The highlight of this month has been that my lovely friend, Manna Sakon, a Hope alumni who is now a middle school ELS teacher, came to visit me in Ireland during her spring break. We took a short weekend trip to Barcelona, Spain, and two takeaways from this trip were: 1. show up to the …
Continue reading “The biggest takeaways from a weekend getaway in Barcelona”
Apparently, I was one of the 400,000 people who attended the St Patrick’s Day festivities in Dublin on March 17, 2022. As soon as I stepped out of my room at 11:30am on that day, I knew that the whole country was ready to party. I looked to the left and an overwhelming amount of …
It amazes me how much the weather can positively affect one’s mood. Once again, we had another warm day here in Chicago. Temperatures reached almost 75 degrees, and everyone was out even though it was a Monday. This is definitely one of the benefits of a COVID world- being able to work remotely. For the …
During reading week, which is basically a spring break with an emphasis on self-studying, I found myself eating a baguette every day and saying merci beaucoup. Can anyone guess where I was? Yes, I was in France! France was one destination I was determined to get to as soon as I decided to study abroad …
I’m a graduating senior studying abroad in Ireland. Many people ask me, “Aren’t you sad to miss your last semester on campus?” Well sort of, but not really, because all of my best friends are off-campus this semester. Rachael, the one studying abroad in France, flew over to Ireland to see me this weekend! Rachael …
Continue reading “When Your Bestfriend Visits You in Ireland!”
The story of my first day in art class My first day at l’Ecole de Beaux-Arts de Nantes, I got lost. After three levels of gray cement floors, catwalks, and metal railings, the only things that reassured me I was still in the right place were the eccentrically-dressed students and a mass at the entrance …
I knew coming into the Galapagos program that I would get hands-on learning experiences in biology. I never expected it to this degree, and I am beyond grateful for the unique learning opportunities this program provides. Regardless of your track, you may land in an impermanent classroom that’s always on the move. Sure, you may …
6:00 AM. Beep beep! My alarm rang. My eyes were barely open, but I managed to wiggle out of my bed. Why would I wake up so early on a Sunday? It’s because I was going on the Cliffs of Moher tour with my friends! It’s the place where one of my favorite movies, Harry Potter …
Continue reading “The Unexpected U-turn: Expectation vs Reality”
I never knew that international travel can be done so casually. Not even two weeks ago, my flatmates and I spontaneously decided to fly to England (thanks Ryanair for being so affordable). After an hour-long flight, I was in a whole different country. Two years ago, the summer before the beginning of the pandemic, I …
Time really does fly. I’m somehow ¼ of the way into my semester here, and it still feels like I just got here last week. I was so worried that I wouldn’t be built for city life, but I absolutely love being here and have even begun to look into graduate school options within the …
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