My summer adventures with IES Abroad have been some of the most incredible moments of my life, and my time spent in Rome has opened up so many other opportunities for travel and exploration in other exciting places around Italy. After a busy week of classes, it was important for me to balance my time spent studying by going on new adventures, which sometimes led me outside of Rome toward other interesting towns and villages that I visited on short day trips with my friends!

The six weeks I spent in Japan flew by. It’s hard to believe that I’m already back in America to my normal day to day life, away from the rushing trains, the delicious udon, and the friends I made. Though I miss Japan, I am glad to be back home with my family, friends, and the smells and sounds that are familiar to me. It is nice to be somewhere familiar, when you’ve been in an environment where everything is new and different. Life feels calmer now that I’m back home. 

The distance between the U.S. and Australia didn’t hit me until I completed 20 hours of flight time and a 13 hour layover at LAX. Traveling from Florida, I picked Sydney as my study-abroad destination because I wanted to push the boundaries of my comfort and go somewhere so far from home that I had to physically and mentally completely readjust what I was used to. Before this trip, my spring semester at school wasn’t the smoothest, with each obstacle seeming larger than the last.

Dear Paris,

If you don’t remember me, my name is Jenna Hughes and just two weeks ago I was running around your streets. I was making memories, trying to use French to the best of my abilities (even when I sucked) and becoming more and more confident in myself. However, now I am writing to you from the U.S.A. ( sadly :/ ).