Title Translation: Life Through Rose-Colored Glass (and in the Rain)

Every vacation I've ever been on has lasted a week, more or less. It's seemingly the perfect timeframe to explore cities, dip your toes into another culture, and return home with your little snippet of somewhere new. I've always been a bit of a homebody, to be honest. I love spending time with my family and my pets, so usually a week's vacation is a great timeframe for me to satisfy my wanderlust and curiosity and then return home to what is familiar and safe.

Hey everyone!

Well, after a crazy 11 months of traveling around East Asia, I am finally back in the US for the foreseeable future. It’s really weird how permanent it feels not knowing when my next traveling adventure will be. I foresee problems with serious boredom in the near future, as I have been adventuring and exploring for the last year, but am now at home with no major plans for the rest of the summer. 

English

It’s officially been a week since I arrived in Paris last Wednesday. Even though I’ve only spent seven days in the city so far, I’ve already made so many memories. Meeting new people, experiencing a new culture first-hand, and attempting to function in a foreign country definitely comes with its ups and downs. But luckily for you guys, this means that I have a plethora of embarrassing moments to share.

It’s been almost two weeks since I left Morocco (what?) and being back in the States is by far more surreal than I imagined. My first thought upon landing in Detroit was, WHY ARE HOUSES SO BIG AND WHY IS THERE IS SO MUCH SPACE IN BETWEEN THEM?! I then proceeded to tell the guy at customs “shukran” out of habit, and got looked at like a complete weirdo.

As wonderful as it is to see the world, traveling is not typically an endeavor in which you can have it all. You might want to visit a cultural hotspot, for example, but it comes at the expense of a good beach or solid restaurants. I realized this early on in my life, but things changed for me this past weekend. What I learned is that there’s at least one destination that does offer it all, and it’s called Valencia.

With just a few days before I fly off to Beijing, it still hasn’t fully hit me that I will be fully immersed in the Chinese language and culture for two months!  In order to prepare for this study abroad experience, I had to go through a brutal process of applying for an X2 student Chinese visa, which resulted in visiting the Washington D.C.’s consulate office 3 times. 

The Story