When I live in New York or Boston I always begin my day by listening to the New York Times. I spend my free time sitting in my favorite cafe catching up on readings and papers.
Because of the six-hour time difference, The New York Times podcast doesn’t come out until well into the afternoon. And because of cultural differences, it isn’t socially acceptable to camp out in an Italian cafe for seven hours doing schoolwork without end.
On September 17th, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the Tokyo Game Show! It is the largest gaming convention in Japan and was held for the first time in 2 years. I normally do not go to conventions as they tend to be expensive and in locations that are impossible to get to, however, the convention hall was actually right near the school I am attending. I decided that it would be an interesting event to attend considering how many games originated in Japan and have incredibly strong fanbases. I am proud to say I did not regret attending.
I neglected to include this in my summary of myself, but I am a person who has a deep appreciation for public transportation systems—quality public transportation systems, but I hope that's given. Public transportation where I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio allowed me to go from where I lived, on the West Side, all the way to the East Side when I went to visit family friends. The system there is massively smaller than the one in the city I now call home, and the one in Chicago is embarrassing at times compared to the system here in Santiago.
August 25, 2022:
Political graffiti and street art in general have a huge presence in Santiago, and in Chile in general; Valparaiso is well known for its gorgeous spreads and the colorful pieces that decorate its buildings.
I first landed in Buenos Aires at 8 a.m. after a full night of travel, was shuttled into a taxi by IES Abroad staff, and arrived at my homestay where I spent the next several hours meeting my host and being shown around the neighborhood. By the time we arrived home from a grocery run, the only thing I could think about was crawling into bed.
Within the past two weeks, I’ve traveled to Capri and Bologna. I loved both of these places for different reasons and experiencing these new places with friends from IES Abroad has been really special. However, as I’ve been traveling more and planning more trips, I am constantly learning from the missteps that I took and am preparing for possible problems that might occur while I’m away.
In some ways, writing about a week in my life seems so mundane and routine because it has become so normal to me. Then, I remember the fact that my normal is living abroad, studying some of my favorite subjects in an absolutely beautiful country. That’s not mundane, that is an experience worth celebrating! So, here is a week in my life as a student in Rabat, Morocco.
Daily Life
Here is a small vlog of our recent trip as a program to Berlin, Germany to understand Berlin's role in German politics, as well as Germany's role in the EU. Our trip consisted of a number of historical tours, political monuments, and a lot of walking and exploring the city!
Last week, I joined hundreds of thousands of people in the queue to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state. After her passing, the Queen’s coffin was brought to Westminster Hall in London, where, for five days, people were allowed to walk through the hall to view her coffin, draped in the Royal Standard flag, topped by the Imperial State Crown and the Sovereign’s orb and scepter. The experience became international news, not really for the lying in state itself, but for the incredibly long line to view it—at maximum, it was a 10 mile walk with an estimated wait time of over 24 hours.
There’s one fact of life I believe everyone can agree on: the ability to get yourself from place to place is absolutely critical for our personal independence. After all, if we can’t get to the fun restaurant for dinner with friends, that exciting new exhibit at the museum across town, or wherever we want to be, being abroad becomes really frustrating. This dilemma is what inspired me to get a closer look at public transportation in Rabat and give all my readers an idea as well.
Taxis