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 – …

Photos and Friends

“That is simply epic.” A phrase I have used very often during my time abroad. I love the way this phrase draws my attention back to the reality that much of what I am experiencing is “simply epic.” The two seemingly opposite words fit together so beautifully. “Epic” is often used to describe an extraordinary …

Pick Your People

Happy Friday! After the full week of travel during Reflective week, it has been refreshing to be back in Liverpool this week! To echo the words of another friend studying abroad, I hadn’t realized how much Liverpool had started to feel like home until I returned from Italy. On Sunday, I left the city center …

Four Countries, One Week

Hello from Ireland, Wales, and Italy, although by the time this is published, I’ll be back in England! At Liverpool Hope University (LHU), terms are split into four weeks of class followed by a reflective week. Reflective weeks are weeks without classes intended for students to catch up on work, study, research, or rest. This …

Rain and Shine… and Snow?!

Where has the time gone!? A rhetorical question because I know where the time has gone; it has turned moments into memories. My mind and heart are becoming acquainted with the fact that life moves fast. Hospitality A few things I have been grateful for recently: my kind host who knitted me a beautiful pair …

“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 …

Departure Thoughts

As I sit here at Gate M24 in Chicago’s O’Hare airport, I am graced by the sunlight that shines forcefully through the clouded windowpanes displaying the organized chaos that litters the tarmac. My day was filled with last minute packing, my last homemade matcha latte, a smooth little road trip to the Windy City with …

First Field Trip Weekend

Culinary Experience in Bologna My first weekend in Milano began by visiting the FICA center (the worlds largest food park) to take a pizza-making class. Once entering FICA I soon learned why it was the worlds largest food park as there was attractions that looked like food, everywhere!! After walking around FICA our group landed …

The Peak District

I felt a little over-citied last week. Don’t get me wrong, Chester was lovely, the football match in Manchester the weekend before was memorable, and there’s always something to do in Liverpool’s City Centre, but I’m really a country girl at heart. I knew that moving to a lively city would be a change from …