Greetings from Ko Pha-Ngan!! Firstly, I just wanted to let everyone know that the grenade attacks that occurred in Bangkok were nowhere near where we were staying, and we're all perfectly fine. We're far from the protests now and don't plan on going back for a while. Anyway... we left Bangkok and took a 12 hour overnight bus with a connecting bus in Sumat Thani (sp?) and a ferry from there to Ko Pha-Ngan. The entire trip cost us 450 baht, which is less than 15USD. We found the greatest little bungalows (Bird Bungalows) that are right on the beach, and we're paying 5 dollars a night. They're somewhat far removed from where the main party is but still on the same island (Haad Rin), which is absolutely perfect. The beach is fantastic and the water ... read more

Hi everyone! Today signifies the end of the first week of classes! I can’t believe we are only starting now. It’s crazy to think that I’ve already been here almost a month and I’m still settling in! I decided to take Comparative Politics; State, Management, and Administration; and Theories, Politics, and Action (a gender studies course that will count for poli sci credit back home). The gender studies class is the hardest level, but it actually seems like it will be the easiest. We’ve spent this week discussing what feminism is - and most people don’t really seem to know. Can we say WST100? I was originally going to take some harder classes, but I then realized that I really didn’t want to spend all of my time doing homework, so I decided to stick with ... read more

Hey everyone!! Greetings from South Africa!! (I could try to say that in Xhosa, but it would include clicking noises that I have yet to master.) How are you?? I miss you dearly. As for here, S.A. is pretty freaking sweet, but utterly confusing. It’s great in the sense that it’s absolutely gorgeous, the nightlife is fun, the people are beautiful… but then there is mass amounts of crime (especially theft - security is SUCH a huge deal) and you can drive for about 15 minutes and be in the middle of a township with poverty like you’ve never seen in the States (so bad that it’s literally indescribable). So far, however, I’ve been sticking mostly to the nicer parts of town as I have yet to start volunteering. I just moved into my dorm room ... read more