Go Beyond Ordinary
Sitting on the plane to Dushanbe, Tajikistan I was thinking about all the things back home I’d miss while abroad for the semester. My family, girlfriend, and typical daily routine that I have perfected over the last three years in college. None of these things would be in Tajikistan, and I would have to adapt …
Continue reading One Blink and It’s Over
Why am I so entranced by what others see as a hard slog, even at the peak of pressure and stress, here around the world in Taiwan? Here’s a glance at my schedule – I think it can explain why. I set my alarm for 7AM. I pack my things and step out into the …
The abandonment of one’s comfort zone is often met with hesitation, a fact which is inevitable when traveling or studying abroad. Transitioning from a familiar environment to one of new regularities also holds a thrill which is difficult to match, as the sampling of another culture holds enrichment like no other. An equilibrium of tradition …
Continue reading Fulfilling a New Facet in the Kaleidoscopic Persona
As I have spent more time here in Kazakhstan, I have received ample opportunity to think. On the long bus ride home, I am able to reflect upon what I have observed in my stay here. One big thing I wanted to touch on was the comparisons that I have made. Being able to see …
When I tell people about my major, my future plans, or where I decided to spend my semester abroad, people always ask why. Why Russia? It’s a legitimate question; one I’m never quite sure how to answer. I started studying Russian on a whim and a desire to sleep for an extra half hour, and …
That was the question my each and every member of my family asked when I told them I was participating in this program. They couldn't believe that I, a Belgrade-born native/heritage speaker of Serbian, was going to spend the summer in Belgrade taking language classes. They could not stop laughing. Naturally it sounded like a …
Flying to Russia to spend a summer studying abroad has been the best decision of my life. Before deciding on making my trip, I was a little worried because of the international tensions my country (USA), and Russia currently face. As a Russian Language major, I knew that I needed to take this step in …
In Russian, the word “шуба” [shoo-ba], plural: шуби [shoo-bee] has two meanings. 1. A fur coat 2. A salad that consists of alternating layers of mayonnaise, beats, and salted herring fish. The full name of the salad is translated as “Herring under a fur coat.” To most Americans, both are foreign and puzzling. Here we’re …
While studying abroad in Kazakhstan, it has been the first time in my life to live in a multilingual society. Kazakh is the native language, but Russian is widely spoken and understood, as Kazakhstan became a part of the Russian Empire in the 19th century and gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. …
Coming from a small town in New Jersey and attending college at a relatively small campus, I am not a person who spends a long time getting from one place to another. On average, it takes me about ten minutes to get from my dorm room to any of my classes and the general amount …
