Adiós, inseguridades

So there we were, high in the beautifully scenic mountains of Spain, huddled in a pack, trying to nominate the unlucky member of our group who would walk up to the nearest Spanish local and ask him to take a picture of us. Out of our group of seven girls, one brave...

Pre-Departure

Hi my name is Marissa, and I chose to study abroad because I discovered this great opportunity through a close friend. It seemed a bit risky at first because of the expense of Study Abroad programs, but PACT helped cover a large portion of costs, and then I was lucky...

Pax Europaea, in time

There is a popular saying among parents: “If your friend jumps off a bridge, would you jump, too?” My parents found out very early on that I was always the friend that jumped first. In the small, blue-collar community outside of New Orleans where I grew up in, there...

Impressions of Berlin

My first few steps in Berlin were shaky due to the exhaustion that accompanies trans-atlantic flight. After a good night’s sleep, our group went to experience a service at the Berliner Dom. Almost completely destroyed by the Allies in WWII, this church has been...

Coming home from Peru!

Now that I am back home, I realized I was taking so much for granted. This trip was amazing and stressful all in the same time. Our original trip was to Nicaragua and we changed the location last minute due to violent protests in Nicaragua. Due to the recent change,...

Not Ready to Leave Madrid

It is the last week of June, which sadly means my time in Madrid is coming to an end. As the date of my return flight gets closer and closer the more I realize I don’t want to get on the plane. Madrid has finally begun to feel like home away from home and I have...

Big Al in Person

Saying goodbye to the people of Zambia was very sad. The last day of clinic we had to turn away the most people we had all week. It was the hardest thing for us all to say we could not help everyone but as we left we dropped off our extra medicine at a pharmacy for...

Ciao Italy!

So, I have been back in sweet home Alabama for a few weeks now, and honestly it does not feel so sweet.  Living in Italy for a month was such an amazing experience; it was really eye opening to see how other people live their lives.  I lived in the heart of Florence...

Back Home At Last

After a beautiful month in Italy, I am finally back home in the grand ole USA! And it is good to be back to the comforts of home: air conditioning, having my car, and cheap fast food. I didn’t expect to experience any sort of reverse culture shock since I’ve been to...

Sweet Home Alabama

It was a long journey home, but I have safely returned to Alabama! After landing and going through dreadful customs at the airport, I was so excited to be able to run into the arms of my mom and dad. I even enjoyed a nice Chick-Fil-A meal on the way home :). While I...

Embrace It

During a free day in our program, a friend and I decided to take a day trip to a site our teacher had recommended– crystal clear natural, spring-fed pools nestled in the Spanish mountains. The destination sounded spectacular and the trip there was free with our...