Chinese is hard!! You’d think that even after being surrounded Chinese here and there for at 10 years, I’d get around better than I do. Speaking aside, there is literally a character for every single word you can imagine AND it’s not based off sounds like English is. As much as I love being in a …
I’m going to be completely honest with you. I almost ripped off the title of our campus-sanctioned orientation trip itinerary to use as the title of this blog post. “Ultimate Umbria”, the faculty called it. Well, I think the adjective “unbelievable” does this place more justice. Hopefully, by the end of this post, you’ll agree. For …
As I continue to settle into my new norm here in Saigon, I find myself reflecting more and more on the traveling I did before arriving, particularly the 6 weeks of travel I planned – and paid for – entirely by myself and my one travel companion. I had traveled enough prior to leaving in …
Exhausted, and a little sore, I hobbled into my room last Saturday still beaming with excitement. Just 30 hours before I was boarding a coach bus, headed for my friend, and cultural partner, Quynh’s hometown. Having previously taken the Megabus in the States, I expected nothing more than an uncomfortable seat with limited leg room …
Caio everyone! I have now been in Rome for over a week, but it feels like much, much longer. Many things have happened since arriving here; I truly don’t know where to begin. In just the past few days, I visited the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Trevi Fountain (all of which were amazing …
I figured out how to use the tube. I figured out how to do laundry. I can’t seem to figure out how to cross the street. After being here for two weeks I almost get hit every day. Cars do not yield to pedestrians and they drive on the left side on the street which …
Greetings from Seville, Spain! This is my third time studying abroad and I could not be more excited for this journey to start. I have learned that people study abroad for different reasons and each time I go, there is a different motivation behind it. In general, I love studying abroad because it forces change; …
Though I love Ho Chi Minh City, it sometimes makes you feel as if you are overdosing on stimulation. This weekend, as a means of escape and a means of exploration, a group of us took a short trip to Long Hai, Vietnam. Long Hai is about a 2.5 hour bus ride southeast of Ho …
Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon, is a sensory overload in the best way. From the moment you step outside you are bombarded with smells, and sounds, and images that are a display of the colorful Vietnamese culture, and the growing commercial society that is extremely apparent in the city. Everywhere you look, someone is …
Buongiorno a tutti! Italy is finally here! These few summer months have felt like the longest days of my life, but I am about to board my plane and spend the next semester in the Eternal City. Crazy, isn’t it? Since my last post, my nerves have definitely calmed, and as I sit here writing …