Claire's Study Abroad Adventures

Seven weeks down, 9 to go! This week, one of my friends from UWL came to visit me for her spring break! It has been a super busy but fun week. We first met in Dublin to start our trip. It was St. Patrick's Day weekend, so we got to see the greening of the city and everyone was dressed up in green. My favorite part of the weekend was definitely the tour of the Guinness Factory, but the St. Patrick's Day parade was really fun too because there were so many people dressed in all green. We then made our way to Sevilla for the week! In Sevilla, we did a lot of walking around the city and exploring. I went up to las setas for the first time for the sunset, and it was beautiful! It was fun getting to do something different in Sevilla. Also, we went to the Plaza España, Alcazar, and cathedral. I loved getting to do some touristy things in Sevilla for a couple days! After Sevilla, we flew to Barcelona for the last part of our trip. We stayed in the Gothic Quarter, so we liked to wal...

6 weeks down, ten to go! Time has been flying by. I only have one more full weekend in Sevilla. Last weekend, I stayed in Sevilla and a neighbor from back home came here from Barcelona.  I did some of the touristy things again, like the Plaza de España, but I also saw some new things. We went up the Torre del Oro and also saw the Plaza de Toros. One thing I have definitely noticed about Sevilla recently is that it is a very relaxed city. There isn't a ton of museums and sites, but it is more just about sitting by the river, parks, plazas, or bars and taking in the culture. I really love that about this city. The weather has been especially great this week. It has been about 75 to 80 degrees. When it is this warm, I like to sit by the river and hang out with friends. Also, I have continued to volunteer at Colegio San Jose in Los Remedios. The students are all 5 years old, and they are so cute! They all get excited when I show up, and they want to tell me stories and talk in Englis...

Five weeks down, eleven to go! It’s crazy to think we’ve already been in school for a month and only have two months left! After I finished my time in Santorini last weekend, I spent the day in Athens before I had to leave. It was such an amazing experience! The Greek God temples were so cool and it was a beautiful city! I loved that I could see the Acropolis from almost every part of the city, and I went up there on Sunday (it was free!). There was a great view of the city and also the Parthenon and other temples were beautiful. It was hard to get back to reality after this amazing trip.   It has been a little cold and rainy in Sevilla this week but I have kept busy. On Tuesday, I went to Lora Tamayo to volunteer for their after-school program. I started in a classroom where the students were learning English, and then went to their sports program where the kids played a bunch of different games. Also, on Wednesday I went to Colegio San Jose to volunteer for their English program....

Four weeks down, twelve to go! I can't believe I've already been here for a month! I had my first exams this week at SAIIE, so I spent a lot of last weekend resting and studying for those. The weather has been really nice, so I have been down by the river almost everyday. This week we had a holiday on Thursday, so I took my first solo trip! I left Wednesday morning for Greece and made it to Santorini by sunset. My hotel was really cute--I could see the blue domes of Oia right outside my door! There was a really nice hot tub I used every night I was there. My favorite city in Santorini was definitely Oia because it was a little quieter than Fira but still beautiful. It was a perfect place to watch the sunset and sunrise and just hangout. On Thursday, I walked around Oia for a while then took the bus to Fira to explore that town. End of February is considered an offseason, and a lot of restaurants and shops were closed in both places. I also took a trip to Santo Winery, and t...