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Nothing goes as planned but go with it

Nothing goes as planned but go with it

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If I could give one piece of advice to someone abroad traveling on the weekends it would be to not expect your travel plans to go perfectly 100% of the time. Sounds a little grim, I know but trust me, it happens and when you’re staying a hostel and the Wi-Fi doesn’t really work and you’re trying to message your mom not really freaking out, it happens.

I’d like to think somewhere along the lines in my planning I went wrong but I didn’t, the travel gods just had other plans for me. It’s not like we didn’t make it to our flight on time or our flight got delayed, all of that went perfectly fine. It was arriving in Edinburgh, Scotland sleep deprived and only being there for an hour when our flight back got cancelled. To be fair our arrival in Scotland was accompanied by a rainbow but for whatever reason we were not going to be lucky. For what reason did the airline give us that our flight got cancelled? They didn’t give one. I’d like to say getting the full refund was pretty nice but when you only paid 16 pounds for your return flight, you would rather just cut your losses. (Although I did take the refund because college) So we get to our hostel, we check in, and start scrambling to find a way home and of course the Wi-Fi isn’t working. We checked every airline for a flight back Sunday night or Monday morning because I scheduled a class on a Monday. After every airline was checked and they broke my heart by telling me there were no available flights I thought this is it, I’ll never make it back to London. I’d like to point out that my sleep deprivation kept me a little calmer then I normally would’ve been in this kind of circumstance. We looked at every transportation alternative and it got to the point that my friend said, “You look for food and I’ll try and find us a way home.” Bless the transportation system from Scotland to London because we found one. To make this train though, we were going to have to get up at 3am Monday morning. After calling the train station and having some firm words, we were able to get on at a closer stop and were rewarded two more hours of sleep.

I’m not trying to say that your travels won’t go well or that it’s all doomed, all I’m saying is that if something does happen that it is fixable and you’ll look back on the experience and laugh (although I wouldn’t have minded being stuck in Scotland). This small mishap didn’t ruin our trip one bit and I highly recommend going to Edinburgh, Scotland but every transportation system did have it out for us that weekend. Count your transportation blessings and three cheers for coffee.

Exploring: Trial and Error

Exploring: Trial and Error

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During this past summer, I started thinking about where I wanted to travel while in Spain.  Then when I arrived, I saw the list of cities to visit with the Erasmus group (they are a group that organizes trips, tours, and parties for international students).  But their trips don’t start till next weekend.  This past weekend, I was getting restless in Sevilla and wanted to go exploring in another city.  Luckily my friends thought the same, so later that night we booked some cheap train tickets to Cádiz.  I did some research to find places to visit in this ancient, ocean-side city and planned a general path we could take when we arrived on Saturday morning.

The rest of the week flew by and before we knew it, it was Saturday morning and we were waiting in the train station to begin our first trip outside Sevilla.  There were four of us going, and we were split up between 2 train cars.  Two of us got off 1 stop too early, and we had to take a taxi to try and find the other 2.  But luckily the meeting spot we picked was easy to find.  Crisis averted.  Now it was time to explore.

Our first stop was a Roman theater tucked away in the winding roads.  Unlike Sevilla, Cádiz had more of a Roman influence.  The ruins were only recently discovered so there is still archaeological work being done. They rebuilt part of the seating to resemble what it would have looked like a thousand years ago. It was very cool to see!

 

Next we stumbled upon the Cathedral of Cádiz.  We were going to go in, but there was an entrance fee, so we took a quick peak and started walking again.  We found a quiet cafe off the main tourist path and had a quick lunch. 

 

 

We went to the Market of Cádiz.  This was very cool.  I love exploring different foods, and the markets all over Spain are the best way to see the wide variety of foods Spain has to offer.  Because Cádiz is know for the seafood that is caught fresh everyday, this market had a very large section devoted to just fish and other seafood.  Some of the tuna that they were selling were over 6 feet long.  Everything was so fresh!

 

 

Our next stop was a tower in the middle of the city.  In order to get to the top, we had to climb 6 flights of narrow, glass stairs, squeezing past the people that were coming down from the tower the entire way.  But the view at the top was spectacular!  Every part of the city could be seen: the cathedral, the market, some old military forts, and the ocean.  This city was so beautiful.

After we climbed back down, we made our way to the gardens near the ocean.  We saw beautiful flowers, giant trees, lots of cats, some ducks, a waterfall, and some swings.  Everything was very picturesque.

We walked along the ocean until we came to the Castillo de Santa Catalina, an old military base on the edge of the ocean.  It was like a small city.  There was a chapel, huge walls, watch towers, and many buildings that are now filled with historic artifacts about important moments in the city’s history.  We walked all around the base, imagining what it would have been like to see it up and running.

 

 

Whenever someone says they went to Cádiz, the first question asked is which beach did they go to.  So we took our siesta on a small beach between the two military bases.  The water was so refreshing, but the sun was hot so we left to find some food.

Many small restaurants lined a street near the beach, so we decided to try one of them.  Now an important thing to remember in Spain is that no one is ever in a rush. If you sit down to eat, expect to be there for at least an hour.  The service is at times very slow in comparison to what is usually expected in the US.  But the restaurant we picked was very attentive and had amazing food.  I had some tortillitas de camarones, which is a famous shrimp dish of Cádiz.

After our very filling dinner, we walked to the second military base and watched as kids jumped off the walkway into the water.  It was closed, but we got some great pictures of the ocean and the city.  On our way back, we stopped and each bought a bracelet to remember the first trip we took in Spain.

Sitting in the train station, exhausted and a bit sun burnt, we quietly sat thinking about everything we had seen that day. Besides a few small bumps, it was a successful trip.  The bit of planning I had done before the trip to find the main sights had helped a lot and let us have more free time to relax on the beach or eating.  The only thing to remember for next time was to remember to ride the train all the way to the city and not get off 1 stop early.

Spain’s Melting Pot

Spain’s Melting Pot

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Coming from Chicago, I am very used to having many different types of people live in one place at the same time without any problems.  For my whole life, I have been surrounded by diversity: in religion, in race, in everything.  But coming to Spain has greatly expanded my definition of diversity and coexistence.  I came to Spain only knowing one or two other people from Loyola.  My hopes were that I would leave my comfort zone and make lots of new friends.

When I came to Spain, I knew no one who lived with me or close to me.  But the house I am living in has 17 girls and the first day, I met a wonderful girl from the Netherlands.  I slowly met everyone and made friends from so many different countries at both my house and at school.  In the university, every one of my classes has students from at least three different countries.  I have learned so much about so many different cultures and about myself as well.  Most importantly, I know that I know almost nothing about the world; even if I were to travel my whole life meeting new people and learning about different cultures, I would never be able to know everything.

The melting pot that I found in Spain is unlike anything I have ever seen.  In Spain, especially in Andalucía, there are three major groups of people who have peacefully lived together for thousands of years: Christians, Jews, and Muslims.  Within the first few days in Sevilla, I experienced the unique atmosphere that has been created with this mix of different life styles.  The architecture, the food, and even the language has traces of all three of these groups.  This is quite different than Chicago, where there are many different cultures; but they have stayed separate, each keeping to their own people and culture.  

I went to Córdoba yesterday, and this is another city who truly shows this unique coexistence that is present in Sevilla.  Walking through the city is such a wonderful experience, seeing the influences of each culture at each corner.  In the Christian part, there was a monument of two hands that were almost touching, and our tour guide from Erasmus told us a beautiful story of a forbidden love between a Spanish princess and a Muslim prince.  Once outside the walls of the city, we saw the Roman aqueducts and the Arabic gardens.  There was a statue of a Roman poet overlooking crystal-clear fountains from the Moors which led to the entrance to the Jewish section of the city.  This amazing sight with the three cultures seeping into each other really stuck with me.  It is so wonderful to see the possibility of people coming from such different backgrounds living harmoniously. 

The most breathtaking part of Córdoba was the Mosque-Cathedral, or the Mezquita.  The name itself shows this fusion of cultures.  In high school, I had learned of the rotating use of this building, how one century it was a cathedral and a mosque the next depending on who was ruling at the time.  The pictures do not start to do justice to the extraordinary architecture of this building that has resulted from each religion calling this their place of worship throughout the centuries.  The massive cathedral that is situated in the middle of the building is surrounded by the Moorish arches and columns.  I left in complete awe of the beauty and shear size of this impressive place.  

Looking back on the past month and a half that I have been in Spain, I have been exposed to so many different cultures and types of people.  I have learned to never assume anything, to be open to change, and to always be curious.  This curiosity has lead me to new friendships, beautiful reading spots in the city, and unforgettable cites.

Is this the Alps???

Is this the Alps???

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Bonjour & Salaam!

Today was our 10th day in Switzerland and in 2 days we will fly back to Amman. So quickly, we switched from conscious showers and laundry days in the 3rd most water stressed country to being steps away from a huge lake where it also rains nearly every other day. We are so lucky to experience two extremely different cultures and landscapes it’s incredible. The only common thing we have experienced in both Amman and Switzerland has been the food. Our stomaches expanded for the frequency of eating in Amman and that did not have to change when we came here! I have never eaten so much ice cream, chocolate, and cheese in my entire life!

It has been such a happy time here for all of us! We all immediately felt excited, safe, and comfortable right when we arrived. We are so lucky because we got to be here during the fall season which has been SO beautiful with so many colors! I’ve gone swimming twice and I got to rent a bike for 4 hours for free!! And I rode it to see the country side! Within the towns we have visited, everything seems so convenient and close — within each town we could walk anywhere we wanted to go. We first stayed in Geneva, then Nyon, and now we are in Montreux. I think we all loved Geneva the most. Everyone here is so beautiful and they all look so effortlessly cool!!! Most people ride their bikes, rollerblades, or scooters. Scooters have been SO common.

We have gotten to visit the United Nations, the Red Cross and their museum, the OHCHR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights), WHO (World Health Organization), UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders). Wow writing that out reminds me how much we have gotten to do in just this short trip! So we had lectures from each of these organizations about what they do, their personal experiences, and challenges they have had. Everyone in our program wants to have some sort of career in humanitarian aid or international relations so this has been a dream to visit these places. It has been so inspiring and helpful to imagine all the different things we are capable of doing with our future!

 

And while visiting all these organizations and meeting such inspiring people, we have also gotten to explore around so much! Today some of us got to take these cool trains up to this beautiful mountain and we got to hike for over 4 hours! It was such an unbelievable experience with so many beautiful colors, such nice people, and the freshest air!!! We hiked up so high that we could see clouds below us even and we also saw so many people paragliding! It’s so hard to share how beautiful it was I wish I could transport whoever is reading this there for just a few seconds!! Anyways, we got to a point where we climbing vertically kind of haha and then we ate our braided bread up there which we bought in a town down below from the happiest woman (:

Tomorrow we are taking a train to Bern which is the capital and then we will go back to Jordan soon after that! Although we all love it here so much I think it was the perfect amount of time and I am happy we are going back to Amman because we all already feel so comfortable here and at times it reminds us of home in some ways. I think the point of study abroad, or at least the program we chose, is to travel outside of our comfort zone and to experience and learn about things we are not so familiar with. It was so refreshing to be here but it is definitely time soon to go back and challenge ourselves again! We will be starting our independent study projects soon when we get back and I am really looking forward to it. My idea right now is to study and document the struggles of refugee women and girls with disabilities because there are no special services or resources for their needs. So I’m interested to document what they are going through and what would best nurture their mental and physical health. I will write more about it when I develop it further!

Au revoir & Ma salamah!

 

 

I promise I’m learning (:

I promise I’m learning (:

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Salaam (:

The first few times I called home, when I told my family everything we have been doing, it didn’t sound like we were really in school and I know they worried about whether I was really learning or not. So, after after being in Amman for a little more than one month, these are the few things I have learned. (:

Go adventure! Meet people!

Be strong. And Aware. And find the balance of keeping my guard up while also remaining soft and kind.

Try all the new foods.

Do the things I can’t do at home — prioritize spending time & money on experiences not things.

REFLECT REFLECT REFLECT — It is what slows things down and puts me where I am or else everything will just blur by faster than it already does.

Say thank you (:

Drink all the tea!

Listen to people. Get lost in listening to them. Don’t worry so much about the time. Ask them about their life here and what they love about their life!

Pay attention to those around me who make me feel good, appreciate them, and focus on making them feel good too.

Allow people to do nice things for me — then reciprocate!

Contact my family often!!! — Everything for me here is new but for them, life is mostly the same just without me there — so call them and tell them I love them all the time (:

Look up the facebook events in my city so I can do many things!

Find ways to pick myself up when I’m feelin down — music, movies, books, exercise, going outside, dancing, sunsets, climb trees, swim!!

*** Be sure to sincerely thank those who have helped me to have these opportunities & those who have helped me feel welcomed. Then GIVE BACK to the community that has welcomed me!

“Few things in this world are worth feeling like an unwelcomed guest” – Nujeen Mustafa

Remember what it felt like to be a guest so that when I go back home I can warmly welcome others and go out of my way to help them the way countless people have done for me here.

(and of course I am learning arabic and tons of things about humanitarian aid also!!)

 

 
From Home to Rome

From Home to Rome

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It’s been a crazy couple of days already. Well it’s actually only been 5 days. Throughout my time here, I have learned a lot. I’ve learned that snacks in airports are crazy expensive. I’ve learned that having a 9-hour flight can suck. I’ve learned that it is possible to get the stomach flu within the first two days abroad ANDD…I’ve technically learned a lot of things. Fun right?

There’s a lot you can expect when studying abroad but you are never truly prepared for it until you make it to your destination. So for those who are curious or want to know what one may go through when studying abroad, let me give you a recap of what I’ve gone through so far.

The first day was hectic and emotional because not only did I not know what to expect, but I was also not ready to say goodbye to my family, friends, and loved ones. It didn’t hit me that I was going to leave all of them for such a long until my final week at home. It was harder because I have never been away from home. Ever. So to study abroad in Rome, somewhere far far away, was a huge step. I started counting down the days and hours until I left and I was honestly dreading the little amount of time I had left. It wasn’t something I was used to.

So if you plan to study abroad, but you have never been away from home, expect to feel like this. Don’t worry though. That feeling will go away with all the great adventures and long walks you go on (literally). I only knew one person in my program, but with all of the outings I’ve had I’ve been able to make a good group of friends. Don’t be shy and, especially, don’t be sad to be away from home. Go head first and embark yourself in this incredible journey you are in!

Another thing…packing is hard. I literally wear a different set of clothes everyday, so to limit myself to only a suitcase and carry-on for my study abroad trip was a struggle. Right now, I still miss my clothes at home. Packing was hard because you literally want to bring everything, but also because you feel like you are leaving a part of you behind (not to be cheesy). Don’t panic! You will have tons of opportunities to buy stuff over there for a cheaper price and better quality. Also, you will have the opportunity to discover a new you through all the experiences you go through, which may include a new fashion style!

Don’t overpack, but also don’t underpack. Currently, I’ve been wearing the same yoga pants for 4 days because I only brought two pairs (sad times). Also, start packing ahead of time because you’re going to need all the time to weight your suitcases and triple check the clothes you bring. I know somebody here who actually forgot to bring their pajamas. Oh! Leave the heels at home. There is way too many hills and rocks for you to be able to efficiently walk in those.

Once I got through the struggle of packing and dealing with my feeling, I was able to start enjoying my journey. The very first day I got here I went to eat gelato and visit the Trevi Fountain. It was amazing! It didn’t feel like I was in Rome until that moment. It was great and I was low-key having a Lizzie McGuire moment when I threw my coin in the Trevi Fountain.

In that moment, I knew I’d enjoy my three to four months here. I was obviously going to miss home and everybody that was there. I was going to miss my mom’s food, my dog, the Chicago skyline, and everything about home. However, I knew that great experiences would be formed here. After going through so many orientation sessions and making some new friends, I am ready to start off school. I am ready to take on new challenges in a new country, surround myself in a different culture, and create memories that will last a lifetime.

For those of you who are reading this and are thinking about studying abroad…DO IT. Even if it is just a winter or summer term. It will be worth it. For those of you who are reading this for funsies or because you were curious…well now you know what I’ve gone through so far. It’s been a rollercoaster full of emotions, but in between all of that, memories have been made already.

I hope to make even more memories so I can continue updating you, but for now CIAO!

P.S: Here’s a picture of me finally visiting the Colosseum 🙂
Orientation in Roma

Orientation in Roma

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Ciao! It’s almost two weeks since I arrived at the John Felice Rome Center, yet it already feels like home. The students here, both from Loyola University Chicago and other universities, are open and eager to meet as many people as possible and to engage in genuine conversation. And Rome is even more beautiful, fascinating, and stunning that I imagined it.

I traveled into downtown Rome on the first night for gelato, to see the Fontana di Trevi, and to wander along the cobblestone streets. The following night consisted of a community dinner at the SLA’s (Student Life Assistants) favorite restaurants in Trastevere, a bohemian, colorful, and lively neighborhood. On Saturday we visited the Colosseum, which was massive, stunning, and magnificent, and then the Roman Forum, which was originally a marketplace, as well as a political and religious center. We made our way up to the highest lookout, Palatine Hill, and saw the sprawling city below us in the golden afternoon light. We then had several hours to explore Rome in the daylight for the first time. We meandered through the streets, admiring the pale yellow, pink, and orange buildings and the lights strung above us. Each alley was home to cozy restaurants and warm cafes and I could have spent days just in that area. We eventually settled on a restaurant and ate the best bruschetta I’ve ever tasted. On Sunday we had an orientation day trip to the town of Caprarola and toured Villa Farnese, a mansion in Viterbo, Northern Lazio. It sat at the top of the town and the hills were stacked with charming houses, fresh linens swaying from every balcony and window. We ate lunch in a rustic modern restaurant and I had the most delicious vegan meal – warm salty bread with olive oil and olive tapenade, polenta, pasta with broccoli and olive oil, perfectly seasoned chickpeas and potatoes, and vanilla ice cream swirled with strawberry.

I had classes Monday through Thursday, Italian 101, Ethics, Christianity through Time, and Women in Literature. All of my professors are welcoming, personable, and incredibly knowledgable and passionate. I went for a run one morning and found a scenic overlook in the neighborhood, Balduina and visited a Picasso exhibit downtown one evening that displayed the work he created while living in Rome. A group of us ate dinner outside surrounded by ivy and heaters at Taverna Trilussa, and it was stunning and delicious but we learned the unforunate lesson that customers are charged for the bread that the waiters continuously bring to the table. You also always need to ask for the check, as the waiter will never assume that you are finished and ready to leave. We finished the night up with gelato, the perfect ending to any great day.

The second weekend was our orientation trip to Campania, a region in southwestern Italy known for its dramatic coastline and ancient ruins. We visited and toured the Reggia di Caserta and the Museo e dell’ Abbazia, had a wine and olive oil tasting, toured a buffalo farm, explored Agropoli, ate elaborate and 4 course lunches and meals, and learned northern Italian dances. It was the last time until the end of the semester where all students and faculty would be together and a special bonding experience. After a speech from the Dean of Students, I became emotional about leaving in May, because in the short time I’ve been here I’ve already grown and experienced so much. I am beyond ecstatic for the rest of the semester, but I hope that time passes as slowly as possible, to soak up and enjoy every moment of it.

 

 

Rome so Far

Rome so Far

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I have been living in Rome now for 20 days, although it feels like 100 and 1 at the same time. Confusing? Good, because that is just the way Romans do it. The streets wind without pattern, clogged in one place with endless mopeds and taxis, sun-soaked and empty in another. The city moves and breathes, never waiting for you to get your bearings. When you get to Rome, you have to hit the ground running. Once you do, it becomes easy to see why so many people have fallen in love with this city. In 20 days I have already had one of the best meals of my life at Osteria dell’ Anima in the city center. I have seen beauty both man-made and natural that I never knew existed outside of post cards. When I finally got my hands on some gelato at Giolitti, it lived up to all the hype. If these first days are any indication, this semester is going to be a wild ride.

I want to use this blog as a way for others to see a sliver of Rome and Europe through my quick experience. Since I cannot hope to see, smell, hear, and feel all of Italy, or even Rome, I will focus sharing the most beautiful things I find here. Since it is important to be mindful, I will use this blog as a way to reflect on differences between here and Chicago, and what those differences teach me. At the very least, I hope this can be a place where you can learn something about another part of the world, and scroll through some cool pictures.

 

Grazie e benvenuto a Roma!

Thanks and welcome to Rome!

-Ben LaScola

Festina Lente

Festina Lente

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Do you remember somersaulting down hills as a child? Slowly you begin to gain speed and soon enough you lose sight of everything happening around you, seemingly lost in a whirlwind of fun, tossing and turning without any knowledge of current orientation or surroundings. Traveling from one foreign place to another can interpolate a very similar sensation of unconsciousness.

This past weekend I traveled to the home of the world’s most illustrious spas and bath houses. Budapest, unbeknownst to myself prior, is home to much more than saunas and savory local cuisine. The people there are the true prize to be seen. They ooze a sense on self individualized confidence. Not only can you feel it in the instance when the eyes of the older Olaf-esk brute from the other side of the steam room is staring you down to your soul, but also, as you are received by the jaunty bartender who offers you his best beer on draught with a smile and a trusting gleam in his gaze.

The city has been through quite a load over the past five centuries or so, (I challenge you to research that) and the stories are inscripted beautifully into stone and mortar in order to last generations. Moreover, the stories seen in the marble depicted scenes are of heroic ancestors and invading aliens; rather than victors and vanity, so that the true history of Budapest’s people will never be lost in time. My experience, on the contrary, seemed to have fallen victim to my hurrying from monument to monument, church to castle, and bar to bath; though I was constantly entranced by the east/west median of European culture, never once could I feel the slowness of home in which every second seems indulge-able. Nay, I would not suggest that I am home sick, but rather, I would infer that I must take a lesson from the story of August on my next trip, and that is to hurry slowly. Festina Lente!
Stu-dying Abroad

Stu-dying Abroad

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I think one of the things I didn’t expect coming here is to actually study. I always heard people saying that they literally didn’t do anything during their study abroad trips. They mentioned the amount of times they’ve traveled all over the world, the amount of times they went out to clubs, the variety of restaurants they went to visit during their study abroad trip, and so on. How many times did they mention they were studying or maybe stressing out a tad bit because of school? Zero. Well folks, I myself was fooled by these stories. I don’t know what these people were talking about, but there definitely is some studying and even some stress involved while you’re in your program. For me, it’s particularly my Italian class. Which I should be studying for, but here I am writing this instead *face palm*.

So, what’s the point of this blog post? Make your own experiences.

Let me be fair, these people I mentioned may have decided to take less classes and be less involved on campus, leading them to have a lighter workload overall. However, let me speak for myself and the experience I have had with the amount of homework I have had so far. I am taking 5 classes this semester, which totals to the amount of 15 credits. I am taking classes that fulfill my graduation requirements such as Literature, Science, and Art. You may be thinking, “What’s so hard about that?”. Well, I had to finish a whole novel for my literature class in a span of 4 days, write a 5 page paper for my science class, and also create a sculpture from scratch for my art class. Oh and top of that, I’m working two jobs. One here in the John Felice Rome Center and one back at home in a mobile manner. Oh! I forgot to mention another thing! I also decided to get involved with Student Activities Committee and now I’m in charge of planning events. Yikes.

I mean it is called studying abroad for a reason right? Don’t worry. I’m here to tell you that regardless if you have a crazy schedule like mine, YOU CAN STILL HAVE FUN. It’s already Week 3 and I feel like I’ve done so much. Yes, there’s homework to be done but as long as you manage your time wisely then you should be good (or how Italians say it, molto bene, which means very good!)

I was getting a little overwhelmed with the workload I was getting in the beginning and was worried I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the study abroad experience like the people I have talked to. But I learned that I have to make the most out of my time. What did I do? I started scheduling times when I wanted to go out. I have a 1PM class, so instead of sleeping in until the class started, I would push myself to wake up bright and early. I actually did my first walk this Monday. I got to know my neighborhood and campus so well and finally got to try a local cafe shop by campus. Have a 4 hour gap between classes? Have a Wednesday off? GO OUT. I did that and I was able to discover one of my favorite bakery spots! Again, just make the most out of your time. Don’t stay in your rooms and don’t get distracted by what’s going on online. That brings me to my second point.

Again, how do I still have fun with a busy schedule? Well first of all, stay off your phone. So much time is wasted using your phone and it’s honestly not even worth it. Yeah you need to talk to your family and your friends back at home, I get that. But it’s a 7 hour difference from Europe to the United States. They won’t even be up during school hours. Finish everything you have to finish and then take some time to actually enjoy your surroundings. Plan trips, make friends, read a book, take a walk in the neighborhood. Just do something productive. Once you have done all of that, then that’s when you can use your phone to catch up with your family and friends. If they truly care about you, they’ll understand why you’re not available on your phone as much as before. You are abroad for a reason. To explore and study. Not to be on your phone.

To make the most out of your experiences, you especially have to not worry about other people’s schedules. Don’t focus on your friend’s schedules being free and yours not. Your schedule is probably busy for a good reason. Even if it’s not, so what? Take this as an experience so you can learn how to become more responsible and manage your time wisely! Be positive and look forward to the things you CAN do while you’re here and honestly just be happy that you got the chance to study abroad in the first place!

Whatever it may be, make your own experiences. It doesn’t matter if others got to go to clubs every day and travel halfway around the world. Their experiences are different from yours. If you do it right, you can make your time here so memorable and have the time of your life. Have fun while you’re here, but also study because you are studying abroad after all.

Until next time! Arrivederci 🙂

P.S Here’s some of the memories I’ve made so far even with my crazy schedule!