During February Break in 2023,  a scheduled gathering of other global scholars at a Peruvian restaurant, Sazon Peru in Lawrence MA, unexpectedly turned into a Mexican restaurant when our original restaurant was boarded up. Regardless of this setback, we got to taste a little bit of Mexican cuisine at a local Mexican restaurant downtown, devouring several delicious tacos, enchiladas, mole, and churros.

As our first destination in our 10-day trip in Europe, we spent 2 days in the beautiful city of Barcelona. Coming into this trip, I was thrilled to finally use the Spanish-speaking skills that I obtained in school, but when I spoke with the locals in Spanish, I was left completely mistaken. Unlike the rest of Spain, Barcelona's main language is Catalan, not Spanish. Asking for simple directions and seeing the confused and awkward look on their faces I felt a strong sense of cognitive dissonance. Another sense of culture shock hit me when I asked for water in a restaurant and was surprised to see that restaurants in Europe charge money for water. In addition, the food portions were often smaller and did not fill me up unless I ordered more food. Although this trend is present everywhere in Europe, Spain just so happened to be the first place where I experienced this for the first time. Apart from gulping down numerous plates of Paella and Tapas, during our time in Spain, we experienced the scenic views of Park Guell, strolled through the streets at Mercado de La Boqueria, and explored iconic Sagrada Familia which is still in construction even though construction started 130 years ago.

Our next stop on our 10-day trip was Italy. Spending 5 days there, we explored the iconic cities of Rome, Venice, and Florence. Throughout our stay in Italy, I noticed how their historical culture greatly influenced their style of life. Their tight (and sometimes claustrophobic) streets combined with their historic architecture reflected their identity. At almost every corner, I found myself amazed by the sculptures and beautiful paintings from the Renaissance, and their delicious cuisine completely changed my perception of Italian dishes in America, more specifically, Pizza. The use of aqueducts, especially in famous landmarks like the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, brought out the true historical experience, making tourists feel as if they were in Ancient Rome. However, just like in Spain, the economic divide still exists. The wealthier communities were located closer to the city center and were clean and equipped with the fanciest technologies. The poorer communities were located further away from the city center and were often cramped and dirty compared to other parts of the city. Even though this divide is present all over the world, throughout our 10-day trip, the divide in Italy was most noticeable. 

To end off our 10-day trip, we spent our final 3 days in Paris France. During our 3 day stay, we visited the notorious Eiffel Tower, the Louver Museum, and the Arc de Triomphe. Apart from the gorgeous architecture and historical artifacts, the cuisine in Paris was by far a highlight of this trip. Their famous Escargot, baguette, and Macrons were some of my favorite dishes. On the flight to Paris, I used Duolingo to learn a few basic phrases as I set a goal of trying to have a conversation in French with a local. Despite my French speaking skills being lacking, my brother and I managed to have a small conversation with several locals about their livelihoods and what they like to do in a city like Paris. Although I did not have the opportunity to explore outside of Paris, I noticed that the divide in economic status is not as noticeable in Paris compared to other cities like Rome and Barcelona. Unlike the other cities, the streets in Paris were not as tight and were mostly very clean. One thing that I noticed in Paris was their use of free self-washing public bathrooms. During our trip in Europe, using public restrooms was difficult as the city charged people to use their facilities, and because of this, the bathrooms were mostly clean compared to the United States. Asking and finding bathrooms was also an experience in itself as locals referred to the bathrooms as "WC" which translates to "Water Closet." This stood out to me personally because I'm usually the one who always needs to use the bathroom in my family, and it made me really question whether or not the stigma surrounding public bathrooms in the States can be broken if we implement a similar system.