Week 4 This week was about Vigo. At the beginning of the week Ben and I were feeling a bit homesick. We walk pretty much everywhere and have found ourselves missing the luxury of driving. We also miss being able to roll out of bed 15 minutes before class. Here we have to get up an hour and a half before class starts to ride the bus 45 minutes to school. When the windows get foggy, the air is unbearably thick, and you can't move because students are packed in like sardines, it really makes me miss the fresh air I'm used to getting on my morning walks to class at home. And, to top it off, we ran out of Kraft Mac and Cheese- one of the few American snacks we packed. To cope, I took the opportunity to embrace my temporary home. Shayma had a friend visiting from Turkey, Edge, who was eager to get out and explore Vigo. Being that I hadn't done too much of it myself we went together! Just 20 minutes from our apartment is Quiñones de León art museum at the top of a beautiful botanical garden. We watched the sunset in the garden and explored the art inside the museum. For Valentine's Day Ben and I explored Praia Samil- one of Vigo's many beaches. We packed a picnic and watched the sun set over the water. Absolutely beautiful! Finally, I learned about an "Au Pair" year. Apparently it is super common to do as an Erasmus student. After hearing that many exchange students had already spent a year abroad in the US working as a nanny I was super curious! The process to apply is very tedious and incredibly stressful- nothing compared to the application process to study abroad. At least not in my experience. After hearing application stories of students who'd completed an Au Pair year when they were 19 years old I was awestruck. For me to come abroad it took some work, don't get me wrong. There was a lot of research and plenty of paperwork, but it was essentially guaranteed that I would be going somewhere. Students who completed an Au Pair year spent months completing application materials and had no such guarantee that they'd be accepted into the United States as an Au Pair student. I feel so lucky to be able to travel wherever I please simply because of where I was born. A few times I've found myself in a bit of an awkward situation. As we've been trying to plan weekend trips with Erasmus students from other countries we've had to consider whether or not they would be able to enter the country with their Passport. More than once we've been mid conversation, getting excited about planning flights, and somebody has spoken up to say that they wouldn't be able to join us because they'd have to apply for a visa to go. I'm constantly reminded of how blessed I am to be American.
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AuthorCoffee addict. Chocolate obsessed. I'm ready to explore. Archives
March 2019
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