Istanbul
As promise I have pictures. It was a 6 hour bus ride with only three hours of sleep then a long ass day to get all of there. But it was amazing so I can’t complain to much because it…
Some tips.
Throughout my time abroad, I’ve been keeping a really rough document on my computer with some tips that I’ve come up with for studying abroad. Some of them seem trivial, but they are things I wish I had considered. Join…
Being human.
Are we ever really our “real” selves in another country, another language? I’ve been spending a lot of time with our Chinese roommates lately, and a hot topic is whether the “us” that they know is really the “real” us…
Vibrant Vitoria
Vitoria is a city in the Basque country, only a few hours away by train from San Sebastian. Emily had a much shorter time there than me due to the lack of choice of trains in her being able to…
Ripped Off in San Sebastian
Maybe the title of this post is a bit harsh. But it being a place that attracts many tourists, the businesses in the industry will want to squeeze as much money out of you as possible. San Sebastian is a…
Hiatus Broken.
I took a small hiatus from writing this blog. Things got very crazy with the start of May and I got a new co-worker. I figured it’s more fun to go out and have things to blog about as opposed…
Next Steps
Next steps? That’s a big question. I have a lot on my plate. Well, this summer I plan to work as well as intern at the California Department of Justice. I need to research law schools , how to pay…
Special Thanks
GOD: For obvious reasons. For lifting me up. For proving to me again and again that I can do whatever I put my mind to. For being there at all times and never leaving me. For allowing me to conquer…
My Return Home
My return home and flight experience was relatively simple…considering everything I had and did. I went to sleep really late after washing my hair, which wasn’t bad at all because I can never sleep before a big trip. I didn’t…
Battle of the Week
All that weight I claimed I lost has come right back lol. It doesn’t help that I’ve been gorging on all the food I see and want since it’s my last week here. Operation cleanse and summer body will be…
Week 18: LAST WEEK OF STUDY ABROAD!
Last week in this thang bro! Surreal!Sunday was Mother’s day (in the states and in Italy) and I gave my homestay family the gifts. This was only after talking to my dad and questioning whether or not I should. He…
This Last Week, The First of The Goodbyes
So, today I had to say goodbye to one of the amazing people I’ve met here in London, and here is how we all spent her last week (relatively)together. Saturday May 11- Today, Chong, Marie, Mai Lea, Tamara, Deana…
Taking a Break
Ok, so I’ve been off a while..But here’s the thing, I worked my butt off to get my finals done before Sarah got here and of course I failed at that one!!! But since she left, I’ve gotten two of…
Day 12: Group Dinner and Excursion
Guess what!! I’m all caught up on my posts!! FINALLY! Today, there was a gelato festival right outside of our school. Apparently there is always something cool happening, which is awesome! I am yet to try this gelato, but don’t…
Days 10 and 11: Class
Wednesday and Thursday were just typical days at school. I didn’t do anything special. Here is a picture of a typical lunch break: On Wednesday night, Anthony, Monica, Lexie, and I went to Tijuana, a Mexican restaurant for dinner. Their margaritas…
Day 9: Cooking Class
On Tuesday, we went to in Tavola, which is a place that teaches cooking classes. We made these eggplant zucchini stack things for our antipasto. Then, we made pasta from scratch with meat sauce (ragu) and just plain tomato (pomodoro)…
Day 8: Benedictine Monastery
Day 7: Sunday was a day to get caught up on all our homework and sleep. I had a project due on Monday about Virgil and Limbo. You can find it here: http://prezi.com/wthxyenr-898/untitled-prezi/?kw=view-wthxyenr-898&rc=ref-41315097 Day 8: We visited the Badia, which is…
Why I should watch my body language and Assistant Language Teacher
First of all, I feel really embarrassed. Just like… I kind of suspected what my ”fault” yesterday was, but it’s more of a misunderstanding. First of all, my teacher is not really angry (anymore). It’s not like she said anything…
Sweden Observations 2.0
Here are some more observations I’ve made on Sweden -For some strange reason, while there are two doors to accommodate for people going in and out of a building, only one door is capable of being opened. -Once it’s…
Day 6: Day Trip to Pisa
Saturday was our first day trip! We took the train to Pisa, then once we got to Pisa we took the bus to Piazza dei Miracoli. This is where the leaning tower, baptistry, and cathedral are located. First, we took…
My teacher seems to be angry with me…
…And I have no idea why :O After class, friends told me that my teacher is angry with me, and started to explain why because I had/still have no idea. Something with a boy, silence, and me being bad. I…
Living in Frontier House
When I got my housing assignment I was told I had a double in Frontier House. So like most people I started googling and couldn’t really find anything besides blog posts. So I thought I’d write another one to give…
ACCEPTED
Well as you may have guessed from the title…I AM OFFICIALLY AN EXCHANGE STUDENT! Got the email last night letting me know my application was successful and that I will be a student in London come September! So now I…
Priorities and Torn Decisions
It’s getting down to a month and a half until leaving Fiji. I must say, there are some things I am looking forward to going home to. Like my puppy, family, friends, food, and no school. However, overall, I really…
Road Trip to Oslo
A few weeks ago, someone posted in our International Student fb group asking if anyone would be interested in renting a car and going to Oslo, Norway for a weekend. I had been wanting to go there all semester, especially…
The Unmissable Guggenheim and Bilbao
Before I left for Spain, my mum presented me with a stack of books that she’d bought from the library that were all about Spain. I couldn’t bring them all so settled on a lonely planet book which covers everything.…
Home Sick
So never had home sickness before but it’s starting to get bad. I will be home in 24 days and that 24 days is taking forever. I know that I have been here for over 90 days and 24 is…
Photogenic Seals in Santander
UPDATE 19/05/13: Okay,I just want to clarify that the seals and penguins weren’t flapping around on the beach. I say in the paragraph before the first seal photos that the man at tourist information told me that there was a…
You Can’t Not Go
There I was, waiting by the bus stop for the SHAWCO bus to Manenberg. Tuesdays are my long days, 8am-5pm, and finishing the school day by attempting to make 11 and 12 year olds learn math is not exactly relaxing.…
A cool idea
So I got this wonderful idea from Kaci Harrison; applying a soundtrack to my study abroad experience. My playlist may be a little odd…I”m in Japan and I love Japanese, Korean, Instrumental, and few American songs. My experience has just…
Starting over from the beginning of my experience
Aaaahhhhhh! So I’m sitting on the floor of my almst empty bedroom in my apt and I could literally cry. I’ve had to unpack/pack like 5 times and still there were things that were left out… So that was Sunday…
Glass Factory (Photos)
This week, one of my classes paid a visit to the nearby glass bottle company. I also like making picture posts when I’m tired and exhausted from doing real work. Here, the molten glass in dropped into moulds and formed…
노량진 and Octopus (Video)
*Older Post* So yesterday I went with my buddy group to Noryangjin fish market and got some fresh flatfish, another kind of fish, shrimp, and live octopus! The place smelled like I was standing near the ocean. Even though it…
Fast and Furious 6 Cast Appearance
I went with a friend to Time Square building in Korea to see a part of the cast from the upcoming movie, Fast and Furious 6! We arrived there at around 4pm and they weren’t expected to show up until…
Busan Trip
So on the weekend of May 3-5 I went to Busan with some friends and stood at a hostel 2 minutes walking distance from Haeundae Beach (해운대해수욕장). We left Seoul at 10:15AM and arrived in Busan at around 12:45PM. From…
Guggenheim
Last weekend Anna and I went to the north of Spain and in only three and a bit days we managed to see a lot of places. We started off in Santander and then went on to Bilbao, San Sebastian…
Happy Queen’s Day (Day 86)
I had been looking forward to April 30th for a few weeks now? Why, you may ask? Because its Queen’s Day! What is Queens Day you may ask. Let me explain this Dutch Holiday. Yes, you read that right, Dutch.…
What normal Japanese Bento Boxes look like
It’s weird, at first, because the food is cold, but it tastes good Under it is also another Box with rice, which is standard^^ I eat it at 12:40 at school with friends
I’m the new guy
Hello everyone… I’m a GUC(German University in Cairo) engineering student & I hope I can find friends here from all over the world. I know nothing and nobody here. plz comment.
Things you should consider pt. 4
Here is a list of things you should try eating in Korea. I had composed a list of food you should try ^^ i wanted to write a description for each one but if you need me to describe something…
Do you get homesick often?
Mhm… Overall, I’m not really homesick. It depends on the situation. Usually, I have moments when I really want to be home or at least understand the language better. This occurs mostly when my hostmother tries to explain me things,…
Seeing Parallels Between Different Cultures
Tonight starts the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, a holiday on which the Jewish tradition believes is the anniversary of the day that the Jewish people received the Torah, our holy text. This is a holiday marked by lots of study,…
Tips to Packing Lightly (You’ll Thank Yourself Later)
One of the most terrifying aspects of study abroad is figuring out how you’re going to get everything home. Let’s be honest here. If you’re living in another country for weeks or months, you’re going to buy stuff. And probably…
Eurovision 2013 “Euphoria” by Loreen (video)
Loreen – Euphoria – Live – Grand Final – 2012 Eurovision Song Contest (by eurovision) This will be the first time I’ve watched Eurovision!! You barely even hear about it back home in the States—not sure why—and I’ll be happily…
Dream Destination
Well, today’s the day! My plane leaves for Atlanta, Georgia in less than 8 hours and then after a layover, departs for Charles de Gaulle! It’s nearly impossible for me to register the fact that I’m going to Paris for 5…
Silent Protest (Day 75)
One of the coolest things about Rhodes is that, traditionally it has been a fairly liberal school, fighting for human dignity and speaking out against injustice. Today, marks the 7th annual Silent Protest, a day speaking out against sexual violence…
Cage Diving with Great Whites (Day 62)
Bright and early on Saturday morning, at 5:45 AM, Miranda and I woke up for our cage diving adventure. We put on our swimsuits and warm clothes while half asleep, shuffling around in our dark room. It was too early…
Happy Mother’s Day to the Women I love
Thank you the blog Life’s Letter for giving me the idea for this blog post Many times over the last year people have said to me “Its amazing that you have been able…
School Festival^^
Today, I was at the school festival from the school of my hostbrother. There were many different kind of food stands, and the okonomiyaki was really delicious^^. The students sell stuff to raise money for their clubs. I went there…
A Study Abroad Soundtrack
The saying goes something like music speaks where words fail, right? Right. It does. And what’s cool is that you can condition yourself to have certain songs remind you of certain moments in your life. Or sometimes it will trigger…
Perspective
Being abroad has helped me figure out who I am and to think about issues from a broader perspective. I grew up in a well-to-do town outside of Boston, MA. My life was very self-centered, and my parents helped me in…
Food
When I came to Switzerland, I packed my suitcase and a half to the brim – with snacks. (That way I also would have room for goodies to bring home.) I knew I would miss American food, but there were…
Taking a turn about town
“Dar una vuelta” is one of my favorite Spanish phrases. Literally translated, it means “to give a turn” and is used to say “to take a walk.” My principal pastime in Madrid is dar una vuelta because that is the way that…
Gotland- An Island Adventure
This past weekend I got to explore more of Sweden! The VIS put together a weekend getaway to the Islands of Gotland and Fårö and it was simply amazing. We left Vaxjo Friday afternoon, arrived at the harbor in the…
Sea Battle
So, Sea Battle. What exactly is Sea Battle I’m sure you’re all asking? Sea Battle is a trip through ESN (Erasmus Student Network), which is also the network that my student org VIS (Vaxjo International Students) is a part of.…
Day 65-67: Trip to the North of South Korea
April 26-28, 2013 No excuse, just laziness on my part as always. Anyways, here’s another very late post: Midterms is FINALLY OVER and the fun BEGINS! Even before I got accepted at Ewha, one of the places I knew I…
Danish Language Quirks
There’s a lot you can learn about a culture from their language, and Danish is no exception. If you’re attempting to learn Danish (and I don’t even know if it’s worth it unless you plan to live here for a…
Weekend in Daejeon and Sejong
As the two posts before eluded to I went away last weekend to visit one of my friends from my home university UNCA. I loved getting a chance to see another city that wasn’t Seoul and could really see myself coming back…
96 days!! Oh my…
Oh my… We have hit the under 100 day mark until I leave for Spain! Gosh it seems like when I applied for this program my countdown was over 300 days, now I am under 100 days. It is all…
Surprise!
I’m not sure that I knew what to expect coming to Morocco. I didn’t have all of these preconceived notions… at least not that I could pinpoint. However, the following is a small list that I kept running throughout the…
110 days to go!
I’m down to 110 days until I leave for London. I still have to book a plane ticket, but other than that I’m all set. I got into all my classes I wanted at Regents. I’m taking two art history…
Everyone is going home, but me
Classes are ending next week, and finals are around the corner. Everyone is talking about how excited they are to see their families and to go back to the States, except me. I am one of the weird cases. I…
Upon Returning Home
I have now been home for eleven days. But it has finally settled down into something less than chaos. I landed in the States on April 27th, was home until the 30th before returning to campus in Evansville, and then…
Día 65: Examenes Parciales y frases en español
Día 65 en Perú. el lunes, 6 de mayo 2013 Estoy en Lima, Perú. Midterms Abroad: Midterms (examenes parciales) are well on their way. I mean, I’ve already had two. One remains – my Arqueología Peruana 3 – which I…
A Buckeye in Budapest
Well I’ve been in Budapest for 5 days now and I can say with full confidence that I’m in love with this city. Everyone we’ve encountered has been gracious and welcoming. The city is beautiful and strikingly clean. The food…
甚平を作りましょう!
Hello once again all! Sorry, I’m a little back-logged on posts <:c Today, let’s talk about Jinbei! Back on April 6th, my friends and I participated in a Let’s Make Jinbei! event at Kansai Gaidai. Jinbei is casual/traditional Japanese summer…
Amazing
I’m just sitting in my room with the balcony doors open, soaking up the Spanish evening (and trying not to observe the two pigeons currently having sex on my balcony), and it’s suddenly hit me that it’s already May. The…
Howdy!
I’m Lauren and I am a junior at Texas A&M studying International Commerce with a focus on Europe and Spanish. I will be spending this summer studying in Barcelona. My adventure begins on May 19th and I’ll be home mid-August.…
Samurai for one day
As always, I need time to write. Sorry, I’m kind of lazy and the tests we have every day don’t help. Howvever, briefly: at the end of April we went to Kamakura. Unfortunately the weather was rainy,so we…
La filla de Longas
Being the daughter of an artist…there’s too much to say about it. Sometimes I forget. The numerous oil paintings sprinkled around the house in every room and on every wall become a daily pleasure. Something my eyes are not exactly…
Ma main est sale
Last Saturday my silks bag was slung over my shoulder as I made my way to my favorite tree in all of Barcelona. Of course, I was expecting that I’d be welcomed by its open branches just begging me to…
Stopmotion Adventure
Stopmotion Adventure in the UK Click on that! I met this crazy girl Kara, from North Carolina, and she’s become a great friend and a shining addition to my study abroad experience. Check out this really neat video she made…
It’s almost time.
So… hey there. I haven’t posted in a while and I am sorry about that. My program is coming to an end pretty quickly here. I think I have about 11 days left. Which is super scary and exciting all…
Isle of Skye
Time is running out so I decided to hit up the Isle of Skye this weekend. I went with the school’s International Society and I can honestly say there is nothing worse than school trips. I felt like I was…
Goals for May
May rolled around very quickly. Ridiculously quickly. If this is the speed things keep moving at I will be in New Zealand in not much more than a blink of an eye. News on my NZ passport: Although the forms…
Calling All Romans!
The countdown is becoming slimmer and slimmer everyday. 50 days left till I leave America and embark on my journey. I am running four other blogs and have been dealing with finals and final projects. Busy busy busy! Still trying…
Photo Sticker Booths
So one fun activity are photo sticker booths. Photo sticker booths started in Japan but have also spread throughout Asia including to South Korea.I think photo booths are fun but you do have to have a sense of humor when…
A Fast Three Days
Ok, so since I’ve last updated my blog I’ve picked my friend up from the airport, gone to the Making of Harry Potter Tour(yes, again), gone to Wales(which included the Doctor Who Experience, the Torchwood Wall and the entire Cardiff…
A Wee Weekend in Scotland (photos)
A basic summation of my March weekend in Edinburgh, Scotland, with and by the ever-lovely Miss Andrea.
Bridal Shower
Today I went to a lovely Moroccan bridal hammam. I suppose you could call it a literal bridal shower. My sweet friend Oumaima organized it and my friends from my study abroad program came. We went to the traditional Moroccan…
Andy Abroad: Edinburgh (3/15-3/18)
Andy Abroad: Edinburgh (3/15-3/18) manchester-ing: Yeah, it’s been almost 2 months since I actually went to Edinburgh. But I’ve gotta record these thoughts somewhere so oh well. Friday I took a miserable 6ish hour bus trip up to Edinburgh, Scotland,…
Simply Ferntastic
I am not ashamed to say that “Simply Ferntastic” is the motto of New Zealand Educational Tours, and I just stole it for this post, because, after all, this post is all about my NZET South Island adventure. Day 1:…
Goodbye Netherlands, hello Denmark.. or Austria?
Apparently the Magellan Exchange office had a problem with Zuyd School in Maastricht. They weren’t answering the mails nor sending the info we needed to for my friend and my exchange. So they decided to cancel all transitions between them.…
Chocolate and Cheese (Photos)
Well, like I mentioned 2 weeks ago, I took a weekend trip to the chocolate factory and the cheese factory. First stop: the Cailler chocolate factory! The various kinds of beans (for the purpose of smelling the flavors): As a chemical…
116 days to go!
A little less than four months to go until I leave! Crazy, crazy. This last few week has been exciting. I got my official course schedule. I have classes Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, giving me a four day weekend every.…
Journeys.
“Youth is a long journey, (yet) one can not go back to it.” －致青春 (So Young, a Chinese movie) Between watching this movie and listening to the nine-year-olds at the table next to me having an existential crisis, I’ve been…
Tough Mudder
http://tarynlathrop.wordpress.com/ So I will fly to Europe in 116 days. woo whoo. Also in a week I will go back home to California and finally not have to be surrounded by the dusty everything New Mexico has to offer. Any…
