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 – …

Shway Shway

In my first ever blog post, I promised that I would make a “Learn Arabic” playlist. For all the folks who’ve been waiting on the edge of their seats (joke), it’s finally here! I’ve been working hard on my Arabic, and in this post I want to give you a little glimpse of the craziness …

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 …

Living with a Host Family

!مرحبا (marhaba—hi!) I’ve been in Amman for almost a month now: wow, is time moving fast! (If only my Arabic skills were moving at the same rate—learning vocabulary is taking me forever.) My amazing host family has played a huge role in making my experience so far such a positive one. Their hospitality and kindness …

Skiing in Colorado

Quote of the week: “If you don’t do it this year, you will be one year older when you do.” – Warren Miller I finally did it! There was one thing that I told myself I had to do at least once while I was in Denver: Skiing!! This past weekend my roommate and I …

A Whole Lot of Everything

Quote of the week: “If you fell down yesterday, stand up today.” – H.G. Wells It has been a minute since I had the time to write an update. But to be honest, not much has happened in the past few weeks. The burnout of the long days has started to set in. That does not …

Sidewalks

I prepared for the major cultural differences before coming to Jordan. I knew that I would have to dress more conservatively than I do in the U.S., and I expected to struggle to communicate in Arabic. There are bunches of little cultural differences that are impossible to prepare for, though. Jordanian beds usually don’t have …

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 …

“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 …

Christmas in Japan

It has been awhile since my last post, but the adventures keep on coming! It is already halfway through January, but Christmas in Japan has left quite an impression on me. While Christmas is a big deal in the United States, in Japan it’s a much more (extremely) commercial, just-for-fun kind of holiday. Class is …