Well, another two countries under my belt: Belgium and the Netherlands! We had a bit of a break for Easter this past Friday-Monday, and a big group of my friends and I went to Amsterdam with a great organization called International Friends, which takes groups of students in London to a variety of different places in Europe, for a really good price. I highly recommend them to IES students wanting to travel!
It’s hard to believe the amount of rain Granada has been having ever since I arrived in January. The weather in Granada is actually worse than the weather in Oregon, a state notorious for it’s rain! After an incident yesterday in which rainwater flooded onto the floor of my bedroom, I gave thanks for remembering to pack rain boots and a rain jacket. I can’t wait for the promised Granada sunshine to finally appear.
Obviously a huge part of studying abroad is learning the language, culture and immersing yourself in something completely new! The best part so far has been getting involved in different ways that foster interactions with Chileans.
Although right now I’m in Japan; I really should’ve written this post sooner (though there were some things I wouldn’t have known if I’d written this before I left)
My experience preparing for this trip is not a stellar example of what someone should do if they too are preparing to study abroad in Tokyo. So I will write this post not about what I did do, but about what I did not do, in the hopes that future generations will learn from my mistakes.
Here’s what I didn’t do, but you should:
I’m a writer.
I do writerly things (like being poor or picking out a box to live in). I never considered myself a poet, despite the fact I’ve had my poetry more recognized in various publications (mostly small and localized). Yet, in a short time here in Amsterdam, I’ve written over thirty poems, and a good half of them I actually — surprisingly — like.
A lot of people go to tropical islands for spring break. They spend a week relaxing on the beach, treading the fine line between 1st and 2nd degree burns and drinking out of coconuts, and then begrudgingly climb back onto the plane and fly North to drearier, slushier lands. They complain and drag their heels, but they always go. When they ask aloud, “Can’t we stay forever?” even the youngest travelers don’t expect an answer because they know they have to go and that’s just the way it is. All spring break
This weekend a little bus took us up to the highlands of San Cristobal. It was a clear day and we could see to the other end of the island from El Junco, a crater lake at 2,000ft above sea level. It’s the only freshwater lake on the Galápagos, and frigatebirds can be seen swooping over the water and rinsing the salt off their red throat pouches. There was a strong wind blowing, and as I stood on the edge of the crater I felt cold for the first time in months. The highlands are much greener on account of the clouds that tend t
