When Irish Eyes Are Smiling

On my last trip of the semester I fulfilled a life-long dream of visiting Ireland. I stayed with friends in a hotel in Dublin, but we also booked a day tour to Galway and the Cliffs of Moher. Dublin is a smaller city but there are so many things to see. You can visit the …

Spring Break in Barcelona

Bon dia! Over spring break I visited Spain for the first time. Our spring break lasted from March 16 – March 19 (basically the length of fall break at Hope) so I had a short time to visit as much of the city as possible. This was a popular travel weekend. Flight prices were getting …

Skeletons and Museums and Books, Oh My!

I started off this weekend by facing my fears and visiting the Catacombs of Paris. The remains of over six million people are held in these tunnels that used to be part of a mining network. In 1786 city officials began the process of moving bones from the overflowing Parisien cemeteries into the abandoned tunnels. …

Packing for a Semester Abroad

Here are a few items that I have found to be very important (but often overlooked) when traveling abroad. Plug adapters for every country you plan to visit Small power adapters allow United States-style plugs to fit into different outlets. You can invest in fancy adapters or find them on Amazon. This is something you’ll …

A Typical Weekday

I cannot believe I’ve been in Paris for over a month; the time has flown by and there is still so much to see. This post is long overdue thanks to cold and flu season. Thankfully I got by with lots of hot tea and Ricola cough drops, and my cold is finally gone. Since …

Châteaux of the Loire Valley

Because no visit to France would be complete without visiting a château, our first IES excursion was to the Loire Valley. This region of France is known for it’s vineyards, orchards, and historic architecture. Several excursions are included in  IES tuition and it was great to enjoy this trip before classes officially began First we …

Bienvenue à Paris!

Today marks the end of my first week in Paris with the IES French Studies program. I left for France a few days before the program started to travel with my sister who studies in Menton. After three flights and a bus ride, we arrived in Menton on Saturday,  January 14. Menton is close to …

Auf Wiedersehen, Berlin.

The time has come to bid Berlin farewell. This semester has been full of highs and lows, but everything worked out in the end. I traveled around Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Ireland, the UK and Greece. I had the opportunity to intern with an international business and meet some amazing people who are going to …

These are a Few of my Favorite Things

Wow, my semester in Berlin is coming to an end. Its hard to believe that it has been 5 months! As my final days are approaching I’ve been reminiscing of the things I’ll miss most about Berlin. Here are several of them. : ) Mustafas Oh my goodness. I am going to miss Mustafas every …

Interning Abroad

Before leaving for Berlin I was made aware that my program offered internships during our time abroad. Like everything else, I knew I had to take advantage of this opportunity. I imagined how much of a truly invaluable experience it would be, so I began the process. While filling out the questionnaire I was torn …