Category: Uncategorized
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I am not engaged
It’s the time of the year when half your friends are getting engaged and the other half are writing passive aggressive posts about it. Despite societal expectations, I didn’t get engaged last year, but I did finish university, hike a tiny bit of the AT, backpack Europe and get a job. I’m happy for my…
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Video: Backpacking Europe
After seven years of planning and dreaming, my best friend and I backpacked Europe in summer 2015. Here’s a video of our travels through Iceland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, England, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Austria.
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Favorite German Festivals
While travelling through Germany we were introduced by our friends and Couchsurfing hosts to the concept of the stadtfest and the volksfest. These local celebrations are a way for people to celebrate their heritage while eating great food, drinking good beer and spending time with friends and neighbors. A city will usually hold a stadtfest,…
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Differences between Europe and the U.S.
While backpacking Europe, I was often asked what differences I saw between the United States and Europe. Although it’s hard to pigeonhole the entire 50 states or the diverse 28 countries that make up the European Union, these are a few differences I noticed while travelling. 1. Grocery stores In Europe, grocery stores are much…
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Why I stopped buying clothing
One year and four months ago, I made the New Year’s resolution to stop buying clothes for a year. This decision came after several years of struggling with the idea of fair trade and ethically-sourced clothing. I’d heard the horror stories of child slaves in Bangladesh and Uzbekistan, but cognitive dissonance and cute sales at…
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Music of the Romani people
A common element of Romani culture is music. Whether singing and performing on street corners, playing cellos and violins in orchestras, or winning first place at local school competitions, the Romani people often showcase a talent for harmony and rhythm. “You can say it’s in their genes,” one Romani mother told me. “No one teaches…
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Mystery of the Hradová Ruins
On the outskirts of Košice, among the low mountains and surrounding forest are the ruins of Hradová Hill. Very little is known about these ruins although they belonged to one of the largest medieval castles in Slovakia. “It is definitely a castle established by a king,” said Matej Ruttkay, head researcher of the archaeological institute…
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Love Bridge in Košice, Slovakia
It’s become a trend in Europe for lovers to leave padlocks on bridges. To mark my last day in Slovakia, I went to Košice’s bridge downtown to say goodbye to the city and leave my own little tag of love.
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Why I interned in Eastern Europe
I scrolled through the list of Student.Go internships, searching for something that might fulfill the requirements needed for my major in journalism. While sifting through positions from Miami to Louisville, Kampala and Bali, a paragraph about a photojournalism internship in Slovakia stood out on the screen. The ideal candidate should be able to work alone…
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The 7-Year Dream: We’re Backpacking Europe!
After 7 years of dreaming, planning and sporadic saving, my best friend LaVonna and I are finally going to backback Europe together. We’re planning on spending time with our pen pals in Austria, Germany and France while exploring a few more countries along the way. After spending a good portion of our lives obsessed with…
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We have to talk about Auschwitz
Auschwitz. How do I begin to speak about Auschwitz? The place fills my memory with snapshots. A doll’s chipped face lying next to its porcelain body A twisting metal sign promising work will make you free A mountain of shoes towering and spilling behind a glass case A sea of stoves stretching into the blue…
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So I met a guy on the plane…
I met a man on a flight to Frankfurt, and I think it may change my life. We were crammed in seats so far back you couldn’t see the moist towelettes and eye pillows of first class, browsing through movie selections and trying not to make awkward elbow advances across the center rest, when a…