Since I was a little girl my mother has instilled in me the belief that kitchen scissors are one of god’s many gifts to the earth. They are the kitchen’s most essential tool. Need to cut Eggo waffles fast so you can feed your three children? Kitchen scissors. Need to cut a rack of ribs fresh off the grill? Kitchen scissors. They are so essential in fact that we always had multiple pairs: a blue pair, matching the theme of my mother’s kitchen, and a black pair with silver details that came with a fancy knife set. They are invaluable to the preparation of almost every meal, and because of their value it was a spoken rule of the house that they were never to leave the kitchen. This rule was of course not always abided by, and it was common to reach for them only to find that they weren’t in their proper resting place. This moment of disappointment was always followed by a desperate plea of ‘Where are the kitchen scissors?’ and then followed, hopefully, by the return of the scissors to their appropriate home: the kitchen.

Whilst studying abroad my junior year of high school, I discovered that human dependence on kitchen scissors was also present in Italy. Within the first week of arriving at my host family’s house in Vicenza, among other crucial vocabulary words, I learned the Italian word for scissors (forbici). My Italian grandmother even commented one afternoon on the universality of scissors when the mystery of the missing kitchen scissors stuck once again. She yelled, ‘Dove sono le forbici?’, before turning to me and asking if this was a problem that households had in the United States as well. Last year while staying with my boyfriend’s family in Bordeaux, the third French phrase I learned was ‘Où sont les ciseaux?’. Scissors are life.

A few weeks ago Binu, a friend in the program, suggested I try a street vendor who sells bún thịt nướng outside our dorm early in the morning. Eager to switch up my breakfast routine I wandered out of Bach Khoa early around 7:30am. I waited in line for a few minutes and when it came time for the vendor to make mine, she pulled out an old pair of kitchen scissors and went to work cutting lettuce and slicing spring rolls. Suddenly in a world full of unfamiliar utensils and food preparation methods, I felt at home standing on the street watching her skillfully use scissors to fill a to-go container with lettuce, herbs, and bean sprouts; then piling it high with rice noodles, fried spring rolls, grilled pork and finally garnishing it with pickled carrots, radish, and peanuts. This woman got it, she understood the importance of scissors and, just like that, I was hers and her delicious bún thịt nướng was mine.

It is safe to say that kitchen scissors are a global phenomenon and each time I watch bún thịt nướng lady prepare food I am reminded of my own mother and her yellow and blue kitchen that greeted me each morning. To me, kitchen scissors are a consistent and peculiar reminder that people everywhere –  regardless of a million different factors like language, nationality, and religion – are really all just the same.

 

 

 

 

It’s been quite awhile since I’ve written! Mostly because I was enjoying fall break in Mykonos, Greece, and Milan, Italy for the past couple of weeks.

For those of you who think my semester abroad sounds like a nice little vacation – let me tell you – the classes I’m taking are actually pretty difficult. My “Rome: Aesthetics” class, for example, is both my most favorite course and my most challenging.

Since day one of the semester, the study of aesthetics in philosophy is a subject that took me by surprise as one of my most favorites. Perhaps it peaks my interest because in Rome, I am constantly surrounded by all sorts of aesthetically pleasing architecture, art, and people. It could also be partially due to the fact that I’m an art major. The class focuses on different philosophers and their opinions on subjects like taste, beauty, and what defines an artist. I don’t want to get too in depth, because it’s a dense sort of subject; but it delves into topics of how a person should approach beauty, what a work of art should do for a person, and how it all fits into the grand scheme of life. I truly believe this class has given me a different perspective on places I’ve traveled that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. In places like Germany, Switzerland, and Greece, I have been able to look at both natural and artistic beauty with this class in mind.

Greece, in particular, was a place where the study of aesthetics was constantly in my thoughts. Probably because it is stunning, really. Yes, for me, the beauty of Greece tops every place I have been abroad, even Switzerland. Right now, if you picture Greece in your head, I want you to multiply the beauty by 10. The houses and buildings are white as ever, stacking along the mountains and hills as close as they can get. The water is so, SO blue. You can open your eyes underwater and see everything. The Greek people always have smiles. There is not much green, but still, the desert-sort-of landscape is rich in beauty.

In relation to aesthetics in Greece, I want to talk about something that played a part in my experience there: photography. Let me start off by saying that in all my time spent in Europe, I never regretted taking my camera somewhere. I think it was our third day in Greece that I took my Canon T5i to Paradise Beach. Me and my friends wanted a break from the pool to a public place where we could get lunch and relax. As I picked up my camera to take photographs, I remembered something I learned in aesthetics class. Philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote that to view beauty and truly have an aesthetic experience from it, one must be devoid all interest. This means, in simple terms, that they stop wanting anything and everything, and are only focused on the beauty of that subject. In class, we discussed that in contemporary times, it means not taking photographs of something beautiful. For example, when seeing Michelangelo’s David, we must approach it without desiring anything from it, even something as little as a photograph.

My mind danced over that subject for a few moments before I started taking photographs. But in contrast to Kant and probably, to my professor, I do not agree.

All day, I took photographs of the beach and of my friends. And for me, this enhanced my experience. For me, photography wasn’t “throwing in interest.” For me, the art of photography WAS the aesthetic experience. It was through the lens of my camera that I was able to find the most beautiful moments in both people and in nature. They are seconds frozen in time, ones I know I will thank myself later down the road for having captured on film. I have found that in the split second of taking a picture, a person usually reveals some part of their personality. This glimpse of inner self is the most meaningful kind of photograph in my opinion. It is what makes me keep snapping them. I have to believe that all photographers feel the same way.

Enjoy some pictures I took of some of the beautiful people I have met abroad!

      

While I don’t agree with Kant, it should be noted that this class allowed me to really contemplate this subject. In that sense, I am learning more about myself and what I believe in. As much as I have enjoyed my studio classes like drawing or painting, they have never revealed these sorts of things about me to myself. YES, I can confidently say that I like learning about philosophy. Trust me, I was surprised, too!

My family has been in Rome for the past week, so hopefully I can share my experience with them and our travels in my next post. Ciao!

Today marks the end of my ninth week in Vietnam. During that time, I have had plenty of ups and downs as we started classes, spent time with our partners, took our 10-day excursion to the North and Central Regions of Vietnam, and got settled into a routine. Overall, I’ve been enjoying my time here, but the last two weeks have brought around that mid-semester slump – ya know, the one where free time with friends becomes non-existent due to midterms and projects and it’s a constant battle with procrastination.

To be honest, I had been warned that the mid-semester slump while studying abroad came with its fair share of home-sickness, but because I had traveled for four months before the program started and had not yet experienced an extended case of it, I think I thought I would get through the semester without it. I couldn’t have been more wrong. It doesn’t help that Chicago is alive with the excitement of the Cub’s success and the World Series is right around the corner.

I find myself dreaming of my mom’s apple creations, homemade hard cider and raking leaves (yes, I’m surprised, too…). Without homemade desserts to distract me, it has become increasingly more difficult to manage my stress. In the past few days though, I think I have begun figuring out what works best for me.

For one, I have been cooking more meals in the dorm after discovering that kettles are a beautiful thing. I have made everything from hummus to lentil soup and discovered how refreshing it is to have fresh vegetables and a homemade snack once in a while. I have also relearned the importance of slowing down, taking a deep breath and making time for myself – which can be very difficult in a program with 17 students that live in close quarters and take most of their classes together. Additionally, long Skype conversations with loved ones and the occasional western meal by myself have been overwhelmingly beneficial as I start to climb out of my slump.

Of course, everyone handles stress differently, and I think most, if not all, of my peers are feeling a similar way. Some have gotten massages or pedicures, others have sought more alone time, while still others turn to a good night out to help lift them up. Whatever one’s personal needs may be, it is so very important to recognize them and work towards them.

Tomorrow, already, we leave for our Cambodia excursion and I think with the first round of exams and papers behind me, things will again start looking up. With only a month and a half left of this program, it’s time to delve back into Vietnamese street food, attempting to use my language skills, and neighborhood walks. I am looking forward to seeing what the rest of this semester holds, both the bad and the good.

Ciao a tutti!

Next stop, London. This has been a city I’ve wanted to go to since I was little, and I can’t believe I get to check it off my bucket list. Because I only got to spend a weekend here, I wanted to make the most of it and see everything that London has to offer. Here is how I did London in 3 days.

1. See all the sites at once: Your feet are going to kill, but it will be worth it. Our Airbnb was right by Buckingham Palace, so this was where our journey began. From here, we walked to Westminster Abbey, took a picture in a phone booth by Big Ben, crossed the Westminster Bridge, walked ALL the way to Shakespeare Globe, saw the London Bridge, crossed the Tower Bridge, sauntered by the Tower of London, then took the tube back. The pain in my body was immense, but I wanted to be certain that I would see all the important things in the short amount of time that we had. We didn’t go into anywhere because we didn’t want to pay the money and the lines were incredibly long. However, if that’s something you want to do, I suggest an early start to your day and buying your tickets in advance to the places you want to enter. There might be difficulty in visiting every thing in one day then, but if you take the time and plan it out, then anything is possible.

 

2. See a musical: DO IT. We saw Wicked, my all-time favorite musical on this planet, and it was by far the best show I have ever seen in my life. I might be a little biased, but the singing was amazing, the acting was amazing, and they all had British accents, which were pleasant to my American ear. The tickets weren’t that bad at 70 euro, and it was by far the best moment of the entire trip. Be watchful of the website you buy from because there is always the fear of buying counterfeit tickets. So either buy from the official theater site or the website I used was here. You’ll have to go to the theater and pick up the tickets, but it’s very simple. You present your ID and VOILA. Get ready for the best night of your life.

3. Abbey Road is overrated: I might get shanked for this, but I am not a big Beatles fan, never have been, probably never will be. However, it was still on my do to list, mainly because I wanted to buy a souvenir for my sister. We get there, it is on a very busy road, and it’s almost impossible to get a picture. We got lucky because we had a very nice guy to stop his car for us, but everyone else wasn’t so nice. It’s also way out of the way, so unless you’re a huge Beatles fan, I wouldn’t recommend. But if you feel compelled to go much like I did, ignore the beeping, and strut like you mean it.

4. Make time for tea: I, a previous hater of tea, am now a spokesperson for English tea because I had the best cup in my entire life. My recommendation would be to go to the British Museum (which I will talk about next) and then cross the street and go to The Montague for tea and scones. OMG. Firstly, the place was SO cute, and the scones were to die for. You got to pick 4 scones and 4 jams, all of which were good except the chocolate ones because I hate chocolate. Also, they let you smell the tea leaves before picking one, so I picked one of the sweetest smelling ones and it was absolutely delicious. A+ 10/10 would recommend.

 

 

5. British Museum!: I’ll keep this short because you might not get it if you don’t go to Greece at some point or know Greek history, but they have parts of the Parthenon here and refuse to give them back to the museum in Athens, so as annoying as this is for someone like me who deeply loves Greece, it was still cool to see. Also, they have the Rosetta Stone and the mummy of Cleopatra. Cool stuff. Oh, did I mention it’s free? Yeah, it is. Worth it!

I followed these simple steps, and I had the BEST weekend in London. It’s on my top 3 list of favorite places I went while abroad because I was able to have a very fulfilling experience and definitely get my money’s worth. I hope this helps for those of you looking to spend a weekend in London. I will absolutely be back there one day, hopefully longer than a weekend, so maybe I’ll edit this with more tips once I go back!

Arrivederci i miei amici <3

Clare

“HI-DE-HI…”

Silence. Crickets.

At 5:45 AM, nobody was ready to respond to our Academic Dean Sander Evers’ cheer. Our group of 47 students plus one SLA Michael groggily trudged to the bus during those wee hours of the morning, rubbing sleep from our eyes…if you could really call it “sleep”. Most of us only got a short catnap the night before, due to fall break homework, last-minute packing, and general restlessness from anticipation.

But anyone who personally knows Sander Evers knows about his relentless optimism. And if you protest, he’s tall enough to step on you.

I’m not a morning person, so the actual journey from JFRC to the airport in Rome to the plane remains a blur in my mind. However, our landing in Greece was unforgettable! I was lucky enough to have a window seat for the flight to Athens, our first destination on this ten-day-long trip.

As I stared into blue horizon, the thin line that separated sea from sky slowly solidified into a tan island, punctuated by mountain peaks. All around it, the Aegean Sea glistened green, an emerald expanse inviting us to seek its treasures. Peeking down at the Attica peninsula below me, I noticed little white structures dotted the golden brown terrain. Considering the various aerial views I’ve experienced in my lifetime, this appeared the simplest of them all. But when there’s an abundance of natural beauty surrounding you, does extravagant architecture really matter that much anyway?

After a smooth landing and an even smoother baggage claim, we finally got to meet the 50th member of our cohort: our Greek tour guide Ioanna Kopsiafti. She wore an outfit entirely of black and white, with minimal jewelry and long black boots. Her olive skin reflected a healthy glow, and she carried herself with a unique air of self-assured humility that few convincingly achieve. I could already tell from her outfit and swagger that she possessed just the right balance of refined sophistication and worldly ruggedness.

“Welcome to Greece!” she twanged.

Twanged. Cue the sound of a record scratching.

Why did our Greek tour guide sound like someone from Gone with the Wind???

Well, it turns out that Ioanna’s parents immigrated from Greece to Canada, where she was born in Toronto, and she developed her Southern accent growing up in South Carolina. What a wonderful hodgepodge of heritages bundled into one human!

Lunch by the sea stimulated all five of my senses! Stepping down from our tall coach bus, the glittering shoreline hypnotized me, inviting me to sit next to it. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse, and that I didn’t have to since our lunch tables were just a few feet away from the beach!

As I floated closer, nautical and gastronomical aromas enticed me. Salt water, mussels, wine, bread, olives….I was fighting a cold, but my stuffy nose didn’t want to miss out on this sensory explosion!

And if those food items smelled good, they tasted even better! I don’t consider myself a foodie by any measure; I mostly eat what’s in front of me. My stomach is a tank that needs fuel. But it was particularly fun filling my tank during this meal! I tried everything the waiters set on the table, and to my amazement, I was never disappointed.

Listening to everyone’s excited conversations punctuated by bouts of laughter, an outsider couldn’t have guessed that we had all been awake since 5 o’clock that same morning! With the soft thrashing of the bay against the rocks next to us, the sea called to my friends and I, and we had to answer.

One by one, we removed our shoes and socks, gingerly stepping from rock to slippery rock until we reached a bigger rock in the middle of the bay. Keeping our eyes peeled for barnacles, we held each other’s hands as we tentatively moved along, like teachers make preschool children do on field trips. I felt like I was back in preschool; everything was new, everything was an adventure. There was too much to take in, yet I still couldn’t get enough! This was our first time setting foot in this country outside of an airport, after all.

Apart from the beautiful views, the real reason we ate at this seaside restaurant was because the Temple of Poseidon sat atop a hill at the opposite side of the Sounion Bay. Once again, we boarded the bus in order to check out our first ancient Greek ruin!

The Greeks really knew what they were doing when they built the Temple of Poseidon! Overlooking the Sounion Bay, watching ships pass in the distance, it represents the perfect location to praise the Greek sea god. The way the clear blue water there blended with the clear blue sky, almost erasing the horizon, represents the strong bond of brotherhood that existed between Zeus, Lord of the Skies, and his underwater brother.

Many myths occurred at this temple, including the story of Poseidon’s lover Medusa (you know, the lady with the snake hair). Also, it was at this same location that King Aegeus mistakenly thought his son Theseus died fighting the Minotaur because he forgot to change his sails from black to white, and so he flung himself into the sea. This sea is now named after him as the Aegean Sea.

Several hours of hiking to the top of that hill and exploring the temple ruins concluded with a bus ride to downtown Athens, where we stayed at the Jason Inn. The best feature of this location was that, upon exiting the lobby door and looking up and to the left, we could easily see the Acropolis looming over the city with the Parthenon lit up at night!

With the Parthenon hovering above us, Ioanna took us on a walking tour of Athens that evening. The city flourished as a colorful collage of old and new. To label the intricate spray can paintings that covered the buildings as “graffiti” seems insulting; the term “street art” elevates them to the creative merit they deserve. Looking back, I wish I had taken pictures of them, but I guess that gives me yet another reason to plan my next Greece trip!

We ate dinner that night at one of the many picturesque cafes in the downtown area. In addition to the fantastic cuisine, ours also featured live Greek folk music. If stomachs and ears could smile, mine would be the Cheshire Cat and a model in a Crest White Strips commercial.

The following morning, I discovered that, as gorgeous as Athens showed itself to be during the nighttime, it was even more stunning during the day! Gazing at all the details on the ancient and modern buildings, I was amazed at how much I missed during our twilight hour tour the previous evening.

Perhaps the best example of this phenomenon occurred while walking to the Parthenon. Ioanna stopped us in front of a small peculiar storefront with cartoonish figures painted on either side of the door. She then explained to us that this building commemorated the ancient puppet theatre that had migrated from Asia to Greece through trade, and that we were walking on Tripod Street, which is believed to be the oldest street in world! The theatre nerd and the history lover inside my brain gleefully gasped in tandem.

Finally, it was time to visit Athens’s #1 Must-See Attraction: the Parthenon! I knew that this monument sat atop a hill; you could see it above you from almost anywhere in Athens. However, I never put two and two together in my mind enough to mentally prepare myself for the strenuous climb it took to walk up to the Acropolis! But it was absolutely worth the workout! The panoramic views of the city took my breath away (or was it just my huffing and puffing from skipping leg day at the gym?)

By far, the most riveting portion of our Parthenon tour occurred when we explored the Acropolis Museum. The thought that stuck with me the most was about the appropriation of the famous Elgin Marbles. These ancient engravings were stolen by the English nobleman Lord Elgin, and they remain on display at the British Museum in London, England.

Ioanna explained that historians are struggling to return these precious artifacts back to their original home in Greece, but to no avail. While dissenters argue that more people will be able to view the stones in London than in Athens because a higher tourist population, Ioanna posed the question, “Wouldn’t it be more significant to appreciate the stones at their place of origin, rather than somewhere across the world?”

I totally agree with her! As someone who grew up in Washington, D.C. and visited the various Smithsonian Museums many times, this dilemma makes me question my right to observe those relics in a place outside of their context.

A group of friends and I spent our final evening in Athens at an area called The Gazi. It consisted of a large field surrounded by a plethora of rooftop bars and nightclubs. We talked, laughed, and danced the night away!

On the bus to our next destination, Professor Evers made a second attempt at his rallying cry:

“HI-DE-HI…”

“HO-DE-HO!”

At long last, we finally responded to Sander’s cheerful call. The beauty of Greece had awoken us!

During my recent mid-semester break from school I did a lot of traveling. I started traveling to a few cities in England with my friend Heather. My favorite place was Bath. It was exactly what you think of when you think English countryside. Also that night I ate one of the best dinners of my life. Next it was off to Italy by myself. I spent 3 days in Cinque Terre alone. I did enjoy traveling alone when I didn’t have to wait for anyone to get ready in the morning, but I found eating in restaurants rather sad.

I spent the last half relaxing at a family members home in Tuscany. During these days I really started noticing the different in American and European lifestyles. I think Italians have it right; they eat good food, spend a lot of time with family and generally it is a slower pace of life. They slow down to smell the roses. Being a student, always having what’s coming up on my mind, I really enjoyed having this time to think about what lifestyle I want when I get out of school. I liked in Italy that meals were long. You are supposed to enjoy the food and the company. There are many courses, but they are small and in between you have conversation. It’s hard to picture my future after school because it is so up in the air right now. Being abroad has really challenged my thinking about growing up. It is nice to take a step back and have time to myself to reflect upon these things. When traveling it’s fun to try to get to know a place and ask yourself if you could live there.

Whatever ends up in my future, I hope I enjoy it as much as I am enjoying being abroad. However, this morning I started to miss home more than I have since I’ve been here. Living far away permanently would be hard, but it may be the adventure of a lifetime…the search continues.

This past weekend we treated ourselves to a nice little post-midterms vacation … to Shanghai. (I’m really digging the one academic break a month life, though this was the last one so that’s kind of sad). Shanghai is such an international city that compared to Beijing, it felt like we weren’t in China at all. Walking down all the roads and seeing the tall skyscrapers all lit up and streets surrounded by modern buildings, the only thing that reminded me that I was in China was the food and the signs themselves.

Highlights of our trip included spending the day at the Shanghai Zoo, viewing the famous skyline during both night and day, going to the top of the 2^nd tallest building in the world, and sleeping in an actual bed with a shower with actual hot water. Non-highlights include sitting on the highspeed bullet train for 5 hours smashed next to a sick girl one way and a man polishing his nails for 30+ minutes the other.

I hadn’t been to a zoo in such a long time, that it was fun to be a kid again. Additionally, the Shanghai Zoo boasts species that are super endangered and specific to Southeast Asia. Some of the animals we were able to see won’t be in existence in the next 10-12 years. What I found funny was the lack of regulations there were at the zoo. All the animal cages especially the pits where they housed mammals, we could get right up to … there was no real gate. Despite the signs saying don’t feed the animals, people at these zoos still fed the animals whatever they wanted. Below is a picture of someone literally pouring the Chinese equivalent of Gatorade into this bears mouth. Please note how close we were to the bear.

While Halloween in Shanghai was pretty anticlimactic, the views from the rooftop we went to celebrate it made up for it. It’s funny how Halloween is a holiday that is only celebrated by foreigners in China, so finding a costume is pretty hard. And I miss the whole American candy part of it as well.

We also visited Shanghai Towers which just recently opened up and is the second highest building in the world. It takes 55 seconds to climb around 118 floors which is just ridiculously fast. We went on a pretty clear day so they view was astounding. I live my life whether it be in Chicago, or Kansas City, or I guess Shanghai now taking pictures of different views of each city, but I have to say this 360 degree walk around building had to be one of the neatest.

Some other fun facts:

• Food wise the best food I ate was at a street cart where this lady would whip up noodles or rice.
• Since they want to keep the skyline in tact, really the only ways to cross the river are via a 2 kuai ferry ride or the subway. BUT they also have a sightseeing tunnel. Originally it was supposed to be built as a glass walkway, but then the developers discovered that the muddy water wasn’t anything special and that there were roller coaster car things in Europe, so now you can take this ride under the water through a tunnel that is filled with lighting and sound effects. It’s one of those things that you walk out of being like that was so weird it was cool.

Besides that, we had a nice more western vacation. But now it’s back to below freezing temperatures. So exciting.

Until next time … peace

 

I know I’m starting to sound like a broken record, but seriously, every place I visit is better than the last.

This weekend, it was in Barcelona, Spain where me and a few friends did some real adventuring. I have probably mentioned this before, but traveling in Europe is SO ridiculously cheap, and it seemed like there was a catch when our flight to Spain was only 80 euros round trip (we booked it a week before). Within just a couple hours of arriving to Barca and exploring the sights, two of my friends had their phones pick pocketed out of their purses on the metro. At first there was panic, then it was “ok, let’s figure this out,” and then we all collectively agreed we would still have amazing weekend, phones or no phones. We were, after all, in BARCELONA. These are moments where I’ve learned that it really does matter who you travel with. To quote my friend who got her phone stolen,

“If you’re with positive, wonderful human beings, the worst situations turn out to be the most epic adventures.”

I know what you’re thinking. Is it even possible to fall in love with a city in three days? The answer is yes, DUH, and I wrote a list explaining how. So listen up, here it is.

How to Take Barcelona in 3 Days:

1. Embrace being a tourist. We started off our weekend by seeing one of the most touristy spots in the city: The Sagrada Familia. This basilica is way bigger than you think or see in pictures, trust me. It was still under construction, but still incredible. A couple other places worth visiting are Park Guell, and La Rambla. I don’t see anything wrong with visiting the sights that many people do. From my experience, the crowds and waiting in line is totally worth it.

2. Utilize the train. It is surprisingly easy to navigate, unlike most train systems of cities I’ve visited. There are metro stops leading to all of the famous parks and monuments. It saved us a ton of money in the end; it was fairly safe to take at night, too. Only negative is watching out for pick pocketing, as I mentioned before. R.I.P. to the phones of Alex B and Alex K.

3. Go out at night. I was told before going to Barcelona, “You just have to go to Opium!” (It’s a famous club located on the beach). It was fun, but I had a better time at Dow Jones, one of the many local bars. It’s decorated inside to look like Wall Street in NYC, and the drink prices are shown on TV screens all over the bar. When the stock market “crashes” the bar gets crazy and all of the prices go down! It was as fun as it sounds.

4. Shop. Here’s where I personally fell in love with this place. La Rambla, which is a famous shopping street located in the city center, has multiple smaller streets off of it with local stores. The one we found ourselves on was all vintage and tatoo shops, bike rentals, and graffiti-covered buildings.  I think I need to live on that street someday.

5. Eat tapas. Tapas are basically Spain’s version of aperitivo, where they serve small food portions of Spanish dishes with drinks. The best part: the cheap prices. Sangria and patatas bravas (spicy potatoes) pair nicely together!!

6. Wander. Lastly, My advice for any and every city, always. This weekend, I was having the best time when were completely lost together, wandering into random shops, restaurants, parks, and bars. These are the stories I know I will still remember years from now.

In conversation, I am constantly asking the people I meet abroad to name three places they’ve traveled: the most beautiful, the most fun, and the one they could see themselves actually living in. This question usually comes to mind when I return to Rome after a weekend of traveling. The answers are always changing for me, ever since stepping foot in Europe. I add more and more cities to the list and interchange them out for one another. But they are starting to become complicated in my mind. Each city is so wonderfully different than the last.

I was positive I wouldn’t see a place more beautiful than Switzerland. Then, Greece was different than anywhere I had ever imagined. The Amalfi Coast and Capri were undeniably stunning. Now, it’s Barcelona that has made its way onto my list somewhere.

I don’t know how I’ll ever decide. I just know I’m a lucky girl.

It’s been a little over a week since we returned from our last long excursion to the wonderful Kingdom of Cambodia. To put it lightly, I fell in love with Cambodia and was sad to leave. Since we returned to Saigon, we’ve been pushed back into the swing of school again. With only 4 weeks left in the program, it’s crunch time.

I’ve been a very avid student throughout most of my undergraduate degree: I do my homework, start research papers early and hate missing class. I didn’t know if senioritis was a real thing for college students until this semester. With the last four weeks of my BA upon me, it is bad to say, but I feel like I have sort of checked out prematurely. Real life, adulthood (although to we ever really feel like adults?) and all that doom and excitement await me on December 8th – the long-awaited last day of class ever. Wrapped up in these strange, adult things like graduate school applications and job searching, Emily and I were given the ability to be children again this morning and it was magnificent.

After a quick walk along the obstacle course that is Saigon’s streets and sidewalks, we arrived at the bus stop just in time to catch number 14. In true Vietnamese fashion, we hopped on the bus while it was still slowly moving forward, found two empty seats towards the front of the bus and paid the bus monitor 2,000 dong (9 cents) for the ride. In front of our row sat a young girl, probably around three years old, her mother and another woman. The girl was immediately very playful with us and started right in with a lot of smiling and giggling. After sharing some waffles and playing a few rounds of peek-a-boo over the seat  with us, she stood up on the seat, her arms resting on the top of it and began making strange hand motions.

It took us some time to realize what was happening but soon the motions looked very familiar – she was playing food cart. The back of the seat became her food cart and Emily and I her customers. She would gather imaginary ingredients (her cart must have quite the variety), put them all together and then hand them to us. In the spirit of childlike imagination, Emily and I played along, taking her food, holding it up to our mouths and making ‘nom nom nom’ sounds as we nibbled on it. She was thrilled and so we continued like this for a while longer. Before we arrived at our bus stop, Emily pointed out how cool it was to be part of a Vietnamese child’s imagination. In the U.S, children would have been playing house or drive-through. This little girl’s game of choice was food cart.

Study abroad is wonderful because of the grand adventure it is, but in reality, it is these little moments that make the experience complete. It is the little girl and her food cart and all the other little things that I will remember the most in years to come. Someday it will be watching my own children play imaginary games that will cause me to remember the four months I spent living in Vietnam and that one time on the number 14 bus that I ate the best imaginary food of my life, prepared with all the love and care in the world by Vietnam’s best imaginary food vendor.