why nagoya, confronting challenge, and konbini こんにちは！Hello! Three weeks from today I officially landed in Japan and began my semester study abroad in Nagoya! Leading up to it, there was an endless list of to-do’s and to-buy’s. From buying the right power converter, to researching restaurant etiquette, to making multiple trips to the nearest consulate …
Tag Archives: Asia
The End or Beginning?
I am moving into my last month of being here, and my program technically ends next week (although I will be here a bit longer). I can’t really fathom the fact that it has been a year since I came here. The best way I can describe it, being here has been like I was …
Ma’a Salama
I was walking down a slope and thinking to myself: How do the narrators disagree over what light said about a stone? Is it from a dimly lit stone that wars flare up? Darwish, Mahmoud. “In Jerusalem.” Translated by Fady Joudah, The Butterfly’s Burden, Copper Canyon Press, 2008. Ma’a salama is a way of saying goodbye …
A Homebody’s Guide to Studying Abroad: Tips for Introverts
1. Expect to sometimes experience discomfort Studying abroad will, without a doubt, push you outside of your comfort zone. I’ve felt awkward or out of place so many times this semester: in the extended family gatherings at my homestay, when conversations in Arabic pile on top of each other and I can’t understand any of …
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Thoughts on Failure
You are good when you walk to your goal firmly and with bold steps. Yet you are not evil when you go thither limping. Even those who limp go not backward. Gibran, Khalil. “On Good and Evil” from The Prophet. Albatross Publishers, 2015. Time in Jordan seems to be speeding up as I enter the …
Goals
I want to talk about something that I feel like isn’t normally touched on when people talk about going abroad: Setting goals. Actually more importantly, “doing” goals. It is easy to go abroad with the goal being, well, going abroad. However, having goals to achieve while you are abroad is what grounds you where you’re …
Cats, Hummus, and One Month Left
I have just about a month left in Jordan, and return has been on my mind a lot lately. I’m looking forward to going home, seeing my family, and catching up with my friends. But I’m also already missing so many aspects of Jordan that I won’t get to experience in the states. Here’s a …
Rest and Reconnect: A Lesson About Kiasu
It’s reading week and that means lots of studying! I have so much to catch up on but am starting with talking about rest. I am wishing I was this temple cat that I saw in Chiangmai, Thailand. Something valuable I learned during my time studying abroad is that if you don’t rest and reset, …
Safety in Jordan
Right after I arrived in Jordan, my host dad told me a story about some travelling he had done while visiting a friend in an unsafe area. “My friend had five locks on his door,” he said. “Five locks! He was afraid to be outside after dark. We could hear gunshots outside. He was afraid …
Ramadan
I walk from one epoch to another without a memory to guide me. The prophets over there are sharing the history of the holy … ascending to heaven and returning less discouraged and melancholy, because love and peace are holy and are coming to town. Darwish, Mahmoud. “In Jerusalem.” Translated by Fady Joudah, The Butterfly’s Burden, …
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