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 …

Outside City Limits

Aussie Slang Lesson Week 6: Buck/Hen party = bachelor/bachelorette party I’m not sure whether to believe it or not, but this wraps up my 6th week on the Gold Coast. It’s been a full week here with multiple people celebrating birthdays, so we planned some parties as a group for them! October 4th was World …

Chapter 3: the beauty around us

semana 2 – 11/09/2022 song: blow away ¡Hola a todos! ¡Happy Catalan National Day! On September 11, 1714, Barcelona fell to the Bourbon Dynasty Forces and this defeat is celebrated as Catalonia’s National Day. Week two is officially in the books. After a week of adjusting to jetlag, making new friends, and learning the best …

A Weekend in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is lovely because it can be touristy in some areas, but those touristy areas are easy to get away from. Finding transport to fun places on the weekend in Chiang Mai almost always starts with hopping into the back of a red truck. These trucks are one of my favorite modes of transportation …

A Day in the Life

I open my eyes to bright sunlight beaming in through the barred windows of my dorm room. The sun rises at about 6:30 every single morning, and by 7 it’s bright enough to wake me up. I climb out of my mosquito net, and grab my water bottle and toothbrush and take two steps across …

Episode 3 of Annie Explores Chicago

Hello, friends! Following along the journey of a nursing student continues. On today’s episode of Annie survives Chicago, we will see a short, Asian young lady attempting to blot away her worries with beautiful conservatories, visits by her best friend, lunar new year celebrations, and bubble tea. Don’t be fooled by her long work days; …

My First Cricket Match

In the first week of classes, the University of Aberdeen hosted a refresher’s fair aimed at introducing new students to its large number of clubs and societies. I went to the fair and signed up to be notified about when most of these groups met. Fast forward one month, and I am bowling my first …

Es una Broooma

I’m anticipating that when I get home, people will ask me what my favorite thing about Chile was. My answer for them will be this: the sound that Chileans make as they’re waiting for you to get their joke. It’s a very specific “aaaaah,” and it’s shared by basically everyone I’ve met! I love this particularity …

What does it mean to be mujer?

Today I let myself cry about the gender inequality I see in our world. I felt a little silly sitting on a park bench with the tears streaming down my face, but I think this issue is something that needs to be recognized and deserves to be cried about. My tears were spurred by an encounter …

Despedirse

In Spanish class we learned that the way to say goodbye is “Adios!” At least in Chile, though, that’s not how you do it. Everyone says “Chao!” as goodbye, and it’s accompanied by a kiss on the cheek, maybe a hug, cuídate, nos vemos! Despedirse is something you do every time you leave a social …