Ever since I was a child, I’ve visited zoos and aquariums in almost every place that I’ve visited. So, naturally, I had to go to Osaka Aquarium, especially since they have whale sharks at the aquarium. The aquarium was along the coast and banners for the aquarium lined the past from the station all the…
A new family friend
The other night I was in my sleeping bag, texting my friends back at Rollins. It was about 11 at night and I started to hear lots of noises by my giant pile of stuff in the corner of my room. I got wide eyed, and well my hands started to sweat but that could…
OU! OU! OU! OU! Here we go, OU!
About a month ago I tried out for the women’s intermural basketball team and ended up making the varsity women’s basketball team here! This has by far turned out to be the most positive, fun, and phenomenal experience I could have ever wished for while studying abroad in New Zealand! Joining the Otago University (OU)…
Spring Break Fever
As our semester finally begins to wind down at College Year in Athens, it is exciting and bittersweet to see our spring break on the horizon. Unlike most programs, our break is reserved for the end of the semester to align with the Greek Orthodox Easter, and leaves us with only a few weeks of classes…
Lost in Translation
As I mentioned in my previous post, I went to my friend Clare’s grandmas house this weekend to celebrate her birthday with all of her family. We took a bus early Friday morning from Dublin all the way to Letter-Kenny – a steady 5 hour drive. We arrived around noon and her aunt picked us…
Spring Break in Kyushu
Spring break was a much needed break from classes and a good chance to explore. I ended up going to Kyushu with some friends. I was set to meet with my friends in Fukuoka, since the night bus they were taking was filled up. But that just meant that I got to take the Shinkansen,…
Ninfa Gardens and Velletri
Last weekend, the directors at Trinity planned an outing for all the students on the program. The first stop on the itinerary was a tour of a botanical garden and then a barbecue on a farm. It sounded like an ideal vacation in the countryside. I was definitely on board but there was some uncertainty…
Exploring Northern Greece
This past week, myself and my fellow classmates spent our time exploring Northern Greece, known to its inhabitants and historically as Macedonia. We stayed in Thessaloniki for the week, and experienced a city that was considerably younger and more progressive than Athens, while also exploring ancient archaeological sites in and around the city. Although I…
A Week in Kopan Nunnery: My first ESL teaching experience
So yes there was a goat in my classroom. His name I believe is Tenzin, a popular Tibetan name. Here at Kopan Nunnery studies are taken very seriously. Everyday they wake up at 4:45 AM for their 5 o’clock Puja where they chant for two hours. Then at 7 am they have breakfast together, which…
The City of Love and Exploring Northern Greece!
This past week has been incredible. As much as I enjoy the classes at CYA and feeling at home in Pangrati, there’s nothing like being able to travel to other areas and experience the utterly unfamiliar. Last weekend myself and a friend of mine were able to go to Paris to visit another friend studying…