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 …

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 …

I’m Off to Granada!!

(With a few pitstops along the way:) WOW!! I can’t believe that I am writing a blog for Hope Off-Campus right now, AKA, I can’t believe I am about to start a semester ABROAD! Preparing for this crazy adventure has surprised me in so many ways. In moments that I thought I would struggle to …

TYS > DUB: Look to the Stars

I’ve been in Dublin for three days now after what felt like an endless travel day. Most of the people in my program flew directly to Dublin. Not me though–I took three separate flights, each with a hefty layover in between. In a way, this travel day scared me. I’d known about it for months …

Labas, Lietuva!

The Adventure Begins! Exploring the Baltic Captial My first thought when I stepped out of the airport in Vilnius, Lithuania, was, “It’s cold.” Indeed, no amount of internet research and mental pep talks could have sufficiently prepared me for the frigid weather that greeted me. After the shock of the weather had left my system, …

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 …