On September 24th, I was able to go see the Sailor Moon Museum in Roppongi! When I was a child, I fell in love with Sailor Moon due to the transformation sequences, the characters’ personalities, and the story itself. It’s one of the series that I would credit for helping me grow into the person I am today, as I grew attached to the characters throughout the course of the series. Going to the museum was like stepping back into my past and reliving the most magical moments of my childhood.

As I mentioned in my first post since arriving at St. Catherine’s, I have described the academic life here as academic boot camp. Halfway through my second academic week here at St. Catherine’s, I would say this holds true. I would also say that I am slowly adjusting to this new kind of academic work.

People talk a lot about homesickness while studying abroad. I was warned about missing the familiarity of home, or little things from home like food or brands. I was also warned about the stages of culture shock; that I would have a period of euphoria, then struggle for a while dealing with my new environment. Honestly, I haven’t struggled much being in a new, unfamiliar place—my bigger challenge has been forming an entirely new social circle. 

The first time I went grocery shopping in Buenos Aires I left the supermarket after 45 minutes with a bag of spinach, half a baguette, and a tub of hummus. I spent the next week dipping my bread in the hummus and eating dry salads for lunch. In the first few weeks, walking into an entirely unfamiliar store, in an entirely unfamiliar city, filled with foods labeled in a language I barely understood, felt like a nearly impossible task.

Imagine a place with lush rolling hills of green trees surrounding small towns lined with fortresses and churches from medieval times. This is Umbria in a nutshell. Despite being one of the coolest places I’ve ever been to, I might have not visited the region if it weren’t for IES Abroad’ built-in overnight trips in the program tuition.

Whenever anyone chooses to study abroad, they’re going to get different reactions from all the various people in their lives. That’s normal! Some people are supportive, others less so, it’s a spectrum. 

However, this difference felt exponentially more apparent when I decided to study abroad in Morocco. The fact that I was going to study abroad in an African country, especially one affiliated with the Middle East/North Africa, inspired a wild variety of conflicting reactions.

When I came to Oxford, I knew that I wanted to make time to do some more travel while I was here. My goal was to see as much as I could during my study abroad experience because I do not know when I’ll find myself in this part of the world again.

For myself, I knew I wanted a chance to visit continental Europe. I also knew I did not want to leave Oxford and my studies for too long, so I decided to try and plan a day trip for myself. One of the cities I wanted to visit the most in Europe was Geneva, Switzerland. 

I sincerely apologize for the late post y’all. It's because..I’ve been having a really good time? It feels weird to say. After so much adjusting, extremely weird news and obstacles, and navigating the dumpster fire that is the university I attend here..I’m really happy!! 

It’s that kind of calm contentment you get when you feel at peace with your situation. I no longer feel on edge or exhausted at the end of every single day. 

            Being abroad is an exciting experience and spending only a semester abroad—especially when your favorite professor likes to remind you that there is only 60 days left—can feel like there is not enough time to do everything you want to do. I certainly feel that way, like there is just so much to do and not enough time. As mindful as I have tried to be of my own health, there is a level of adrenaline that can be deceiving and lead to unfortunate circumstances.