Our flight was delayed. It’s winter, so this is hardly a surprise. But given that we are Americans, we’re simply excited that a flight (direct, no less) will take us just over 2 hours to Budapest. The novelty will likely never wear off (at least before we return to the USA). Continue reading
It’s Christmas Time in Dublin!
It’s nearly Christmas here in Dublin! My first semester of grad school comes to a close in 48 hours. Well, mostly-there’s still this pesky thesis proposal that’s been sitting half finished for the past few weeks I need to tackle-but that’s an aside. The first semester was, despite a fair bit of fear mongering on the administration side, quite good. And not at all overwhelming, challenging to be sure, but manageable. The key, as it always is, is not to procrastinate and everything will subsequently go quite smoothly. I’ve learned a lot, and could hold many a discussion on health policy, economics, or epidemiology. And I’m glad to have gotten this education outside the states. It’s given me an exceptionally unique vantage point most Americans trained in the system don’t have. Not to say it’s better, just different. But there’s been this one little thing that’s been underlying everything, and causes great concern for a future career in public health. Continue reading
September, October, November. It’s been three months (and one week) since we moved to Dublin. And three months is pretty significant. It’s the amount of time it takes me to feel comfortable in a new place, and subsequently, it’s also the amount of time it usually takes until I’m itching to move again. As if the minute I feel that familiarity, the next I’m dreaming of the next destination. It is my three month rule, which happened almost entirely by chance, but now results in a significant desire to move, lest I stay in one place long enough for tedium to set in. This time around though, things are different. Continue reading
I had been to Spain once before. My first trip abroad (not counting North America) my best friend joined my family and I on a high school graduation trip to Europe. The first stop was Spain. My first introduction to Europe was the chaotic city of Madrid. I remember feeling overwhelmed, and noted the particular smell off the city, mostly, cigarettes and people with wafts of charred something. This was back before I had become entirely reliant on smart phone technology to ensure I knew where I was. Mostly, I remember getting lost and trying to use a Corte Ingles (of which there are many) as a point of reference. And failing miserably. I remember the pandaria down the street from our hotel. I remember a freak rain storm that left me soaked and sulking while sight seeing. I remember, enjoying it all, but surprisingly I don’t remember much else. We flew through Barcelona on our way up to Marseille, I saw Barcelona pass from my train car, and distinctly remember wondering if I’d ever see this particular city. Continue reading
Colliding With The Earth 