Sunflowers & Honey

I have written two posts since I've been here, but I haven't really talked about my host city Sevilla. So, in this post I'm going to talk a little about my life here. I live in a home stay with my host mom Carmen, and her daughter, Angela. I also have a roommate Zoe, who is a sophomore from Appalachian State in North Carolina. Carmen and Angela are so sweet; they are really like a second family. In our program our host families are required to feed us three meals a day, do our laundry and clean the house. Carmen and Angela do all of that and more, I feel like I'm staying in a hotel. Not only do they fulfill their responsibilities as a host family, they care for us. They always ask us about our day and make us feel like we are part of the family. Before I left for one of my trips, Carmen wished me luck and gave me a big hug; it feels like I have a mom looking out for me. In the morning I wake up around 7:30 and have toast with a chocolate spread called...

February 8th through the 10th I went on my first trip to Italy! I was lucky enough to plan this trip last minute to see my roommate from my home university. Overall it was a fun trip, but it did not start out well. Getting to Rome from Spain, was easy. I flew from Sevilla to Verona, Italy and had about an hour layover. From Verona I flew to my destination of Rome. Now, here's where things started to go downhill: First, I don't know how Rome's transportation systems work. So, I board my train to get into the city, all goes well. I get off to switch trains, and I get on the right one! (Go me!). Yet, it's going in the opposite direction... of course. So, I hop off the train and try to collect my bearings. Of course I have no idea where I am, and I'm alone for the next 4 hours until I can meet up with my roommate. I decide my best bet is to take an Uber to the Vatican. A 25 minute Uber ride later, — sorry Mom and Dad — I arrive at the Vatican Museum. The second...

Before studying abroad, I have never left the U.S., let alone the East Coast. So, I knew packing my bag to travel halfway across the world for four months was going to be a challenge. Yet I did not know that in the first day my flight would be canceled, I would be stranded in the airport and left to figure out how to get to my hotel alone. To top it off the taxi's in Madrid went on strike. Needless to say, the first two days of my study abroad experience were not the best. Toldeo, Spain Although my first days in Spain did not go as planned, I knew that I had to do my best to adjust to this new country. Here’s my tips on going from lost to a local: 1)     Go with the flow: When traveling things change unexpectedly: one moment you are prepared to board your flight, the next it is canceled. When things like this happen, it is important to just remain calm and see what happens next. If you are lucky (like I was) the airline will be able to put you on a new flight. Just ...

I'm so excited to announce that I have been offered a position to blog for the ISA Student Blog site! Now I will be maintaining this blog and coming up with posts for ISA. I cannot believe how fortunate I am to have received this opportunity. I can't wait to be in Spain, so I can begin writing! It's funny, because I'm already getting nostalgic about my time abroad, and I haven't even left yet (let alone pack). I'm thinking about years down the line when I'll get to look back at the pictures I took and share my experiences with my friends and family. It's because I just spent the afternoon with my grandparents. My grandfather has begun hospice, and only has a few weeks left with us. It's been really difficult on my whole family. Today, me and my sister visited. We only planned on stopping by for 30 minutes, but ended up spending the whole afternoon there and even had supper. My grandmother told us old stories about her and my grandfathers (Grampy...

It was the first day of the trip. Ten of us were crammed in a tiny bus making our way to Philadelphia. We were all talking and laughing, just getting to know one another. One of the girls on the trip, Taylor, said, “these trips always seem to come at the worst time. You’re always stressed about school and work, but they’re always what you need.” At the time I thought, “no way. I have 3 papers looming, an exam, a mountain of paperwork for study abroad and two other jobs to think about. There was no way this is what I needed.” Yet, Taylor was 100% right, I just didn’t know it yet.     We finally arrived in Philadelphia around 11:30 pm. We were tired, uncomfortable and cranky. Then, we see it. The poverty. People everywhere were scattered on the sidewalk: on cardboard, in tents, on cement. We pull up to St. Francis Inn, and as we are about to climb the stairs to the apartment there was a man on the steps with needles askew, about to get his fix. All I could think was...

Imagine going from working as a babysitter to working for a billion-dollar company. It’s hard for me to imagine, and I’m living it.   The closest thing I’ve had to a real job was working as an intern for a small company. By small I mean small. 5 people. 5 people, including me. Now, I’m an intern in an office of 1,500. Not only is the amount of people who work here far greater than anything I’ve ever experienced, the culture is entirely different as well. At my old internship I was a puppy dog, following my boss around as if I was on a leash. Here, they don’t hold you by the hand, they let you do your work, and make the mistakes you need to learn. It’s exciting to know that they trust me to get the work done right, but also terrifying how much actual responsibility I have. Then, this company is modern. So modern. The common area is furnished with green turf, hanging chairs and yard games galore. They not only emphasize a work-life balance but encourage it. They provide employee...

When I deleted my Instagram app back on Valentine's Day I thought my Instagram fast would increase in difficulty as Lent went on. I was wrong.  The first three days were the hardest. The first five hours were the worst.       I thought that in the beginning I wouldn't miss Instagram too much, but I quickly realized how much the app was a part of my life. In the first few hours whenever I was looking for something to do I habitually clicked on the location where Instagram used to be. Before bed and waking up I could no longer mindlessly scroll through photos. Whenever I was bored in class scrawling through my Instagram feed wasn't an option. Instagram became my addiction. I craved the sight of photos, the rush of excitement when you get a like on a post and the feeling of calm while scrolling through the explore page. I was the smoker, and Instagram was my cigarette.        As Lent dragged on my withdrawal symptoms lessened. I stopped brainlessl...