Remember, you belong everywhere.

Would you believe...

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:12:05 -0600

this blog is going to updated again, starting next week! My backpacking backpack is already out!

Hi! I'm studying abroad in Greece this summer (in a week actually!) and I'll be there for 3 weeks. I was wondering...how much was food there and to get into clubs, bars, etc? I don't want to ruin my trip because I didn't bring enough money :( I get breakfast but I'm on my own for lunch and dinner so I have to make sure to budget appropriately!

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:10:51 -0600

Hi! A gyro on the street is reallly cheap… like $4-5 (3 euros). Dinner at a sit down restaurant can be about $10 an entree at a pretty standard restaurant. I almost never paid to get into a club. I wouldn’t recommend paying to get into a club. Most clubs are free and some will even offer you free shots if you go in. Fancier bouzoukias (a club with traditional greek music) can be really expensive because the performers are considered celebrities in Greece, but and I think the older, more traditional bouzoukias are worth a lot more for the experience!

rebeccaathome: Acropolis I was looking through pictures today...

Sun, 07 Oct 2012 11:49:20 -0600

rebeccaathome:

Acropolis

I was looking through pictures today and I found a hidden nice one! I love that feeling!

Alright.

Sat, 08 Sep 2012 15:54:31 -0600

American school sucks. Take me back to Greece.

Hello!(: My name is Yvette and I thankfully found your blog when I searched for study abroad Greece blogs. I'm planning on studying in Thessaloniki in Spring 2013. The anticipation is dreadful. How was it dealing with the language barrier? Did your overall experience feel safe in Greece? I don't want to bombard you with so many questions, I'm just super excited!

Sat, 18 Aug 2012 15:42:13 -0600

Hi! Sorry I missed this question for a while! Thessaloniki is so amazing, you will love living there (here are my posts about it)!

The language barrier is tricky with older people, but most young people speak English. I used Rosetta Stone before I went abroad, but if you don’t want to do that just load up on the basics (hello, thank you, I would like, how much is this, etc). And numbers! That’s enough to get you through most things!

I felt VERY safe in Greece. Of course, don’t totally let your guard down or anything. Here is a post I wrote about how to avoid general rip offs. I never felt unsafe at night or anything but it is always good to have a buddy no matter where you are on earth.

Here is another post I wrote about how to apply for a visa. The process was a little difficult, just start early and really, really follow every instruction as carefully as you can!

Good luck, I can’t wait to hear about it on your blog! :)

Well, friends,

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 17:26:00 -0600

I am sadly running out of things to say. I have been home for a week and it is so strange, like all of studying abroad was a dream. I can’t believe seven days ago I was there. Being home always feels so natural it’s like I never even left.

I have been pleasantly surprised. I didn’t think anyone would care about what happened to me after I returned, but all of my friends have been very nice and supportive and asked me “how was Greece?” (that is always, always how the question is phrased). I could say “good” or “awesome” or “fine,” but that’s taking the easy way out. I tell them. I am disorganized and I have too many stories and I’m never telling the right ones or the good ones, I am sure of it, but uneven coverage is better than none. When people ask you how it was, tell them. Really, really tell them. Because if you don’t, they will think nothing happened to you, that nothing has changed, when really, everything has changed for you.

So if you ask me to coffee and I show up with my scrapbook, I apologize. It’s going to be a long lunch date for you. But studying abroad taught me more in 4 months than I’ve learned in 3 years of college. And I do have beautiful, happy things to say about it.

If you ever get the chance, go. Any opportunity to reconstruct your life in a new setting will teach you a lot. Amazing things happen when you have to pick up and move. Things get left behind and only the really important stuff sticks with you.

I will probably update this blog again next time I hit the road, and I will put up a link to my personal blog in a little while if you are interested!

Visiting the lock bridge in Paris. This bridge is full of locks...

Wed, 04 Jul 2012 17:28:08 -0600

Visiting the lock bridge in Paris. This bridge is full of locks of lovers who write their initials and throw the key into the Seine! But I also saw a lot of “bffs forever” locks, so whoever you are traveling with you can make a stop here!

How jetlag works...

Wed, 04 Jul 2012 16:32:11 -0600

The last 24 hours of my life:

2 AM-7 AM- Sleep

7 AM-11 AM- Awake

11 AM- 2 PM- Sleep

2 PM-9 PM- Awake

9 PM-5 AM- Sleep

5 AM- Present- Awake (barely)

…seriously? I have been home for a week! When does this end?

Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Italy

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 17:27:44 -0600

Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Italy

In Paris. I was really reluctant to come back after visiting!

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 17:24:00 -0600

In Paris. I was really reluctant to come back after visiting!

The Rialto Market in Venice.

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 17:31:02 -0600

The Rialto Market in Venice.

A charming little wine bar in Corniglia, Cinque Terre, Italy....

Sat, 30 Jun 2012 17:23:34 -0600

A charming little wine bar in Corniglia, Cinque Terre, Italy. The walls were decorated with construction paper hearts!

My first travel article has been published!

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 17:23:48 -0600

My first travel article has been published!:

It’s about how to be more European in the USA. Check it out if you’d like! :)

Clowning around in the Vatican. Is that allowed?

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 17:25:31 -0600

Clowning around in the Vatican. Is that allowed?

Everyone should try backpacking at least once.

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 17:29:07 -0600

Because it is only when you are carrying your whole life on your back that you think, “Wow, I demand a lot of stuff to survive a single day!”

And the first time I have ever thought to myself, “I have too much stuff,” instead of, “I need more stuff!”

There’s something magical about trucks in Rome… A...

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 17:29:34 -0600

There’s something magical about trucks in Rome…

A flower truck and a straw hat truck!

Manarola, Cinque Terre, Italy

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 17:26:08 -0600

Manarola, Cinque Terre, Italy

A change of scenery! Backpacking through Cinque Terre, Italy.

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 17:26:34 -0600

A change of scenery!

Backpacking through Cinque Terre, Italy.

Hi there! I'm Kena, nice to meet you. :) I'm studying abroad in Greece in the fall (Athens!), and your video made me super excited for my own trip! Do you have any advice? How was it going without knowing any Greek? I'm in the same boat haha; so far, all I can do is recite the alphabet.

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 14:41:58 -0600

Yay! Nice to meet you! Wow how exciting! I am sure you will love Athens. It is the best. Gah I have like 80 billion hang out place suggestions for you already but maybe as the time draws closer I will send them to you haha.

I didn’t know any Greek but by the end I felt pretty confident with it and I think I was proficient enough to get around. If you can take a Greek class there, do it, and if you find a nice English speaker at the grocery store or another place around town ask them for any words you need (I always asked the kiosk guy down the street, he taught me more Greek than anyone else!). I would say just don’t be afraid to dive in, speak with a terrible accent, and try as hard as you can. Greek people will love that!

Reunited with a certain boyfriend of mine in Rome… It has...

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 14:31:49 -0600

Reunited with a certain boyfriend of mine in Rome… It has been so fun to travel together! I have heard that when you travel with someone you learn if you really like them or not, so I guess I have learned that I really like him!