

Vision
Originally posted on Déjà Vu – The Blog:
I see you see me #wanderlust ? Continue reading Vision

how to build a community wherever you go
I have friends scattered across the world, from completely and utterly disparate walks of life. most of us do. it’s in our nature to chat up other people, reveal something about ourselves, keep a secret, rag on a shared hated … Continue reading how to build a community wherever you go

the completely non-definitive guide to paris museums (louvre optional)
I love museums. Always have. My favorite field trips as a kid were when we got to spend all day marveling at things and learing, otherwise known as visiting museums. As an adult, part of the reason I loved living … Continue reading the completely non-definitive guide to paris museums (louvre optional)

colonialism: the big elephant in the room (aka on posing with statues of people who probably hated me)
it started with columbus. barcelona, a city within a nation that owes a lot to the exploits of christopher columbus, has an expansive, beautiful monument to that person and I wanted to pose with one of the lions featured. I’ve … Continue reading colonialism: the big elephant in the room (aka on posing with statues of people who probably hated me)

done. done. done. done. doing.

berlin in pics, part deux
berlin was absolutely beautiful! a week there totally made up for the fact that I didn’t get to see budapest—well, not totally, but helped to numb the pain. more pics! Continue reading berlin in pics, part deux

prague+berlin, part un
I’ve been gone for a while, both from this blog and from paris. Since my homestay situation ended a few weeks ago, I’ve hit the road to discover parts of europe that I hadn’t previously experienced. the plan was to really dig into central europe: budapest, prague, maybe vienna, then berlin. I am unashamed to admit that I was mainly inspired by wes anderson’s film, the grand budapest hotel, which is so cute and funny and made me want to see central europe. another reason was a roommate of mine at an amsterdam hostel who said that I really shouldn’t … Continue reading prague+berlin, part un
écoutez!: “buzz l’éclair au chocolat”
the cutest little franco-anglophone song I heard today, courtesy of the 16-year-old in my host family. (it seriously pays to commune with teenagers sometimes!) listen! (or écoutez!) Continue reading écoutez!: “buzz l’éclair au chocolat”

I don’t even know who I am out here…but maybe that’s a good thing
It “only” took 10 weeks for me to get sick of the overgrown-bushy-unkempt eyebrow look I’ve unsuccessfully tried to to turn into a thing here in Paris, out of, mainly, sheer laziness and lack of interest. I took an hour-and-a-half trip (each way) on the rer/metro today to have the extra hair whacked off with threads. I feel weirdly naked. But, when I look in the mirror, I feel more like myself than I have in weeks. Being abroad has left me strangely vacant and more than a little off-kilter, in ways that I can’t fully articulate. (In some ways … Continue reading I don’t even know who I am out here…but maybe that’s a good thing

four days, two countries: what we could learn from europe’s smaller cities
something north americans never do at home: travel to two different countries in a matter of hours. that’s exactly what I did last weekend, when I took a night bus from paris to amsterdam (highly recommended, for longer bus rides) then, two days later, hopped on a three-hour bus to brussels before finally heading back to paris. amsterdam, is, obviously amazing. beyond it’s famous, umm, physical pleasures, it’s a beautiful city with tons of great museums, friendly people and good food. but, while visiting my fifth european city this year, I couldn’t help but draw some comparisons between the great … Continue reading four days, two countries: what we could learn from europe’s smaller cities