(Please go to YouTube and watch the “Money, Money, Money” scene from the hit 2008 film “Mamma Mia!” and then return to this tab and read the article. Trust me, it’ll get you in the right headspace.) The most common thing I hear between abroad friends and Hope friends that are abroad is: “I’m worried …
Tag Archives: Europe/Italy
A taste of hope
One of the joys of being in the tiny Hope College community is when you go abroad, chances are you’re going to know someone else who’s abroad. Which, of course, implies the inevitable crossover episode when you get to meet up internationally. It’s on this, my sixth season, episodes 30 through 33, where we finally …
Five of the lessons I’ve learned so far (Rome Edition)
1. The winter coat is more important than the actual outfit. I’m serious about this one, and I think about it almost every day. No, I’m not proud of my very evident trashy coats here. Peacoats are everywhere––Flannel ones, bright red ones, classic black or tan ones. They line the streets. Any old pair of …
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Lessons, with love, from Florence
Our sweet, homemade-wine-connoisseur, charming lisp-having AirBnB host, Antonio, said, “I have been to New York. It was almost like being in a fictional place, since everywhere you turn there is something to be recognized from a movie or TV show or famous picture.” What he didn’t know was that staying in his countryside Villa––decorated with …
Conquering grocery shopping abroad
Something I never realized I was privileged to love is abundant, humongous American grocery stores. Oh, the glory of a Target! (Glory I have never basked in.) The joys of getting everything you need––ground beef, foot scrub, those smiley face fries from elementary school, and a puffer jacket––all in one place! All of that American …
Pro tips to navigating your first week abroad
Let’s talk about it. Whether you’re the adventurous ‘Throw-Anything-At-Me’ type or the timid ‘I-Just-Want-To-Make-It-Through-TSA’ type, your first week abroad is going to be many, many things. My first day in Rome, though beautiful and exciting, was a hard day. I cried a couple of times once I could sit in my new room. The time …
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