I don't know how many of you have ever taken exams in a foreign country with a teacher whose native language is not English....it is not easy. I am known to be a person that overly stresses during exam week. It is not something that I can control, so it is not difficult to believe that midterm week in Italy was one of my most unpleasant experiences abroad. As a student in a foreign country, I had no idea what to expect. It didn't help that most of my teachers said "I don't believe in study guides" or "grades are not important". Excuse me? Grades are not important? What planet did they live on? I have had a motto for college ever since freshman year: "Work your hardest and get great grades". By the end of the week, I was filled with uncertainty and anxiety. My motto seemed so insignificant. The exams were cryptic and written in broken English. My roommate reminded me that the best thing to do was look towards the future. For us, the future was named Portugal.
After exams, we have a full week off for fall break. Our plans were to fly to Portugal to meet my parents, my sister, my brother-in-law, and my adorable little niece (she's one of two little nieces that I currently have the privilege to call my family). The travel was stressful but I was lucky to have Jacki. I couldn't even imagine what my trip would have been like without her. For some reason, travelling alone across Europe just doesn't seem appealing to me. When we arrived in Portugal, my emotions could not be contained. I had never been so happy to see my parents. It was like a slow motion running/hugging scene out of a corny romantic movie.
During the week, we travelled to what I like to call "the edge of the earth". It was the very tip of Portugal. We had a beach day in Albuferia where my soon-to-be 2 year old niece could explore the mysteries of European beaches. I'm referring to topless women. Yes, it is a real thing. No, we weren't even at a topless beach. Men, as hot as topless beaches sound, I can assure you they are not! Next, we took a day trip to Seville where I fell in love with Spain. I can't exactly describe what I loved so much about Spain but I know I would definitely like to go back some day with my (hopefully) husband, Mike. I found out later that Game of Thrones just finished filming in Seville after we had arrived. We just missed them! What a bummer! Overall, the week was amazing. It was nice to not have to be responsible for navigating around the country for once. We just sat back and enjoyed quality time with my family. It was great to have time to relax and get ourselves together for the last half of our semester.
I am so blessed to be able to have my family come visit me while I am abroad. Thank you to everyone that made my week so amazing. Now, it's time to tackle this last half of the semester!
After exams, we have a full week off for fall break. Our plans were to fly to Portugal to meet my parents, my sister, my brother-in-law, and my adorable little niece (she's one of two little nieces that I currently have the privilege to call my family). The travel was stressful but I was lucky to have Jacki. I couldn't even imagine what my trip would have been like without her. For some reason, travelling alone across Europe just doesn't seem appealing to me. When we arrived in Portugal, my emotions could not be contained. I had never been so happy to see my parents. It was like a slow motion running/hugging scene out of a corny romantic movie.
During the week, we travelled to what I like to call "the edge of the earth". It was the very tip of Portugal. We had a beach day in Albuferia where my soon-to-be 2 year old niece could explore the mysteries of European beaches. I'm referring to topless women. Yes, it is a real thing. No, we weren't even at a topless beach. Men, as hot as topless beaches sound, I can assure you they are not! Next, we took a day trip to Seville where I fell in love with Spain. I can't exactly describe what I loved so much about Spain but I know I would definitely like to go back some day with my (hopefully) husband, Mike. I found out later that Game of Thrones just finished filming in Seville after we had arrived. We just missed them! What a bummer! Overall, the week was amazing. It was nice to not have to be responsible for navigating around the country for once. We just sat back and enjoyed quality time with my family. It was great to have time to relax and get ourselves together for the last half of our semester.
I am so blessed to be able to have my family come visit me while I am abroad. Thank you to everyone that made my week so amazing. Now, it's time to tackle this last half of the semester!