The neighborhood of Gracia, in Barcelona, with its intriguingly decorated stores, calm atmosphere, and chic coffee shops is a surprisingly tranquil escape from the tourist-heavy lanes of the old city. Gracia is still fairly central and attracts a lot of attention; however, it’s residential vibe is unmistakable. As I walked around in the late afternoon sun, with the birds flying in between the trees that lined the sidewalks, I couldn’t help but feel irritated that I hadn’t discovered the neighborhood sooner.

As I was considering various study abroad locations, I had very little idea what to expect from a climate standpoint. In fact, I didn’t do a single bit of research into the weather of different places, even when I began the process of packing. What I would discover as the months rolled along is I needed to suddenly learn how to dress for cold weather.

         The Netherlands is not known for its cuisine. Traditional foods, such as pea soup or pickled herring, are certainly not everyone’s favorite. Borrelhapjes, or snack foods, such as bitterballen or croquettes, are certainly tasty but ultimately nothing to write home about in the grand scheme of Europe’s great cuisines. There are many delicious sweets, like pepernoten, stroopwafels, oliebolen, poffertjes, and speculaas, to name a few.

I feel like I did a lot of research before leaving home to study abroad, but as the weeks went on, I noticed some things I wish I had known beforehand. There were of course lots of little things, but I feel these two were the biggest things I wish I knew beforehand.