Tips to Feel Like a Local Wherever You Go

adventure

Don't be a tourist.

While tourism isn't necessarily a bad thing, those who have little respect for local customs or simply see the sights without delving into the culture can be. Don't be a tourist. Instead, be a traveler. Welcome the opportunity to experience a new culture and meet new people with open arms. Understand their traditions and respect their customs. And importantly, live there. Whether you are there for a day, a week, or a month, try to experience each destination not just from a foreigner's perspective, but from a local's. Having this attitude can lead to a rewarding and unexpected journey.

Some tips for feeling like a local anywhere you travel -

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5 Resolutions for Taking Care in 2016

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2016.  Page 1 of 365.  Your life is a story, this year a chapter - make sure you write a good one.

You've heard it all before.  Of course, there is a sort of calm sense of relief in having a blank page, the chance for a fresh start.  A chance to leave behind any negativity from the past year, and 365 new chances to wake up and potentially have the best day of your life.  But there is also the overshadowing pressure that comes along each New Year's to make a list of resolutions, often unrealistic.  We find motivation for a day or so before those goals begin to fade away. 

The idea of setting resolutions for myself this year seemed futile at first.  I shrugged off the idea, thinking that last year ended well, so I would just hope for that pattern to continue into the new year.  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that resolutions don't have to be these grand life-changing goals.  You don't have to go gluten-free over night, or go from Netflix afficionado to triathlete in a day.  Rather, the beauty of resolutions are finding the little things that you can do now and that will gradually impact your life for the better.  It's about finding the little ways to better take care of yourself, your relationships, and your lifestyle.  Take away the pressure of resolutions, and suddenly there's a lot of beauty and wisdom in setting them.  Because taking care of yourself throughout the new year is the key to setting yourself up for a good chapter in your story.  The rest will write itself.

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Advice from a College Senior

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As the first half of my senior year comes to a close, I've found myself reflecting quite a bit on my college experience.  I can't deny that there is a panic that's setting in. With only one semester standing between me and the rest of my life, I find myself holding on to what's familiar. There's a part of me that's ready to graduate, of course. I know that no matter what I choose to go on to next will be a crazy and wonderful adventure.  But there's a part of me that is admittedly so sad to graduate. I love being a university student.  I love the people I've met, I love the classes I take, I love being a part of this incredible community. I don't want to leave it behind.


I've heard a lot of people say that college are the best years of your life.  I don't want to fully accept this as a mantra, because I think there's still some really great years to come. But college has been a whirlwind if nothing else.  There have been a lot of incredible highs, and with those have come some lows. And as the end nears, I find myself looking back at what I would change. What I would do differently. What it all meant.

Though it was a roller coaster, I don't know if I could say I'd change any of it. I do think that certain things happen for a reason, even if that reason is simply to teach you a lesson, or help you understand yourself better over time.  But even if  I wouldn't change anything, there are things I've learned - inside the classroom and out - that I would pass on to my younger self.

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How to Rock Your Internship

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Internships are one of the most vital and important experiences as a college student when it comes to getting ready to enter 'the real world'. There is so much more to being an intern than filing papers or getting coffee - internships give you a taste of a career, of an industry. They offer you the chance to reflect on what you want in a job, and a sense of what to expect when looking for one. And ultimately, internships give you the one thing a classroom can't - experience. Working hands-on in an industry will teach you more about what jobs entail, and teach you life skills that you'll need for any career.
I spent two (and a half) summers interning for the same digital agency in their marketing and innovations team, and I've been at the same university paper as a reporting intern for three years now. I owe so much to these jobs - they've taught me how to survive in an environment that isn't a classroom, they've taught me valuable work skills, and they gave me a more educated opinion of what I want to do with my life.

Here are some of the tips that I've picked up over the years on how to rock your internship.

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Fake It 'Til You Become It

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"Fake it 'til you make it."

We grew up with this idiom in the back of our minds. It's what people yelled at us in gym when we didn't want to run the extra lap.  It's what people told us when we had to spend time somewhere we didn't want. It's what we were told when our spirits crashed and we didn't think we could push through. 

It's supposed to be a helpful phrase, but I always felt skeptical whenever it was said.  How can there be anything genuine about 'faking it'?  What good is making it? In a way, the phrase aimed at breaking down negative attitudes only contributes to them. Make it through, and then you can go home. There's nothing lasting about it. Just put on a smile and get through it. 

But how does that apply to our lives when we're studying, working, or we're just trying to get through the day? Faking it 'til you make it doesn't build good study skills.  It doesn't improve your office relations.  It doesn't give you the optimism to get through the day, and the next day, and the next.  It just... gets you by.

Which is when I realized that maybe we've been saying it wrong all along.  Maybe just changing one simple word can change your whole outlook.

It changed mine.

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College 101: Organization and Study Tips

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It's getting to that point in the semester when everything begins to catch up to you way more quickly than you'd like.  It feels like Welcome Week was just yesterday, but your professors are already assigning ridiculous amounts of reading and giving you pop quizzes, and suddenly midterms are looming closer every day.  Trust me, I've had my fair share of mental breakdowns to know the pain.  Those midnights before a paper is due when you don't even have a thesis statement?  Or those all-nighters spent cramming for exams that you know no matter how much you study for, you'll never feel prepared enough?  The woes of college life are literally endless.
 But then again, how can we complain when we're so lucky to be here?  I always feel a tinge of guilt when I'm stressed out and thinking about how I'd rather just drop out of school and join the circus.  And then I realize that I don't have the coordination to walk a tightrope and I'm not as cool as Reese Witherspoon and can't perform gymnastics on top of an elephant.  So instead, I clear my head.  I remember that I want this because I have big dreams and this is how I'm going to get there.  I get focused and I get organized.  The best way to treat a new school year is to get in control of your work before everything you feel overwhelmed.

Here I've laid out some study and organizational tips that work for me.  Granted, everybody learns differently.  How I study may not be what works best for you.  The best way to figure out what does work for you is to try out different methods.  If you are really struggling in school, talk to somebody.  There are countless resources on campus to get help - counselors, academic advisers, tutors, etc.  Utilize them.  You may feel like you're drowning in the pressure of the semester, but trust me, you are not alone in that feeling.  Getting focused and organized will help you live up to your potential.


Gone Greek: Why I Decided to Join a Sorority My Junior Year (and Why it Was the Best Decision I've Ever Made)

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Going into college, I never saw myself as a sorority girl. 
Don't get me wrong, I love Legally Blonde as much as the next girl.  Elle Woods is a total kickass feminist icon and my friends and I used to joke freshman year that we were sisters of Delta Nu because we liked boys and parties but we also wanted gender equality and to know that we could ace law school too if we wanted.  
But really, when it came down to it, I started college not knowing what Greek Life was all about.  Some people said they loved it.  Others said it wasn't for them.  I apparently missed the application for rush, so I figured I stood with the latter. 

So how did it come to be that now, as a junior at the University of Michigan, I am writing this as a sister of Gamma Phi Beta?  Let's rewind.