This past week I was lucky enough to be able to go on a class trip to an archaeological sites called Newgrange. This site is located in the Boyne Valley and provides a wealth of archaeological evidence for burial practices during the Neolithic Period in Ireland. We are talking around 3,000 B.C.!! The tombs at Newgrange…
Arrival in New Zealand
It’s funny noticing the similarities and differences between New Zealand and home. I never felt like I grew up with a strong focus on culture and tradition, but after being in a foreign country, it became clear that all the little things we do form a culture. I immediately stand out as American because of…
The Island Life
Bali has been my new home for two weeks now. This lovely island has captured my heart; the people here are genuinely friendly, the nature is stunning and vibrantly green, and the program is great so far. At times, its easy to forget that I am indeed in school as our classes are outside in…
New Places and Familiar Faces
This past week has been filled with both new and old friends! Friday night I went out with my exchange friends to Mr. Wong’s for a little “girls night out” dinner. Now, Mr. Wong’s is pretty famous in the Hong Kong exchange student community. Particularly, it is known for having tables spilling out the doors…
4 Weeks In
Although I’ve settled here properly and continue to fall in love with London every day, I’ve found myself missing home a lot. I’m very close to my family, so being away from them has been rough. I speak to them every couple of days, but London and Orlando are two very different places. I can’t…
Blinded in the City of Light
It’s been almost exactly two weeks since I’ve last written, and I’ve done and seen so much. Let’s start with the orientation week, the first week here. It was crazy, finally seeing the city and all the things I’ve only read about or seen in movies. We visited Saint Chapelle, which is one of the…
Monte Carlo→Les Orres
I’ve been in Aix for about three weeks now, and I’m finally getting accustomed to a schedule. IAU is the name of the school I attend, which is about a twenty-minute walk from where I live. The school is small and has a total of approx. 200 students. Similar to the structure at Rollins, attendance…
When your dreams become a reality, I went to Paris!!!
When I was a little girl I used to dream about traveling to one of the most romantic cities in the world: Paris. I use to sit for hours in my room looking at pictures of the Eiffel Tower and Buckingham Palace. However, my dream eventually became a reality this past weekend. Yeap that’s right…
One more night!
Well… the day has arrived! I can’t believe tomorrow begins the start of an unforgettable journey! I can feel a bit of butterflies in my stomach as I’m here writing and thinking about this crazy adventure ahead. It’s not like I decided to travel or study abroad in South America, or even Europe first, nope-…
Pre-Departure: New Zealand
I have yet to accept that tomorrow I will be on a plane to New Zealand. It doesn’t feel real to me – I don’t think it will feel real until I’m actually walking the streets of Queenstown. I guess I’m a little nervous about living in a foreign country surrounded by strangers, but I…