I spent the entirety of last weekend in Bath. The journey commenced around noon on Friday when my friend Juliette and I left the Norwich train station for London Liverpool Street. We originally intended to leave around 10:30 a.m., but complications arose and we missed our train. This incited a brief period of anxiety, but after a few minutes I was able to remind myself that the journey wasn't ruined or cancelled because of one small complication. To travel frequently means you have to be ready for anything to happen, because unfortunately not everything will run smoothly.

Study Abroad will host an information session on its popular summer Iowa Hispanic Institute program in Valladolid, Spain on Wednesday, February 18 from 4-5:00 p.m. in 1117 University Capitol Centre.

Zadok Nampala, international student adviser at North Iowa Area Community College, can relate to those he's helping because he was once in their shoes. Nampala, or "Z," as he is known around campus, grew up in Kenya and attended Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids and the University of Iowa. Nampala, who has been at NIACC since August, speaks seven languages and frequently uses three of them — Spanish, Arabic and Swahili — when speaking to the international students at NIACC so "they feel at home," he said.

A week-long workshop and community series on the Carnatic music of southern India will culminate in a concert March 8 at 5:00 p.m. at the Englert Theatre. Sarva Sree Foundation (SSF) will present Exotic Voice of South India, a Carnatic (South Indian) classical music (vocal & instrumental) concert led by professional musicians from USA and India.

University of Iowa international students may find a stack of invitations from local Christians and other religious groups when they arrive on campus each semester. After coming to the university, many international students are encouraged by local Christians to participate in activities and events with them.

The South Asian Studies Program (SASP) at the University of Iowa will kick off its spring seminar series with a talk by Dr. Scott Levi titled "Whither the Silk Road? The View from Early Modern India" on Monday, February 16, at 4:30 p.m. in 1117 University Capitol Centre. The event is free and open to the public. Chai and samosas will be served.

Study Abroad will host an international trivia night on Thursday, February 12 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at The Mill in Iowa City. Returned study abroad students and interested friends are invited to join in for an evening of conversation and trivia. Pizza catered by the Mill will also be provided.

In 2014, major airline crashes killed more than 760 people and, understandably, raised concerns over safety issues and the risks of flying. Less understandably, tobacco use prematurely killed 480,000 people in the U.S. and about 5 million people worldwide but engendered little debate. People hear these figures, shrug and turn away — tobacco death fatigue?

Brandon Woods spent the summer of 2014 in Borneo on an internship sponsored by EcoHealthNet, a training program for graduate students interested in multidisciplinary health and infectious disease research. Woods, a student in the DVM-MPH combined degree program offered by the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Iowa College of Public Health, wrote about his adventure.

Bank’s effort part of Iowa City area’s continuing efforts to better welcome Chinese students. Hills Bank and Trust has become the first Corridor bank to offer Mandarin as a language option on automated teller machines. The Hills-based bank updated the ATM in the lobby of its Old Capitol Town Center office in mid-December. The bank plans to install Mandarin on other ATMs across the University of Iowa campus as part of software upgrades.