Conforming to societal beauty standards just as valid as ignoring them
You know that feeling you get where you’re riding a roller coaster and you are teetering on the top of the big drop? That feeling where your muscles clench, and…
Pet companionship is the purr-fect stress reliever
When I was little, my mom had a little Yorkshire terrier, Jessie, the last survivor of the two yorkies she had before my brother and I were born, her babies…
As summer fades, the sunny state of mind does not
As the sweltering heat of August gave way to an even warmer September, I was in a continual state of sweatiness that had nothing to do with the weather. Typically,…
Lauren Abroad: he end of the journey
A cue that my semester abroad had come to an end was the sizable amount of legroom that I enjoyed on my flight home. After many cheap flights on tiny…
Lauren in Ireland
Since the time I last wrote about my experiences in Berlin, I have traveled to four more cities in Germany, all over Northern Ireland, Dublin, and Nice, France. And now,with…
Lauren in Berlin: A city caught between two worlds
Berlin is a shining glass mecca of modern buildings with colorful graffiti carefully applied to any surface paint can get to. Along with the buildings, the people of Berlin even…
Lauren in the Netherlands: The influence of the United States on countries around the world
Another week, another new country to explore with new sights, new sounds, and language. The new sights are usually the first things I notice. I look up and all I…
Lauren in Paris: French food for the soul
When I think of Paris I tend to think of food first. I think of chefs in tall white toques that have studiously learned classic French techniques in culinary schools…
Lauren in London: Beauty is in the eye of the traveler
London is exactly what I thought it would be, but grimier. Which is not a complaint actually, just a reminder that this is an authentic living and working city with…
While the first days of studying abroad can be exhausting, it’s well worth it
Deciding to commit to the International Traveling Classroom program was easy for me. When you know you want to travel, deciding to just go and do it is the best…