I made friends during orientation week and walked a lot touring the city with them. I really like them. Many are international students, from Brazil, America, France, Colombia, China. Very open minded and liberal people. I’m planning to join clubs and societies because I probably should go and make local friends from London too. Endless…
My Trip to Ise Shrine and Meoto Iwa
On February 3rd I went to the famous Ise Shrine in Mie Prefecture. This particular spot is unique because it is the location of several Shinto shrines, and is considered to be the “soul of Japan.” On our way to see the shrines, I was amazed by the giant trees that overlapped the walkway. I found…
Nueve Semanas
9 weeks since my last blog post? WOW! Time really is flying over here. I still find it hard to believe I have been in Spain a little over 2 months. We are halfway through the semester and already, I feel so accomplished! Where to begin? Let’s rewind a bit to the beginning. The first…
Blog Post #2
This past weekend I had orientation for my program (TEAN) in Cairns, Australia. I had a lot of mix feelings at this point between the jet lag, missing home, and the nerves of meeting all of these new people I will be spending the next few months with. However, the jet lag quickly became worth…
Feeling at home in London
The last few months have been a whirlwind, with getting accustomed to life in London, but also from going on spring break. I believe I made the right decision in not planning many weekend trips in the beginning months of my stay, and I realized this after feeling homesick for London during my spring break. Over spring…
Checklist for Ireland (all bullet points)
Things to prepare for as a Floridian coming to Ireland: When you tell people where you’re from the most common reactions will be: “Ohh! No way!” “How’re you enjoying this weather then?” “Disney!” “Why would you ever pick Ireland?!” Seriously.. The weather is INSANE, not very constant so it keeps you on your toes. Wind,…
Gloomy-ish
OOO I haven’t done this in a while. I guess I could start by saying that the entire experience is a little different to what I had made it out to be. It has reached a point where I’m settled, pretty accustomed to Mile End (the area I’m staying at) and have had time to…
A Little Homesick
Warning: this blog will be all over the place! Addressing some logistics, and some feels. I haven’t been adventuring nearly as much as last semester (so far) so this blog won’t be as interesting in that respect. Sometimes its a bit rough getting back into the rhythm of things, especially when going through multiple changes. Last…
pre-departure blog
I think that if any of my personal identity aspects will effect the trip it is going to be the introvert vs extrovert. In the states I am much more on the introvert side of the scale. I think many people in the U.S. are more on this side, hanging out in our dorms for…
Kyoto tour: Fushimi Inari Shrine
These are the Torii Gates for which Japan is infamous, and rightly so. This was by far the most spectacular way I have interacted with Japanese traditional culture here so far. You could feel the spirituality of the shrine in the couple of seconds it took you to walk from the street, under the first…