I guess you can call them “cultural differences,” but there are some aspects of England that I don’t think I’ll ever get used to. First, when you walk into a building you are on the ground floor; and when you walk up a flight of stairs you are now on the first floor…? It seems like it could be logical to some, but how can you have one floor on bottom and one floor on top, and the second one be the first floor? So confusing. Second, how can an entire dialect refrain from using the letter Z (Which, by the way, is called “zed” here, not “zee”)? I don’t want to “realise,” maximise,” or “organise.” I just want my z’s back.  Third, England doesn’t have real lemonade. They call it lemonade on the menus, but it’s really just Sprite 🙁

My first week of classes has been just okay. I think it will take a while to get the hang of things. My school doesn’t have a bookstore, so I’ve ordered books from 3 different stores in London and have to go pick them up at each location because I’m skeptical about the mail delivery to my building. Also, my teachers, or “lecturers” as they’re called, go by their first name, which is odd for me. But what’s most odd is that my classes are surprisingly small, and everyone knows everyone else, because all the students studying the same major have a set schedule of classes. They basically only take classes with the other students in their major. The school doesn’t have a core curriculum or general education classes, the students just study their major. Unfortunately, this alienates me and the other international students in my classes. Hopefully we will learn to fit in.

My favorite class is definitely “Developing Creativity.” We began our lecture with everyone taking paperclips and discussing how many ways a paperclip can be used. Our homework for next week is to bring a special bag to class filled with obscure items that impact our lives. Every week is a new activity/project! It’s my earliest class and my furthest one away, but it’s certainly going to be one worth waking up for.
This weekend I went on two day trips, one to Canterbury and Dover and another to Portsmouth to visit the Royal Navy Museum. Both were excellent! I’ve also booked trips to Germany in 2 weeks, and Paris in 3 🙂 I’m so excited. It’s wonderful to have so many new things to see and do all the time. Being here is really great!

After living in Madrid for three weeks I already feel like a Spaniard! When I am not talking I feel like I blend in perfectly…..then I start talking. It could be spanish or english but some how this awkward “Texas/Chicago want to be spanish” accent of mine just gives me away. Alas, I am having the time of my life here in Madrid.

I know everyone just wishes that our lives could be perfect and that we would never go a day without missing something or someone and studying abroad only magnifies the want for a perfect semester. However, all of a sudden, all the feelings hit you and all you want to do is go home! Ya, that happened to me. Not only did I miss my cousin’s wedding, a baby being born in my family, but only one of the most important days in a sorority woman’s life: BID DAY! Everyone says “but you’re in Spain/Europe/Madrid; don’t think about it” but I’m here and you all are there and sometimes that just stinks! Anyways this feeling lasted about two weeks and then I moved on, lingering only makes it worse and I AM in Europe! Life can’t get much better than this right now; except for maybe the rain. I failed to do some important research when choosing which semester to study abroad in. Did y’all know that fall is Europe’s raining season? Ya, neither did I. So that first day it just felt like: “hello rain it’s nice to meet you, we don’t get a lot of you in Texas!”

Adventures in Spain and Europe just keeping coming. A few weekends ago I traveled to a National Park in Spain: Parque Natural de las Hoces del Río Duratón. This national park is located in Castilla y León in Spain, just about 2 hours outside of the city of Madrid. For three hours myself and the other students in my program kayaked in the Duratón River. It was one of the most beautiful Fridays! I enjoyed listening to the history of the park, the things we saw, and of course the endless singing of show tunes from Pocahontas. I mean, who wouldn’t sing “just around the river bend” as you paddle just around a river bend? It was really a lot of fun/ work out extraordinaire. At the end of the day we enjoyed some amazing Paella made with seafood and chicken. Paella is one of the traditional dishes of Spain! A definite favorite of mine!  Check out the photos below!

After a relaxing Saturday at home getting all that terrible thing called homework done, I prepared myself for an eventful Sunday afternoon at none other than a BULL FIGHT! That’s right everyone I attended a bull fight and yes, the bulls do die at the end. A point I had to gently explain to my friend coming with me. Now I’m usually not the first person to sign up to watch animals die but bull fights are a very traditional spanish activity and as the saying goes, “when in Rome…”

While bull fights are a traditional spanish sport, it is currently under heavy scrutiny and is very controversial. I was told that in the future it could cease to exist all together but I’ll believe it when it happens. We can all speculate about it but the bottom line is that bull fights are a part of spanish culture now and they will forever be a part of Spanish history. I thoroughly enjoyed the candy and nuts I purchased from a street vendor before the fight. As you enter the arena you climb the steps to see concrete benches all around the center. They offered seat cushions for a small fee in my section which made me feel like I stepped back in time. The whole place was gearing up for the fight. Once it started we couldn’t peel our eyes away from the center. Every little motion was captured on film. Then the first bull died. Now as I told you all above, I KNEW this would happen. But without fail my friends and I looked at each other in shock. What had we got ourselves into. Two more bulls came out and I decided I had had just about enough vowed to leave after the next one. I am throughly pleased to have been able to see this young matador in action. Before his one on one with the bull he jumped on the wall and yelled something in spanish out to an elderly man in the audience and then threw him his hat. The old man stood up, blew him a kiss, and remained standing during the entire fight. I think he was the matador’s father. This matador was the most elegant of all the men. It sounds weird but everyone in the arena held their breaths with every close encounter. We all ooohed and ahhed with every swift move. This young man had immense respect for his sport and for this bull he was fighting. In the end the entire arena erupted in cheers and waved white flags for the matador. He is whom I imagine little boys dream about becoming, the way he fought is how I imagine the matadors from ages ago fought. I am so blessed to have been able to experience something so amazing and in its own way beautiful.

As I’ve mentioned before, the word mzungu is used here in Uganda basically to refer to white people. This term comes from the swahili word wazungu, which means ‘wanderer’ or ‘traveler’. These last few weeks, my study abroad group and I have truly lived up to the title. Through several excursions and trips, we’ve traveled a great deal and gotten to see a lot more of Uganda. This, my dear readers, is the reason why I’ve been so distant. Even though you haven’t heard from me in a while, I know our relationship is strong, and that you’ll stick with me through the tough times. I have to do a lot of work on myself, I know. But I promise to keep in touch more often and listen to all your feeling and frustrations; we’ll make it through this if we just stick together.

Now that we’re done with that strange little tangent, let’s pick up where we left off. Last you heard of me, I was in Gulu having a grand old time. Just as I was feeling completely at home with my family in Gulu, we left for our first major excursion: Kitgum and the rural home-stay. Kitgum is the second largest city in Northern Uganda, which really isn’t saying much in terms of urban development for all you city folk. Despite the lack of skyscrapers and, well let’s just say it: pavement, Kitgum was a great place. We stayed in a hotel called “The Little Palace”, which lived up to its name. This place had stand-up showers, hot water, and FULL SIZED BEDS. We might as well have been at a Fairmont.

We stayed there for a few nights, and talked to a lot of people who worked in Kitgum during the war. One notable speaker was Bishop Ochola, a religious leader who helped to bring about peace talks and minimize the ravaging effects of the conflict. The Bishop preaches about the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation in post-conflict settings, which becomes truly inspiring once you discover he lost a wife and a daughter to rebel groups during the conflict. We attended a few more inspiring meetings with NGOs, another Acholi Chief (King), and communities working to rebuild their lives after years in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps. After a few days, we were ready to embark on our rural home-stay

The rural home-stay is a unique part of SIT study abroad trips. For about four days, we live with new families in a rural community. During this period, we do not attend classes and have no contact with our professors or academic coordinators. Given the intensity of the experience, and the fact that we have to carry out research while we’re there, we take on the experience in groups. My home-stay partners were Karen and Tarryn, two girls from my trip.

Every one of the girls on this trip has a unique reason for ending up studying conflict transformation in Uganda, which has made our experiences and discussions amazing. Tarryn’s reason struck me as very interesting from the beginning; she told me she went to her study abroad counselor and said she wanted to live on the dirt floor of a mud hut for a semester. Well Tarryn it wasn’t a semester, but you got what you wanted.

We traveled to Amida, about thirty minutes outside of Kitgum on one of the bumpiest roads I’ve seen so far (that’s saying something), to meet Mr. Lam and his family, who would be hosting us for the next few days. Mr. Lam was a man of about 80 years who had an enormous family and a big heart. Also, he was kind of hard of hearing. Here’s a sample conversation:

[Me] Mr. Lam, how many children do you have?

[Mr. Lam] Yes, yes of course.

[Me] No sir, I meant ‘how many kids do you have’?

[Mr. Lam] Oh! Very many!

[Me] How many, just out of curiosity?

[Mr. Lam] Very, very, many!

[Me] Could you maybe provide an estimate, like, you know, a number?

[Mr. Lam] Hmmm, fifteen? maybe seventeen?

[Me] Oh Wow! You must have a lot of grandchildren then!

[Mr. Lam] No, she’s coming later.

[Me] Oh perfect. But I meant that I would be willing to bet you have many grandchildren as well.

[Mr. Lam] Oh yes, some are even having many kids.

[Me] So you have great grandchildren?

[Mr. Lam] No! I have already told you that she will not come until much later.

[Me] I’m so sorry Mr. Lam, sometimes I can’t hear very well.

[Mr. Lam] It is ok.

Anyway, Mr. Lam and his two wives (yeah polygamy is a thing here) were amazing people, and they helped us a lot with our research. It turned out that Mr. Lam was what we in Uganda call “A Head Honcho”. He knew everyone in town and everyone knew him, because he’d been a police officer and was now a politician in the Amida sub-county. His home was great too, we got our own mud hut, which we only had to share with a few frogs, some lizards, and what I truly hope was not a snake. Sadly, the experience came to an end, and we had to say goodbye to all of our new family members.

We went back to Gulu for a few days where we met even more amazing people. One of them was Komakech Patrick, a former LRA rebel who was abducted into their ranks when he was only nine years old. Although he was forced into participating in the conflict like so many others, he rose in the ranks and was even Joseph Kony’s personal body guard at one point. After ten years, he managed to escape and reintegrate into society. He was one of the founding members of Invisible Children, the NGO that made the Kony2012 video; which probably inspired you for twenty minutes and then pissed you off for a semester. I’ve developed a lot of mixed feelings about them since I’ve been here, so if you ever want to talk IC, holla at yo boy. (I promise not to say ‘holla at yo boy’ during the conversation). Anyways, Patrick has had some ups and downs since he returned from the bush, but he was happy to share them all with us and provide us with his unique world view.

It seemed like we’d only been in Gulu for ten minutes when it was time to leave again. This time, we were off to Kampala. Kampala, if you didn’t already know, is Uganda’s capital and largest city. Coming from Gulu, and especially our rural home-stay in Kitgum, the capital felt like a whole different ball game. Kampala has the kind of traffic I’ve only seen in Mexico City, with a disregard for traffic laws that even chilangos would be afraid of. (For all my gringo readers: Chilango refers to the inhabitants of Mexico City. An urban tribe well known for their road rage). Anyways, back to Uganda. Kampala has brand new buildings towering over sprawling slums, boda-bodas speeding by on sidewalks, a never-ending row of bars and restaurants scattered about, and more construction sites than completed structures. Unlike in the North, Uganda’s economic development can be seen in Kampala.

During our stay in Kampala, we visited two of Uganda’s parliaments (tribal and federal), spoke to lawyers, and took amazing classes with Ugandan professors at Makerere University. Makerere is Uganda’s national university. One of the students that I met on campus said the enrollment was close to 70,000. He might have been exaggerating a bit, but this place is enormous. Makerere is also extremely prestigious and has a beautiful campus Wandegeya, one of Kampala’s neighborhoods. Being on a college campus again made me realize how hard going back to school will be in January. As my friend Sarah “Flower Child” Vogel put it: “Our semester is like one giant field trip. I LOVE FIELD TRIPS.”

Speaking of the lovely ladies on my trip, Kampala got the best of us. Maybe it was the pollution, maybe it was bad luck, or maybe country kids just can’t hang with the city crowd, but this last week, every one of us fell victim to what I will now refer to as Kampalitis. Kampalitis consists of very many gastrointestinal, nasal, dermatological, and other symptoms that cause you to hate yourself and everyone around you. What I’m trying to say is we all got sick. It had to happen at some point I guess, but as a survivor of the catastrophic Kampalitis, let me tell you: It wasn’t pretty. Luckily enough, we got past it, and are now all in a state of recovery, and far away from Kampala. You win this time, big city; but we’ll be back for more.

Yesterday we traveled to Mbarare, a city in southwestern Uganda. Mbarare is in the region where Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni was born. Not coincidentally, Mbarare is the fastest growing city in the country. We stopped here for two nights on our way to Rwanda, so we could go visit Nakevale Refugee Settlement, which is about two hours outside of the city. We visited it today, which was one of the most rewarding experiences on the trip so far. Nakevale is one of Uganda’s largest refugee camps, housing tens of thousands of exiled citizens from Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, and for some reason, literally one dude from France.

When we got to the camp, we split up into groups and each spoke to people of one nationality so we could get a better idea of what life was like in the refugee camps. I spoke to Somalis, who welcomed us wholeheartedly, as most Africans do. In one of the most surreal moments of my life, we walked towards their settlement on dirt roads that wound through makeshift houses and semi-permanent shops. I walked hand in hand with a guy, because that’s just how muslim bros in Africa roll. We were surrounded on all sides by a group of beautiful Somali women wearing different combinations of headscarves, burkas and hijabs, along with men, children and elderly people, all trying to tell us their stories and get our attention. The current situation in Somalia may be one of the biggest geopolitical conundrums in modern history, and hearing these people’s stories was overwhelming.

I could go on and on about today, but I realize how long this post is. If you’ve made it this far, thank you; you must really care about me. Either that or you’re putting off something much more important. GO DO IT.

– I leave for Rwanda tomorrow. More on that soon –

On Tuesday, I visited the Prado with my good friend Susan. The Prado is Spain’s main Art Museum and is located in Madrid, and houses paintings by Francisco de Goya and Diego Velazquez (which are two of my favorite painters, aside from Gaudi), amongst others.. The museum is free Monday to Thursday from 6-8pm so we were able to enjoy part of the museum while not paying. The Prado is MASSIVE (as to be expected), so it will take multiple trips to get through the whole museum, but I am determined to see”La Meninas” by Velazquez, which is my favorite Spanish painting. The metro stop near the Prado, Banco de Espana, is where the City Hall is located (pictured in this blog), which is so far my favorite building in this glorious city.

Thursday through Sunday night I was in Lisbon, Portugal with three friends. I now consider Lisbon a hidden gem- Not many people consider traveling there, but it was definitely worth the trip. Lisbon reminded me of Madrid due to all the beautiful architecture, plazas, and little cafes. We visited the most intricate monastery I have ever seen, called Jeronimos Monastery (pictured), and ate little custard pies at a famous Pasteleria (Pastry Shop) next to the monastery. On Sunday we visited Sintra, a small city with beautiful castles and churches 45 minutes outside Lisbon by train. We also climbed a mountain for about 2 hours in total to get to a castle known as “The Great Wall of Lisbon” in the pouring rain, which made for an interesting experience. I stayed in a hostel  for the first time, and have to say, it was a positive experience- We received free breakfast, and one night ate in at the hostel for unlimited wine and tapas for a small price, plus it was a nice, clean place to stay for relatively cheap.

Two days until I am off again, this time to Barcelona!

Things I have noticed:

– I need to learn how to sit and enjoy my food. That’s probably what helps Spaniards keep the weight off, so I am willing to try that too!

-Spaniards love American music… I hear the top hits from the US everywhere I go.

-Contrary to common belief, tortillas and margaritas are hard to find.

-Even though I go to school in Chicago and am usually very aware of my surroundings, that does not mean I am off-limits to the potential to get pick-pocketed.

-Portuguese is not very similar to Spanish.

-Night buses are not ideal for a good nights rest, but are cheap and pretty efficient.

-The intricacy of almost all architecture I have seen in Europe is indescribably gorgeous. Sometimes I just stare at a building for twenty minutes to soak in all of the detail.

“Humdinger” : a person, thing, action, or statement of remarkable excellence or effect.

If any of you get the chance ever to go to Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany… TAKE IT IMMEDIATELY. I cannot even begin to describe the fun that went down in Munich over this past weekend, but it will always be memorable in my mind. Even if you aren’t into drinking beer with people from every corner of the world, the city of Munich is beautiful, there are castles all around the city, the people are wonderful and the public transportation is spotless!

Now, one thing I will warn you… if you are not a camper, definitely do not chose to camp here. The horror stories I could tell you about our experiences camping for 3 days with Stoke Fest are beyond abnormal. I am pretty sure showering upon my return to Rome was one of the most glorious events of the trip so far.

Also, we took the 12 hour bus ride with Bus2Alps from Rome to Munich and on the way back it was still light out all through Austria and this is what it looked like…

… pretty phenomenal, eh?

Anyways, one of my favorite parts of Oktoberfest was how many people you meet while you are there. We met Australians, Scottish, American, English, German (obviously), Japanese, Croatian and even some Italians. This past weekend (the 2nd to last weekend of the festival) seems to be the best time for those studying abroad to go. Oddly enough I was seated at a random table in the tent that happened to be the same table as a friend from high school who is studying abroad in Prague this semester. Can you say small world?

At one point I found myself enjoying the view alone, eating a German hamburger, riding a kids swing and being the oldest rider on there by about 10 years or so. Many people at this point would have most likely questioned their lives, but I was as content as could be. The swings overlooked the entire Oktoberfest area and it was thrilling to see just how many people had come out to celebrate! What I never expected was for Oktoberfest to be a combination of a theme park and a lot of very very large beer tents.

Finally, when making this trip, remember to pack warmly. None of us (of course coming from Rome) expected it to be so cold, but by god, it was.

Midterms are coming up this week and next and oddly enough I am excited for some tests! That’s what Rome will do to you, make you so happy even studying and learning is the utmost enjoyable.

Cheers!

September 29, 2013

Location: Suzhoujie Line 10

While waiting for the Sushi Restaurant to reopen at 5, Brook and I got an ideal opportunity to explore the lively Haidian District. We ventured first to Nanjing Impressions, which was conveniently in the shopping district and one of the malls of Haidian district. Brook’s hometown is in Southern China, Wuxi, about a half hour away from Shanghai. On the left is my adorable Chinese friend, Brook, who also happens to be my tutor here. We wanted to save some room for the feast of sushi that was to come (see post Sushi makes the World go Round). So we ordered some traditional smaller dishes from the Province of her hometown.

Nanjing is the capital of the Jiangsu province, where Wuxi is located. It is the province with the highest population density in all of China! It’s extremely famous for its rivers that criss-cross through various cities within it, earning it the title of “Venice of the East”. I really hope I can visit Wuxi with Brook one day. The pictures look absolutely stunning. Rivers laced with lanterns reflecting on the water, freshly-fished crabs served at restaurants, and ancient Chinese architecture all around the city.

The restaurant we went to was in the authentic decor of the cities around Nanjing, and of course Nanjing itself. Brook said even the silverware and the plates were traditional to the region. The dishes were equally authentic .We ordered several small plates. First, we ordered a rice dish that was shaped in a donut shape and was in a clear liquid. It was a cold dish and tasted a little bitter and sour. We

ordered two types of dumplings. One was a very thin dumping with shrimp in it, and one was filled with roast duck. We also ordered extremely large dumplings that were filled with meat and a hot liquid. To eat them you had to bite the top a little and drink the soup within them. It was DELICIOUS. The region is famous for it’s crab, and the soup was made with crab flavors. After you do so, you eat the rest of the

dumpling whole. We also ordered two sweet dishes. A red bean flavored thicker liquid with rice balls in it and a bowl of sweet soup with sweet potatoes in it.

All in all, it was extremely delicious and I highly recommend trying some Nanjing Cuisine as soon as you can!

September 29, 2013

PHOTO STUDIO BANANZA 

 Today was an eventful day. My fantastic tutor and friend, Brook, and I started by going out  to a Photo Studio. I’ve been wanting to take photos at a Studio in China because they always look  amazing. They do your hair and makeup for every outfit you try on. Chinese Studio for so many years (all my American-Chinese friends got them done). I did four outfits themes: elegant, modern, cute, and natural/casual. I get the photos back in one month though…but I’m so psyched to pick them out this Wednesday!!! (The picture on the left is in the chair they’d do make-up in; the dress is my natural/casual outfit). The make-up artist was incredible. She made my hair into four distinct styles so well (curled, fancy up-do, cute up-do, and natural waves).  Every shot by the photographer was equally fantastic. I think the rest has to be seen not described, so I should show them on the blog after I get them. (Picture below is the first dress and the elegant theme one).

September 29, 2013

SUSHI MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND

Location: Pingting Japanese Restaurant 坪亭铁板烧日本料理       Haidian District Branch: Line 10 Suzhoujie

 Cost: 198 RMB for Unlimited Sushi, Maki Rolls, Steaks,  Noodles, Desserts, Drinks, and Rice plates (higher places include more sushi

20-40 RMB for an entree of noodles and rice                choices)

The best food is without a doubt the miraculous and most beautiful creation of Sushi. My Chinese friend, Brook, and I headed to the branch  in Haidian District.

 Haidian District is extremely busy all the time because it is a huge college district. There are fantastic restaurants, giant shopping malls, and a really live night life. Definitely a must visit if you are in Beijing. We first headed there at 2:00pm, right after the Photo Studio, but sadly, they and all other surrounding Japanese Restaurants were closed by 2:00 pm and were to reopen at 5:00 pm. I was desperate for sushi, mainly due to the fact that I had had it set in my head for a week that I was going to go. After Brook had told me about the Japanese Architecture within and a meal of unlimited happiness aka sushi.

First thing we ordered was Seafood soup which was served in a cute little teapot with a small bowl next to it. It tasted a lot like Miso Soup (soybean paste soup). We ordered what the top picture displays, a delicious sashimi plate of different kinds of fish. I did

NOT touch the octopus though…just couldn’t bring myself to consume a tentacle-covered, cold, purple and white, squishy piece of octopus… Brook didn’t eat it either. The rolls were fantastic as well, filled with an assortment of fish. The only roll I would NOT recommend ordering is the Mexican Roll. The sauce on there was a weak attempt at a Mexican taco sauce and was a horrible combination with fish (awful). The rest of the rolls though were DELICIOUS. I also had the most amazing tea I have EVER had. Honey Citrus Tea. It was so good that I went out and bought some today. I bought a giant jar actually and have been drinking it non-stop today. (Fun-fact, it’s actually Korean). We also ordered these fancy-shmancy eggs that were soft boiled and filled with fois-gras and crab roe (crab eggs). We kept ordering till we were stuffed, and to top off the fantastic meal was a delicious bowl of strawberry ice-cream surrounded by red beans.

I’ve been in London for two weeks now, and I can easily say they’ve been two of the most incredible weeks of my life. Surprisingly, London reminds me a lot of Chicago. There’s a river running through the middle of the city, the tube is just like the El, and I live in a nice residential area with a couple main roads nearby as in Roger’s Park. Considering how far away from home I really am, I feel comfortable here.

I haven’t had any extreme culture shock, and no one has said anything derogatory towards me for being American. Sometimes, though, I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb. One day I wore rain boots – no one here wears rain boots. One day I wore Sperry’s – no one here wears Sperry’s. And as soon as I open my mouth to speak, any chance of blending in goes out the window when they hear my American accent. But I’m picking up on things. To look like a local London girl I need to wear tights and a skirt with black flats and slightly messy hair. Jeans are less common, as is most large jewelry. Reading the newspaper on the tube is an unspoken rule, and if you don’t have your travel card ready when you get to the tube turnstile, you will get run over. It’s all very classy.

I learn new words and phrases everyday. Some words are ones that I’ve heard before and knew English people said, like “rubbish” and “cheers.” Yet, it never really sank in how often they’re used and how entertaining it is to hear them in conversation. I’ve been invited to “take a read”, to “form a queue”, and asked what I “fancy.” I’ve learned that a “brolley” is an umbrella, a “trolley” is a shopping cart, and a “torch” is a flashlight. Part of me hopes I’ll adopt some of these words and phrases into my daily vocabulary, but part of me hopes they will ways stand out as being strange and remind me of how special and unique this whole experience is.

Coming a week before school started has proven to be one of the best decisions I could’ve made. I’ve been able to do a LOT of touristy stuff, like London Bridge, Tower Bridge, Tower of London, The Monument, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, the Jewel Tower, Churchill War Rooms, Buckingham Palace and a bunch of shopping. Last weekend I took a train to Liverpool for a Beatles tour around the city. I love the feeling of having so many different things to do and see all the time. Today I went to Stonehenge and Bath with 3 other loyola girls studying here and our new German friend. I hope to travel somewhere exciting nearly every weekend!

I’m already looking ahead and making plans for the coming months. Check back for another update soon.

Cheers!!!