I recently hopped on a bus and ventured up to San Sebastián on the northern coast of Spain. In addition to 1) the landscape being as breathtaking as described and 2) the food being even better than I was told it would be, I learned a few important lessons that I thought I would have … More Buses, Fútbol and Pintxos: My Weekend in the País Vasco

One Country, Different Ways of Life My normal Madrid life: I hear bus horns, metros screeching to a halt, taxis honking. Without thinking about it, I have learned to have part of my brain “turned on” to be looking for ways to weave in and out of the ever-present crowds of people on the sidewalk. … More La variación – The Variation

Everyone talks about how wonderful it is to “get lost in a foreign city” while studying abroad. When I got lost in Valencia, Spain during the Las Fallas festival, I really just felt like a failure. My group of three friends and I successfully made it on the right bus in Madrid, and the bus … More El Fracaso: The Failure

  It went like this:   We decided to go to Barcelona, Spain for the weekend. We left the Sagrada Familia cathedral and pulled up our trusty Google Maps. It said that we would arrive at Park Grüell in 26 minutes, so my friends and I agreed, “Oh, that’s not that far, and we’ll get … More You Don’t Need Google Maps – Just Ask The Elderly Locals

My First Foray In All-Spanish Journalism For the last year, I’ve been working to immerse myself in Spanish-language journalism as much as possible. Last week, in Gandía, Valencía, I was able to dive in completely with Comunica2, a conference at the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia about social media. I was lucky enough to hear presentations … More Comunica2 Y Los Redes Sociales (Comunica2 And Social Media)

(A Culinary Experience of Shrimp, Amazing Bread And A Healthy Dose Of Awkwardness) People always talk about international travel and say, “Oh, you’ll get out of your ‘comfort zone,’ it will be so good for you.” Well, that certainly happened this week when I went to a neighborhood restaurant for dinner – it happened with … More “Ice Cream Doesn’t Have Eyes”

January 10, 2017: My first evening living with my host family in Madrid, Spain After giving hello kisses to everyone, I dragged my suitcase into the apartment, washed my hands and sat down at the kitchen table with a glass of water. In less than 15 minutes, the topic came up – Donald Trump. My … More “Dollar” Trump – Being An “Americana” Abroad During The Trump Presidency

I started planning for study aboard when I was a senior in high school. After 4 years of preparation, I am finally living in Madrid, Spain for the spring 2017 semester. I escaped Reno’s flooding and navigated my first international flight, and here is some of the first sound I heard in the city: But we’ll get … More Madrid, España: Mis Primeras Impresiones (My First Impressions)