Last Saturday my best friend, Bender, surprised me and came to Sydney for spring break. I had absolutely no idea. We briefly discussed the possibility early in the year but when I asked him a few weeks ago whether or not he had found flights, he said no and that he was not coming. As a pleasant surprise, he had colluded with my friend, Ryan, who is studying in Sydney with me, to surprise me for the week. He barged into my room early last Saturday morning while I was sleeping.

An interesting flower growing off an interesting plant growing off of another plant in the Amazon Rainforest

In my opinion, the quickest way around the city is using the subway. It's pretty simple to use if you know what you’re doing and where you want to go. And it's really cheap as one can travel from one side of Beijing to the other for only 7 kuai. The most expensive way to get around in Beijing is by taxi. Taxis do come in handy though, as the buses and the subway lines stop running by 11:30 PM (or even 10:30 PM). 

One of the most alluring things about studying abroad, especially in Europe, is the ease of travel. In Europe, it is much easier to go to another country for a weekend than in the US. It’s not uncommon as well to take a weekend trip and spend sometime in a new place with friends.

Somehow, the months leading up to my semester in Japan have been both hectic and boring. A stream of tasks, from visa applications at the consulate downtown, to seemingly eternal kanji character practice, has kept me busy. But as I chipped away at my long list of preparations, my excitement built up to agonizing levels. Departure always seemed so distant. While my friends returned to college in January, I “enjoyed” an extended winter break that outlasted winter itself. But finally, what was once distant is arriving swiftly.

IT’S HAPPENING. I’M LEAVING SOON. SILENTLY SCREAMING IN MY HEAD AS MY ROOMMATE IS SLEEPING.

This past week we had our first days off, and I took advantage of it and did a little travel. I have not ventured out too far from Freiburg, but I have other weekends and vacation days for that. IES Abroad had an optional trip to Berlin, but I opted out, while I visited Berlin in high school and wanted the opportunity for additional travel. For this vacation, I visited Strasbourg, France, and Heidelberg, Germany. Strasbourg and Heidelberg are both relatively close to Freiburg and both beautiful cities.

The Amazigh Cultural Center was founded in 2003. The Amazigh people are the native inhabitants of North Africa who have lived in the Maghreb since before the arrival of Islam in the seventh century. The Amazigh Cultural Center focuses on the preservation and promotion of the Amazigh language and culture in the Maghreb. About 60 percent of the population in Morocco is of Amazigh descent. This compares with much smaller minorities in Mauritania, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt.