ciao for now

I am now five days post-travel home and have had plenty of time to reflect on my experience in Italy studying the Reggio approach to learning and teaching. I have also thought a lot about the difference between the United States and Italy. I was surprised by how much...

I love Italy.

I can’t believe we only have 8 days left on this trip. It honestly still feels like the first week in way not entirely though because I’m almost a local lol. I’ve made friends with the men at the convenience store, I know where to find all my favorite American foods,...

Home from Europe

So leaving Europe was by far the worst part of my trip. By the time my month there was over I had already become accustomed to the world around me. It almost felt like I was leaving home again and I was being torn away from my own personal wonderland. Having to pack...

Preparation

I have been in love with the Spanish language since high school. I wasn’t too bad at speaking it either. However, my high school did not have a very good A.P. Spanish program. I knew that if I wanted to be fluent in the language, I would have to fully immerse ...

Host Sister, Soul Sister

This experience has been an incredible exploration of myself, cross-cultural communication, history, and global connection. I did not come into the trip with many expectations about what was to come, but I can honestly say that the last thing I figured I would...

Home Sweet Serbia

  After 24 hours of traveling and a week of recovery from intense jet lag, I’m back home from my two week adventure to Serbia. As I spend time with curious friends and family, I find myself struggling to explain what the past two weeks have meant to me....

Back in the States!

Today has been a long day of travel. We left Hotel San Marco at 3:30 am to depart for the Bologna airport. Our flight schedule today was Bologna to Rome to Chicago to Birmingham. We will have been traveling well over 24 hours by the time we arrive back in Bama! (We...

4 days & 1,570 people

I am halfway through my medical trip in Zambia and all I can say is WOW! This beautiful country is full of beautiful and smiling people. We arrived and met some of the translators we would be working with at the clinics and those were the first Zambian people we met...

Post Study Abroad

After the entire day of traveling which included the change in time zones and going through customs, I made it home after 17 hours. It was a pleasure to have this opportunity to study abroad in Europe, it being my first time visiting all of the countries that I...

Life in Mumbwa, Zambia

We have just arrived to our first school and my first impression of this place is overwhelming. My heart is broken to see the conditions that most people live in, but my attitude quickly changed from sadness to awe. These people may not have much but their smile is...

Changing Lives in Zambia

We made it! We have arrived in Mumbwa, Zambia and today was our first day setting up a mobile clinic. My heart broke today as people lined the streets waiting for us to arrive to receive medical attention. We got to the local school, unloaded our supplies, and...