For a long time, the Russian language has been a personal hobby of mine.  I would spend hours every week studying grammar, speaking with tutors, and listening to podcasts for learners.  I had put in the work studying Russian, but I craved practical learning and experience in a place that actually uses the language.  When […]

What’s it really like to live in Warsaw for a semester? Staying long-term in a city is much different from just vacationing there. You’ll need to navigate more of the practical, everyday services of the city and budget to include more miscellaneous and long-term expenses. Thus, this guide covers everything from haircuts to pharmacies and […]

For the uninitiated, thrifting in Riga can seem daunting. There’s practically a thrift store on every corner in the city center. And yet each is slightly different, with some better than others depending on what you are looking for. Over the time I’ve spent in Riga, I’ve found myself after class browsing through the local selection. […]

What’s it really like to live in Yerevan, Armenia for a semester? Staying long-term in a city is much different from just vacationing there. You’ll need to navigate more of the practical, everyday services of the city and budget to include more miscellaneous and long-term expenses. Thus, this guide covers everything from haircuts to pharmacies […]

My Central Asian Studies Program with SRAS in Bishkek included a fantastic 9-day trip to the major Silk Road cities of Uzbekistan—Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand—which was book-ended by visits to Tashkent. At the end of my program, I made the trip to the capital of Uzbekistan again, this time independently. I stayed there for three […]

When the world first came into existence, the Creator had a big meeting where he divided up the Earth and gave different pieces of land to all the people of the world. As luck would have it, the Georgian people were having a supra (a grand feast) the same day, had a little too much […]