Maharashtra Day, commonly known as Maharashtra Diwas also referred to as Maharashtra Din is a state holiday in the Indian state of Maharashtra where I am from. It is celebrated to commemorate the formation of the state of Maharashtra from the division of the Bombay State on 1 May 1960. Just how here in the USA, Labor Day is observed with nation-wide holiday, similarly, back home Maharashtra Diwas is observed. Maharashtra Diwas is commonly associated with parades and political speeches and ceremonies, in addition to various other public and private events celebrating the history and t ..read more

This semester I realized I would have the opportunity to graduate a semester early. As exciting as this is, with an education degree, it is difficult to find jobs as the school year has already started. With this in mind, I am taking the opportunity in 2021 to study abroad in Ireland. There is no other time in a persons life that it is easy to spend that much time abroad much less be that immersed in a new culture. The Ireland trip is one that is well known to students here at CSS as it goes each spring with a small group. Living in Louisburg, County Mayo, Ireland for a semester and taking som ..read more

This past weekend, the study abroad group for the marketing class in Morocco spent it in the beach city of Agadir. The group drove from Marakech to Agadir for about 4 hours. We stayed at a nice hotel where we could see the city and the beach. The beach from the hotel was only a boardwalk away! In addition, our hotel had its own private section at the beach where servers attended us. We were offered camel rides and to jet ski. I took the offer of jet ski. It was so cool. I have never done such a thing. In fact, I don’t eve know how to swim. I paid $13 for 35 minutes. It was so worth it. Agadir ..read more

If you’re thinking about taking plant systematics, you will be hearing about Kew Gardens! Kew Gardens is the Royal Botanic Gardens and is well known as a “global resource for plant and fungal knowledge, building an understanding of the world’s plants and fungi upon which all our lives depend.” This famous location is not only a beautiful place to learn about plants, visit what appears to be exotic forests, and enjoy a picnic, but it is also a renowned research facility. They study so many species and have save several from the endangered species list. The photo above is a weeping elm. We saw ..read more

Today I took a beginners Stage Combat Class on our Study Abroad trip to London with the English and Theater Department. We had two instructors who guided us through safe ways to punch, smack, strangle, and pull each other’s hair. The safe way, of course, is that you aren’t really doing it. As part of the exercises, my partner Shayna and I came up with background as to why we were fighting. We decided we were siblings fighting over petty reasons and things escalated very quickly when younger sister Shayna said she would be telling mom about my rude behavior. Everyone thought our antics were pr ..read more

I am having a great time spending the end of my senior year with these two on the London Study Abroad trip. We went to Stonehenge and learned all about the things they DON’T know about it. The theories are many and varying but it is well accepted that this was a magnificent site most likely used for religious purposes. The audio guide was very informative on theories as well as historical excavations. Some of the rocks built here would had to have been carried 40+ miles. I can definitely see why people thought of this as a magical place. It filled me with ideas for future novels. I was surpris ..read more

For the London Study Abroad program, I am a member of the theater group. In addition to blogging, creating Facebook posts, and writing a final paper, as a class we are expected to attend many planned shows during our travels. So far, we have seen Agatha Christies “The Mouse Trap”, “The Woman in Black”, and “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime.” Agatha Christies “The Mousetrap” is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running play in history. Every night they perform a show is a new world record, and I was present for one of those! The Woman in Black is exactly the ..read more

Our faculty Abroad sure know their students! Everyone in the London Study Abroad group was thrilled to be visiting Harry Potter Universe this week. This is the location of many surviving Harry Potter sets and thousands of props from the movies. I have stood where Daniel Radcliffe stood, walked where Emma Watson walked, and eaten where Rupert Grint has eaten.  It was absolutely amazing to see all of the behind the scenes work that went into making scenes like the Battle of Hogwarts and Gringots Bank. A lot of the more magical scenes I assumed were digitally produced such as the Monster b ..read more

St. Scholastica is a decent spot for Pokemon and other locations in Duluth are pretty great as well. Being abroad with the English and Theater Department in London, I wasn’t expecting there to be much Pokémon Go but I was wrong! Almost every time I connect to wifi (no data for gaming here) there are tons of pokestops and many of them are lured. I am so thankful that so many of the museums and attractions we are going to have free wifi. I am not playing much but I’ve caught two Mr. Mimes so far. One girl on the trip who has access to data has caught five or more now. It’s cool to see how trend ..read more

Dining Abroad has been an interesting experience as a self-declared picky eater. Every morning at our hotel we get a breakfast of egg, sausage, bacon, and toast. As amazing as that sounds, it’s very different from the American style you are picturing. Still, it is very good but has gotten old very quickly. That’s why we got a brunch today of French Toast to mix it up a little. Another interesting difference is milk containers are kept open and unrefridgerated on the tables whether you are in your hotel for breakfast or at a public cafe. I definitely think the milk tastes different. A final th ..read more