A Tribute to Anitas

If you have been studying abroad this spring semester and you have not been to Anita’s Gelato, you are truly missing out​

I first discovered this gelato chain in Tel Aviv, Israel this summer when I was interning there. I spent the whole summer raving about my favorite gelato place “Golda” to my best friend Ally, who I coincidentally met while interning in Israel, as she argued with me claiming her favorite gelato place, “Anita‘s” was better. I constantly raved about the vegan cookie flavor and she would nonstop talk about the tart with Oreo sauce. The summer had ended and I never got to try Anita’s and she never got to try Golda. we had promised each other we will take a trip back to Israel to try each other‘s favorite gelato places. 

Ally and I had continued to keep in touch once the summer and it and we decided to study abroad in Barcelona for the spring semester together. We were roommates this semester and one night we decided to go on a walk around our neighborhood. Midwalk we had stumbled upon Ally’s favorite gelato place from Israel, Anitas! upon walking in, I instantly recognized the aesthetic of the ice cream shop and saw my vegan cookie gelato flavor. after speaking with the owner, Ben, we had a realize that Anita’s and Golda have the same owners and are simply the same gelato shop!

We were constantly posting about this gelato shop on social media, and as word spread quickly it came many peoples favorite and go-to ice cream shop. as previously mentioned and learned, social media is a way to reach a large audience with one simple post and this is a prime example. Social media is a main way many people get their information today, which has also been confirmed in a Forbes article that found 50% of individuals surveyed said the first place they get their information from is social media (Forbes).

Throughout this semester, Anita‘s became a regular dessert spot for my roommates and I. Our constant visits to this gelato shop has helped us form relationships with the workers. Regardless of the cultural barrier, we were able to create friendships and become “regulars” on a first name basis!

There are Anita’s and Goldas located around the world, from Australia to Barcelona to Israel to New York (Anita)! Anita is most popular known for their homemade gelato and sauces. From Oreo sauce to pretzel sauce, these sauces are able to target any taste buds! there is a variety of toppings to pick from and make sure to go on an empty stomach because this gelato shop is not shy with their portions! You are also able to order literal boxes to your apartment or home via Glovo!

Anita Is more than a gelato place to my roommates and I, it is a place that we enjoy being out together and will be a major memory of my study abroad in Barcelona experience. Additionally, this tart with pretzel sauce and Oreos has deepens my friendship with Ally and I am forever greatful for that. as the years go on and I continue my world travels, I hope to find more Anita‘s locations around the world.

Abroad coming to a close

As the Spring 2022 abroad semester is coming to a close, there are a lot of different memories and experiences to look back on. From weekly class to weekend travels, spending four months in Barcelona was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I am eternally grateful for.

With these experience comes lasting memories that all abroad students would like to remember forever. In order to do this, it is important us students use social media and our cell phones to keep memory of what occurred throughout the semester.

Whether it be Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok or Facebook, students are constantly keeping in touch with the “outer abroad bubble” in order to make these memories lasting. Social media has a large influence on students study abroad experiences beyond realization. Social media makes it easy for us abroad students to keep in touch with friends and family overseas in a simple and efficient way. abroad students are able to post one photo on Instagram and reach thousands of their followers without having to communicate and send these photos individually.

Oxford dictionary defines FoMO as “anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on social media” (Oxford Dictionary). To put it simply, FoMO is short for “fear of missing out”. I personally have expirence FoMO a lot throughout my life, as I enjoy being involved in every experience my friends go through and get upset when I am unable to be there with then. This idea goes both ways, as abroad students are missing a semester at their university. On the other hand, this heavy use of social media seen by abroad students can increase the presence of FoMO since they are posting content from all around the world (Hetz).

A popular app that I have used in the past is called 1SE, or 1 Second Everyday. This is a pretty self explanatory app, where you record a short 1 second clip about your day, and this app puts each clip together to create a short film to remember your days. This app is popular among abroad students and is a great way for them to keep track of what they have done abroad during their busy days.

All in all, study abroad and social media go a lot more hand in hand than you may think. As the years go on and social media has revolutionized, abroad students have been seen posting more and more on social media in regards to their study abroad experience. It is easier today than it used to be for friends and family back and home to catch a case of “FoMO” due to the increase in posting.

The Weekend Travels

Studying abroad is an amazing once in a lifetime opportunity and give students the chance and not only see an experience the place of study that they may choose, but also travel to nearby places. The weekends are perfect time for travel and to immerse ourselves in new cultures that have been previously unknown to us American abroad students. Weekends are short and often go by quickly so it is important to plan ahead and ensure you are experiencing everything!

Abroad has had a positive experience on my life and this travel has helped me grow as a person and learn new things about myself and different cultures. I am so thankful that I was given this opportunity and feel Study abroad programs have a positive impact on students lives. being able to have said I have been to multiple countries all while taking classes and increasing my learning is an opportunity I am so thankful to have had.

Positives Surrounding Podcasts

Merriam-webster defines podcasts as music or talk that’s been made available in either a digital format for automatic download over the Internet (Merrimack-webster). There are so many different podcasts since they can be created by anyone. I, am I’m sure you do also, personally know people who have started their own podcasts. Podcasts have grown in popularity throughout the years and can be listened to and streamed on almost any mobile device in multiple different ways.

Apple Podcast App

Since podcasts is “walkway content” and being abroad we travel on planes and trains each weekend, I have found a new love for Podcasts. One of my personal favorite podcasts is We Met At Acne. This podcast is hosted by Lindsey Metselaar, a 30-year old married woman who discusses dating for millennials in today’s time. On top of dating, Lindsay also discusses sobriety and is known to be a safe space for those trying to get sober or know someone who is trying to get do so. This partner began in 2017 and has over 200 episodes (Dear Media). This podcast can be found on multiple platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. As much as Lindsey gives her own personal advice, she is seen having guests on this podcast. Podcasts can often come across as subjective, as it is almost viewed as a one-way conversation. Lindsey does a good job reminding her viewers and followers that this is her personal opinion, since people do tend to ask questions that are mainly opinion based. Especially when discussing this topic, each person handles their own differently, and there is no “right” way to have a relationship so sometimes podcasts on this topic can come across as very opinionated and Lindsey does a good job of not being judgemental when stating her opinion.

Social media is important, especially with podcasts. Podcasts have a particular audience, as more people are known to use other social media platforms such as Instagram or Snapchat. In a lot of cases, I have learned about podcasts through other media platforms. Specifically, We Met at Acme has an Instagram account with 76.5 K followers. On this account, Lindsey posts polls asking relationship and general questions on her story so her listeners and followers are able to interact with her account. This is how I first found my personal favorite podcast. I began following this account a while before I had even listened to the first podcast.

We Met at Acme Podcast lingo

Many podcasts make the listeners feel connected to the speakers. This is a difficult task, yet many influencers who have successful podcasts have the ability to do so. The content needs to get from the “receiver” to the “transmitter” in a clear and communicative way. A big factor to a successful podcast is clear audio. It’s a great way to get the “inside scoop” on your favorite celebrities and influencers.

Bo de B

Bo de B is a family-owned sandwhich and plate shop that serves the most delicious food. This restaurant might be small yet probably serves more people a day then your local Barcelona Café. This restaurant seems to be every abroad students favorite place to eat and go to after class seems to be every abroad students favorite place to eat and go to after class.