fragments

They say hindsight is 20/20. It certainly feels that way sometimes, doesn't it? When everything falls apart, we'd love the opportunity to go back in time and make a change, and when everything comes together seamlessly, we wish that we could tell our past selves to stop worrying so much. The temptation to look back...

(in)significant

On any given day, how much time do you spend pondering your own insignificance? Weird question, I know. I ask because it's something I think about a lot. I study sustainability, and I often get lost wondering if there's anything I can do that would actually make a difference in terms of mitigating climate change,...

Savoring Scandinavia

All of a sudden, it already feels like my study abroad experience is slipping away from me. I've been here just over 2 months, which means I have just under 2 months left in this European adventure. To say anxiety is kicking in would be the understatement of the century. From the moment I first...

Love, Romania

Honestly, Bucharest is pretty dirty. The snow was black with mud from the road and I think there's graffiti on every single brick in the city. The buildings are all similar and simple; constant reminders of the communist era that still shapes the community. The gray skies amplified the melting snow, seeming to cast a...

Hungary for more

The city was still sleeping. Saturday morning we managed to get ourselves up, but the rest of the world seemed to have hit snooze. After a long night of traveling on the ever-luxurious Ryanair and a short night's sleep in our hostel's 12-person dorm room, we were up at 7 to start our tour of...

in a copenhagen café

I'm sitting in the cutest café right now near a forgotten exit of the metro station, listening to Danish and Spanish around me, sipping my chai latte, and thinking about how lucky I am instead of doing my readings for class. I'll set the scene: this café is so cool. It's like a house that's...

The thrill found in the small

When you visit a new place, everything is exponentially more exciting. I'm talking the mundane. Street signs look cute, 7/11 stores have a fresh appeal. Dogs seem more cultured and you start to pay attention to architecture, which you never do at home. Do not even get me started on babies. Every little first is...

Lovely to meet you

The first structure I saw from the plane was an idyllic little cabin in the woods. How Norway is that? When I looked out the window during landing (because I was #blessed enough to have the whole row to myself), my first feeling was of confusion. What was that on the ground? When I realized...

Taking risks

I've checked most everything off of my list. Scarves, beanies, warm coat? Check, check, check. Make sure everyone I love has Whatsapp? Check. Break in new boots? Check. Separate my life into "Staying" and "Going"? Check. Travel plans while abroad? Czech 😉 It's starting to feel real, kind of. My heart rate spikes every time...

A little resolve

The new year is always full of hope and promise. Hope that we've learned from our past mistakes, promise that we'll try not to make the same ones next time. Hope that we'll choose better paths for ourselves, better opportunities, better friendships... promise that even if we don't, it'll be okay. New years offer us...