It’s been a long time since I’ve posted anything. This is due in part to both the fact that I find I have less and less time as the end of this semester approaches, as well as feeling I have nothing worthy of writing about. No time for weekend outings, the closest I ever got…
Living, Breathing History: A Weekend Trip to Xi’an, China
One of the integral parts to my program is the weekend trip to the capital of Shaanxi province, Xi’an. While the trip is not mandatory, I knew even before coming to China that I would definitely be participating—how could I pass up on an opportunity to see a new city, nonetheless one of the oldest…
The Hardest Part of Studying Abroad (Subjectively)
These days, my phone has been bombarded with emails, advertisements, headlines, all not-so-subtle reminders that the holidays are hot on our heels. The subject line of an email informs me that one of my favorite stores has just released their holiday line; a quick scroll through Facebook reminds me that Black Friday is only a…
From Student to Sightseer: My Travels to the Great Wall of China and Tiananmen Square
Hi friends! I wanted to write a small blog to share all of my pictures from the Great Wall and Tiananmen Square. I hiked the Great Wall on Wednesday, and I visited Tiananmen on Thursday. My program arranged a trip to the Great Wall earlier in the semester. This trip went to a more rural…
Blue Skies (a photo essay of sorts)
After a week of sporadic rain showers and intense cramming for my midterms, I’ve reached the second break from classes during my time here. I entered the nine-day long holiday without a concrete plan, only knowing I wanted to explore the bustling Beijing that existed outside of the quiet community I live in. For me,…
Sustainable Living in China- Is it possible?
Sustainable, green living, 绿色生活方式 (lü se shenghuo fangshi) in Chinese. Considering our current ecological conditions, it’s something that more and more people are thinking about and pressing our government (and each other) to take action on. This week, we studied environmental protection (环境保护 huanjing baohu) in my classes. Our discussions, class materials, and our weekly…
Downtime
As I mentioned in my last blog, this week was the first extended break I’ve had since coming to China. This week is often referred to as one of China’s “黄金周 Huang jin zhou” or Golden Weeks, a week-long holiday celebrating some of China’s most important national holidays. I was surprised to hear from my…
Battling Homesickness
Sometimes it’s really easy to be angry with China, really easy to be angry in China. It’s not hard to feel dejected when someone is frustrated with my Chinese skills. It’s especially not hard to curse China’s internet when I rely on it for homework, communication in and outside of China, and other commitments like…
Branching Out
As I sat down to write this post, I started how I always do: looking through my physical documentation of the week- pictures. Where did I go? What did I eat? What was the highlight of my week? What was the most impactful experience I had? Looking through pictures of tea I drank, a hutong…
After a storm…
More than anything, I want my blogs to be transparent. I try to be 100% authentic in my writing and portray my feelings to my readers. Beyond being in and of itself a digital record of my experiences, I hope this blog can act as a resource for students considering studying abroad, whether that be…
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