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Not as good as I expected; maybe better? [Japan, April 2024]
On April 1st I arrived in Tokyo having planned my 3-month stay just two weeks prior to arriving. Before arriving in Japan, I had long desired to stay in Japan and study for an extended period. I saw so many other people do this and envied them immensely. When I got laid off from my job for the second time, I decided it was time. It really felt like there was nothing left for me in Edinburgh. Although I had some friends, I didn’t feel like I had a strong enough community or reason for staying in the city any longer. This was exacerbated by the bad associations I have…
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Traveling in Egypt – Part 1
I went on the most epic trip ever to Egypt. I went for about 14 days with my mom, from May 14th to May 25th 2022. We arrived in Egypt after a long-delayed flight at around 1 in the morning. My mom and I met in Heathrow which made the trip much better despite that the flight was 2 hours late. We stayed at the four seasons, this was our first time here and we weren’t ready for the fanciness. We stayed there for two nights. The room was so huge. The bathroom had two sinks and there was a separate room for the toilet with a bidet. There was…
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What I did in 2020 (because I’m secretive and you probably don’t know)
2020 Recap: Jan: I got diagnosed with Hashimoto’s (an autoimmune disease affecting the thyroid) and the coronavirus began. Ivan and I were in Thailand at the time. I took two screenwriting courses, the first I’d taken in at least 7 years, “Writing the First Draft” by Pilar Alessandra and Second City’s “Sketch Writing 101.” Feb-April: We returned to the U.S. with the goal of socializing as much as possible after being pretty isolated, but then the ‘rona came a roaming stateside so we went into lockdown. I started taking Sketch Writing 201. April: Ivan proposed to me! I celebrated an incredible lockdown birthday with my family, and I began the…
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2021 Review (because yes everyone is still confused)
It’s February 2022. Not only did I NOT publish my 2020 review from last year, I never wrote my 2021 recap. 2021 was an insane year. I mean I feel weird saying that because look at 2020, but 2021 was right up there too despite it being much easier in terms of the pandemic (for some). Some things that made 2021 insane: A particuarily emotionally crippling lockdown, though one in which we have since realized was nice compared to what others went through! The pandemic still had a huge affect on work, particularly whether or not a job would be remote once the pandemic was “over” which made seeking employment…
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Lockdown Leaf Peeping in Scotland’s Loch Lomond and Beyond.
Loch Lomond is one of the most scenic and well-traversed attractions in Scotland. But is it a good spot for checking out the fall foliage? And is it worth it to visit Loch Lomond during lockdown? For us, the answer was a big fat YES because we hadn’t been ANYWHERE in Scotland besides Edinburgh despite being in Scotland for five months! We could have had a lot of the expectations riding on this trip. Luckily Ivan and I had an eye-opening experience in Cyprus that made us realize that having expectations about our adventures made them less fun. This attitude came in great handy when we arrived at the car…
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2014 OFF SEASON TRAVEL: MOSTAR (BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA )
Traveling off-season has many rewards. Cheaper accommodation, less crowds, more opportunities to really get to know the locals. I was having a lot of luck in Croatia and after meeting some people who swore Bosnia-Herzegovina was the best place ever, I decided to go see it for myself. Originally I was going to go to Sarajevo, but decided to skip it because it was snowing. Mostar seemed like a better bet. I will admit that while I thought Bosnia-Herzegovina would be less touristy and restored than the Croatian cities I visited, I wasn’t expecting it to be as unchanged as it was. Unchanged since the war, I mean. Unlike Sarajevo…
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10 THINGS THAT SURPRISED ME ABOUT SHANGHAI – 3 MONTH REVIEW (2015)
It’s been 3 months since I moved to Shanghai. It’s my first time living and working abroad, and for the most part I love it. I did a lot of research before I made the move, so I had some idea of what to expect. However, everyone is thrown a few curve balls when they travel. Here’s a list of 10 things I didn’t know about or expect to experience in China: 1. The Chinese People Really Love Singing and Dancing . One of my favorite things about China is that there are choreographed dances at night throughout the city. The dancers are usually middle-aged to retired women doing any kind of dance…
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ODE TO 2016 – A YEAR IN REVIEW
Running down the street on the most freezing Shanghai morning in 40 years without a coat, because I’m out of wonton wrappers and fresh noodles. Sifting through crowded streets on foot and on motorbikes during the Vietnamese new year. Lying on a tiny cot aboard a sleeper train when my boyfriend tells me he wants to marry me. Absorbing the rays and enjoying 70-degree weather in February as my tiny boat, operated by a grandma wearing a giant straw hat, rows us through a river surrounded by jagged karst mountains. Carrying my pet turtle on the bullet train as I move from Shanghai to a third-tier city in Zhejiang province where…
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WHY I DECIDED TO TEACH ABROAD IN MY 30S. (2015)
“So you just graduated from college, right?” That’s what my ex-boyfriend said to me, at age 31, when I told him I decided to teach English abroad. No, I wasn’t a recent post-graduate, as he well knew, but I was someone who was never really satisfied with the idea of only working and living in my own country. I spent my twenties assuming this desire would just wither away one day, but funny enough, it didn’t. Which is why I finally decided to teach abroad in my 30s. Here are some reasons I finally decided to do it: 1. None of My Previous Jobs Were a Good Fit. I worked…
