As my time in China nears its conclusion (for now), I’ve been reflecting a lot on what this amazing, inspiring, fast-paced year has meant to me. The thing I’m most afraid of, I think, is forgetting—I don’t want to forget the feel of cycling through hutongs on my way back from class, watching hazy sunsets … More Life Update
There are two weeklong public holidays in China per year. For the first of these, National Week in October, I went to Mongolia, which is still one of my favorite trips I’ve ever taken. The second (and most important) is Spring Festival—otherwise known as Chinese New Year. This was my first time truly celebrating CNY, … More Spring Festival: Singapore and Vietnam
Some things I’ve been thinking about lately— Learning Mandarin is one of the hardest things I’ve ever tried to do. Sure, I’ve progressed a lot; last spring I didn’t know more than a few words in Chinese, and now I can have actual (albeit very slow) conversations. I can order food, give directions, introduce myself … More Language
I blinked and two months passed. Yesterday marked exactly two months since I arrived in Beijing and began my new life. I remember so clearly the feeling of boarding the plane to come here: like taking a deep breath, preparing, a little uncertain. Now, two months in, I’ve finally let that breath out. I’ve decided … More Two Months In: A Day in the Life
I [Genghis] Khan’t believe I’ve been living in Asia for almost two months now… About a week ago I returned from a trip to Mongolia for 国庆节, or national week, which is basically like Chinese Fourth of July when the whole country gets a week off and everyone travels. Not Inner Mongolia, which is part … More Steppe-ing in Style: 7 Days in Mongolia
你好 from Beijing, and the beginning of my year as a Princeton in Asia Fellow! I’ve been here for just under one week now, and what a week it has been. I’ll start with what brought me here: the job. After spending the weekend before in Bangkok visiting some wonderful friends, I got off the … More Move-ins, Malls, and Millipedes: Week One in Beijing
This past May I graduated from Harvard. I’m not quite sure where these four years went, but I know they’ve left me with an unbelievable amount of knowledge I never thought I’d have, and more importantly, friends I will carry with me for a lifetime. One thing I still don’t know is how to be … More Bound for the Bĕi Area
The other day, my beloved roommate told me that she spent an eight-hour daytime layover holed up in Miami International Airport. A quick Google search reveals that the $2 Miami Flyer bus goes express to Miami Beach from the airport in less than half an hour. That’s ~5 hours she could have spent lounging by … More How to Plan a Long Layover
It’s been a long time since I last posted, but because I’ve done quite a bit of traveling since then I figured I’d better start catching up. Regardless, writing is a nice respite from studying—I’m taking the LSAT in less than a week, so needless to say, logic games and arguments and conditional statements and assumptions … More Iceland
I slide open the zipper on the left-side pocket of my camera bag to reveal a cluster of small cards and folded papers, receipts and tickets, miscellaneous scraps. The stub of a boarding pass, my destination still visible. “Thira to Milan.” A supermarket receipt, primarily in Greek, the only visible English “swiss rolls” and “3.36 … More The Left-Side Pocket
Catching Thoughts 