Reimagined from the bones of an old fish cannery, the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California, stands apart as one of the top aquariums in the world. The expansive 3.3-acre, 320,000-square-foot facility melds into the Monterey Bay taking advantage of its unique position as part of a National Marine Sanctuary.

This past weekend was surreal! As part of our study abroad program, the program director invited us this past weekend to La Serena and Vicuna, a six-hour drive north of Santiago. I am so grateful that we took rest stops to stretch our legs, because I would have gone insane. Given that our trip is coming to an end in less than a month, it was such a perfect way to spend time together as a group.