“You are living your best life.” I’ve gotten that text from a couple of friends recently. It’s something I struggle to comprehend. Am I living my best life? Right now, I am pretty darn homesick, but I’ve learned a lot from my time here. Madrid is very nice. It is… read more
Falling in Love with Language Learning
Spanish Frustrations Between my mediocre high school Spanish program and the intense 6-hour courses at UT, I had taken 7 years of Spanish classes in the United States before arriving in Costa Rica. Despite my good grades, I had little to show for it in the conversation department. As someone… read more
Great Expectations: Adapting to Classroom and Grading Expectations in the UK
I have always been a perfectionist. Even in high school, I always held myself to the highest, and frankly, most unattainable, degree for success. Since coming to the University of Texas, I have tried my hardest to reevaluate my standards. Of course, I make sure to work as hard as… read more
Host Family Life
First Impressions Within an hour of my arrival in San José, I had been dropped off at a papaya-colored house 75 meters east of the Palí supermarket, which I soon learned was as close to an official address as you can get in Costa Rica. As my host mom, or… read more
Sucking Out All the Marrow of Life: Executive Dysfunction and Adapting to Life in Edinburgh, Scotland
“I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms,… read more
Overcoming Barriers to Study Abroad
Three years ago, I was applying to colleges with the hope of spending a portion of my college career abroad. As a first-generation student, being accepted into my first-choice college was an accomplishment in itself, but as soon as I stepped on campus, I began planning for my ultimate goal–a… read more
The Language Landscape of Ukraine
I’ll be honest: Ukraine was not my first choice for study abroad programs. I had my heart set on a cross-cultural diplomacy program in Havana, Cuba and St. Petersburg, Russia. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be as COVID happened and Russia became more strict in visa provisions. There’s a saying… read more
Budapest, My Second Home
I can hardly believe it’s been more than a month since I returned home from Budapest. Living abroad for an entire semester, that city had become almost as familiar to me as Austin. I had become used to all the beautiful sights, stores, and public transport routes, but most importantly… read more
Ivana Kupala Tradition and the Magic of Studying Abroad in Ukraine
When we last met, I was in dire straits: doubting myself, wanting nothing more than to return home to the U.S., and confronting a few unsavory aspects of my mental health. I’m elated to report that for the past two or so weeks, Ukraine has treated me incredibly well! Before… read more
Managing Expectations and Traveling with Anxiety
When I exit Boryspil Airport, setting off to my home for the next seven weeks, it is 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The heatwave in Kyiv should end in the coming days, but until then, the city boils. On the drive to my home outside the center of Kyiv, I catch flashes… read more
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