I’ve been in Rome for a little over two months now (*gasp*) and I’ve felt really comfortable in my established routine. Before coming abroad, I would wonder what my daily life might look like in Rome and what I experience now is better than anything I could’ve imagined. The day I chose to write about is what an average day looks like for me when I go to my internship (I go in two to three times a week). 

8:30 a.m. - 9 a.m.: Head out the door, grab a coffee, and catch a bus

When I started my search for my study abroad program, I had already made a short list of must-haves. This list was comprised of several factors, including the ability to live in a homestay, classes I was interested in, and the requirement of being hosted in a francophone country in the Middle East or North Africa. However, I was also very passionate about being able to study in a country in which I could strengthen my skills in French and begin learning Arabic. 

One of the great ironies of my life is that alongside my great desire to cuddle furry creatures comes a series of vicious allergic reactions. When I’m home, a daily cocktail of Zyrtec and Benadryl staves off the worst of my symptoms, leaving me free to galivant alongside my household’s two cats and dog—here in Spain, though, I am left vulnerable to the whims of my overactive immune system.

Christmastime starts early in Vienna. November 11th to be exact. I’ve been in the Christmas spirit since September, though—my roommate and I always play Christmas music when we’re cooking together, so the opening of the Christmas markets was long overdue. On the first Friday of their opening, my friends and I went to the two closest to us: the Christmas markets at Stephansdom and Altes Wien. There were so many great stands: handcrafted jewelry, pottery, ornaments, and some delicious treats and drinks to go along with the ambiance!

On October 9th, I went to Sawara, which is located northeast of Narita city. It's in a rural part of Chiba prefecture and is home to plenty of incredibly old buildings. We went here to experience an autumn festival and it was a completely different experience for me.

It's an odd thing to have a deadline for friendships. When we go abroad, we spend three months living with random strangers. We all come from different schools, states, and even countries. Three months of building relationships and making memories. Yet, in the back of your mind, you know that when the third month comes to an end, you probably will never see these people again. It is a bittersweet situation.  

I had been vegetarian for four years, ever since going cold-turkey in 2018. I never struggled with cravings, and (after a while) had the support of my unapologetically meat-loving family. Eating different food than everyone at the table was difficult for a while, but I quickly learned to love it. Becoming a vegetarian taught me to cook for myself, and gave me a new appreciation for where my food comes from. Living in America, too, made transitioning easy. Products like tempeh, tofu, seitan, and protein powder were readily available nearly everywhere, and so were recipes.

One of my courses for this semester is called Theatre in London: An Introduction. The premise is simple; every Tuesday night for nine weeks, the whole class had tickets to see a play in a different part of the city. The following class period, we discussed what we liked and didn’t like, and prepared for the next show. The class is very small—five people, including the instructor—so it’s fairly casual for us all to meet at the different theaters every week.