こんにちは! My name is Sara, and I’m a senior at the Universtiy of Puget Sound studying Business Administration and Japanese Language/Culture. This semester I’ll be studying abroad in Tokyo, Japan, and running this photography blog for you to see what I see as I embark on the adventure of a lifetime! This isn’t my first time in Japan, or even Tokyo. In the summer of 2014 I visited Tokyo, Kyoto, Nikko, Hakone, Hiroshima, and Tono. 

Here's a few photos from that trip: 

Today’s blog post might not be too exciting or informative in terms of the latest and greatest adventures and information about New Zealand and if that is why you are here, I understand if you wish to stop and go find another post...but, I urge you to continue with my post, for maybe it will give you some guidance, or at least entertain you with my thoughts.

To be clear, my use of the term minimalist is quite loose. I've always been an overly cautious traveler, preparing for the possibility of bitter cold in July and scorching heat in January, so the idea of getting three months worth of clothing and supplies into a suitcase was daunting and seemed impossible.

It is 6:56 PM the day of my flight to Paris, and boarding begins at 7 PM. I am writing this to recount to craziness of the past ~2 days.

AUGUST 22

Some time between midnight-1 AM, August 22: I started mentally packing two nights ago, creating a Word document list of everything I might need, consulting the IES Abroad Nantes packing list (does anyone else do this?)

Let me introduce myself. My name is Taylor, and I'm a junior at Ithaca College. I love it there. I mean, who doesn't love the independence?  

In college there are many posters and fairs that promote the idea of studying abroad. I mean, like everyone you know or your mother's friend's daughter just came back from a semester away and LOVED it. So, now it's my turn. 

I’m not packed. I’m sitting in my apartment with clothes I potentially want strewn all over chairs and couches―some are folded, some aren’t. My suitcase is empty; I’m eating a yogurt and typing this blog and pretending I am packed. I’ve been running around picking up odds and ends, coming home, and remembering more odds and ends. It’s like an endless cycle! There are suggested items to pack everywhere, but I’d like to share my list of add-ons, because I know there are certain things I need and want that will seldom be included.

I’ve mentioned this earlier, but I’m a coffee fanatic. I love having a go-to coffee shop that is my ‘comfort place’ to grab a reliable cup of—not Dunkin Donuts watered-down— coffee. I definitely consider myself to be more of an old soul, in the sense that I try my best to be loyal to one coffee shop. At home, my go-to coffee shop is the perfect place to grab coffee, meet up with friends, and talk for hours on end. At school, my go-to coffee shop is the best place to grab coffee, sit alone, and do my homework.

Hi, my name is Anastasiya, I’m from Russia, and I’ll be studying abroad closer to my hometown than when I’m at my home university :) I’m here to share my experience as an international student in Barcelona. So you better grab a pencil and a piece of paper to make notes on the coolest places, activities, and spots in the city. Welcome, and enjoy!

It’s crazy to think that it takes less than a day to travel halfway around the world.