The Greatest Gift of Life

“The greatest gift of life is friendship, and I received it.” —Hubert Humphrey

I want to dedicate this post to a simple but very important thing: friendship. Moving to another country, I left all my friends in Russia. I still chat with them, but sometimes you need someone around — a person with whom you can hang out, go to watch movies or celebrate something.

Wish You Were Here!

I have been collecting post cards from every city I’ve visited over the past few months. Some of them feature photos of a destination’s most famous attractions, while others simply state “Greetings from…”. Although I haven’t been able to send each of my loved ones a card from all the places I’ve been fortunate enough to see, I look forward to compiling an album of these cards once I’m back in California with a list of some of my favorite memories on the backs.

A Little About Me in a New Place

I am known to be a loud and very smiley extrovert who loves to always see the positive side of things and make the best out of life for others and myself. I am Mexican-Iranian-American in America, but here in China, I am American. But that does not mean I forget who I truly am and what my heritage is while I study in Shanghai, China.

A Proper UK Welcome

I love everything about England, so studying abroad here is a dream come true. I’ve imagined what living in England would be like and it’s everything I’ve pictured and more; from the people, the cloudy weather, the history and even the accents.

My family visited and Irish they could stay forever

Two weeks ago, my brother and friend flew close to 6,000 miles across the world to visit me in Maastricht and I’ve been excited for them to come since the beginning of my time here. However, during my first few months in Maastricht I felt as though I would never be able to remember how to get around and wouldn’t be able to be a show my family around because of how bad I am with directions.

Time Flies When You’re Having Fun

As the first semester is close to finishing, I can’t help but ask myself where the time has gone. Thank god I’m here for two semesters because there is no way that I would be ready to leave. The past couple of weeks have been very busy and stressful; I’ve been busy filming and finishing projects, studying for finals and recovering from being ill.

Yet I have still been having the time of my life.

A Piece Of Home

Not surprisingly, one of the hardest parts about studying abroad is being away from your family. Being away from them when I’m at school in San Diego is hard enough, but it’s a very difficult adjustment when you’re halfway across the world.

Unlike most study abroad kids, however, I can really relate to the country I’m in since both of my parents were born and raised in Italy. The best part? My parents showed up in Rome last week and we went on a little adventure down south.

Home Away From Home

I have been in Brazil for about three and a half weeks now. In that time, I have noticed significant differences between my adaptation to England and Brazil.

Within the first three weeks of living in England, I was still fairly nostalgic. I went through my time there enjoying the new learning experience, making friends, and visiting amazing historical sites, but I still felt like an outsider.

Never Too Far From Family

I hadn’t realized how disconnected I was from my extended family until I encountered my Mama Tica.

My Mama Tica (my host mom) sits with Erin and me for every meal she serves us. Our conversations range anywhere from what we plan on doing that day to stories from our childhood.