re here, let’s make the best of it. This is the first installment in a series of ten that will detail my experience living abroad in Berlin as a student. This first post will attempt to capture the impending doom of international travel in an amusing fashion.

Hello and welcome to my final blog post. Thank you for following along, I hope that happy holidays were had by all. I’m writing this post-program reflection from my new dorm room at Fordham Lincoln Center, my home institution. Life after my IES Abroad program has been a whirlwind; I tacked an extra week onto my stay in Rome to take a trip to Napoli (which was incredible and really captured how all of Italy’s cities have such different vibes). Then, once I returned home to PA, we took a trip to visit family in the Midwest.

After months of anticipation, planning, packing (okay, mostly overpacking), and two rebooked flights, I finally landed in Barcelona! From the moment my feet touched Catalan soil, it’s been a whirlwind of navigating, adjusting, and embracing a new culture. Here’s how my first few days unfolded, complete with hiccups, heartwarming moments, and some solid lessons learned.

I’m about two weeks away from beginning the exciting new chapter of studying abroad in Siena, Italy. The anticipation and excitement has been building for months, but as the departure date nears, some nervousness has begun to creep in. As a first-generation study abroad student with limited travel experience, I’m stepping into unfamiliar territory—both literally and figuratively. I’m not sure what to expect!