Exams have been completed, presentations have been given, final papers have been turned it, the last day of internship has been wrapped up and my final hours log has been signed. I’m done. I am officially done with my semester abroad and will be heading home in less than two days. It feels surreal to…
Trump Makes My Job Hard
Donald Trump makes it hard to be an American in the Middle East. I am Muslim, proudly. I am Puerto Rican, proudly. I am Arab, proudly. But above all, I am an American. On a sunny September evening 21 years ago, I was born to a pair of poor immigrants in an Orlando hospital. My…
London Christmas Market
This past weekend I went to a Christmas Market. I was so excited because my favorite holiday is Christmas, and I love all the lights and music, so I get really excited to do anything Christmassy. We went to the Winter Wonderland Christmas market in Hyde Park, and it was fun to walk around and…
My Final London Weekend
It doesn’t feel at all like I have been in London for almost three and a half months. My time here has been a whirlwind that has gone all too quickly. I’ve come to love so many little things about London and the people in it. One of those things is the tube, as I…
A Note on American Media
It is widely held among young, liberal arts educated students that the United States media possesses inherent biases that, for better or worse, shape our worldview and influence our interaction with our immediate and perceived environment. This first became eminently clear upon my field study to Cuba where I observed that indeed Cubans are not overwhelmingly…
When you travel in China
As many of you may or may not know, China is one, if not the most populated places of the world. With an estimated population of 1.5 billion citizens, not counting ex-patriots living in the country, when it comes to traveling, you can expect higher volume traffic than back in the states. It is impressive…
encounter the buddha
Although I went to a Catholic high school and was a regular visitor of the church for three years, I wont consider myself too much a religious person. I never got baptized or experience the magic moment of encountering the God. Also, though I was born in China, I didn’t know much about Buddhism. Honestly,…
it’s the most wonderful time of the year
Late November to Christmas is as this song says ‘it’s the most wonderful time of the year.” Well not if you’re away from home. Although I will say that me being the resourceful person I am had Friendsgiving con los papis from Spain who are here for one semester, and therefore still have life in…
Cigarettes on cigarettes, my mama think I stank
Smoking here in Germany is very common, so common in fact that I have gotten used to the second hand smoke, and when we do go out the smell always stains my clothes. Maybe I should pick better friends to be around but nah. As of today, my favorite quote has been this “Mauricio tobacco…