Student Bloggers

Every Saturday morning, my host mom, Paty, and I make a trip to the local farmer’s market in Viña del Mar. The market, called la feria in Spanish, occurs in different locations in Viña del Mar and Valparaíso throughout the week, and is part of the routines…

After a crazy week of writing and submitting essays, and existing on very little sleep, I decided to celebrate with a day trip to Stirling, to visit Stirling Castle. It has a long and rich history in Scotland, and much like Edinburgh Castle, sits at the…

A few weeks ago as I walked home from class, the same old loose stones in the sidewalk wobbled under my feet like they do everyday. These rocky tiles catch me off guard when I’m running late and threaten to trip me when I’m being careless. I remember…

With more than 80 percent of Australians living within 30 miles of the coast, the beach has become an integral part of the Aussies’ laid back lifestyle. Now that I’ve been living here for a little over a month, it’s about time I pick up a knack for some…

These past two weeks have been full of consistent businesses at university. The classes are beginning to get more intense, not completely enjoyable but it has to be done! I have begun working on a few of my semester final essays that require outlines…

 or, On Being Type A Abroad Sipping tea in cafes with a stack of books in front of me, meeting my friends out for dinner every other night, and always having a full closet of clean clothes to chose from with literally no effort on my part. This is the…

For a brief period in autumn 2000, the legendary Peter Jackson and his crew transformed the Tongariro National Park, a brilliantly stunning setting, into the feared and menacing Mordor, the strong hold of the Dark Lord Sauron. The location (like most…

A few weeks ago, the University hosted an interfaith event with free food. This was a moderately sized crowded room in which there was a food/drink table, along with several other tables populated by representatives of various religious groups giving…

Ah, St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin – the epitome of tourism, stereotypes, and mimosas at noon. Back in the states, we celebrate by going to our local Irish bar for drinks and wearing silly “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” shirts. In Dublin, however… we still did the…