A New Home

Sometimes we believe that nothing can hurt us. That people die, but not us. We believe that we are full of opportunities and that nothing can stop us.

Balancing Being a Tourist and Being a Student

As my final weeks in Australia are approaching, so are finals. I’ve been in the library more than I have all semester and have used my free time to explore Sydney as much as possible. It has been a balancing game. On Friday after my lab, my friend and I hopped on a train for an hour and a ferry to head over to Royal National Park to visit the famous Wedding Cake Rock.

Release Your Expectations

We all do it. We make expectations for how we want certain things to turn out, on a small and large scale. Well, I’m no different. I had high expectations for my adventures abroad in Southeast Asia from the day I got accepted to Thammasat University. Here’s why I think it ultimately hindered my experience – and why we should all let go of expectations and appreciate the journey for everything that it is.

Three Countries, Two Continents, One Outfit

Since the flight for my weekend trip was out of Brussels, Belgium, it seemed only fitting that we try the famous Belgian chocolate that everyone has been raving about. We contently indulged upon waffles the size of our faces smothered in gooey moist chocolate. This slice of heaven was the clear confirmation that Belgian chocolate surpasses any Sees, Godiva or chocolate bunny I’ve ever eaten in the states.

New Friendships and New Adventures

After being in Singapore for a few weeks and visiting all of the major attractions, all of my friends and I were aching to go out and explore more. At the time, we could not yet leave the country because our student visas had not been processed yet. So, our first real adventure here in Singapore was visiting the nearby island of Pulau Ubin. A group on campus called GEM Club organized this event in order to intermix international students with local Singaporean students on a field trip to Pulau Ubin.

Down in Mexico

A couple years ago, I went to Zimbabwe with my mother. I was born there, and some combination of my immediate family will fly out there every couple years or so. En route to Zimbabwe from the US, there is always a stop somewhere else. That particular time, a couple years ago, we had a layover in Dubai. Due to circumstances out of our control, this layover turned into two free nights in an airport hotel, and plenty of free time to explore the city before resuming our journey to our final destination.

I was blown away by the aggressive opulence of Dubai and learned a travel trick. Traveling somewhere is an opportunity to travel somewhere else.

Goodbye San Diego and Hallo Nederland

After I graduated high school, I answered my relative’s repetitive question, “Are you excited to go to college?” with a thoughtless “yes, Auntie.” However, when I look back on that, I wasn’t excited at all. In fact, I was a nervous wreck and terrified of everything college had to offer — the food, people, classes, teachers, etc.

More specifically, I was horrified of living in the residence halls. From hearing stories of unsanitary items left in the communal showers (I won’t go into detail), to nightmare tales of spiteful room mates, I was not at all eager for the roller coaster I was about to ride. I truly felt as though I was waiting in a never-ending line for Déjà Vu at Magic Mountain the first few months before move in day.

A Guide to Singapore and Southeast Asia

Hello everyone! Well, this marks my final post for SDSU: Be International! For this one, I am going to provide a brief guide to Singapore and several other nations that I traveled to while in Southeast Asia.

Getting Lost And Finding Yourself: A Study Abroad Tale

I am willing to bet at least most of you have heard a cliché or two about studying abroad. I know I did before I left. I remember reading blogs where they said, ‘When I went abroad, I had the chance to lose myself and get lost in the moment…’ and recall hearing individuals tell me, “Going abroad gives you the opportunity to truly find yourself.”

Now as beautiful as I find such statements, I was not completely sure I understood what they meant. I have never been a fan of getting lost, and I did not realize I needed to find myself. Where have I been? I was asked these questions several times before I left and did not answer them very seriously. It was not until actually being abroad that I started developing some real ideas on what such phrases truly meant.

Arriving in Nantes: The Most Livable City In Europe

Bonjour!

After a 17 hours flight (with a 2 hour layover in Moscow), I arrived at Paris CDG airport. With two huge and heavy suitcases, I felt hopeless to get them from the baggage claim to the railway station. But to my surprise, a very nice gentleman offered me a helping hand and insisted on guiding me to the train station himself.  Thanks to him, I managed to catch the right train and arrived at Nantes Station safe. My host family brother Bactage picked me up at the station (GARE SNCF), and I finally reached my new home after a 24-hour trip.