We visited so many famous landmarks in and around Beijing this week that I decided to dedicate this post just for them! I have always been curious to understand China’s rich history ever since I took that AP World History course back in high school. Having the opportunity to actually see and touch the sites really deepened my understanding and appreciation of Chinese culture.
Tiananmen & Forbidden City
I’ve been in Paris for three weeks now and I can’t believe my time here is halfway over! This trip has already been more than I could ever have imagined it to be, and I’ve learned so much from living here. Living abroad has definitely taught me several life lessons; especially debunking the notion that everything done in the United States is the “right way” while everywhere else is “weird”.
I’m here! I am in Amsterdam! Getting here was an adventure but first I want to address my predeparture fears now that I am postdeparture.
Food
Food is very cheap here. The grocery store is manageable. My roommate and I have done some cooking for each other which is nice. I have been eating a lot healthier too, especially because my roommate is vegan.
In the one week that I’ve been in Barcelona, I’ve already managed to get lost several times. It always goes the same way: I search for the directions to a popular tourist site on google maps and start walking in that direction.
It has been almost officially three weeks here in Santiago, Chile and I have had classes at IES Abroad, classes at La Pontificia Universidad Católica, observations in pre/post partum and pre/post surgery at the public hospital, observations in the private university hospital OR, been out to eat at restaurants, been on a very extreme mud hike, been to the mall and subsequently to the movie theater, and made my way across all parts of the city. How’s that for a run-on sentence to start off this post?
So about a month ago I got it into my head that I should try to write an orchestral piece for Berlin. And as of now, one month later, I believe I’ve succeeded, more or less. The result is a song called “Krankenwagen”, which was inspired by some of the sounds I’ve heard walking around Berlin: bike bells, trains, the clicking noise the walk signal makes, and of course that god-awful German ambulance siren.
It has been nearly one month since I left Vienna, and I have to admit that I'm glad to be back home. I always have reveled in the comfort of familiarity, even if it sometimes slips into mundanity. Upstate New York is certainly no Vienna, but I know I appreciate it now more than ever after being away for so long. Going from a city of nearly two million to a town of about thirty thousand, I feel like I can breathe again--there are no subways, no tourist crowds, no street vendors trying to sell me stuff.
I wasn’t sure what to write about this week. Should I describe the pubs I’ve visited? Should I describe the beauty of visiting the Hampton Palaces or the Greenwich boat tour I was on with some of my friends over the weekend? I didn’t think anyone really wanted to hear about my classes, though I will say I’m actually enjoying them at the moment. (In case you’re curious, I’m taking British film and literature in the 1940s and British youth culture in the 1950s). I’ve seen so much of London, yet I’ve barely scratched the surface.
This is the question I expect from everyone and their mother. After five months away, how does it feel to be home? I landed back in the states over three weeks ago and have had ample time to settle back into life at home. I’ve been to some monster truck rallies, played with my guns, and eaten Taco Bell for every meal.
Obviously I’m kidding. I miss Europe.
Here’s how it feels to be back home.