Milvian Goes Abroad

Here it is, the last video highlighting my final month abroad....

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:20:58 +0200

Here it is, the last video highlighting my final month abroad. It’s been an amazing semester with some of the greatest people one could ever meet.

Thank you for keeping up with my study abroad experience! I’ve had a blast telling my story and there will be more coming soon in the near future.

If you haven’t seen any of my videos from the past three months, click here: Month 1, Month 2, and Month 3.

Last night in Barcelona

Tue, 07 May 2013 01:45:06 +0200

In a few hours I’ll be on my way to the airport with 3 luggages en route to the United States. Four months ago, I was making the same exact trip to Newark airport not knowing what Barcelona would have in store for me. As soon as I arrived at my gate, I met a handful of students from my program that were about to embark on the same journey as I was. Fast forward to today, and those same kids have become some of my really good friends here in Barcelona.

I’ve been lucky enough to meet some amazing people from all over the world and hear the most interesting stories through my travels. The many things I have experienced abroad are priceless and will be with me forever.

Things to look forward to

Using my real phone number back home in the USA!
Reuniting with my friends and family
Month 4 video sometime this week!

Thank you all for coming along with me on this journey through this blog. I hope you all enjoyed what I’ve had to share! :) I’ll be keeping this blog for my future travels, whether it is domestic or international, so stay tuned!

Last night.. Sunset at Camp Nou. ❤ I’ve grown to love this...

Mon, 06 May 2013 22:19:00 +0200

Last night.. Sunset at Camp Nou. ❤ I’ve grown to love this team a lot!! Barça - 4 Betis - 2. (at Camp Nou)

View of my favorite city in the world. ❤🇪🇸 (at Parc Güell)

Mon, 06 May 2013 01:25:36 +0200

View of my favorite city in the world. ❤🇪🇸 (at Parc Güell)

Paella Valenciana, Agua De Valencia, Valencia filter, Valencia...

Thu, 02 May 2013 00:23:57 +0200

Paella Valenciana, Agua De Valencia, Valencia filter, Valencia everything! Hola 😁🇪🇸 (at Plaça de la Reina)

Playa de Palma, Palma De Mallorca (at PLAYA DE PALMA S.L.)

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:52:37 +0200

Playa de Palma, Palma De Mallorca (at PLAYA DE PALMA S.L.)

End of the semester!

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 22:16:43 +0200

Today is definitely a bittersweet day for me as the semester comes to an end. My final exams weren’t too bad. They consisted of a ten page paper, multiple presentations, and an open-ended test.

Although now I can celebrate by not having to worry about going back to a single classroom until September, a part of me is a bit sad. With the semester being over, it means that all of the new friends that I’ve made and bonded with in these past four months will split ways tomorrow. Whether they are returning back to the United States or home country, or traveling around Europe a bit more, tomorrow is going to be very bittersweet.

In these past months, I’ve met some amazing people and learned so much about myself and life in general. Being able to learn about the world first-hand and experience a total different culture is truly a blessing. The Catalan culture and way of life will forever be with me.

Although I’m a bit sad that most of my friends are returning home tomorrow, I’m ecstatic that my mom is on her way to visit me! We’ll be reunited tomorrow morning and will begin our journey visiting more cities in Spain. :)

Friends, I’ll be back home sooner than you think! Tonight I am getting together with all of my favorite people for one last time before we all depart. <3

Feliç diada de Sant Jordi a tots!!! 🌹📚🌾❤💛 (at Plaça de...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 18:41:46 +0200

Feliç diada de Sant Jordi a tots!!! 🌹📚🌾❤💛 (at Plaça de Catalunya)

Went to the other side of the island, hiked a cliff or two, and...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 23:33:56 +0200

Went to the other side of the island, hiked a cliff or two, and ran into this. 👍 Ibiza is beautiful. (at Cala Salada)

Bon dia from Ibiza!!!! 🌞🎊 (at Platja de Figueretes)

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:25:09 +0200

Bon dia from Ibiza!!!! 🌞🎊 (at Platja de Figueretes)

Biking and piña coladas in between classes! It’s finally...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 22:58:58 +0200

Biking and piña coladas in between classes! It’s finally summer time in Barcelona!! (at Mar Mediterraneo)

Lagos, Portugal

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 20:52:08 +0200

What an amazing weekend in Lagos! A few of my close friends here booked this trip through Discover Excursions months in advance so we couldn’t wait for it to finally come! We flew into Sevilla where we met the directors from Discover and we took 2 coach buses to Lagos! The bus ride was so fun and the trip was filled with tons of fellow Americans abroad. In fact, I bumped into a fellow Rider student on the trip! What a small world!

After settling in our apartment styled hotel rooms, we all walked down to the beach, Praia Dona Ana, where we spent the afternoon soaking up the sun and playing football. I’ve never seen a beach like this before!

After that, we then had dinner at Nah Nah Bah, one of the top 50 best burger joints in the world!! I got the Toucan Burger and it was so good!

On Saturday, we went on a Sangria sailboat cruise and went on to an even smaller boat to sail through the grottos (as seen on my previous post), which are these amazing cliffs in the water. I felt like I’ve only seen things like this only on the internet! It was beautiful to see it with my own eyes!

We then went all the way to Cape St. Vincent to watch the “end of the world” sunset. It’s called that because it is the most southwestern part of Europe, where the Romans considered it a magical place where the sunset was much larger than anywhere else. They believed the sun sank here hissing into the ocean, marking the edge of their world.

Later on that night, my friends and I went out to eat with a few of the directors at a local Portuguese restaurant. I had “Asinha” steak which includes ham, mushroom sauce, and a fried egg over steak with a side of fries and rice. It was my absolute favorite!

After dinner, we all headed out to one of the bars where we met up with the rest of the people in the program. We were able to hang out at the beach and check out the city center all day long the next day before packing up and heading back to Sevilla.

This trip to Lagos has been my most favorite weekend trip all semester. I was with my closest friends, made some awesome new friends, ate good food and saw everything that the city has to offer. Lagos has exceeded my expectations and I really hope I can return in the future!!

Sailboat cruised through the Grottos!! Portugal is amazing! (at...

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 16:30:37 +0200

Sailboat cruised through the Grottos!! Portugal is amazing! (at Meia Praia)

I can’t say it enough but time is flying by!!! My 3rd...

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 01:35:15 +0200

I can’t say it enough but time is flying by!!! My 3rd month abroad is in the books and I’ve captured it all on video!

March was by far my most favorite month here! Here you’ll see footage from most of the places and pictures you’ve seen on my blog. I’ve had so much fun putting it all together!

If you haven’t seen my videos for the first two months, click here: Month 1 or Month 2

And at the end of the day, this is what traveling is all about....

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:42:44 +0200

And at the end of the day, this is what traveling is all about. Seeing new sights, indulging in the culture, making new friends and creating memories that will last a lifetime. 🌍 All smiles! Conducting the jam sesh after climbing the dunes with new amigos. 🎶

This time for Africa 👍 50km away from the Algerian border 🌞

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 23:47:47 +0200

This time for Africa 👍 50km away from the Algerian border 🌞

One month left

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 02:17:00 +0200

Time is seriously flying by! It seems like it was just yesterday when I was about to embark on this journey. We are all realizing that time is running out and there are so many things that we want to accomplish before we head back out to the United States.

My housemate and I have made a “BCN Bucketlist” with a list of many things we have yet accomplished and want to achieve before time runs out, including trying out a bunch of food spots, renting out bikes for the day, watching the sunset at Parc Güell, and so much more. There is still so much to see in this beautiful city.I love everything about Barcelona and I’m glad I’ve gotten the opportunity to live in the best city in the world.

I’ve met the most amazing people and made some great friends here that I know will be my friends for life. We’re all experiencing the same things together - being in a different country, indulging in a new culture, and most importantly, having some sort of anxiety of returning back to the states. We all are trying our best not to count down the days until we fly home, yet at the same time we’re all excited to reunite with our loved ones.

With that being said, I’m going to try my best not to think about how the time is running out and instead take advantage of everything that Barcelona has to offer!!

Things to look forward to:

Huge Barça match this week, can’t wait to watch!
Weekend trip to Lagos, Portugal
Month 3 Recap video sometime this week!

Took a tour of Codorníu, the world’s largest producer of...

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 20:04:19 +0200

Took a tour of Codorníu, the world’s largest producer of Cava! Founded in Catalonia in 1551 & produces 60 million bottles annually. 🍷

Easily my favorite picture that I took from the Sahara Desert...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 00:13:03 +0200

Easily my favorite picture that I took from the Sahara Desert last week.

Such a fun, life-changing experience camping out there!

Last day of Spring break. Amazing weather here in the greatest...

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:02:10 +0200

Last day of Spring break. Amazing weather here in the greatest city in the world. 🏄🌞 (at Plaça Del Mar)