On Friday, February 7th, a group of about twenty CIEE students made their way onto a bus. This bus was heading to the infamous Lisbon, Portugal (or Lisboa as they say). We had the Airbnb, round trip tickets and passports ready. I came into the weekend without any expectations or notions as to what this …
Tag Archives: Spanish
Climbing the Mountain of Culture Shock
I’ve been in the Dominican Republic for 6 weeks now and it’s been nothing short of surprising, stretching, nurturing, and adventurous. The weather is gorgeous, and the hustle and bustle of the city have grown on me. One thing that I am still navigating is my interesting experience with culture shock while here, and I …
Reunion by the World’s Largest Pyramid!
One of the best aspects of being involved with the International and TCK (Third Culture Kids) students at Hope College is that you get to meet students from all over the world with different cultures. “A country” becomes “the country” and widens your perspectives and worldview. There are more than 80 students from all over …
Chapter 1: Setting Roots
So far, my time in this wonderful city has been nothing short of amazing. In the two weeks that I have been here, I have had the pleasure of experiencing a lot for the first time. My favorite by far is la Plaza de España which is one of Spain’s largest and most beautiful attractions …
Arrival
– Nos vemos mañana! (“see you tomorrow”) – Nos vemos! I am finally in my new bed at my host family’s house in Puebla, Mexico. Lying on the bed and charging my dead phone, I am reflecting on my eventful day. 11:46 am. My flight departed from Bentonville, Arkansas, where I spent an amazing winter …
Where am I?
We’re trying something different this time! I made a short animation to describe the situation I’m starting the semester with, and give a little background on how it’s different from last semester. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to study in such different countries and programs, and I can’t wait to explore the differences with …
A Beginner’s Guide to Sevilla
On the morning of January 15th, I woke up to sounds of a plane engine. Getting out of the hotel bed and walking over to the window, I could see the plane rising up over the O’Hare control tower and disappearing into the grey clouds hanging low in the sky. I was in Chicago with …
Fluency?
One of the major things I wanted to work on this semester was becoming a fluent Spanish speaker. Now that I’m almost done, I can’t help but wonder if I actually made it there. I started my Spanish journey in my early teens, and I don’t think that I’ll ever be mistaken for a native …
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. …
Homesickness and the Holidays
So the holiday season has come in the US! It started with Halloween (if you consider that part of the holiday season – I think it kind of counts because so many people celebrate). Next up – Thanksgiving! Not here though. While Halloween exists in a very small way in Ecuador, Thanksgiving basically does not …
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