Unexpected Parallels: Exploring the Philippines and Accra as a Tourist

It has been a few crazy months since I have been all over the world. As a passionate traveler, I’ve had the privilege of exploring various corners of the world, each with its own unique charm. Recently, I embarked on a journey that led me to reminisce about my home of the Philippines destinations: Accra, …

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, …

(Mis)adventures in a Dresden bus station

Last Friday, I decided to spend a day in Dresden, Germany. The city is about a two-hour bus ride from Prague through the scenic Czech countryside. Ever since reading Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Slaughter-House Five, which chronicles Dresden’s fire-bombing, I wanted to visit the city. So, I boarded my bus at 8:25 am and pulled into …

A Spring-Break Reset

This past week I was on spring break, which just so happened to line up with Hope College’s spring break. Because of this lucky timing, my sister, who is a freshman at Hope, and my mom came to Prague and I was able to show them around the city I am calling my temporary home.  …

Trip to Pulau Ubin

Hi all! It is past midterms and I have so many stories to tell about my time here in Singapore! I will start with one of the first trips we took! On the 4th day in Singapore, we had a trip to an island off of Singapore called Pulau Ubin. We had a tour guide …

“A Song for a Different Dance”: A short note on FOMO

On the train from Berlin back to Prague, a girl in my program said she hadn’t done her homework yet, but that was a “song for a different dance.”  I’d never heard this phrase before and it charmed me immediately. While she used it to refer to her homework, it applies to many aspects of …

Prague, Presidential Elections, and Panoramic Views

I must admit that as my plane touched down at the Prague airport and I looked out the window to discover snow on the tarmac, I felt a stab of trepidation.  The little bit of anxiety wasn’t just because of the snow (our relatively mild Michigan winter spoiled me this year) but also because I …

Blog for Betis

If you were planning on grabbing lunch this afternoon near Sevilla’s famous Cathedral, think again. Your lunch would be thoroughly interrupted by thousands of Betis fans lighting green smoke bombs and screaming “Mucho Betis!” “Viva Betis!”.  One of the Betis chants goes “¡¡BETIS ALÉ, REAL BETIS BALOMPIÉ, TIENES QUE GANAR LA COPA, A PLAZA NUEVA …

When The Moon Hits Your Eye🎶

After recently accepting a summer job, a new on-campus position for the Fall, and getting back into applying for research grants, it’s becoming more and more evident how little time I have left on my study abroad journey. One month from today marks the official end of my program, though I will be staying one …

Practice the Pause

Now that I’ve wrapped up midterms, I’m noticing some changes within myself and my worldviews. Of course, like any other semester, this first half has not been entirely sunshine and rainbows. However, the moments in which I’ve paused, reflected, and appreciated the world around me have provoked such rewarding feelings that any challenges are outweighed. …