Category Archives: Courtney C.

“Tell Your Day What to Do, Don’t Wonder Where it Went”

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There are many benefits to studying abroad your final semester of college. Think about it, I don’t have to register for classes, I’m certain my credits are done for my major, I applied to graduate before I left, I didn’t have to find a job over winter break, I come home and I am done […]

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Urban Planning of Valladolid

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I’d like to give you a more intimate taste of Valladolid and describe to you some of the efficient urban planning features I’ve noticed over the past months. Much of the architecture, street layout, and city flow is different from what we see in the U.S., all to accompany the unique customs and history of […]

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Spanish Festivals: Las Fallas

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Have you ever eaten a Valencia Orange? Not only is it a type of orange sold in the U.S. … it’s an actual place! This past weekend my train tickets took me to Valencia, Spain, a Mediterranean coastal city known for a few things: oranges, horchata, paella and Las Fallas. Las Fallas is an annual […]

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Adventure awaited in Gran Canaria

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Five of us got together at a coffee shop to book tickets to Gran Canaria, the second largest island of the Canary Islands owned by Spain, for Carnaval (Spanish version of Halloween to start Lent). We had all ambition to go for the crazy festivities that would make up Carnaval, but ended up ditching every […]

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Regroup in Porto

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After about a month of no extreme travels, my friends, Jessica and Natalie, and I embarked on our first big trip ‘alone’ to Porto, Portugal. After an impulsive craving to go from Jessica back in January, we booked flights to Porto not really knowing what we were in for. Turns out, we picked a supreme […]

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Searching in Salamanca

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After a few weeks off from traveling, our group loaded up on a bus and headed south to Salamanca for the day. It was more relaxed than Segovia and we had better weather which was much appreciated (still no sun though)! For the morning we did a walking tour with our professors: seeing the convent, […]

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Down Time & Close Visits

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We had a few ‘off’ weeks where we weren’t traveling or scheduled through the university. It gave us a few moments to breathe which was nice. Although we wished the weather would’ve cooperated more (while you had snow, we had cold rains), it gave us the opportunity to explore things closer in and around Valladolid. […]

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Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

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Being in a new place obviously means a slur of change, as singer David Bowie sings about in the well-known song “Changes” as referenced to in the title (you should probably listen to it while you read this, it’s more entertaining). Customs and culture are going to be different, and the lifestyle will take some […]

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First Excursion – Segovia

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Yesterday many of the extranjeros (foreign exchange students) took a short bus trip south of the city to Segovia; known mostly for it’s vast Roman aqueduct that welcomes you in to the city. Block by block the Roman empire constructed this aqueduct as a means to bring water to the city 15K from the top […]

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Segundo Semana! – Intercambio & Flan

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Hola de España! Week two is in the bag, and Spanish is becoming easier and easier each day (even my mamá noticed!). I’m really enjoying it here, and have gotten quite comfortable with the city of Valladolid. I’ve started to make friends, classes are in full motion, and the city is more familiar to navigate. […]

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