I’m currently beginning my third month living in Prague, and it has truly flown by. I can remember my first night here perfectly – I was jet-lagged, scared, homesick, and just entirely overwhelmed. Now, only about seven weeks later, I am adjusted, happy, and Prague feels like home.

During the months of March and April, Tokyo undergoes a transformation. Neighborhoods, rivers, parks, and temples become shrouded in white and pink. Cherry blossom season is, perhaps, a bit like our Christmas—a time in which people forget time, to soak in the sakura for a few blissful and carefree hours.

I am so grateful that I am spending my semester in New South Wales, Australia, through SIT’s Environmental Action and Sustainability study abroad program. During my time here, I have learned from leading environmentalists, listened to impactful activists, been exposed to the indigenous Aboriginal culture, and experienced indescribable moments of connection with Earth.

As soon as we’d settled into our school routine, it was time to shake things up with a seven-day tour of central Morocco. Rabat is fairly far north, so “south” encompasses most of the country. It was our first excursion, and first time leaving the home-base of the Rabat Medina neighborhood.

One day you are tackled by time and realize that you have only a week to go before spending the next semester of your life in another country. Then you suddenly find yourself stuffed in the middle of a Boeing 777, with a stomach full of airplane food and butterflies.