I AMsterdam

Hello! It has been a crazy couple of weeks and I seem to always be on the move. This past week was Semana Santa in Spain and my dad was able to visit me all week. We had a great time and it was nice to see him after three months 🙂 Anyways, a few…

Sunburns and Smiles: Tenerife, Islas Canarias

It was rainy, dark, and cold: the week of midterm exams. It had been raining in Alcalá for more than a week and it was becoming a real bummer. Fortunately, as soon as we were done with our tests, my friends and I hopped on a plane for the Canary Islands! We chose to go…

Day trips: Toledo & Cuenca

I cannot believe I've been in Spain for 6.5 weeks! Time truly flies when you're having fun. The past few weekends have been reserved for travel within Spain. February 9, my school/program took all of us to Toledo for the day. Toledo is located one hour southwest of Madrid in the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha…

Paraíso

Homesickness and travel go hand-in-hand. It is nearly impossible to experience one without the other. Especially in an entirely different country, the culture shock only enhances feelings of discomfort and desire to go home. Luckily, I have not yet fallen victim to sadness and strong desire to go home *knock on wood* I have several…

Jolly Old England

Hey everyone! New weekend adventure post. Last weekend, February 1-4, my friends and I went to London, England. I hadn't planned on visiting London while I was in Spain, but the plane tickets were such a deal that I couldn't pass up the opportunity. I'm so glad I went. London is home to so many…

Carnevale di Venezia

A new post is so long overdue and I apologize. My days have been packed with classes, homework, exploring, plenty of walking, making friends, reading, and perpetual coffee-drinking. I'm currently writing this on an airplane to London (kudos to Norwegian Air for the free WiFi 😁). Last weekend, my friends and I decided to make…

It begins…

Holy moly I'm here. As the members of my host family would say, Que Fuerte!! I've been in Spain for 4 days and it has been a whirlwind; this is the first free time I've had to just sit and type, lounge around, etc. Let's rewind to January 9th. I had three connecting flights to…

How to get a student visa

NOTE: Complete this process AFTER you have been accepted to your school/program of choice. If you are studying abroad in a country for more than 90 days, you may be required to have a student visa. Some countries differ--check with their consulate web pages. The UK only requires a visa from U.S. citizens if they…

How to Begin the Study Abroad Process

It's been a while since my last post, but things have been at a standstill...until now! Yesterday, I sent in my application to study at my school of choice in Spain.*inhale* I received confirmation that my application had gone through and now I am awaiting acceptance (or denial...yikes). *exhale* After I submitted my application, I thought I'd…

Figuring things out…

I'm a sucker for a good lifestyle, hobby, or travel blog. They're inspiring and fun and very twenty-first century. I've never been much of a writer (besides school essays), and I've never kept a journal. But I think that this semester abroad will change my life and I want to not only have this blog…