After this past weekend, I am pretty much done with my semester abroad in terms of academia. I have just under two weeks left, and really, there is not much left that I am required to do. It is increasingly becoming a weird feeling. I see my parents for the first time in months, and many of the people here I may never see again. The end crept up so fast, as I assume it did for everyone else abroad. If I…
A warning in advance to the faint of stomach, those wise and jaded souls who have had their fill of romantic comedies – you who see couples bundled up for the winter, holding mittened hands on the street and can only think one thought (namely, “Ew. Go be happy somewhere else.”), this is a love letter. Apologies for my non-apologies, but I’ve lost my heart you see, played right into the most cliched of comedies. ACT I: girl meets public transportation…
I continually wonder how I will look back on my semester abroad and how the semester will affect me after it’s over. To start, I must say that for me, studying abroad has not been quite what everyone made it out to be — or at the very least, what I thought it would be. There were many exaggerated adjectives said about going abroad. Most of those adjectives centered around the phrase “life-changing.” First, I must say that my time…
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…
As Audrey Hepburn tells us, “never a briefcase in Paris and never an umbrella. It’s a law.” And, let’s face it, what more perfect human will ever exist? So we (a we that may just include me, a third year Vassar student thrust into a new city and continually in the throes of a love of old movies and impractical but beautifully articulated travel advice) believe her. So basically, if I was in Paris I would be underdressed and soaking…
I think that it is important to be nice to everyone. However, I do not think that I need to be friends with everyone. A lot of people on my study abroad trip are into the latter idea. Sadly, I have found that this has translated into a situation extremely similar to freshmen orientation or summer camp. Everyone wants to meet-up to go to dinner together, or the bar, or to the bathroom. Every time I tag along with the…