Growing up, my mom was constantly talking about how much her study abroad experience changed her life. She spent her entire senior year of college traveling, gaining work experience and just learning about herself. My dad never got the chance to study abroad, and regrets not traveling when he was a young adult, but has…
Tag: Lisbon
Lisbon: Mid June
One of the coolest parts of my internship is getting to sit in on guest lectures that are hosted by the University of Lisbon and that my supervisor helps to organize. On Tuesday we got to learn about militarization of democratic cabinets, and used Brazil as an extremist case study. In broader terms, what factors…
Quinn’s Camera: Seville
I fall in love with every city I visit. It feels impossible not to: there’s a siren song that pulls me in inexplicably, inevitably, and suddenly I find myself head over heels. Sometimes it’s the people, or the food, or the way of life, and sometimes it’s the complete departure from what I’m used to…
Lisbon, The Finale
I am sitting at the metro station writing this, fighting back tears, and I am sure I will end up posting this from the airport gate, actively crying. I am so grateful for this experience, and I miss home so much. At the same time I cannot imagine leaving this place that I got to…
Lisbon: The Internship
Hello everyone! As I previously mentioned, my internship is at the ICS, which is the Social Science Department of the University of Lisbon. I am working with a professor and helping her on her research project on the members of parliament in Ghana and South Africa. I basically am going into this blind and with…
Lisbon, Halfway!
Hello!! The heatwave across Europe has finally hit Portugal, and we are really feeling it. I have never been more thankful for Lisbons preference towards AC, at least in the buildings I have spent the most time in. And when I cannot be in air conditioning, I have been in the ocean. So, I’m definitely…
Reflecting on Lisbon
Having the opportunity to study abroad in Lisbon has been one of the best experiences of my life. I have learned so much and grown unimaginably as a person. Through my internship, I was able to study chronic pain and Fibromyalgia, both of which I did not know much about. Being able to tailor a…
International Networking
While interning in Lisbon, I really wanted to build my professional and personal network. I successfully connected with numerous professors, researchers, and fellow students. The key drivers of this success were the structured opportunities and community provided by the Study in Portugal Network (SiPN) and the Catholic University of Portugal (Universidade Católica Portuguesa). By actively…
Learning the Language
One of my ultimate goals of the program was to learn basic, conversational Portuguese. I partially achieved this goal within the timeframe of my study abroad program. While I did not become conversational, I successfully mastered basic daily greetings (such as “Olá,” “Bom dia,” and “Obrigada”) and learned how to confidently order food and drinks…
Pipe Organs and Portuguese Guitars
Music is my main hobby; I love to play instruments, find new music, and listen to live music. I knew I’d need to find as much music as possible during my time in Lisbon, Portugal. I expected fado music, essentially Portugal’s classical genre, which is often sung in dedicated bars or in the streets of…