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The Germans have a word called “fernweh” which is an ache for distant places and craving to travel. Knowing this, I think it truly encapsulates how I am feeling while abroad. I always knew I loved to travel and explore new places, but studying abroad has only made me more aware that traveling will always be a priority in my life.
Hello dear readers!
After a brief respite (read: fighting off a cold while figuring out my purpose here in Spain and doing schoolwork/traveling--see past blog post), I come bearing a listicle. Word count is definitely going to punish me, so without further ado, here are the first five differences that I’ve noticed between Spain and the United States!
Be on the look-out for part two.
Being a Chinese American in China has some sweet perks. I blend in, am treated like a regular citizen (no one takes pictures of me), and people expect me to speak the language. The last option might not seem like a perk, but I’m here to learn Chinese right? Just today I shocked a Beiwai student by completely speaking English to her. Turns out I was shocked too as she was an English major! We had a great conversation and I learned a lot about what it’s like to grow up in China.
La Pedrera Courtyard
City of Cork, Ireland
When you think of visiting Australia, you think of the beach and the outback and hiking and warm sunny weather – especially in the summer months. But we haven’t been so lucky. In our 10 days here, we have seen only 3 days of sun and made it to the beach just twice, with only one of those days being sunny enough to actually touch the water.
Japan is a country that prides itself on its technological advancement and modernity, but one only needs to look at the temples and shrines nestled between tall modern buildings, to tell Japan is still set in its traditional ancient ways. Japanese values all tie back to several important matsuri (celebrations/holidays) and traditions, and one such tradition is yakudoshi, the belief there are specific years in a person's lifespan that are prone to bad luck or disaster.
Global Citizen of the Year Sydni Williams talks about why she chose to travel abroad to Madrid.
This post is a bit late but I have arrived in Freiburg, and the program has officially began. As for arrival into Freiburg I had to take a train from the Frankfurt airport, due to Freiburg not having their own airport. Initially, I was nervous about taking the train and getting lost, or missing my stop and getting lost in an unknown German city, but luckily none of those things happened.
