April 2017, it’s been a real rollercoaster.
Riga, Latvia
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? I started this month in Amsterdam and took a spontaneous trip to Latvia. My class got cancelled and I figured I’d take a cruise instead of heading back to school. Riga was a place I would never have gone out of my way?to visit but Im glad got to explore?it. There is an organization at JIBS called ESNJ?nk?ping and each university in Sweden has it as well. They are the group that made this trip possible and they have several events throughout the semester which are super fun (I’d recommend checking it out). Anyways as you will see there is a pattern of spontaneity in April, because the thing is that I love April. My favorite activities of the year are in April, which includes my birthday, my best friends birthdays, and Easter. I wouldn’t say its my favorite holiday but I love being able to spend it with my family, something I’m not able to do while abroad. One of my friends in?J?nk?ping suggested visiting Copenhagen for the weekend and so we went. Her favorite place is Copenhagen and I really couldn’t have asked for better people to go with.
Copenhagen, Denmark
Denmark is nothing like what I expected, I kept forgetting it was Scandinavia and then I was reminded with the cold rainy weather we got the first day. Its a beautiful city filled with so much color! We ended up spending Easter at Tivoli, a beautiful amusement park in the middle of the capital. I would never have thought to go to an amusement park while abroad but it was the perfect way to spend Easter, its one of those unexpected things that you didn’t know you missed until you do (like Mac and Cheese). Copenhagen certainly has some cool places, one of them being a building full if street food!
Classes are very different this semester, there is a lot more group work which is difficult to coordinate with everyones schedules. Especially since the school plans trips throughout the semester and in April is the Russia trip! I personally, had no interest in going to Russia but since it was visa-free many of my fellow exchange friends jumped on the opportunity. It kept me back home exploring?J?nk?ping and I was blessed with some nice sunny weather! The small town has so much to offer and I finally got to visit all the places I was told to “visit when it was warmer”, I even wore sandals! We have delightful parks and hiking, and theres a beach by the lake. Honestly, it felt good to be home, although I did travel pretty much every week. Towards the end of the month I headed to Croatia which is gorgeous (and got lots of passport stamps!).
?Croatia: Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar Edition
One of the greatest perks of studying in Europe is that sometimes you look at cheap flight deals and they are to incredible places you would have never imagined going. That is the exact case with my trip to Croatia, I saw, I booked, I conquered. I’ve made incredible friends while at?J?nk?ping and we had an unbelievable time in Croatia. 
Even the view from our 
Airbnb was worth the mountain of stairs we had to climb to make it to. A couple of great friends I’ve made are actually from Texas and go to the University of Oklahoma, and they were on this trip! One of the nice things about being abroad is that you meet from everywhere, but having someone from home that reminds you that you’re not that weird for saying y’all is awesome too. You would think I’d be tired of traveling, but theres nothing like stumbling on a wine festival and a local jazz band. Croatia?definitely made me go out of my comfort zone since all the Old Towns were a maze and you could get lost for hours without a map, but talking to the locals and going to all of their recommendations definitely paid off.
