#Travel

a series of poems on 金面山 (jin mian shan)

Oct 25, 2019
3 min

a series of poems on 金面山 (jin mian shan)

this past monday, on our last morning in taipei, kevin and i got up at 4 a.m. to hike to the top of jin mian shan. at 5:30 a.m., i found myself lying on top of a wide slanted boulder, watching the sky lighten in layers of lavender and blueish-grey as a soft orange glow spread from the eastern mountainside. i don’t want to ever forget that moment. how intensely content i felt to be up there, tiny, just breathing in cold air. at one point, i took out my phone and left seven sho

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Czech Republic: Stuffed with Thanks (Week 11)

Amy Dong

Nov 22, 2017
4 min

Czech Republic: Stuffed with Thanks (Week 11)

The fact that I’ll be spending this Thanksgiving far away from home feels weird. The fact that I’ll be spending it in Rome feels even weirder. That fact honestly just epitomizes the fact that I have much to be thankful for. This semester, I’ve had some extreme highs and lows. There have been times where I’ve thought no one could be luckier than I am and times where I’ve felt too stressed or angsty or exhausted or self-centered to realize how lucky I truly am. Actually, as I’m

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France: Speed Dating the City of Love (Week 10)

Amy Dong

Nov 9, 2017
4 min

France: Speed Dating the City of Love (Week 10)

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

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A Guide on How to Get Your Money Stolen (Twice) and How to Deal with All Your Emotions Afterwards

Amy Dong

Oct 25, 2017
5 min

A Guide on How to Get Your Money Stolen (Twice) and How to Deal with All Your Emotions Afterwards

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

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Germany: From September to Oktober(fest) (Week 6)

Amy Dong

Oct 19, 2017
3 min

Germany: From September to Oktober(fest) (Week 6)

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

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Amy Dong

Oct 10, 2017
7 min

Spain: Viva La Spain! (Week 5)

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

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Amy Dong

Sep 28, 2017
7 min

Belgium: Belg(yum) (Week 4)

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

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Czech Republic: Waiting for the View (Week 3)

Amy Dong

Sep 14, 2017
3 min

Czech Republic: Waiting for the View (Week 3)

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

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Amy Dong

Sep 8, 2017
8 min

Austria: The Hills are Alive (Week 2)

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

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Czech Republic: “Hello from Praha” (Week 1)

Amy Dong

Aug 22, 2017
7 min

Czech Republic: “Hello from Praha” (Week 1)

“Hello from Praha” (“Dobrý den, Praha”) will be my series of weekly blog posts about my study away experience. Days will be longer or shorter depending on what happens (and how inspired I am to write). Some days will be only pictures, others only words. Some won’t even be in Praha! I’ll be updating the blog as the days pass, so some posts may be “incomplete” until the end of the week (Friday this time, but every Wednesday from here on out since I’ll often be traveling from Th

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Stern International Volunteers - Ghana: Day 2

Amy Dong

Mar 10, 2017
2 min

Stern International Volunteers - Ghana: Day 2

Hot, humid air envelops us in dusty clouds as we step into the city of Accra, Ghana. Through our bus windows, we watch taxis and buses swerve by as motorbikes snake through narrow lanes. Walking up and down the streets are men carrying racks of sunglasses, towels, and crafts and women balancing crates of baguettes, plantain chips, milk cartons, fresh fruits, nuts, and Adinkra pastries on their heads, selling their goods to anyone in a stalled vehicle. Long hourglass dresses,

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