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What I wasn’t comfortable with was the rip tide. I’ve honestly never felt such a strong current in my life, especially not when a giant board is attached to my ankle. And though I had been somewhat able to jump up on the board while on dry land, it was like my mind was erased clean once I hit the water. The waves were throwing me to shore like a discarded rag doll- even the instructor said the current was unusually strong. … [Read more...] about Surf’s Up in San Sebastián

So after two happy and windblown days in Dingle, (which you can read about here and here), it was finally time to leave the peninsula to fly back home. The only problem was I wasn’t sure how to get off of the peninsula, considering most options were fairly pricey. … [Read more...] about A Mini Irish Roadtrip

For months after the break-up I couldn’t bring myself to speak Spanish because he had taught me almost every word- when I spoke it was like I could hear his voice. And out of nowhere certain triggers would leave me sobbing on the bathroom floor: the scent of burning wood and bus exhaust, the taste of lemon, the thump-thump-thump of reggaeton. Because for a flash I would believe that nothing had changed, that both he and South America were still a part of my life. … [Read more...] about Remembering My First Love: South America

On most days, I find myself smiling without noticing. I spend most days doing nothing much at all: writing, reading, practicing my baby French and cooking classic French grandmother recipes. I check out new art exhibitions, I write my newspaper column, I drink sangria in backyards. I sip noisettes in cafés as I writes lists for everything I want my life to be. … [Read more...] about Paris Expat: The Reality of Life in France

I arrived in the fall, when the markets proudly displayed whole mallard ducks and chestnuts fresh from the tree. I was there during the grey, drizzly days of winter, when I tucked into a plate of Japanese curry with kimchi on the Rue Saint-Anne. I was there when snow dusted the roofs of Montmartre, when spring came seemingly overnight and the pollarded trees budded green. I was there in summer when I downed cheap cider on the banks of the Seine until three in the morning, the glass bottle cold against my fingers. I was there on the 90-degree days, when I laid on the grass at Parc Buttes Chaumont with friends, munching on chips and squinting under the summer sun. … [Read more...] about Dear Paris: A Love Letter to the City I Finally Adore