By Maya I got COVID-19 this month. I live in Ann Arbor, Michigan home to a university whose COVID response has left much to be desired. This has lead to an influx of infection in the community that is deeply intertwined with the university. I got COVID from a friend who got it from a […]
Month: November 2020
Gap Year Experiences, New and Old
By Sara As I’m sure all of us can attest to, this year has been one of uncertainty. I certainly have had to grow accustomed to not knowing what the next days will bring, which has been a difficult shift from the certainty of a school schedule. However, I have realized that uncertainty can bring […]
A Day in My Life
Hello readers, I’m going to write about a typical day in my life. I’ve been working for a local bookkeeper lately, but here is a day off. 7:30: wake up While I’m not grumpy when I wake up, I am definitely not a morning person. My brain takes a good amount of time to fully […]
Finding New Brushstrokes
By Kayla It’s been a year and a half since I’ve visited a museum. Walking around the galleries, I love to take in the artwork around me and explore the paintings that most deeply resonate with me. The pandemic has changed this experience, but it hasn’t erased it completely. I recently visited a small art […]
Freedom and Opportunity
By Shun In the past few months, I have come to appreciate the amount of freedom I have to live a “normal” life despite the current pandemic. As most countries are starting once again to implement travel restrictions and lockdown measures, Japan seems to be doing the opposite: removing the 2-week quarantine upon entering the […]
The Importance of Being Present
By Hannah For the past 8 weeks, I have been traveling through Hawaii and the West Coast on an ARCC gap semester. While I could go on and on about why the trip was so special, there is one aspect that I noticed from the beginning which made for a very impactful experience: how easy […]
Cultural Immersion From the Comfort of My Own Home
By Camille The summer before I entered high school, my grandmother took me on a two-week trip to Paris. I had never been out of the United States before, and had only been out of California to visit my great grandmother in St. Louis. I eagerly packed my bags and couldn’t wait for the airplane […]
For the Sake of Adventure
By Sofia Before you begin, let me explain. I just finished a 50 day Outward Bound course. 50 showerless, uncomfortable, incredible, challenging, absurdly fun days. In retrospect, this was the most fulfilling experience of my life, but a challenge like this is one that cannot be overcome without reaching immense highs and lows, without pointed […]
A Day in My Life as a Neuroscience Research Assistant at OHSU
By Amelia If you’ve read any of my previous blog posts, you might remember that I am currently working as a research assistant in a neuroscience lab at Oregon Health & Science University. I’ve been working here for around six weeks, and intend to stay for about five more weeks before returning home to the […]
The Duality of Youth
By Valerie Much as I would like to believe otherwise, age is not just a number. Age begets experience and experience begets knowledge, wisdom and other assets that lend weight to your opinions and imbue your words with power. Being the youngest at the table threatens to detract from your credibility and relegate you to […]