My roots

November 16, 2016
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Europe Italy
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The reason I am here is ultimately because if I were to study abroad it HAD to be Italy. My Grandparents left Italy in the 60’s to come to America to start a new life. They along with multiple other family members began their new life in NYC. They took all their knowledge of living in southern Italy as farmers in the mountains and took that to the Bronx.

Years later here I am. A senior in college going back to Italy to get in touch with my roots. Although Milan and Selvacava the town in which my family came from are 7 hours apart. Similar culture values are found here in Milan. I have been easily able to recognize food and language relations as my family has.

I really am lucky to say that my italian language skills have purely strengthened since I have arrived. I cannot say I am fluent but I am very conversational and I can understand very well.

The food is incredible. Everything is so fresh and so flavorful. Any restaurant or pizza place you go to you know you’re getting a good deal. Most meals are between 10-15 euros which means you will get a big full plate that will leave you quite full.

There is something special here called Aperitivo where you get a drink which can be non-alcoholic for about 5-10 euros and you have access to a full buffet of fantastic Italian cuisine. This is something I will miss extremely when I go back to the U.S.

But here I am..Una Ragazza Italiana.

My New Home

February 1, 2016
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Spain
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As I stepped off the plane and into the terminal, Spanish engulfed my ears. First thought: Shoot, what did I just do? Seriously what was I thinking coming to a country where I can barely speak the native language? How am I supposed to get a taxi to my apartment? Where even is my apartment? Is it too early to call my parents?

I somehow got a taxi to the other side of Madrid.

Stepping into my apartment was like stepping into a stereotypical grandmother’s home. I glanced warily at the old carpet, old couches, and old books on the library-style shelves. How is it possible for everything to appear so…old? Even the microwave looked like it should have been buried sixty years ago.

The landlord chattered away in speedy Spanish as I sized up the place I would be living for the next four and a half months. I offered her plenty of affirmative “Sí” answers in hopes that she would believe I understood half of what she was explaining.

Here are some things I did understand:

How to flush the toilet (answer: pull on the broken chain hanging from the ceiling)
They oven doesn’t work, but the microwave (if that is actually what it is) does. She clicked a bunch of buttons on it and said the words meaning temperature and time about a million times because apparently she thought this was one of the most important things I should know.
The wi-fi password! My grandma-apartment is very high-tech.

When she eventually handed me the keys and left, I was left to wander the place alone. Its old appearance wasn’t getting any better. It was still a very grandma-like apartment for young students. Although I did have misguided dreams of some posh Madrid flat with a working oven, this is it. This is my grandma apartment. My grandma apartment that is less than a two minute walk from my favorite coffee shop to get the typical Spanish café con leche (the picture at the top of this post). My grandma apartment with three new friends to live with. My grandma apartment…in Spain. And that’s really all that matters.

Fun fact: there are no dryers in Spain. No more saving my favorite shirt to wash an hour before I need it!

On Leaving

January 26, 2016
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France
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I boarded AirFrance flight 0007 at approximately 6:50 p.m. on the night of Jan. 12. That day came way faster than I had expected. Or maybe it didn’t. I guess somewhere lingering in the back of my mind I had told myself that the day wouldn’t come so soon, I still had time to be at home with friends and family in my own bed, in a place that I was familiar with.

And then months passed in a time period that felt like mere days. And then I was hugging my friends goodbye and waving goodbye to my parents at the security check at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens with tears swelled up in my eyes.

The funny thing about leaving is you never really understand how fast the day comes when you’re scheduled to leave. It comes around the corner like a bullet and kind of just sweeps you off your feet. It’s a bit unsettling, but also a bit good for you, in my humble opinion.

The entire week or so before I left my home in Bohemia, New York to fly on a jet plane to Paris I felt like I had constant ants in my pants. I found time to spend time with my parents yet I was hardly home. I was trying to see every close friend I could before I knew the day would come where I would have to pack up my belongings and say goodbye for the next few months. I didn’t want to stop moving. I didn’t want to be alone. I knew that as soon as I got on that plane I’d be entering into a culture I barely knew, something unfamiliar to me. And it made me uncomfortable.

Don’t get me wrong, I was always excited to leave for France. I started taking French classes my freshman year and immediately loved the language in a way I never experienced when studying Spanish. I loved the culture and the history and the music and the language on its own. Its complexity astounded me and intimidated me and I decided I wanted to continue studying. What I expected to merely count for a GE became my minor. And now that culture is my temporary home.

I knew that studying abroad would be the best experience for me. Getting to live in a different country in a completely alternate culture is the chance of a lifetime. To get to learn a foreign language firsthand is a dream. Or at least it had been my dream. Learning a different language always appealed to me. I was excited to dive right into a new experience, one few people take often. I kept telling myself that studying abroad would be good for me: a different environment, a different language, different food, different people. Everything different.

But I was scared. So absolutely petrified. I cried more times than I’d like to admit at the thought of leaving my best friends and my boyfriend and my family. The thought of having to speak a foreign language I’d only taken for two and a half years taunted me for the last month I was home. Going into the city to get my visa alone gave me anxiety. The thought of being without my entire support system made me sick to my stomach. And for all of those reasons, I had to push myself to leave. As scared as I was and as nervous as I knew I’d be, I had to leave. I had to get over the fear I had of the unknown, the uncomfortable, the things outside of my comfortable little bubble in New York.

That’s what I believe study abroad is for. It’s for students like me and you, reader, who feel a necessity to explore and try new things despite any sort of reluctance. Because although you feel that your human nature will defy you, it actually helps you. Your mind and your body learn to adjust. It just takes time. It’s still taking time. And while that might not have felt okay a few weeks ago, it feels okay now. You adjust to the unknown and befriend it. Suddenly the new world you’re living in isn’t so scary – and you learn new things every single day.

One final note before I leave you for now: if you are thinking about studying abroad but are doubtful for any reason, I push you and advise you to just do it and to just say yes. In my final column of the semester for The New Paltz Oracle, I cited a study from the Institute for the International Education of Students (IIES Abroad) that found that studying abroad served as a catalyst for increased maturity (97 percent), increased self-confidence (96 percent) and had a lasting impact on the students’ world view (95 percent).

Another study I cited from the University of California, Merced, reported that 97 percent of students who studied abroad found employment within 12 months of graduation while only 49 percent of college graduates found employment within the same time period. The same study found that 90 percent of study abroad alumni were accepted to their first and second choice grad schools and 80 percent of these alumni said their abroad experiences allowed them to better adapt to diverse work environments.

So don’t worry about the unknown or what’s going to come next, or maybe even about how you feel you might miss out back home. I felt the same exact way – I still do sometimes – but I know that being in Besançon will only help me now and in the future. And everything at home is waiting for me when I go back.

American Feet on Belgian Streets

January 11, 2016
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Europe
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Bienvenue! Welcome to Belgium, the land of chocolate. If I had known how many chocolate shops we would have seen today, I would have started counting at the beginning of todays journey! And it’s only our second day in Brussels. Yesterday, we arrived in Belgium in the afternoon, we met our host mom, Judith (also known as Maman), and her daughter Angélique. Both are wonderful! Ema and I live together in Judith’s house with two other girls: Erica (of Washington) and Domenica (of Ecudor). This morning, we scouted out the grocery stores of our area: fresh fruit, muesli, and chocolate spreads galore! Later, after lunch, Becca (our third European adventurer whom is living with another host mom) found her way to our house and we “headed into town.” We set out around 2pm with the goals of finding our school campus (check), finding our internship locations (no check), and finding the city center — or what is actually known as Grand Place or Market Square (check). By the end of the day, we had found our specific campus building, learned how to use public transportation, and saw the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula and Market Square — so much beautiful architecture!

The above orange trees caught our eyes.

Tigger, the bicycle.

St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral, much larger than its luxurious front entrance.

Not sure about this building yet, but it’s green! We will be given tours later this week.

Another beautiful building, not sure again, but we will soon find out!

That’s all for now, there will be more to come from these already sore feet!

Katie

PS. Below are some photos of beautiful Ireland flying above:

Welkom in België

January 5, 2016
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Europe
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The moment has finally come – I’ve finally reached Brussels! It took about seven hours to get here from JFK to Brussels Airport, which I didn’t think was too bad. As we were preparing to land, my excitement grew more and more. The man next to me seemed to be extremely nervous, and I think I was scaring him even more by recording our landing. When I got off of the plane, I honestly did not know what to expect from Brussels. So far, the city has not disappointed.

As I was riding on the train to get to our hotel, the Ibis St. Catherine, it was really starting to hit me that I wasn’t in the States anymore; I was in an entirely different continent and country. It may sound ridiculous, but that’s what was swimming through my head after a long and sleepless flight.

Due to the terror threats here in Europe back in November, our group had to relocate from a hostel to the St. Catherine hotel. The rooms aren’t very big, but they are not horrible. Once I checked into my room, I decided to break the rules and take a nap. In all honesty, I felt refreshed after getting some rest! I’m going to cross my fingers and hope that jetlag won’t hit me.

Once I was settled in, myself and other students from New Paltz participating in the program explored the area. We ate dinner at Amadeus, a restaurant that is popular for ribs (thankfully they had vegetarian options), and walked around Brussels for a little bit. Christmas lights still cover some of the cobbled roads and it was absolutely stunning to see.

The highlight of my night had to be when we found a waffle place. I personally am not a breakfast food fan and never eat waffles at home. But because literally everyone talks about how amazing the waffles are here in Belgium, I decided to give it a go. Needless to say, if I memorize exactly how to get to this place from my hotel, I will be there at least four times a day until I leave.

Taking on Brussels; One Forkful at a Time

March 29, 2015
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Europe
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Unicatt students: Emme Kappa and Tay

From one B destination to the next. Last weekend I found myself in Barcelona, Spain, this weekend I found myself in Brussels, Belgium. Might I just start off by saying how in love I was with the food in Brussels. I am pretty much living my life Eat, Pray, Love style (minus the prayer, and love). I must say I continue to amaze myself with how much one can fit into a weekend. Sure it is EXHAUSTING, but it is always worth it.

Also I finally caught a break in Brussels, which is notorious for not having the grandest weather. I did indeed bring an umbrella with me, but I never used it. Isn’t that always how it goes? When you bring an umbrella, you almost never need it, but when you don’t bring it, you wish you had it.

Ok let’s start off with waffles for my eating my way through Brussels extravaganza. I learned all of the best tricks of the trade amongst this voyage. I yet again took another free walking tour, which actually proved to be my favorite of the three I have taken so far. The walking tour was fantastic, despite the fact it was nearly three hours! Having been a tour guide at New Paltz, I always feel as though I view these tours under a different lens. This tour guide was so knowledgeable, but he also knew his audience. He informed us about waffles, fries, chocolates, and basically anything else we would want to gnaw on while in Brussels.

Liège waffle with whipped cream, strawberries, and chocolate!

I did indeed have my fair share of waffles during my brief stay in Belgium. Now the most important thing to share with you readers is the different waffle types there are. It is a very common misconception for someone to go to Belgium and order a Belgian waffle, thinking that any waffle from Belgium is considered a Belgian waffle. This is not the case. Which is why I had to make sure to try an array of waffle types while in Brussels. After sampling an array, I think my favorite waffle I had was the Liège waffle.

Belgian waffle with vanilla ice cream

But I did make sure to have a Belgian waffle while I was there, because you must! Both are sweet and yummy, but I personally did indeed favor the Liège waffle, so much so that I did indeed eat another one later in the trip!

Belgian cone of fries! YUM YUM

Moving on from waffles, to the french fries. Again we got the tricks of the trade from our tour guide. Our tour guide informed us that most places in Brussels serve frozen fries! Who wants that!? He did assure us that not all establishments take the easy way out, so we knew where to go for the traditional Belgian cone of fries. Typically Belgians eat an entire cone of fries with a blob of mayonnaise, but I was content with taking the touristy route and avoiding that via a variety of sauces in order to mix, and match. The fries could not have hit the spot anymore than they did. There was nothing more satisfying than walking to our hostel in the wee hours of the night/morning to see those golden spuds were still available for purchase. I think the fries were my favorite food in Brussels. It is overwhelming to come face to face with an entire cone. I was actually unable to eat the cone in it’s entirety, but man oh man what I wouldn’t do for some Belgian fries right now as I write this post!

Belgian chocolates <3

Next up has to be the chocolate. I was really curious for this one because I had already visited Switzerland this semester. Switzerland being known for their chocolate, I was eager to do a compare/contrast. My verdict being that they really both take the cake, pun intended.

Meatballs and Fries

I did want to have an authentic Belgian meal while I was in Brussels, so I did make sure to have the meatballs with french fries. I am ashamed to say, I have yet to eat meatballs in Italy, so these Belgian delicacies didn’t stand a chance to pale in comparison. It was one of those meals that really was right on the money! I was enjoyed this first meal in Brussels, especially considering how hungry I was upon arrival!

Brussels mussels

It is also common to find the rhyming dish of Brussels mussels, so I of course had to engage in that as well. I am a big seafood person! The mussels were good, but I must admit I have indeed had better before. But alas I ate my fair share of anything and everything in Brussels, so I have no complaints. Plus this was our last meal in Brussels, which I found to be rather reasonably priced, which is always a challenge to find!

Do you take dining dollars?

I did make sure to have my Americanized staples of guacamole, and Starbucks because they are my kryptonite, and I couldn’t resist.

GUAC.

I did indeed do other things in Brussels besides eat, despite what this post will lead you to believe. However, I wanted to focus on the food for this post because it really was the ultimate highlight of Brussels. It brought my trip above and beyond, to the next level. I would highly recommend you visit there, and wear your stretchy pants. And if you do visit, be sure to stuff me in your suitcase!

Till next time,

Tamara

Can’t go to Brussels without visiting Manneken Pis!

Also as just kind of a cool ps, the world truly is the smallest place. I managed to find a girl who I went to high school with on my walking tour of Brussels! So it is indeed a small world after all!

The Beacon School reunion!

Real Life Cheetah Girl

March 26, 2015
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Europe Spain
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New Paltz takes on Barcelona!

Hola! From one adventure to the next. This past weekend I embarked on a journey to Barcelona with fellow New Paltz student, Kara. The truth is we didn’t really have expectations for the trip, it was kind of spur of the moment planning. I never really thought about visiting Spain before, I think mostly because I’ve always associated Spanish speaking countries with my older sister. But I never thought about it for myself, till now that is. I know someone living in Spain right now, although I wasn’t sure where. I just assumed she lived in Barcelona, so without hesitating I texted Kara, and the rest was history.

The view from the plane

This was my first study abroad, out of country trip which required an airplane. I met Kara at the airport, and the truth is I was impressed that I made it there on time, in one piece. The independence one obtains while studying abroad is simply mind-blowing. Even growing up in New York City, everyday I still push my own boundaries of independence living abroad. I am always proud of myself even if I just accomplish simple tasks.

I truly consider Kara and I to be blessed to have made it to Barcelona. We waited in the airport, and every five minutes I would check the departure board for our gate. However, every time I would check the board it would say, “check back in five minutes.” This was very disheartening, Kara was pretty sure we were not going to be leaving Milan. I really tried to stay positive, as hard as it may have been. I figured it wasn’t over till the fat lady sang! Eventually a man sitting next to us informed us that our flight had been delayed. He showed us on our computer, something that had not even appeared on the departure board. Kara and I knew about the ground crew going on strike that day, but I really didn’t know the extent to which it affected people. The man told us that almost every flight from Malpensa airport was canceled. So when Kara and I eventually boarded our flight, I was beyond grateful. I felt so fortunate, and lucky to be Barcelona bound.

YUM!

When Kara and I landed, we headed straight to our airbnb. We weren’t going to let any time get wasted, so we met up with fellow New Paltz abroad student, Hannah. Hannah is studying in London, and just happened to be Barcelona bound when we were as well. New Paltz ate quite a delicious meal. I was especially happy because I got guacamole, something I almost never can find in Milan. Avocado is one of the number one foods I miss while abroad, my mom and I eat entire avocados as a snack. So anytime I find anything avocado related, I pounce. It is so funny how difficult I find it to eat dinner on Italian time, most places don’t open till 7:30ish. But Spanish dinner begins at like 10. We finished dinner our first night after midnight! Man was it worth it for that delicious food!

Huevos Rancheros y cafe con leche

The next day we met up again with Hannah for some brunch. I am a big brunch girl. I miss Main Street Bistro pretty much everyday, whether I am in Italy, New York City, or anywhere else in between. Milan isn’t really a popular brunch place. The breakfast foods I am accustomed to aren’t big in Milan. One thing I love to eat, and never eat in Milan is eggs. It is so simple, but pretty much all the time I crave a bowl of scrambled eggs. So I was definitely on board to get some brunch. I had the hues rancheros, as well as the cafe con leche. Milan has amazing coffee, but it is pretty much all espresso. So I was also excited for some yummy Spanish coffee! Again, another successful meal!

New Paltz Starbucks selfie

Kara and I were also beyond excited with all of the American places we stumbled upon in Barcelona. Getting off the bus to see Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, and Subway excited us probably more then anything. It’s the little things you know? Don’t get me wrong, Milan has AMAZING food, but shockingly enough the only American establishments we have are McDonalds & Burger King, two fast food places I do not eat. To see these familiar places really made Barcelona feel like home.

NPsocial: Hannah, Kara, and Tamara embracing Barcelona one peace sign at a time

Viva España!

After brunch Kara, Hannah, and I went on a free walking tour of Barcelona, which I thoroughly enjoyed. In fact comparatively, I liked it even more than the free walking tour I took in Rome. We also lucked out with the weather! Another Tamara travel tip is to ALWAYS pack an umbrella. Weather is so unpredictable. I so far have not had the best luck, experiencing rain in Milan, Rome, Lugano, and now Barcelona. The rain hasn’t stopped me, but it is always an unavoidable inconvenience. Of course, I did not bring an umbrella to Spain, because I looked at the weather before I left and thought I would be safe. But alas I was not. Our airbnb host was so incredibly welcoming, he told me to help himself to any of his umbrellas. We did luck out though to not have rain during our walking tour, or for most of our time in Barcelona.

Traditional Catalan tomato bread tappa

After the walking tour, we were very hungry, so we took to the tapas bar near the airbnb Kara & I were staying at. The tapas were unreal. Out of all the incredible things I ate in Barcelona, I must say the tapas were probably my all time favorite. Sure, they weren’t cheap. But it was so worth. It was the best way to sample everything. We made sure to have the traditional Catalan tappa of tomato bread. But all of the tappas I ordered were yummy in my tummy.

Horta Maze

Staying the extra day really made the difference. Our last day in Barcelona, Sunday, Kara and I made sure to not slow down, so we took to the metro and embarked on some parks. I have a friend studying in Copenhagen who visited Barcelona recently, and she recommended a maze for me to check out. Let me tell you, this place was aMAZEing (pun intended). It was so beautiful, we made sure to take lots of pictures.

Started from the bottom, now we’re here

After the maze, Kara wanted to find the balcony the Cheetah Girls 2 shot at. I being down for anything, was up for the trip. We walked more than I probably have walked in my life, my legs hurt to say the least. But, the view overlooking Barcelona was breathtaking. Plus we did eventually find the balcony, because we were determined beyond belief!

Cheetah Girls 2 balcony; Park Güell

Seafood Paella

The rest of the day was spent buying some beautiful souvenirs for our loved ones, petting an adorable black cat, and sampling some more local cuisine. We felt we couldn’t leave Spain without having Paella, and churros. So we crossed both of those noms off our list later that evening. Like I said, when Kara and I are determined, we do not take no for an answer. Our minds were set on churros and paella and we would be damned if we hadn’t eaten our fill!

Churros & chocolate sauce

La Rambla after the soccer game

After our meal we walked down La Rambla for one last time, and found ourselves amidst a celebration for the soccer game from earlier that day. Personally, this reasoning really was why las ramblas was one of my favorite places. Las Ramblas may be very touristy, but it was also just so action packed, I looked forward to every trip we had to it.

Barcelona truly took our breath away. It is so incredibly alive, and the energy is so contagious. For a place that neither of us were really dying to do, we probably would have killed to stay! I am so, so glad we made it to Barcelona, despite everything. There is no place like it, and no way to describe it. But we both said this was the first place we could actually see ourselves moving. I don’t know if it was the American establishments, the fact everyone spoke English, the AMAZING food, the accessibility of everything (we almost never took the metro), or just the friendly people we met, but Barcelona really did steal both of our hearts. Don’t worry mom & dad I’m not planning on moving anytime soon, but it was truly one of the greatest trips of my life. I love Milan so much, but I would have not minded if our flight had been delayed a few days 😉

Spooning with a sculpture in Montbau

Kara and I slept two hours, since Barcelona never sleeps. We returned to Milan, and went straight to our dramaturgy class. Sure, we were exhausted, but nothing would ever seem more worth it.

Till next time, thanks for reading! Adios <3

Tamara

When Life Gives You Lemons… Go to Rome!

March 16, 2015
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Europe Italy
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Hey all! I know it has been a while since my last post, I have just been so caught up in Milan truly embracing life. I must say being in Milan for Fashion Week was quite cool. But alas I am writing another post, about my latest adventure, ROMA!

Roommates Roam Rome!

The past week has not really been the best. But that’s what is important with study abroad, you must keep in mind that not every day is going to be perfect; nothing ever is. I do constantly remind myself though that even when times are tough, they are tough while I’m in Milan! This reassurance was something I came up with in the shower one day, and it really does make me feel better time and time again. Last week (and still even today) I unfortunately came down with some sort of illness. Despite wanting to run around and play all over Milano, I knew as much as it wouldn’t be fun, I would have to slow down and rest. I am slowly but surely getting better, which is good! But that too is the thing about study abroad, some things are just out of your control. One instance is weather, like when we planned our day trip to Switzerland, and it rained. Another instance is illness, you really cannot control when you get sick. So I had to embark on a journey to Rome this weekend besides battling sickness. Which is why when life inevitably gives you lemons, drink that lemonade in Europe!

Mass in the Vatican City with the Pope!

I really was a champ through it all, if I do say so myself. Our first day in Rome, I had only slept for two hours, and I was sick but that didn’t stop me from seeing this truly magnificent city. I never realized how touristy Rome is. It seemed scary to me that I spoke more Italian then most people we met along the way. This meant when we tried to ask people for directions they were unable to help. When studying abroad you really need to pool any and every resource at your disposal, I’ve needed to do this pretty much everyday and traveling is no exception. My roommate and I were constantly running around, trying to make the most of our time in Rome. This was also my first weekend trip which required a flight. The weekend was exhausting to say the least! However, it really was quite a trip!

I do have to go back to Rome someday though when the Trevi Fountain isn’t under renovation. Although I knew it was under renovation, it still was such a disappointment to be in Rome but unable to experience it in its glory. I did throw my coin in the fountain regardless though, so let’s hope there is still enough magic in the fountain for my wish to come true!

Roomies at the Trevi Fountain

I am learning more and more with each trip I take. I have never had to independently plan trips of such stature before. The only way to learn how to plan a trip is by actually planning one. The example that comes to mind was when my friends and I embarked on a journey to Lugano, Switzerland and didn’t really plan what we wanted to do when we got there. Luckily Lugano is beautiful (despite the rain that didn’t rain on our parade). But we got there and it was kind of like now what? With trips that are as brief as these are, it is essential to make the most of your short time there. Which is why I vowed to make the most of the next trip I took, by actually figuring out what I wanted to do. So when it came time for Rome, my roommate and I were true gems and spent days planning, researching, and just sort of getting our lives together.

Wouldn’t be a trip in Italy without Gelato!

However, when it came time to actually do the things we planned we hit some bumps along the way. So my next tip for all of you readers, but more importantly for myself is: look at closing times! Not once, but twice, we had made it all the way to our destination to find our locations closed! I am a born and raised NYC girl who is used to everything being open all the time. But hey, you learn the hard way. Now I know for my next trip!

Panorama of the Palatine Hill

Fortunately for us both scenarios ended up working in our favor. One place that wasn’t open was a pizza place. Oh well, we just ate somewhere else. I actually had grilled chicken because everything in Italy is so carb infused. As much as I do love carbs, it was a blissful experience to give my body some simple protein. As for the other closed experience, my roommate, Ashley and I had planned on taking a free walking tour of Rome, which would end outside of the Colosseum, basically the biggest MUST see in Rome. Well when we arrived after our walking tour, the colosseum was closed… However, Ashley and I rallied on. We did not give up! Besides this being a must see of Rome, we had also already purchased tickets online. So we woke up extra early our last day in Rome, and went straight from the Colosseum to the airport! It was definitely tiresome, but beyond worth it. We saw so much in our short time in Rome. But, the colosseum was my favorite thing we saw in Rome. It is just so magnificent to be there. It was so breathtaking, I can’t even really describe it. I am so glad we made it there. I can officially mark it off my checklist of the seven wonders of the world!

The Colosseum!

Alas like all good things, Rome too had to come to an end. But I hope to someday be back, if for nothing else but to have a clear of construction, Lizzy McGuire moment at the Trevi Fountain! Till next time, thanks for reading!

Tamara

As seen in our airbnb

My First Month At Wales!

February 23, 2015
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UK and Ireland Wales
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I can’t believe I’m studying abroad in Cardiff, Wales! I’ve been wanting to do this since I was little. I always wanted to travel to Europe and my dreams finally came true.

Now that I’m settled in. I thought I give you a recap of what’s been having in the past month.

I traveled six hours from New York (with Amsterdam being a layover) to Wales. I got about four meals, two hours of sleep, and one movie in (How To Train Your Dragon 2 anyone?). Sadly, I didn’t get to explore Amsterdam, but hopefully I’ll get the chance to later on. However, at one point, I was more excited to drop off my heavy luggage, shower, and sleep than anything.

It’s weird being known as an exchange student. I’m always use to people coming to America and now I’m the foreigner. For the first week there was so many things to learn and see. I felt like a freshman all over again. I got a City Centre tour (small version of Time Square) and of campus (3x bigger than SUNY New Paltz). The real challenge for me was to learn how to go from campus or the City Centre to my flat. It took about three days to get it right. The first time it took about two hours in the pouring rain with a ripped up map.

My first month of classes went well. The courses I take are Reading Old English, Graphic Memoir, and The Making & Shaping of the News. So far, they’re interesting and small enough that my professors already know my name.

Overall,I’ve been enjoying my time at Cardiff! I also made friends from different countries 🙂 I explored the area near my flat and found a lot of food places from around the world. There are also places to visit like Cardiff Bay (It was beautiful!), Roath Park, and the National Museum of Cardiff.

I still keep thinking that this is a dream and that I’m going to wake up any minute now. I can’t believe I’m here

Benvenuto a Milano!

February 23, 2015
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Europe Italy
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Found this on the wall of my room in Milan, I knew it was where I was meant to be

I was so excited to get to Milan! I got off the airplane and there were so many other people waiting to be picked up by the housing service to be taken to our individual apartments. I met a lot of other girls from SUNY Albany! It was cool that even across the world, I still had some fellow SUNY sisters. We were divided up into cars, and taken to our apartments. I was supposed to be the first drop off, however, they had the wrong keys for me. I did panic internally a little, especially because I was the first person to arrive to my apartment, but I was calm knowing my housing service didn’t leave me alone. Everyone else was dropped off, and then I finally got in my home. Later that day though, my roommate Ashley from Buffalo State came home, so I was no longer alone. We napped, thus messing up our sleep schedule, but eventually we got the hang of the new time difference.

My school id card!

Right away the next day we had to go to school for Orientation. I had no idea how fast paced everything was, and how much we had to get done within our first week in Milan. We got the hang of the metro very quickly considering how we constantly had to run obscure errands all over Milano. We met so many people, in such a short amount of time!