Foreign NOMs NOMs

Although it is not as interesting as the topics I may have discussed before, I find it just as important especially students who are just beginning their "independent life" or "life away from home". Let's face the facts, when leaving the nest, along with its home cooked meals, it is hard to surviving off of the "pizza and noodles" diet.

Sure, I cooked back home, and yes I enjoyed it partially, but those days when you felt exhausted or you  just weren't in the mood to play chef, those leftovers in the fridge made by a family member or whom ever it may be, tasted and felt pretty good.

In the present scenario, if you didn't make it, you're most likely not going to find it your fridge. I have gotten over the fact that I would have to cook for myself daily, pretty quickly. I genuinely enjoy cooking but for those who don't like it as much, I suggest cooking big portions, not only will you not have to cook every day, due to satisfying leftovers from these big portions, but it would probably be cheaper than cooking smaller meals everyday.

Grocery shopping is my weak point. In other words I'm not a smart bargaining shopper, especially in a new country, where everything is different brands, products, vegetables etc. However i strongly advise trying out local brands instead of imported ones seeing that these are cheaper. It's a great idea to check out local markets that are selling seasoned vegetables & fruits at really good prices. Make weekly grocery plans instead of going daily, it'll be cheaper in the long run.

When it comes to cooking never be afraid to experiment, and recipes and cookbooks will be your best friend in the first couple of months. Lastly, cooking can be something enjoyable, cook together with friends or maybe even cook a dinner for friends.

Any tips, advice, comments, stories or even pictures about some of your experiences studying abroad are highly welcomed!!!

Do you eat coconuts?

Quite excited today because in two days I'll be in Paris hopefully standing next to the Eiffel tower, eating a croissant and doing all the other French clichés you can think of. Which, as a student, got me thinking about something we deal with every day, stereotypes, and you can lie to me and say that you haven't really ever believed or used stereotypes, which I do believe that some use them way less than others. But as human beings we can't help but kind of use these stereotypes when faced with something unfamiliar in life, especially other cultures. 

I myself think it's a quite an icebreaker, but that's me being corny and humorless. I, myself heard quite a  lot of Caribbean stereotypes, Antillean stereotypes and all kinds of Island stereotypes in my first year in the Netherlands, and I have never really gotten offended. Mainly because I am aware some people are just not knowledgeable of other cultures and everything they"know" about certain cultures are these stereotypes that are being presented in media or by others.

I was (or am) typically the same when I was faced with other cultures I was not knowledgable about. Best tips I can give about these certain situations is to keep an open mind, be willing to learn about different cultures from personal experiences (such as stories from your classmates etc.), and don't be afraid to ask questions ( but be careful what you touch upon, some questions can be out of line). In regards to hearing about stereotypes about your culture/country I can hopefully advise you to not be easily offended or take it as an opportunity to give them a little teaching.

A picture of "my outfit" for the Introduction party that was held in my first year. The concept was to represent your country in an outfit and boy did i get couple of laughs with mine.

How I Learned to Lose Fear of Uncertainty

Living and Loving Taiwan : How I Learned to Lose Fear of Uncertainty: There are many many lessons that I have learned in Taiwan that I could write pages about but the one lesson I am so happy to come back home ...

If i had to describe my year so far, studying abroad, this little story does it almost too well. The choice to leave home along with its feeling of security and stability and reach out to new experiences, you learn to fear not what you don't understand and that not knowing is but an opportunity to learn.
Check out this insightful post!

And as always, Ask any questions about my experiences or share some of your stories & pictures of your experience studying abroad/ visiting a foreign country :)!!