Although I had been anticipating my study abroad in Germany for a long time, it always felt like it was something that would happen in the far future. Even as I was completing some final pre-departure errands, the fact that I would be leaving for a year and a half never really hit me. It…
Home Sweet Rome
An official month in Italy has passed and I feel I am able to call Rome “home” now. The neighborhood of Rome I am staying in is called Tesstacio and lies between the Tiber River and the Capitoline Hill in an area that is very residential, but is not overpopulated with tourists. Trinity’s program includes…
First 2 Months Down Under
My first two months in Australia so far have been amazing, unbelievable, exciting, extraordinary, all of the adjectives. I can’t believe I am already close to halfway done and to think I was so nervous coming here, not knowing what to expect. The pre-orientation in Cairns was unlike anything else. We learned about how Australians…
New Zealand: And the Adventures Continue
I can’t believe how fast the time has gone! It seems like just yesterday I was flying over here to New Zealand and now I only have two weeks left of classes! Mid semester break came and went in the blink of an eye, but the weather was perfect and the views were breathtaking. I…
September Thoughts
Minutiae; The small, trivial details of something. The moments in between. These are the things within our lives that make life so worth living. That smell of coffee when you wake up in the morning, a soft smile from an unknown bystander passing you by, maintaining direct eye contact while singing your favorite song at…
Do Blondes Really Have More Fun?
Las rubias se lo pasan mejor? Esta es la cuestión. Para averiguar la verdad, me convertí en una rubia. Bueno, en realidad, no completamente rubia. La parte superior de mi pelo todavía es marrón, pero el resto es oro pálido. Ahora lo se que estas pensando “Pero Shannon acabas de cortar tu pelo, y ahora…
Eat, Sleep, Adventure, Repeat
So it turns out that I absolutely adore Ireland with every fiber of my twenty year old being. Do you know what the first thing I noticed was? The grass. I am head over heels in love with the grass here. I’ve never seen anything in my life so green, with speckles and clumps of…
First Post in D.C.
Since I’ve arrived in D.C. everything has been tremendously busy. I don’t think I comprehended the schedule that I would be subject to before I actually got here and started living it. The bustle is not all bad, I much prefer to be busy than be bored. I’ll usually wake up and talk with my…
3 Weeks In: Indonesia Updates
Om Swastiastu! I have been in Indonesia now for exactly 3 weeks… It definitely feels like much more, like a lifetime! From trying to balance the readings and lectures I’ve had about the arts, religion, and social change in Indonesia thus far, to the exploring of temples, traditional ceremonies, and discovering the best and most…