Sixteen. That’s how many flights I have been on in the past two months. I’ve seen Les Misérables live in London, been bathed in Istanbul, met GRiZ in Switzerland, and flew home to Chicago for a party. It’s been a fun ride. But, I’m tired now. All too often people don’t talk about travel in an honest way. You…
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Conservations with Strangers: Juan from Barcelona
How we met: Juan and I met while boarding our flight to Istanbul Thursday night. We ended up sitting in the same row in window seats on opposite sides of the plane and insisted on obnoxiously yelling to each other in Spanish across the aisle for most of the flight. Needless to say, the other…
Read MoreA Day in the Life
You’re probably wondering what I do on a daily basis. Or not. You probably weren’t wondering at all. Which is all very valid, considering I do nothing 86% of the time. I have officially mastered the art of doing nothing and everything all at once, and it’s the best thing to ever happen to me.…
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 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 MoreEat The Damn Bread
I think I have eaten more carbs in these past two weeks than I have in the past year. And I am happier than I have ever been. Breakfast is always cereal with either toast, croissants or muffins. Lunch is a foot-long baguette. And not the Subway five dollar foot-longs that are actually like 11 inches. We’re talking…
Read MoreThe Spanish Host Family Experience
For the first two weeks of my study abroad program, everyone was placed with a host family. I live with a rather nice Spanish family in a small apartment in the northern part of the city. I share a room with another girl in my program, Kelly. My host mother is Montserrat, a sweet woman in…
Read MoreConversations with Strangers: Roman from Kazakhstan
How we met: I was trudging through Brussels airport with two bags that collectively weighed more than me, so I flagged Roman down in his airport golf cart. He was hesitant to help at first, but when I spoke Russian to him he immediately drove me across the entire airport to my gate and even…
Read MoreHow I survived a total of 24 of travel (And unsolicited advice on how you can too)
Be polite to airline personnel. At the airport, they are god. Do not underestimate them. Ask them how their day is, say please and thank you. I got a free upgrade to business class on my connecting flight, an extra bag checked for free, unlimited international phone calls and a ride across the expansive airport…
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“Be brave. Learn a lot. And know that God is always with you.”
I leave for Barcelona today. Naturally I had about a million errands to run. I was nervous and stressed, and going 100 miles per hour. I had forgotten about the joy of my upcoming adventure and was letting my last few hours at home slip away. Comfort came in the form of kind words from…
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