With my re-entry into life in the states, my study abroad (and two extra weeks of travel) have come to a close. Leaving Europe was one of the hardest things about growing abroad because I knew my amazing time had to come to an end. And although I am no longer studying abroad, the experience itself still impacts my day to day life.
Several things became immediately apparent to me upon moving to Akita, Japan: the washrooms are far superior in Japan (the whole world should have these showers), I am obscenely spoiled by my bed in America (I truly take for granted the ability to spread eagle on a temperpedic mattress), and I do in fact possess perfectly healthy sweat glands (despite some twenty-four years of not really using them until just this morning, when I stepped out into the humid air and promptly lost half my water weight).
Today was the AIUlympics, a sporting event held by the RA’s on campus! The turn-out was much larger than I’d expected, which was lovely. It began with adorable warm-ups ala Radio Taiso, which truly put into perspective how uncoordinated we all are, then mozied along to a three-legged race, a scavenger hunt, Japanese “red light green light” (Daruma-san falls down), a chopstick relay, and extreme charades. Everyone involved got hilariously competitive in true sporting event fashion; friendships were ruined by the impassable divide between red shirts and white shirts.
Hey everyone! Thanks for tuning in. At the moment I am waiting at the airport waiting for my flight to leave. It is pretty exciting and scary at the same time. (I ran into a big glass window while trying to text, so tip: Don’t do that) This first blog I hope to detail out what I am expecting and why I would be going abroad.
Before departing on my year long stay in Vienna, I have millions of thoughts flitting in and out of the subconscious of my everyday. The troubling thing however, is that until quite recently none of these thoughts had any real connection to going abroad. It wasn’t until about a week ago, that the wet blanket of realization wrapped itself around my sunburnt shoulders, and two words rang loudly in space between my ears, shaking me to my core, “I’m leaving”.
With finals completed, some friends having already left for home, and my metro passes running out- the end of my time in Barcelona is officially closing in and I am having a hard time leaving. My month in Spain has been unparalleled, a cultural experience that surpassed any preconceived expectations. Living in an entirely new place truly helped me gain a different perspective on life.
This past weekend was so much fun!! After a busy Friday running around, I took the train to Daegu to visit Hansol and her parents! It was so awesome to stay with a Korean family and see what life is like is Daegu. Daegu is a city about 4 hours away from Seoul in the South-Eastern part of Korea. I really loved it there! It’s still a city but much more manageable than Seoul. Since Seoul is so big, it feels overwhelming to me. I’ve never lived in a huge city, so it’s certainly a new experience. It was so awesome going somewhere else in Korea though. I loved it. Not only was it my first trip outside of Seoul, I went on my own too which was scary and also really exciting for me.
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Today felt like a normal day. Which actually feels a bit peculiar. It’s amazing how new places quickly no longer feel new. There are still places to explore and people to meet, but they are not quite so different as maybe they first seemed. I am familiar enough with campus now that I can move around easily enough. I know where the things I need are anyway. Maybe I no longer feel like a guest. I am now a student in Korea!
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Remember when I started my blog counting the weeks as they went by? Now I have to say. . . I have less than one week left until I move out of my dorm room. I am certainly having some bittersweet feelings. I’m thankful I get to stay a few extra weeks in Korea through.
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I only have one more month left in Chile. I have never really had to leave behind so much before. In Seattle I have lived in the same house since I was a baby. I may have graduated through the Seattle school system, but my friends and everyone I knew were always in the same city as me. If I wanted I could reunite with them and even sometimes just run into them during a normal day. Though I have finished things the people and places were always accessible. Now I am discovering a very strange sensation of true disconnection. True, I can use technology to talk with my friends and family in Chile, but it really won’t be the same. Even if I return to Chile the other foreign exchanges students will be scattered across the globe.
Now, this sounds as if I am becoming homesick for my new home already. The fact is I am excited to return home to Seattle, and I am sad I am leaving Chile but I plan on taking part of the wonderful country with me. Through my spanish, pictures, my diary, my memories and moments of reflection with friends I made here I can find my Chilean home. It will be yet another gift of maturity Chile has given me. Something more to grow from.
So what does one do with a limited time left in a far away paradise? I already feel very satisfied with my time, nothing feels wasted. So what do I do? There are so many possibilities, but for now I believe it will be best to spend it with the people and the city of Valparaiso.
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Waiting has never been an activity I enjoy. As my departure day nears I have already had a hectic stream of emotions. Anxiety. Fear. Excitement. Wonder. Joy. These emotions are filling in my time before I board a plane and cross over to the Southern Hemisphere and land in Santiago! Once there I will be studying Spanish at Pontifica Universidad Católica de Valparaíso and staying with a host family in Viña del Mar. My home will be close to the beach (I found this out using the creepy Google Earth to locate my nueva casa for the next few months.) I am very excited for this and can not thank my parents enough for the support they have given me. I will use this opportunity to completely integrate myself in Spanish and learn to love another country. I cannot wait! Hasta Luega, cuando estaré en Chile!
As am I writing this, my body is sore, my face burnt, my hands cramping, and it is all thanks to my wonderful weekend trip with my Adventure Tourism class.
A Photograph of the roundabout near our hostel in Rome at the top of Via Nazionale.
It is nearly impossible to describe las Cataratas del Iguazú, better known as Iguazú Falls. My week-long trip in Argentina was full of its ups and downs, so let’s begin…
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I have officially hit the half way mark of my study abroad session in Barcelona, throughout which I have shifted away from feeling like a tourist on vacation and much more like a student/resident of Barcelona.
One of the most unique things about New Zealand is the fact that its First Nations tribes, collectively called the Maori, have been incorporated into society. The Treaty of Waitangi was created and signed in 1840 between the British Crown and Maori chiefs, establishing New Zealand, but recognizing that the Maori still had ownership rights to the land Britain was colonising. In effect this made them equals; however, the British (being the British) took advantage of the citation and didn’t do everything they agreed upon in the treaty. Before the 1970s the treaty was pretty much ignored and the Maori were treated as an insignificant race (though much better than how Native Americans were, and still are treated). In the 1970s there were many protests from the Maori wishing to address wrongs done to them over the years. A national inquiry into breaches of the Treaty was established and since then the Maori have been granted hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation.
Katy Perry stuck in your head now? You’re welcome. (Even if Røros doesn’t quite work phonetically)
