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Story Location: England

  • Budgeting and Reckless Spending Abroad

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    Budgeting and Reckless Spending Abroad

    I’m used to international currency exchange rates, US dollars to the Nepali Rupee, 1$= Rs106. In England, I expected more of the same: £1= 1.44$ = Rs153. At the airport I withdrew 200 pounds, or 288 dollars, or 30,700 rupees, confident that I wouldn’t need to make another cash withdrawal for a long time. 30,700 rupees in…

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  • IFSA Adventure Weekend: Adrenaline in the Mountains

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    IFSA Adventure Weekend: Adrenaline in the Mountains

    Let me preface this article by saying that I’m not the adventurous type. I’m not even athletic. I reserve the deepest loathing for PE classes and gym shorts, and the most intense game I’ve played recently has been chess. That being said, two weeks ago, I strapped myself to a steel cable and scaled a…

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  • National Identity Abroad: Us vs. Them-The Americans and the English

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    National Identity Abroad: Us vs. Them-The Americans and the English

    My ‘About Me’ sections go like this: 22, college student, cat person, Hufflepuff. Nepali. The last one is hesitant, a fluttering around the periphery of my identity, almost a question. Nepali? I was born in Kathmandu, Nepal, and I lived there for nineteen years before leaving the country to attend college in America. Both my parents, both sets of…

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  • How London Taught Me About Diversity

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    How London Taught Me About Diversity

    It’s been nearly five months since I arrived home from London, and I still vividly remember my last morning. I left my flat around 6:15am, the wheels of my two gigantic suitcases rolling loudly on the pavement as I walked a few blocks to Paddington Station to catch the Heathrow Express train. The morning was…

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  • Immigrant Abroad: A Chinese-American in London

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    Immigrant Abroad: A Chinese-American in London

    Did you know that by 2055, the largest immigrant group in the United States will be from Asia and the Middle East, and will comprise of about 15% of the US population (Source)? My own family immigrated to Atlanta, Georgia from China when I was just five years old. Growing up, I transitioned between various…

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  • London on a Budget

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    London on a Budget

    London. I dreamed of Harry Potter, Kate Middleton, British accents and Big Ben. Call me biased, but I think London is the greatest city in the world. Where else does the juxtaposition of historical and contemporary strike a perfect balance? Where else can you be, at one moment, in one of the biggest business hubs…

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  • In Defense of Being Alone (or, Christmas and the Case of the Karmic Meat)

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    In Defense of Being Alone (or, Christmas and the Case of the Karmic Meat)

    Christmas of 2014, I spent alone. But before you sigh and move on, this looking like a complaint, let me give you more information. Winter Break of 2014 I spent bouncing around Europe on a train.Here’s how it goes: I spent the entirety of my junior year of college abroad. First, I was in Paris,…

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  • The Road to Becoming a True Fan

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    The Road to Becoming a True Fan

    I was walking next to hundreds of fans when I noticed the ‘White Hart Lane’ sign and realized just how privileged I was to be part of that game. When I went abroad to London, I told myself that I had to go out and engage in British cultural activities. In case you are wondering,…

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  • A Culinary Journey Through London

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    A Culinary Journey Through London

    [caption id="attachment_1151" align="aligncenter" width="697"] Hello everyone! My name is Jessica Carlson and I will be taking over IFSA’s Instagram with photographs from my time abroad in London, England last fall. I studied as an affiliate student in the Division of Psychology and Language Sciences at University College London. I am currently a senior at Wesleyan…

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  • 21 Pembridge Gardens

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    21 Pembridge Gardens

    It has been nearly a year since I’ve returned from my semester studying abroad in London at City University. The ink has dried in the journal I kept to document my experiences, and the overweight suitcases full of useless things have long been put away. There is something still yet present in my life, close…

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