Claire's Study Abroad Adventures

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...

Three weeks down, 13 to go! This past week has been super busy. I traveled to Barcelona last weekend with two other girls from SAIIE, and we met four others there. On Friday, we walked up to Park Guell and saw a beautiful view of the city, along with Gaudi's mosaics. I loved this park because there was so much to do and it was all gorgeous. After this, we headed down to the harbor area for dinner and to watch the sunset. To continue our sightseeing on Saturday, we started at Las Ramblas and went into La Boqueria. This market was huge, and there were so many different kinds of foods. After this, we walked through the Gothic Quarter to get to the harbor for a boat tour. I loved the view of the city from the water. My favorite part of the day was definitely La Sagrada Familia. It is so colorful and so intricate. We ended our trip with watching the sunset at Ayre Hotel rooftop bar, where we could see La Sagrada Familia also. I loved Barcelona, and I am so excited to go back in March! ...

Two weeks down, 14 to go! This week, I went on my first weekend trip to Paris, and I got to explore Sevilla more and go deeper into my schoolwork. I left for Paris Friday afternoon and arrived in Beauvais at about 4:30. We had to take an hour and a half bus ride to Paris, but I finally got to see the France Countryside--it is so beautiful! Once we got to Paris, we went to the Eiffel Tower and got to see it at night. I especially loved when it sparkled! We went up and got to see the city, but it was super windy up top so we couldn't stay up for long. We ended our day at Le Marais for a delicious steak dinner with potato slices, green beans, and sweet potatoes. The next morning, we got an early start to beat the crowds at the Louvre. We spent about three hours there looking around and enjoying the art. Our next stop was the Notre Dame. It is amazing to see how much detail there is both inside and out of the church. Then, we headed over to Rue Cremieux. This is the street in Paris w...

One week down, 15 to go! Time has flown by already. This semester I am taking 3rd Year Spanish Composition & Conversation and Artistic Monuments in Sevilla at SAIIE. Also in the afternoons, I have classes at la Universidad de Sevilla, a beautiful university located in the heart of the city. Here, I take Literatura & Cocina and Fonetica correctiva y conversacion. Even though my classes are challenging, the professors offer different perspectives, and I'm excited to learn more Spanish this semester.   3rd Year Spanish Composition & Conversation is a Spanish grammar class. The professor teaches the grammar differently than any other past schooling I've had. Because of this, my language skills are being reinforced, and my knowledge of Spanish is expanding already. Also, I can ask questions about the concepts I'm confused about in my homestay. Artistic Monuments in Sevilla is a fun class because we learn about the past, present, and future of Sevilla in the classr...

After a long winter break of working and preparing for my study abroad travels, I finally made it to Sevilla! The trip started off a bit stressful with my first flight getting canceled, due to the awful Wisconsin weather, but we figured out an alternative route and my mom ended up driving me down to the Milwaukee airport to fly out. I spent about 24 hours traveling, but overall it was an easy trip. When I finally arrived in Sevilla, Jenna and I took a taxi to our host family's apartment. It's so crazy how the streets are so narrow, but Sevilla is such a beautiful city! Our taxi driver dropped us off right outside our place and our host brother came out to meet us. The apartment is very close to many restaurants, bars, cafes, and shops, but it is in a quieter area. I especially love the view outside of our window! There is a little courtyard with plants and views of other apartments. Jenna and I settled into our room, ate lunch with our family, and set out to see SAIIE for the...