Enjoying the Marathon

Philip McGraw once said, “Life’s a marathon, not a sprint.” It’s been just over five weeks since I arrived in Vilnius and had my first taste of Lithuania. The initial week was a whirlwind of orientation, acclimation, and establishing a new routine. Subsequent weeks have seen increasing sunlight and warmth, along with a settled weekly …

Ciao!

I have now spent about three weeks in Milano so I thought I would recap!  Arrival I landed in Milan, Italy on the morning of Monday, January 22. My flights went smoothly and my luggage did not get lost, so praise Jesus for that! I then taxied to my apartment with some people in my …

A Weekend in County Cork

Cork, County Cork, Ireland It’s about a three-hour drive to Cork from Dublin. Piled into the bus, we rode past brilliant green fields, dotted occasionally with sheep and cows. Rain slipped down the windows for much of the drive but the sun emerged as we entered Cork City. Like Dublin, a river runs through the …

48 Hours in London, England

My alarm goes off at 2:30 am, pulling me out of a deep sleep. Despite attempting to prepare for this early morning by going to bed around 8 pm, the sound of my alarm is still painful. Still, I jumped out of bed as quickly as I could, using my adrenaline to motivate me. Flicking …

Hello From Amman!

Arriving and Orientation I began my semester in Amman, Jordan, a little over three weeks ago with SIT’s Refugees, Health, and Humanitarian Action program! After three flights, delayed planes, canceled trains, and very long Uber rides, I landed safely in the country I am so fortunate to call home for three months. I was welcomed …

New Things in Granada!

I officially have my first week of living in Granada, Spain under my belt! What a beautiful city with so many things to offer! In this blog post, I will share some of the NEW things I have experienced in Granada! Lema nueva (New Motto) Say “YES” to everything that is SAFE! I have decided …

The Cool News Is, You’re On Your Own Now

The days are long, but the time is short. That’s how I would summarize my first two weeks here in Dublin. Right now, it’s the beginning of the third week of my program and I have a heightened awareness of how little time I really have to explore. To put it into perspective, there are …

And That’s A Wrap

It’s been two weeks now since the program ended, and I write this final post back at my house, surrounded by my family, my cats, and a roaring fire to fight the Illinois cold. The program ended in a blur after arriving to Baños for our final retreat. While there, we took some time to …

Solo Trip: Nara Edition

One goal I had for my time here in Japan was to embark on a weekend solo trip. Thanks to Japan’s transportation system, agreeable prices, and the normalcy of being alone, this trip was easily made possible. I wanted to share an overview of my experience! Planning I’d actually picked Nara as my travel destination …

Fall Travels in Japan

I originally planned to study abroad next semester in the spring, but as this semester comes to an end, I couldn’t be happier I chose the fall semester. Autumn in Japan is beautiful. I’m accustomed to Midwest falls that start in September, followed by a temperature drop in October. Here in Japan, until around mid-to-late …