On September 16th and 17th, I went on a trip to Bath and Stonehenge. This trip is one of many planned throughout the semester as part of the DiscoverIES initiative, which allows students to visit different locations in the U.K. 

We left on a gloomy Saturday morning. I knew exactly what I was going to do as soon as I found a seat on the bus. Yes, you guessed it: I crashed. So, to say that I was delighted with the landscapes that we saw while driving would be a lie: I slept nonstop. It was a great nap though!

I slink out of bed between nine and ten in the morning; unless I’ve had a particularly long night, in which case I would be asleep until the early hours of the afternoon. Almost every day, the allure of lying back down into the warm embrace of the sheets is too tempting to resist. I lie there for another five or ten minutes thinking about how I really need to get up and start my morning routine. With a surge of willpower, I’m finally able to suppress my longing to return to sleep, and I get myself up. I kick on my slides and lumber into the kitchen.

Writing halfway through the semester, my favorite experience to this point has without doubt been my weekend journey to Nador. When I told my professors I was traveling here, they were surprised, as most students do not ever make the trek across the country. But since there was a night train service, I did not perceive this journey to be that arduous. Our sleeper train service was very comfortable, my friend and I each had our own room and sink. 

Embarking on a solo escapade to the vibrant streets of Florence was like setting off on a quest for the ultimate me-time. Picture this: I had a rough plan in mind, fueled by a speedy Google and TikTok search of "Top 20 things to do in Florence." Thank you, internet wizards, for saving me from drowning in a sea of travel guides! With my newfound wisdom, I booked a 7 a.m. train from Roma Termini to Firenze Santa Maria Novella, hoping to hit the ground running by 9 a.m.

During my first few weeks in Salamanca, the IES Abroad Salamanca staff organized two orientation trips for all of us. These trips allowed me to explore cities outside of Salamanca and visit beautiful locations in Spain.

Segovia

I recently just completed my first night of solo travel, one night spent in Rome before an early flight the next morning. While this wasn’t a full-blown trip by myself, it did teach me a lot about the act of traveling alone. The idea came about after I booked a trip to Santorini with one of my friends from school. After booking the flight I quickly realized there would be no way to get from Siena to Rome that morning with enough time before my flight.

This has been my most exciting two weeks in Argentina yet and that is because of a very special trip to Patagonia. Patagonia is a region that is split between Argentina and Chile and it is home to a vast variety of landscapes including mountains, lakes, rivers, and beautiful scenery. Also, as the name suggests, it is home to the logo of the clothing brand Patagonia. The week and a half leading up to Patagonia consisted of completing a takeover for Penn State’s Study Abroad Instagram account where I got to share a little bit more of my experience through a day in my life.