A Day in the Life of Tan in Singapore
Laundry Lines and Italian Life
April Pre-departure Meeting Before Leaving for Italy Dr. Jackson: “You will not have a dryer in your Italian apartment. You will have a washing machine and a clothesline or drying racks. Please be prepared to line dry your clothes. This… READ MORE →
Becoming a Global Citizen
Home Away From Home
I finally returned home to the U.S. after being in South Korea for nearly a full year and it didn’t take long for me to seem out of place in what is supposed to be home. I became so used… READ MORE →
Coming Home
About a week before I came home from Huanchaco, Peru, my mom called to finalize some travel plans. She said she missed me and couldn’t wait to see me. I felt terrible when I couldn’t say it back. Of course… READ MORE →
A Complete Transformation
I have roughly one week left in Riga, Latvia, and I am feeling quite unsettled about my departure. The friends and colleagues that I have gained from my time interning in Riga will not be forgotten. As I sit here… READ MORE →
Then and Now
Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and… READ MORE →
Coming Home
Going from suburban Southern California to suburban South Island, New Zealand was a relatively easy transition. I wouldn’t say I experienced “culture shock,” but there were some things that were strange. For example, shops in New Zealand are rarely open… READ MORE →
The Beauty of Singapore’s Subway System
My first time using the metro system in Singapore, which is called the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), was quite an embarrassing one. After getting off the train, I decided to position myself on the right side of the escalator in… READ MORE →
I’m Back and I’m Better
When I first saw the chart titled “Stages of Culture Shock and Reverse Culture Shock” in the Gilman blog-writing syllabus, I have to admit that I was more than a little skeptical. Before my study abroad orientation, I had never… READ MORE →