Colin Alfaro

The semester honestly felt like a dream. Part of me feels like I never left home, and the other part says that the semester could not end soon enough. I really struggled the entire first five days, but it was consistently better for me after that. I never felt low again to the extreme I did on days three and four, only a bit of homesickness.

This past weekend (with an extra two days off for Thanksgiving), I visited London and Dublin which I had never experienced before. I stayed for three nights in London and one night in Dublin. The main reason I wanted to hit London was for the Warner Bros. Studio Tour for Harry Potter, as I have been a massive fan for as long as I could walk. If you go: get Butterbeer! Lots and lots of Butterbeer. It’s nonalcoholic and a huge crowd pleaser.

These past two weekends I visited Malta and Madrid. Malta was the first time I traveled with as large a group as I did. I knew that I wanted to go somewhere on the water while I was studying abroad, which can be tough when you choose to study abroad in the fall. I went swimming on a little beach for a bit. It was definitely chilly but not at all unbearable. This trip was also the first time I stayed in a hostel. I would definitely recommend doing your research before just picking a random hostel to save money first.

Back to CIMBA after a successful travel break! I met with my mother to visit Venice, Siena, Florence, and Cinque Terre. I then did a little solo adventure to Bologna! While I was in Venice I went to see Doge’s Palace, the Basilica, a gondola ride, Murano, and Burano. My favorites were my tour of Doge’s Palace and the gelato I had while in Burano. My mother kept describing Venice as “magical”, which I think is a great way to put it. This was my second time in Venice, and it continues to be my favorite destination in Italy.

We now have two days left of class before being on travel break! It has been super fun hearing about all of the fun places everybody will be going this weekend. I will be traveling with my mom for the first week of fall break and am in the process of planning my final weekend in Bologna.

I had the opportunity to go to Warsaw and Milan this past weekend for our first extended break. The two cities were completely different, and I would do the weekend all over again if I could! I remember when discussing traveling plans with everybody for the long weekend, my friend and I decided to go to Warsaw, and we were met with blank stares. From that, I inferred that not many people at CIMBA (or at home) have been to Poland before and that excited me even more. I have zero regrets about choosing Warsaw.

Ciao from flight number LX55! Today was finally the day for my trip to Italy. September 15th feels like a late start date compared to what I am used to at my home university, but it makes me more eager to explore, as I am craving academic and social connection I am used to during the early fall months. I am excited for the three months ahead and all that I will learn.