Rewind: My Life and Travels

0 Comments

Living the Student Life ... One Stress Case at a Time!

These last months have been a roller coaster ride for me. On one hand, I have had an amazing few months traveling to countries that I have dreamed of with amazing people. I have really enjoyed my last year as a student and living in Helsinki. On the other hand, I have been an absolute stress case. Getting my thesis started and deciding on where to apply for doctorate programs has dealt me blow after blow of bad news. On top of that I got a bout of iron deficiency with frustrating symptoms. Saying my plate was full was an understatement. Luckily, I have an incredible support network full of friends and family that gave me the motivation to stay strong and keep going. And that's exactly what I did: I traveled!


In November I was quite busy with my travels. The family that I work for took me to their hunting cabin in the Finnish countryside and taught me about the Finnish leisure life. I learned so much about taking time for yourself, enjoying the moment, and embracing nature. It was incredible.


Then I was off to Marrakech and it was my first time on the African continent. So you know I was excited. And even though I got a heavy dose of culture shock, I embraced it and really enjoyed the moment (and the fact that I speak French). Morocco has always been a lifelong dream vacation of mine, so I was so happy that I was finally able to make it happen!


But my November travels didn't stop there! No. At the end of the month my dad came to visit me and we went to Moscow and St. Petersburg. As a history student, I devoured any book that I could about Russian history, so you could imagine just how happy I was to finally visit the country that I have learned so much about.


By December, I guess you can say I slowed down a bit. I stayed in Finland to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of Finnish independence. I also took a day trip to Tallinn because why not? After I read that it has an amazing Christmas market, I had to check it out. I also flew home to California for two weeks to visit family.


In January, I was right back at it with the traveling. At the beginning of the month, my dream of dog sledding finally came true in Rovaniemi. This little city in Lapland, right on the Arctic Circle was a great way to begin the year!


Then it was off to Minsk where I took advantage of the visa-free travel agreement Belarus recently enacted. Not many people would think to go to this city, but as someone who has studied communism, genocide, and totalitarian regimes, I had to go to this country and see its history first hand.


From Minsk I went to Kiev where I fell in love with the beautiful architecture of the city and its lovely churches. But no trip to Kiev is complete without a Chernobyl tour, and as I am not one to shy away from dark tourism (in a respectful matter), I signed myself up! And it was an incredible tour.


Then, taking only a week break, I was able to take a cruise to Stockholm because Viking Line was having a sale and I can't pass up a great deal. With all of this traveling, it must be a miracle that I was able to write my thesis in a month and edit it in another month! I guess time flies when you're traveling!