Survived my largely unplanned Yunnan travel week and I have never been so sore and sunburnt. Regardless, it was an amazing week and just the “break” I needed to keep motivated in studies. As of yesterday the two week Kunming urban homestay section of SIT study abroad started and I’m happy to say I finally…
Month: October 2017
One Month On
Where to even begin…. This past month (I can’t believe it’s already been a month!) has been the busiest and the best of my life. I’ve made lifelong friends, learned about and come to love a new city, gained a renewed respect for theater, art, writing, history, and architecture, filled an entire journal with my…
Settling In
After so many months of planning, I’m finally across the pond! My flight was actually pretty wonderful. Great seat, in-flight tv, great food (not sarcasm). Once off the plane, I will admit that the travel to the campus was a bit stressful. Instead of a pricey taxi, I took a train, then the tube–all while carrying…
New Directions
Another country can be added to my list of conquests (and yes that is how I see every place I travel, as an opportunity to master their culture and acquire their love and customs) and saw my ever-doting-and-fabulous grandparents as well. I flew out to Grantham, Great Britain last Friday with two hours of sleep,…
Pumping Iron for Vegans
I’ve been vegan for two months now, but the reason it hasn’t come up yet is because a) I’m sick of the stereotype that vegans can’t shut up about being vegans, and b) I finally feel comfortable with being vegan. For the longest time, I thought about quitting because my energy levels would take a…
Las Vegas
I have the excuse of being in DC to write a blog post about what happened on the other side of the States. I also have the responsibility as an intern at the Columbus Dispatch to refrain from sharing my political opinion, in the name of preserving my publication’s credibility. The two blog posts I wrote about the Coalition to Stop…
Representing Rollins Service
I promised myself I would do more to be engaged with the community this semester. I spent all summer with friends who did service, whether organizing SPARC Day or volunteering at the Conductive Education Center of Orlando, and they reminded me how little I had given of myself while at Rollins. I worried I wouldn’t have time…
Meeting with the NRA
Two days after we met people from the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, Prof. Krasnow invited a member of the National Rifle Association–Institute for Legal Action to speak with our class. As I expected, the speaker presented well on behalf of the NRA—but evasively when it came to answering our questions. It would seem good activist educators resemble politicians in their…
At the CSGV
Last Monday, my class met with members of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. In light of the Las Vegas shooting, reflecting on this meeting makes me more considerate of what was said. We discussed the gun lobby and how most gun deaths—almost half—result from suicide rather than murder or accident. While I wanted to listen, I had to remain…
So Much Lib, So Little Book
I went to the library for the first time since arriving here. The funny thing is, I couldn’t find any books in it. I quickly realized I was in the visitor’s section of the Library of Congress, and if I wanted to read any books, I would have to get a library card (so those…