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Stress takes a toll on the brain.

Stress and Self-Care

In this post I’m going to talk about self-care and mental health. Finals period is here and obviously, it’s stressful. I am someone who has always been able to function well with stress, but recently, I’ve been having a very hard time managing everything I have left to do. So, in today’s post I want […]

Biblioteca de las Escuelas Pías

Cozy Cafés

With finals coming up you’ll probably be looking for a place to study that isn’t your room. I know from experience that studying at home results in me crawling into bed napping extensively. So, my solution to this problem has been to study in public places where there is easy access to caffeinated drinks and […]

©Danielle Osborne

Traveling in Spain

Now that our final long break is over, we only have a few weekends left to travel. If you haven’t been doing a whole lot of sightseeing in Spain, here are a few places I recommend you visit before heading out for the summer. Mallorca The largest of the Balearic Islands, Mallorca is known for […]

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My Intenship: Kubuka NGO

Last semester I interned at the Fulbright Commission up by Avenida de América. I went to the office once a week for five hours and helped with organizing files, responding to emails and translating documents. All of the office staff at the Commission were very friendly and happy to help me whenever I had questions. […]

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Warm Weather Activities

Spanish weather has been warming up quite a bit these past few weeks which means time for outdoor activities! I´ve compiled a list of my personal favorites that you should definitely try out in and around Madrid. Jardín Botanico I was able to visit the Royal Botanic Garden this weekend and it was amazing. The […]

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Sketchbook: Walking In The City

Last semester I took three program classes and one Spanish university class. This semester, I’m taking three university classes and one program class so I’ve literally reversed my schedule. As I’ve mentioned many times, commuting is a massive part of the university experience, especially if you take classes at the University of Alcála de Henares. […]

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Long Commute? Try Podcasts!

When you take three classes at the University of Alcála de Henares, it means you need to commute, a lot. I have thinking about how much time I spend traveling to my classes and realized that I waste about eight hours a week sitting on a bus or train getting to and from the university. […]

©Danielle Osborne

Ana, My Wonderful Host Mom

Following my favorite restaurants list, I present to you all one of my favorite people in the whole world, my host mother, Ana Lorente (and her cat Maga). Ana runs a cooking school/culinary book shop (A Punto, check it out!) and classes go till 10:00pm so she usually isn’t home for dinner until 11:00pm, but […]

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My Top 3 Menús del Día

Having been bedridden for the past 3 days with a lovely stomach virus, I have decided to write about some of my favorite restaurants in Madrid. While I have been eating nothing but soggy rice and crackers for the past 72 hours, I assure you that my foodie judgement was on point when I went […]

©Danielle Osborne

The University of Alcála de Henares & Me

Hello everyone, I am a junior at Smith College double majoring in Economics and Government. I have been in Madrid since September and I decided to be a blogger this semester to share my insights on studying abroad. I will now go into my rather embarrassing experiences at Spanish university for your reading pleasure. During […]