Taxi, Takeoff, and Landing

This past summer I went to New York City to look at colleges. I drove with my dad over two days to the city where we would stay for 3 nights. I knew my friend, Sarah, would be in New York City over the summer, so I made plans to meet her there which I was very much looking forward to. On the drive I saw on Instagram that my friend from Berlin, Reagan, who I hadn’t seen in a year, was also in New York, so I quickly contacted her to make plans to meet her too. We arrived to New York on a Friday evening and stayed in a hotel close to Columbia University, as the next morning we had a information session and campus tour planned there. I really liked Columbia and had a very fun time visiting the campus. After this college visit, my dad and I walked to Central Park to meet Sarah. We then walked around Central Park for a bit, since it was a little cooler in the park than the city, which was absolutely boiling. We then met my friend Reagan from Berlin, as she was also in Central Park at

This past spring break I was lucky enough to be able to go to New Zealand with my aunt to help her on a research study she was conducting in Auckland. The research study was about measuring the air quality at multiple different sites around Auckland to see if the huge container ships, which anchor very close to downtown Auckland, have an affect on the air quality there. We had been planning this trip since I've been really young so that she could show me some of the lab work she does and show me her favorite country in the whole world. Of course, because she never stops talking about how incredible New Zealand is, I was so excited to go. It was all planned really last minute, because the trip was originally supposed to be in February, but it still all worked out (magically). We got to Auckland on a Saturday morning, even though I left CMI at 5 am on Thursday. We stayed in an Airbnb in Davenport, which is a 15 minute ferry ride away from downtown Auckland. On Saturday, we went

This past summer my dad was lucky enough to have a conference in Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland. Since he had to go there anyway and we were planning to visit family in Europe afterwards, my family decided to all join my dad in Iceland. I was really excited for this trip because I had heard all about how incredible Iceland is. All those travel bloggers and photographers definitely weren't wrong - Iceland is so crazy incredible. From the minute you arrive at the airport and pick up your rental car you're surrounded by the insanest green mountains (that is, if you visit in the summer, I'm sure in the winter they're less green). While driving along the empty roads, all you can do is stare at the mountains all around you in awe. I forgot to count the amount of times someone said, "It feels like we're on another planet", but it must have been at least 10 times in our first day. If you visit Iceland in the summer, you will probably also see endless field

When I was 4, my grandparents built a house at the beach in a small town called Ostseebad Kühlungsborn at the Baltic in Germany. Since then, we have spent pretty much every summer there with my grandparents. These have been some of the happiest moments of my life. I love the relaxed atmosphere of this seaside town in the summer. Admittedly, any other time of the year I would certainly advise against going to Kühlungsborn, or the other beautiful towns in that area such as Heligendamm and Warnemünde. It is extremely cold and wet and in general, there aren't very many things to do which can make the short Northern European days pretty brutal.  Alternatively, in the summer the town lights up. Visitors come from all over Germany and Europe and either stay in the huge camping ground that seperates my grandparents place from the beach or stay in rented vacation homes all around the area. The list of things to do is endless. The beach, of course, is absolutely stunning. On warm days

I felt like it's only fitting to start a blog about my favorite places with a post about my absolute favorite place - my home, Berlin. It's hard to describe why I love about the city as much as I do. It's where I grew up, as I lived there from age 2 to 8 and then again for a short 6-month stint in 10th grade, and it's where we have returned to every summer since moving to the US. I just love everything about the city. As soon as I step off of the plane, I feel instantly happy. Getting in to the taxi or subway, or however we get to our accomadation always makes me feel so fully happy. I feel complete, comfortable, and completely giddy. You know the feeling when you just feel so terribly happy, that nothing ever can take that feeling away from you? That's how I feel whenever I'm in Berlin. Specifically, I love everything about Berlin. I love seeing the TV Tower looming over the buildings at every corner I take in Mitte. I love the grumpy people, even though th

Why do people travel? A deep question, answered quite simply – to learn. People travel to learn about the world, themselves, and others. Travel opens up opportunities for people to step out of their comfort zone and experience new things. Whether a new food, a new language, or a different culture, when you travel someplace new you learn something. I think the learning that you do while traveling is the most important kind of learning you can do. The information you pick up along the way is invaluable to everyday life, whatever you do when not traveling.  I personally love learning about the history of any place I go. I already love learning about history in school, but to learn about something when you are actually in the place that you’re learning about makes the experience way more special. Every time I travel someplace new I always make sure to pick up on the stories of the place. Many places of significant historical importance will have plaques that explain some of the histor