“So all of you are in favor of independence?”

They nod, then one qualifies, “Well I’m not really for independence, but the Spanish gobernment, es… the gobernment it’s, crap. Is crap.” 

Another seconds, “It’s not really about independence it’s about—” the boom of fireworks interrupts— “it’s about democracy” he says with timid pride. 

If you aren’t proficient in Spanish, then living or traveling to a Spanish-speaking country can be a daunting task. You may be afraid that you won’t be understood, will be made fun of, and/or be filled with anxiety due to the culture shock. In the Summer of 2018, I was fortunate enough to go to an IES Abroad program in Quito, Ecuador. I had minor experience with the Spanish language because I studied it in school and had friends who I conversed with it, but I didn’t feel proficient enough to survive in a Spanish-speaking country.

I just returned from a weeklong trip through Austria and Switzerland! I traveled with a few women in my program––Sophie from the University of Southern California, Annabelle from Emory University, and Ania from Georgetown University––and had a blast visiting cities and towns in central Europe. I have created a list of my favorite and least favorite things about the trip, in case you ever visit those places!

Vienna:

国庆快乐！

Happy National Day!

Greta Thunberg set the world on fire when she began to skip school to draw attention to climate change. In the few weeks since students across the globe held their own school strikes, Extinction Rebellion has taken over London. Extinction Rebellion is an environmental activist group that participates in civil disobedience in order to protest the way our governments have been approaching climate change.

The loss of a loved one isn’t easy to cope with no matter where you are in the world, but when you’re miles away from home in another country without your family, friends, and usual support network to help you through it, it can feel especially overwhelming. In the middle of midterms this week, I found out that my grandmother’s brain surgery did not go well and that she will most likely not survive it. Currently, she’s in a coma in the hospital. Needless to say, it’s been a bit difficult to focus on midterms.

Here it is, the long-awaited blog about my weeklong trip living out of a van while traveling down the North Island! For a lot of people, the idea of living out of a car is more about not having the financial ability to find a less-mobile place to live, but for me, it is something I have wanted to do for a really long time. One of the best things about being abroad is having the opportunity to get a taste of a lot of the things I’ve wanted to do.

Being a Black student attending a predominantly white university, I’m used to being among a small handful of students of color within a student organization or the only Black person enrolled in a class. Within my academic specializations (Creative Writing and Opera Performance), there are even fewer Black students.

Food has always been a touchy subject for me. After years of running 40+ miles a week while limiting myself to 500 calories a day, I was diagnosed with an eating disorder back in 2013. My recovery hasn’t been a steady or easy journey, and I work through my maladaptive habits daily. When I arrived in Milan, I wanted to strive to be my body’s biggest advocate and to see food as nourishment and enrichment. In the States, I believed I needed to earn the luxury of eating food. Here in Italy, when I think of food—I think of memories. I think of laughter.

I’ve always been a little wary of new technology. I still used a landline phone in 2015; I only joined social media the year I left for college. When someone suggested I download the app they’ve been using forever - GroupMe, Messenger, YouTube - my first question was, “How safe is it?” I’m not exactly a Luddite - I am, after all, flinging this blog into the howling wilds of the Internet - but my approach to tech has been strictly need-based. I’d rather have 55 tabs open on Safari than get the actual corresponding apps.