Planning a backpacking trip is always complicated and stressful but navigating rentals and campsites in a foreign country makes it even more difficult. I relied on asking other exchange students or Chileans who already completed the trek for tips on organizing my trip to Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia. I hope this will help you plan your trip!

Childhood normalcy has finally returned to my life again. I have been back for about a week, and it feels delightful to be back home for the holidays. However, a large part of me feels a bit lost as well. I was always busy in Vienna with museum tours, schoolwork, field trips, dance classes, social activities, general errands, and independent adventures. Now, there is a bit of a slowness to my life back home during winter break. I knew I would be forced to confront what some of my next steps would be when my life in Vienna ended.

My semester abroad has unfortunately come to a close. It was filled with wonderful memories, unforgettable sights, and amazing people. I have said hello and goodbye. I have learned so much. I have seen things I never thought I would see. I have marveled in the splendor and trudged through the mundane. I have done so much and yet it feels like it could never be enough. 

One of the reasons I decided to study abroad in Japan is because its society is so vastly different from everything I know. Before going, I knew I'd have culture shock. But I wasn't expecting how even the smallest things would bring me culture shock and how I'd be surprised constantly, even a few days before I went back home.

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to post about this as it is a topic that I find a little difficult to talk about, but I think it could be helpful for a lot of future students to know what it’s like feeling different while abroad and what I did to counter that. When I say “feeling different," I’m mostly talking about my appearance and my race, as Granada, while it may be more diverse than other cities in Spain, often found me confusing as an individual.

Bring cash!

Having physical euros on hand was so useful for me for paying for the taxi to get from the Granada airport to my homestay for the first time, and cash and coins are very often used in Spain, especially if you didn’t know that your credit card doesn't always get accepted in every store or restaurant like mine didn’t…it’ll also come in handy in smaller stores that sell little trinkets that may only be worth a couple little Euro coins, and personally, using coins made me feel like I barely spent any money at all (a dangerous feeling, but still worth it).

It's getting chilly now!

Hello, hola, こにちは～！Nearing the end of November yeah if course it is starting to get really cold, which means its time for some of the best fashion: Winter clothes. Cool coats, hats and what not—I'm always a big fan! With the changing seasons I have also decided to change my hair to its most natural state of sporting an afro, which has been a little tricky to maintain on my own but it is worth it to see everyone's reactions to the new style.

I’m a really big fan of lists, if you haven’t already noticed this pattern in some of my other blogs, so I wanted to end my time as a Correspondent with a final reflection in list form! Here are five things that I’m excited to take back with me from Granada to the United States:

You hear the sound of your palpable heartbeat start to accelerate as it intensely pounds in your ears. The stressful staccatos in the variation before you contribute to the stirring adrenaline in your stomach that begins to flood every crevice of your body. You know that you have avoided numerous weekend opportunities of sheer tomfoolery in the name of your commitment to the one hobby you love most. The anticipation is killing you. And now it is your turn to step out on stage and show 'em what you've got.