Clara Alger ’26
I took this photo earlier this month of the street where I live with my host mother Auxi. About a week before, we took a Sunday morning stroll down the busy boulevard Fuencarral near her apartment. The street was closed to car traffic, and there was bright sun and families everywhere. We were shopping for lunch fixings for a little gathering with her son and his girlfriend. She held my arm to guide me through the street and we chatted in Spanish. I asked her about what it was like moving to Madrid and she asked me to decide which olives to buy. Sometimes the host family living situation can make me feel lonely, but this was one of the moments where I recognized its worth. Later I wrote in my journal that this is why I’m here – living among Spaniards, witnessing family life, and getting the best kind of language practice through immersion.
Carina Cole ’26
Here I am with some of the gals from the Vassar Goldsmiths Study Abroad program at the Strawberry Field gate in Liverpool. We went on the Magical Mystery Tour led by a fantastic guide named Del (and we learned lots of Beatles knowledge). If you were wondering, it was indeed magical. Fun fact: The Beatles added an “S” on the song because it flowed better than Strawberry Field. Who knew!
A day trip to Oxford. This is the staircase where McGonagall lectures all the to-be-sorted Hogwarts first years. I reflected on a young Draco Malfoy’s friendship inquiry to Harry Potter, and Harry’s iconic sassy little response: “I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks.” How baller.
This is the circus in Bath. It has been featured in many period pieces. Bath is notable for being the location where Jane Austen wrote many of her novels. Being here and witnessing it’s magnitude was fabulous — I could picture a dishy Captain Wentworth professing his love to Anne Elliot. Swoon!