“How is South Africa?”

Coming up on my final week in London, I’ve been reflecting on the whole experience. It has been wonderful and fulfilling. I am so happy I made the decision to study abroad here. I still feel as if I have seen so much and yet barely scratched the surface. For me, home is wherever I happen to be. So for the last month and half, London has been home. Though my home in Minnesota also has some benefits as well, and I have been missing them dearly.

Things I miss about Minnesota:

For the past few days, I've tried to make my time in Berlin go by as slowly as possible. Unfortunately, as it always is, the slower you want something to happen, the faster it seems to go. 

Here in Ireland, I am constantly surrounded by beauty in both the cities and the countryside. At the same time, the impact of the relatively recent wars and struggles are still incredibly visible. 2016 is an important year in Ireland because it is the 100^th anniversary of the 1916 uprising against English rule. The uprising, although it was an initial failure, sparked a movement. In 1922, independence was granted for the Republic of Ireland which consisted of 26 counties.

They can spot an ABC (American Born Chinese) from a mile away, they said. You’re going to stick out as a Westerner, they said.

I've just spent three amazing weeks in one of the most fascinating cities ever! I feel so attached to this place that I can't imagine ever leaving! This Buenos Aires Summer Program has been so fantastic! Aside from meeting eleven, wonderful, new friends, I also had the opportunity to  stay in the best city in Argentina...Buenos Aires.

Seven weeks ago we landed in this foreign country as strangers. Today, we depart as dear friends. 

For some people, the “new” is something exciting, thrilling, interesting, and even rich. For me, the “new” is just a box. Yes, a box. A box that is closed, yet not sealed. It is right in front of me, waiting to be opened. I wonder and imagine what it has inside. This box doesn’t have a color or a shape. It isn’t big or small. It is just… a box.

I never thought Xi’an would be an interesting city to travel to.  I only knew that it was the home of the Terracotta Warriors and that it is the hometown of my Chinese roommate, Braven.  Other than that, I thought it was just a city that thrived on the achievements of its past as a tourist trap and nothing more. Well Xi’an, you pleasantly surprised me.  

Another field trip over and done! How weird that there aren’t any more excursions to look forward to and I’m headed home in five days. As a member of the first group they’ve taken to Cyprus, I feel like I have the authority to definitely recommend it to the next group. I really liked Cyprus, maybe even more than Greece.