I have officially lived in Berlin for a week, so now that the jetlag has worn off, I’m awake enough to write my next post. Before boarding the plane a week ago, I had so many worries running through my head. What if my luggage is lost? What if I can’t navigate the public transportation, and I board a bus going in the completely wrong direction? What if I don’t get along with my host mom? What if I hate Berlin?

Somehow, my time in Quito has ended already, and even though a month in a foreign city seems like quite a long time, it never is enough. Luckily, the time flew so fast because I could not have filled it with more adventures and activities. In my next post, I’ll explain about all of the incredible class field trips I went on, so here I’ll talk briefly about a few of my innumerable excursions and journeys with my friends

And I'm not even bad at math...

I truly believe I have discovered the oasis of Dublin.

Looking for local adventure (and because we sorely needed to learn how to use Dublin public transport), my roommates and I hopped on a bus to Howth for some seaside exploring. Howth is known for it's weekend market, seafood, and lovely coastal trails.

The crisp air filled our lungs and we set at a brisk pace down a trail to get some blood moving through our frozen toes. You could see across the whole city all the way to where the sea drained into the sky.

            I’ve been in South Africa for approximately two weeks now, and it has been quite an experience! My original flight got canceled TWICE, so I ended up arriving a day later than my peers. However, I arrived JUST in time for orientation – literally, I got off the plane, went straight to my studio apartment (yes, I am currently living my best life), and went to orientation.

As an African-American man born in the United States, there are many challenges I face simply due to the color of my skin. I have always thought about what the black experience looks like in other countries across the globe. Last week, I had the honor of visiting the Langa community. This week, I had the honor of having an in-depth conversation with a black UCT student from the Free State, one of the nine provinces in South Africa. Both experiences were captivating!

I’ve been quite a few places throughout my past 21 trips around the sun, and along with that, I’ve endured just about every flight and travel snafu that one can imagine. Lost luggage? Check. Pickpocketed? You got it. Boiling ramen water poured on your legs by an elderly Malaysian woman? Sadly. Lost boarding pass? Of course. Accidentally bringing your mom’s sewing scissors into the security check? Naturally. Oh, and missed flights? Every day and twice on Sunday.

Siena is a tiny town, often overlooked while others—Rome, Milan, and Florence—are glorified. Yet, there is never a shortage of things to do here. I have been here for two weeks now and still have items on my bucket list to explore. Here are the things I have managed to experience and would highly recommend.