A Tour of Tours
I’ve been in France for a few weeks now, and it has been everything I’ve always dreamed of! I first arrived in Paris, where we stayed for a week and did some sightseeing. I was so excited to see all the signs in French and the bakeries on every corner. Although I’ve studied French for a few years, I was still nervous about not being able to communicate entirely with natives. Luckily in Paris, almost all workers in...
The City of New Beginnings: Shanghai
For the longest time, I always struggled with being true to myself yet I was always subconsciously running away from and ignoring it, scared that maybe what I found when I looked hard enough into myself would be someone I really didn’t like at all. And a lot of that insecurity came at a time when I suddenly felt pressured to lose one identity in place of another. When the Asian upbringing my parents used to raise me conflicted with...
Around and Back Again
Well, I’ve come full circle. I have traveled to China and returned home all in one piece. I honestly missed the United States. Breakfast food, potato chips in certain flavors, driving, trees, and the sky are all things as aspects of life at home that I missed. My first stop after getting back from the airport was the nearest Waffle House. My experience abroad definitely changed me in a positive way. I am more confident and...
A Thank You to my Italian Family
Before this trip, I had only had the opportunity to travel abroad once. I was in high school and the trip only spanned the length of ten days, so I spent every night in one hotel or another. So when I found out I was going to be staying with a host family during my study abroad program, I was extremely nervous. Not only was I going to be in a different country surrounded by a different language and different culture, but I was also...
Perché Italia?
When I decided to declare a minor in Italian, the first question many people asked was “Why?” And why one decides to do something is rarely followed by a simple answer. However; just this once, the answer was relatively easy. My great grandparents and several other older family members spoke Italian however; it was not passed down. I’ve always felt cheated out of the language so I took things into my own hands. I decided...
Practical Tips to Begin my Study Abroad in France
I am writing this update from the airport, where I am currently sitting as I wait to board a plane that will take me to Paris, France. From there I will travel via bullet train (the TGV) to the town of Tours, where I will spend the next four weeks living with a host family and studying at the Institut de Touraine. I’ve been waiting so long for this trip, and suddenly I am at the cusp. I can’t believe the moment has finally arrived....