This year, my friends and I decided to try to watch the Oscars, live. It’s not that we were really invested in who won (until the night of, only one of us has seen any of the nominated films), or that any of us are big film buffs, but we thought it would be a nice excuse to get together and eat food which is very bad for you.
This weekend I was lucky enough to take a day trip to Tuscany and visit two wineries. The trip was possible thanks to Bus2Alps, they planned the whole day and provided transportation there and back. I will definitely be looking into their other trips for the remainder of the semester.
A close friend invited me to visit her host family and her in Copenhagen, Denmark for a long weekend. Once I met her family, petted their golden retriever, and finished a home cooked meal, I was overwhelmingly happy for my friend. She deserved this wonderful experience! I could not help but feel a desire to also live with a compatible host family for support and cultural integration.
This will go down in history as one of the best experiences of my life- the night in the Sahara desert.
One of the greatest things about living in Beijing is having constant access to some of the world’s most impressive and historically significant cultural sites. Famous examples include the Great Wall and Tiananmen Square, but two sites often forgotten are the Lama and Confucian temples in Beijing’s Dongcheng District. The original temples date back hundreds of years and house several important religious relics. (Take a look at the Maitreya Buddha below—it was carved from a single tree!)
Last week was Trinity’s reading week, five days without class that leave students free to catch up on assignments and prepare for exams. Naturally, I planned to stay in Dublin, saving money and enjoying some leisurely schoolwork.
And then I discovered the Ryanair website.
I was standing at the Jemaa El Fna market when I suddenly recalled watching a show on travel channel about the exact same place. I can’t believe I am finally here.
My day started at 7:30 AM when my alarm clock told me it was time to take my littlest brother Rhys (pronounced ‘Reese’) to the bus stop. It was my last chance to see him before he went to school and I, to the airport. It was tough, and with an 11 year old goodbyes are never easy. I was almost thankful when the bus came because it meant an end to a long/hard goodbye (he knew it would leave without him if he did not hurry). After that I made one last trip to the Bank to deposit money and then to Target for a charger.
