This week marks my fifth week in Edinburgh, and time seems to crawl and fly by simultaneously. While I’ve settled into a routine and feel more at ease with the rhythm of the city, I still wake each morning slightly astonished that I am living abroad. Although the novelty of… read more
Biology
Learning Outside of the Classroom in Barcelona
Pretty much since middle school I have been “go, go, go” nonstop. I love to learn and try new things, so I’ve always filled my schedule with as many different activities as possible. This always made me happy, but it also meant that I often felt burnt out. I am… read more
Building Friendships in Britain
One month into classes in a new country and I’ve never been in a more different school environment. Classes are almost every day, but I only have one or two daily. Instead of weekly homework assignments, I do a few readings and take notes during class. I have more free… read more
A Successful Failure
Last Saturday was a series of failures. I am spending the semester in Barcelona and after my first week of classes here, my friend and I tried to buy tickets for a trip to Tarragona for the weekend. The trip was sold out, so we tried to buy tickets for… read more
Finding Adventure
I have always been a person who is up for adventure. I’m the type of person who says, “Yes!” to everything and fully believes that life gets exciting the moment you leave your comfort zone. The past month has held a lot of agreements and adventures for me, both with… read more
Shifting My Personal Focus
Last December, I had a scare that almost prevented me from going abroad: In order to get acceptance from my international university, I had to send a copy of my passport. I had applied for renewal a couple months before, but it still hadn’t come in the mail. I received… read more
Celebrating Ramadan in Singapore
This week, I kicked off the month of Ramadan during my exchange at the National University of Singapore (NUS). The multicultural city of Singapore takes various cuisines and holidays to the next level, including Ramadan. Many of the friends I’ve made here were excited — as was I — to… read more
What Immersion Does To Your Brain
In two days, it will be three weeks since I arrived here in Mexico City for the first time. Two years ago, I would have never thought I’d be here. It’s funny to me because in the first semester of my freshman year, when UT Austin was heavily promoting study… read more
Comfort Zones, Making Friends
As someone who is a special brand of an extrovert-presenting introvert, I had anxiety just thinking about how long I would be away from my family and friends with no guarantee of a social life while I was abroad. My dad was able to travel with me for the first… read more
Finding Solace in the Unknown
Tomorrow marks exactly two months since I left Texas for Scotland, and it’s so hard to come up with the words to accurately describe this experience. I feel like I’ve been living in a fever dream, and I think I’ll need at least another year to process everything. Honestly, if… read more