I first visited Berlin when I was sixteen. I was doing a foreign exchange to learn French in Lausanne, Switzerland, and a friend of mine’s family had moved to the German city for a year. At the cusp of upper teenage-hood, I was in the throes of puberty’s lingering social anxiety, but forcing myself into new cultures gave me access to a side of myself I hadn’t seen before. I became independent and self-assured, and this new confidence allowed me to explore Berlin without the hesitation I would have had a few months prior.

Well, it’s difficult to say the least that my study abroad experience and these blog posts have come to an end. Nevertheless, it feels appropriate that I began these blog posts with something cheesy and am ending these blog posts with something cheesy :). Studying abroad for a semester had always been a dream of mine and the realization that this is my last blog post only adds fuel to the fire. 

I have been back in the US for almost two weeks now. Here’s where things are at:

With my Milan abroad experience just recently wrapped, I wanted to share why I chose to do a homestay.

Funny enough it was a last minute decision for me. At first, I was slated to live in an apartment setting and couldn’t wait to have my own place in a fun area along with other IES Abroad students. Three reasons why I chose to live in a apartment were:

With the school semester coming to an end, a visa process in full swing and the realization that I will be working in another country in about a month, things can get a little overwhelming to say the least. Lucky for me, I am an overly organized person who thrives when things are chaotic and would like to share some of my tips for those who may be a bit stressed!

Your calendar is your best friend! 

Inevitably, most Americans make use of their time abroad to dot around various parts of Europe while it all sits so close by! Though I definitely recommend saving lots of your weekends to explore your own city and get involved with the community there,  studying abroad is definitely a great opportunity to choose a few other countries to visit while you’re in the area. 

Here are a few of my top tips for traveling in Granada as I walk through my trip to Rome!

1. Book as early as you can!

Throughout my time in Granada, there’s a few little places I’ve come across that I absolutely love. Here’s a collection of places around town where I would gladly spend hours upon hours of my time...

1. Carmen de los Mártires

Thanks to Europe's public transportation,  when you spend 4 months studying abroad in a big city, you automatically have easy access to a ton of awesome day-trip destinations. Granada’s location makes this even easier: it only takes an hour to get to the mountains or to get to the beach, meaning you could spend the morning skiing and the afternoon swimming in the Mediterranean! Without further ado, here are some of my favorite day trips from Granada. 

1. Sierra Nevada