It's really over. I leave Vienna tomorrow. I arrived in Vienna with high expectations. I had heard so many great things about the city, study abroad, etc. that I figured I would be in Austrian heaven...

Before I studied abroad I never realized how much I like - and take for granted - the outdoors. I would never describe myself as an "outdoorsman," but parks, yards, hikes and just general "being outside"...

Growing up I have always been identified - and truthfully, often have identified myself - as Cuban. I am one half Cuban from my dad's side, and from that half I inherited my outward appearance: olive skin, almond-shaped eyes, thick eyebrows, "Latina curves," loads of leg hair. I am also one half Western European. Start in Germany and move west and I've got a drop of blood from practically all of those countries, the largest from Denmark. My "Latina look," however, put me in an Hispanic corner that I was not ashamed of but was also not 100 percent comfortable with.

My week-long trip to Italy started out as a disaster. Not only was our train to Florence canceled two times due to snow, but our first encounter with staff from the Austrian train company, Ã–BB, left...

Culture shock (n). the personal disorientation a person may feel when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life due to immigration or a visit to a new country, a move between social environments, or simply...