So it turns out – as much as I hate to admit this – that the talk given to all the sophomores going abroad the following year at the end of spring semester, the one about how it may take weeks or even months before you begin to settle in to the country, classes, and life you’re leading, turned out to be spot on. I can safely say by looking back through diary entries, Facebook conversations, and letters, that I…
De-Romanticizing the City of Love The beginning of most romantic relationships proves a happy period of time. During the honeymoon phase, as it’s popularly called, partners tend to come to mutual decisions easily, avoid bickering, and embrace in public approximately ten times more than is necessary. All good things must come to an end, however, and the honeymoon phase is no exception. After a few weeks or months, it will probably dawn on you that your new partner’s…
I can’t believe that my program in Madrid is now more than halfway done. This is the longest I have ever been away from home. It’s certainly hard at times being away from my family and friends, and I’ve gone through the ups and downs of home sickness already more than once, but I’m trying to remind myself to take advantage of the limited time I have in Europe. I finally bought my plane ticket home (I wasn’t on the…
A lot has happened since my last post. For starters, my parents came to Madrid to visit me about two weeks ago. They had just finished a bike trip around Cataluña, the northwestern autonomous region home to Barcelona. We spent the half-week they were here in Spain running from museum to museum (El Museo del Prado and The Thyssen), walking from end to end of Madrid despite my repeated pleas for a taxi, and eating delicious food that was definitely…
Over the past few months in Prague I’ve come to the realization that I wish my life came with little labels like the ones on pre-packaged food. I think I would definitely appreciate a heads up every now and then about the effects certain phenomena might have on my body. Warning, peanuts: may contain nuts. Warning, Kafka: will consume your life. Honestly, is that so much to ask for? In that spirit, a nutrition label for everyone in the Czech Republic:…
Londoners love late-night fried chicken. Seriously. No matter what hour of the day, if you wander for at least three blocks, you’ll find one, if not five, late-night chicken (or kebab) places. They sneak up on you— just like the rain. But the rain is one thing I should not be surprised about. Chicken and rain aside, I have slowly been learning London as I try my best to not get lost. I finally made my way up to Camden with…
I had thought that by this time in my exchange I would 1. stop feeling like I needed to do everything yesterday, and 2. stop taking touristy pictures with my phone every time I see a neat vista of the city. I was wrong on both counts. I still feel like I should be doing something every minute of every day, even knowing I have a year in this fabulous country, and I still take pictures with my phone each…
Cinqueterre. Cinquestair-re. Cinquemontagnegiganti. Cinqueeverythingwillhurt. Apparently it is possible to get PTSD from looking at a flight of stairs. On October 26 and 27, a few of my friends in my program and I decided to do the famous Cinqueterre hike. The trek is amazing, and the coast legitimately looks like Crayola puked on a mountain— it’s gorgeous. Vernazza, La Spezia, Italy. Fourth town from the bottom (starting at Riomaggiore). Unfortunately for us, the main trail going from Riomaggiore to…
The tide was high and the broken path of rocks attaching the dock to its broken concrete portion beyond was smothered by water. A baby sergeant fish, no larger than a dime, bumbled in the gaps, trapped in the shallow collection of stones, pacing its way about. The sun was setting but not in the traditional remarkable way; rarely is the sky a combination of reds and yellows and oranges here; instead, the sun sets amid a pile of fluffy…
No matter to whom I talk, I seem to always be asked the vague question, “How is Prague?” While it is a fine question and very much expected, it has proven entirely impossible for me to answer. Maybe that’s because being abroad has been such a transcendent experience that it cannot be condensed into a measly few words. Maybe I am selfish and want to keep all my experiences to myself. Most likely, it is because I am simply too…