Five Skawski’s in Spain

Not wanting me to spend Thanksgiving alone in a foreign country, my family decided to come visit me in Sevilla!  Timing it perfectly, they arrived on Thanksgiving Day in the late afternoon (only after I had finished my classes, of course).  Upon the program’s recommendation, we took the subway to Nervión, to eat at TGI …

Plenty to be Thankful for!

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go home and spend time with my family for Thanksgiving! Now, for some of you, this might not seem like a big deal but, with my home 1100 miles from Hope, it’s never been possible for me to go home for Thanksgiving. Thankfully, this year was different! …

Birthday x4

Well, this past week was crazy, because in my cottage there were four birthdays! This means many parties with a lot of people and food. We began the birthday celebration on Tuesday night at midnight going to Steak ‘N Shake. Amy and Jenna wanted milkshakes on their 21st birthday. On Wednesday morning Grace and I …

Rachael’s Rules for Black Friday Shopping!

As an self-proclaimed shopaholic, Black Friday is one of the most exciting days of the year for me. I’ve been doing Black Friday shopping for years, and I believe I now have enough knowledge to share with you. When going Black Friday shopping, be sure to remember some things… 1. DON’T camp outside. Seriously, why …

My beautiful, rambunctious 30 kids

One of the classes I have been taking this semester is Educational Psychology, the first class in the Education program at Hope. Part of the class is a lecture twice a week, and the other portion is a field placement in a local elementary school. For the past 10 weeks, I have had the joyful blessing …

My Flow. Where’s Yours?

I’m taking a social psychology class taught by Professor Mary Inman, and although it’s a half-semester class, I’m learning an abundant amount of really cool information.  One thing I thought I’d share with you is a concept we learned yesterday. Maybe you already know about it. I understood the feelings but never knew there was …

Crazy For Coldplay

On August 7th, I accompanied my freshman roommates (and now roommate and suitemate) to a Coldplay concert at the United Center in Chicago. My suitemate is obsessed (to put it lightly) with Coldplay, and when she found out they would be in Chicago, we were the first to know! The concert was incredible, and we …

My Review of 1D’s Take Me Home!

I don’t know if these guys even need an introduction. In the very slim chance that you have no idea who they are, here is a quick biography: One Direction was formed in 2010 on the UK’s version of the X Factor. After having come on the show individually, Harry, Niall, Zayn, Louis, and Liam …

Mi Segunda Familia

I’d like to start with an apology for my infrequent posts.  I’ve  been awfully busy juggling school, travel, and experiencing the differences that life in Europe brings.  Not that that’s an excuse! Ideally this would have been my first post, but late is better than never, right? Normal.dotm 0 0 1 118 675 York Community …