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.
Books are filled with layers, plot twists, and chapters that have readers eagerly turning pages while also reminiscing the delicately crafted adventures of previous chapters. Every page of a book is a new day, a new thought, and a new idea that we carry with us as words continue to fly off the page. As such, when it was time to say goodbye to the beautiful rolling hills of Cumbaya and to begin a new chapter on the sandy shores of San Cristóbal, I was filled with a sense of excitement and retrospection.
One of my recent solutions to homesickness has been baking. I wanted to start with my favorite cookies to bake at home, oatmeal M&M cookies from a recipe my Aunt gave me for my third birthday. This summer at home, I got in the habit of baking a new batch every few weeks and sticking a large Tupperware in the freezer for future lunches, snacks, and desserts. My craving for homemade, American-style cookies coincided with a plan to make dinner for my host-family from the taco mix my mom sent me. And thus, I embarked on a new adventure.
Imagine you’re standing at the intersection of a crowded marketplace, the streets sheltered by a combination of wooden roofs, colorful blankets, and repurposed sheets, highlighted by bursts of sunlight peeping through above your head.
Last week, I ventured out to Normandy with other IES Abroad students for IES’s Normandy trip. I highly suggest attending this trip! Not only did I get the chance to meet more IES Abroad students, but it was also interesting to learn about what happened on Normandy’s beaches during WWII.
When I first came to New Zealand, I thought that since everyone spoke English, I would have no problem talking and understanding people (after all, I speak English too!). But within my first week, I had someone tell me “yeah, yeah nah, she’ll be right, mate,” (which at the time confused the heck out of me) and since then, I’ve tried, failed, and (somewhat) succeeded to understand the New Zealand accent and vernacular.
The Amalfi Coast is a breathtakingly stunning stretch of Mediterranean land along the southern coastline of Italy. The picturesque towns and villages along the coast are what makes this a popular tourist destination. I personally can vouch for its charm and undisputable natural beauty. I highly recommend a weekend trip!