Sending Love from My Happy Place
Hi, my name is Lauren Phillips and for the past 3 months I’ve been studying abroad at Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Japan. These last few months have gone by so quickly, and I’ve been having so much fun here that I’ve barely had time to write about my experiences! Now that I’ve found myself in a quiet café with a chai latte and some free time, I can finally reflect on everything that’s happened so far. I’ll start by explaining...
Study Abroad Part 3
This study abroad trip was definitely one for the books. I made friends that will last a lifetime and not to mention the new culture that I experienced. I was in a culture very different from the one that I was used to back home. The experiences I had from new foods to new environments and a different culture. The picture I post with this was from the last night in Greece. This was the view from the rooftop restaurant at the hotel....
The HIGHEST HIGHS and the lowest lows
There is no doubt that there are highs and lows when studying abroad. One minute, you can be having an amazing conversation with a Ghanaian, the next, someone may be trying to talk to you and they get frustrated because you cannot understand them. You can have a fantastic day at work, but get stuck in traffic on a trotro that is filled to compacity; no breathing room, no air condition, and the sun beaming directly down on you. A month...
And off she went, to change the world
The day before I left to start this amazing journey, I felt as if my heart would explode with all of these emotions that I couldn’t express. I was excited to experience a different culture, I was excited to meet my host family. However, I was also nervous about the unknown. I didn’t know what my field placement would be like, I didn’t know what my routine would be like, and I was practicing social work for the first time! One mistake...
Zambia Has My Heart
I miss Africa. I miss the people. I miss the culture. I miss the genuine happiness that everyone carried. It has now been 3 months since my trip to Zambia and I miss it more and more with each day that goes by. Those people will never know the impact that they have truly had on my life forever. My friends and I talk all the time about how much we miss Zambia and its people. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to visit this...
Packing for success
Packing up and moving for 5 months is not an easy feat. Especially when you have to add baggage weight limitations and the ability to take everything you have on the go. Then you add in the fear of something being lost or stolen, and it turns into an even more overwhelming task. I somehow managed to take a carry on, backpack, and one checked bag with me for my semester in Barcelona. When I arrived I noticed that many...