Europe Trip Post-Study Abroad Planning
 

Hi,

Just as a warning, the actual question(s) starts 1/3 of the way in.

I am going to be a sophomore in college next year (double major in English and Anthropology) and have the lucky opportunity to study abroad in England for the entirety of my spring semester. I will probably travel within the United Kingdom (yes - England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) as well as Ireland during the semester. I am going to be near Norwich. Any advice on what to do or how I might plan this? I believe I have a two to three week break in the spring as well as time on the weekends to mini-trip. However, I definitely want to experience the city I will be living in, so most weekends will be spent nearby the university.

The main question of this post starts here, now that you've got a bit of background information. My mother will be flying in to Europe (probably an airport in London) and will spending most of the month of June with me while we travel to a few countries in mainland Europe. I am hoping to get at least six weeks worth of traveling outside of the UK but my mother will only be there for around three weeks due to work restraints. I wanted advice on what countries and cities I should check out and how long I should stay in each city/town.

My mother will most likely want to see the entire UK and Ireland as well as Germany, Italy and France. I'd like to see many more countries but I know I'm limited with time. Do you think I should stick to this as a loose itinerary as I start to build it or do you think I could add a country? Should I only visit one main city per country?

Sorry that this is so long and quite vague. I would really like to get some advice from experienced travelers. This will be my first time out of the US.

<Should I only visit one main city per country?>

There is no right or wrong answer to this kind of question, or rule that everyone follows

I would do some reading in guidebooks in advance, and go wherever interests you and your mom the most.

I've been to Venice, Amsterdam, Paris, Geneva area of Switzerland and loved each of them for different reasons. If I were pulling cities out of the air I'm interested in Barcelona and Florence. I plan my trips so I can do it all by train, I don't want to rent a car.

<how long I should stay in each city/town>

I like to take my time, so 4-5 days is my minimum, but again, completely personal choice. You can see the highlights and overview of most places in just a couple days.

In three weeks, your mother is not going to have time to see four different countries, so for her I'd suggest either just the UK or the UK and France. But as Suze says, have her read some guidebooks and flag what she wants to see.

Then you do the same for your additional three weeks. I'd take the entire time and see more of Italy (Florence, Rome, Napoli, maybe some of the smaller cities in the north like Verona and Padua) if it were my trip, but it's not.

I think I travel a bit faster than Suze, but two full days (three nites) is my minimum in most places for a first trip but some (e.g. London, Rome) deserve four. Look at the Fodor's Guides (including the Destination guides on this website). They suggest itineraries depending on how much time you have and I find that feature very helpful in doing preliminary planning.

<< My mother will most likely want to see the entire UK and Ireland as well as Germany, Italy and France >>

I'm sorry to tell you that this is not at all possible. Your mother won't even be able to see the entire UK in 3 weeks.

You should base her 3 weeks on her interests and plan from there.

I'm sure she will want to recover from jet lag and visit the town you've been staying in so give that 2 days (arrival day and the next day).

From there you can set off. If I were designing a special 3 weeks trip this is what I would do.

- London for 3-4 days.
- Take the Eurostar to Brussels and then transfer to Bruges (Belgium). This is a special town with canals and tall, narrow brick buildings. Bruges is small and you can see everything in 2 days. The best days are during the week rather than weekends. This will be restful as the sights are small and each one takes a short time. Visit lots of chocolate shops.
- Take the train to Paris for 4 or 5 days
- From Paris, either visit Strasbourg/Colmar for a flavor of Alsace with its German influence or Munich and surrounding area, or Annecy in the French alps. 3 or 4 days in one of these locations.
- End in Venice which is such a beautiful city. It's a pleasure to just wander around looking at the architecture and small squares. Visit a couple of the Lagoon islands; take the vaporetto on the Grand Canal between St. Mark's and Rialto to see the palazzi, especially at night when they are all magnificently lit up. Definitely do a gondola ride (only on the small canals).

What happens is that during the semester, the group of exchange students will be planning a trip for the mid-semester break as well as a lot of mini-trips that won't be restricted to the UK. These usually depend on the group, structure of school, etc so they can be anywhere from 2-5, but they will be the ones that go to London, Dublin, Paris, Amsterdam, Edinburgh etc, so if you want to see the other places in the UK and Ireland, you can go with a small group of friends you meet on the exchange in addition to that. Post-semester each of them set out with their own travel plans and usually travel to main cities all over, so you can use those 3/6 weeks to join up with them on various segments around and the last 3 with your mother covering other points of interest. The majority of the other students' itinerary post-semester are most likely to include Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Munich, Rome, Venice, Florence and Barcelona, though others might be more interested in something other than main cities. Not everyone travels after the exchange. You'd make plans while during the semester to travel with new friends after it, so I would leave your trip planning pretty open, but ask your mother if she can join you on the last 3 weeks instead.

I assume you are taking trains - here are some sweet sites to check out for helping planning and getting a fix on the European rail system: www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - download the latter;s free online European Planning & Rail Guide for a wealth of suggested rail itineraries for each country, rail maps, travel times, etc.

If you are under 26 you can get a Eurail Youthpass, a bargain if taking trains for six weeks IMO. I would assume you would be taking quite a few trains in six weeks and in most countries a pass still lets you just hop on any train anytime and such fully flexible tickets would cost a fortune.

If you buy a Eurail Youthpass you could then get I think 50% off a BritRail Pass or BritEngland Pass and make that a great deal too if traveling around the U.K. very much.

@suze Thank you for the helpful reply. I was thinking at least four days for most cities also. Thanks for the advice - I hope to be getting a guidebook for my birthday in the next coming weeks but I may have to pick up one myself.

Should I buy the Fodor's guidebook for Europe?

@dwdvagamundo Thank you for the advice! As I look into it, I realize how much nicer it would be to take more time to see certain places rather than rushing like crazy. I will definitely look into the Fodor's guides and destination guides to put something together!

@adrienne Depending on the timing of things, my mom will probably want to see the town I was living in, so thank you for mentioning that! I didn't even think of that. I used your itinerary idea as a starting point, so thank you so much for putting that together! Your enthusiasm for Venice makes me want to stop there for sure!

@LR220 I hadn't even thought of traveling with friends after the semester, thank you for mentioning that! I think that is a great idea - to have my mom come a little later - as I have a friend who will be studying abroad in the Netherlands as well. I could meet up with her even if none of the exchange students are traveling after the semester (doubtful). I'm hoping to make some friends that I can travel with during the semester for sure!

@PalenQ Thank you so much for linking those websites. I had no idea that there was a youthpass for the Eurail. Planning on buying one now - such a great deal! Plus the 50% off for the BritRail Pass would be absolutely awesome so I will have to buy them in advance.

Thank you all so much for your help! It's hard to stay realistic when you want to travel everywhere, but I think I'm starting to get a better idea of what I need to do versus what I want to do.

If anyone else has any advice, or experience to mention, or general comments, please post them! I would love to hear stories or tips on traveling! As an additional question to throw out there, where would you study abroad next? I may have the opportunity to go again during my junior year - which is crazy and unbelievable to me - but hey, if I can go again, I'm not passing up the opportunity. Even if I have to pay for it later!

Mom, will need at least two more children abroad to accomplish her end.

Tell Mom, that I said so, that she should pick what she truly wants to see.

Rule of thumb-every time you move from city to city you lose at least 1/2 day packing, unpacking, checking in, checking out, getting to the bus, train, or airport, taking the bus, train, or plane, and then getting to the hotel from the bus, train, or airport.

If neither of you has driven on the wrong side of the road, the you can quickly eliminate driving in the UK.

For one month you should limit your visit to a maximum of two countries and realize that Paris, London, and Rome are each worth at least a week.

When I traveled after study abroad many years ago I was able to get an InterRail pass because I had been living in the country for 6 months and was considered a European student. It was about half the price of a Eurail pass. You should look into that before you buy your Eurail pass. But you would have to buy it near the end of your semester and then couldn't get the discount PalenQ mentioned on the BritRail pass. I didn't get a BritRail pass, even though i was studying in Scotland. I don't remember whether it didn't exist at that time, or was just too expensive. You should compare prices. Have a great time!

@IMDonehere The Rule of thumb definitely helps put the trip in perspective. Perhaps I could do one week in Paris, London, and Rome each. I know that it would be ideal to limit the visit to a max of two countries for a month but I don't think my mom will ever make it back to Europe so I guess I was trying to fit in as much as possible. And yes, we have eliminated driving in the UK because that would be disastrous.

@CGS Thanks for the tip! I will definitely compare prices and see what will be best - I'm sure that the InterRail pass is another option that might be the best one. Thank you - I can't wait!

Should I buy the Fodor's guidebook for Europe?>

Fodor's is a wonderful guide for an older and more well-heeled tourist but for you I'd strongly reoommend Let's Go Europe - a wealth of info geared at folks your age - written by college students for other similar aged folks - a wealth of info on budget accommodations sets it apart from guides like Fodor's whose hotels are much more upscale with scant mention of hostels, youth hotels, B&Bs, etc like Let's Go Europe provides. amazon.com.

Absolutely agree with PalenQ about Let's Go for you. But will need another guide also for the time with Mom. :-) You and your Mom should go to your local library and check out some different guidebooks to get a sense of which ones you like and want to buy for the time she is there. I like Lonely Planet for anything off the beaten path and Rick Steves' for city guides.

The best guide for sights are Michelin Green. There are no restaurants or hotels.

For someone your age, take a look at Time Out both on line and in paper. Once again limited to major cities.

I sometimes take several guidebooks out of the library and photo copy relevant pages from each so I have several different takes on places and I don't have to lug around bulky guidebooks with lots of coverage of places I am not going to.

I download sightseeing information from Fodors, Frommers, Let's Go, and Lonely Planet into a Word document. I sometimes add pictures so I can identify the building(s). It's really helpful when I return to a place (such as Paris) as I've already done most of the work. I only need to update opening times or admission prices.

Print it out and take that with me rather than carrying guide books. Along the way, I dump the papers I no longer need. I've been doing this for years and it works for me.

I also have the file on my netbook to reference at any time but I like the paper to take with me each day.

1) Norwich, famous for its turkeys and its limited genetic makeup, :-)
2) I'd advise the rough guide to europe as a good starter for ten. Chose three countries tops for you time with mum.
3) Decide what languages you speak and assume that in most tourist areas you will find speakers of English.
4) Decide from the book what you want to do. Don't assume that you just hire a car, Europe is full of trains for a reason, travel by them is just better especially city to city.
5) Kindle versions of rough guides are fantastic on the trip but for research the book is better.
6) do visit www.seat61.com to understand European trains.

When my daughter studied abroad in London she had some long weekends and flew to different cities on the continent with new friends from her program. She found Easyjet and Ryan Air often had inexpensive flights and stayed in local hostels. You may find you have a chance to experience, at least briefly, some other places of interest.

www.whichbudget.com and www.skyscanner.net are two sites showing which airlines, including the budget ones mentioned above, link any two cities in Europe. Be prepared for additional fees for luggage and maybe even seat reservations - ask for the bottom line price. And some airlines use remote airports like Ryanair to Beauvais in France rather than right to Paris - add on the time and cost of getting to Beauvais if taking that route.

You need to take a breath with Ryanair, terrible customer service. Focus on the alternatives and you will find cheepo airlines at East Midland airport, Luton and Stanstead, which are close to you

em810--

Writing as a former college professor and former Humanities major (who is married to someone with an MA in the Humanties), I'd say you should try to find a good college abroad where you could get a cram course in finance or some other business-related subject. Find one that teaches in English, of course. I'd say study accounting but that would take more time than what you have available.

Or take a immersion semester abroad in another language. That way you could go somewhere that would be more enjoyable.

I know that this will come a wet blanket, but unless your family is wealthy, you're going to have to earn a living, and English and anthropology are not any more marketable than philosophy, classics or art history.

@PalenQ I was taking a look at Let's Go Europe the other day and found it helpful! Thanks for the suggestion, I may look into buying it. I took a few photos as well, just in case I don't end up buying it. Thanks for all the advice - I'll have to watch out for those fees.

@ Thank you! I will definitely look out for Lonely Planet and Rick Steves' guides.

@IMDonehere Sounds good! I am mostly looking out for sight guides as that is so, so important. Two of my favorite places are the Met in NYC and the American Museum of Natural History, so I know I'll be in heaven in all the museums and beautiful landscapes.

@adrienne That's a great idea! Eliminates some bulk and I usually find myself skipping pages I don't need anyway.

@bilboburgler Thank you so much! I'm looking into everything you mentioned. While it would be mildly annoying, I'm used to terrible customer service. I'll check reviews and see how bad it is, though. Thanks for mentioning that as well!

@KTtravel Sounds amazing! I will look into those two airlines.

@dwdvagamundo I respect your opinion and while I'm sure it would benefit me, I have no interest in taking finance or business classes at the moment. I am planning on taking an immersion semester abroad in my junior year, most likely, because I wanted more time to study the language before I go. My family is not wealthy. I understand where you are coming from, but I am not afraid to take a bit of a risk. I know you're probably thinking that I'm too young to know how hard it is but I have had to grow up very quickly in the past few years. In my opinion, there are worse things than following your dreams and getting let down. Anyway, I really do appreciate your opinion and hope I didn't come across as disrespectful.

Thank you everyone! I am so glad everyone is giving me input!

We spent some time traveling with a niece during her semester abroad. Someone in the family had to do it.

It seems many of the better US schools now offer a de rigueur semester abroad. As such the academic requirements are not as not as demanding as on the mother campus, so that the students can enjoy the full experience.

As Bilbo and others have noted, it is imperative that when flying the cheap-o European airlines such as Ryan, Easy Jet, and Vueling that you understand the limitations and the penalties for carrying luggage in excess of their maximums. This is how they supplement their low fares and they are stringently enforced.

One of the reasons we like to slow our trips down is because we take great pleasure at sitting at a cafe for a while or stop in a park and watch a different world pass by.

For me, the best museum cities in Europe are Paris, London, Madrid, Rome, Florence, and Amsterdam. That is not to say in other cities and towns don't have world class museums, but those cities have an abundance.

But you will learn to appreciate cities where the art is in the architecture, not in doors. There are far too many to mention but just to be aware of them.

em810, can I just say your response to dwdvagamundo was very thoughtful and mature and, IMO, not disrespectful at all. I think you're going to do fine whatever you study. I'm 63, and my only educational regrets are that I followed my head and not my heart.

When you register for you courses in Norwich, you can inquire as to whether they have any travel programs during the Spring Break. Some of the Universities in the UK do this. For example my friends' daughter was at University of Leicester for a semester and during spring break she went with other students and a faculty member for Rome for a week. they did a lot of sightseeing. I cant remember if she had to do a paper for that or if it just a pleasure no school work trip. She also had to empty out her dorm room as the University used that particular building for conferences during the break, which was rather annoying.

In the UK STA travel is a major youth and inexpensive travel operator. They have a store in Norwich and you may get some ideas from their website.

KLM flies daily to Amsterdam from Norwich. You can check out the fares. given the cost and time of going to
another city this may work for you.

Ryan Air and Easy Jet will fly into and out of airports that may not be exactly near where you want to be.. this means taking a bus or train, but the fares are often pretty low.
also you can consider taking the chunnel train from London to Paris if you do, book the cheapest seats. you travel from the center of London to the center of Paris. in about 3 hours.

Don't buy rail passes too early as they must be used within 6 months of purchase. you also you need to figure out how many days you would be using the pass to determine whether it is worth while or whether other types of fares will cost less.

You and your mother should discuss what places you want to visit, how long you want to stay and what you want to see. While its tempting to see as much as you can realistically its not possible, and it may be more satisfying to see a few places in more depth. Even if your mother tells you she will go wherever you want, it may be she always had a desire to see X, and would be disappointed if she didn't. Its also helpful to discus a budget for hotels, transportation, meals and sightseeing so that you can plan your time together.

if you are traveling with a UK student id you may be able to take advantage of student discounts elsewhere in Europe.
BTW in the UK national museums are free, but charge for special exhibits.

for cheap accommodations in London, the university of London rents the dorm space out when classes are not in session.. so does the University of Edinburgh, so if you are with your mother and do not want to stay in a hostel and find the hotels are too expensive this is not too bad an alternative.

@IMDonehere Thank you! I prefer more slowed down trips as well, so hopefully I will be able to convince my mom to clear up our itinerary a bit. I will watch out for those extra fees - I'm sure they try to be sneaky about it.

@Jean Thank you so much for your reply! My mom did the same. I think that things don't always go our way even when we take precautions. However, I really do appreciate dwdvagamundo's sincerity, especially since most of my classmates are much more harsh - as in telling me that English majors are pathetic and useless. It's good to be realistic about life. My generation is not exactly the most realistic bunch.

@maxima Seriously, such great advice! I'm so thankful that you took the time to write that up - I will be using every tip. I have already looked into optional classes and it turns out that some of them offer trips to enrich the learning experience - which could be another option! I will have to ask about spring break opportunities - I hadn't thought about school travel programs for spring break.

Don't buy rail passes too early as they must be used within 6 months of purchase. you also you need to figure out how many days you would be using the pass to determine whether it is worth while or whether other types of fares will cost less.>

another reason not to buy really early is that specials often pop up later - like a free extra day on some passes is not unusual - but if you have already purchased your pass then you cannot change it in for the new promo - you'd have to refund it minus 15 or 20% if after buying you want to change it - things can also happen the preclude traveling to Europe - things you never foresee so yes do not buy a pass too far in advance.

@PalenQ I will definitely keep that in mind! The first day of orientation at the university will be January 8 so I guess I should wait until the late fall/early winter to buy rail passes and such.

Does anyone have any advice on when to book a plane ticket? Also, is booking a roundtrip really the best deal?

Thank you everyone!

so I guess I should wait until the late fall/early winter to buy rail passes and such.>

You can always have someone back home buy a pass and have it shipped to a U.S. address and then they can send it to you - perhaps you will have a better fix on where you want to go once there and meeting others and planning to travel on weekends of breaks with them, etc. So I would not buy months before going.

Railpasses cannot be bought in the U.K. to my knowledge - at least Eurailpasses.

Good for you for taking the opportunity to study abroad, and trying to get some additional travel in as well! Others have given excellent advice, but since you asked for travel stories, I thought I would pass along my experience with study abroad and travel. My junior year of college, I studied for a semester in Berlin (1998). My school was academically rigorous, but as someone noted above, my study abroad program (through the same school) definitely was a bit less rigorous so that students had more time to immerse themselves in the culture. You would have to contact students that have experienced your specific Norwich program to find out if that's the case for you. As such, we did not have class on Fridays (or maybe just one first thing in the morning, I can't remember), and we were able to travel more easily on weekends. My general schedule was to alternate spending a weekend in Berlin with a weekend traveling. During the semester, I went to places that were closer to Berlin (all by train) - Amsterdam, Prague, Munich for Oktoberfest, Heidelberg, plus Vienna and Zurich over Thanksgiving break. I used the Let's Go Europe book extensively to find hostels once we arrived in each city. Side note: Zurich is not much of a tourist city so don't make the mistake I did which was to say, I want to go to Switzerland, I guess that means Zurich! Research is your friend!

Following my semester program, I spent two weeks traveling to other parts of Europe with my best friend from high school who had flown out to join me. I planned 2 nights each in Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre, Barcelona, Madrid, and Paris, ending back in Berlin for my flight home. Some overnight train travel was included, since I had a Eurail pass and thought I was so smart to save time and money (no hotel). I was overly ambitious and had no idea how exhausting that type of travel could be, even at age 20. My trip started off well enough in Rome, but since I had not done enough research, I showed up at the Vatican, not knowing that you couldn't enter the Sistine Chapel on a Sunday. We were leaving the next day so I missed it. We showed up in Florence next, and missed the David because the Accademmia is closed on Monday. You get the picture. Once in Cinque Terre, which I loved, there was a train strike the day we were to depart. We had already checked out of our pensione, and just decided to sleep on the beach. We had no camping gear and after drinking a bottle of wine, passed out with only our jackets on. I woke up about 3am freezing to death, and wishing that the sun would come up for several hours. With barely any sleep, we took the long train ride to Barcelona. I was never able to get any sleep on trains, so when we arrived in Barcelona, I slept for most of the day. By then, we were so exhausted, that after a day or two in Barcelona, we skipped Madrid and headed straight for Paris because we had a friend with an apartment there and just wanted to sleep, rest, and relax. After a few days recuperating there, we called the airline once we realized how dumb it was to go all the way back to Berlin for our flight. We were connecting through Brussels back to the US and they let us cancel our first leg, so that we only had to go to Brussels. (I'm sure that would never be allowed today without serious fees!)

I tell you all of this for two reasons. 1) Despite what it might sound like, the trip was an absolute blast and gave me a feel for what traveling in Europe was like. I assumed that I would return so I wasn't too concerned if I missed something in a destination. I have returned to Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, and lots of Italy, so it's not an unrealistic idea. (And I'm only 35 with plenty of years of travel ahead!) 2) You have to be ready for surprises. If it's really important that your mom see specific things, you need to build an itinerary with plenty of wiggle room that doesn't fall apart if you encounter a train strike or unexpected museum closure. If the itinerary is too tight, it falls apart when the slightest thing goes wrong.

And most importantly, seeing the museums and famous sites are worthwhile, but just walking the streets, sitting in cafes, and yes, having bottles of wine on an Italian beach before passing out, can be the best parts of your trip. So leave some time for that too!

Have a terrific time abroad!

@PalenQ Thank you for the advice! I will hold off buying it.

@caze17 Thank you for sharing your story! Sounds like a crazy but amazing time! While I'm sure I'll make plenty of mistakes, I am assured by your story that I can handle them just fine. My mom and I rarely plan much besides the necessary (popular hotels, early bookings) as we prefer to discover most things on our own. I was worried about that, but it sounds like it won't be much of a problem over there... within reason, of course!

Its hard to say when to book a plane ticket as fares vary so much. You can start looking at the fares now and see how far out you can book and at what price. As for roundtrip fares, often they are cheaper but a lot depends on the airline, what airport, day of the week and the month. You will need to buy a ticket here to go to the UK and for your return home.

Once you are in the uk, you can buy plane tickets from uk websites for your trips from the UK.

One of the things you will want to think about is what will you do with all of your things once the semester ends. You may have books, warmer winter clothing that you won't need in the spring/summer. etc. You won't want to drag all that with you for weeks. You can ask anyone you know who has been on the study abroad program or the academic advisor if they have had experience with this. You can look into the cost of shipping things home.. post office or fed ex.

Would your mother fly in and out of the UK if so, you may want to store things and have her take them back in an extra suitcase.. you can always get a cheap one in the UK and if your mother is using carry on luggage she will probably be able to check one bag for free.

I am sure that you already know that you can buy a cheap phone in Norwich and use the local phone service, pay as you go. It will be much much cheaper than using your present plan overseas. You can skype with friends and family and send emails. Also your family here can buy an international phone card for $20 or $30.. its a set number of minutes that are pre-paid. cards are sold in lots of places including BJs and Costco. Its cheaper than using an international plan with any of the regular carriers. I used to have an overseas plan and then dropped it and only use these cards now when calling friends in London.

If you use a hair dryer or straightener do not take the ones you use here. The electric current is different than north America, and they often don't work or will burn out. You can buy inexpensive ones in Norwich, and ask about using them on the European continent.

I don't have a whole lot to add since you have already gotten a lot of good advice:) Mostly I just want to say that I am a mom who joined our DD at the end of her study abroad term and we had a wonderful time. Your mom is like most of us and wants to see everything, but mostly she just wants to spend time with you and so won't really care where that is. Our DS is in the planning stages of his own study abroad term and so it is interesting to hear where he may go.

BTW, DD graduated from college just a year ago, but is in Europe at the moment for work. So yes, you never know when all this traveling around will actually help out in the real world:D

@maxima Thanks so much for all of your help! I think I will buy a plane ticket when my plans solidify a little more. Also, the extra suitcase is an awesome idea! I think that will be better than shipping stuff back home. I did hear that about the phones so I plan on doing exactly that!

@mms Thank you! I'm glad you had a good time! After discussing the trip with my Mom, I realized how little she cares about getting to go everywhere. She really just wanted the experience of seeing Europe and sharing it with me. And congratulations! I'm hoping that it will!

em810--

Haven't been back in a while. Appreciate your response--not disrespectful at all. "My generation is not exactly the most realistic bunch." Neither was mine. I wish I'd taken advantage of the opportunity to travel abroad when I was in college. Glad you're taking advantage.

Every generation thinks it invented sex and rebellion.

The following quote is usually attributed to Socrates.

“Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they no longer rise when elders enter the room; they contradict their parents, chatter before company; gobble up their food and tyrannize their teachers.”

@dwdvagamundo Thank you! I am very excited and grateful for this opportunity.

@IMDonehere Yes, that is very true!

Yup youth is indeed wasted on young people! (George Bernard Shaw). When I went to Europe when in college for six weeks I learned a whole lot more about the real world and coping being totally on my own in a foreign coutnry than anything in college.