At a party last night, during introductions to friends of friends, someone asked, “Where are you from?” – a pretty standard getting to know you question. When I answered, “Connecticut,”…
Good-bye Bologna
My last week in Italy was a surreal blur of exams, papers, parties, late night dancing, watching the sun come up from my balcony. Until all of a sudden I…
A train or two or three: a spring break odyssey
Sometimes it’s not about where you travel, but who you travel with. For spring break this past week, I decided to stick around close to Bologna (a combination of financial…
Temporary Families, Sicily Adventures
In a lot of respects, I am a low-maintenance traveler. I am the type to forget my guide book at home, buy a map at the train station, pick a…
What to bring away from Kony2012
It’s been roughly two weeks since Invisible Children’s Kony 2012 campaign and video went viral. The video has sparked a flurry of status updates, tweets, articles, and video responses. (see see here,…
Travel and perspective
I first started writing for Go Girl while interning for a conflict resolution NGO in Côte d’Ivoire. I was coming out of a semester abroad in Cameroon. My writing from…
Aperitivo Culture
When I arrived in Italy in August, Bologna seemed like a ghost town. I remember walking around deserted streets, struggling to find open shops or restaurants. Then, in mid-September, classes…
Women, post-conflict rebuilding, and bearing witness
One of the best parts of going to school in Italy is its proximity to pretty much everything else in Europe. During semester recess, I had the opportunity to participate…
New Year’s in Beograd
Belgrade is a smoker’s paradise. The first thing you notice when you touch down in the Nikola Tesla airport is the smell of stale cigarette smoke. In shops, a pack…
Midnight Mass meets Occupy London
I’m celebrating Christmas this year in London with a few friends from undergrad. It’s our first holiday away from home. Working with a student’s budget, we rummaged presents from…
I like Christmas and other adventures
For years, the Christmas season has been my least favorite time of year. It’s stressful, it’s expensive, and everyone’s craziness comes out to party at family gatherings. Most people don’t…
Occupy Bologna, Berlusconi Basta
Lately, when my friends and family back home ask me how life in Italy is going, I respond, “I don’t live in Italy. I live in Italy.” I’m coming out…
Halloween in Italy
When I was little, Halloween was my favorite holiday. What was not to like? I got to dress up like whatever Disney princess, super hero, or historical figure (yeah, I…
Occupy Wall Street and now the world
Occupy Wall Street began as a protest of thousands which has spread to tens of thousands in cities worldwide. Hardly anyone (myself included) thought this was possible, and it keeps…
va a Roma
I am an uninformed traveler. I am not the type to read guidebooks, carry maps, or scour reviews of hostels and restaurants. When visiting a new city, I do a…