I just wanted to write a bit of a disclaimer post. Yes, the city tour was awesome. Yes, I’ve met some really great people on this program already. I have a nice host family, who is willing to make me gluten-free food. But studying abroad is hard. I’ve only been here four days and it is already a mixed experience. I’ve been sick and tired and hungry and confused. But I’ve also been happy and excited and awed. Whenever you go abroad, whatever organization you are with, you are often [...]

It turns out that preparing to live in another country (even while you are in that country) is a bit complicated. Here are the things nobody really talks about beforehand: 1) How to buy a cell phone. I brought my iPhone with me to France. It’s unlocked so that I can join any cell phone provider here. However, finding a plan that is sans engagement, or in English, not on contract, is difficult. There are plans offered by Free, SFR, and Orange, with semi-reasonable prices, but there are restrictions as to where calling, [...]

Burnt from walking across Haifa’s campus to Mount Carmel national park. It is interesting to be with people while feeling like you’re not with them at the same time. Conversation is still exhausting at this point and I’m wondering if I will ever feel natural here? If I will ever find someone who gets me? Cats are everywhere on campus. Meowing through the night. They climb the brightly colored stone walls in search of food and pleasure. I climb in search of companionship and fresh air. Hebrew is everywhere and still [...]

I know I don’t update this blog like I should, or like I thought I would even. I feel a little embarrassed that I couldn’t force myself to keep up with this as much. I think I’ve found that most of what I’ve learned while over here has been very personal and difficult to filter out. I write a lot, but not for this. Here I feel like a different person. Back at home I am much more academically curious, astute, and organized. Here, I will purposefully forget to do [...]

I have decided to redefine the phrase “culture shock”. It’s the terror and excitement of contemplating who you are within a world that recognizes you as a foreigner. It’s getting the airport and not being able to rely on your typical methods of etiquette in order to get what you want. Subtleties suddenly become the only thing that makes you the other and you begin to understand that you don’t belong. This sounds rather gloomy, but I really do enjoy it. I arrived at Charles de Gaulle with a 12 [...]

02 June 2012: PISSED (drunk) Going out to bars and drinking is a little more expensive in Australia. Drinks cost between 6 and 14 dollars. It’s also a little harder to order drinks since they differ from America. Some of the bars did not know what a whiskey sour was. However, it is still a good time as any and I have to keep in mind that they have a minimum wage of 18 dollars an hour which pays for 2 drinks. It definitely does not feel like a night out [...]

Hey, I made it and I’m alive! After a long flight, I have finally made it to Sydeny, Australia! It is absolutely beautiful and still seems so unreal that I am actually here! The best part of the flight was watching the sunrise while flying into Sydney. Soo awesome! When we arrived into Sydney, it took about 20 minutes to go through customs and by 7am a bunch of us grabbed a taxi to our apartment in Waterloo, Sydney. It was definitely weird to see the drivers side on the right side [...]

So, you guessed it, I’m home! My last week in Dakar was…interesting. I was sick pretty much all week with a high fever and abdominal pain. Still not entirely sure what’s going on but do not fear! I have a doctor’s appointment here in the states tomorrow. When I wasn’t spending countless hours feeling sick in bed, I was exploring different markets I hadn’t visited before and, oh yeah, writing that final 20 page French paper about our internships. Fun times. Especially after this week, I am definitely going to [...]

I was really struggling today.  Basically having a pity party for myself.  Classes are somewhat difficult because I feel like I don’t have any idea what is going on and because school has always come naturally to me.  Also, I haven’t been able to skype my mama or sister, which I had been doing just about everyday.  And I’m really missing everyone from back home.  As I said, pity pouting party for me, with a few tears too.  But then I came back to my apartment to eat my healthy food and decided to turn my [...]

Culture shock. I am a celebrity, yet an outcast. Because of the color of my skin I am a now seen as either as aloose American girl or an American with a lot ofmoney.  I now see a sari as a way to coverup my skin and physical features. To become invisible blend in with my surroundings. A Sari is my only shield. Never have I ever had to deal withthis before. I am on the returning end for once. People stare blindly without saying a word to you. I [...]

When someone is placed in a new environment, an environment that differs from their own and one that they are not used to, they are taken back, anxious and uncomfortable. Culture shock is the popular term to describe this phenomenon. On a short vacation to a foreign country, one is not likely to experience this because of the many “tourist settings” available across the world, and the mindset that the stay is only a few days or weeks. Since arriving in Buenos Aires, Argentina over a week ago, I have [...]

I’ve already made it to the one-month mark, which seriously blows my mind. The days here are flying by faster than I ever thought they would. I’ve already done SO many amazing things, and I haven’t even done the coolest things on my list of things to do!  I had to do an assignment for a class I’m taking through the U that is all about reflecting on your experience and talking about the ups and downs that come along with “culture shock.” Culture shock is defined as having a [...]

Yesterday was rough. It was the first day I had all to myself, and I didn’t take well to it. I wasn’t tired, but all I wanted to do was sleep, eat, and shower because those things passed the most time. It was fairly miserable. I suspect the problem is a multifaceted one. First, and most prominently, this was the first day I had that was truly lacking adventure. No travel, no caves, no exotic landscapes, not even any boring bus rides or campus tours. Just sitting in my room. [...]

There are lots of little things that make up culture shock between Ireland and home. Here are a few: No one seems to use half and half. For anything. So I cool down my Americanos with “semi-skimmed milk” or whole milk. The washer and dryers are in one unit- and take 5 times as long, sounding like rocket ships taking off The symbol of Ireland is the Harp, and the color of the country is Blue, not green. Huh. “What’s the Craic?” (pronounced “crack”); the term means “fun” or “what’s [...]

I haven’t blogged in a while, and now my head is full of things to type about. I don’t know whether I can say the past few weeks have been particularly eventful, but given a bit of free time I feel like I can take this time to reflect on them. They say when you move to a foreign country, you go through this scale of emotions. You start out in what they call the “honeymoon phase” where everything is new and amazing. I definitely went through that. I took [...]