Coming Home; The Biggest Culture Shock of them All

I’m now back home after what was an amazing, life changing experience in Thailand. I know that the people I met will be friends when I come back to San Diego for school and the life lessons I learned will stick with me forever.

After starting the program in Chiang Mai, we spent the remainder the last 5-6 days in Bangkok. Bangkok is, as my former JMS teacher would say, is an “entirely different animal.” Bangkok is much more populated than Chiang Mai and a lot more busy.

Every night the city streets would be bustling with street vendors and tuk tuks and taxi drivers.

New Experiences in Thailand

To say I was under-prepared for this journey would be an understatement. I wasn’t under-prepared in the sense that I didn’t know how to navigate airports by myself or travel in another country alone. As cheesy as it sounds, I was under prepared for the amount joy and pure fun that would happen on this program.

My first impression of Thailand was that it is more industrial than I imagined. A lot of the movies and pictures you see of Thailand are of the gorgeous beaches and thick jungles. Which is true — there are many beautiful beaches and being in the jungle here feels like you’re either on a movie set or on another planet.

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.

PROST! German drinking culture, explained

Ask anyone what comes to mind when they think of Germany, and their response will likely be “lederhosen,” “pretzels” or “beer.” These three concepts have a pretty specific tie to Bavaria’s Oktoberfest, and Germans from just about every other state would be the first to correct you. However, beer in Germany has a long and exciting history, and has evolved into its own culture-within-the-culture.

Building Up to This

Guten Tag from Marburg! Spring is in full bloom here (for now, as Germany’s weather is completely unpredictable) and with classes starting, a little sunshine is just what we need. Coming from San Diego, I was sure that I’d become homesick for the weather, beaches and Woodstock’s Pizza, to name a few things. However, this hasn’t exactly been the case.

Around Western Europe in 15 Days – A Culinary Adventure

My journey to Europe began on February 5, when I flew from Los Angeles International Airport to London Heathrow. So began a whale of a tale for my sister Jessica and I. Over the course of 15 days, we visited London, England; Dublin, Ireland; Paris, France; Brussels, Belgium; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Munich, Germany; and at last reached Marburg, Germany, where I’ll be studying for the next four months.

Ten Things I Look Forward to About Studying Abroad in China

Hello!

My name is Carmen Huerta and I am a senior at San Diego State University majoring in public relations with a minor in entrepreneurship and this winter session I will be studying abroad in Shanghai, China, for two weeks.