As I enter mid-September here abroad in Rome, every expectation I had coming into this experience has already been long surpassed and then some. Admittedly I have found myself homesick to some extent at times, but I cannot express into words how much I have appreciated this opportunity given to me. Back home walking around…
Hiragana and Katakana!
As of now, I’m happy to say that we have successfully learned both Hiragana and Katakana (2/3 of the languages used here in Japan). Compared to the level at was at when I first arrived to Japan (no prior experience learning Japanese), I feel that I have come such a long way. It is so…
Father Gino
The date is Tuesday September 1st, 2015, and it is 6:38pm. As I prepare my evening meal I begin to reflect on my time in Rome. I ask myself, “How would you describe your experience in Rome thus far using only ONE word?” My answer to that question is I wouldn’t. To describe the events…
1 Month Down!! It’s fly by so fast :)
The day is Thursday, September 24th 2015, and today marks the completion of my first full month in Italy. It is crazy to think that I have been away from home for an entire month in a country where I don’t speak the language, nor have any idea about its history. Fortunately, I am not…
Lotofaga: Village Stay
After two weeks in Apia on USP’s campus where we were all finally adjusting, we packed up our things and were sent off to Lotofaga. Lotofaga is one of the 300+ villages in Samoa, on the southern coast of the island where it is very rural. When we arrived, us “palagis” were welcomed with a…
September/Septembar: Collusion and Cohesion
I have had to include 2 blog posts simultaneously. The first is from my first week in Serbia, and the second is from this week as I prepare to go to Kosovo. ABeCeDa and Azbuka The past week has been an exciting, yet very introspective time. I have been pulled to my limitations in terms…
China from a new angle.
Before I embarked on this 4 month journey to China, I was able to derive one question that was often asked by the folks around me. Each time the concept of me traveling to Shanghai cam about conversation, people tend to assume the country to be a potentially culturally dangerous place. NOTHING, and i say…
Preparing for Paris
Preparing for Paris I thought I had it under control, but boy was I wrong. It was a little short of 6 or 7 weeks out from my trip and I realized that I needed to book an appointment with the French Consulate in my region. The first complication was that I wasn’t even in…
Bargaining in Shanghai
I try to venture out a little more and more each day. I finally bought a bicycle and started to learn the wonderful art of negotiation here in china. In shanghai the price of almost anything can be negotiated and its perfectly fine to try and do so. By all means go as far as…