48 Hours in London, England

My alarm goes off at 2:30 am, pulling me out of a deep sleep. Despite attempting to prepare for this early morning by going to bed around 8 pm, the sound of my alarm is still painful. Still, I jumped out of bed as quickly as I could, using my adrenaline to motivate me. Flicking …

All about IES London Theater Studies

Class Experience As a theatre studies student at IES London, the majority of my classes were theater-based, including Playwriting Workshop, Text and Dramatic Imagination, Theatre Industry, and Acting Then and Now. I loved all of these classes and highly recommend them to anyone interested in studying theatre. One of the highlights for me that came …

Treasured memories: my time on the UK DiscoverIES field trips

A few weeks before I left for my semester in London, I was sent the UK DiscoverIES field trip sign up. For IES London, the field trips were to Bath and Stonehenge, Canterbury and Dover, Windsor, Edinburgh, and Oxford. At first, I was hesitant to go on many of them because I knew that there …

Does traveling with your parents really conquer homesickness? 

An overarching struggle that many students seem to face while studying abroad is homesickness. This could be triggered from various things such as illness, seeing a dog that reminds you of your dog, something going wrong while traveling, and the list goes on.  One thing that I was really nervous about upon entering my abroad …

Bittersweet Beauty: Making Friends Abroad

This post has been collecting dust for two months now (WHAT?!) and the consequence of my procrastination is that instead of finishing it on a train or in a hostel on the continent, I’m next to my little sister on the couch at our home in Saugatuck where the evening breeze tosses the song of …

Why I Packed My Hiking Boots: Discovering the Heartbeat of Britain

Bueñas Días from Barcelona! I’ve had a fantastic week travelling Spain with Megan Barta, a fellow Hope study-abroader wrapping up her semester in Barcelona. We shared many memorable experiences as we explored the stunning Andalusia region of southern Spain during Semana Santa. From exploring the Sacromonte district in Granada, to visiting La Mezquita in Córdaba, …

Nooks and Crannies of Liverpool

Classes have ended, all my assignments have been turned in, my bags are packed, and my semester in Liverpool has come to a close. I started this blog post on my flight from Switzerland to France and after a lovely three days in Paris, I finished it while en route to Scotland for several days …

Horse Girl Goes Abroad

A special thing about studying abroad is getting to experience old rhythms in new ways. Something that has been an important part of my life since I was little has been horseback riding. Whether it’s riding almost daily, competing on equestrian team, involvement with 4-H, teaching riding lessons, volunteering at a therapeutic riding center, or …

Liverpool Hope University: Snapshots of Campus Life

I woke up this morning, surprised to see snowflakes tumbling down from the grey canopy of clouds. Although I’ll be in Liverpool for two more weeks, today was my last day of classes. It’s a melancholy feeling I can’t describe: the inevitable passing of time, hours melting away like a snowflake in my palm.  As …

Schooling…or Unschooling?

As of this writing, it’s Friday, and every single class on my Liverpool Hope University (LHU) timetable was actually held this week AND last week, making me a very happy student. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the education structure here is different from Hope. Classes at LHU last a full year (October – …