As you get well settled in your host country, you will probably start paying attention to the small details in your town. While shopping for fresh vegetables, herbs and fruits at the local market, I started noticing how many cats are there at different stalls. So I decided to grab my camera and get as many of them as I could. 

My favourite part was when the food sellers where asking me what am I looking for, and I responded that just for some cats. Check them out! 

My first 4 days here in Santiago were quite a whir! My flight from the states left just 22 hours after my graduation from College ended. I spent graduation day running around saying goodbye to friends and family, finishing my packing, and verifying one last time that everything was in order for my flight and arrival. Among many other errands, these were some of the tasks that I hardly had time for in the previous days and weeks as I was overscheduled with final exams and senior projects, as well as with other preparation tasks for this trip.

“You must not judge people by their country. In South America, it is always wise to judge people by their altitude.” – Paul Theroux

My glasses began to fog up as I sipped the steaming mate. Through the condensation on my glasses, I looked out the long glass window before me and watched as the sun painted the city of Cusco in a fresh morning blaze.

Was that really two weeks? Are we really leaving in two days for Rome?  It seemed so much longer when I was back home, looking over the calendar at our packed schedule. “I’ll have plenty of time to see other cities on the weekends,” I thought. “I’ll be so tired of Paris by the end.” But here I am, wondering if there’s any way I could just stay here for the rest of the program (of course, as soon as I get to the next city, I will abandon this thought completely).

Another week down! It’s so crazy how quickly time is going. Since the last time I wrote, I feel like I have done a million things. I went to the Narrenturm, took a weekend trip to Prague, took my first German test, and booked a weekend trip to Salzburg!

Before I came to Japan, my Japanese language skill had atrophied significantly. Despite studying the language for years, I had not taken a Japanese course for at least a year. I told my friends about one of my greater fears: that when I arrived, I would struggle to communicate well. Invariably they would reply by saying, “Don’t worry, your Japanese will definitely improve a lot because you will be living there!”

Six years ago, I persistently asked my family to let me study abroad as an exchange student in a Japanese high school—even though I knew the answer would always be no. My family upheld tight-knit values: don’t move out until after at least undergrad, don’t leave the house without saying exactly where and how long I’ll be gone, and text or call every time I come to and am just about to leave campus. I understood these measures, and I also understood it was just out of love for me.

I have officially been home in the United States for a month after four beautiful months living, studying, and growing in Dublin, Ireland. Sitting in my bed, binging new episodes of Kimmy Schmidt and eating handfuls of Pringles, it can sometimes feel like that entire span of time was just something I made up in my head. It’s crazy to think that a little over a month ago I was laying on the beach in Nice, watching people stroll by on the Promenade des Anglais.

Well hello there, it's nice of you to stop in. Prop your feet up, stay a while. I have a feeling we're gonna be great friends. 

In the spirit of new friendship and the beginning of a great adventure, I think maybe I should introduce myself properly.