Kathryn Cacchioli is a student at Rowan University and an ISA Featured Blogger. She is currently studying abroad with ISA in Sevilla, Spain.
Hardest Part
The hardest part about studying abroad is missing your pets–they can’t use WhatsApp to send you a “miss you/how’s life going” text and when it comes to FaceTime they become irrationally useless creatures that seem to get “stage fright” when the camera is on them. But lucky for future study abroad-ers I have made it my mission to solve this problem.
- Enlist your parents (or temporary guardians) in Pet-ography 101.
Topics include: Angling of the Smart Phone, Capturing the Perfect Pose, and Filters: the YASSS, the NOPE, and the DID YOU JUST…
Photos of Lily and Lexi via Pet-ography 101 Student, Mom
2) Practice your pet’s FaceTime skills before your departure. Think of Tarzan: “You dog/cat/fish/chinchilla, This Camera.” If your pet responds well to a reward system tape a treat on top of your phone–anything to get the job done.
3) Take plenty of videos and pictures to keep on your phone for when the feels, or lack of feels of your pet, get too strong.
Best Part
Honestly it’s so difficult to choose the best part of studying abroad. From meeting super cool people, to embracing new, delicious food, to SPEAKING a different language. But I have to say the best part about studying abroad is exploring. Explore your city! Go on the excursions with your program! Travel through Europe if your budget allows!
1) Sevilla has a ton of awesome places to explore! From the Cathedral to Alcazar to Plaza de España to Las Setas, to Bolas, the best heladeria ever, to eating 100 Montaditos! If you are the first to suggest 100 Montaditos you will be the hero of your program.
2) Go on the excursions that ISA has planned for you! They’re so much fun–you get to reunite with your program and hang out with everybody again! The hotels have amazing showers and the best complimentary breakfasts–you’ll understand why these are important when you arrive.
3) Travel Europe–try to map out your “I-must-go-or-I’ll-literally-die” places. Everybody has them from Paris, to Greece, to Prague. It will be super helpful in planning trips you want to go on and it will help with finding others who will also spontaneously combust if they don’t go to those places before boarding their flight back home. Europe is awesome–take advantage of the European Union, which makes traveling its 28 Member Countries super easy.
Some of My Favorite Places!
Tired of Netflix marathons and ready to get out and explore the world? Yeah, we know. Here you go.