Growing up I have always been identified - and truthfully, often have identified myself - as Cuban. I am one half Cuban from my dad's side, and from that half I inherited my outward appearance: olive skin, almond-shaped eyes, thick eyebrows, "Latina curves," loads of leg hair. I am also one half Western European. Start in Germany and move west and I've got a drop of blood from practically all of those countries, the largest from Denmark. My "Latina look," however, put me in an Hispanic corner that I was not ashamed of but was also not 100 percent comfortable with.
7:30 am: Wake up and review for daily Chinese quiz (~30 new characters)
8:30 am: Eat breakfast with host mom or dad
9:10 am: Leave for school
9:20 am: Catch bus to school or walk to metro if bus...
People who know me, know I love trash TV. There is nothing like sitting down and watching an episode or two (or three) of "The Mindy Project," "The Bachelor/ette," or - my guiltiest obsession - "Dance Moms." Watching trash TV is my way of winding down after a long day. I can completely tune out everything for 30 minutes and let the story take me away. Before I went abroad, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to keep up with all my television and I'll admit that I wasn't sure I was ready for a four-month hiatus. How would I know if Mindy and the lawyer finally got together? Would Juan Pablo be able to break through the language barrier to ask the ladies to "accept this rose?" Will Abby Lee Miller replace her team for the umpteenth time? I was sure the withdrawal would be too much to handle.
Name three things that come to mind when you think of Brazil. Is Carnaval one of them?
I got my first taste of this over-the-top celebration last weekend. On Saturday, Teresina held Corso, which is...
As I wait in Miami International Airport, it's hard to imagine what the next ten months in Brazil have in store. I'm sure now that the experience will be positive, but I wasn't so sure earlier.
This...
Many people told me I would experience culture shock when I came to Shanghai, but I did not take any of their comments seriously. Last summer, I lived on the Thailand/Burma border doing volunteer work...
I have now been in Shanghai for a week and cannot believe how much has changed since my first night. My first evening in Shanghai was pretty rough, mostly because my plane was delayed in Vancouver for...
Today was my first day in Shanghai without CIEE orientation activities, so with my trusty Lonely Planet guidebook in hand, I headed for Old Town Shanghai. There are 11 districts in Shanghai and Old Town...
Today I looked at the Twenty Most Expensive Cities in the World. Two of the cities on the list I will be traveling to for Spring Break: London, the number one most expensive city, and Stockholm, Sweden,...
It's become exceptionally beautiful and warm in Jerusalem the past few days, so as the weather changes and the academic semester begin, its become time to reflect on my month in Ulpan and shift to a new...
I (and the rest of my family for that matter) am notorious for waiting till the last minute to pack for a trip. I spent 2 months in Thailand this past summer and did not start packing until 6 hours before...
My week-long trip to Italy started out as a disaster. Not only was our train to Florence canceled two times due to snow, but our first encounter with staff from the Austrian train company, ÖBB, left...
