Vietnamese Lunar New Year!

Denver has a large Asian community, and Lunar New Year is a big celebration there! There is a place called the Far East Center which is an outdoor/indoor business space that has restaurants, stores with traditional artwork and food, bakeries with delicious treats, and even a place with freshly caught fish.  The first store that …

A Chill Week in Denver

Quote of the week: To trust God in the light is nothing. But to trust Him in the dark, that is faith. – Charles Spurgeon Let’s be honest, we all have those days or weeks when there is not as much going on. But these are the times we can find joy in the little …

Art of Chile

After my health scare, I am recovering and have found joy in exploring the city. The IES program was an immersive experience. Whether sitting through classes, developing conversations, or observing everyday life, I was challenged to consider the past, present and future of Chile. My program connected my academic interests to my personal ones. In …

Draw, Like One Of Your French Girls

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 …

Enjoy the Show

“Profitez bien” is probably one of the most frequently used well wishes in France. Essentially, it is a sort of all encompassing “enjoy”. Enjoy an event, enjoy yourself, have fun, make the most of it, ‘profitez-bien’. One way I have been trying to profit from my time here has been to sign up for the cultural …

French Soccer, Versailles, and the Louvre!

With the World Cup kicking off this weekend, my study abroad friends and I bought tickets to the World Cup send-off game of France vs. Ireland at the Stade de France. As an avid soccer fan, I was super excited to see one of my favorite national teams (France, of course!) take on Ireland. European …

Historical Pilgrimages: Delphi and Hosios Loukas

Last weekend we took a trip to upper central Greece to visit Delphi. If you have read The Odyssey (or other classical texts) you know Delphi is the place to consult the oracle. If a person was facing a tough choice, let’s say to attack a city or not, they would make the trek to …

Art field trip to Quilotoa

¿Qué tal amigos? I hope you all are doing well and are excited to hear about the second volcanic crater I entered. If you don’t already know, Quilotoa’s crater was formed several hundred years ago, much like Cuicocha. The lake now sits in that crater and is a popular place to canoe and observe. For …

“You Need Dirt”

This past week, I and 20 other CIEE students had the great privilege of touring the East Side gallery with the amazing artist and co-founder, Günther Schaefer. The East Side Gallery is the largest remaining portion of the Berlin Wall. What differentiates the East Side Gallery from all the other graffiti covered areas in Berlin …