Travel
From life changing travel experiences to advice on making the most of a trip, join us as we explore our increasingly connected global community.
Travelling Through Customs Around the World
I have done a fair amount of travelling abroad over the last few years, primarily in Latin America. Entering different countries is always an interesting experience. Customs can be daunting because there is always that chance that some obscure law or item you did not know you needed to declare will stop you from entering the country. For example, bringing Chilean wine in your suitcase when entering the U.S. while you are under 21. Just act casual. Here is a list of my experiences entering various countries: Mexico Pretty casual. I do not remember too much. It was the end of a long day of flying from Minnesota, that included…
What I Missed About Thanksgiving While Abroad
Thanksgiving is kind of a weird concept if you didn’t grow up with it, but it was still one of the things I missed the most while I was studying abroad.
El Paso Trip Part Two: The Justice System
Travel journal, Day 1: As I write this, I’m sitting on the plane headed from North Dakota to Texas. We had a long delay due to snow, so it’s been a somewhat stressful afternoon. It probably won’t compare to the difficulty of the upcoming week. I’m trying to emotionally prepare myself for what I’ll see. Moving to another country is always a struggle linguistically, culturally, and socially. I experienced some of these burdens when I lived in Chile last fall. However, I had the benefit of knowing I would return home in a few months, and I had a safe place to live set out for me and a visa…
El Paso Trip Part One: The Colonias
It was a small trailer on a square piece of dirt. It certainly wasn’t what she had dreamed of when she had first come to the United States to stay with her mother, a citizen, but Soledad* owned the land and everything on it. Not ideal, but worth being proud of. Soledad had a quiet dignity that I had to admire. Serving us cookies from an old family recipe, she was insistent that she was the host and that we were her guests, reinforcing was Pastor Rosemary had told us before coming: With this service trip, we are here to learn from the people we talk to, not help them.…
7 Reasons to Learn a New Language
There are more than 7 reasons to learn a language, but these are the top ones on my list because I feel like they cover the most important aspects. I would recommend everyone learns at least one foreign language during their life for each and every one of these reasons. Culture I have written about the value of other cultures a bit in some of my other articles. Experiencing another culture on an intimate level is one of the most rewarding experiences in the world. Each one has good, bad, beautiful, and ugly characteristics. The more deeply you invest in any culture, the broader your critical understanding of the positive…
How to Help a Foreigner Speak Your Language
You’d think, given the amount of people in the U.S. who insist they’re no good at languages, that no one would contest the difficulty of learning a new language...In order to help people who don’t have much experience speaking to foreigners, I’ve provided some tips on how best to interact with people learning your language.
5 Mistakes New Language Learners Make
Learning a new language is a daunting task, and takes a lot of trial and error. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes like misunderstanding or misusing language, because you are going make a lot of them. I once misunderstood what someone was asking me while I was in Mexico and accidentally convinced him I was an alcoholic, all the while oblivious to what I was saying and feeling proud that I was using such long sentences. View these mistakes as lessons and use them as tools to strengthen your memory rather than getting down on yourself. You can read more about what you should do here, but for now here…
How to learn a language: a realistic guide that isn’t selling shortcuts
I have spent years studying Spanish, from not really trying in grade school to piquing my interest in high school to going all in during college. Here I'm listing the things I have found to work when you're studying a new language (in no particular order).
Guanajuato, Santiago, and Widening Perspectives
Spending time in Mexico was so much better with my friend than it would have been as a tourist. My four months in Santiago, Chile, were rewarding and difficult
