The month of March dragged on for ages, but before I could even blink, we were at the end of April. Within my home, things are very much the same, so I am tempted to say that nothing really changed over the course of the month. I am still stumbling through my online courses, trying to schedule times to watch online lectures and submit papers in between explaining AP biology concepts to my younger brother and teaching my sister how to solve logarithmic word problems. The same pattern gets repeated every day: I wake up at the same time, drink the same coffee, and sit down in the same place to try and do schoolwork. Everyone says that sticking to your routine should make the quarantine less jarring, which is probably true. At the same time, however, going through the same routine daily makes all the days blend together and brings profound boredom and a warped sense of time passing. Most of the time, I have no idea what day of the week it is. There is barely anything that distinguishes the weekend from weekdays. It is easy to feel like time is standing still within our homes, that we just watching due dates and deadlines arbitrary slip away.

This month, my sister and I tackled the huge project of redesigning our bedroom. The two of us have shared a room essentially since she was born in 2001 and the room has looked exactly the same since 2012, when we finally unbunked our beds. After having the same room for so long, this project felt like a whirlwind. One minute, my sister and I were casually talking about changing our room, and before I knew what was happening, she was moving our desks and beds around. As someone who likes to plan everything out far in advance, this head-first approach was overwhelming at first. I wanted to talk through every detail of the room makeover before moving everything. But just in that one night, all the random clutter in our room had been cleared out. After so many years in the exact same room, things were rapidly changing.

Over the course of one long weekend, we got rid of our decade-old carpet and painted the pastel pink and purple walls grey. Although that weekend had its fair share of inter-family arguments, the room looks great. I feel like I’m actually in my bedroom now, not my childhood bedroom. Despite that early on stress, I can’t say that I would change the process.

One thing I do look forward to during the days is taking my dog out for walks in the late afternoon. Most of the time I go by myself, but sometimes one of my siblings or parents will come along too. The walks are totally inefficient as exercise- Bandit likes to stop and investigate every tree, stop sign, and interesting patch of grass we walk by.

But I’ll take any excuse to get out of the house I can get. What I noticed as April wears on is that spring is still coming. I’ve watched the trees explode with pink flowers and the park trails turn from brown to green. One afternoon I even saw a herd of deer watching us from up on a hill.

I realized that I spent all of last spring on campus in New York. As much as I like the city, the start of spring in New York is completely different from my small town in Pennsylvania. Even though I often wish I was back in Europe or even back at school, I do sometimes have to admit that there are nice things about where I live. Besides, there is a sense of comfort in seeing that life is still happening, that the world is still turning even when we feel stuck.

Spending some time abroad this semester taught me a lot not only about others but also a lot about myself. It has already influenced my decisions as it has to lead me to take a globally focused internship this coming summer. It has opened up so many new opportunities that I would have been too scared of taking before my time abroad. On top of this, I learned how to seek discomfort, appreciate the world more, take advantage of every adventure I take, and so much more.

I never realized how much traveling and exploring meant to me until this quarantine, being confined to where I can go and who I can see is suffocating. I know I am not alone in this feeling, but I don’t want it to be the focus of this time. I want it to be a lesson, so when this is all over I can be even more grateful for my adventures. After having a taste of what traveling is like, I know for certain that once all of this craziness calms down with the virus I will be making plans to travel.

Another thing that studying abroad opened me up to was my passion for photography. I have always loved taking pictures, but since being in college I haven’t given that passion much attention. This was a wakeup call for me to not just study hard in my major class, but to also enjoy the electives I can take. For that reason, I have signed up for a photography class in the fall to continue to learn more about something I am truly passionate about. These images are just a few of my favorites from my time abroad.

Song of the blog: Don’t Let Me Down by Milky Chance

Tip of the blog: Make sure you find some hobbies and passions while in college, as your life is more than just the job you will get once you graduate.

Studying abroad is like walking on a tightrope with two cafeteria trays.

On one tray is all the exciting things: weekend trips to Dsneyland, seeing the Eiffel Tower lit up at night, and spending hours wandering around art museums. On the other tray is all of your academics.

Now, I’m a pharmacy student, so during my time in Paris, I’ve been muddling my way through a biopharmaceutical chemistry course.

My time management skills have been tested just as much as my knowledge of macromolecules and metabolism. I’m not going to claim that I have some big secret, but I do know that I have to be more organized with my work now than I did back in Queens. So, I would dedicate certain times, certain hours of my days and weekends to studying. For me, though, the key was intermixing those designated study times with breaks, times to get out of my room and see the city. And like I mentioned, it’s a balancing act. If I spent too much time going out, my grades would drop, and I would risk being cut from the pharmacy program. But spending all my time studying would be equally bad: What’s the point of being in Europe if you can’t see any of it?

All of our exams in Paris were on Wednesday mornings and all of them were shockingly difficult. However, Wednesday afternoons were also the days when we went on excursions to different parts of Paris. Even though Paris January’s can be dreary, getting off campus was always welcome- and the different Parisian snacks provided during each tour made up for the cold weather!

Halfway through the rotation, I received a disappointing score on an exam. Not bad enough to jeopardize my scholarship or my spot in the pharmacy program, but still, I was upset. As tempting as it was to isolate myself in my dorm room for the remainder of the day, I accepted a friend’s invitation to go out for a walk.

After several hours of walking the city streets, trying a to die for bakery, and marveling at the architecture of the Sainte-Chapelle chapel, my disappointment about that grade was starting to fade to the back of my mind. 

In one of the tiny, crowded aisles of the Abbey Bookstore, I realized that it had been hours since I distressed over my exam grade.

I do not mean to say that grades aren’t important while you’re studying abroad. Trust me, I know that they are. But going out and experiencing the culture of your host country is important too. If it wasn’t then I wouldn’t even be here. 

In short, I was out of balance on those days. Too much was piled onto my academics tray and I was starting to tip off one side of the study abroad tightrope. Falling off the rope would’ve been so easy, and it was only through getting outside and adding experiences to my other tray that I was able to stay upright. 

Like all good things, however, my time in Paris came to an end. I’m writing this from the Eternal City. Although I’m nervous to be starting over in a new country, I am also beyond excited to be here in Rome. 

Every time I was asked the question “If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?” my answer was always Italy. 

Even though I’ve been here only a few days, the city has not disappointed. Everything from the architecture to the weather feels like a beautiful dream. 

On our third day here, we had a trip to St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. To say I was left speechless is an understatement. Even though we were surrounded by other tourists, the Basilica was so massive that we weren’t slammed shoulder-to-shoulder. 

We were fortunate enough to be able to visit the Basilica on the feast day of the Chair of St. Peter. Standing in awe and in the gentle glow of the candles, I couldn’t help but think how lucky we are to have the opportunity to be in Rome at this time. 

Armed with everything I learned in Paris, I am both ready and excited to make Rome start to feel like home.

One theme surrounding migration that has been prevalent during my travels so far is the different push and pull factors that cause people to travel and migrate. This is a topic that has been discussed in my economics class in Limerick and it really caught my attention. A pull factor is things such as better education, weather, or freedom in a country; whereas a push factor is something that deals with your current country of residence that pushes you away like a natural disaster or a poor economy. As a student abroad I tend to only be aware of the pull factors of the different places I want to visit, but it was in my economics class that I started to take a step back and look at the full picture of migration.

One place that this theme was prevalent was in Doolin, Ireland. It is a small town by the Cliffs of Moher which I visited my first weekend in Ireland. In this small town of a few hundred people and the main way, they make money is through tourism. The majority of the houses we saw were owned by people from other countries and are used just as vacation homes or were bed and breakfasts. After talking with our taxi driver, who was amazing and told us so much information it was better than any tour I have been on, it was prevalent that if you didn’t want to work in a tourism spot you left Doolin for a better opportunity. This is what his daughter did as she is a pharmacist and there is only one position for a pharmacist in the small town, so she had to migrate to get a job. Overall, it is extremely interesting to take a step back when visiting other places and talk to the locals to see what really goes on in these places rather than just looking at them at face value.

Song of the blog: Almost (Sweet Music) by Hozier, this is one of my favorite artists and he is from Ireland!

Tip of the blog: Talk to the locals! Not just for direction, get to know them a little bit, it makes traveling to other places even more exciting and interesting.

My time in Italy has come to an end and it’s time to move to Ireland. While in Italy I had the opportunity to travel to Venice, Florence, Athens, and Vienna. The different cultures here are incredible and every place I have visited has taught me something new. One thing that has been constant in each place has been the kindness of the locals, from helping with directions to giving free desert all of these places blew me away. I can say that by the end of the 5 weeks in Italy I felt comfortable enough to walk around without using Maps to get places. I started to finally get a grasp on everything, but it was time to leave. The things that I will miss most about Italy are my runs through Villa Borghese which is one of the most beautiful parks I have ever seen in my life.

Before arriving in Ireland I was extremely sick with food poisoning the day we were traveling from Rome to Ireland. Even though it was a very rough situation it brought me even closer to the people in my cohort. I am excited to be in a country that speaks English, even though I find myself still wanting to try and speak Italian here and there. I’m also really excited about my economics class which focuses on migration and my art and architecture class these next 5 weeks. The first 5 weeks flew by so I am trying to savor every day abroad as it has already been life-changing.

Song of the blog: Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words)- This song was in a movie we watch in Theology, Wall Street, and we all just kept singing the song for a few weeks.

Tip of the blog: If you get food poisoning while abroad try not to drink or eat anything for at least half of the day because it will not help, it will just make things worse.

Hello everyone from Rome! So much has already happened and classes just started this Monday. I have had the opportunity to meet so many other students and visit a handful of different places in the city. Every day I still think to myself how insane it is that I am in Europe right now, but it is by far the best decision I have ever made.

As a stranger in this city, you would think it would be a struggle, but the locals here have been so helpful with speaking English or translating things for me. This kindness has led me to become more comfortable here in Rome and has given me the confidence to go out and explore more areas of the city.

Now I am not just on a vacation this semester as my mom likes to say, I am still working hard on my studies. The focus of my studies this semester is on the theme of migration and how it's involved in subjects like Theology and Art, which are the two classes I will be taking in Rome. I am truly excited about these courses as I will be diving into the history of Rome with my Art class and exploring how Theology is involved in the business world.

Each blog I want to include a song and tip that stuck out to me during my time abroad, so keep an eye out for them at the bottom of every post!

Song of the Blog: Il Giro Del Mondo by Alfa

Tip of the Blog: Eye contact in Italy can say a lot more than words can. If you want to cross the street make eye contact with the driver and “say” I am crossing the street now, otherwise they won’t stop.

Contrary to what I thought, the palace of Versailles is not actually in the city of Paris itself. Rather, it sits in a suburb about twelve miles outside of the city center. Still, the palace’s location makes it a perfect spot for a weekend trip.

Now I barely have a grasp on how to use the New York subway system, so an independent trip on the Paris metro seemed like a daunting task. Still, after using the metro twice on our weekly guided excursions, I felt prepared to venture out without a guide. The reason why Versailles is such a convenient day trip is that one of Paris’s RER commuter trains (similar to the LIRR in New York) stops half a mile from the palace.

The French monarchs were not ones for subtlety. The first thing we saw of the palace was an imposing golden gate. As your gaze wanders across the palace’s exterior, there is no shortage of things to look at. Dozens of windows lined in gold cover the sprawling wings of the house. As you look closer, there are busts and ornate sculpting on all the exterior walls.

Just as impressive was the hall of mirrors. One of the most famous rooms in the palace, the hall was used for entertainment, weddings, and political meetings when the French monarchs really wanted to show off. The painted, vaulted ceilings, countless chandeliers, and wall lined with mirrors would be enough to impress even the toughest critic. The mirrors in the room, which were put up before the creation of the United States, were still functional. And don’t even get me started on the ceiling. In fact, I think I might’ve strained my neck from how often I had to pause and look upwards. It seemed like every room we went into had a more stunning, intricate, impressive ceiling than the last.

We ended our trip in the palace’s gardens, which were both expansive and exquisite, despite it being the middle of January. I can hardly imagine how stunning they would be in the spring or summer. At the same time, I also cannot imagine how packed with fellow tourists the entire palace would be in peak season. As the sun was setting, we wandered through some of the garden paths and circled the lake. Even though we’d barely scratched the surface of the gardens, the time quickly came to head back to the train station. 

As we sat on the train, chatting about the trip and eating French candy from a vending machine, I felt a sense of pride and relief. On one hand, I could hardly believe what we’d just done. We’d taken the metro in a foreign country and spent the entire day in one of the most iconic residences in the world. The entire day- heck the entire experience so far- feels surreal. After so much anticipation, it’s sometimes hard to believe that I’m finally here.  

Every night, when I’m getting ready for bed, I see the beam of light from the top of the Eiffel Tower sweeping across the sky. And every night, I pause by the window and watch. The tower, Paris’s most iconic landmark brings a startling sense of reality to a surreal experience. 

At one of our very first informational sessions in Paris, we were told that studying abroad is about getting out of your comfort zone. As the weeks go on, that statement continues to reveal itself.  In fact, there’s very little about studying abroad that is in your comfort zone. The biggest adjustment that I’ve noticed is the tremendous increase in independence that comes with the experience. I have never felt like quite so much of an “adult” as I have these past few weeks, not even when I’m living on the Queens campus. 

Venturing off the comfort of the Paris campus into the city streets is intimidating, but it is also so, so worth it. If I stayed in my comfort zone for the duration of my trip, I would never leave my dorm room.

Although it can be nerve-wracking, there is something intrinsically exciting about being so fully in charge of how to spend your weekends. I never would have thought I would be comfortable taking the French subway without any real supervision. And yet, there I was, sitting on the train, already thinking about where to go next. 

Paris has truly been nothing short of a dream, so much so that I wish I didn’t have to wake up anytime soon. It’s surreal— seeing things I’ve only watched in movies or read about. I’m blown away by the mere fact that I can just wake up and decide to picnic at the Eiffel Tower, or end my day by watching the sunset at Sacré-Cœur. The historical sites are wonderful, but I was also taken by the little wonders woven through the city, like the intricate architecture of the metro stations, or how the Parisians never fail to carry a book along with them on the train. Though a day is enough to fall in love with Paris, a month isn’t nearly enough to discover all the beauty it has to offer. I wish I could stop time for a moment here, but it’s almost like the brevity of it all makes me that much more grateful.  

Though traveling around Europe from here is convenient, I found little desire to venture out of the city, save for Barcelona. I knew I wanted to immerse myself completely in Paris, leaving the weekends for delving deeper into the arts and getting lost any way I could. The first excursion I went on was to Le Crazy Horse Caberet. For the longest time, I’ve been in love with the art of Burlesque; a bit risqué, it dramatizes striptease in a skillful, artistic albeit humorous manner, draped in Old Hollywood Glamour and Vintage Pin-Up. Everything about the show, from the production to the performers, was unbelievably beautiful.  

In the days to follow, I visited Shakespeare & Company quite a lot, choosing a random book and reading beside Aggie the Cat. Despite the many wandering visitors, the bookstore itself was intimate. It is a home for all those who love to read, myself included. My next outing was to the Louvre. I had no idea the museum was so massive! Unlike the size of the building, the Mona Lisa was tiny. It felt unreal standing in the same room as Leonardo da Vinci’s work. Musee D’orsay was next on my list. I was on a hunt for a particular painting: Dance in The Country by Renoir. It seems as though it only depicts a couple dancing happily, but if you look closer, you may notice that there is another person in the picture. Some interpret this painting as a hidden story of unrequited love. The woman outside the terrace seems as though she is longingly gazing at the man from afar, while he is staring closely at his dancing partner, who is beaming at the viewer outside of the painting. The secret admirer does not have a defined identity, but she has been dubbed by some as “The Peeping Woman”. A couple other outings I was able to experience was watching a ballet performance at Palais Garnier, walking up the Arc De Triumph, going to the top of the Eiffel Tower, seeing the Catacombs and strolling through the Palace of Versailles.

Every Wednesday, we would explore neighborhoods of Paris with the help of Matthieu, the Coordinator of Student Life. We first ventured to Champs-Elysees, where we discovered what is described by some as ‘the world’s most beautiful avenue’. Visitors flock to this street to shop, appreciating the high-end stores it has to offer. The next week, we made our way to Montmarte. By far, this was my favorite neighborhood. Matthieu explained that this neighborhood was enjoyed by visitors and locals alike. There were hidden gems sprinkled in every corner, like The Wall of I Love You and the its surviving windmills. The Latin Quarter was our next adventure. We painstakingly thanked the man that created the essay, Michel de Montaigne, by rubbing his foot. I tried Couscous, a North African delicacy, for the first time at Restaurant La Mosquée de paris, and it was wonderful! For our latest excursion, we went to the Marais neighborhood. We found ourselves in the Place des Vosges, which was a the oldest planned square in Paris. My friends and I visited L’as du Fallafel, a falafel sandwich restaurant whose line stretches down the whole street.  

For our Fall Break, I was fortunate enough to visit Barcelona, Spain. During Fall Break, I took a trip to Barcelona. Watching the Cheetah Girls strut through its streets gave me high expectations, and I’m happy to say, the city itself surpassed them entirely. We planned to visit Park Güell, La Sagrada Familia, Casa Mila, the Picasso Museum and the Magic Fountain. Each experience was beyond beautiful. My favorite place to visit was La Sagrada Familia. Walking inside was unreal. I have no words for how the light spilled into the Basilica through the stained-glass windows. The high-reaching walls and intricate ceiling was so well done, it looked like something out of a fairytale book.  

As my last detail, I’d like to include something personal. Last minute, I learned that my extended family’s business, Malagos Chocolate, was invited to Salon Du Chocolate, the biggest chocolate convention in the world, taking place in Porte de Versailles, Paris. Based in the Philippines, they farm and produce their own chocolate from Cacao beans. It was nice to see fans come up to my Lola, acknowledging her for her hard work. I was so happy to see her happy. It was lovely being reminded of home despite being almost 3,500 miles away from it.  

Without a doubt, Paris has treated me well. Though I’m still here, I already miss it. I’m so very thankful to Matthieu, Dheeraj, Farida and Isabelle for taking care of us. Ciao for now, Paris. I’m ready for Rome.  

In the words of the Irish, we had great craic these past couple weeks. I felt as though I took a crash course, learning briefly about the different lands that make Ireland so beautiful, big cities and quaint villages alike. We were incredibly lucky to have Breeda, Cepta, Holly and Tomás guiding us through Limerick and advising us on personal trips. With their help and the hospitality of the Pery’s hotel staff, our stay felt a lot like home. It was nice to know that after every excursion, Limerick was waiting to welcome us back from a long day’s end.

The Giant’s Causeway

Belfast was one of my first adventures. A few friends and I took a tour bus, known as a Paddy Wagon, along the northern coast. We came by a couple of famous sights, but the stop that truly took my breath away was the Giant’s Causeway. It’s defined as the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. These words do no justice to its monumental beauty. The water crashing into the shore; the mountains scaling great heights; the green pastures that stretched as far the eye can see; everything about the Causeway was gorgeous. We trekked the beginnings of it, walking past grass that swirled every which way, funnily resembling that of Dr. Suess' picture books. Before long, we took a break to soak everything in. It all seemed larger than life. The mere fact that all this beauty was made by nature was so hard to comprehend. When it was time to get back on the bus, I couldn’t help but wish we had more time to explore.

The View from atop St. Flannan’s Cathedral

Killaloe came next, astounding us with its picturesque landscapes and charm. After a tour through Thomond Park Rugby Stadium, we took a cruise to our next destination. The view from atop the boat was absolutely beautiful. I met the sweetest girl while I was fighting my way against the winds to the front of the boat. She was from Australia and had traveled all over the world. We delved deep into conversation, albeit shouting over the loud noises of the sea breeze. She told me her home in Melbourne was a bit dry and brown, but that it was beautiful nonetheless. I told her New York wasn’t too bad either. We promised each other that one day, we’d visit each other to judge for ourselves. We finally arrived at St. Flannan’s Cathedral, where they allowed us to ring the bells. They brought us to the top, overlooking the village. Within a moment of enjoying the view, we were sadly whisked away to the bus, sleeping the whole way home.

Grafton Street

During one weekend, a few friends and I took a trip to Dublin. Limerick is somewhat a microcosm of New York City, but Dublin was the closest we came to home. Within the first moments of walking into our hostel, we saw a vast diversity in the people and their choice of fashion. One man walked through the doors, dressed in gaudy chains and a scuba diver’s wetsuit. Another wore a leprechaun costume. I’m not too sure where they were headed, but I regret not coming along. Along the way, we visited the Guinness Warehouse and Grafton Street.

Tower Bridge

The last trip I took was to London and let me tell you, I truly enjoyed every moment I spent there. We tried to cover all the tourist activities within a small span of time: Pedal boating in Hyde Park; striding across Abbey Road; riding the London Eye; walking the Tower Bridge; poking fun at the soldiers at Buckingham Palace. However, what I was most excited about was the Harry Potter Studio Tour. I’ve been a fan for a long time, and to see all the production that took place during the movies was unreal. 

Ireland treated me well and has genuinely been wonderful. I’m thankful for all the people that helped us feel at home while we were so far away from our own. Though it was bittersweet saying goodbye to them, I’m ready to begin a new adventure in Paris. 

You’re thrown into a foreign country with a bunch of strangers and a few familiar faces from school— making friends is inevitable. I’ve spent the last couple of days exploring Ireland with the most wonderful people. Truly. To begin, we were toured around Mary Immaculate College (MIC), St. John’s partner location within Limerick, Ireland. Being led from the hallway to hallway, we learned a few interesting things about the school. Our guide showed us their office, which used to be an orphanage in the early 1900s. She also brought us by the library where the Irish language is spoken exclusively. Overall, it was beautiful. Though the sky was grey, it contrasted beautifully with the greenery around campus. The architecture was impressive. It looked as if a good chunk of Hogwarts was shipped to Ireland and placed within a walking distance of Limerick’s center.

Rest assured, this fear is gone.

The days to follow were full of so many adventures. We walked through King John’s castle, setting foot on a stone that’s been laid for almost 800 years. It was built in order to keep the city safe from Gaelic kingdoms in the west and from Normal lord’s rebellion to the east and south. The view from the towers was breath-taking, overlooking the Shannon River. Trust me when I say you actually feel like Rapunzel peering down from her bedroom.

The next day, we headed out for the Cliffs of Moher. I have never seen anything quite like it. If I could, I would sit on the edge for eternity. Hearing the waves and watching the water crash against the rock was so calming. Later that evening, we went to The Farmyard in Corofin; this must have been my favorite outing. The farmer split us up into teams and gave us a series of challenges, the first being a “Willie Toss” in which we have to throw a rain boot as far as we can behind us. The second challenge was to herd sheep and guide them through a set of tires. We split into 2 groups: the Blockers and the Hunters. I had the chance to be a hunter. Along with my peers, we lead the sheep through the course. They were so adorable and well-behaved! They followed our guidance without hesitance, watching our gestures and moving accordingly. Lastly, we had to milk a cow; each drop mattered. We had to keep Betty the cow calm and relaxed so we could get as much milk as we could from her. In the end, our team points were close. The deciding factor came down to the seconds it took to herd the sheep. My team won! After we headed back to the hotel and most slept the whole ride back.

Over the weekend, we went to the Milk Market. Under a huge tent, tons of vendors gathered fresh goods and homemade products. I wanted to eat everything. As a personal excursion, a few friends and I headed to Galway the next day. The biggest pulling factor for us to go was a song you may know, “Galway Girl” by Ed Sheeran. We weren’t expecting much, but upon exploring, we really underestimated the city. The pedestrian areas offered such a beautiful walk, little shops and street performers drawing in much attention. We caught sight of a cute tourist train chugging through the city, so we found where it began and hopped on. Since it allowed its passengers to hop on and off throughout the day, we left when we found the place Ed Sheeran had filmed his music video. It was by a gorgeous oceanfront, and lucky for us, the weather had cleared up. The view was so beautiful, it seemed photoshopped.

I’m not sure what I expected, but I’m happy this journey is beginning the way it is. I want to experience as much as I can. I’m eager to see where this program will take us, and to see where we’ll venture outside of it. It’s only been a week, but I’ve seen enough sights to confirm that Ireland is truly a beautiful place to be.

There is something amazing about being able to see the sights of Europe: The Eiffel Tower, The Colosseum, Sagrada Familia, and so on. And while I enjoyed getting to see the rich history here and learn all about these historical and sacred places, the thing that I’ve taken away most from my trip abroad is the volume of current things going on in Europe that I simply had no idea, or only a vague idea, about. My theology professor here has been living in Italy for eight years or so, and she says that she remembers how different it is in The United States. It’s like being in your own world entirely, so far removed from other countries. Because of the proximity and relationships within the European Union (EU), I think that it simply isn’t as easy to be disconnected from the rest of the world here. When you add in the size of The United States and relationships with the rest of North America and South America, Europe barely stands a chance to truly enter our news network.  

For all of the places I visited, I both intentionally and unintentionally learned more and more about the issues that citizens of the countries were facing. I have been fortunate enough to travel to Paris, Barcelona, Zurich, Edinburgh, Bucharest, and, of course, Rome and around Italy. In this post, I hope to help you to travel with me and see what I’ve learned about these places and their trials. While most of the information has been compiled throughout the semester, I linked some fact-checkers and ways to read/watch more about these issues below.

One of the main themes highlighted by St. John’s University’s Study abroad programs is migration. It is integrated into every class possible, and this has helped me understand the issues. With the current climate all across Europe, there couldn’t be anything more appropriate. The first place I would like to focus on is France. My first stop in Europe was in Paris, France, and I was immediately amazed by its wonder and beauty. 

However, there is no question about the political and social turmoil that has been occurring there for years. While many of us have heard about the attacks on Paris and Nice, there is a much deeper disdain toward foreigners that is not far removed from these attacks. In the United States, we refer to ourselves as a melting pot, a blending of cultures to create a diverse society. In France, it couldn’t be more the opposite. A dirty word in American history, assimilation, is their reality. When you are immigrating to France, you are expected to become French. While I’ve noticed that this is a theme around Europe and the hyphenated identities (African-American, Irish-American, Italian-American, etc.) of the US don’t exist here, it runs deeper in France. A culture that is not their own is washed away here, especially when it comes to religion. In 2004, French began the consideration of outlawing wearing burqas, hijabs, kippahs, and large displays of crosses. The one that came into effect is of any sort of face-veil, which directly targets Muslims, but it is widely encouraged to not wear any religious symbols and make yourself a target. Outside of religion but not far from it, immigrants tend to be living in suburbs or lower socioeconomic areas of Paris. They isolate themselves because they don’t feel welcome, and they create their own communities that are segregated from the whole of Paris and therefore France. While this brings in the question of open- vs. closed-borders and integration, it also creates a breeding ground for terrorists. In fact, the Paris attacks of 2015 had French natives involved. One of my classes studied how people can feel drawn to join a terrorist group and act when they feel that they are not being represented. In a society where culture erasure is meant to create a unified whole, it instead has created tense relations that have lead to attacks. In the US, we can obviously relate with recent immigrant issues at the forefront of politics.  

Rome, and Italy as a whole, had similar issues with immigration. Italy quickly has become the liaison between the Middle East and North African (MENA) countries to the rest of Europe. Many people from MENA countries will enter into Italy through the Mediterranean with the intention of staying until they can make it further north. This has caused a great strain on the economy and relationships between natives and the new demographic. In this country, strict self-segregation can also be seen. In my economics class, we took a trip to a town called Torpignattara, which has been dubbed “Banglatown”. This town is full of heavily concentrated immigrants, many from Bangladesh as implied by the name, and they have made more of a town of their own than become a part of Rome. Their town is filled with stores with their native clothing, food, and other goods. They support their own small economy, not the whole of Rome. Rather, they send a majority of their money home. All of these issues have brought immigration to the forefront of Italy’s political atmosphere. There have even been talks of leaving the EU to allow them to have more ability to control their immigration laws. Another effect that has happened to Italy is called ‘The Brain Drain’. Basically, well-educated individuals are leaving the country in search of better job opportunities. This makes it hard for the country to continue to develop and westernize since the best of the best are leaving.  

By far the most interesting thing to learn about was the potential secession of Catalonia from Spain. Catalonia is to Spain what, for example, Pennsylvania is to The United States. While it is just a region, it functions more as a state with its own government. This region includes Barcelona, a city that was my first international trip leaving Rome. Upon arriving, it was clear that there was some strong political movement going on. Every single apartment building had plenty of windows donning the Catalonian flag (which I initially thought were weathered Puerto Rican ones) and signs along the lines of “we won’t be silenced” and “free Catalonia”. Out of intrigue, I did some research while there to try to figure out what was going on. Catalonia is the richest region in Spain, and because of this, they pay high taxes. However, much of that tax money they don’t see coming back to their own region. Rather, it is used for other regions in Spain. Aside from this main issue, Catalonia has an entirely different culture and even their own language, Catalan. Catalan is more similar to Italian and French than Spanish, which definitely threw me off while I was in Barcelona. I am by no means a Spanish speaker, but I think that everyone in the US picks up a few things. Having traveled to Puerto Rico not long ago, I thought I could at least order french fries (papas fritas), but even that wasn’t immediately recognizable (patates fregides). The most interesting part of this whole thing to me was the numbers about who really wants this. 90% of the population that chose to vote in the referendum said that they wanted to secede. There is much more that goes into this whole issue, including violence, some people in jail or in hiding in other countries, and some lost votes. Overall based on what I saw and what the numbers show this is a very real and pressing issue in this area. Because Spain is a country that is in the Western world and there was violence involved, I assume that this is something that I would have heard of. It just enlightened me even further to how little I am in touch with the rest of the world.  

When traveling to Switzerland, I figured that this would be an amazing experience to see a flourishing society. While Switzerland is best known for being neutral, making watches, and having thousands of bank accounts, I think that in general it is regarded as a country that has itself together. I know in the past I’ve heard it referred to as the world’s happiest country, so how could it possibly have issues? However, I happened to be in Zurich and fell into the middle of a women’s rights protest. Surprisingly, it was actually quite alarming. While I haven’t attended a women’s march in the United States, I have never seen images of police barricading streets at one of these. That’s usually shown in photos from much more violent events. However, trying to get off the main street where the parade arrived, it was nearly impossible. Police completely lined the surrounding streets with full barricades, even blocking off bridges. While it didn’t seem like it was meant to aggressively prevent violence and maybe rather to keep them on course, it certainly seemed much more like they were expecting a proper riot to begin. Police barricading streets and a large political protest aren’t something that you’d expect from the world’s happiest country in the slightest. When I looked into it, Switzerland was extremely late to the game in allowing women to vote. They did it in 1971. In the US all women and men were not actually allowed to vote until 1964, which isn’t that far off from this time, but at least the premise of women being allowed was introduced earlier. In 1985, a law passed that enforced that husbands no longer legally own their wives, which looking at it from a 2019 lens is absolutely insane. These dates are concerningly late, but the difference in Switzerland is the speed with which things are changing. Since the 1970s, laws about equal pay, equal opportunity, abortion, maternity leave, and more have been coming into place. So, with it’s issues, perhaps Switzerland is the happiest country in the world because of its ability to adapt and learn quickly.  

My next stop was Edinburgh, Scotland. At this point, I would say that hopefully most Americans at least have heard of Brexit, the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the EU. Especially with it meaning to be enacted in March and being pushed back, it has been in the news more and more as of late. Still, I wouldn’t say the light is shed on it in America like it was around the time of the original referendum. However, here in Europe it is everywhere. Any time I have been in a place with a radio or the news on, no matter what country I’m in, I have heard the word “Brexit” even if I don’t understand anything else being said. When being in Scotland, you could see posters around either supporting or being against it. There was even a group of guys standing at a popular intersection holding a sign saying “Honk to Stop Brexit!”. In my travel plans, I made sure to have my trip occur before the date they were meant to leave the EU, simply because I didn’t know how it would change me travelling from Italy to the UK. Because I have friends that live in the UK and hope to one day study there, Brexit is something that I have been trying to follow as it goes on. Interestingly, I learned more about what the issues are through my Current Terrorist Movements government class I’m taking here. I was assigned an essay about the issues between England and Ireland in the past, which are still strongly rooted in today’s issues. With Northern Ireland being a part of the UK and Ireland not being a part of it, the biggest issue with Brexit at the moment is how trade will continue between these two regions. When that border has been closed in the past, it has led to great violence. Both of these countries being a part of the EU was a great solution because of the free movement of people and goods. While trade with the rest of the world is in question as well, this specific issue is one of the main reasons that the British Parliament has had issues with actually leaving the EU. Each deal that has been proposed either will lead to this chaos or won’t lead to a proper secession from the EU in the long run. Like I said, I have been keeping some track of this issue, but I think that it has quickly fallen out of the American mainstream media since the referendum. Great Britain is a global superpower and has always had strong ties with The United States, so any issues in their economy and global status will massively affect ours and other countries.  

With my time in Europe, it was important for me to visit some part of Eastern Europe. Eastern Europe has a rich and complicated past, and the effects of it are still incredibly impactful on these countries today. I would say that I have never really properly learned about the real issues there other than “the USSR was bad, and we still might not be a fan of Russia.” This trip was very enlightening for me to see a little bit more about at least one place there. I was able to visit Bucharest, Romania, which is formerly communist, supported by although not officially a part of the Soviet Union. On a tour, I learned all about their history, and I found it incredibly interesting. Romania has only been a unified country since the 1860s. Everyone calls America a baby of a country, but this is even more so by a century. They decided to have a monarchy, but their monarchy fell not long after it was put into place. Their last king was forced to renounce his crown by the communist party that came into place. After the communist party was taken down through the execution of the leader and his wife, the people actually wanted the last king to come back and to resume the monarchy. However, the crooked government that is currently in power had exiled the king, therefore not allowing him to come back into power despite the people’s want. Their current government is run by the Social Democratic Party, but the party is not favored by the people. In 2017, they saw intense riots revolving around the corruption in the country. There was a law attempted to be passed that would erase charges and free prisoners that were charged with government corruption. In easy terms, they were trying to pass a corrupt law to free corrupt friends that had just been charged with their crimes. While their issues with corruption are slowly getting better, they have been called one of the most corrupt countries in Europe. My tour guide noted that there is not a single day that there is not a protest outside of their parliament; even if it is just a few people, there is always something.  

So what is the point of all of this? The United States needs to be more in touch with the rest of the world. While, of course, we should focus on our own issues, the unity of Europe is something to be desired. They all know what is going on in their surrounding countries, whereas I couldn’t even tell you what’s happening in most of the whole of America. Even one tour that was in Italy had made a joke about Barcelona and whether or not they will be a part of Spain soon, and I was proud that I was actually able to follow along. Having this knowledge makes you have a greater worldview and perspective on politics. In fact, by knowing more about what other countries are dealing with and laws and measures they have put into plan, we can take a look at our own country and scrutinize and change laws to make it a better country. St. John’s University has four words in its mission: Catholic, Vincentian, Metropolitan, and Global. The first three are things that I had experienced while studying in New York, but I couldn’t be more grateful to have gotten in touch with the global aspect. There is only so much World News with David Muir can cover, so education systems, international news sources, and most importantly individuals need to make a point to learn more about what’s going on in the world. While I still would say I’m highly ignorant to South America, Africa, and Asia, at the very least I have started my knowledge journey here in Europe and intend to continue it.  

Rebeka Humbrecht, Spring 2019 

Social Media Ambassador

Further Readings:  

France

https://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/08/europe/2015-paris-terror-attacks-fast-facts/index.html  

http://theconversation.com/the-long-troubled-history-of-assimilation-in-france-51530  

Italy  

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/835661/Italy-migrant-crisis-EU-Europe-borders-immigration-issue  

Spain

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2017/oct/01/catalan-independence-referendum-spain-catalonia-vote-live  

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2017/09/29/the-referendum-in-catalonia-explained/  

Switzerland

https://www.thelocal.ch/20170308/12-fascinating-facts-about-the-history-of-womens-rights-in-switzerland  

United Kingdom  

(These are more biased, but do a really great job at laying it out.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAgKHSNqxa8  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyVz5vgqBhE    

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaBQfSAVt0s  

Romania  

http://time.com/4660860/romania-protests-corruption-problem/  

I was sitting in a plane on my second solo-trip abroad just starting out on the book that I’d picked out for the trip, and the perfect line jumped out at me: “Her colleagues at school thought it odd that she loved to travel solo, but for Lily, making her own way and answer to no one were her favorite parts of the adventure.” It couldn’t have been more fitting for the trip I was embarking on and the topic I’d decided my next post to be on.

 Especially at a young age in new countries where you might not necessarily know the language, travelling alone seems like a daunting task. However, in the modern age of technology I think that it is easier than ever before to have a safe and fun adventure on your own. Not sure how to order a hot chocolate in the native language? Have Google Translate up on your phone. If you or a loved one is worried about you being alone, there’s a variety of different services that allow you to share your location. For the entirety of my trip abroad, my entire family has had my location 24/7 in case something happens, even when I’m safely in my dorm. Even more, there are apps that can help you when you feel unsafe, ratings on cab drivers and Airbnb hosts that ensure their credibility, and more.

 I am not someone who tends feel comfortable going out to do things alone, such as sitting at a proper restaurant or taking a flight. My first trip alone was a slightly spontaneous one to Switzerland. To avoid paying for somewhere to stay, I took an overnight bus that arrived around 8:30am and then another overnight bus back to Rome leaving at 10:30pm. In the small city of Zürich, there are obviously things I missed out on, but the packed day made me feel like I made the most of my time in the city. I started off with a free tour, went and walked through two museums, and got some food along the way. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel very alone throughout all of it. Walking tours and museum trips aren’t generally places you’d be having a lot of conversation, so I didn’t miss having a friend beside me. Furthermore, I was able to go at my own pace. No one was running into me when I stopped to take pictures or wanting to go slower or faster as I strolled through the museums. Even more so, I didn’t have to compromise where I wanted to go and get food for someone else's sake.

 My second trip was to Edinburgh, Scotland, which was different given that rather than a bus-ride, it was now a flight and a weekend rather than day trip. I went to a different airport out of Rome this time, which was a bit overwhelming due to the different set-up of it, but most airports tend to be alike, and I found my way. Even though it’s not that big of a deal, it still was a practice in problem-solving and figuring things out on my own. Getting into the Airbnb alone was a bit nerve-wracking, because I have always been in Airbnb’s with a friend. It was actually rather nice to have a host that wasn’t around much when I was. Not being able to figure out the key at first was stressful, but once I was in and got to have the full queen-sized bed to myself, it was quite luxurious to have that space after being combined at the hip with my roommate for the last 3 months. Although I met up with a friend while there, I still had time to myself to do a free walking tour and grab some different food along the way before being shown the city.

  I am always someone who has liked alone time, but travelling alone is an entirely different experience. It’s something that I would recommend everyone do. People say that travelling abroad is all about independence and finding yourself, and while I think that can be dramatic to an extent, I see the benefit in experiencing new cultures in your own way. Being able to do this in different countries also has encouraged me to consider doing similar little weekend trips around America. A bus or airplane from NYC can take you millions of places, and now that I have conquered other countries, other places in America don’t seem so scary. The reality of being in another country with friends is that not everyone’s financial situation is the same. Some people have the ability to travel every weekends, and others don’t, but whatever category you fall into you should make sure to make the most of your time abroad. Short trips alone are the perfect way make the most of your time and see as much of this world as possible while growing individually.

When traveling around to other countries and cities, one of the immediate things that I do is start to evaluate the differences that can be seen. What do people wear, what is public transport like, and so on. Due to a personal interest in it, one of the big things I’ve been comparing over the last two months is the different, earth-saving steps that people in Europe seem to take rather than in the United States.

The biggest difference of all is the use of reusable bags. Of course, this is not a foreign concept to Americans, but that doesn’t mean that it is in practice. In fact, most people know have that one big plastic bag filled with upwards of forty smaller ones inside of it hidden in a closet somewhere. Here in Italy, that isn’t the case. While most places don’t charge for plastic bags, they do encourage purchasing a reusable one instead for only about 80c. For the most part, though, everyone here brings their reusable bags and doesn’t take the plastic regardless. With plastic bags filling up landfills and potentially taking up to 1,000 years to decompose, every little step taken makes a big impact.

(Barcelona)

Even if you’re planning on grabbing a few plastic bags, the trash system in different countries across Europe is much more welcoming to the environment than what’s standard in the United States. Here on the St. John’s Rome campus alone there is a significant change to the faulty and confusing half-recycling-half-trash bins with no label to tell you which side is which on the Staten Island campus. Here, you will see a row of five different trash bins: regular trash, plastic, compostable trash, paper, and glass/cans. This is pretty standard around Rome, and I even saw this in Barcelona as well. In the United States, if people are even bothering to recycle at all they are mostly putting everything into one bin and assuming that it’ll be sorted properly. Composting seems like a ‘hippy’ thing that many wouldn’t bother to try. Bringing these expansive recycling and composting systems into the United States could create significant change. One thing I will add, though, is that Paris definitely wasn’t up to par with this same European standards, but it seemed that they were at least making an attempt. We all have some work that we could do to better our own habits and our country’s habits with waste sorting and waste in general.

In Barcelona and some places here in Rome, they have exquisite bike lanes. If you can find bike lanes at all in the United States, they tend to be simply painted on the side of a road, and most of the time you can find cars parked in them or busses having frequent stops in them. In both of these cities, however, they are blocked off by a barrier that doesn’t allow cars to go into them. Sometimes, they even have their own lanes is if it’s a smaller version of the regular road. Having safe and convenient ways to travel by bike encourages people to ride rather than take a car, cab, or other public transit. In New York City, I can think of only a few places where riding your bike is as easy and safe. By promoting the use of biking, both boost public health and the impact that citizens are having on the environment.

(Pais, France)

Whether you’re in Paris, Rome, Barcelona, or Florence, stepping out to cross a street means that you could easily be almost taken down by an electric scooter. There are a lot of debates about whether or not these are truly better for the environment, but in general, if you’re burning less fuel, then you are doing better for your carbon footprint (Read more on this here: https://www.foxnews.com/story/how-green-are-motor-scooters). Electric scooters line the streets in all of the European cities I’ve been so far, and there are fewer cars. If there are cars, they’re much smaller and more energy efficient. There are even car-charging stations around these cities, which can be seen in some places around the U.S. but are much more scarce. Europeans who aren’t riding bikes mostly take the alternative of an electric scooter, which is easier for their small streets and for the ozone layer. All-in-all, everywhere around the world has some steps to be taken. Europe isn’t perfect; in fact, you can sometimes even feel and smell the pollution in Rome’s dirty air thanks to the tiny streets and tight buildings. However, they are taking measures that are only just starting to be introduced and practiced in the United States. By making all of these methods easy and convenient, Europeans grow more used to being environmentally conscious without even thinking about it.

Getting fresh out of an airplane into another country is an overwhelming task no matter where you are. In my case, stepping into Rome I had just gotten off a plane from a short stay in Paris, where I had been starting to get used to the sounds of the romantic language around me. Instead of the new familiarity of ‘bonjour!’, I was met with ‘buongiorno!’. I had to use my broken Italian that should be better after two semesters of the language to ask if people spoke English, and soon enough we were on our way in a taxi to the St. John’s University Rome campus.

When you’re driving through the streets for the first time in a new place, it’s always overwhelming. Even moving to Staten Island, N.Y. from my home outside of Philadelphia, Pa. felt like a different world at first. Immediately, I was comparing what was different to places I’d been before and what was the same. Now that I have been in Rome for a few weeks, it’s surprisingly a lot like living in New York City (sans skyscrapers). The streets are lined with businesses - clothing stores, mom-n-pop shops, a McDonalds here and there - with apartments or offices on the top. It’s always bustling, whether it’s a rainy day or one of the more beautiful days since we’ve gotten here. There’s even a slight smog in the air, very reminiscent of that familiar and somehow comforting New York City dirty air.

Since coming to Europe, I’ve been spending a lot of time comparing life here to life in the United States. Personally, I have always looked at cities in Europe such as Paris and Rome as romantic, old cities. As if they still live in the past. Cell service should be unimaginable, and everyone comes together every night for a traditional family dinner. This idea has been quickly wiped away. Rome is just like any other city in the US, just built around something much older.

When studying abroad with St. John’s University, all of the classes and Cultural Mentorship Programs that we are required to attend are focused on a main theme of migration. Because of this, I have learned more about Europe in the first three classes than I have ever in my life. Most stereotypes that I had were smashed, and it has just furthered that Hollywood’s Europe is nothing like the reality of Europe. While I was in Paris, I had a lecture that explained the current Yellow Jacket Protests revolving around an underrepresented rural community, very similar to the group that ended up voting for Donald Trump.  Here in Italy, they are dealing with an immigration crisis with many people entering from the south illegally. Sound familiar?

I am greatly looking forward to my next few months in a place that is already starting to feel like home. The home-ness of it definitely has to do with the similarities between The Big Apple that has quickly become my home. Even though I’ve only been in Europe for almost a month now, I have a great appreciation for what coming here has already taught me. The world is more global than we think, and places like Italy aren’t as foreign as media has led to believe.

       Studying abroad is about many things but so often it becomes a race to the finish, a contest about how many countries, cities and world landmarks you can fit into our small duration of time while studying in a foreign country. Most of the time when encountering another study abroad student the conversation goes as follows:

“What school do you study with?” “What are you studying?” “Where have you gone so far?” “Did you like _______ (insert country not yet visited)?”

        Not only are we getting accustomed to our new home in a different country, but also who knows when we will get the opportunity to return to Europe, so the program encourages weekend excursions to other countries in and around Europe. Often traveling between countries in Europe can be comparable to traveling between states in the United States. Not only is the price range similar (or less for that matter), but so is travel time. It takes longer to get to Florida from New York than it does to get to Athens, Greece from Rome, Italy.  So many major world landmarks are accessible once settled in Europe and it’s less intimidating because now they are only an hour and a half or so away, as compared to the nine hours these popular bucket list items would be from New York.

           Initially, the first trip is always intimidating. While studying in Italy my first weekend abroad, I chose to stay in country and visit Venice for Carnivale. This is a wonderful masked festival that takes place at different times throughout the first couple months of the year in Italy. The planning of these trips is a bit frightening: everything is up to you! All of a sudden you have to find 1. Timeframe, how long do you (personally) need in that area? Is a day trip enough? Will you need the whole week of spring break to see all that you’d like? 2.  Transportation: How will you get there? Trains, flights, bus, a way to and from not only to the city itself but from an airport, train station, bus station, or wherever you are getting dropped off 3. You have to find your own accommodations (Airbnb, VRGO, hotel, hostel, etc) 4. Touring! This also consists of seeing everything regarded as important throughout the area in such a short time span. 5. Food. Sometimes accommodations have kitchens and for longer trips, this may be more feasible and save money for more important things like the 45 euros it takes to see the Last Supper painting by Leonardo Di Vinci in Milan, Italy, or the Mona Lisa in the Louvre, France.

           Sometimes it becomes hard to make the decision of where to go or if we’d just like to see the place we are taking up residency. Because St. John’s has students located in so many major cities around the globe (Paris, Limerick, Rome, and many other exchange programs) I can speak confidently for us as a whole when I say that we all have so much to see in so little time. It’s more common to see that students have mapped out every weekend until we leave to catch early deals on expensive flights or make it to certain events in different countries (St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin, Easter in Rome, Carnivale in Venice, etc). Sometimes there are so many things to see, it becomes hard to just slow down and enjoy what is right in front of you. I live a ten minute walk from the famous Vatican City and have only been there twice since arriving four months ago. However, I will never regret the numerous adventures I’ve found thanks to St. John’s University’s Global Studies Programs.