Earlier, I wrote a post about the SciencesPo Wikipedia page and how I changed a section to add more information. Specifically, in a section that described the seven campuses of the university, I added a paragraph about an athletics and arts competition between the campuses that happens at the end of every school year. Because some time had passed since I added to the Wiki page, I wanted to check to see if my addition was still on the page.
When I visited the page again, my modification was deleted. However, there was a message at the top of the page that informed me that my portion was deleted because there was no citation. So, I retyped my change and added it with the citation. Hopefully now that it is properly cited it stays on the page!
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Monday, July 15, 2019
The Pros & Cons of Staying in a Hostel
During my solo travels, I often stayed at hostels instead of hotels. Before staying at my first hostel, I had heard a lot of negative rumors about them, primarily that they were unsafe and dirty. However, after seeing firsthand what it is like to stay in a hostel, I think that they are a good option, IF you take several factors into consideration. So, based on my experiences, here are the pros and cons of staying in a hostel.
As you can see, the first two cons can be eliminated depending on your budget and room preferences. While I opted for a more expensive room in hostels that were closer to the city center, other friends I know have stayed in rooms with 7 or 8 other people and used an Uber to get back to their hostel at night because it was farther away from the city. They explained that because it was only for a few days and they were with other people, it just added to the adventure of their trips. As long as you are safe and comfortable with the social aspect that is inevitable when staying in a hostel, I would say that the pros outweigh the cons and you will definitely come back with more stories to tell than if you were staying in a hotel!
PROS:
- Most of them are cheaper than staying in hotels.
- Each hostel has many price ranges depending on the type of room you choose. If you stay in a room with several people, it will be less expensive than if you choose to stay in a private room. Still, even the private rooms will likely be less expensive than most hotels.
- It is easy to meet new people.
- This is especially true if you are traveling alone. When I stayed in a hostel in Bruges, Belgium, I met three other people that were staying in the same hostel as me. We ended up spending a few hours walking around the city together and I made three new friends from South Africa and Spain!
- In addition, there are several hostels that are designated as "party hostels" if you are looking for a more social scene. The hostel I stayed at in Bruges was called St. Christopher's, and there was a bar inside where I met many people from several different countries. (I realize this could also be a con if you are looking for a more quiet vacation. If this is the case, I recommend finding a hostel that is closer to a bed-and-breakfast style).
CONS:
- You might have to stay in a room with complete strangers.
- Yes, one of the pros is that hostels are cheaper, but this might mean that you have to stay in bunk-bed style rooms with other travelers. You can either choose to stay in a co-ed room or in an all female / all male room. When I went to London, I opted to pay a bit more to stay in an all-female room, and other than having different sleep schedules, I did not mind having roommates.
- A lot of hostels are located far from the city center.
- This is definitely something to keep in mind when looking for a hostel. Many of the cheaper options are farther away from the main tourist sites, which presents a safety problem especially if you are by yourself at night. I would recommend paying a little more for a hostel that is walkable from the city center, so you can ~safely~ walk back at night.
- You'll probably have to share a bathroom.
- All of the hostels that I stayed at had communal bathrooms with private showers. This is something that is just part of the experience of staying in a hostel. On the bright side, you'll likely only be staying in the hostel for a few days, and it will make you truly appreciate having your own bathroom back home.
As you can see, the first two cons can be eliminated depending on your budget and room preferences. While I opted for a more expensive room in hostels that were closer to the city center, other friends I know have stayed in rooms with 7 or 8 other people and used an Uber to get back to their hostel at night because it was farther away from the city. They explained that because it was only for a few days and they were with other people, it just added to the adventure of their trips. As long as you are safe and comfortable with the social aspect that is inevitable when staying in a hostel, I would say that the pros outweigh the cons and you will definitely come back with more stories to tell than if you were staying in a hotel!
Tuesday, July 9, 2019
How to Get Over Homesickness
When you move to a new country without your family or friends for a few months, you likely will go through a series of different emotions. A lot of people refer to this as the emotional stages of culture shock. It is often represented by an image like this:
Although each person's emotional stages will be different depending on their circumstances, many people will experience this roller coaster of emotions. Inevitably, at one point or another during your time abroad, one of these emotions will be homesickness, either for your family, friends, or just the familiarity of something you realized you took for granted in your hometown, such as being able to walk down the street and order a pizza at 10 pm.
Regardless of the reasons, being homesick is a natural emotion that many people will experience when they are in an unfamiliar surrounding for an extended period of time. Here are some tips for how to ease this negative emotion.
I hope these tips help anyone that may be experiencing homesickness or just general sadness while studying abroad. Whenever you're longing to be home, try exploring your city or reaching out to a new friend to hang out–because I guarantee that most everyone feels the same way too at some point during their time studying abroad.
Although each person's emotional stages will be different depending on their circumstances, many people will experience this roller coaster of emotions. Inevitably, at one point or another during your time abroad, one of these emotions will be homesickness, either for your family, friends, or just the familiarity of something you realized you took for granted in your hometown, such as being able to walk down the street and order a pizza at 10 pm.
Regardless of the reasons, being homesick is a natural emotion that many people will experience when they are in an unfamiliar surrounding for an extended period of time. Here are some tips for how to ease this negative emotion.
- Make a list of all of the positive things that happened throughout your day.
- My sister gave me this tip when I told her I was feeling down during my first week abroad. Even if it is only one or two things, looking at the positives about each day will help you to remember everything that went right, rather than searching for the negative things that may have happened.
- Don't spend too much time worrying about what your friends are doing back home.
- In the beginning of my time in France, I often would look at social media just to see what my friends back home were up to. This led me to think that I was missing out on new memories and fun times, and obsessing over what I was missing back home made me miss out on making new memories with new friends in France.
- Don't compare yourself to other people.
- Because I had other friends studying abroad in different countries at the same time as me, I got into the bad habit of obsessively looking at their Snapchat stories or Instagram posts and comparing myself to them. This comparison led me to believe that I was missing out or doing something wrong... I would ask myself questions like: Why haven't I made new best friends yet? or Why haven't I traveled as much as my other friends have? In reality, people only post the best parts of their lives on social media, and they usually leave out the not-so-happy emotions that they are likely feeling too. Also, everyone is in a different situation, so if you haven't made best friends by the second week you are abroad, don't panic! It will happen if you put yourself out there!
- Keep in touch with your family and friends back home!
- Whenever I was having a particularly hard day, I would try to FaceTime my parents or my friends. Just seeing familiar faces helped me tremendously and reminded me that I always had people to talk to who would cheer me up. However, talking to friends too often is not always the best idea because you might miss out on making new friends and truly experiencing your new home. Yet, the occasional FaceTime catch-up where my friends filled me in on the latest boy drama or my mom let me talk to my dog was often just what I needed to change my mood.
- Spend a night watching your favorite shows.
- When I was feeling homesick and missed the familiarities of home, I would take the night off to relax, eat comfort food, and catch-up on all of my favorite shows on Netflix. Taking a night off and just watching a familiar show calmed me down and allowed me to re-energize for the next day.
- Don't wish away your time abroad!
- My biggest advice when you are feeling sad is to live in the moment. A negative thought that sometimes popped up in my mind was, "Maybe I shouldn't have studied abroad." I thought that I was missing out on a semester's worth of inside jokes and parties with friends back home. However, while there will be things that you inevitably miss out on, I had to remind myself that I was given the opportunity to live in another country for five months... not everyone gets this opportunity! So, the first time I thought this, I made a list of the reasons why studying abroad was a great opportunity that I then consulted anytime I began to regret my decision to study abroad. Also, just getting some fresh air and exploring my new city always helped to ease my worries.
I hope these tips help anyone that may be experiencing homesickness or just general sadness while studying abroad. Whenever you're longing to be home, try exploring your city or reaching out to a new friend to hang out–because I guarantee that most everyone feels the same way too at some point during their time studying abroad.
Monday, July 8, 2019
L'Atelier des Lumières: Van Gogh Starry Night Exhibit
Recently, I wrote about my experience visiting the Louvre museum. After writing my review on a more well-known museum, I thought I would take the time to review a slightly less well-known museum that I recently visited.
Located in Paris, the Van Gogh Starry Night exhibit at the L'Atelier des Lumières offers an experience that is a lot different than the typical art museum. Before I went to this exhibit, the only thing that I knew about it was that it was a light show featuring Van Gogh's paintings. As a fan of Van Gogh and out-of-the-ordinary experiences, I decided to give it a go.
Tickets are 14,50€ for adults or 11,50€ for students. Just like for the Louvre, I recommend buying your tickets online before you visit so you are guaranteed an entry and you do not have to wait in line at the museum.
The exhibit itself is one large room with columns and walls in the middle. Unlike ordinary art museums, visitors do not walk around looking at each individual painting. Instead, visitors are presented with a multi-sensory show. Images from Van Gogh's most popular works including The Potato Eaters, Sunflowers, Starry Night, and Bedroom at Arles are projected onto the walls, ceiling, and floor and are animated to music.
When I arrived, I was confused as to what I was supposed to do: was I supposed to walk around the whole room during the show, or simply sit in one place and watch? I came to the conclusion that there was no right way to go about this exhibit. I ended up exploring the space and then finding a seat to sit and watch Van Gogh's art come to life in the room.
There are three shows in total that each run around 10 minutes on a loop, so if you miss one of them you don't have to wait long to see it again. There are also other artists represented including famous Japanese artist Hokusai.
My favorite part about this exhibit was watching all of the children interact with the art. When Hokusai's painting Wave came to life and the fish were jumping out of the water, the kids watching would run up to the wall to try to grab the fish and run along the floor to follow their path as they swam.
Overall, I really enjoyed the Van Gogh Starry Night exhibit because it presented art in a unique way by giving movement to typically stationary art and it was truly engaging for all ages.
The exhibition runs through December 2019. However, the museum space has rotating exhibits so whatever artist is represented next will surely be a memorable experience as well.
Located in Paris, the Van Gogh Starry Night exhibit at the L'Atelier des Lumières offers an experience that is a lot different than the typical art museum. Before I went to this exhibit, the only thing that I knew about it was that it was a light show featuring Van Gogh's paintings. As a fan of Van Gogh and out-of-the-ordinary experiences, I decided to give it a go.
Tickets are 14,50€ for adults or 11,50€ for students. Just like for the Louvre, I recommend buying your tickets online before you visit so you are guaranteed an entry and you do not have to wait in line at the museum.
The exhibit itself is one large room with columns and walls in the middle. Unlike ordinary art museums, visitors do not walk around looking at each individual painting. Instead, visitors are presented with a multi-sensory show. Images from Van Gogh's most popular works including The Potato Eaters, Sunflowers, Starry Night, and Bedroom at Arles are projected onto the walls, ceiling, and floor and are animated to music.
When I arrived, I was confused as to what I was supposed to do: was I supposed to walk around the whole room during the show, or simply sit in one place and watch? I came to the conclusion that there was no right way to go about this exhibit. I ended up exploring the space and then finding a seat to sit and watch Van Gogh's art come to life in the room.
My favorite part about this exhibit was watching all of the children interact with the art. When Hokusai's painting Wave came to life and the fish were jumping out of the water, the kids watching would run up to the wall to try to grab the fish and run along the floor to follow their path as they swam.
Overall, I really enjoyed the Van Gogh Starry Night exhibit because it presented art in a unique way by giving movement to typically stationary art and it was truly engaging for all ages.
The exhibition runs through December 2019. However, the museum space has rotating exhibits so whatever artist is represented next will surely be a memorable experience as well.
Friday, July 5, 2019
Traveling as a Solo Female
Traveling to a foreign country, even with a familiar group of people, is a challenging task in itself. However, add to this the stress of traveling solo, and more specifically, traveling as a solo female, and it presents an even more taxing experience. I traveled to a few countries by myself, and it was definitely stressful to plan, but very rewarding afterwards. Because it was my first time traveling solo, I was looking for a blog that discussed the challenges of traveling as a female, and tips for having a safe but fun trip.
That's when I came across the blog "Adventurous Kate," which is labeled as a solo female travel blog. The author, Kate McCulley, is an experienced traveler who writes this blog for a living. One of the things that I like the most about her blog is her style of writing. She manages to intertwine serious safety tips with humorous stories about her travel adventures.
One of the tabs in her blog is called "Destinations." This tab lists all of the countries she's traveled to (78 out of 195 countries!), and a detailed description about each place. For example, her article on France includes a whole section about safety as a female traveler, the best neighborhoods to stay in Paris, and 100 travel tips for Paris, among many other France-related articles.
My favorite section of Kate's blog is called "Solo Female Travel." In this section, she addresses all of the common concerns about traveling alone as a female, as well as many misconceptions people have about solo travel. One of the articles in this section, "Top 10 Travel Safety Tips for Women," proved to be very useful when I was planning out my solo excursions. The intro of this article begins:
Following this, she lists her 10 useful tips which includes safety advice such as, "Spend extra money on staying safe." After traveling to several countries alone, I strongly agree with this advice. When you are traveling on a budget, you will often try to find the cheapest hostel to stay in, which often ends up being far away from the city center in a room of ten strangers. Rather than risking your safety to save a couple of dollars, I recommend following Kate's advice of "paying more to stay in a central neighborhood with lots of lively activity instead of a cheaper, quiet residential area where you feel isolated." When I stayed in Bruges, Belgium for a night, I opted to pay ten dollars more for a single room for myself at a highly-rated hostel, and the extra privacy and less apprehension I felt as a result was definitely worth it.
Kate has many more articles like this one that are very helpful for female solo travelers. Even if you aren't female or are traveling with a group, her advice applies to anyone who is planning a trip to an unknown place. From first-time travelers to experienced backpackers, you can never have too much advice on traveling safe.
That's when I came across the blog "Adventurous Kate," which is labeled as a solo female travel blog. The author, Kate McCulley, is an experienced traveler who writes this blog for a living. One of the things that I like the most about her blog is her style of writing. She manages to intertwine serious safety tips with humorous stories about her travel adventures.
One of the tabs in her blog is called "Destinations." This tab lists all of the countries she's traveled to (78 out of 195 countries!), and a detailed description about each place. For example, her article on France includes a whole section about safety as a female traveler, the best neighborhoods to stay in Paris, and 100 travel tips for Paris, among many other France-related articles.
My favorite section of Kate's blog is called "Solo Female Travel." In this section, she addresses all of the common concerns about traveling alone as a female, as well as many misconceptions people have about solo travel. One of the articles in this section, "Top 10 Travel Safety Tips for Women," proved to be very useful when I was planning out my solo excursions. The intro of this article begins:
Is it possible for a woman to travel the world and stay safe? Absolutely. Even if you steer clear of resorts. Even if you go to developing countries. Even if you don’t speak the local language. Even if you’re traveling alone.
I created this site so I could help women travel safely and independently around the world. And after five years, it’s working—I get daily emails from women who have gone on their first backpacking trips, their first non-resort trips, their first solo trips, all because sites like mine gave them the confidence to do so. They survived, they thrived, and they had the time of their lives.
But the women who took these trips did so well in part because they prioritized their safety while traveling. What does that mean? Well, this list of travel safety tips for women will give you an idea!
Following this, she lists her 10 useful tips which includes safety advice such as, "Spend extra money on staying safe." After traveling to several countries alone, I strongly agree with this advice. When you are traveling on a budget, you will often try to find the cheapest hostel to stay in, which often ends up being far away from the city center in a room of ten strangers. Rather than risking your safety to save a couple of dollars, I recommend following Kate's advice of "paying more to stay in a central neighborhood with lots of lively activity instead of a cheaper, quiet residential area where you feel isolated." When I stayed in Bruges, Belgium for a night, I opted to pay ten dollars more for a single room for myself at a highly-rated hostel, and the extra privacy and less apprehension I felt as a result was definitely worth it.
Kate has many more articles like this one that are very helpful for female solo travelers. Even if you aren't female or are traveling with a group, her advice applies to anyone who is planning a trip to an unknown place. From first-time travelers to experienced backpackers, you can never have too much advice on traveling safe.
Wednesday, July 3, 2019
Weekend Travel Tips
Probably the most stressful part of studying abroad was making sure I wasn't wasting a single moment. I had the chance to live in France for five months so I wanted to make the most of living in Europe in any free time that I had.
To do this, I spent a couple of weekends traveling to other countries and the rest exploring France. Since I had never really planned a weekend in another country before, I was very unsure of what type of transportation to take, where to stay, and what to do while I was there. Luckily, I came across the website GoOverseas, which has several travel articles about studying abroad.
One of the articles that was particularly helpful was "28 Essential Tips for Weekend Travel While Studying Abroad." It is written by Andy Steves, who has a student tour business in Europe and just so happens to be the son of notable travel writer Rick Steves, so I knew that his tips had to be legitimate.
Andy addresses several of the common apprehensions of traveling in this post. One of the points that helped in my time abroad discusses the misconception that you have to spend every weekend in a different country. He explains:
In addition to this helpful tip, the article includes several more tips and advice for traveling on a budget, which was very useful to me. I highly recommend checking out the rest of the article as well as Andy Steves' other travel posts to help you plan for your semester abroad!
To do this, I spent a couple of weekends traveling to other countries and the rest exploring France. Since I had never really planned a weekend in another country before, I was very unsure of what type of transportation to take, where to stay, and what to do while I was there. Luckily, I came across the website GoOverseas, which has several travel articles about studying abroad.
One of the articles that was particularly helpful was "28 Essential Tips for Weekend Travel While Studying Abroad." It is written by Andy Steves, who has a student tour business in Europe and just so happens to be the son of notable travel writer Rick Steves, so I knew that his tips had to be legitimate.
Andy addresses several of the common apprehensions of traveling in this post. One of the points that helped in my time abroad discusses the misconception that you have to spend every weekend in a different country. He explains:
When looking at the calendar and scheduling weekend trips across the continent, ensure that you leave enough time to actually immerse yourself in your home city and local culture. Often, we're so excited to travel that we miss out on the true experience–living in a new city, speaking a foreign language, getting to know the neighborhood, and meeting locals.In the beginning of my semester abroad, I was anxious to always be doing something exciting, and I felt that I was missing out whenever I didn't have any travel plans for the weekend. However, like Steves explains, it is just as important to stay in your home city so that you can experience the culture of the city that you are studying in. So, on the days when I had no plans, I would try to explore Reims. Sometimes this involved taking a 20 minute walk around the city, or running on a new bike path. Other times it was as simple as reading a book in front of the Cathedral and people watching for an hour.
In addition to this helpful tip, the article includes several more tips and advice for traveling on a budget, which was very useful to me. I highly recommend checking out the rest of the article as well as Andy Steves' other travel posts to help you plan for your semester abroad!
Tuesday, July 2, 2019
SciencesPo Wikipedia
As I was doing some research about SciencesPo, my French university, I noticed that its Wikipedia page lacked some important information. Mainly, it gives a description of all seven campuses, but it does not include how these campuses are connected. The original post simply had a headline that said "Campuses" followed by a sentence that read:
Every year, all seven campuses come together to compete in athletic and artistic competitions. I added this fact to the post. It now reads:
I thought that it was important to include this additional information because the students at SciencesPo are very invested in this tournament and emphasize the importance of representing one's campus in the competition. In addition, many of the arts and athletic associations prepare all year for the Minicrit and it is one of the biggest events of the year at SciencesPo. I also thought it was interesting to see that even though all seven campuses are separate and spread throughout France, they all still come together every year for a celebration and friendly competition.
Campuses
Sciences Po has seven campuses in France. [30]
Every year, all seven campuses come together to compete in athletic and artistic competitions. I added this fact to the post. It now reads:
Campuses
Sciences Po has seven campuses in France. Every May, at the end of the academic year, all seven campuses come together for the inter-campus Collegiades de SciencesPo tournament, also known as the MiniCrit. At the tournament, students represent each campus and compete against one another in arts and athletic competitions. Different events include athletic games such as volleyball and football, as well as artistic competitions such as dance and singing.[30][31]
I thought that it was important to include this additional information because the students at SciencesPo are very invested in this tournament and emphasize the importance of representing one's campus in the competition. In addition, many of the arts and athletic associations prepare all year for the Minicrit and it is one of the biggest events of the year at SciencesPo. I also thought it was interesting to see that even though all seven campuses are separate and spread throughout France, they all still come together every year for a celebration and friendly competition.
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