CAPA WORLD

Danya Carithers is an official CAPA blogger for spring 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A marketing major at the University of Pittsburgh, she is studying abroad in Florence this semester.

In this week's post, Danya shows us around Barcelona in a short visit.

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While studying abroad leads to many opportunities to travel and explore other parts of Europe, there is only limited time to do so. My most recent trip was to Barcelona, Spain.

Overall, Barcelona was full of surprises. I didn’t expect the city to be that big, I didn’t expect the food to be so amazing, and I definitely didn’t expect to be standing in the pouring rain for 30 minutes trying to get a taxi. I learned a lot about the big city in only a small amount of allotted time. With the suggestions of my friend, Megan, who studied there last semester, I was able to hit all the touristy areas and get insider advice on the best cafes, restaurants, and clubs all under 48 hours. It was helpful that I’m a obnoxiously fast-paced walker, but it most, most helpful that I planned my trip out in advance.

Thursday

9am: My hostel, called Casa Barcelo, was located near the Gràcia neighborhood where a lot of the new and trendy restaurants are located, making it quick and easy to find a nice café. After walking down a few blocks, I ran into a cute, beach-themed café called Brunch & Cake. I recognized the name from the list Megan sent me and was instantly sold when I found out they served smoothies.

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Sarah Kaplan is an official CAPA vlogger for spring 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A screen studies major with a concentration in film/media production at Clark University, she is studying abroad in Dublin this semester.

In this week's video, Sarah takes us to a Tesco inside of a shopping center for a local grocery shopping experience. 

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Thanks Sarah!

Sarah's journey continues every Wednesday so stay tuned!

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Danielle Thai is an official CAPA blogger for spring 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A resource economics major at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, she is studying abroad in Shanghai this semester.

In this week's post, Danielle takes us along on the CAPA Shanghai excursion to explore Beijing. 

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Twenty-six point two miles – the distance of a marathon. Did I actually complete a marathon? No. Three days walking and exploring Beijing will equal walking a marathon. I am not making it up; my Fitbit tracks the distance I walk per day. I applaud those who complete a marathon within a day because my legs are sore and I had two nights to rest between the days.

The city of Beijing is more spread out than Shanghai in terms of the distance apart that the attractions are located. Although places are spread out, the more popular sights are swarmed with people. Public transportation is comparable to rush hour, but at all hours that the metro and buses run. It is always packed. To make it onto a vehicle, it is either push or be pushed. Once on, it is like packed sardines with no room to move. My body parts would be pressed against at least five different strangers and I would have to slightly tilt my head to get some “fresh” air. In China, I have come to appreciate the times where I am at least an inch from the people next to me.

Saturday

FIRST STOP: BEIJING PLANNING EXHIBITION HALL

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Elizabeth Withers is an official CAPA blogger for spring 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A double major in English literature and history & philosophy of science at the University of Pittsburgh, she is studying abroad in Buenos Aires this semester.

In this week's post, Elizabeth talks about arriving at her homestay in Buenos Aires and her first explorations of the beautiful Recoleta neighborhood that she will call home for the semester. 

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Hello from Buenos Aires!

After 28 hours of sitting in planes and airport gates, I have finally arrived. I’ve settled into a stunningly-decorated room in an apartment in Recoleta, a neighborhood known around the world for its beautiful and unique cemetery. The apartment really is luxurious -- I’ve got a balcony with a pretty view and dozens of potted plants right outside my bedroom, and I think my rug may have once been a real zebra! My host has worked as an interior decorator for many years, and it shows.  

The apartment building is just a block away from Plaza Libertad, and I’ve spent much of today walking around in various plazas, finding shade and enjoying the scenery. The plazas are filled with beautiful plants, fountains, statues, and art. It’s about 90 degrees here (Fahrenheit), but there’s plenty of shade cast by the enormous Gomero trees. Gomeros are Ficus Elastica -- rubber trees, which are a species of the fig genus (for any tree aficionados), and although they are not native to Argentina, Buenos Aires is famous for some impressively old and large specimens. I saw many today in the Plaza Libertad and around the Recoleta Cemetery. The trunks are about four feet wide and the roots spread out to cover at least three times that. The branches are thick and heavy, and very, very long. They just keep growing until they hit the ground -- or, in some places (like outside the Recoleta Cemetery) they have a little bit of support to stay in the air.  

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Michela Mickaluck is an official CAPA vlogger for spring 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A public relations major at SUNY Oswego, she is studying abroad in Dublin this semester.

In this week's post, Michela takes us on a shopping trip to Dublin's famous Grafton Street and offers a few tips along the way. 

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Thanks, Michela!

Michela's journey continues every Monday so stay tuned.

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Graysan Tompkins is an official CAPA vlogger for spring 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A communication major at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, she is studying abroad in London this semester.

In this week's vlog, Graysan explores London's amazing foodie scene. 

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Thanks Graysan!

Graysan's journey continues every Friday so stay tuned

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Nathan Overlock is an official CAPA blogger for spring 2017, sharing his story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A professional writing and information design major at Cedarville University, he is studying abroad in Dublin this semester.

In this week's post, Nathan takes us along on his Irish adventure to explore Galway, Cork and Killarney. 

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Ireland is a country full of sprawling green countryside, charming villages, breathtaking seaside, and dozens of interesting towns and cities to explore. Yet, after nearly six weeks in Ireland, I hadn’t stepped a single foot outside of Dublin. This weekend, though, I had the opportunity to drive across the country to the west of Ireland, and down around the country’s southern coast with the Griffith College’s Student Union.

Our trip spanned three full days and included stops in 12 different cities and villages including Galway, Killarney, and Cork, three of Ireland’s most iconic cities. So, after six blog posts focused on Dublin, this one is dedicated to Ireland’s other cities and the smaller towns and villages we stopped at along the way.

Galway     

After a brief stop in the historic village of Cong, the original resting place of Ireland’s last High King, and a scenic drive through the Connemara countryside, we spent the bulk of our first day in Galway. My expectations of Galway were totally mixed, hearing it called “The Tribal City,” and “Ireland’s Wild West,” yet knowing it's also been deemed the friendliest city in the world. Mixing in the cities heavy Spanish influence (See: Galway girl), I assumed Galway would feel like stepping into an entirely different country. Apart from a slightly different aesthetic, though, and its proximity to the coast, most of the things that distinguished Galway from other Irish cities seemed to me to be below the surface. The big sights, like the Spanish arch or the salt hill promenade don’t look like much at first glance. However, the history behind these places and the festivals that flood the city throughout the year are what give the city its charm and reputation. While I spent the last few hours of daylight exploring shop street, Galway’s pedestrian shopping center, finding street musicians playing banjos, washboards and fiddles, the highlight of my stop was walking out after dark to the famous Long Walk past the Spanish Arch, and enjoying the nighttime ocean breeze while I could still hear the music in the distance.

Photo: Long walk in Galway

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Niah Humphrey is an official CAPA vlogger for spring 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A communication major with a minor in Spanish at Auburn University, she is studying abroad in Buenos Aires this semester.

In this week's post, Niah takes us along on her journey to Buenos Aires and the first few moments of her arrival. 

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Thanks, Niah!

Niah's journey continues every Thursday so stay tuned.

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Danya Carithers is an official CAPA blogger for spring 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A marketing major at the University of Pittsburgh, she is studying abroad in Florence this semester.

In this week's post, Danya talks about travel in Europe and shares a few tips she's picked up so far on her adventures. 

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On our first day of class, our professor asked each of us why we chose to study abroad in Florence. We snaked around the room and it was almost humorous how repetitive we were. Our answers varied between interests in Italian food, architecture and history, or having family connections. Despite those small differences, every single one of us agreed on one thing: we chose to study in Florence because it's central location means easy accessibility to traveling throughout Europe.

Before arriving here, I was expecting to travel for spring break and maybe a weekend or two if I had the time and money. But, I completely underestimated the amount of travel involved with studying abroad. Most people in my program are traveling every single weekend to another country or part of Italy. I am not saying this is a bad idea whatsoever; I think it's smart to take advantage of the fact that we are in Europe and have opportunities to see countries without paying hundreds of dollars for long-haul flights from the US. 

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Natalie Emmert is an official CAPA vlogger for spring 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A nursing major at Arizona State University, she is studying abroad in Sydney this semester.

In this week's post, Natalie takes us behind the scenes and walks us through the steps she takes to create her weekly videos as an official CAPA vlogger. 

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Thanks Natalie!

Natalie's journey continues every Thursday so stay tuned!

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