Paying a visit to two goddesses in Kamakura


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Spring is coming, and all over Japan, flowers are just beginning to bloom. A little over a week ago, I went with a group of friends to Kamakura-shi, in Kanagawa Prefecture. Kamakura is known for being the seat of the Shogunate during the famed Kamakura Period and within its borders are a number of famous […]

Where am I? You are Here (Café)!


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Recently, I visited the very popular You are Here Café with a few friends. Now, I didn’t know this until I actually went to the café, but it’s actually owned by Eat Your Kimchi and Talk to Me in Korean. For those of you who don’t have a clue who or what Eat Your Kimchi […]

Study abroad tip #456: Approach budget airlines with caution


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I don’t think you can really call yourself a study abroad student (in Europe, that is) unless you’ve known some of the horrors of flying budget airlines, particularly the kingpin of them all – Ryanair. Last weekend, I was formally indoctrinated into study abroad lifestyle when I checked in (online, of course, to avoid the […]

Teleportation during weekend travels


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It’s pretty easy to forget that there’s life outside of Paris. Thankfully, our amazing staff at the ACCENT center wouldn’t let us forget so easily. Two weekends ago, they organized a trip for all the USC students to travel south of the bustling city of lights. One hop, skip and a TGV (this stands for Train […]

The quest to expand my horizons, both literally and figuratively


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Prior to setting foot in Italy, I had a lot of expectations for what my experience here would entail despite trying hard not to. I’d occasionally get asked, “What made you decide to study abroad?” and my answer would always include a jumble of responses. After speaking to other students who have been spending their […]

Learning conversion rates adds value to studying abroad


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When you’re traveling overseas, you need to be able to understand conversion rates. As a study abroad student entering her third month overseas, I’ve found this fact to be undeniably true. In the United States, the dollar reigns supreme. Before coming to London, I never thought about exchanging my money because our country is so […]

Chillin’ in Chile: Some ways living in Chile has made me more chill


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“Chillin’ in Chile” is a popular catchphrase among English-speaking exchange students…y’know, because alliterations are clever. While I wouldn’t say that I’m a particularly uptight person to begin with (depending on whom you ask), I sometimes struggle with this thing called “chilling out.” To illustrate this, let’s talk about this picture of me kayaking: I look […]

A trip to Paju’s English Village


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Last Saturday consisted of an afternoon trip to a small city outside of Seoul, courtesy of my roommate, who had taught English there a few years back. Paju is north of Seoul, not too far from the North-South Korea border. Close enough to the point that another member of our group geotagged his location and […]

Three things I wish I had known before studying abroad


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I am currently studying abroad for the Spring 2015 semester at Yonsei University which is located in Seoul, South Korea. The following are specific to either South Korea or Yonsei University. Alien Registration For those who are staying in South Korea for over 90 days (all students who are studying abroad or planning to study […]

A small legend at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno


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Last Friday, I was (yet again) strutting about the all-famous Ueno Park. The Park, I should mention, consists largely of well-groomed lawns and copses, which surround walkways leading to a number of shrines and popular attractions, such as Ueno Zoo, and various art, history, and science museums. This time though, unlike the last, I wasn’t […]