What’s different in Germany?

Hallo Leute! So…it’s been a little over a month now since I arrived in Berlin and during my time here, I’ve noticed some differences between living in Germany, specifically Berlin and the United States. Grocery Shopping Smaller supermarkets – The supermarkets here are way smaller than in the U.S. (About 8-10 times smaller than the …

Ravioli with Claudia and Truco with Pullulo

Alright, folks. It’s honesty time. I have never felt further outside of my comfort zone. I have been in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for 5 days now, yet since my arrival it feels as though I’ve lived 10 lifetimes. This description may be a little graphic, but I have felt as though someone stuck a metal …

Week One: Nerves and Excitement

Hola, and welcome to my first blog post here in Peru!  Since my arrival on Monday, it has been a whirlwind of meeting new people, learning new things, and beginning to adapt to a new culture. I’m not going to lie, I’m a little intimidated by it all. Being pushed to rely on my semi-rusty …

What?! I’m in Germany?!

Yes, I still can’t believe I’m actually in Germany. It has been a crazy 2 weeks! I’ve been learning how to take the German public transport, buy groceries at a German supermarket, and communicate in German with my host mum and teachers. I’m not going to lie, it feels quite overwhelming with everything hitting me …

Pre-departure Emotions

Time passes so fast. In no time, I’ll be in the capital city of Germany, Berlin! There are so many emotions going through me all at once. I’m excited, but nervous and sad at the same time. It was the same exact feeling I had when I left home for the States. This time, it …

Dal Bhat and Nepali food

Before this trip, I had never really tried Nepali food. Now that I have, I can’t get enough! It’s flavorful, spicy, and versatile. The staple of almost all meals here is Dal Bhat. This is usually Dal soup that is accompanied with rice, small portions of curries and vegetables, and usually some type of meat. …

Traveling in Nepal: Buses, Motorbikes and Frogger

I don’t know if you’ve ever heard about the game frogger, but crossing the streets of Nepal often feels like I am the frog in that game. Traveling here is quite the adventure. If there are road rules, people don’t follow them. Stop lights and stop signs don’t really exist. Well, there are some stop …

Hello Nepal and My Sweet Host Family

During these past few weeks, I have transitioned from Chile to Nepal. While some parts of transitioning are challenging, I have had an amazing experience. I live with my host dad and his mom who are Newari, and my host mom who is Japanese. I have two host siblings, a little sister who is four, …

Learning to Live with Uncertainty

The people who know me know that I like to have everything planned out far in advance. Four year planning is one of my favorite things to do, and last minute planning stresses me out. Not knowing what’s going on stresses me out. However, I, along with everyone from my program and 18 million Chileans, …

Living with Mapuche Families

For our third week in Chile, we traveled on a bus for 10 hours to a town called Curarrehue to spend a few days living with indigenous Mapuche families. This week truly marked me. As we drove into the town, I was in awe by the vast green mountains, countless miles of animals roaming free, …