I never would have thought that holding a plane ticket to Rome would feel like holding a place ticket home. Every weekend I get the amazing opportunity to explore a new city and every Sunday morning I can’t wait to be back home. Which is Rome. How crazy is that!?

I say Ciao, Si and Grazie in every country I go to instead of Hi, Yes and Thank You. I could walk the 913 bus route with my eyes closed. I am now the one that forgets about giving others personal space instead of just being the one not receiving it.

There is such a routine here now. But not an every day, hourly routine. Every day is still incredibly different. But now, that’s what is routine. Every day I wake up having no idea what the day’s challenges will be. Every night I reflect on the crazy experience I had trying to speak Italian or the cool new piazza I found. Every day I am put out of my comfort zone. Every day I try something new. That is the kind of normalcy I hope to hold on to for a very long time.

I never thought it would feel normal to travel to a new country every weekend. But, every Thursday  night I pack my small NorthFace backpack with similar items that I packed last weekend. I print out my boarding pass and feel normal every Friday morning waking up early, battling the inefficient public transportation and flying to a new country.

Every weekend it is normal to feel completely lost in a new country on a Friday afternoon and then be able to give directions to others by Sunday morning. How has this become normal in just 9 weeks? I have no explanation, but I know I’m going to be sad when it’s gone.

It feels normal to only have wifi twice a day, or even go all day without checking my phone. It’s been so refreshing and is something I want to carry back with me to America.

Everything that was so hard just a few weeks ago is now so normal. I can’t even imagine how this normalcy will change again in the next six weeks. But, I also can’t wait to find out.

 

At the tender age of 3, I was an avid reader. Before I was able to comprehend the magic of words myself, my parents would spend hours reading to me. I read Anne of Green Gables when I was six years old, after previously finishing all the Junie B. Jones and Magic Tree House books. When I misbehaved, my parents would hide my books, rather than limiting time in front of the TV or on the computer.  In fact, I attribute much of my growth – intellectually and spiritually – to the beautiful gift of literature.

That being said, visiting bookshops in foreign countries has recently become one of my favorite activities while studying abroad, whether I am able to understand the language or not. So far, I have had the privilege of visiting a bookstore in Brussels, Belgium, where French is widely spoken, London, England, where I was luckily able to purchase a few books thanks to the fact that I actually speak English, and Amsterdam, Netherlands, where most books are in Dutch, with a limited selection of English books.

Perusing bookshelves full of beautiful masterpieces by renowned authors is nothing short of euphoric. I am absolutely weak for the beauty of words and their ability to tell a beautiful story when strung together in a unique and heartfelt way. This is my nirvana. For an instant, I experience true artistic beauty and I am devoid of any further wanting or desire. I find myself happily wandering from book to book, always searching for translations of my favorite books or anthologies by authors including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, T.S. Eliot, Kate Chopin, and more.

Literature has and forever will be one of my greatest passions, my dearest love, and the comfort I long for when I am a wanderer in an unfamiliar city. Miles from home, and often in places where I do not understand the language, I have found a light that warms my soul and feeds my heart’s desires.

When I first arrived to Sevilla, I knew right away I wanted to buy a bike. One of my favorite hobbies is riding my bicycle and exploring new parts of the city, so after two weeks of longing for one I finally bought one from Decathlon (a Europe-wide sports store). The least expensive bike the store had was the one I chose. A simple, single-gear, foldable bike was what I was looking for and that’s what I got. I spent 160 euros for it and another 15 for a chain lock.

Finally, I was mobile on two wheels. The speed of travel that bikes provide especially in cities like Sevilla where there is only one metro line going east-west and a slow bus system that stop at every stop. Biking is the way to go as long as you know what your doing (and those around you). Another plus, is that the city of Sevilla has over 75 miles of designated bike paths all around the city center and outskirts as well which you would hope would make the city a great destination for bikers. But that is not all the truth, although the bike paths on city streets exist, locals and tourists alike do not respect the paths. People here are oblivious to their even existence which is extremely frustrating when trying to get Uni on time. I frequently find myself use my bell to inform people that they are about to get run over. But the truth is that I cannot complain I am glad that Sevilla is trying to become more like other Nordic countries and establish bike paths that serve the whole community but certainly more signs must be placed around the city informing pedestrians they are walking on a bike only path. Also, keep an eye out for cars. I have recently almost gotten hit by inattentive drivers who think they always have the right of way. Usually they turn and seeing there are not pedestrians they are good to go but bikers exist as well.

Although, these bike paths are extremely expansive and you’ll find them on a continuous network all throughout the city, the planners had to compromise with nature. Some paths are narrow slivers of green path and others in which you must avoid trees. Even sometimes they merge with the road but the green path will continue to guide you with convinient barriers to protect you from malicious cars. One other thing to note is that although there are many miles of bike paths in Sevilla, the city center is where it really lacks. The narrow, cobblestone streets do not make an ideal path for bikes and are extremely painful to bike on given their uneven nature but I suppose there is always a plus to things and consider it as an excuse to ride slower and enjoy the gorgeous sites.

After about three weeks of travel, I’m back in Santiago and have my first class tomorrow. But, obviously I do not want to think about that! So, I’ll share a bit about the month of February, which in this program is a month open for traveling! It took tons of planning and stress beforehand, but my trip included five main stops, Torres del Paine, Chiloé, Pucón, San Pedro de Atacama and Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia.

From this trip, we have our crazy stories of course, met interesting travelers, ran into the same travelers multiple time because South America is actually so small, ran into a few hostel problems and nearly missed a bus, but it was all so amazing!

Torres del Paine is a Chilean national park known for glaciers, mountains, rivers and lakes. It is known all over the world for the W trek and Circuit trek. These respectively are five or ten days each, and it is one of the most popular destinations for backpackers. We decided to take a tour – don’t judge – not everyone enjoys hiking. This allowed us to see the highlights of the park in one day and continue to travel to diverse areas of Chile during our vacation.

For lunch this day, we were supposed to make reservations to eat at the one restaurant that is in the National park. It turns out we did not make this reservation or bring a picnic for lunch, so we went to a small supplies store which is there for the hikers. Not having the reservation ended up being a blessing in disguise. We enjoyed the only food available in the supplies store for lunch which was chocolate and Pringles. But even more special was spending the time right on the water, of a Patagonian lake being so much closer to the nature than we would have ever been in a restaurant.

Our next stop was Chiloé, where upon arriving at our hostel we were told that they did not have enough beds for all of us, despite our reservation! It all worked out, but there is nothing like arriving at a hostel expecting a bed for the night and being told “surprise”. Chiloé was the most laid back destination over the month. We enjoyed a penguin tour, exploring the neighborhoods and waiting for sunsets which unfortunately never happened because of the cloudy weather.

The last stop on our “South” trip was Pucón, the adventure capital of Chile. We were able to white water raft at sunset, zip line across rivers and finally “canyon”. I did really want to either paraglide or skydive while I was there, but for the time we were there it was too windy and the conditions were not safe enough. Out of our three activities, “canyoning” was the favorite. It was an unexpected adventure, as none of us had heard of it before doing it. Essentially, early one morning we went to the office and changed into wet suits, booties, helmets and harnesses. After a short ride, we arrived at the start of our trek with the group. We walked along with the river, sometimes crossing it, other times using it as a natural water slide. And then at three points of our exploration we hit water falls. There we were able to repel down next to and within the water falls into caves. Pucón was absolutely amazing!

After this fourteen day trip all of us were quite tired, but we still had a week until school started. So I met with a friend and within two hours we had booked a four day tour in Bolivia to see the Salar de Uyuni! Ironically, near her host family’s house the only place that was open for us to meet up and plan the trip was Fuddruckers! I don’t think I have ever gone to a Fuddruckers in the States, but I will say their milkshakes are not bad! So for this trip we took a 24 hour long bus ride from Santiago to San Pedro de Atacama. Now, flights are available but obviously were very expensive when we booked two days before leaving. I liked to believe we are young and can rough it sometimes! Overall, the bus ride was not terrible, except for the fact that the AC broke three hours into the trip.

The Bolivia tour was absolutely amazing. We saw white lagoons, green lagoons, rock valleys, a train cemetery and the Salar de Uyuni. No words can describe it.

So, I’m back to reality pretty soon, after two trips of a lifetime. Classes start tomorrow and the goal is to get a schedule with class times and room numbers before they start in the morning (this is my reality in Chilean time).

~Ciao

The bustling streets follow you wherever you go, a maze of stores.  Amidst the castles and the seaside views, you find yourself going back to trains, for this bustling port, is just that, a layover for your adventures. You get to know it for a while, and then embark to travel back in time.

Two days you ride in the beaten tracks. Two days the skies cry. Two days you are met with clouded views. But there lays the heap of rocks, the giant, Vesuvius. You climb it.

Descend only to come face to face to the remains of the city the giant has destroyed. Subtle hints of life peek behind the occasional ray of sun and then splattered against the wall, lies in brushstrokes the daily life of an ancient town.

You see the remains of the cities that once were. Everything still and soundless, until you take the train back to the bustling streets.

 

 

-Walt Disney

I’m writing hot off the heels of my Dramatic Criticism class, where weekly, us students get together with our instructor to painstakingly point out all the flaws in every piece of theatre we see. I find it hard to take part in this class because it’s SO much easier to nit pick personal dislikes than it is to appreciate a certain director or actor or designer’s personal vision for a play. I know they’re just opinions…and I know we’re supposed to be critical (not mean!)…but if we artists don’t defend each other, who will?

So, that’s why the title is what it is! Just enjoy theatre, feel what you feel, if you go into the show wanting to find something wrong with it…well that’s just no fun at all!

ENOUGH! Let me tell you about my adventures this week now!

So, this weekend me and my roommates went on a guided bus tour to Stonehenge and Bath! (So, I guess you can say we got stoned and took a bath…..sorry. Okay, I had to. Stop. I thought it was funny!) On the way to Stonehenge we passed miles and miles of  beautiful farmland separated by hedgerows and stone walls! The whole place really looked like a giant green patchwork quilt. The air was so fresh I could’ve bottled it and sold it to Chinese people who spend their lives breathing in smog! (MAXWELL.) Anyways, this is the crazy thing about Stonehenge…it was constructed between 3000 and 2000 BCE by prehistoric tribes of people. We don’t know WHY. The two types of rock used for the monument were blue stone and sarsen stone. The sarsen stone was dragged from 20 MILES AWAY. DRAGGED. BY PEOPLE. THESE 30-TON SLABS OF STONE. And the blue stone was taken from 3 miles away! WHY on EARTH did they drag these things all the way to THIS spot?? It blows my mind. And the blue stone is volcanic rock so it’s slightly warmer than the sarsen stone. The blue stone is in the inner circle of the formation, so scholars suggest this was a place of healing. Oh, what’s even more remarkable-The arrangement of stones matches up with the solar calendar AND the lunar calendar. (Yeah, big deal, Taylor, they can see the sun and moon, what’s so impressive?) WELL, voices in my head-People in that time lived only to be about 20. The lunar calendar is 18.5 years. Do you know how intelligent these prehistoric people had to be in order to track the movement of the moon over generations and then BUILD a giant stone structure that perfectly aligned with it? SO INTELLIGENT. I have one explanation:

 

ALIENS.

 

Okay, I’m kidding. (OR AM I) But seriously, though, how did they do it? This kind of mystery is so fascinating!!

 

After my mindblowing Stonehenge experience, our chipper tour guide, Alice, corralled the group on to the bus. From Stonehenge, it was another winding road through the countryside (past a LOT of sheepies!) to Bath! The best thing about Bath (besides how it has the only natural hot spring in the UK) are their building regulations! Since historic Bath was built with nearby quarries’ limestone, all new projects must use the architectural style and materials of historic Bath! That way, the whole town looks like this amazing, synchronized civilization! Tall, thin, yellowish buildings nestled in the valley emerged as the bus rounded the last hill. Rows upon rows of them became more detailed as we got closer, revealing the subtle differences and quirks in each. The cobblestone roads shined in the rain when we arrived, making the whole town look like a movie set. We toured the Roman Baths, which was a Roman temple and bathhouse built around an ancient hot spring. It was beautiful to see the hot water making mist in the cold winter air…I could imagine the allure of such a place before central heating became a thing. We all got to taste the water, too, which supposedly heals people because of it’s obnoxious mineral content. (Let’s be real, though, it tasted like pennies and playground equipment-and my sore throat was the opposite of healed!) But hey, it’s fun to pretend! After that, of course, we headed to the local Lush and bought ourselves a couple Bath bath bombs! (They’re bubbling concentrated soap bars that fizz in your bath to make one feel super fancy whilst you marinate in your own person soup-incredibly necessary after a long day in the rain.)

Alrighty, friends-that’s all I’ve got for you today! (PS- I SAW RALPH FIENNES IN THE MASTER BUILDER AT THE OLD VIC AND I CAN’T WAIT TO TELL MY FUTURE CHILDREN THAT I SAW VOLDEMORT PERFORM IN PERSON AND MY LIGHTNING BOLT SCAR DIDN’T EVEN BURN OKAY RANT OVER.)

Okay my mother and my two other favorite women are coming to grace me with their presence tomorrow and I MUST go to bed now so that the day comes sooner! SO FAREWELL! I can’t wait to fill you all in after my mid-semester break adventures!

Cheers!

Taylor

 

I need to make corrections to my last blog post. As it turns out the Milk Market is EVERY WEEK, not an annual thing. I guess I should have been playing closer attention, but I am finally getting used to being here. A lot has happened in my first few weeks here and it just keeps getting better and better. So far, It feels like I have seen almost all of Limerick and it is truly a beautiful city where there is always something to do. I also visited Adare and Cashel where I found little village walks and plenty of castles. Last weekend, a friend and I planned a hiking trip to Doolin in County Clare and were surprised to find ourselves so close to the Cliffs of Moher! So, feeliing adventurous, we decided to walk the entire length of the Cliffs and it completely amazed us. The pictures we took do not do it justice.

If you are going to travel around in Ireland, I highly recommend Bed&Breakfasts because you meet incredibly interesting people and you feel at home. My friend and I stayed at Doll’s Cottage and we had two warm beds and full Irish breakfasts each morning along with some great stories from our hosts and the wonderful company of their big dog called Johnny Depp. Just to give you an idea of Irish hospitality, they gave me one of their coats because they knew mine would not be warm enough and then they drove us to the cliffs so we would not have to take the bus. We even made a stop at St. Bridget’s fountain, which a lot of people pass by. I am so glad we stopped. It was filled with pictures and candles lit for those who come to pray for loved ones who are sick or dying.

If there is one thing I am so happy I did is get involved and join a society. For the sake of keeping some free time to travel and explore, I joined one society which is the International Student Society. Through this, I am able to meet new people not just from Ireland, but from all over. We even plan trips together so we can all explore the country as a group. Just this past weekend, about 30 of us went to the Ring of Kerry and had a great time. We also have weekly movie nights and epic dodgeball games. With all this going on, I can say that I have never in my life been around people who are so nice and welcoming to everyone. Hopefully I will be able to keep in touch with the friends I make here after I go back to America. 

Venturing into the city center on a random Tuesday afternoon for pranzo (lunch in Italian) is a rarity in the typical university education system. However, for an Italian project, my professor asked us to go to one of her favorite restaurants around the city and order in Italian.

My group, consisting of three people total, chose Panino Romanesco as our destination, a quaint little paninoteca near Piazza Navona in Rome. The owner, Simona, is a good friend of my Italian teacher, and she welcomed us with a huge smile and hug as soon as we told her “Siamo studenti di Daniela!” (We are Daniela’s students” in Italian).

Simona homemakes every item in her café, from the bread to the delicious pollo (chicken). Simona happily serves all her customers, most of whom are very Italian and regular customers. Aside from the life-changing panino of grilled chicken and peppers I ate on this beautiful, 65 degree Tuesday afternoon in February, Simona and Panino Romanesco has been on my mind ever since.

The happiness and passion that Simona exudes when a new customer walks into her shop is heartwarming – each customer is welcome, appreciated, and special. Although numerous cultural differences during my time in Italy have allowed me to reflect on how I live my day-to-day life back in the United States, Simona made me reconsider the idea of “happiness” that Americans seem to hold on such a high pedestal.

The difference, however, is that so often we Americans have a dangerous form of myopia – we believe that the only way to achieve happiness or self-worth is through material goods, whether it be the latest iPhone model or the new Lilly Pulitzer dress that rings up to well-over $200. We constantly are wanting, which, arguably, is the basis of why so many Americans are unhappy. We dwell on comparison and our shortcomings, but not on the basis of character or moral goodness, but on materialism and the fatal idealism of the American Dream.

Meanwhile, in Rome, a woman brings light to so many others simply by serving homemade sandwiches every day. Her happiness comes from the ability to nurture customers’ hunger, and, more importantly, ability to bring joy to others through this special talent she possesses.

Perhaps we should all try to be more like Simona, and remember that the important things in life are right in front of us. The best things in life are not things. Cliché? Perhaps. However, I am grateful for this kind Italian woman’s kind soul that allowed me to learn something about myself and the way I live my life.

For those that happen to find themselves wandering around Rome, Panino Romanesco is located at Via di Parione 34.

2016 is the year of the monkey and London held quite a celebration for this Chinese New Year. People of all ages and backgrounds were in attendance and it was exciting to experience the largest Chinese New Year celebration outside of Asia. With events being held in Trafalgar Square and nearby China Town there was an abundance of things to see and do, as people rang in the new year.

It was a very busy scene where the celebrations were being held, with everyone coming out to take part. I was able to try a few different foods and get a glimpse of the traditional dragon dance on the streets of China Town. Seeing the amount of people who were there to celebrate, I could tell that London was a great place to be for the year of the monkey.

-Grandmother Willow, Pocahontas

Hello family and friends!!

I know it’s been a while, but time moves differently when you’ve got 9AM-6PM classes every day and a strong affiliation for napping.

I’m here to fill you in on some of my adventures that I’ve painstakingly wedged in around all the hard schoolwork we’ve been up to here at LDA. But, Grandmother Willow said it right up there- the right path…ain’t always easy, folks. (Is anyone else catching on that all my titles are Disney quotes? I thought that was super clever…)

So, last Thursday I saw the most INTERESTING piece of theatre I’ve seen in my entire life. Okay, so the audience is seated on steep bleachers and the stage is on the floor in front of them. The ENTIRE place is pitch black the whole show…EXCEPT what handheld lighting equipment the actors used to tell the story. It kind of reminded me of Tron. Like, lasers and beams of light showing hallways and doors. Oh, did I mention there was no dialogue? No SPOKEN dialogue. It was sort of comic-booky because there was a monitor that scrolled one line of text at a time on the wall behind the performers. The dialogue wasn’t even that important, though, because the story was being told through meticulous, nuanced movement and LIGHT. Gosh, it was clever. It was about a future where the entire population is equipped with chips in their brains that allows for constant communication, but constant surveillance by the government. There’s a resistance movement to it, and the main character is charged with crushing the uprising, but he finds out that he may empathize more with their cause. He’s given the choice, then, to betray the government and take them down from the inside, or to crush the rebellion like he’s told. It was inspired, apparently, by the Edward Snowden scandal. (The lead’s name is literally Dearden.) It was called “Light” and it won some stuff at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last year.  It underlined the importance all the LaCoq movement work we’ve been doing.

What else…I went to the Vaults (a spooky underground music/party venue) for a Valentine’s Day Ball! My roommates and I dressed up and danced all night to weird folk and jazz bands. Everyone was decked out in “fancy dress” which is what the English call costumes. Some people went ALL out and had fur and masks and feathers, they looked fantastic! I felt like I was conjuring demons with like wiccan as we spun around throwing glitter and feathers. Wait, no! I know what it was like! It was like the nightlife of the Renaissance Faire back home! Like, if those people had a club, it would be like this. Gosh, it was cool. Alexa even did a love potion spell with this lady dressed as an owl!

I ALSO went to the worlds GREATEST outdoor marketplace. It’s called the Borough Market and it’s in the heart of London, but it’s full of foreign cheeses, wines, fruits, veggies, pates, fish, meats, pastries, breads, oils, sweets, candies, and anything else you could possibly imagine. Now, when I picture heaven, that’s what I think it’s gonna be like. Food everywhere. And everyone wants you to try their food! They just leave little trays of it out on the counter and you can walk up and eat as much as you want! and the SMELLS. Oh my GOODNESS. You’re hit with warm cider brewing, then you turn and get sharp smell of cheese, then crisp baked bread… then garlicky oils…then meat pies! I can’t emphasize my love for this place enough! I’m taking my mom and friends when they visit for spring break for SURE.

WELL, I had quite a few adventures this week, but they weren’t easy to cram in to my busy schedule. Sitting here reminiscing has reminded me how important it is to push through the exhaustion and hit these fun and exciting experiences. Sometimes I just have to stop and remember WHERE I am! LONDON. How could I possibly nap in a place like this? With all these experiences and places open for me?! Oh, I’m just getting started. A week from tomorrow marks my mother’s arrival and the beginning of mid-semester break. Let the adventure continue!!

Cheers!

Taylor