Tag: abroad

How to Plan a Holiday

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Where To Go

The (obvious) first thing you have to do is decide where you want to go.

This can be easy or it can be difficult, and it depends on a range of factors. Some questions to ask yourself: How much time off do you have? What is your budget? Do you have a bucketlist? Are you traveling with anyone? What kind of weather do you want? Do you care about a language barrier? The answers to these types of questions can help you narrow down your search. If you do need some inspiration, Googling or Pinteresting things like “places to holiday in the sun” or “unusual holiday destinations” or “places to holiday on a budget” etc., etc. At the beginning of the year, I wrote this post all about ideas of where to travel this year, so if you’re stuck maybe it can help.

Personally, I have a bucketlist of places I want to visit. Some of these places are close, some far, some budget, some expensive. My bucketlist could be broken down into sub-bucketlists, if you will. For example, there are certain vacations that I want to put off taking until I have enough money saved up or am in a comfortable enough financial state to justify splashing out a bit – such as doing a long U.S. roadtrip, an African safari tour, or Australia. These are places where what I want to do will cost more money because of the exchange rate, the time I want to spend there, and the types of activities I want to do. Of course, there are ways to make each of these holidays budget, but I don’t want to. So, I will wait until I’m a bit older and have more money. In the meantime, there are other places on my bucketlist that make sense for where I’m at financially right now – Croatia, Spain, Thailand, and Austria.

So you know where you want to go – Great! Some questions to ask yourself once you’ve picked a place: Will you need a visa? Will you need vaccines? Are there travel advisories? Should you buy travel insurance? These questions aren’t fun ones, but they are important questions. Make sure to do the research about your destination so you don’t get turned away at the gate. Here’s a great resource from the British government that can help you answer these questions and more.

Stopped in Sedona, Arizona on my 10-day road trip from Ohio to California.

How To Get There

Now that you have picked a destination, you need to book travel.

It’s possible that this was part of the process for picking where you want to travel to. For example, the trains across Europe are convenient and a “green” way to travel, but they may take more time than flying. Are you going to drive? In the U.S., driving is the common mode of transportation (as most cities don’t have convenient public transport, some have none at all), but if you’re travelling in London driving doesn’t make much sense (public transport gets an A+).

If you’re looking to fly less (yay environment), then picking a destination closer to home may be better, or picking a destination that has good public transport is also a good option. If you have to fly but feel like you still want to do something for the environment, you could carbon offset your trip through companies like this one.

For booking flights, here is my guide. It varies depending on the time of year you travel – summer dates always cost more because it’s peak season. To get around this, you can book in reverse, meaning November – March is summer in the southern hemisphere so book warm vacations then to beat some peak prices.

London, UK

Where To Stay

I usually book accommodation after I book travel. Some questions to ask yourself: Do I want to stay in a hostel? What is my budget? How close to X do I want to stay? Is there a part of town I should not stay in for safety reasons? What kind of experience do I want? Who am I traveling with?

Hostels will most likely be the cheapest option, they can provide a social space, and are great for solo travelers or small groups. They can come with downsides – loud roommates, dirty (with so many people using the facilities this can happen), cheap (you get what you pay for). I suggest looking at the reviews on Hostel World.

Hotels can be great and can range in prices. Hotels can also be dodgy – looking at reviews on websites like hotels.com and booking.com can help you weed out the bad ones. Hotels offer dining services and amenities (wifi, gym, pool, offices, printing, luggage storage, laundry, etc.), but can be isolating for solo travelers. For families or large groups, hotels are a great option.

Airbnb or home stays are also great options. Especially for groups bigger than two. In some places, Airbnb can be just as budget as hostels or just as expensive as hotels. Again, please read the reviews! So far, I have only had positive experiences with Airbnb, but that’s not always the case so definitely read the reviews. Also, more so for Airbnbs than hostels, you really tend to get what you paid for (relatively speaking per city).

Usually I do some research into all three options, especially if I’m traveling with someone/people. If I’m traveling solo, I tend to opt for hostels for the social aspect. Compare prices, amenities, locations, and reviews to get to the sweet spot for what you want to book.

Booked the Eiffel Tower in advance (saves money!).

What To Do

Some people are more spontaneous than others and don’t book anything ahead of time. Depending on where you are going, there may be some attractions that you have to book ahead of time, or that you will want to book ahead of time to avoid massive queues (like the Vatican Museums). In April, I’m going to a surf camp in Costa Rica – something I definitely had to book in advance, but I don’t have any other plans for my time there.

If you’re going for a specific purpose than obviously book ahead. Also major tourist attractions, I suggest you book ahead – such as the Eiffel Tower. Or, try to plan your days so you do the biggest tourist attractions in the morning to beat the long queues and then leave the rest of the day for wandering around exploring and being “spontaneous”. Or throw all caution to the wind, show up, and do you! It really depends on the type of traveler you are – Do you like to be prepared? Are you a planner? Do you want to pack in as much as possible? Are you going for only a short period of time? Are you going for quality or quantity? Is there anything you’re dying to do at your destination?

It also helps to be on the same page as anyone you are traveling with. For example, my best friend Emma and I went to Paris for four days – we are both planners and booked what we needed to in advance and made a general plan for the rest of the days to make sure we saw everything we wanted to. And we saw it all. That type of trip would have driven my boyfriend, Conor, insane. He is more the spontaneous type, doesn’t need to be awake at 7am every morning of the holiday, and likes to see what local gems we can stumble across. Both are amazing people to travel with. Knowing what type of traveler you’re traveling with and making compromises is essential to enjoying your holiday!

And there you have it – my ultimate guide to booking a holiday! Most of the time, planning my holiday happens in this order, but as you read the categories sometimes overlap or affect another. In order to keep track of everything, I keep everything I’ve book in a note on my computer (flight information, accommodation info and contact details, all confirmation numbers, and links to any websites) and flag any important emails (printing only what is necessary). I hope this helps you to have a great holiday!

Dana’s Do’s:

  1. Read the reviews!
  2. Understand the type of people you’re traveling with and adjust accordingly.
  3. Book the big tourist attractions in advance.
All around enjoying waking up at 7am to beat the Colosseum queues.

Guide to Your First Hostel Stay

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I stayed in my first hostel in Kyiv with my boyfriend, but recently had my first experience in a hostel while traveling solo in Rome. I enjoyed both stays immensely and will definitely give more hostels a chance in the future. There are a few questions you should ask yourself before you decide to stay in a hostel. How many people are you traveling with? What kind of accommodation experience do you want? Are you comfortable sharing a room with strangers? Are you a light sleeper? Is the cheapest option the best option? Other alternatives to hostels are hotels, Airbnb, homestays, and motels. Additionally, a private room in a hostel is usually more expensive than an Airbnb or hotel. If you want the social aspect of hostels with the privacy, then a private room makes sense. If you just want a private room and the best value for money, a hostel might not make sense.

Other factors to consider are location, dorms, and booking:

Make sure you research the area you want to stay in – for the good and the bad. One highly rated hostel in Rome is also on one of the more dangerous streets near the station. Since I was a lone female traveler, I chose not to stay at that hostel and chose to stay at another highly rated hostel on the other side of the station in a safer area. Granted, I based the safety of the area of extensive research of online reviews, but since I had never stayed in Rome before this was all I had to go off of. And it turned out, my hostel was in a safe neighbourhood and I never had any problems.

For dorms, I chose an all-female dorm (four beds) in Rome because I feel safer around women when I am alone than men. You may feel differently or the same, so it’s always good to check the room options a hostel has. In Kyiv, Conor and I stayed in a two-bed ‘private’ dorm. All hostels differ on what they provide, so shop around a bit to find what works best for you.

Finally, when booking, I suggest booking direct with the hostel. I do my research on sites like HostelWorld or Booking.com, but when it’s time to book I reach out to the hostel directly to get the best rate. That may be unfair of me as I used HostelWorld for its resources to then not book through them, but the added fees add up for a budget traveler. Skips the fees, book direct.

Things you MUST bring if you want to have a good stay: Lock, Ear Plugs, Day Bag

Be courteous, but expect that it’s not a hotel: For example, don’t be that person who snoozes their alarm from 6am to 8am – it’s just rude. Make sure to cleanup after yourself in the bathrooms and kitchen, don’t be loud late at night, don’t turn the lights on early in the morning, etc. Most of this you already know, but it makes the stay so much better if you’re conscious of how your behaviour affects the other guests. Unfortunately, there are times when you get stuck in a room with a rude guest who snoozes their alarm, leaves puddles on the bathroom floor, or comes in at 3am yelling and stomping around. If it’s a short stay, try to take it in stride (maybe add eye mask to the list of things to bring just in case). If it’s a long stay and you’re really not happy – talk to the person (nicely), talk to your host, or pack up and find somewhere else to stay – whatever it takes for you to have a good holiday.

Last but certainly not least, be social. Besides the low rates, most people book hostels because they want to be social while traveling, have people to talk to, or have people to do things with. So hang out in the common rooms, talk to you roommates, and ask the host for recommendations. It can be awkward at first, but I found reading in the common room to be a good way to start. It allows you to be doing something if no one is in the common room and it allows you to just exist in the space while you work up the courage to talk to other travelers. This worked for me in Rome where I met two other Americans and we made plans for dinner. In Kyiv, the hostel was a bit more social with a bar so it was easy to approach people in that setting. Staying in a hostel is a great way to make friends who want to see the sights with you or do an excursion – while staying in a hostel in La Paz, Conor met a fellow traveler to climb a mountain with! People you meet in hostels can become friends you keep in touch with for a long time.

Dana’s Do’s:

  1. Do your research to find the best fit for you.
  2. Bring ear plugs!
  3. Hang out in the common rooms to make travel friends.

5 Essential Travel Apps

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Smartphones make traveling easier than ever before. On one device you have all the information you need to plan a trip, buy flights, decide where to eat, translate a language, entertain yourself, and so much more. There are some apps that are must-have’s when traveling to make everything seamless. Here are my top five:

Google Translate – If you’re visiting a foreign country with a different language, this is a must. You can download the language so you can access it offline as well – no need to waste data or search for cafes with wi-fi only. I’ve used this in the Ukraine, Italy, Greece, France, and Germany, and have been thankful for it every time. Not only does it allow me to communicate with people who don’t speak English, but I can translate museum plaques, restaurant menus, street signs, instructions, etc.

Google Maps Offline – This is a lifesaver in places where you don’t want to use data, or if you don’t have any data, you don’t need wi-fi to use it. You can download Google Maps of where you are, say Rome, and use it like you would regularly use Google Maps just without the internet. It is seriously a lifesaver!

City Mapper – This app is all about public transport and showing you the best options and the times for each option. I even use this locally in London to catch the bus. It can be even more helpful in a city that you’re unfamiliar with. I used City Mapper in France and Italy recently which was especially helpful given all the signs are in a foreign language. If you plan on using the public transportation system, I recommend this app.

TripAdvisor – I rely on TripAdvisor for the reviews of restaurants, attractions, cafes, hostels, hotels, etc. For the most part (there’s always an exception), TripAdvisor is a reliable source and can be helpful when looking for recommendations in a foreign city.

Airline App – As in, whichever airline you are traveling with. I always download the app once I book tickets (Ryanair, British Airways, United, etc). Usually, you’re able to access your boarding pass on the app, track your frequent flyer status and rewards, and make changes to your booking. Also, and annoyingly, many medium haul flights don’t have in flight entertainment systems and airlines now use their app to give you entertainment options. I say annoyingly because I feel like a flight from San Francisco to New York should have in-flight entertainment in the back of seats but not every airline agrees. Thus, the app. You can download it on your tablet as well and log onto the website on your laptop during the flight. Having the airline app makes your travel smoother and more seamless, so I definitely recommend it.

Dana’s Do’s:

  1. Download only what’s necessary.
  2. Check local guides for more specific apps.
  3. Remember to charge your phone!

Bonus – Other Useful Apps: Instagram (for sharing pictures, obviously), Mobile Banking, Weather, Kindle (or other book app), SafeTrek (or similar), and Uber (or another ride-share/taxi app).

2020 Must Have Carry-On Items

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After taking multiple long-haul and short-haul flights in 2019, I have decided to make a definitive list of the carry-on items essential to having a good flight in 2020. I have had my fair share of amazing flights and crappy flights over the years and am constantly updating my plane plan. I have found that the more prepared I am for the type of trip I am taking, the better the flight goes. Even so, some things are out of my control, so I try to plan for those as best I can. The 8 essential items on the list below have never failed me before, and have saved me more times than I can count. I hope they can help you too.

Eye Mask

I used to think having an eye mask wasn’t essential even if I was planning to sleep on the flight. Then, on a the overnight flight from Dallas to London, Conor was seated in the middle seat directly below the glaring light of the seatbelt sign. Because it was such a turbulent flight, the seatbelt sign was on for the majority of the flight, making it impossible for him to get any sleep. An absolute nightmare. Since not all planes are built the same, it would be a good idea to pack an eye mask just in case you find yourself in a situation like this. Or if your seat partner decides to read through the night with their light on. Or if you’re trying to adjust to your destination’s time zone and need to sleep while the plane is still lit. There are a variety of reasons why an eye mask is essential. So in 2020, I will be packing one for every trip.

Neck Pillow

Another item that most people pack, but those who don’t really regret. If you are tight on space, there are inflatable neck pillows – my brother gifted my sisters and me Hoodies Pillows for Christmas one year, an inflatable neck pillow with a hood, thank you Shark Tank. When not using it to sleep, I sometimes use it to cushion my back or I’ll sit on it for extra cushion in the not so comfy Economy seats. Either way, I have come to swear by neck pillows.

Layers

Planes are like movie theatres – they are always colder than you think they are going to be. Planes are always boiling when you get on, but within the first hour they are freezing. For this reason, I always wear layers, whether is a sweatshirt or cardigan, there is always something to put on or take off. This could also be important if the destination you are flying to has a different climate from your origin. The worst is flying from San Diego in shorts and a t-shirt to Ohio in the winter. Or vice versa, so be prepared.

4-Wheeled Luggage

I cannot stress this enough, I love my 4-wheel carry-on suitcase. I have never been a duffle bag flyer, my shoulders could not handle it. Two-wheeled luggage is fine, until you’ve experienced 4-wheeled luggage. The difference is in control and movement. 4-wheels allows you to keep your suitcase close, no one tripping over it behind you. And it allows you to move quickly in crowded airports (a must if you’ve ever been in a customs line). It also requires practically no effort to move at all, even better. If you’re in the market for new luggage, definitely go with 4-wheeled luggage.

Reusable Water Bottle

Flying dehydrates you, a lot. This causes worse jet lag symptoms. And yet, airlines only serve you like 4oz of water at a time. And I kind of feel like an asshole asking for the entire litre bottle of water from the flight attendant. So, I always bring a reusable water bottle with me. Obviously it needs to be empty to get through security. After that, you can fill it up at a water fountain or any airport restaurant. Once I’m on the plane, I also order water from the flight attendants whenever I can and make sure to finish my bottle before we land. I refill it at the next airport. This has also saved me from buying large plastic water bottles at the airport – saving money and the environment. Reusable water bottles are essential to offset jet lag and stay hydrated.

Book

I ALWAYS bring a book on flights, even if I think I won’t read it because I’ll be watching movies or sleeping. I felt redeemed in my choice on my last flight from London to San Francisco when my in-flight entertainment system didn’t work for the entire ten-hour flight. I was also landing in the early evening so I didn’t want to sleep in order to start resetting my body clock. Luckily I had my book. Thank God for that book or I would’ve have literally gone crazy. It got me through five hours of the flight (a nap, yoga, and some Sudoku got me through the rest). Thus, having a book is a 2020 carry-on essential.

Dramamine

Personally, I don’t suffer from motion sickness due to turbulence, but I have flown with friends and family that do, or who can’t sleep because of turbulence. I have found that Dramamine (the original kind that makes you drowsy) works best on long flights. Because it causes drowsiness, it not only helps with the turbulence but also with falling asleep. I wouldn’t recommend for flights shorter than 4 hours because you could feel groggy from it (there are non-drowsy options for motion sickness), but for long flights definitely.

Headphones

These are essential to any flight. Most planes will give out headphones that work for their entertainment system, but you should bring your own headphones that work for your entertainment, such as a phone or iPod. Usually I’ll wear headphones while I sleep with no music because they act as a noise blocker (alternatively, you could pack ear plugs). But also, when I’ve run out of things to do, listening to music helps pass the time (back to the London to SFO flight, I passed a couple hours listening to Hamilton). Usually though (and regrettably), headphones are always the first thing I forget to pack, leaving them on the counter before I leave. For this reason, they have made my 2020 carry-on essentials list and my resolution is to not forget them.

Dana’s DO’s:

  1. Plan your carry-on items before packing.
  2. Adapt to how much luggage you’ll be taking.
  3. Better to be prepared than bored for a ten hour flight.

Bonus: Wake Up Essentials Kit

This one is especially for long-haul flights. After spending 8+ hours on a plane, I feel really gross, from my skin to my hair to my clothes. Because of this, I developed my own wake-up essentials kit. In it I pack face wipes, travel size moisturiser (important to keep your skin hydrated), CC cream (to give me color), mascara, a travel-sized toothbrush/toothpaste set, and a comb. I also pack deodorant and an extra pair of undies. I use the kit either on the plane before we land or in the bathroom in baggage claim. It helps me to feel refreshed and off to a good start on any vacation. I usually only need it for long-haul flights, but I pack a version of it for short flights as well. It will continue to be a 2020 travel essential.

After a 10 hour flight, I was greeted by my 70lb lap dog at the airport!

Little Weekend in Lisbon, Portugal

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With one month to go until final exams in Cambridge, I decided to take a short weekend trip to Lisbon, Portugal. One of my best friends from Ohio State University studied abroad in Senegal this past semester and we decided to meet up for a fun weekend away before she flew home to Boston for the summer!

Lisbon has gorgeous weather for the middle of May. Warm but I still brought a light jacket with me as it could get windy in certain parts of the city.

We booked an Airbnb in the heart of the city, just up the street from Marques de Pombal Sqaure. It was in a quiet residential building just blocks away from the bustling promenade.

Unfortunately, I missed my flight on Friday morning out of Stansted, which you can read about in a separate post! I was able to get on a later flight, arriving Friday night. That put a little wrench in our plans for the first day, but Amanda managed to see the Textile Museum and walked around the streets of Alfama.

When I arrived, we went for dinner at Time Out Market around 10pm. It was late but the place was absolutely packed. It’s a warehouse transformed into a marketplace with a bunch of food and drink stalls lining the outside of a massive rectangle filled with tables upon tables of people enjoying dinner and drinks. We had burgers and a pitcher of Sangria! I definitely recommend Time Out Market. There are so many options for food, ranging from seafood, to burgers, to a hog roast!

Delicious burger from Time Out Market!

On Saturday, it was an national holiday so all the museums and heritage sites had free entrance, so the city was very crowded! Amanda and I walked around the city, a total of 10.2 miles for the day. First we walked down to the market in Rossio Square. It was a small market with a few stalls from which we tasted some cheese and fruits.

Then we continued to walk down to the coast, stopping in the Praca de Comercio, a large square near the water with a massive archway and restaurants and shops lining the perimeter. We took a few pictures here and continued walking along the coast and up the hills to the Castle of Sao Jorge. The line to get in to the castle was massive so we skipped that and kept exploring the streets of Lisbon.

We took a short break to eat lunch at a cute cafe overlooking the city. I had sushi and Amanda had a seafood risotto, both were so tasty! We had a glass of wine and toasted to being in Lisbon and to having a fun, relaxing weekend.

We continued on our way, exploring the streets and hills of Lisbon. I am obsessed with the tiled buildings and all of the colors! Lisbon is absolutely beautiful and definitely worth walking through just to see all the different designs.

We ubered to Belem Tower, which was a bit of a wait but totally worth it to see the historical site and the views from it overlooking the water! Getting to the top of the tower was a pain because of the way the stairs work. The way up is the same way down so there was a three minute period when people could either go up or down, alternating. When we got to the top of the tower there was a line snaking around the whole area of people waiting to go down. We waited thirty minutes, but at least we got to enjoy the views.

After Belem Tower, we walked back to the center of town. We walked past the Archaeology Museum and the famous monastery! In front of both of these, there was a massive cultural parade happening. All the signs were in Portuguese, so I am not quite sure what was going on. Some of the participants were dressed up as witches and devils, but others were dressed in more contemporary clothing. There was loud music, singing, and dancing. Down the street, we stopped at the famous Pasteis de Belem for drinks and pastries. The pastries were delicious and definitely worth the wait! The restaurant is massive and every seat was taken with lines out the front doors, but it is one of the must go places in Lisbon!

We walked back to the center of town and back to our Airbnb where we changed for dinner and freshened up. We went to PARK for drinks at sunset overlooking the city. This bar was recommended to us by a friend who had recently visited Lisbon. We walked to the bar, which was a little difficult to find at first. The bar is on the top floor of a parking garage! Pretty cool and different. It was packed because of course everyone wants to see the sun set from a rooftop bar. And we were not disappointed.

Reminded me a bit of San Francisco!

After drinks we went back to Time Out Market for dinner because it was a short walk down the road. On our way we passed a bunch of bars that looked like fun so we bookmarked those streets for the next night! At Time Out, we ate at different stalls, but the sangria was so good that we had some more! We got back to the Airbnb a little earlier than Friday night because we had an early morning planned for Sunday!

Sunday morning we headed down to the train station, bought tickets, and took the train to Sintra. The round trip tickets cost 5 euros! Great deal! The train ride was about half an hour and passed quickly. Once we got to Sintra the bus tickets to Pena Palace were 6.50 and left from right outside the train station. It took about thirty minutes to get up to the palace. Tickets into the palace were another 7.50 for the student concession. We hiked up the hill to the palace that sat at the very top of the hill (good shout because after that walk I can’t imagine anyone wanting to invade this castle). The palace was gorgeous! So many bright colors and fun tiles. We walked around the whole thing, climbing some stairs and walking along the outer walls. We ate lunch at a cafe in downtown Sintra next to the train station as we waited for our train.

After Sintra, we trained back to Lisbon and took a short nap in the Airbnb. Then we went out and walked through more of the town. We found some small markets in different areas with stalls that sold fresh food, jewelry, and hand bags. I bought Conor cooking salt from one of the stalls that smelled so delicious! For dinner we went to another restaurant, Lost In, that overlooked the city at sunset. We ate tapas style- a cheese board, oysters, chicken ramen soup, and salad with a large pitcher of sangria. I definitely recommend this place! If you want to sit inside you will need a reservation, but the back patio was great because the weather was nice and the seating was really comfortable!

After dinner, we went back to the same area from the previous night that we had passed. It was full of bars and popping with young people. We went to a couple different bars, one was a tequila bar which was fun. The staff were playing the live show of Marc Anthony on the television and speakers. The bartender was singing along and it was a fun vibe! Then we walked up a hill to a bar with live music where we tried Ginja for the first time. It’s a Portuguese liquor and we had seen it around for the past three days, so we finally bit the bullet and tried it. It comes in a shot glass but it is meant to be sipped. It kind of tasted like licorice, but a little sweeter even. Not something I would order again, but definitely glad I tried it!

On Monday, we had a quick breakfast at Stanislaw before I left to catch my mid-morning flight. Stanislaw was a cute, green healthy looking cafe that we walked past on our way to the cafe we originally had picked for breakfast. It looked to good to pass up! I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a healthy twist to breakfast. I also had a delicious side of yogurt and granola not pictured here. To be fair, I did leave most of my salad uneaten because for some reason salad in the morning is not my thing, no matter how delicious and fresh.

My weekend in Lisbon was short but I feel like I saw so much of the city! It is definitely doable in two-three days. Any longer and I would have done another day trip or spent more time in some of Lisbon’s museums. My favorite parts of the weekend were definitely the food and walking through the hills of Lisbon. I took more pictures than I should have of colored buildings and tiled buildings that I won’t bore you with here. I was just blown away by Lisbon’s beauty I couldn’t help myself. This was one of my favorite European cities and I definitely recommend to anyone who wants to see a small part of Portugal on a long weekend away!

Grad School Abroad- What I Didn’t Expect

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I moved to England 38 days ago. It feels like years ago. I have nestled in to my one bedroom apartment above the famous Fitzbillies across the street from Pembroke College, my new home. Pictures hanging from string lights adorn my walls and the softest velour throw pillow lays haphazardly on my bed. My planner is filled with notes from each day, quickly scribbled as not to forget the memories as time flies by here.

There were so many images that filled my head when I thought about grad life before moving here. I pictured lonely nights in my room because friends would be hard to make in the graduate program. I pictured endless hours in the library with no reprieve because graduate school is incredibly difficult. I pictured a previously very involved student becoming solely focused on her program because there would be no time for anything besides books. I had built up these expectations of grad school being scary and hard and nothing like my undergrad because that’s all I had been told by mentors and friends.

Well, they were wrong. All of it was wrong…sort of.

I am at home here. In my month of being here, I have forged some of the strongest friendships I have ever known. I joined the university women’s football team and my college’s May Ball committee. I don’t spend countless hours in the library. Not because my program isn’t hard and doesn’t require work, but because I only have one class a day and a lot of time to prioritize. I’ve had many sleepless nights, due mostly to friends and club nights, rather than studying and stress-induced insomnia. In fact, I’ve only cried twice since being here, and one of those times was listening to the cast of Wicked sing “For Good”. Don’t get me wrong, I do get homesick quite often. The amount of times I have looked at my phone screen and quietly whispered to myself “I miss my dog” is too many to count. But I also have created this incredible support system here, fostered through shared experiences and the art of listening. And this is just the beginning.

As a graduate fresher I am constantly asked how I like it here so far. Sometimes it feels a little arrogant to say that I absolutely love it here and there isn’t anything I don’t like because I know that is not the case for everyone. Maybe I am still in the honeymoon phase and the homesickness hasn’t fully hit me. But I would like to think that these feelings are real and they are here to stay.

I truly love grad school, and that was not a sentence I ever thought I would utter.

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