Ten years ago, I left the country by myself for the very first time. Nothing would ever be the same. I love to look back at pictures, emails and diary entries of my time studying abroad and reflect on how much I grew as a result of that experience. I was, and still am, struck by …
Category: Northern Ireland
Study Abroad: How Setting Expectations and A Little Kindness Can Go a Long Way
A month or so ago a colleague and I were speaking with a graduate student from Iran about how she ended up studying and conducting research at a couple of universities in the mid-west. She was the most wonderful, bubbly, likable person I've met in some time, but our conversation took a bit of a …
Continue reading Study Abroad: How Setting Expectations and A Little Kindness Can Go a Long Way
A Journey With A Happy Ending
I am engaged. I am engaged. I, Heather Bing, am engaged to the boy I’ve always loved; who I cannot imagine my life without. Once Upon A Time… There once was a girl who dreamed of falling in love. In preschool, she asked every girl in her class if they liked the boy in class …
Top Tens of Travel
When I was in grade school, I remember making top ten lists with my friends. Top ten boys, top ten songs, top ten movies, etc. The order was susceptible to change at any moment, but the idea was popular for years. I still find myself making similar lists today--facebook asks for my favorite movies/books/etc., my significant …
Boondock Saints II: Erin Go Braugh
Finally, months after the movie originally released to select theaters across the States, I was finally able to see Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day. For more reasons than I'll outline here, I loved it from a strictly film/sequel/cinematography/acting/storyline/Irish accents perspective. I can't wait to own it and watch it again. But I also loved it …
Travel Tips: Safety (In Numbers)
I took my first international trip completely by myself. I left to study abroad without any international travel experience, without any friends along for support, and without a good understanding of how I would communicate with my family and friends back home given the more than 3,000 miles between us. I'm sure my parents had …
Travel Tips: Currency
I recently read an article on CNN.com with some tips on managing currency exchange when traveling in Europe. The author pointed out some excellent points for different methods of payment, which I can also comment on, namely: Cash. It's a good idea to have cash backup, in the currency of the country you're visiting, because it's accepted …
Heather's Compass 