The end of the semester is finally here. I don’t really know how I feel about it yet, but I want to spend some time reflecting on it.

I have made friends with so many amazing people that I can’t even describe how fun my adventures with them have been. It still astonishes me how we all ended up at Nanzan University to study Japanese in Japan. In all, I am very grateful for all  the friendships that I have made this semester.

After a long 11-hour bus ride from Freiburg, I arrived home late Sunday night to an apartment filled with Christmas decorations. After two weeks of traveling it’s good to be back in Berlin, a familiar city.

The Flavian Amphitheater (the Colosseum) is one of the most recognizable cultural symbols in the world.  Which is why having class in it yields a thrilling yet somewhat bizarre learning experience; once you push through the pre-conceived kitsch you can glimpse through time a sophisticated, stratified society, capable of great engineering, art, and violence.

Cultural Trip number two was to Bologna, a place that can definitely be classified as a proper city compared to Siena, but that still managed to charm, at least me anyway.

The trip was only three days long, but it felt like we did so much.

We took the train and, after getting lunch, boarded for the incredibly short ride.

Remember that plan I had to write once a day last week?  Yeah, neither do I.

I suppose this is due to numerous factors – putting up an exhibition at the American Academy in Rome, planning for winter break, next semester, and submitting applications for (ugh) summer internships.  What I’m trying to say is that I am sorry for not following through.  Let’s get back to work:

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Música de los gauchos from Rachel Zalkind on Vimeo.

Friends. Reporting back to you on the masterpiece of a city that is London has been quite a challenge.

My family decided to come visit me in Amsterdam for Thanksgiving this year. It was so nice to have them for that entire week! Some of the activities we did include: Visiting the Royal Palace in Dam Square, The Van Gogh Museum, The Rijksmuseum, Vondelpark, The Anne Frank House, and an Indonesian Thanksgiving Feast! (my mom said she would cook a real Thanksgiving meal when I get back to the USA ).