Autumn Foliage Viewing

As the season has changed from summer to fall, there are a lot more tourists in Kyoto. According to my Japanese teacher, they come to visit many of the temples and shrines that Kyoto has to offer. But also to see the ‘紅葉’, or Autumn leaves. At first I was...

Before Traveling Abroad

I traveled abroad to Florence, Italy this summer to learn more about the Italian language and culture. This was only the second time I had been out of the country and, as such, I had assumed it would be much like when I went to France with my friend and her family, so...

Fast Fertig :(

Naturally, I arrived in Berlin via the airport—the famous Tegel airport. I was expecting to find an airport that met the stereotypes of Germany: clean, efficient, and modern-to-the-point of coldness. Instead, I found an old airport with a poor layout that could barely...

East and West

Despite being home in the United States, my mind often wanders back to the rolling hills of plum orchards and small bustling cities of Serbia. The sweeping cathedrals, delicious food, and friendly people were all and more than I expected. Here at UA, I study Russian...

The First Month

After the first week of coming to Japan, everything became a whir of trying to orientate myself here. There was a lot of paperwork we had to do for both the university and for Japan, not to mention I had to buy more groceries and the store near the bottom of the hill!...

Coming Home

I still can’t believe it’s over. It almost doesn’t feel real that I’m home, like I’m in a dream I’m about to wake up from. I already miss being in Germany and I’ve only been home for a few days. Sure, I did miss my family and...
Tschuss, Europa!

Tschuss, Europa!

My journey home was, to say the least, arduous. A long and tiring time-zone-hopping, people-dodging endeavor. I left my Amsterdam hostel (I travelled around Europe a bit after my study abroad program ended) at 3:25 A.M. local time to catch a 3:45 train to the airport....

Back to the US

After a month in Cuba I wasn’t ready to leave… I had made some amazing friends and learned so much. However, I had to return to the US. I was excited to go home because I had missed my friends and family and couldn’t wait to tell them about...

Ich bin ein Berliner?

Ever since I was young I have dreamed of taking a trip to Europe. Maybe it was watching the Cheetah Girls strut down the streets of Barcelona or Lizzie Margurie live her best life in Italy. I can’t be sure but whatever it was I wanted in. I’m here to say...

Returning Home From Oxford

While on the plane back from London, I felt tired. Part of me looked forward to getting back to my regular routine in the states (seeing my dog again). But mostly, I was not ready to leave, as was the opinion of the majority of people on this trip. Classes were tough,...