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Why Study Abroad?

May 20, 2019

Our interview was going well. I had quick answers to every question. Sol, the other exchange student from Argentina, and I were enjoying our time with the reporter; we easily bounced off each other, adding more details and anecdotes to our stories. I had an answer to every question…until...

high school study abroad

The Best High School Study Abroad Program

May 6, 2019

Are you, or do you know, a high school student who loves to travel and experience other cultures? Or maybe needs a long getaway to truly discover who they are before making big life decisions like career and job? Nearly six years ago, I moved to Germany for my junior year of high school...

NEW BLOG POST!⁠ ⁠ What do you know about Russia's role in WW2?⁠ ⁠ Probably not a lot. If it's anything like what I learned in school, it's a vastly different perspective than Russians have. ⁠ I explore this part of Russia's history in the blog post since it's such an important aspect of Russian's lives still today. ⁠ ⁠ I promise you'll learn a lot! ⁠ ⁠ What are your perceptions of Russia, Russians, or Russia in WW2? Maybe I can bust a few myths for you! Comment below 👇⁠ ⁠ #saintpetersburgrussia #travelrussia #russiatravel #studyabroad #studyabroadlife #explorerussia #beautifulrussa #womenintravel #girlaroundtheworld #shedreamsshegoes #darlingescapes #femmetravel #dametravel #traveladventures #europetravels #getawaygirl ⁠#sustainabletourism #tavelresponsibly⁠
Hey you.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ I hope you have a lovely Thursday! It's almost the weekend...you can make it ✊⁠ ⁠ ⁠ What are your plans for the weekend? ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ (Hopefully they include reading the new blog post coming out tomorrow)⁠ ⁠ #saintpetersburgrussia #travelrussia #russiatravel #studyabroad #studyabroadlife #explorerussia #beautifulrussa #womenintravel #girlaroundtheworld #shedreamsshegoes #darlingescapes #femmetravel #dametravel #traveladventures #europetravels #getawaygirl ⁠#sustainabletourism #tavelresponsibly⁠
*HOW TO BE A RESPONSIBLE TRAVELER* That was an intense discussion yesterday. Check out the previous IG post if you missed it or need a refresher. No matter the country you're visiting, but especially countries with less-than-stellar political records, it's important to be a responsible traveler. How can you do that? ✈️ Ensure you're supporting locally-owned businesses, not foreign-owned accommodations/tour companies/restaurants, etc. This is a practice I'm still implementing into my travels. It's sometimes hard to decipher between what's foreign and locally-owned. Do the best you can to ensure your money stays in the country and in the people's hands! ✈️ Learn about local politics, history, and issues BEFORE you go and find ways to support the locals (without putting yourself at risk) in their efforts. Or, stay out of it because it's not your fight. The appropriate action for you to take depends on the wants of the locals. Don't help if they don't want it. Help if they do and in the way they ask for it. ✈️ Figure out if locals even want tourists. ✈️ Research everything you want to do and ask the right questions. For example, don't stay in an AirBnB in Reykjavik, Iceland because AirBnB has forced rental rates to increase beyond what locals can afford. It's not ethical for travelers to kick out the locals, just saying. ✈️ Set aside your wants and decide if it's truly appropriate to visit the country. Sorry, but I'm not going to visit every country in the world anytime soon because there are some places I believe there's no way to travel responsibly to I put together this advice from articles and discussions I've had. My opinion is still evolving as I learn more. I wish there was a big book on everything you can and can't do to be a responsible traveler, but that's impossible because the issues change daily and it's ultimately up to the traveler to make the right decision. What I'm comfortable with may not be what you're comfortable with. That's okay because ethics inherently have no right or wrong answer. It ultimately depends on your values. Please leave your thoughts below, but remember this is a place for learning and self-growth NOT judgment.
Is it ethical to visit countries like Russia, Syria, North Korea, Turkey, and so many others categorized with oppression and human rights violation? This question can't be adequately debated in an IG caption, but I think it's an important enough topic to start a discussion. My instinct is to say no, don't visit these countries. By visiting them, you're sort of validating the current government. Tourist money often goes straight into the hands of the oppressive government. Tourists will only see what the government wants them to see and not the truth. It's disrespectful to the locals to visit these countries. There's more I could add... Then again, travel teaches us the people are not the same as their government. And what gives Americans the right to codify another country as oppressive when some of our citizens are killed unnecessarily by gun violence and police and we're locking children away in cells on the border? I still want to visit the American Southwest and wouldn't discourage others from visiting. Plus, tourism allows an exchange of ideas. What if, by traveling to these debated countries, you're part of a slow change of societal ideological thought that locals will eventually take and fight for their rights? This has and is happening in Iran as the younger generation demands more freedom and systematic governmental change. What if the locals want foreign visitors? It feels wrong to visit Syria when some of its citizens are still actively fleeing the country. Yet, locals in some Syrian cities encourage tourists to return. Syria was once a tourist hotspot and this helped the economy thrive. Some Syrians reportedly want tourists to return so they can rebuild their economy and cities and return the country to its former self. Some people argue staying in foreigner-owned accommodation isn't much different than putting money in an oppressive government's hands. These foreign-owned hotels are usually owned by white Western men and is considered by many as a modern-day form of colonialism. Share below what your thoughts are. This is a safe place; mean comments will be deleted. Ask Qs! Tomorrow I'll share my ideas to be a responsible traveler.
Why Russia? ⁠ ⁠ Friends, family, and strangers asked me this question a lot before studying abroad there a couple of years ago. ⁠ ⁠ I usually responded with "why not?" ⁠ ⁠ My studies focused a lot on Russia and I wanted to go beyond the textbooks. ⁠ ⁠ The news is filled with bad stories from Russia. I wanted to hear from Russians and see for myself what all the fuss was about.⁠ ⁠ Equally as important, I wanted to live somewhere (even if only briefly) where most Americans can never say they lived or visited. ⁠ ⁠ Study abroad is meant to expand your world view and to challenge your perspective. I can't adequately do that in the typical study abroad destinations like Italy or England. ⁠ ⁠ If your dream is to study abroad in a Western European country, go for it. You do you.⁠ ⁠ But I encourage every student to study abroad somewhere they wouldn't go on vacation or most Americans don't live. ⁠ ⁠ Russia. Egypt. Mongolia. etc etc⁠ ⁠ (I'm not saying you shouldn't visit these countries; you should! I am saying those aren't countries Americans traditionally dream of for their vacation or desire moving to and I want students to push their comfort zones and visit these less traditional destinations, especially while they're under an umbrella of safety with their university)⁠ ⁠ Whether you're in school or graduated, where would you study abroad? ⁠ ⁠ #saintpetersburgrussia #travelrussia #russiatravel #studyabroad #studyabroadlife #explorerussia #beautifulrussa #womenintravel #girlaroundtheworld #shedreamsshegoes #darlingescapes #femmetravel #dametravel #traveladventures #europetravels #getawaygirl ⁠
Views for days ☀️⁠ ⁠ Scroll back a few images to see this same view on a cold, rainy winter day. ⁠ ⁠ While living in Russia in the winter is manageable, the sun is always my preferred weather-choice!⁠ ⁠ P.S. This is located at a hidden coffee shop I, unfortunately, forget the name and address to. I remember walking past sketchy buildings, hopping over construction sites, and walking up a staircase past empty floors to get here. Sometimes the best spots are the ones where you think you'll get kidnapped 😆 Proceed with caution haha⁠ ⁠ #saintpetersburgrussia #travelrussia #russiatravel #explorerussia #beautifulrussa #womenintravel #girlaroundtheworld #shedreamsshegoes #darlingescapes #femmetravel #dametravel #traveladventures #europetravels #getawaygirl ⁠
Look at my mustache!⁠ ⁠ A lighter photo in comparison to the last two days ☕🍵⁠ ⁠ Now, a very serious question: are you a tea or coffee drinker? ⁠ ⁠ I mostly drink water, but if it's offered or a special occasion I'll drink tea. I rarely drink coffee. If you ever see a coffee in my hand, you know it's an SOS!⁠ ⁠ #saintpetersburgrussia #travelrussia #russiatravel #explorerussia #beautifulrussa #womenintravel #girlaroundtheworld #shedreamsshegoes #darlingescapes #femmetravel #dametravel #traveladventures #europetravels #getawaygirl ⁠
(Continuing yesterday's discussion on the Siege of Leningrad. Read yesterday's post if you're not already caught up)⁠ ⁠ Some supplies could be transported across Lake Ladoga. It couldn't provide nearly enough to supply the 1-2.5 million residents (about 1 million evacuated before and during the siege and about 800,000 died) and the local government apparently mismanaged a lot of it. ⁠ ⁠ But today I want to discuss the glimmers of hope and humans ability to overcome.⁠ ⁠ Bakers, the people with the food who could've abused the system and not starved, died at significant rates because they ate only their share and even sometimes gave away their food to their neighbors.⁠ ⁠ In the winter, the city could build railroad tracks on the frozen river to transport supplies faster and evacuate more people.⁠ ⁠ Citizens started to clean up the rubble and bury the dead. They broadcasted Dmitri Shostakovich's seventh symphony over loudspeakers facing the enemy lines.⁠ ⁠ Eventually, the Red Army claimed a small corridor and the city quickly built a railway link here connecting the city to the world again.⁠ ⁠ The city regained its industrial strength and built machinery and ammunition. Eventually, an offensive of 1.25 million men and 1,600 tanks overran the German lines. The city was theirs again.⁠ ⁠ New York Times wrote in Jan '44 "Leningrad stood alone against the might of Germany...it is a city saved by its own will."⁠ ⁠ The people. It all comes down to the people. ⁠ ⁠ There's no elegant way to end this, so I'll end with this (and as a reminder to myself): be grateful for the life we have but don't settle when something doesn't feel moral or ethical. No matter what happens, you are strong enough to overcome. ⁠ ⁠ #saintpetersburgrussia #travelrussia #russiatravel #explorerussia #beautifulrussa #womenintravel #girlaroundtheworld #shedreamsshegoes #darlingescapes #femmetravel #dametravel #traveladventures #europetravels #getawaygirl ⁠
One row represents how much food one person had to eat in a day. ⁠ ⁠ How much do you know about the Siege of Leningrad? Probably not a lot, considering American history textbooks gloss over Russia's role in the second world war. ⁠ ⁠ I have a post on the blog (click the link in bio to check it out) about Russia's role in WW2, but it doesn't go into detail about the Russians' experience. I wanted to share a bit of this story, too. I'll try to do it justice in this little space.⁠ ⁠ For nearly 900 days, the Nazis blockaded Leningrad (now known as Saint Petersburg) from the outside world. Over 800,00 Russians died during these 2+ years from starvation, disease, and cold. That was 40% of the population. There was no food. No running water or fuel. No access to the world outside their city. Over 75,000 bombs dropped on the city. It's one of the most brutal sieges in history.⁠ ⁠ Regular citizens built trenches and fortifications to try to defeat the German and Finnish armies, but they and the Red Army (Russia's military) were quickly defeated. The Nazis cut off Leningrad's sources to the outside world, including roads and railroad depots. ⁠ ⁠ Starvation and isolation became daily life. We know this from the extensive diaries many residents kept. ⁠ ⁠ "Horrible, only skeletons, not people" wrote Ivan Savinkov in his diary.⁠ ⁠ Mothers compared washing their children, covered in scurvy-induced blotches, to the biblical story of Mary washing her crucified son.⁠ ⁠ As Peri, author of "The War Within: Diaries from the Siege of Leningrad" said, "with starvation, the enemy becomes internalized." The war was outside their city and in their homes. Daily life was a battleground.⁠ ⁠ I spoke with someone who was very young during the siege. They stared at the floor, holding back tears, while explaining their earliest memories include watching a friend suddenly collapse to the ground dead during a walk and hiding the death of their father from the government for as long as possible so the family could continue collecting and eating his food rations. ⁠ ⁠ What can one even say to this? Empathy is impossible. Sympathy isn't enough.⁠ ⁠ ⁠To be continued tomorrow...⁠