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

1. Freiburg is really cute. 

I am finally excited to be going to Amsterdam for six weeks. Don’t get me wrong, I was super pumped the entire time I applied and did the paper work necessary to enroll. But this last week or two before I leave, I have been pretty panicked about going. Not the run around screaming kind of panic, but more of if-I-think-about-this-for-more-than-a-minute-I’m-going-to-throw-up kind of panic. But now everything is in place, all I have to do is pack and then I am ready to go!

It is the last day of my third month in Berlin, and I have no topic for my final blog post!

So on that note, I bring you updates on my life that no one asked for or, probably, wants.

1.     I am in an orchestra now. It’s a wonderful group of people that rehearses in Friedrichshain on Thursdays, and the practices are my weekly therapy. There’s going to be a concert in a bit over half a month, for which I am unprepared but also really pumped.

大家好！(Hello Everyone!)  I’m Crystal and I can’t wait to share all my new experiences with you as I study abroad in Beijing, China at 北京外国语大学 (Beijing Foreign Studies University) to study Chinese.  This will be my second study abroad experience, but I am still pretty nervous.  I previously studied abroad at Swansea, Wales in the UK for my Spring 2015 semester and I have been hooked on travelling and cross-cultural immersion ever since.  Although I have traveled to Hong Kong before, I have never visited Mainland China.