Rome is known for its rich art, architecture, and sculptures from the antiquity. The center of Rome during the Roman Empire was the area of the Forum Romanum, as well as the forums of multiple emperors that were built around the Forum Romanum and close to the Colosseum. Considering the historical importance of this area of Rome it is interesting to see that the Vittoriano was built in midst of this center. It is a monument that was constructed from 1885 to 1925 to honor the first king, Victor Emmanuel, after Italy had been unified.

Although this is something that has been on my heart since my third day here in Morocco, and especially following the annual debate between Moroccan and American students, I hesitated to share my thoughts. I did not want to let brash, visceral feelings lead to brash words. However, as the semester comes to a close and I enter a mental state of reflection, I believe it would be dishonest to ignore even the unpleasant aspects of my experience in Morocco.

Baños is a small city/large town about 4 hours south of Quito. You can find a very inexpensive bus ticket at any of the major bus stations in Quito. It's similar to Mindo, in that it's a pretty big place for eco-tourism - there's ziplining, canyoning, tubing, among other nature-based activities. There are many massage parlors offering relatively cheap massage treatments. Also Baños is famous for their taffy candy. 

One not-so-lazy Sunday my friends and I decided to take a day trip to Uruguay because it’s a mere 76 km across Río de la Plata from Buenos Aires, and I received a new stamp in my passport that I otherwise would not have.

Colonia del Sacramento sits on the southwestern corner of Uruguay and receives the daily ferries from Buenos Aires. The small city, formally a Portuguese port, is charming in all its cobblestoned glory.

You know what I hate? Goodbyes. 

It's true, I'll avoid them at all costs if I have to. I don't like the finality in them. So even though I knew going into this trip that I would eventually have to kiss my life in Cape Town goodbye, it most certainly was not going to be easy.

I already made one post about the things that I didn't expect to be different when I came to China, so as I wrap up my time here I thought it would be helpful to remind myself of some of the things that are the same. Studying abroad always allows opportunities for comparison and these comparisons are helpful in understanding both the Chinese culture I came here to learn about, as well as my own culture.

I love plans.

I sang The Lion King’s "Circle of Life" on a loop for 40 minutes in my head--

To distract myself from my inner thighs bruising and the unsteady sway of my body as I clung to Eli, my camel, for dear life. Because if I fall, I will not get up. But if I fall, I will fall in the Sahara . . . and that is not so bad.

The sand in the Sahara is like flour, soft and billowy, to fall into it would be like a caress . . . to be surrounded by it was a wonder.

Every college student knows the famous pick-two triangle: school, social life, and sleep. It basically means that no matter how hard you try, in trying to be successful in all three of these domains, one side of the triangle always falls.