Living the (Ice) Dream in Vienna
I believe there are a finite amount of times in a person’s life when they are doing something and are suddenly struck by the overwhelming significance of their ongoing experience. Sometimes it is when we are doing something for the last time, for example attending your last high school dance or competing in your last competitive swim meet. Other times, it is because of a strong emotional connection to the people or location associated...
Greetings from Costa Rica
I’ve been in Costa Rica for a whole month now and honestly, it has been amazing. I can’t say enough good things about my experience here. I am staying in a very rural area at a research facility run by Texas A&M. It is on the edge of a rainforest and twenty minutes from a very large volcano. It is honestly one of the most interesting and beautiful places I have ever been and I love that I get to stay here for another...
On The Shoulders of Giants
“This grave contains all that was Mortal of a Young English Poet Who on his Death Bed, in the Bitterness of his Heart at the Malicious Power of his Enemies Desired these Words to be engraven on his Tomb Stone: Here lies One Whose Name was writ in Water. 24 February 1821.” The Tombstone of English Romantic poet John Keats These are the words engraved upon the tombstone of John Keats, marking the final resting place of the famous...
Planning – Thoughts After a Week in Florence
I am a planner. My new roommates identified that about me before I had even been on Italian soil for a full 48 hours. In our short time in Florence, I had already made multiple searches on Yelp and Google Maps for the next highly reviewed place to eat lunch, how long it would take us to get to our next meeting from the restaurant, and where we should grab gelato afterwards. You see, I don’t like the unknown or unexpected changes—I...
Dia duit!
My name is Blake, and I’m studying abroad at the University of Limerick in Ireland. For those that are wondering, “dia duit” is Gaelic for “God be with you,” which is how people say “hello” in Ireland. The past three weeks have been the best of my life! I traveled abroad for the first time, flew for the first time (my first flight ever was international), and traveled completely alone for the...
Intentionally Lost Luggage: Leaving Anxieties at the Airport
As a child growing up in the ever-expanding suburbs outside Chicago, Europe seemed more like a fantasy than an actual place I might someday visit. Aside from the semi-frequent road trips to Wisconsin, Michigan, and sometimes Florida, my family and I didn’t really travel much. I was almost a teenager before I saw the ocean for the first time in-person. The first (and only) time I left the United States was during a road trip to Niagara...