What do Amanda Gorman, Ang Lee, Harper Lee, and Vera Wang have in common? All four studied overseas! Amanda Gorman studied in Spain during her junior year at Harvard. Filmmaker Ang Lee from Taiwan studied in New York. Harper Lee, who wrote To Kill A Mockingbird studied a semester at the University of Oxford. Designer […]
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I Swear To You
The year my husband and I lived in Santiago, Chile, we rubbed elbows with locals who sought to amaze us with their English mastery. Evan and I would walk hand in hand through a park and a young man would bellow, “F$%#!” a couple of times. His friends would whistle and clap with delight. He’d […]
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Why Study Abroad?
Our biggest changes may arrive when we are looking the other way. Perhaps a stork , a blood red cardinal, or the wind delivers them at our door. At 20, I hoped to travel the world with my partner in the future, but I didn’t feel comfortable going on my own. During my first two […]
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Supergringa in Spain: 5 Important Lessons
Fall of my junior year in college I went to Spain for a semester. Those four months were key to who I’ve become. What I learned about myself and what it meant to be a gringa in the world was central to my experience. Here I confess what I learned about my own personality. 5 […]
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Where is Spain’s Oldest Synagogue?
Not surprisingly, it lies in the ancient capital of Spain, Toledo. Although it was built around 1180, and improved in 1260 to make it the central synagogue, Jewish worship only filled the space for 211 of the 839 years it’s existed. The temple was one of ten in that city before the 1400s. Currently only […]
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Seven Cities to See in Spain
How did I pick only seven? I haven’t been to Northwestern or Southeastern Spain, yet! I find places where a mix of cultures has left their mark interesting to explore. Andalucía shines for the eight centuries of convivencia, the peaceful co-existing of Muslim, Christian, and Jewish people in Spain. Several of my favorite sights are […]
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Fake Flamenco 