Tellus

Nearing the end of my semester, here I stand at the top of “Parque Güell,” in Barcelona, Spain. I had discovered that my friend from my hometown was living in Madrid. She is a very special friend to me. We have competed together for years running track. She would beat me, I would beat her, […]

I chose this picture because it was one of the best weeks of my life. My best friend from study abroad and I went to the Atacama Desert for spring break and it was amazing!!! The desert goes on for miles and miles and we got to explore a lot it. We went to 3 […]

This is at the beginning of the Camino de Santiago in northern Portugal. While it was a great physical challenge (114k in 4 days!) it was a very memorable and fulfilling experience.

Coming back from my semester in Japan has been harder than I  expected. I miss my host family very much and I couldn’t have asked for a more fulfilling experience. This is us at Mount Fuji in November. If you’re interested in studying abroad in Japan and have questions feel free to contact me. 

An unforgettable trip with unforgettable women- I never imagined joining a sorority would help me while I was abroad, but it turned out that through our similar interests I found 5 amazing women abroad that turned into my best friends and travel buddies for 3 months, and helped change my world. This photo was taken […]

  During my semester abroad in Chile, I was lucky enough to have time to explore the very long and diverse geographic country. This particular photo was taken during the week we had off of school during “Fiestas Patrias” which is Chile’s independence week celebration. Myself and five other students took off to the Atacama […]

I studied abroad in Kawagoe, Japan this past fall semester. Although there were many frustrating and trying times trying to integrate into a culture so vastly different from what I was accustomed too, it was so incredibly rewarding. I met many friends, both American and Japanese, and made so many great memories that I still […]

Older Jazz musicians from my hometown of New Orleans have proclaimed to me that the country to bring the next golden age of Jazz will be Japan. With this prediction in mind, I decided to go to a theme cafe where Jazz is not performed, but consumed. Milestone, a jazz cafe located just blocks away […]

This was taken outside of the Blue Mosque. We went with the entire group of exchange students to all of the touristy locations. Somehow I never made it back. That is one of biggest regrets about my trip. During a trip organized by a group of Turkish grads, we were stopped at a shady beach […]

Sept 17 Florence! Firenze! Today, Cybelle and I traveled to the beautiful city of Florence. We took the train from Termina to Florence and it took about an hour and a half. The train went really fast a total speed of about 250km/h which is equivalent to one of Andy Roddick’s serve or 150mph. The […]

No matter which country you are planning to go to, studying abroad is an extraordinary experience; however, every experience is different, so as a seasoned study abroad student, I would like to offer three pieces of broad advice that I believe can apply no matter where you choose to go. (1) Before you get caught […]

(This blog entry originally appeared on my personal travel blog, Fisch and Chips, on September 15, 2013.): Whew!  Today was quite the adventure in London!  There were plenty of famous landmarks all fairly close to each other, so I got quite a bit of sightseeing in. I’ve been on top of my homework so far, […]

The London Theater- Going Experience was one full of culture, sights, entertainment, and learning. The two plays I got to see at the Globe were A Mid Summer Night’s Dream, and Macbeth. On the way to Shakespeare’s Globe, I would walk across this bridge to get to the other side of the Thames river. The […]

This weekend was my first weekend in Angers! I started class on Wednesday, and I was more than ready to have a few days off to explore the town. Thursday night there was a Soirée Française at the Soft Bar, close to the school. Everyone in the program was invited to wear colors of the […]

This first picture is a typical image of what you can expect to see while wandering around New Zealand. Sheep, or animal clouds, are everywhere in New Zealand! In fact, I learned that the sheep to human ratio is 4:1. There are sheep covering farms, hills, roads and they occasionally insert themselves onto college campuses. […]

We all love to hate a cheesy Disney/Pixar trope or  message (while actually kind of really loving it anyway). Although it wasn’t my first choice, I was really excited by the prospect of studying abroad in Scotland. And though I was offered a spot in Glasgow, far away from the Highland setting of Brave, I have […]

Here are some photos I took from the Diren Gezi Park protests in Taksim Square and some captions with my translations or explanations. Gezi Park 1 “Resistance is everywhere.” from Galatasaray fans. I noticed that while united by a common cause, most of the fans from Turkey’s three main soccer clubs identified themselves in different […]

Why did you decide to study abroad with American University of Sharjah? Read about Keith’s study abroad experience in Sharjah! Keith: While deciding upon potential universities, the one aspect of the American University of Sharjah that captivated me was its appearance, gorgeous architecture and a breathtaking campus. The institution was founded by the Ruler of […]

So I haven’t been posting as often as I should. I wanted this to be weekly, but it has become biweekly. You can attribute it to weak willpower, or excessive travel and socializing, (certainly not burdensome studies), but for whatever reason I have failed to update for the past two and a half weeks. Of […]

Waiting for the train home at the station in El Chorro, Andalucia

Backpacking in the highlands of Scotland during my spring break while studying abroad was one of the highlights of my trip.  My friend and I hiked over 80 miles.  The trip was challenging and  exciting, and completing the journey was one of the most fulfilling things I have done.  We planned very little for the […]

I wonder how they choose where to build monuments, or when to clear forests? It’s as if we believe we are gods, born to carve out the earth, here to shape and reshape the world around us.  Walls. Forts. Gates. Through Pile Gate I enter Dubrovnik. As old stone walls guard the heart of the […]

My time spent in New Zealand surpassed all of my expectations leading up to the trip. Immediately, I fell in love with the raw beauty of New Zealand. Dramatic landscapes are found wherever you go, with seemingly every vista worthy of a postcard. And Kiwis truly are some of the friendliest, most genuine people I’ve […]