What is up party people?! I have been away from the keyboard for far too long and I apologize. I know you are dying to know what original ideas this inexperienced white male has to share with the world. Well, I’m glad you asked. Desperate for inspiration, I had to live a little so that I could create (something interesting at least). This blog post is officially my “On The Road” experience. I have been to grandiose places, and they worked wonders.

This past Monday, I finally finished my mid-term exams. This mid-term period caused me stress not in the sense that it was challenging but rather because I had limited time to prepare for them due to frequent traveling. The European Union program is centered around travelling throughout Europe, allowing students to learn outside of the classroom. Since I made my voyage from New York City to Freiburg in January, I have already visited various countries such as France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Poland.

The day started like any other day. I woke up, took the train to school, went to class, stopped at the grocery store, and took the train back home. But instead of ending my Thursday by meeting friends for dinner or doing homework, I packed a bag and went to the airport. After a very quick, two-hour flight, I landed in London.

Hey all! So, I've been traveling around a bit, as you may know if you follow my blog, and have come across some beautiful scenery here in China. Most of my other posts are more informational, but I want this one to purely be for showing everyone what a gorgeous country China. Most of these pictures were taken either in Shanghai (or the surrounding area), or Chengdu (and the surrounding area).

I have been in China for about two months now. It has been an amazing experience and I have been able to travel around a bit, with more travels to come, but a trend I have noticed at every new place I go to is that there are always beautiful temples in every city, and within these temples are gorgeous statues and figurines for worship. Here are just a few of the stunnnig temples and artifacts I have seen.

Wuhou Temple - Chengdu, China

Though it sometimes may be easy to forget while swept up in your travels, friendships, and new experiences, study abroad is at its core an academic experience. Some students may view this as possibly the least exciting part of study abroad, since it is what’s most familiar to them. There isn’t anything too different or exciting about the actual going to class part of study abroad, right?

One night I sat down to dinner, my host dad’s computer set up in front of us on the kitchen table. “Time to watch some Chilean music!” He exclaimed. Of course, the first videos on the queue showed my host mom, singing in front of a jazz quartet. Her full voice floated around us as we ate humitas (similar to tamales) and ensalada chilena (chopped tomatoes and onions with cilantro), and sipped Carmenere.

Studying abroad is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! It should be full of laughter, memorable experiences, growth, and many other things. While studying abroad is incredible, it is also important to remain cognizant of responsibilities during your time in a different country. The utilization of a planner and calendar are key for a successful semester or year abroad!

Prior to my arrival in Cape Town, South Africa, I spent some time thinking about what experiences I would encounter abroad as an African-American man. I spent time thinking about this because I am extremely passionate about the representation of African-Americans both domestically and internationally. This has influenced my decision to use my love for storytelling to impact the African-American community positively in a global context. For example, one of my goals in the future is to write a book about a young black boy who wins a spelling bee.

This week I am writing to you all from Freiburg! It has been two weeks since I left the United States and so much has happened. Upon arriving at the airport before my flight the anxiety really started setting in. I really do not like to fly and it was suddenly very clear to me that I would be doing a good amount of it very soon. I am so thankful that I was travelling with my good friend Rachel who is also studying in Freiburg. Our itinerary took us from Newark International Airport to Barcelona where we had a two-hour layover.