A disclaimer to my mom: you may cry while reading this.
Yesterday, my family flew home to the states after visiting me in Dublin. Unfortunately, much of the trip was spoiled because of a few my episodes featuring arrogant and exasperated behaviors. I have a tendency to get carried away in the fantasy that I am composed almost entirely of worldly wisdom, and this superiority complex prevented me from entirely reveling in the love and comfort that visits from family bring.
Why should I leave China’s capitol and go somewhere else? There’s so much that I haven’t seen! Although I have to admit, I would have loved to see the pandas in Chengdu, go to the dessert to ride a camel, see the TerraCotta Warriors, or even spend a nice day on a beach in China. Not leaving the city was partly because I was too lazy to plan something, partly because I wanted to get homework done, and also because I wanted to save money.
The first glimpses of spring are beginning to show in beautiful Vienna! It's been a long winter, and we're all yearning for the warm and sunny days. Buds are finally opening up on plants all around the city.
Your class registration date is on April 7th , 2017 at 10:30 am
It’s the first email I opened that morning. While I had known this was something I would have to do while abroad and I had made a tentative plan for what my next semester would look like, I was not prepared for the panic of trying to figure out my schedule that ensued after that email was read.
Orientation just finished and it was not all ice breakers and learning about the program and the semester ahead. I have now been in Freiburg for a little over two weeks, and am loving it so far. The past two and a half weeks have I been pretty busy with my German course, along with various day trips which were sponsored by IES Abroad. There have been a few day trips which have been fun adventures, along with two weeks of intensive German courses.
Kiwi is the term for a person from New Zealand. Over the past two weeks I’ve met a lot of people, both international folks and Kiwis. Initially I thought the natural landscape would trigger my writing reflex, but my time so far has led me to some incredible people. This post is dedicated to them.
Andrew and Joanne: the couple who introduced me to New Zealand
“Surrealism comes from the reality of Latin America.”- Gabriel García Márquez
