So now that I have been in Freiburg for over a month, and my classes have begun, I sorta have a schedule now. I have courses from Monday to Thursday and when I am not doing homework I typically hang out with people from my program or my Tandem Partners. I also spend some down time chatting with my Mitbewohnerin aka my roommates.

Hinamatsuri, also known as Girl’s Day or Doll’s Day, is a special festival in Japan celebrating the health and happiness of girls. Roughly a month before March 3rd, the actual day Hinamatsuri is celebrated, families with young daughters set up an elaborate doll display inside the house. These dolls are modeled after the imperial court during the Heian period (794-1185) and are organized in shelves according to their position in the court, with the emperor and the empress at the very top.

One of the wonderful things about Ireland is just how easy it is to see so much of it. I remember leaving for Galway on my second weekend here, watching the lush countryside fly by my window. I didn’t really notice until I looked at my location on Google Maps, but in a short 3 hours by train, I had gone from one coast of Ireland to the other. To get to nearly any landmark, city, or other attraction, I’ve spent no more than 3.5 hours getting there.

As we stepped off the train, noticing the brick supported, carved out mountainside, I noted the classic British look that Liverpool had. Countless bronze statues of long dead royalty mirrored the partially modernized cityscape. The city had been marred by bombs from world war two and struggled to rebuild the affected areas until recently. It was finally able to bounce back from tough economic times 30 years past and build new buildings in their place.

It was so nice to see my parents last week! Hi Mom and Dad, this one’s for you for all you do for me and because we just had a blast in Spain. I couldn’t ask for better or more supportive parents and I’m so happy we have the relationship that we do. It made this trip and the past many years so much better than they would have been otherwise.

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Boat tours, bicycling, tulips, mayonnaise fries, and things that happen in Amsterdam that have stayed in Amsterdam. Well it’s all in good fun, and such was my birthday celebration in Amsterdam.

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of taking a trip to Paris to see my mom, and that Sunday coincidentally was Mother’s Day in the Isles. While my journey did begin at 4 am with a half cooked piece of pita bread at an airport café, it ended with a belly full of baguettes, cheeses, and a variety of meats. But most importantly I returned home with mother’s day love warming my heart, and I assure this was not just because my arteries were clogged.

During my time in Ireland, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work as an intern at an anonymous Digital Healthcare startup. The company offers an interactive digital platform for patients suffering from a range of mental health problems.

As my time in Dublin is coming to an end, I am filling my last few weeks with a lot of self-reflection. Despite Dublin being a safe and progressive city, I am bothered by a pattern of bigoted behavior. I do not believe that it is my responsibility to prove to the ignorant that misogyny still exists, but I can understand that it may be difficult to empathize with an injustice if you are not directly affected by it every day. I am extremely privileged, and I understand that receiving a few catcalls a week is not the epitome of a challenging life.