Secular Sanctuary

Last week I visited St. Paul’s Cathedral, or should I say St. Paul’s V. The very first St. Paul’s was founded by a monk in 604 AD. Now, in the middle of a sea of lumbering office buildings, rises the unmistakable dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral. The architect, Christopher Wren, oversaw the construction of this …

Moving to the City

One of the things that makes this experience really different for me is that this is my first time living in a big city! Even though I, technically, live in Cumbayá, which is just outside of Quito. I grew up in a borough (not even big enough to be a town) that was small enough …

Eating in Ecuador

So – plantains! They’re just one of the changes between the food here in Ecuador and the food in the US. Here, we eat plantains almost every day. I learned that there are about a million ways to eat plantains including boiled, fried as empanadas, and as “chips”. Also, I learned that there are approximately …

Vivre à Paris: Rules, Reasons and History

Paris is a complicated, historic city. There are unwritten rules to just about everything, and if you want to be treated like a local, you better follow them all. Unlike in newer American cities and towns, quick convenience and individual happiness are subject second to the city’s collective needs and functionality. Say au revoir to …

Studying Abroad with Disabilities/Special Needs–Yes, You Can!

So there’s actually not a ton of information about studying abroad when you have needs. I remember spending so much time browsing the internet trying to find literally anything regarding disability abroad. So I guess that makes it my job to break the ice. For a little bit of background, I have been chronically ill …

Time for Thailand

I arrived in Thailand a little over 3 weeks ago on August 10th. Every day since then, I have given thought to what I should share in my first blog post. It hasn’t been the easiest task to decide on what to write about because a lot has happened since I got here. I flew …

As they say in Les Miserables: Who am I?

Who am I, you ask? Well, to make a long story short, my name is Katie Joachim and I am a rising senior at Hope College, studying Theatre and Creative Writing. Some of you may have seen me as the Baker’s Wife in Hope’s production of Into the Woods last fall. Currently, I am an …

An Open Letter to Pre-Study-Abroad-Me

Hi Em, I know you’re scared out of your wits right now, even though you’re too proud to admit it. As much as you want to put on a brave face for your mom, who will worry about you for the entirety of the time that you’re away from her, it’s okay that you’re scared. …

Graduation and Beyond!

Reality is a lovely place, but I wouldn’t want to live there. I wouldn’t wanna live there. These words penned by Owl City (or to the true OC fans, Adam Young) have been a sort of mantra for this gal for many years. As an idealist and a *bit* of a perfectionist, I love sitting …

Mourning Abroad

As you can tell from the title, this post will be on a slightly heavier subject. However, I by no means want to end this incredible semester with a sad topic so there will be one more post following this one so that we can end on a happy note. I write this because I …