Last night, I was locked in a tiny, dark bathroom with mayonnaise on my tutu, with my friend kneeling in front of me, helping me button my leotard from underneath, while an Icelandic Pharaoh and a costume-less American waited outside. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Carnaval. Carnaval is the festive season immediately before Lent and typically involves intricate parades,…
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Paris is Always a Good Idea
After countless macaroons, croissants and éclairs, and being dangerously close to developing type two diabetes, I have returned from Paris. Even though I had been there two summers ago, I was excited to see it during the winter. Also, I love being called Mademoiselle and Madame, and where else can you get that but in the most…
Read MoreThe White Tiger
A white tiger: something extremely rare, but not altogether impossible to find. In a previous post, I mentioned that I was looking for an apartment in the city center, within walking distance to the University, with lots of natural sunlight and a balcony. And, I wanted it all for less than $500. Jesus must be reading my blog,…
Read MoreGandalf y el Sexo
I’m sure you all were wondering if I actually go to classes here or if I just spend my days eating tapas, picking up strangers and sitting on my balcony. Well, I do all of those things, but I also go to class for three hours every Monday through Thursday. I’m not quite sure how…
Read MoreConversations with Strangers: Jenica from Johannesburg
How we met: Jenica and I sat across from each other on a 5 am train to the airport in London and immediately started chatting. We talked about travel, how I would make the world’s worst spy and how many camels I would sell for in Africa. If you’re following the Conversations with Strangers posts, you know that…
Read MoreLiverpudlians, Big Cats and Canceled Trains
During my weekend in London, my best friend and I took a day trip to Liverpool to visit my friend, Ryan, who was an exchange student at U of I last semester. The first night, we only saw the bottoms of bottles, glasses and a few pitchers. But the next day, we visited Albert Dock and…
Read MoreLondon Calling
This weekend I traveled to London to surprise my best friend for her birthday. I’ve been to London before, so this wasn’t my first rodeo. Regardless, I decided to make the most of it and do all the touristy things once more. I toured the entire city by foot over the span of two days; visited…
Read MoreConversations with Strangers: Renean from South Africa
How we met: Long story short, I moved into my apartment a little early and my new room was occupied by a wonderful girl from The Netherlands who had her friend visiting. Basically, Renean and I got to be roommates for a whole three days. About him: Renean is South African, but resides in The Netherlands. He speaks fluent…
Read MoreTripe, Bidets and Nutella
Today is the big move, and I am most definitely ready to be in my own apartment. Yes, I actually did find an apartment and will not be a homeless. I’m very much so looking forward to living more comfortably, which means being able to identify my dinner, not shaving my legs in a sink and…
Read MoreWild Horses Couldn’t Drag Me Away
Sometimes I like to think of my life as a movie, and therefore will proceed to describe today in the form of a screenplay. It’s basically Eat Pray Love, except in Barcelona and I am not a middle aged divorcée. I’ve never actually seen the movie, but I’m going to assume that the plot is…
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