I’ve been home now for a week. I have the highlights of my year and month long backpacking trip planned and polished for when I’m asked, I’ve seen both sides of my extended family, and …
Caroline Stevens
Study, travel, repeat
Spring is descending upon Madrid and lifting me out of an academic-induced stupor. The sun sets around nine, taking its time in its daily arc, and the reality of my impending final exams and essays …
When you host everyone under the sun
Life in Madrid has continued as normal, with the exception of the amount of visitors I’ve hosted for the past five weekends. This might give a clue to why I haven’t posted for a while: …
On the meaning of home
I’ve been having a lot of conversations recently about place and identity, and the fact that I’ve been away from home for so long just hit me when I visited an old friend studying in …
Here, there, and everywhere
Winter break is behind me and I’ve returned to Madrid, exhausted, resistant to starting classes again, but content. It’s strange to see so many of my friends prepare to go abroad, watching them through the …
A Semester’s Travels
Finals are behind me and I’m on the cusp of winter break, where I’ll be spending a week in London and Ireland and then traveling for a week through Portugal, and I figured I should …
That’s Not How We Do Things Here
There’s a lot of beautiful things about Spain and Spanish culture: the expectation that after a meal, you’ll take your time to drink wine slowly and talk with your dining companions, the love and dedication …
What’s There to Lose?
There’s a lot that goes through your mind when you’re thrown into a social situation with people you don’t know who are all speaking a language you’re not fluent in. Number one: How did I …
Riding the Culture Shock Wave
As I rode the metro home tonight from teaching English to two 8 year old boys, I was struck with a feeling of finally grasping what my life here is like and how I can …
Pisos, Clases, y Cultura
After a surprisingly low number of apartment viewings, I found a place that I can picture myself in for the year. The apartment (piso) is an older building above a huge roundabout in the Cuatro …