The countdown has begun: all of the international students here are now starting to realise that our time in Uppsala is soon coming to an end. Meanwhile, summer has suddenly arrived, after a very brief spring, so everyone is trying to make the most of every beautiful day here! Summer Uppsala has truly transformed. The … Continue reading »
Maybe it is zen, but there is no sake under the sakura, there is no time to think, there is no time to reflect, you simply must do. Continue reading »
Last week was my final week of classes as a student at the Universidad Carlos III and it is fast approaching ten months since I left New Zealand to begin this adventure and immerse myself in life as a Madrileña. Consequently I have decided to write this blog entry about Madrid and my life as an exchange student … Continue reading »
I alighted from the sullen-gray station and made my way towards the light – Electric Town. The SEGA centre silhouetted the street of tourists against the backdrop of this foreign place. The surrounding buildings bathed in neon greens, reds, and blues. Continue reading »
Long revered as one of the most spectacular cities in the world, and immortalised in popular culture for decades, a trip to New York City is often touted as a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience. And while New Yorkers are criticised by some for arrogantly insisting that their city is the absolute centre of the universe, the sheer … Continue reading »
The last couple of weeks in Uppsala have been among the craziest since I arrived. My workload got very heavy at the same time as the whole city burst into life for the student celebration called Valborg. This made it challenging to study for my exam, but it was also a lot of fun. The excitement … Continue reading »
In my entirety, I have seen nothing more ubiquitously elegant than a high-heeled office lady trying to juggle three bags of shopping and baby on the back, while riding a bicycle through a crowded street. In Tokyo school kids, septuagenarians, and even fully suited salaryman make the morning commute via bicycle. The word mamachari is … Continue reading »
It seems as though spring has been hiding from me since I arrived in Japan just over a month ago. I made a date with my friend for Sunday, and this time the weather held up its side of the bargain. We met at Yoyogi station and wandered towards the park, finding a nice spot underneath an elegant Edo Elm. Continue reading »
After saying a very tearful farewell to Victoria on Wednesday, I have spent the last few days exploring what Canada’s East Coast has to offer- as such, I’m currently writing this from Montreal’s international airport as I wait to board a flight to New York City. It’s hard to really know how to feel upon … Continue reading »
The five of us headed off together towards the Kamakura Hasedera temple, but with no-sleep my creative spirit took me away from the group and around what I call the real. I suspect that for the others, the power lines, the houses and the shops of Kamakura offer little; they came here to see the Buddhist temple on the hill. Yet for me the real Japan is exactly the opposite. Continue reading »
