Hey Smarta

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Small Countries, Big Institutions!

02/10/20 | Bakeries, Food, Germany, Restaurants, Travel

This past week I had the very exciting opportunity to take part in Fulbright's EU-NATO Seminar in Luxembourg and Belgium! While these two countries may be rather small in geographic standards, they are still big players internationally, and they host several significant institutions - among them the European Court of Justice, the European Commission, and NATO Headquarters. The seminar was a ...

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A January Without Snow

01/18/20 | Books, Food, Germany

Post-holidays, I am settling back into life in Bonn! With the initial excitement and newness of everything this fall, I did quite a bit of traveling and sightseeing. Now in the new year, my life here feels a bit more "normal" (less like a vacation/brief adventure), and I am focusing more on embracing Bonn and the everyday! One of the strange things, I must say, about the everyday in Bonn in ...

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“Home” for the Holidays!

01/08/20 | Food, Germany, Travel

Frohes Neues Jahr, or Happy New Year! (Or, as Isi's sister Katharina taught us: Hab einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr; Have a good slide into the new year!) I did not actually go home to the U.S. for Christmas, but my family (parents and sister) came to me! To me, I think family is what really makes things feel like "home" to me, so in a way I did get to go home for Christmas by having them ...

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Frohe Weihnachten aus Deutschland! (Merry Christmas from Germany!)

12/21/19 | Food, Germany, Travel

As we are now just days away from Christmas, I thought it was about time for a post about the Christmas markets! Germany, I think, is truly one of the best places to enjoy and experience the Christmas season, and the Christmas markets are a big part of that.  Beginning in late November, the Christmas markets give you plenty of time to get into the Weihnachtsstimmung - or Christmas spirit! ...

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Living in Bonn (not just visiting!)

12/14/19 | Food, Germany, Hiking, Travel

While catching up with a friend over Facetime a few weeks ago, my friend Liz said something that really resonated with me: Excepting the not-always-minor issue of money, you can visit Europe or different places virtually any time you want to, but studying abroad is one of the only opportunities you get to actually LIVE somewhere abroad - not just visit. Awkward and uncomfortable as I sometimes ...

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Thanksgiving in Germany!

11/29/19 | Food, Germany

This year was my first ever Thanksgiving outside of the U.S., but it did not disappoint! In case you were wondering, Germans normally do not celebrate Thanksgiving; but my housemates did for me! And they were actually quite excited about it! A few weeks back I had been thinking about Thanksgiving and what I should do to celebrate. I figured I had to at least make some sweet potato casserole ...

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Hi there!

Looking for me? I am most likely to be found curled up with a good book, working on a puzzle, out on the trails for a run, in a practice room working on scales, in the lab working on my latest research project, in the kitchen concocting some new creation, or any place where there is food with lavender or basil.

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