Weekend in Valparaiso

After a heavy week of learning about human rights abuses in Chile, we took a weekend trip to Valparaiso. Valparaiso is a city full of character, color, and art. There are not many housing regulations there, so houses are built on top of and all around one another! On our first day, we had class …

Social Unrest – Let’s Talk

(I’m going to preface this by saying featured photos are NOT mine – they come from the newspaper El Comercio.) So I’m sure some of you are aware of what’s been going on in Ecuador recently, but in case you’re not, here are the basics: The federal government has been subsidizing gas for years, making …

One Time, on a Safari in Tanzania…

Ever seen The Lion King? Ever felt like you were on scene, just waiting for Timon and Pumba to pop out from behind any bush? No? Me either, until this past weekend! This weekend our group packed into two safari cars and traveled down long, bumpy dirt roads to Ruaha National Park for our much-anticipated …

What it’s like to live in a “post” dictatorship state

Before coming to Chile, I read a lot about Pinochet’s dictatorship. I read that it lasted from 1973-1990, and that, since then, Chile has recovered beautifully, evolving into a thriving democracy. Unfortunately, after many lectures and conversations with my host family and teachers, I realized that the state of Chile is not as it seems. …

Enrolled as an International Student: The Paris School of Business

Options, options, options. One of the most overwhelming parts of studying abroad is choosing where to go, let alone which program to participate in. Let me give you a little secret, though, that might make your decision easier: some study abroad programs let you directly enroll into a university within your city, giving you the …

Ceol Éireannach

In the evening, when you stroll down the cobblestone streets of Ireland, you can hear the strains of fiddles, pipes, and guitars pouring out of the local pubs playing ceol Éireannach (Irish music in Gaelic). Last weekend, I took a trip to Ireland and went on a Traditional, or “Trad,” Irish Music pub crawl. Our …

From the Outside Looking in

I’ve been thinking a lot, recently, as to what it means to have a true experience of a city that speaks for the many different parts. Much of my time here has revolved around getting to know the downtown area, and I’ve started to become curious as to what life is like outside of the …

And It Was Very Good

“Mambo, Caspert!” my friend Lyric and I say as we climb into the back of his bajaji outside of our campus’s gate. A bajaji is a three-wheeled, quick and easy form of transportation in Tanzania with an appearance quite similar to the cars I used to race back in the Mario Kart days. Caspert picks …

Homestay Family, Bella Vista, and Corn Tortillas

For three of the four weeks I’m in Chile, I get to live with my host mom, Claudia, and her twelve year old son, Lucas. My host mom is an incredibly talented photographer, and her house is full of her photos and different types of artwork. She’s completed many projects and books capturing human rights …

Weekend Walks in the Gardens of Versailles

Ah, what did I do this weekend? Thanks for asking! I walked eleven and a half miles through the gardens of the Palace of Versailles. No, I’m not kidding. Thus is the typical weekend in France. I live thirty minutes away from the Palace of Versailles, King Louis XIV’s extravagant land of palaces, golden gates, …