Well, let's start out with the obvious: adjusting back to American culture has been the easiest thing I've ever done. I loved exploring, putting myself into new situations and embracing the new cultures of Europe this summer, but my goodness if the air wasn't sweet as apple pie in that airport! I'm just a homebody at heart.

Whether you’re wondering what Freiburg has to offer or you’re already there and looking for something to do, here are ten things I did that are worth looking into.

The start of the weekend was spent at Robben Island; the place where Nelson Mandela and many other political activists were imprisoned for decades. Our guide was an ex-prisoner himself, which made the experience all the more powerful as he told us about the horrors of living in the prison and the torture he endured. The prison made it nearly impossible for anyone to visit the prisoners; some families were unable to see each other if last names did not match that of the prisoner. We left feeling both inspired and appalled.

The Storm

This week we experienced one of the biggest rainstorms in Beijing for the past two months.  You're probably thinking, "what's so significant about a couple drops of water?" Normally in America, or at least in my hometown, when we have large storms, we just need to wear proper attire and be cautious when driving, then our lives can go on.  However, when it rains in Beijing, the city basically shuts down.  Internships got cancelled, restaurants closed, streets flooded, and people got soaked.  

All I have to say for myself is that, yes, I am ashamed of using the word "fun" as an end rhyme, and no, I'm not going to fix it. I don't have time for that. I got stuff to do. I haven't even started packing yet. I need to vacuum the cat hair out of my suitcase. 

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Let’s go way back to March, see my plane touching down

I went to study abroad but I picked the wrong town

I’m not one to go clubbing, I really hate beer,

I’m a dang English major—what am I doing here?

Location: My room
Current Mood: Enthusiastic/Anxious

So how does one pack for a four month trip? Where do I start, and what do I take? These were all questions running in my head as I took out my suitcases this week. First I threw all of my clothes in there along with my cameras. Then I got yelled at by my mom for not folding the clothes. So I had to repack.

For Vietnam, I decided to save my post until the end of my trip so I can give you the highs & lows. 

Hello friends!