“I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms…” – Henry David Thoreau, Walden

“Let’s make today an action-packed fun-filled adventure,” Alisha said ecstatically to Kyle, Hector, and I as we walked with red eyes out the door of our hostel at dawn.

We seem to have encountered the “lull” of study abroad. Ryan just completed another paper, quickly moving on to the next and one of his last. I am adding the introduction and conclusion sections to my systematic review before turning it in. And Adam, Hannah, and Caroline are in a “fun hangover” from our mid-semester break.

Flowers in one of the many open gardens at the Alhambra.

In my first year of college, one of my projects had me research Japanese mythology and imagery and delve into the Art History of Japan. I transformed my favorite musician, Rihanna, into three Japanese Deities: Amaterasu, Susanoo and Tsukuyomi. This was the start of my delve into the world of Japan. I would later take on a Japanese Art course as well as a couple Japanese Language courses that furthered my interest in Japan and lead me to IES Abroad.

Study abroad programs often get the reputation that you just have a semester of partying and traveling. That is absolutely not true, and there is actually a large amount of studying involved.  I am not saying that studying is all you do.

Last weekend, I went on an excursion with IES Abroad Vienna to Styria, a state in the southern region of Austria. Our first stop was the Österreichisches Freilichtmuseum (Austrian Open-Air Museum), where an old Austrian village was recreated on the landscape. The area itself was gorgeous, which made the museum all the more fun. It felt as if the village had been stopped in time, and we could just walk through it.

Rushing to Orly Airport did not render much time for sadness to creep in.  While saying goodbye to my host family, it felt like I was leaving for a long weekend.  However, while I was riding across a bridge, looking at the Eiffel Tower dominating a gorgeous day, I realized my daily life in Paris was coming to an abrupt end.

Doors

There’s so much that I have learned about China in these short few months, but there’s also so much still to learn. Like most things, studying abroad in Beijing has positive and negative qualities. All in all, I’m happy to have studied in Beijing even if I experienced some difficulties along the way.

Exposed to an Authentic Culture: The “Real China”