Asia

Real Talk (Culture Shock)

I’ve waited a while to write this because every time I think I’m over culture shock, something strange happens and it hits me all over again. My first indicator that I may be finally getting used to the world around me was when I went out for dinner with some co-workers and, out of the […]

Golden Week

The first week of May in Japan is called Golden Week (surprisingly even in Japanese it is called Golden Week). Golden Week is a compilation of national holidays that all just so happen to fall on the same week. Technically, only three or so of the five work days are national holidays, but everyone takes […]

Keeping Up With the Americans

I decided on this blog title after trying to explain who the Kardashians are to my coworkers last week. I do not watch “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” nor do I follow their lives on social media, but to live in America it is assumed you know about the Kardashians. The topic of the Kardashian […]

Kawachi Fuji Gardens!

Who has heard of Fukuoka? I know at least I sure hadn’t before coming to Japan.  Japan is made up of many islands,  but the main three islands are Hokkaido (where Sapporo is) in the north, the main island including Tokyo and Kyoto and Osaka, and the southern island including Fukuoka and Nagasaki. Fukuoka is […]

Letting Go

For those of you that know me, one of the first descriptors that may come to mind for me is A-type personality. I love, and often need, every aspect of my life to be as organized and well planned out as possible. My planner for school consists of five different colors associated with different projects, […]

$1 Sushi? Yes Please!

(Before reading, don’t worry about the title; even cheap sushi is good sushi in Japan!) This weekend was a lot more laid back for me compared to other weekends because I have had so much homework for the internship class I am required to take part in while I intern abroad. Because my weekdays are […]

Working Girl in a Whole New World

I spend every day of the work week in a lab, a science major’s dream. I get to work on a project for the BioChemical team of Osaka Gas and not only is it using many of the techniques I am familiar with, but I’m also learning many new ones! When I’m not doing experiments, […]

What to See in Japan in 12 Days

While interning in Japan, I was lucky enough to have my family come visit me for 6 days! While it was initially exciting, the thought of seeing my family after 3 months, but quickly I realized the enormous task in front of me: showing them the best Japan can offer in less than a week. […]

Hanami

Cherry blossom season in Japan is incomparable with anywhere in the world (sorry, that includes you Washington DC) from sheer abundance to endless varieties to traditions of having parks dedicated to cherry blossom trees to hanami (cherry blossom viewing parties) that make the experience even more spectacular. In the full bloom of cherry blossoms in […]

Bamboo Forest and Monkey Park

I am obsessed with Kyoto. This has been my third trip to Kyoto and I still haven’t seen everything! Kyoto boasts over 1600 temples and old fashioned Japanese roads lined with temples, restaurants, food shops, gift stores, and then -wait for it- more temples. This time, I went with my family who were visiting me […]

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