don’t get me wrong, i am not a trump supporter, and i have been loving a lot of denmark. i think there are certain aspects lately that i really miss about america and the whitman bubble. when i was choosing study abroad programs, i was really set on bali indonesia. i was set on it because of the culture shock that i wanted to experience. i didn’t want to feel comfortable. i didn’t want to be surrounded by americans every day. due to accessibility concerns and realizing that i might need some more stability, i chose not to do that program and went for the safer option of denmark. lately, i have been thinking about the differences of the programs and how i was right on some aspects and wrong on many others.

i think the americanization of my time in denmark is very loud per say. when i was selecting classes, i wanted a diverse group of classes that would drag out people who were really dead set on learning and using their knowledge. not that i am not experiencing that here, but the classes definitely aren’t as intense here. all the professors know people want to travel. they know that because dis literally works it into the calendar. i wouldn’t have found that in bali, i know this because all it took was a look at the calendar to figure that out.

i have finally solidified my trips. i am going to stockholm, rome, and sorrento in the first travel week. i have planned it with a friend, though the thought that it might fall through because i catastrophize is really messing with me. i am tagging along so instead of freaking out, i just know that i am going to have a good time regardless of what happens. then, a week later i am going to cork ireland for my birthday! later on, i am going to lesbos greece with my study tour, not for vacation though, for studying refugee law. then, up next for my travel break (thanksgiving) my mom is coming out to visit and we are going to amsterdam, as well as belgium for a day trip! i thought that was it for traveling, until two days ago i found a $50 flight to geneva switzerland, i booked it immediately because that it where i have always wanted to go. i know that sounds like i am traveling a lot, because i am. i am spending very little money though based on where i am choosing to travel to based off flight prices, hostel expenses, and overall cost. however, it is interesting to think back and wonder if i was studying abroad in bali, what i would be doing for travel.

also, looking at flight prices in the U.S versus in europe is astonishing. i am doing that amount of flying, for pretty much the amount of money i would spend on a trip home for thanksgiving from pasco. granted the flights here are closer together, but at the same time, paying $50 for a flight anywhere in america is beyond me.

one of the things i have been struggling with the most is budgeting. i know budgeting is different for every single person, but at least for me, i am living life on a budget every single day. especially with the inability to have a stable income that i would have otherwise had, i am living this semester on a relatively small budget in a relatively expensive city. i typically try and have as many “zero days” as i can. zero days are when i spend no money at all. the typical culprit of zero days not working is food. i forget to pack my lunch often and food is denmark is not cheap. however, i have barely gone out to shop for other things, and when i do, they are relatively cheap. 

i have been talking to a lot of friends lately from whitman. i probably text at least one of them once a day. i am in limbo about my italy trip, being nervous that plans will fall through and people will leave me. something came over me though when i was talking about that fear though. i told my friend “it is just four days of my life”. i think treating hard things in my life like that is a very good way of viewing situations. if i am by myself going around italy for four days of my life, i will be okay. i think being here, makes me feel a lot more grateful for friends in my life. when i was back at whitman, i was constantly thinking that no one liked me or cared about me, because i always felt like i was reaching out. now, i am halfway across the world and i have amazing friends who still make an effort. i don’t think i have ever realized how lucky i am to have such amazing friends.

i am back in my original host family, that is not to say though that i am not talking to the other one. in fact, i have my temporary host mom on bereal so she reacts to my bereals whenever she sees me crying or whatnot. i feel like i am finally settling in to the homestay life though. it felt like i was being constantly shipped around a lot, but i am finally settling down. i would say though i managed to navigate this, it was with a lot of help from dis. my host family made it clear from the beginning that they were leaving, so i was able to communicate with dis about where i would be during that time.

i’m also including the songs i have been listening to on my commute to class.

here it tis!

anyways, i know this was an absurdly long blog post but if you read it all. write me an email. i have had no emails and i am sad. please email me and let’s engage in some fun dialogue.