November 2-5th – Paris Week 10 flew by, as did my time in Paris this past weekend. To honor my short and sweet speed date with the “city of love,” I’m going to speed date this blog post, too, in the form of 10 short observations.* *You might think this is a clever commentary about fleeting young love or an erudite use of numbers because 10 and 10 match, but I’m really using this format because a) I’m exhausted from traveling; b) I’m tired of writing long blog posts; and 3) yo

This is not a joke entry I promise. I mean, there are jokes in it to make me feel better about myself and hopefully entertain you as I talk about losing wads of cash money $$$*, but it’s still a serious post. It’s all about human nature and good and bad people and trust and common sense** and how to cope during rough times and move on from bad break-ups (break-ups with money that is), so it’s worth a read. At least, more worth a read than my “bland/boring travel blog posts th

Ended our fall break travels with a trip to Munich, where we spent one day touring the city and the following day participating in the biggest annual beer festival in the world: Oktoberfest. We all felt that it was great way to kick off the month of October—well, at least those of us who remember what happened, that is. September 29-30th – Munich Impressions: The most beautiful trees in the world. Every possible shade of fall I could possibly imagine, sometimes all on one bra

Kicked off fall break with a week in Barcelona and Madrid. Beaches, paella, tapas, fireworks, Gothic alleyways, palaces, cathedrals, parks, even revolution. What a revolutionary trip. September 21-23rd – Barcelona Impressions: My first time staying in a hostel. It was actually very nice, but definitely not the norm since I was able to share a room with all my friends. The locker system for stowing things away with your own room key was quite clever. Loved the weather—definite

A normal week that included a wonderful Beethoven symphony in the Municipal House and ended with a food- and fun-filled weekend in Belgium. Oh, and a surprise trip to Netherlands, because why not? September 11th – Remembering Cooked rice noodles with bell peppers and Thai peanut sauce with Jesse! Also made Korean-spiced broccoli and sausages for the first time. September 12th – Great Life Choices After a great day of class, cooking, and eating smoked salmon that Sean brought

Stayed in Prague this week. Celebrated Jess’s birthday, ate burritos at 4 A.M., shopped at Palladium Mall, cooked with friends, ate all-you-can-eat sushi, recovered from a sore throat, and finished off the weekend with a beautiful mountain hike at Česke Švýcarsko (Bohemian Switzerland National Park) and Krkonoše (Giant) Mountains. September 4th-5th, 2017 – Back to School Good to be back in class for the week, but unfortunately 99% of my friends were sick from traveling. Made

Since most of my traveling will be from Thursday-Sunday (my classes are stacked M-W) during my time abroad, my “weekly blogs” will end with Sundays from now on. This week’s post is mostly a reflection on two local Prague tours, my 19th birthday, and my four-day excursion to Vienna and Salzburg. Travel itinerary and trip highlights included! August 26, 2017 – S(art)urday Went on a beautiful but exhausting 3 hour walking tour discussing the street names, religious relics, neo-c

As I close out The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, I wanted to turn the page by reflecting on fresh starts of mine. It’s easy for me to get stuck on endings, so in the spirit of trying new things, I’ll highlight just the opposite. Big or small, these beginnings of the past week have brought—and hopefully will continue to bring—me happiness in some way. First time reading a book that explicitly studies happiness. First time eating at Xi’an Famous Foods. Those hand-pulled

Happiness Resolution #10: Post more frequently, less wordily. I’ve been in an uncannily good mood lately. It’s summer, I’m seeing old friends and living with others, I have a job that pays me to learn, and I still have time to take dance classes, eat out, and write, too. Yep, I’m living the good life (as I define it). But it feels especially good because, thanks to The Happiness Project, I am 1) not only more aware of all of the above but also am 2) more conscious of other pe