To Greece!

Hey! I’m Zoe! This is my first blog post and I cannot express how excited I am to share my experiences with you! In just two weeks I will be in Greece beginning my semester through College Year in Athens. Although I am nervous about the upcoming semester, I know that this an amazing experience …

Au revoir aux États-Unis

“There’s only so much preparation you can do for a chapter of unknowns”.  A friend reminded me of this subtle, yet powerful, phrase the other day. Her wisdom came shortly after I explained the lingering, paradoxical feelings of nerves and excitement that have grown as the number of days that I have left in the …

Cinema, Cinema, Cinema

Play ‘Cinema’ by CIX. A well-known fact about me: I love to watch foreign TV and film. Bong Joon Ho, the director and writer of many critically-acclaimed films including Parasite (2019), said it best as he accepted the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2020: “Once you overcome the 1-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will …

Farewell Krakow!

Hello friends! Welcome to my last study abroad blog post. Can you believe it? This last week was definitely full. On Sunday, I spent the day with my parents in Old Town on their last full day in Poland. We went to English Mass at St. Giles in Old Town, and enjoyed shopping and exploring …

My time in France!

Hello friends! It’s been a little bit since my last post because life has been busy! Let me share what I’ve been up to… Sunday, April 24, was Divine Mercy Sunday, and oh my goodness, it was such a gift to be able to celebrate it here in Krakow. If you don’t know, the devotion …

Goodbye in Barcelona

At the start of the month, my friends and I made plans to take one last trip together to Barcelona, Spain. Like many of the places I’ve visited this semester, I was taken with it in ways I never anticipated. For Barcelona specifically, the architecture and the atmosphere it created was particularly enchanting. Of course, …

Semester recap: Rome edition

This morning I finished the first half of my exams and walked away feeling pretty lucky. The important classes are finished, and the tests seem to have gone well. (Of course, we’ll see in 3 to 6 weeks when I get my final grades back.) As of today, I have eight days before I head …

Spring Break Part 2: Croatia at Last!

As I mentioned in my previous blog, Croatia was the last stop on my spring break travel itinerary. What started as an average morning soon turned into a reminder about personal realms of control and the importance of perseverance.  The day started at 4am. My friends and I were staying in Rotterdam and had a …

falling in love with the real Holland

As a Hope girl, I felt like visiting the real Holland was almost obligatory when I live only a couple hours away from there. With two of my American friends from Trinity, I spent 3 days in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Every time I visit a place in Europe, I seem to have this problem where I …

Swingin’ by the Carnaval de Nantes

A few weeks ago the wide gravel path beside the Cathédral Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Nantes was filled with colorful swings and churros smothered in whipped cream for the Carnaval de Nantes, one of the oldest and largest festivals in France.  Carnival lights outline the sharp edges of the cathedral in blues, reds, and greens every night …