The country of Chile is as long as the US is wide. Part of that coastline, to the north of the capital city of Santiago, is La Serena, a beach town that is relatively unassuming at first glance. The beauty of the city lies in its surroundings: from La Serena you can visit El Valle de Elqui, where the Chilean version of the famous liquor pisco is made, various islands that house penguins and sea lions and otters can be found off the coast, and nearby Vicuña holds the history and legacy of Gabriela Mistral, the Nobel Prize winning writer.

One of the most unique aspects of Granada is its long history of Muslim rule. For almost eight centuries, Granada was under the control of various Muslim dynasties and kingdoms. Each left imprints on the city that can be seen in the ancient walls that stretch across hillsides, Islamic architecture that blends into the Christian architecture that replaced it and, of course, the famous Alhambra. Students can explore Granada’s fascinating history through classes such as Islamic Art and Architecture of Spain, and Islamic Civilization in Spain.

4/24/23

It all started with the Monday morning cleaners. As much as I appreciate a clean living space, having to be out of my room by 9 a.m. on a Monday is always a rather hurried way to start the week. But alas, I got up at 8 a.m. and began my morning routine.

Well, it’s been three days since I came back home. Honestly, the past three days have just been filled with being reunited with things I’ve missed and dealing with jet lag, but I am slowly beginning to have the fact that my study abroad experience is over sinking in. I wanted to keep things really candid and in the moment as I have for the past few months writing these blogs, so I decided that I would transcribe the journal entry I wrote in my abroad journal to share with you and give the honest and raw feelings and emotions I was actually feeling in the moment of leaving for home.

Before entering Italy, I’d never taken an Italian class. I picked up a few useful words and phrases from the internet so that I wouldn’t be 100% helpless, but it only brought me down to maybe 98% helpless. Now, only three months later, Italians ask me how many years I’ve been speaking their language. How did I become conversational in three months? I have some tips to help you out—outside the classroom.

* TL = target language.

The island - more accurately archipelago - of Chiloé is known for its unique culture, sustainability-focused economy, wooden churches, delicious foods, and rich mythology. It is located in the south of the country and is generally rainy. Despite that, it isn’t a gloomy place, and I treasure every moment I’ve spent on its shores.

Sometimes the weekend trips that my friends and I take have been planned for weeks, even months. Many times, the destination is a place one if us has had in mind even before studying abroad. Other times, it's simply the cheapest flight on a certain weekend. My trip to Vienna was mostly the latter. Nonetheless, this trip was one of my absolute favorites thus far.

Intro

In Spain, we get Semana Santa (Holy Week) off. I booked my trips over a month in advance and this is where my first piece of advice comes in: wait! Settle in and meet your people (it may change between booking and time of trip).  You may be thinking “the earlier the cheaper,” but that is not always worth it (explained in the next section).  Your mindset on travel will also change during the weeks. I booked the cheapest and most possible. This resulted in four cities over 10 days and very early flights and trains.

Homesickness

My blogs and Instagram correspondent posts have been showing the exciting traveling and exploring aspects of studying abroad, but it is not always so fun. This does not mean studying abroad hasn’t been great and an amazing opportunity, but rather that I have had various feelings throughout the semester. In the beginning, orientation and settling into your host city leaves no space for self-reflection, but after a few weeks, I started to feel a huge wave of homesickness.