5 Reasons Why I Decided to Study Abroad?

  1. Spanish Culture: Since high school, the Spanish culture has always been an interest of mine! After my first Spanish class, I was a little hesitant to continue as I thought it would be a challenging; but what language isn’t? I carried out Spanish, got to college and decided to minor in Spanish. From there, the study abroad idea began.
  2. Step Outside of My Comfort Zone: I hold the reputation for a lot of “1st” in my family. First generation college student, first to be inducted into an honor society, and now, the first to study abroad. Getting through college without much knowledge on it is very tough, but I am overcoming that. Study Abroad is no different. It wont be easy, but it will be worth it!
  3. Passport with NO Stamps: I was lucky enough that my university participated in a Passport Caravan. This gave 100 students a free passport. But what’s the fun of having a passport if you aren’t going to use it?
  4. Resume Booster: Let’s be honest, studying abroad opens A LOT of doors. You have been through different experiences, you can offer different perspectives on certain situations, and you can possibly pick up a new language on the way which can allow you to explore more opportunities. Who doesn’t want a good paying job??
  5. Memories and Lifelong Friendships: The experiences you can gain from studying abroad are like none other. You can meet new people, see new things, and go through trials that you would otherwise not even imagine going through in your home country.

“Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty…

— Theodore Roosevelt.

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.

Tarragona, Spain Adventure!

I visited my first city in Spain aside from Barcelona and I must say I was blown away. The program I decided to go on this journey with had some excursions that were included in the tuition that was listed. A day trip to Tarragona was one of those. A little piece of advice, NEVER say “no” to any new adventures or activities in Barcelona; you’ll regret It. We first arrived and had freetime on the beach for us to do and participate in anything we wanted to.

From then, we were taken on a guided tour where we split up into smaller groups and walked around the historical city of Tarragona. The guide was very informative and the city itself was gorgeous! There are buildings BC still standing, original tomb stones of those who died centuries ago, and they even decided to remodel the older buildings but recycle the historic stone.

The weather was beautiful and Tarragona really gets you out of the hustle and fast paced Barcelona to a more calm and less touristy part of Spain. When planning a trip to Barcelona, I recommend adding this place to your bucket list. It was only an hour and a half from Barcelona and with It being so close to the beach, you can make a day out of It.

Review on Amazon’s Packing Cubes

For my 3 month trip to Spain, I decided to talk to people I knew about the best way to pack all of my crap into one suitcase! When packing for shorter trips, I always pack heavy. I’m prepared for any hypothetical situation that may arise while away; this trip is no different. After compiling all suggestions I began my search across the World Wide Web (those that know me know that I cannot go without researching anything). Upon my search I came across packing cubes. At first I was a little skeptical, however, the amount of items people were packing into these cubes was crazy so I decided to give them a try.

These Packing Cubes were only $23.99 on Amazon. It was a set of 8 organizers that included a waterproof shoe bag as well as a drawstring bag that allow for a space for chargers or other smalls items you may want to put into your personal bag (neither one of these are pictured above). I especially appreciate the 2 Large Mesh bags that were provided as I used one for jackets/sweatshirts and one for jeans/pj pants. These are very spacious with durable zippers. I was able to fit one jean jacket, leather jacket, long, fleece cardigan, 2 sweatshirts, and a rain jacket into one of the largest ones. These cubes saved me ample space in my luggage.

I highly recommend these packing cubes! They helped me organize everything and saved space in my luggage. These cubes are the reason I am only bringing my one luggage to be checked and then my personal book bag. They come in a range of different colors that include blue, yellow, and navy blue!

Introduction

Welcome to my blog!!!

Studying Abroad is STRESSFUL!!! All the planning, researching, packing, and money saving is very frustrating. When I began this process, nobody told me it would be THIS difficult to travel to another country. Through my research, I noticed there were very few one-stop-shops. I couldn’t get all of my information in one place. I am creating this blog for future travelers to are planning to study abroad. If you learn nothing else from my page, remember, if you have even the slightest thought of wanting to study abroad…DO IT! As I go through this process, I continue to this of the amazing reward that will come from this experience!

Within this blog, I plan to cover ALL things study abroad! Travel tips, packing hacks, and more! I want to interact with all my readers as much as possible so be sure to comment on any posts with questions you may have or if you want more information on anything.