I have certainly spent a moment or two this semester reflecting on the dream of a postgrad life in Europe. Many of my peers in France have expressed that they could not live here in the future, but I still observe Paris through a romanticized lens. I watch the parents marching their kids through bustling…
Category: abroadSELECT
Temporarily hypothetical (maybe?)
I’m not sure what the future holds, but I certainly wouldn’t mind Dublin being a part of my life once again down the line. If I’m planting some more permanent roots over here, the first step is to figure out where I’d be staying. In my previous posts, I’ve mentioned how perfect my location is…
Balancing Life While Abroad
If I had to sum up the most challenging aspect of studying abroad for a semester, it would be the struggle to find balance. Between wanting to live up to the social media-created facade of the experience, to wanting to honor your own interests and mental health, it can be hard to know how much…
Grappling with Expectations
I’d like to elaborate on something that I’ve mentioned in a previous post: the challenge of my own expectations. In retrospect, the fact that I’ve brought it up already speaks to how much it’s been in the back of my mind since being abroad. Whether I was aware of it at the beginning or not,…
Takeaways From Living in Paris
I’ve somehow slid into second half of my time abroad, and I find myself reflecting more and more on my cultural identity and relationship with home. Living in a very touristy city means that I am constantly encountering French and American cultural intersections. Sometimes, I feel a vague awkwardness when someone realizes I’m American, particularly…
Taking inventory: a brief interlude
A few key takeaways from my time in Ireland so far: You know how when babies learn to swim, they’re often just tossed right in and they eventually get the hang of it? That’s a fairly accurate description of my early adjustment period in Dublin – in a good way! Keeping with the aquatic theme,…
Great Expectations
Hello again! After officially completing two months at my study abroad program in Copenhagen, I have come to meet many of the academic, professional, and personal expectations I had created for myself prior to departing for my program. It has been a wonderful experience to see the visions I had for my study abroad experience…
Living Up to Abroad Expectations
As I enter my seventh week living in Paris, I am faced with my first big exam in both of my classes and a distinct feeling of unpreparedness. Adjusting to the French style of learning has occasionally been complicated, but in other ways it has exceeded my expectations. I arrived in France anticipating the classic…
Howya Now?
No matter how hard I fought the feeling, I couldn’t help it. It was a losing battle against the notion that once I embarked on what will be a once in a lifetime experience, I would find myself, instantly metamorphosing into who I’m meant to become. Don’t worry, I’m cringing just as much as you…
Chez Moi
Hello again! It is time to update on my Parisian living experience now that I have officially been here for a month, goodness how the time has flown! I have been truly blessed with my housing location, although I didn’t initially realize it since many of my peers in the CEA program live quite far…