It's been no secret that since I arrived in Europe in September 2015 I've been itching to do a European road trip. Especially given the close proximity of so many exciting new places to visit here in Eastern Europe and the fact that I just turned 25 this past fall, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to just go for it! Luckily, my friend Emily was planning to come visit me this spring and we needed an itinerary for what to do while she was here. She is by far one my most adventurous friends and somehow I managed to convince her to partake in this crazy road trip idea. Given the current political turmoil affecting not only the US but really so many parts of the world, we decided to use this trip as an opportunity for reflection: how could we use this trip as a way of further motivating ourselves into action? Ultimately, we decided to go to Auschwitz -- something we had both always wanted to experience -- in the hopes of being touched by the tragedies past in order to prevent a similar future.
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Well, it´s only been one full week back in Budapest and I am already in full-blown graduate school mode, except this time it is ALL about my thesis!
(Apologies in advance since this thesis-driven lifestyle doesn´t exactly make for interesting reading but I am really trying to glam it up for you guys!) After such a whirlwind week last week, I was more than ready to take things down a notch this week. I decided to draw out my visit to the States for a few extra days so that I could spend some time with my brother and good friend Linda (who both live near DC), just enjoy being back home in America, and give myself a break from airports for a just a few days.
My period of acclimation back into my normal life in Budapest was very short-lived as this week brought about a whole new series of exciting adventures. And if you thought the last month of my life was exciting, just get ready for this week – in less than 5 days, I went from Hungary to Spain to Ireland to the States. And then less than a week later I’ll be flying back to Budapest to get back to business as usual. Even I admit this was a crazy plan but it came about for very good reasons!
Rennes was the last stop of my winter holiday tour and once all the hoopla surrounding NYE festivities settled down, it was nice to slow things down, spend quality time with my friends, and to take our time getting to know the charming city of Rennes.
The third stop of the trip: PARIS, FRANCE! I had never been to France before and I really didn't have high expectations (I always thought Paris was highly overrated) but I could not have been more wrong! In fact, it may have been one of my favorite trips yet!
The end of the semester is always a stressful time, but it gets dangerously close to unmanageable when you are committed to both final papers and travel plans, which is exactly where I found myself this year. Of course, I recognize that it was my fault and that having fantastic travel plans is nothing to complain about, but it really was stressful. The week I had given myself post-final classes simply wasn't enough to finish all 5 of my final papers (go figure) and I had already committed myself to very elaborate travel plans with the goal of not spending the holidays alone. So, with a deep sense of trepidation and only one final paper completed, off I went! First stop of the holiday travels: BERLIN, GERMANY!
This week was a particularly exciting week because my department took us all to Vienna for a day trip! That's right -- I went on an international field trip! What a crazy place, Europe!
Well, classes have officially started and it's safe to say that the carefree tourist phase of my stay here in Budapest is now OVER. But that certainly doesn't mean that I am not still finding plenty of ways to have fun! And I mean, grad school can be fun right too, right? RIGHT?
It's already my 3rd week in Budapest and the adventures just keep on coming! It's my last week without classes (it's something akin to Syllabus Week where all the professors present their courses and then we register for courses after we decide which ones suit our needs most. It's a very intriguing concept, much like test driving a car before buying it! I can dig it) and I am definitely trying to make the most of it!
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Meet the Author:Graduate student of GEMMA Eramus Mundus Master's Degree in Women's and Gender Studies. Currently living in Budapest, Hungary. Previously lived in Granada, Spain. Originally from the American midwest. Archives
March 2017
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