Women, post-conflict rebuilding, and bearing witness
One of the best parts of going to school in Italy is its proximity to pretty much everything else in Europe. During semester recess, I had the opportunity to participate in a study trip to Bosnia-Herzegovina. Although it was not my first time in the Balkans, I was more or less new to the history of the region. We spent the bulk of our trip in Sarajevo and took a day trip to Srebrenica, the site of genocide in July 1995. While there, we met with the... Read More
New Year’s in Beograd
Belgrade is a smoker’s paradise. The first thing you notice when you touch down in the Nikola Tesla airport is the smell of stale cigarette smoke. In shops, a pack of Marlboros can be had for a dollar. People don’t think twice about smoking indoors (maybe because it’s really cold outside) and everyone is nice about sharing their lighters. Belgrade is also a carnivore’s paradise. Ask for the meat sampler and expect to be wowed. Asked for salad... Read More
I like Christmas and other adventures
For years, the Christmas season has been my least favorite time of year. It’s stressful, it’s expensive, and everyone’s craziness comes out to party at family gatherings. Most people don’t feel this way. In fact, most people actually enjoy the holiday season and express their good cheer through festive decorations, good wishes, and “All I Want for Christmas is You” on repeat. During December, I usually go into survival mode, limiting my... Read More
Occupy Bologna, Berlusconi Basta
Lately, when my friends and family back home ask me how life in Italy is going, I respond, “I don’t live in Italy. I live in Italy.” I’m coming out of a week of two midterms and a few papers are looming. My days for the past few weeks have been characterized by twelve hour study sessions in the library with occasional breaks for food and coffee.However, even in my present hermit-like state, it’s hard not to sense the political change that... Read More
Spontaneously Solo in Florida
Jumping from the bow this summer in Greece. Imagine a private yacht longer than a 15-story building is tall. It’s so big that it’s considered a Super Yacht. It holds fourteen crew members and room for twelve guests. Imagine picturesque French sea towns and colorful Italian cafes, free ice cream, and an automatic espresso machine. Now imagine that you have packed all of your belongings and come aboard with a couple suitcases, planning to spend... Read More
Occupy Wall Street and now the world
Occupy Wall Street began as a protest of thousands which has spread to tens of thousands in cities worldwide. Hardly anyone (myself included) thought this was possible, and it keeps on growing. But what do they mean? Both domestically and internationally? As the U.S. protests have grown, I’ve been working to understand them as best I can from a distance. I’ve spent hours clicking through Facebook photo essays, commentary, and blogs. I’ve been... Read More
Learning the Contrasts of Italy
For much of this past month, I have been living the clichés of la dolce vita: waking up late, practicing Italian when the spirit moves me, seconds and thirds of pasta and gelato, conversation over glasses of wine, and day trips to incredible places. One of these day trips was to Venice. For my tenth birthday, my parents got me a subscription to Kid’s Discover magazine. One of the issues was about Venice. I read the magazine cover to cover, over... Read More
The Baffling Bretons
During my sophomore year of high school, my parents allowed themselves to be convinced that I should study abroad. Parameters were set, applications were completed, checks were signed and mailed. My first choice was France (I studied French starting freshman year and got an A each grading period, which practically made me a native-French speaker) and my second choice was Portugal (because I like the ocean, so it’s only logical to pick a country... Read More
An Unexpected Week for an English Teacher
This is my third summer living in Prague, and since I’m currently in between jobs, I’ve had lots of opportunities to travel. Originally, I was going to write about my trip to Slovenia which I took with two of my good friends during the first week of July. I also thought about writing about my weekend in Berlin with my parents, or my current stay in England. I love writing about my first impressions of new countries, and I love England. But,... Read More
All Good Plans of Mice and (Wo)men
So here I am: At a McDonald’s outside of Gare d’Est in Paris because I have nowhere else to go, listening to a terrible rap song played on repeat over the speakers. Seriously, I think I have the lyrics memorized already: “…I see them coming from afar… they know who we are: from Kingston we come through, Kingston we come through…” For those of you who know me, I think its important to mention that at this... Read More
