One strange part about studying abroad is being removed from my family during times when we would usually celebrate together. Therefore, I was feeling a little sad about celebrating Easter alone especially since we had off of classes the Monday after Easter so many of my friends were traveling that weekend (I couldn’t because of rehearsals for my theater class). So when my host family invited me to spend Easter Sunday with them, I was excited. However, I was also a little nervous because I would be experiencing new traditions and would be around so many new people all at once.

I think it’s important to note that being alone is the easiest way to ensure a unique traveling experience. Weird and great things happen to you. Sometimes they are sub-optimal, but it creates the kind of travel story that’s worth telling. 

For our next weekend trip courtesy of IES Abroad, my friends and I traveled to Sanabria Lake the weekend of March 24-26. This trip was an optional one offered via IES Abroad for an additional fee, but the cost was well worth it. We departed from Salamanca at 8:00 AM. 

One of the things that I was most looking forward to when studying abroad in the Netherlands, was enjoying the spring tulips in Amsterdam. The world-famous indication of spring in the Netherlands is when tulips start to emerge from their earthy caves into blooms of every color in the rainbow. When I first arrived in the Netherlands, Bloemenmarkt, the flower market in Amsterdam, mostly consisted of flower bulbs instead of cut flowers.

If you’ve ever been on the Madrid Metro, you’ve probably heard the announcer voice say: “Próxima estación, (insert stop name here)” which means “Next station, (insert stop name here).” As an “aficionado” of the Metro de Madrid, I’ve heard this voice more times than I can remember. In a way, it’s been very comforting getting used to hearing that phrase as I learn to explore and navigate not only the city, but myself as well. 

Now that I have lived in Rome for 3 months, I’ve gone to some pretty cool places and seen some really amazing things.

As people come to visit, I have fleshed out this itinerary, my pride and joy, that I am passing on here. Native Romans will definitely know better spots and different areas to see, so this is just a tentative list of all the things I’ve loved going to and have really enjoyed showing other people. When in Roma!

For shopping:

Thinking of taking a trip by yourself? Going solo can be a bit scary, but I promise it’s worth it.

While you study abroad, there are plenty of opportunities to partake in cheap flights and jump on an airplane to another country. Almost every weekend I have been so privileged and grateful to see different areas of Europe I thought I would never have the opportunity to see. One weekend, however, I had no plans and thought it might be fun to do a trip by myself.

Studying abroad in Berlin was something of a restart for me. Although a few students from my home university enrolled in the same IES Abroad program that I did, I did not know any of them before we had a brief orientation for the program at our university in the United States. In my few months in Berlin, I have been lucky enough to meet many amazing people and form friendships with people from all over the United States—and even some from Germany and other places—that I hope will last a lifetime.