Hi everyone ! Sorry for the late update, but I actually got sick on the day that I would have been writing the blog. (Might be allergic to blueberries, it turns out). So, what all has …
UW-madison
May: The Month of Holidays
Welcome back to yet another exciting chapter of my blog! Today’s theme: the crazy number of holidays of Germany that apparently exist and how I spent these holidays! Coming from a public university, I have …
HOW NOT TO GET SCAMMED AND LOST FOR FOUR HOURS IN BEIJING: A TUTORIAL
To get started, my airplane flights were memorable. One was the best—had a whole aisle to myself, sat by the window, and was really comfy—and one was absolute trash. 13 hours in the middle, stuck …
I promised myself I wouldn’t cry
Before leaving and after getting there, the program taught us something that kind of looks like a roller coaster. It was a chart of emotions and feelings students generally experience when going abroad. It started …
La memoria de una nación
Memory is a powerful thing. Memories shape the way we interact with situations and people. Memories influence our decisions, our mood, our understanding of the world around us, reminding us of lessons learned and mistakes …
No Harm, No Foul
Day 2 in Beijing. We descend into the subway station at 灯市口。The station is empty except for one group of people, who appear to all be together. The train arrives and, despite there being at …
Arrival in Shanghai: Do I actually know any Chinese?
Before starting classes in Tianjin, I am spending a couple weeks touring in Shanghai and Beijing with my family. After sluggishly deplaning at Pudong International Airport, we took the Maglev train from the airport right …
Ready or not, here I come!
I’m sitting at my gate at LAX, trying to finish this pre-departure post before I board my flight to Shanghai in 20 minutes, thinking about how I managed to pull everything together to get here. …
Before I Go
As I prepare to leave for China, a lot of my family has come to say goodbye as if I’m leaving forever. I’ve gotten ‘advice’ from family members who haven’t travelled abroad, and advice from …
Pre-Departure
I am so ready to go to China. I am getting all packed, and trying to prepare myself mentally and physically for the long, 13hr and 44 minute flight to Beijing. I flew to China …