ruth misori

Blog #18

The Waiting Game

October 13, 2025 by Ruth Misori

Months before being accepted into the NACLAP program and also receiving a placement, I went ahead and decided to start the visa process by gathering the required information that would be needed to be submitted with my visa application. So, I started with the longest process, which was the FBI background check. It takes the longest and the turnaround could take 6-12 weeks, or in some cases, months. So, I did that in March as the validity of the background check would last for only six months. I already graduated at this point and had my physical degree, so I just needed to make a copy of it, as well as making a copy of my passport. Once that was completed in advance, I just had to wait for my acceptance letter (May), as well as a school placement (mid-July) before I could mail in my application to the BLS Houston. Lastly, I had to get a signed medical certificate stating that I’m in great physical health and don’t have any transmittable diseases which could hinder me from participating in this program.

Shortly after I was accepted into the NACLAP program, I was able to join a WhatsApp group chat specifically for first-year participants, as well as a group chat for people also being placed in Valencia. There were so many helpful group chats that I could join, such as housing, which gives us information on how to look for an apartment once we arrived, or even people who are looking for roommates, a group chat for events that you could join so you could meet other people, and so many more. I was thankful to have access to these resources because I was able to get in touch with and even meet a few girls in Spain from this group chat. I was in contact with two of the girls who were also applying for their visas and we gave each other updates constantly, so it was helpful. Once I received my placement letter (my carta), I went ahead and got my passport photos for my visa (not my passport since I already have one) and renewed my driver’s license, in addition to getting the star Id so I could make a copy of it and get it notarized as proof of residence in my state.

In order to apply to the BLS Houston location, you have to be a resident of any of these states: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, or Texas. I had the option of applying via mail or in person, so I chose the mailing option because of work obligations. In mid-July when I received my carta, I could finally send in my application because I had all of the necessary documents needed to get my visa, so I mailed it to BLS Houston. I had the tracking number, so I was able to see where my package was with UPS, and since I chose the 2-day shipping option, I thought it would be delivered within that time frame in Houston. However, two days passed and my package wasn’t delivered in Houston. It was still in Tennessee after being reaching their facility a day after being sent there. more days went by, and I saw that it was still stuck in Tennessee, so I contacted UPS, but it was unfortunately it was a robotic message, so I didn’t receive much help. By this time, ten days had passed, and I no longer suspected that it was delayed, I suspected it was lost. Annoyed, I decided to go to a local UPS store in person to get any information regarding my package.

Once I arrived and showed them my tracking number, they told me that UPS is not related to the UPS store shipping, so I would have to contact them about my package or with BLS Houston (since they printed my shipping label). I went back to my car and called BLS Houston to inquire the whereabouts of my package and they were very vague and told me to go to UPS store to gather information. I responded that the UPS store sent me to BLS. BLS Houston was very unhelpful, so I after I hung up, I went back inside the UPS store to let them know that they led me back to them. They told me that if I were to ship my package with them, then they could give me a tracking number and see where the package was going, but because it was with UPS specifically, they unfortunately couldn’t help me. So basically, I didn’t initiate the shipment with the UPS store, so they cannot see the tracking progress of the package because they don’t have any access to it. Only UPS does.

I then asked the woman at the desk if delayed shipments past ten days are normal. Sympathetic, she responded, “Usually, when packages are delayed in a facility for more than ten days, it’s either damaged or lost. I’m so sorry.” My eyes widened. You mean to tell me that my package is lost? Tears welled in my eyes as I walked back to my car to go home. During the entire drive home, I wailed and sobbed uncontrollably. I worked so hard to gather my documents to make sure that everything was sent in promptly and correctly, and now that’s all going down the drain because it’s lost! All my hard work down the toilet! I was devastated. If my package truly was lost, then I would have to restart the process all over again, such as applying for a new passport, as well as taking new passport photos. Then, I would have to get another signed medical certificate, as well as getting the FBI check re-done again, which could take up to 12 weeks. I didn’t have 12 weeks! The program will have started! I was even more concerned because the deadline for submitting your visa applications was on July 31st. I’d also have to make another money order of $227, since they don’t accept cash or credit card information.

Once I got home, my mother suggested that I reach out to my school and explain my situation and to wait for their response. I did that and the following morning, I received an email from them. They told me that it was okay and have given me permission to arrive at a later date, as long as I continue to keep in contact with them regarding information about my visa. Later that day, I decided to file a claim on my missing package on the UPS website and received a confirmation email that my claim was being reviewed. A few days later, UPS emails me to inform me that my package in Tennessee has been dispatched and has left their facility. I sighed in relief. Thank God it wasn’t lost! Otherwise, I would’ve had to re-do everything. I then track my package on their website using the same number used in the past, and sure enough, it has left the Tennessee facility and was making its way to Houston. I then tell my parents and email my school to update them about my package. Now it’s just a waiting game.

Two days later, my package finally made its way to the BLS Houston facility for my visa application to finally be processed. Now the hardest part is over, and all I need to do now is wait for my visa to arrive. Back in May after receiving my acceptance letter, I went ahead and booked a one-way flight to Valencia for September 19th, the day after my birthday. I made sure the ticket was flexible, and I used some of my travel credits to book this ticket with American Airlines. I didn’t want to wait until after I received my visa to book my flight because I was afraid it would be very expensive, so I just booked a flexible ticket instead just in case I have to rebook it. I checked the group chat for Valencia to see others’ updates on their visas, and some of them had a quick turnaround, such as 2-4 weeks. Then there were others who got theirs within 4-6 weeks, or other applicants who received their visas the following day after applying in person. Typically, if you applied in person, then there was a better chance that you would quickly receive yours very soon compared to others who’ve applied via mail. I didn’t panic at this point because I was just grateful that my package actually wasn’t lost and had finally reached the Houston facility to be processed. In addition, I figured the wait would take at least 6 weeks, so at that point, I was still calm.

However, towards the end of the 6th week, I slowly became anxious and wondered if they needed any additional information so I could finally get my visa. I was still working as a waitress at my job until I had my visa in hand, then I would quit and prepare for my upcoming move to Spain. Although, I hadn’t received my visa yet and I was already at week 7. Many other people in the group chat had already received theirs, including applicants who had applied after me the same way via mail. It was frustrating. I called BLS Houston’s office to inquire the status of my visa, and they told me that it was still processing. I asked if I needed to send any other required documents and they said no. So, as an attempt to keep myself busy while waiting for my visa, I decided to pick up as many waitressing shifts as possible and working as many as 6 days a week. It was exhausting. By then I had grown to completely hate serving. It’s draining physically, mentally, and on very slow days, even financially. By now it was already 6 months since I was promoted as a server and towards the end of it, I absolutely grew to loathe it. I encountered rude guests, lazy coworkers (not all of them, obviously) and horrific management. If it wasn’t entitled guests I was dealing with, then it was dealing with rude managers. And if it wasn’t rude managers, then it was lazy coworkers who didn’t keep up with their side work or were even bothered to run their own food. The more I worked at that awful restaurant, the more irritable I became and anxious, especially since I hadn’t received my visa yet.

However, I will say that because of my recent experience as hostess and waitress, my desire to return to school to get my master’s has come back to me at full force. There were so many nights that I worked doubles and had made a lot of money by the end of the night to show for it, but I had to hustle non-stop. Then there were other nights that I still hustled but didn’t have much money to show for it. I was tired of the daily gamble of my income, and more specifically tired of my income depending upon the mercy of strangers. No thanks. It was in that moment of waiting tables that I realized that my parents were right regarding the importance of grad school and establishing a career. Of course, I don’t have to return to school, and I could do something else, such as join the military or get a real estate license or even learn trades. However, I have no interest whatsoever in joining the military, I don’t care about getting a real estate license, and with my experience of carrying heavy trays as a waitress, I definitely don’t want to learn trades and potentially wreck my body even more. So, that leaves me with the only option of establishing my career, which is going to grad school. I initially didn’t want to attend grad school at all because of how exhausted I was when I graduated. But once I kept working odd, minimal wage jobs at various restaurants, and then of course hosting and waitressing at my most recent job, it slowly destroyed me, and I eventually had a change of heart. Plastering a fake smile on my face while working for 6-8 hours straight on my feet and carrying heavy trays almost daily was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I didn’t want this to become the state of the rest of my life. I wanted something more fulfilling and different. A career with benefits and one that I enjoy. One that doesn’t damage my body long-term and one with an income that doesn’t fluctuate daily. One with healthcare and one with stability.

My saving grace from this life epiphany is the fact that I’m still relatively young. Meaning I can bounce back from this predicament and still have enough time to establish a career and still make a difference into earning towards my retirement once I’m older. I’m glad to have learned this lesson now while I’m still young and in my twenties, and I will definitely say that experience is the best teacher. Once I finish a year of living abroad, attending grad school is the next thing that is on my agenda, and if I’m fortunate enough and work hard, then hopefully God will bless me to never have to encounter waiting tables ever again. Anyway, back to my visa update. My birthday was around the corner, which also meant that the date of my flight was also approaching, so time was quickly running out. I called the BLS office several times and received the same answer: that it’s still processing. I personally found that response rather unhelpful because there were other applicants who’ve applied after me that have their visas, which was unbelievably frustrating. They finally did reach out to me to tell me that I needed to modify one of my documents, which was the health insurance. I was annoyed because why did they wait until the last minute to tell me this, when I could’ve resolved this in advance? I then modified it and sent it to their email to be processed. Now I was losing hope and wondered if it might get rejected because of how long it’s taking to process compared to others. There have been a few applicants who have had their visas rejected, so I was a bit nervous that mine might be too. The week of my birthday arrives and still no visa in hand. I wasn’t too keen about celebrating my birthday because I suspected that my visa wouldn’t come by then, or even at all.

However, a few days before my birthday, a sweet bartender from my job surprised me at work with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, a birthday card and a cute cake. She absolutely made my day and made me realize how important it is to live in the moment. I tried to focus on making lasting memories with the people I love by spending some time with them before I leave. I also decided not to make this visa chaos the main focus of my day and try to do other stuff to occupy my time, such as work. Unfortunately, I was absolutely at my wits end with my serving job and the chaos of it all that I ended up quitting. I bid my favorite coworkers goodbye and take a photo with one of them outside before I headed to my car to go home. September 18th arrives and I haven’t received my visa, so I cancelled my flight for the following day. However, I focused on having a great birthday and hung out with my friends and family. The next week approaches and by now it’s week 9. I decided that if my visa gets rejected, then I would just focus on preparing my documents for grad school and move on with my life and just go back to Spain on holiday instead. On Monday I went out to a Chinese buffet to take my mind off of things when I receive an email from BLS Houston that my passport has been dispatched. I texted some of the girls from the group chats and they told me that it’s a good sign that it’s been approved.

I couldn’t believe it. After 9 weeks, my passport was finally being dispatched to me. Once it was Wednesday after noon, I received the package and opened it, and sure enough, my visa was approved, and my passport had a stamp. I squealed with excitement. “I finally got my visa!” I ran to my younger sister’s room and yelled outside her door. “I finally have my visa! woohoo!” “Oh, congrats,” she responded. She sounded happy but a bit groggy, so I likely woke her up from her nap. I then texted my parents, friends and other relatives that my visa has finally been approved. I then emailed my school to inform them that my visa was approved and that I won’t have to worry about arriving to the school at a later date. Now it was official. I was all packed and I finally have my visa, so all I needed to do was Google port my number and rebook my flight for this same week on Saturday, the 27th. Saturday approached and it was finally time for me to embark my new adventure to Spain. I was stoked yet a bit nervous as I bid my relatives goodbye. I did one final wave before I went through security and was awaiting my new life beyond the Atlantic Ocean.

Blog #17

Featured ruth misoriLeave a comment

Beyond The Atlantic

October 13, 2025 by Ruth Misori

Hey everyone, good news! I finally accomplished my life-long dream of moving abroad! This journey that it took to get me there was long and crazy. But nonetheless, I am finally here! I’m incredibly thankful to God for leading me, for the support from my family and friends, and also for receiving words of encouragement from strangers. My decision to move abroad took a lot of time, effort and planning, and for a while, I was uncertain that the opportunity to live abroad was actually going to happen at all. I was both nervous, yet excited. It was mostly the latter. However, once realization hit me that at 24-years old, now that I’m moving to another country (and another continent), I will officially be on my own, and it was a bit daunting. Anyway, let me start from the very beginning so I can take you back to where it all happened.

Flashback to May 2024 shortly after I graduated with my bachelor’s degree, I was preparing my documents so I could go to China to teach English in August. I had done a year of preparation in terms of researching the best cities to move to, which age groups suits my preferences, and of course, getting the required certifications needed to be eligible to teach English abroad (a 120-hour English teaching certification & a bachelor’s degree in any field). Teaching English in China appealed to me the most because of the earning and saving potential, especially as a recent college grad who was in a bit of student debt. A lot of college grads have gone to China to teach English as a way to pay of their student loans and even save up for grad school when they return to their respective home countries. Another reason I wanted to teach in China was because of their country’s natural beauty. I was in awe of their mountains, rivers and various green spaces that I know I would enjoy viewing in person, in addition to having access to a ton of fun hobbies that comes along with being outdoors, especially in the bigger cities. And of course, traveling. I could go from one Chinese city to another by train, plane, or even by car if the destination was close enough to drive to. Even better, I could travel to other parts of Asia, like Japan, Vietnam, Thailand or Cambodia. I’d have access to all of those countries at my fingertips from China.

Lastly, I wanted to teach English in China because I truly valued the subject. I love the language, reading and writing, so it was only natural for me to want to teach the subject. While my degree wasn’t in education nor in teaching, I did have some prior experience tutoring students with their English grammar and reading, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Therefore, I thought to myself, why not kill two birds with one stone by going abroad to teach a subject you enjoy while paying of your minimal student loans? I figured this would be the perfect scenario, especially since I wasn’t too keen on the idea of attending grad school right away (or at all, initially). So, in late 2023, I took an online course with a reputable British company to complete my 120-hour TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification and was working very hard at my job to save up for the move until I graduated with my degree in May. I also did a long job search, since that was the main thing that I needed before I could hop on a plane across the world (and a work visa, of course).

The job search for English teaching positions was very difficult for me because even though I started in March as recommended, I still had trouble landing offers because some schools preferred teachers who were already physically in the country, had a teaching license, had at least two years of experience (the area & school varies) and the most shocking, were white. The last reason sounds very harsh, but it is an unfortunate reality in some areas because of the false misconception that some schools in China believe that only white teachers are native English speakers. Therefore, if first-time applicants have blonde hair, blue eyes or pale skin, then their chances of landing a teaching position are much higher compared to darker applicants or individuals of color. Some schools that you are applying to require a photo and/or a brief introduction video of yourself upon sending your application so they can assess your appearance and voice. Most schools prefer English teachers from these native countries: The U.S, U.K, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Ireland. If you are not from these following countries, then your chances of landing a position are even more difficult compared to other applicants from those countries.

So, while I didn’t have issues landing offers because of my nationality being that I’m American, I still had issues dealing prejudiced and racist companies that overlooked my experience and qualifications because of their misconceptions regarding my skin. For example, whenever I would send in applications without a photo or introduction video, I would get relatively quick responses within a day or two of applying. They would tell me that my resume and qualifications are decent and that they’re interested in scheduling an online interview. Then, they would ask for a photo or an intro video before they proceed, and it would go downhill from there afterwards. I would send in my professional photo along with my video explaining my qualifications and why I would like to teach in China, in addition to telling them ways I plan on implementing teaching styles for the students. Days later? Nothing. No response. A week later I would reach out to them and asked if they received my photo and video. Still nothing. I shrug and say to myself that it’s time to move on and apply to another school. So, I’d apply to one, which then turned into two, three, four, five, then all of the sudden, I was applying to multiple schools on EChinesecities a day. It was exhausting and unbelievably discouraging. To clarify, it was discouraging in the sense that schools were overlooking my qualifications due to my skin color, not my actual skin color itself. In fact, I love being black and I would never do anything to change that! My skin is beautiful and there are many other beautiful shades of black people that I admire, and I will never stop being proud of that!

Despite the awful job hunt for an English position in China, I kept persevering and applying because prior to doing so, I was informed about the racism that I could face and was already aware of the discrimination that black teachers face both during the job hunt or during their time in China. Some stories ranged from microaggressions to outright horrifying. Yet, I still decided to continue applying. Why? Because despite the racial factors of the application process, I also saw that there were black teachers who enjoyed their time in China, so I figured, why couldn’t I be one of those happy teachers abroad? I also really wanted to travel all across Asia, and I didn’t want discrimination to get in my way of pursuing that. So, I worked very diligently to meet the qualifications to teach English by getting a TEFL certification as well as getting my bachelor’s. I also took my tutoring job seriously and updated my resume to make sure that it was decent and professional. And I also made sure that my introduction video was clear, concise, and easy to understand. Looking back now on this experience, it was a blessing in disguise because those prejudiced schools rejecting me was God’s protection, and also an indication that I wouldn’t want to work for a bunch of bigots, anyway. So, it was good from the start that they were telling me who they were as opposed to me finding out the hard way after arriving in the country with less safety nets.

Months after I kept applying, I did eventually land two interviews with two schools and were able to move a little further. Only, here’s the problem: they were both sketchy. The first school offered me a position, but told me that I would be on my own regarding the visa process, and since I did prior research, I automatically knew that it was a red flag as employers are supposed to apply for the work visa on their employees’ behalf so they can be their sponsors upon them entering the country. The second school was in the capital and offered an extremely low salary, which was also a red flag because it was considered unlivable even by their city’s standards. If I were to accept that job, then I would have to come with a large amount of savings, otherwise I would struggle to pay rent or live paycheck to paycheck. Obviously, that was something I didn’t want, so I declined both offers and continued with the application process. As months went by, it was getting closer to August, and I still haven’t secured a legitimate teaching job. I was growing discouraged. Flash forward to the summer of 2024, I went to Dallas to complete my brief internship and was even able to get a week off for the 4th of July. So, I went to San Francisco on holiday, which took my mind off the crazy job hunt.

Once my summer internship in Dallas ended, it was late July, and I slowly realized that my idea of going to China that year wasn’t happening. So, still eager to move out of the country, I applied to a master’s program in Greece related to teaching English as a foreign language, as an attempt to both improve my chances of being accepted by a reputable school in China by winter (they have fall & winter intakes) as well as gaining the experience of living in another country, like I’d always wanted. I applied to the school late, so I didn’t qualify for scholarships, and unfortunately FAFSA doesn’t cover my specific program, which meant that I was on my own financially. While I had worked and saved up as much as I could, it wasn’t nearly enough to cover the costs of tuition or other living expenses, such as room & board. Then of course, my student visa that I’d have to apply for. Feeling defeated, I withdrew my application to the master’s program in Greece. I returned back to my hometown and looked for basically any job that I could find, but the future felt bleak. By then it was already August, which meant that schools have already started in China, and it was too late to secure a job there, and it was definitely too late to apply to other grad schools here. So, I was left with only one option, and that was to work in my hometown. Shortly after a week of applying for jobs, I found one as a hostess at a local Tex-Mex restaurant.

By then, I was very discouraged and depressed because I felt that I was supposed to by teaching and traveling in China and all over Asia, but instead, I was working for minimum wage in my hometown at a place I didn’t even like. This was a humbling experience, I felt even worse because I had already told many people about my plans to teach in China during the fall of 2024, so when it didn’t happen, I felt defeated and like a failure. Obviously, I’m not a failure, and could still use this experience to pivot to the next stage of my life, but in the moment, it felt overwhelmingly difficult to grasp that mentality. Especially because I would go on social media and see others attending their dream programs at grad school, moving across the country, or even abroad, or just starting their lives. While I’m still here in my hometown, working a job I don’t like for $12 an hour at a Mexican restaurant. I’ve cried many times during my bathroom breaks and often pondered if this is where I’ll end up for the rest of my life. The thought of such was excruciating. Once a little time passed by and I was no longer going through the crazy job search, I felt a little better, and after my birthday in September, I researched different English teaching programs that I could apply for in other countries aside from China, and the NACLAP program in Spain popped up on Google. I clicked on it and viewed their program’s outline and qualifications, which were less intense than China. They provided a monthly stipend and only require that you have a bachelor’s degree or at least be a sophomore at the time of the application.

I reached out to my Spanish professor from college to ask for her input of this program, and she responded that it is a great opportunity that a few of her students have enjoyed in the past. I then took that as a green light to think about applying to Spain for this program next year. I thought about it long and hard, and also looked at other international English teaching programs, like JET (Japan), but I was leaning heavily towards the program in Spain. For starters, I had already been to Spain to study abroad briefly, and I loved my experience, and also because it was less intense than process of trying to secure a job in China. In fact, the NACLAP program’s website had so many resources regarding how to apply to their program, how to apply for a visa, and tips for getting settled into Spain after arrival. A few months after thinking about this program, I decided to apply to NACLAP and reached out to that same professor for a letter of recommendation, which she gladly agreed. I then reached out to my old supervisor from my tutoring job for a letter of recommendation as well, and he gladly agreed. Things were finally looking up, and all I needed to do was send in my application, a copy of my degree, and two letters of recommendation. Fast-forward to May, I was accepted into the program and by July, I received my teaching placement. I was stoked because it was in my first choice (Valencia), so I was able to actually envision the idea of living in Valencia. By now, I was already promoted from being a hostess to a waitress, which increased my income by 70%. So, this meant that in the meanwhile, until I receive my visa to Spain, I can work and save a ton of money before I leave in mid-September so I can get settled in before school starts on October 1st.

Blog #16

Featured ruth misori1 Comment

Traveling during layovers

July 26, 2025 by Ruth Misori

Earlier this month, I decided to go on a brief trip to Dallas to visit some relatives whom I knew that I wouldn’t be able to see for a while. Initially, I had previously booked another trip to San Francisco during that time since I loved it there so much the first time I’d visited. However, one of my relatives suggested that I come by briefly to visit her in case I don’t get another opportunity to do so in the future. I thought about her suggestion and decided to take it into consideration since I adore her dearly and wanted to spend as much time with her and my other relatives as possible. While I understood that I’d be missing out on a fantastic trip to San Francisco and Yosemite, it’s always something that I can always come back to at another time. However, the time that you spend with the people that you love is limited and short. I’d learned that lesson from my late uncle’s demise, so I wanted to take the opportunity to prioritize quality time with my relatives as much as possible.

Once I realized that going to Dallas to spend time with my relatives instead of going back to San Francisco on holiday was a no-brainer, I immediately cancelled my flight and hotel arrangements in San Francisco. Thankfully, once I cancelled my flights, I automatically received travel credits that goes towards any future trips that I book domestically. Luckily for me, it was enough for a roundtrip to Dallas and from my hometown. My roundtrip however had a 4-hour layover in DC on the way home. Despite weather delays and cancellations occurring across the nation, I was fortunate enough not to be directly impacted and was able to arrive in Dallas smoothly and quickly as intended on July 1st, and I would leave on the 4th of this month.

As you can imagine, those four days went by very quickly and I was set to return home on July the 4th. I had to get up early around 6, so I could leave for the airport and depart on time for my flight to DC. After a tearful goodbye with my favorite relative, I was off to the airport. My flight to DC landed around noon, and I had four hours to spare before my final flight to my hometown takes off. Initially, I was reluctant to leave the airport to briefly go sight-seeing because I didn’t want to risk missing out on any important announcements regarding my flight or even potentially missing it all together. However, I also wasn’t particularly keen on the idea of mindlessly scrolling on my phone while waiting for the time to pass by until my flight departs, either. So, as my plane was descending, I glanced through the window and thought to myself, ‘It’s a nice, sunny day. Just go now otherwise you’ll change your mind.’

Once the plane landed at DCA and passengers were able to exit, I went to the nearest metro and bought a day-pass card then immediately went to L’Enfant plaza, where the hop-on-hop-off bus tours starts. This was the first place I went to the last time that I was in DC to purchase and start the bus tour throughout the city. When I arrived, I noticed that there weren’t any tour busses and figured that maybe they were running late due to the holidays. I decided to wait 15 more minutes before going into the International spy museum to ask anyone for information regarding bus tours. Unfortunately, no one knew any information about it, so I went back outside and asked a security guard nearby. He suggested that I contact their website’s number for more info regarding their hours of operation, which I did, but it went to voicemail several times.

I decided to wait an additional 20 minutes before finally going back to the metro to go to the nearest stop at the White House. Once I arrived at the White House, I noticed that there were a lot of security guards and police cars everywhere, and barricade fences surrounding major tourist areas. I then quickly realized that there were no bus tours operating because of the barricade fences and police cars blocking major roads, so I walked to the Monument after I finished taking photos at the White House. I was annoyed because had I known that the bus tours weren’t going to operate on the 4th of July, I would’ve just stayed at the airport, since that was my sole reason for wanting to leave and go sight-seeing in the first place. After all, I had enjoyed the previous bus tour I’d took in DC back in 2023, so I was certain that I’d equally enjoy my time taking another bus tour on the 4th of July. Unfortunately, their website didn’t mention that they wouldn’t be operating for the holidays, nor did they leave a voicemail explaining any closures.

After I took pictures of the Monument and the National Museum of African American history, I decided that I was ready to go back to the airport to prepare for my flight home. By now I was hot, sweaty and exhausted from the excessive walking in the city and at the airport from my previous flight. While I had taken a cold water bottle with me, it was now too warm and gross to drink, and my body was no match for this goddamn heat. The closer I got to a metro, the more exhausted I became and felt beads of sweat run down my back and by this point, my shirt felt damp. I didn’t want to return to the airport drenched in sweat, so I went to the nearest souvenir shop outside and bought a new shirt. I then went to Starbucks to change into my new shirt and cool down for a few minutes before headed back to the airport.

As I was on my way to the airport, I glanced at my phone and noticed that I only had an hour before my flight departs. To my horror, I looked at Google maps to track how long before I arrive at the airport and it said 45 minutes. I looked at the time again, then the name of the airport (Dulles), and quickly realized that I was going to the wrong airport. Luckily, I received an email from American Airlines that my flight was being delayed by 30 minutes, which gave me more time to find the correct airport. I got off at the next stop and asked a couple nearby for directions to DCA. Their instructions were a bit confusing, but I tried my best to navigate them as I got on and off various stops on the metro lines. Time was passing by very quickly and unfortunately the metro lines confused me even further and realized that I was going around in circles, so I asked the security guards for help as a last resort. I grew frustrated by the minute and realized that if I continue to take the metro, then I’ll keep get lost over and over again. The bottom line was that if I don’t get off the metro now, then I’ll risk missing my flight. I quickly decided to leave the metro to take an uber instead by going to the nearest hotel to book a ride.

The first driver that was assigned to pick me up was 5 minutes away, so I sighed of relief. 5 minutes went by but there was no sign of my driver. I briefly panicked and texted my mother that I might end up missing my flight and that I’ll have to rebook another one home. After the text was sent, I immediately received a new notification that a new driver was assigned to me and was 2 minutes away. I furrowed by eyebrows in confusion and hoped that the new driver would arrive quickly so I can leave for the airport. Thankfully my new assigned driver arrived in 2 minutes as planned, and I gave him the address to my terminal at DCA. I continued to glance at my phone, hoping for another delay so I could make it to the airport in time and saw that I only had 6 minutes before boarding. My eyes widened as I realized that I likely wouldn’t even make it pass security in time before boarding at my gate. My driver started to slow down and told me that it might not be possible to get me to the airport because some of the roads were blocked. By now I was exasperated and snapped. “You need to find another way to get me to the airport! Please find another route,” I shouted. “Ok,” he responded.

The driver found another route to take, and I eventually arrived at the airport. By now, the notifications said that passengers were able to board. I dashed to the security which was luckily a short queue, and I was out within less than 2 minutes. I looked at my terminal and gate number, which was located all the way on the other side of the airport. I rolled my eyes as I dashed once again to get to my terminal and gate number. As I was running on and off (I was bloody exhausted), I kept thinking to myself that this was pointless because I was already late and there’s absolutely no way that I’ll make it in time for my flight, so I should just arrive at my gate to rebook the next available flight instead of wasting my time. Once I arrived at my terminal and gate number, I asked the desk attendant if my flight was still boarding. He got my information then informed me that I was at the wrong gate. I sighed out of exhaustion and glanced at my phone to check the gate, which thankfully happened to be right next to the one I was standing at.

I then quickly run to the correct gate and ask the desk attendant if my flight is still boarding. She chuckled at me and told me that no one has boarded yet. I then glimpse at the time displaying my flight’s departure and noticed that it was delayed again by 5 minutes. So that meant that I was actually on time, and I wouldn’t miss my flight back home. What a bloody relief! I quickly went to the nearest shop to buy some water and snacks since I was starving and hadn’t eaten anything since that morning of my flight. Eventually, the 5 minutes went by, and I was able to board, and my plane took off. I didn’t have any neighboring passengers on my row, so I had more space to myself, which was nice. However, there was a lot of turbulence and, I was very frightened. As my plane finally landed, I thought to myself that this something that I will never do again, and if I have 5 hours or less, then I’m staying at the airport. Lesson learned. If it wasn’t for those delays, I would’ve had the trip from hell trying to spend more money rebooking a flight back home or even a hotel stay if there weren’t any available ones that day. Even if I have a 6-hour layover, I try to find other ways to occupy my time at the airport by reading, browsing lounges, eating or even walking aimlessly within my terminal.

Even though 6 hours seems like a long time, it goes by very quickly, and it’s best to stay at the airport for any future announcements regarding delays, gate changes or cancellations. While I’m glad I got to visit the White House and Monument again and take pictures, it wasn’t worth the hassle trying to sprint back to the airport and getting lost in the process. I don’t have any regrets as I believe that if I didn’t take this chance to go sight-seeing, then I would’ve had what ifs, but this was definitely one hell of a day trying to rush to the airport so I don’t miss my flight. So, I guess experience is sometimes the best teacher, but I will never do this in such a short timeframe again. However, what I would do in the future regarding long layovers (at least 7+ hours), I would determine how long the routes to and from the airport are to see if it’s even worth leaving at all or staying grounded where I am. If I decide that it’s worth leaving, then I’ll make sure to take an uber or taxi back and forth to avoid confusion or delays, and I’d only visit one place then return to the airport with at least 3 hours left to spare.

So yeah, that was my experience of being in 3 different cities in one day on the 4th of July, and it was crazy. I’m glad I made it back home on the same day in one piece, but man, I was tired! Hopefully I’ll have more crazy adventures to tell you about, but until next time, peace out and safe travels.

Blog #15

Featured ruth misori1 Comment

Dr. Samuel Fongang’s Tribute

February 21, by Ruth Misori

September 5, 1966 – December 6, 2024

It pains me so deeply to think of my favorite uncle in the past tense, but unfortunately, death is a status that no one can ever reverse. In fact, one of life’s most painful lessons for anyone is learning that death is ultimately a part of life, and that everyone unfortunately has a certain timeline. Another painful life lesson is also learning that despite death, life must go on amongst the living and that they must move forward, regardless of its many challenges. While grief is very difficult to handle, I was still taught this important lesson at a younger age. This topic of death was introduced to me through the loss of loved ones, relatives, and church members. While I naturally took the time to grieve the individuals I’d lost, it was admittedly brief (with the exception of a few church members), and I was quickly able to mentally move forward without much trouble. However, that brief grieving process inevitably changed when I received a dreadful phone call from my father that my favorite uncle in the entire world had tragically passed away in a car crash.

I was immediately distraught and tearful because my uncle, Dr. Samuel Fongang was one of the kindest, most generous, and friendliest man that I’ve ever known, and to learn that he suddenly died in a way that was the opposite of peaceful was very traumatic, and I questioned why such a terrible fate befell him. Well, I have a confession: Dr. Fongang wasn’t biologically my uncle, nor was he technically my father’s brother. However, He was good friends with my father for over ten years, which is how I met him and his family, and we instantly clicked. He was so funny, optimistic, compassionate, and jovial. He always referred to me as ‘daughter’ whenever he spoke to me, which is why I am so confident in referring to him as a relative of my family because of how eagerly he welcomed my family and me into his. He made sure that I knew that I was not a stranger and that I was always welcome to come and visit him whenever I’d like.

In fact, thirteen years ago, he and his family came over to my house in my hometown for a visit to let us know that he was moving to Dallas for work, so my family and I wanted to make them dinner to bid them a nice farewell. This moment was the most significant part that Uncle Fongang played in my life because before they left, he and I made a promise that I would someday visit him and his family in Dallas, and as of December 2023 on New Year’s Eve, I finally got to fulfill that promise and we had such a wonderful time. Funny enough, every time that I did visit Dallas in the past, I would always ask my dad if I could pay him a visit, but he was usually out of town (he was a travelling nurse practitioner), so I didn’t get the chance to see him then. However, I was so excited to learn that I would be able to see him during my visit to Dallas during Christmastime as this time he would be in town. He wanted to meet us at his church that Sunday on New Year’s Eve, where we had the best reunion.

About fifteen minutes after church service started, I turned around and saw that he and his family had arrived and were seated behind us (we couldn’t sit together because church was a bit crowded), and I immediately grinned from ear to ear as I silently greeted them by mouthing, ‘Hi,’ and shook their hands. After church ended, we went outside to reunite and greet one another with big smiles and hugs because it had been over a decade since we were all together. “It’s so good to see you!” I told Uncle Fongang as I went in for a hug. “I haven’t seen you in a long time, I think I should give you another hug.” He responded as he embraced me into another hug by lifting me from the ground. I immediately melted because one normal hug was not nearly enough to express how much we’d missed each other and that a bear hug was the best way to acknowledge his paternal affection for me. Shortly after our reunion, he decided to take my family and his out to eat at a Chinese buffet, and we had such a blast!

Spending time with Uncle Fongang and his family felt like old times back in my hometown as we were catching up and laughing and taking nice photos to commemorate this reunion that was very long overdue. I will remember and cherish these moments I shared with Uncle Fongang and his family forever. The night before he died, I was washing dishes when a random thought of him suddenly appeared, and I was wondering how he was doing and wanted to call him to wish him well and tell him that I had missed him. Unbeknownst to me, I didn’t receive any warning signs or sense that something bad was going to happen to him the following day, and unfortunately during that random thought, I felt self-conscious about looking weird for calling him randomly to tell him that I loved and missed him, which I deeply regret now because I’m fully aware that he would’ve reciprocated that same message and wished me blessings. Furthermore, he likely would’ve immediately called my dad afterwards to express his gratitude for my gesture. After all, he always called me, ‘daughter,’ so the fact that I even conceived this idea of calling him to tell him that I loved and missed him as weird makes me feel remorseful because it’s the very opposite. It’s beautiful and it’s an act of love. Love was an act that Uncle Fongang demonstrated by making it known to me from the very beginning that I’ve met him that I’m an additional member of his family.

The good news is that despite my last desired words being left unsaid, I know that during the time while he was still alive, he was already aware that I loved him and that he also loved me like one of his own children. In fact, I know he loved his wife and children (Mrs. Manyi (wife), Almira, Samuel Jr., and Ivana Faith (children) so much that his generous affection and care for them will be overpoured into the next Fongang generation who will one day know of him and understand why he was an important person. His kind and jolly spirit was contagious, and I’m incredibly grateful that I got the chance to fulfill our promise by visiting him in Dallas. Dallas will now forever be marked as a symbolic place of glee, remembrance, and great memories. Lastly, let me just say that it was such a massive and tremendous privilege getting to know and love Dr. Fongang as my uncle, and until he hears the loud sound of Jesus’ trumpet, may he rest in peace until we meet again.

Blog #14

Featured ruth misoriLeave a comment

My experience in San Francisco

September 9, 2024 by Ruth Misori

Recently, I had the opportunity to travel to San Francisco for the first time during the 4th of July since I had some scheduled time off from my summer internship, and I had an absolute blast! San Francisco was one of the cities on my bucket list for the longest time, and I felt like I would never have the opportunity to visit since it’s so expensive and across the country. However, I was fortunate in the sense that because my internship was placed in Dallas, it made booking direct flights to SF and back easier since it’s more accessible and cheaper compared to other cities that have layovers. Afterwards, I immediately made sure that I booked activities ahead of time so I can avoid encountering the risk of sold-out tickets, including cruise tours around the city and to the Alcatraz, movie tours, and to national parks.

I booked the trip for 4 days, so I was able to sightsee and even squeeze in a half-day trip to the Muir Woods since I had decided against going to Yosemite due to the long commute back and forth (almost 4 hours both ways from SF), and had figured that I might not have enough time to see Yosemite, and may end up feeling miserable like I was in NYC. So, I decided to book a half-day tour to the Muir Woods instead since it was in San Francisco and ultimately decided that when I return to SF, then I’ll try to book a longer trip so that I can eventually go to Yosemite and actually enjoy my time there without feeling like I’m in a rush.

On the first day in San Francisco, I had arrived at night, so I didn’t have anything planned except getting a good night’s rest in preparation for the next few days. However, I was too excited to fall asleep, so I watched a couple of episodes of Full-House instead and gushed over the nostalgia, lol. The next morning came, and I woke up around 7 so that I would have plenty of time to sightsee throughout the day without feeling like I’m in a rush. Luckily for me, I was staying in a hostel in North Beach, which was in close proximity to various restaurants, Coit Tower, the Transamerica Pyramid, Chinatown, and Fisherman’s Wharf, which was my very first stop. In fact, every day that I was in SF would always begin with the first stop at Fisherman’s wharf since that’s where one of the cable cars were located, and I would take it as a means to get by in the city, unless I had decided to take the bus, which I preferred. I also had the chance to sightsee by foot since San Francisco is a walkable city, which is probably the best way to experience SF. I was so amazed by the beautiful sights of the Bay Bridge and the direct view of the Alcatraz, and the seagulls that surrounded the Pacific Ocean. As I walked further along Fisherman’s Wharf, I eventually got a glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge which happened not to be covered in fog! I was ecstatic!

I had booked a ticket for a bus tour which wouldn’t start for another hour, so I took more pictures and got a few souvenirs to kill some time. As I passed by various neighborhoods, I was speechless by all of their breath-taking sceneries known for its history, culture, and music. I felt like I was in a movie! San Francisco looks very Eurocentric, as the buildings resembled various combinations of Spanish, British, and Portuguese architecture due to their houses being built Victorian-style or gothic, and many more. Once the bus finally approached the Golden Gate Bridge, I was surprised by two things: the first was that it was much colder than I had expected and since I was on the top deck of the bus, it was windy, and I felt like I was on a rollercoaster. Funnily enough, it was on a perfect summer day, and I only felt cold when riding over the bridge, but other than that, I was fine, and I saw plenty of people walking around in shorts and sandals. However, I definitely advise that you bring a jacket if touring the Golden Gate Bridge because I underestimated how cold it would actually be. Now on to the second surprise which took me off guard, which was how massive the bridge was. It appeared to be much smaller from a view from the Fisherman’s Wharf or from a general distance, but damn! It’s really huge! I originally thought that it would only take a minute to cross the bridge, but it took at least 3 minutes and apparently with traffic, it could take 5 minutes or more. If walking, then the average time it takes to cross the bridge one way is 35 minutes, and 70 minutes both ways. After the bus arrived at the end of Golden Gate Bridge, I decided to walk across it and take some photos. I wanted to cross the entire bridge, but I got tired halfway and decided to go back to Fisherman’s Wharf to get a hot dog, haha.

The next day was the 4th of July, so I went on the cruise tour that gave me close views of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Alcatraz, and the city overall and it was a lovely experience. Afterwards I went on a movie tour which included various locations and scenes from Full-House, Alamo Street, Shang Chi, Ant Man, Princess Diaries, and plenty more! After the tour ended, I got to walk up Lombard Street, which is the crookedest street in the world. Later that night, I got a nice view of the fireworks from Fisherman’s Wharf, which was the best way to end the holiday because spending it in SF felt very magical. The following day, which was my last full day in SF, I briefly went to the location setting of Full-House, then went on the half-day tour to the Muir woods national park and Sausalito and was able to capture amazing shots of its beautiful nature.

Time flew by so quickly as the last day approached, and I had to return to Dallas to resume my internship, but just before I departed for the airport, I was able to squeeze in a quick trip to the Alcatraz and ride the Skystar (the SF equivalent of the London Eye) and had so much fun! I wished I could’ve stayed longer but I was on a budget, and I had an internship to complete. While I felt satisfied towards the end of my trip, I still had a strong urge to continue sightseeing and explore because there’s just so much to do in SF. In fact, when I return, I would visit the Coit Towers, go inside the Transamerica Pyramid, visit the Golden gate park and Japantown, and visit the Fine Arts museum. I would also try to drive over the Bay bridge because it’s such an underrated bridge and I want to see it up close by actually driving over it, and even visit parts of Oakland. Though, I’m grateful that I was still able to see it from afar.

I would overall rate this trip a 9/10 because while SF was everything that I imagined it would be (in a good way, duh), the main downside was that it is extremely expensive. Like I originally planned to budget for $600 and ended up spending $1,200 (including flights) for the 4 days that I was there, so I can only imagine what I would’ve spent if I had stayed longer, or even as a local living there! Despite this short trip, I definitely made sure to savor every moment and made memories that will last a lifetime, and I’m already planning my next visit!

Blog #13

Featured ruth misoriLeave a comment

The Trip that I didn’t like

June 23, 2024 by Ruth Misori

While traveling is typically a fun adventure for me and I usually enjoy my time, there were trips that I took in the past that I didn’t like or enjoy, which is sometimes a normal downside of traveling. This also applies to everyone else who frequently travels, and the reasons why they may not like their trips can vary differently from the weather to the foods, to the atmosphere to the vibes of people. Other reasons can be due to clashes of different traveling styles when traveling with people or in groups. Then there’s others who may not like their trip because the location was overwhelming or boring, or simply because they felt out of place. I will say that regardless of the reason why anyone didn’t like a specific trip that they took are still valid, and I also want to remind you that what you may like, may not be for others because everyone goes at their own pace and has certain expectations for their trips. This also goes for the other way around in case everyone around you is enjoying a specific trip and you’re thinking to yourself that it wasn’t your cup of tea- and that’s okay! So, to each their own!

Last year during Labor Day weekend, I made the awful mistake of booking a day trip from D.C to New York City. I booked it because I wasn’t from the east coast and figured that since I’m going to be traveling to D.C for a few days, then I may as well take the initiative of visiting NYC for the first time that coming Sunday. I will say that I did technically plan this trip ahead of time since I already booked the flights and the Amtrak tickets a couple of months back (so, it wasn’t on a whim, y’all), and did ask one of my mother’s friends if she would be willing to take me sightseeing upon my arrival to Manhattan (which she gladly accepted). However, due to my poor planning (and false hope that I could see most of NYC in only a day), we we’re both strapped for time, and I was ultimately disappointed. I distinctively remembered how my mother’s friend and I rushed through several bus stops, after several unsuccessful attempts of hailing taxis to quickly get back to the train station with only 5 minutes left to spare before I returned to D.C, and I was so devastated. I didn’t even have time to get any souvenirs and I was overall miserable.

I woke up very early the day of my trip to NYC after sightseeing in D.C the day before, and I admittedly didn’t get enough rest, and had to leave for the Union Station at 4-something in the morning so my train can leave for NYC at 5 and arrive at 8. I had booked a return ticket for 3pm because I was traveling solo and didn’t feel too comfortable being in NYC after sunset or navigating public transit at night since I wasn’t staying, so I understood that I only have a solid 6 1/2 hours of sightseeing with my mom’s friend and honestly, the last hour was spent trying to quickly get back to Penn Station so that I don’t miss my train ride. I will say that the only highlight of NYC was reuniting with my mom’s friend, whom I haven’t seen in a long time, and her taking me out to a delicious pizza joint in Brooklyn (Juliana’s Pizza, I believe), where I had a mini reunion with a margherita pizza (pictured above).

I planned this short trip because I had recently did something similar when I booked a weekend trip to London during my time in Spain, and despite only being there for two days, I was still able to do and see so much of England and assumed that the same thing would apply to NYC, even if it was for a day. Big mistake! I completely messed up by not booking at least a three-day trip to NYC when I would have the ability to stay longer and go sight-seeing with my mom’s friend and actually seeing the main pinpoints of the city, like Central Park, or attending a Broadway show, or really diving into the boroughs that make NYC so worth visiting! Both my mother’s friend and I were robbed of those opportunities due to my poor planning for a day trip with less than 7 hours, and the only places that I got to visit were Time’s Square (which everyone apparently hates) and the Brooklyn bridge through the ferry rides.

So, I can definitely say that I didn’t truly visit NYC, or at least visit NYC the way that I wanted to, and this bad trip left a sour taste in my mouth and set a negative tone for the rest of my trip in D.C, and I was still very bitter about it a few months afterwards. I was very salty towards NYC because I barely saw it! I remember feeling so grumpy (and sleep deprived) on the train back to D.C, that a passenger next to me sensed this and actually got up and moved to another available spot! I feel bad about that to this day, but maybe it was for the best because they were allowing me to be alone to process my emotions, and I respect that, but I still feel bad. The worst part of the trip was the fact that we were approached by bus tour guides offering discounts to take bus tours and we declined because I figured that since my mom’s friend was already from NYC, then she knows the city like the back of her hand, and that we could equally see as much in 5 hours on foot. I regret saying no because that would’ve at least given us an opportunity to see a lot more since we have the option of getting off at certain stops (it was a hop-off-hop-on bus), then getting back on to see other spots in less than 5 hours without feeling too exhausted, and I loved taking bus tours in other cities previously. So, that’s definitely my biggest regret while being in NYC.

Now that many months have passed, and I know better, I can plan better because that trip was not it! My desire to visit NYC has even returned and I can’t wait to take a proper trip with my mom’s friend and see all of the sights that she originally had in stored for me, and more! So, one day I look forward to returning and actually seeing most parts of NYC because this time, it’ll be planned better. Now a tip that I give to you regarding day trips is to make sure that you have at least 7-8 hours at your destination, not including transit time, otherwise it will be a waste of time and money. I will say that day trips overall are fun, and I have taken many of them in the past prior to this NYC trip, but the locations I visited were usually 1-2 hours away, which gave me the opportunity to stay longer and sightsee for at least 10 hours before I felt satisfied to leave. So, if you’re thinking about planning a day trip and it doesn’t last for more than 8 hours at your destination, then it isn’t worth it.

The purpose of planning day trips is to be strategic without having the burden of planning a traditionally longer trip while enjoying the convenience of a weekend trip. You first need to find out if the day trip that you want to take is feasible in the first place. Then if you feel that it is, then you’ll need to figure out what type of transport is needed to get to your location (bus, car, train, plane) and how long it takes to travel both ways, and if the costs of taking public transit is manageable (if booking for a holiday, then at least make sure tickets are booked 2-3 months in advance since they’re likely going to sell out). Now as for activities and excursions, try to go ahead and book them two weeks in advance instead of booking them upfront (unless there’s better deals in person) on their personal websites or through excursion apps, like GetYourGuide or Viator. Those apps are usually decently priced and have a variety of options of things to do in case you haven’t planned anything yet. They even have bus tours which I took in the past in D.C and London. Or, if you don’t want to plan anything online, then the best way to travel on day trips is to visit friends who will take you sightseeing since they’re already familiar with the location and can help you avoid tourist traps or scams, and it makes traveling with people you already know a ton of fun.

While I don’t enjoy my trip to NYC, it doesn’t mean that I can’t plan again and try to revisit, because now that I know that I can’t see NYC in a day, I can take the opportunity to plan in the future so that I can see my mom’s friend and explore most of NYC and really enjoy my time. So, if you’re planning a day trip to a popular place like NYC or Philly or even Paris (from another European city, of course), make sure that you spend a lot of time there for more than 7 hours and make sure that the trip is doable because you don’t want to waste your time and money like I did. However, I don’t regret this experience because while they’re not all going to be roses and peaches, it does somewhat make a great story, even though I was mad at the time. So now I can move forward with better execution and planning- and hopefully more time, lol.

Blog #12

Featured ruth misori1 Comment

Traveling as A Woman

March 31, 2024 by Ruth Misori

The many times in which I have encountered women and have informed them of my plans to travel, their responses are always encouraging and positive. In fact, most women (especially older) will admit that they wish they could travel if they hadn’t settled down or jokingly advise me to continue traveling as much as I can while I’m still young or before I have children. I usually nod in agreement and while I understand that they’re being playful, they’re also being serious at the same time. It’s like their unspoken way of saying,” You have been granted more opportunities as a woman than I have ever seen in my lifetime.” I mean, it’s true because when I look back at the history of previous generations of women, it is very clear that their opportunities to become independent or develop hobbies for themselves were very limited. Obviously, they could forget about traveling! Of course, this wasn’t coming from a malicious point of view, it was just the reality of older women who grew up in that time. Actually, I view that statement as their way of saying, “Atta, girl!” because while they did not receive the same opportunities as I do today, they’re still rooting for me and other young women who do travel.

Solo traveling in general has especially been beneficial for me as I feel more liberated to express my creativity and discover future interests that I wouldn’t otherwise have if I hadn’t gone on my own adventures. Traveling itself is a gift for me because it’s a reminder that I am actually living out the life that only my grandmothers can imagine or the one that my mother often ponders. Being able to travel has been very difficult from women in the 1800’s and 1900’s, and women weren’t even allowed to open up their own bank accounts without their spouse’s signatures until 1974 (In the United States). I mean, that was only 50 years ago, so that’s not too long ago! I can’t even imagine how long it took before women were allowed to have their own passports because that’s absolutely crazy!

The blood, sweat, and tears that countless generations of women had to endure so that young women like me could have numerous amounts of opportunities is very inspiring because my grandmother’s generation of women had to walk so that my mother’s generation of women could run. And my mother’s generation of women had to run so that my generation of women can fly. And you best believe that I will bloody soar like an eagle! I never want to take the opportunities of traveling for granted, and I hope any woman who travels doesn’t either because we are living proof that when we set out minds to do things, we can thrive.

I distinctly remembered when the first time that I travelled across the pond at 17 was the moment when I realized that I wanted to live abroad. I was definitely scared at first before I entered the plane, but once I actually arrived in the UK and thoroughly enjoyed my experience was when I began thinking that I could make this dream of living abroad one day a reality, and it was a beautiful epiphany. Because of that experience alone, I have decided that I will have more faith in myself for the moment when I do decide to finally pull the trigger and move abroad one day to navigate life. I’m aware that while living abroad is much different from visiting, I do believe that this future endeavor will challenge me in ways that I’ve never experienced, change my outlook on life as well as for a lot of women’s and I can’t wait for that day when I finally get to live abroad.

Blog #11

Featured ruth misori1 Comment

50 Tips for Solo Travelers

December 11, 2023 by Ruth Misori

Traveling solo for the very first time can often seem daunting or scary for a lot of people, especially if they’re young, female, or going overseas and/or long distance, and many individuals happen to fall into all of those categories. Perhaps you were planning a group trip that never happened or decided that you wanted to visit a place that no one was really interested in, or worst, you did find people to travel with but none of your schedules would align, so you didn’t have a choice but to go by yourself. Or maybe you’re just trying to find the courage to finally face your fears of solo traveling by booking that trip, and you need an extra push to take that leap of faith. As someone who has experienced similar situations, I can gladly tell you that I am extremely thankful that I took the plunge by traveling solo for the first time at the age of sixteen and then taking even more solo trips afterwards because it has now boosted my self-confidence, capabilities, and self-reliance. Of course, I’ve made some mistakes along the way, but it wasn’t too difficult to handle and I was able to overcome them because I took that first step of believing in myself, or asking for help whenever I needed it. Maybe you need a little bit of reassurance too before you take these steps, so here are fifty tips that I think will help make your first transition into solo traveling more easier and less nerve-wracking.

1. Budget wisely

2. Pack lightly

3. Dress comfortably

4. Bring an Airtag for your luggage (for flyers)

5. Get plenty of rest

6. Bring a lot of snacks

7. Use compression socks (for long-haul trips)

8. Send a loved one or friend a copy of your travel documentations and accommodation (passport, driver’s license, hotel reservations, etc)

9. Get your destination’s recommended or required vaccines prior to arrival

10. Take a bus tour

11. Bring emergency money and backup credit cards (And keep them in multiple places)

12. Study a map

13. Always get insurance

14. Be aware of your surroundings (women especially)

15. Familiarize yourself with military time (most countries use it)

16. Bring a small first-aid kit

17. Don’t wear your headphones/earbuds in tourist settings (see tip 14)

18. Buy a local sim card (if abroad)

19. Be spontaneous and flexible

20. Do your research

21. Befriend people at a local shop or hostel

22. Bring any necessary medications and toiletries (it might be unavailable or expensive in your destination)

23. Laugh at your mistakes (it’ll be funny years from now)

24. Use public transportation during the day and taxis/Ubers at night (make sure they’re reliable and reputable)

25. Book refundable trips

26. Ask for help when you need it

27. Take a lazy day

28. Bring an extra charger

29. Walk confidentially in public (it reduces your chances of being targeted)

30. Wear a fake wedding ring

31. Keep flashy jewelry at home

32. Be friendly

33. Take your luggage/backpack to the bathroom with you (or ask someone to watch it while you’re gone if you’re comfortable)

34. Drink responsibly

35. Know how to queue

36. Trust your instincts (if something feels off, you’re probably right)

37. Live in the moment

38. Keep your locations discreet on social media

39. Try a cooking class

40. Choose walkable cities

41. Connect with locals

42. Keep your valuables locked up in a safe

43. Learn how to say, “No”

44. Go on a day trip

45. Join a free walking tour

46. Develop an emergency exit plan (in case things go wrong, you absolutely need enough money to return home)

47. Understand the customs and act accordingly (ex: dressing appropriately at religious sites or in conservative regions)

48. Don’t be a dumb tourist (see tip 47)

49. Buy souvenirs towards the end of your trip instead of the beginning

50. Get noise-cancelling headphones (huge game-changer for long haul trips)

Blog #10

Featured ruth misoriLeave a comment

Studying Abroad in Spain (part 2)

November 4, 2023 by Ruth Misori

Wow, I’m finally in Spain! Valencia is incredibly gorgeous, or as the Spaniards would say, “Muy bonita!” I arrived at nighttime, so I wasn’t able to take in the beautiful scenery until the next morning, and boy was it awesome! The dormitory I stayed at was located on top of a steep hill in the outskirts of Valencia (in Sagunto), so I was able to get a decent view of nature, the city, and even a glimpse of the Sagunto Castle, which is as old as the 5th century BC! Isn’t that cool? Every day was an wonderful opportunity to gaze at the Spanish sunrise before I went to class, and don’t even get me started on the sunsets! They’re absolutely chef’s kisses!

A week before I left for Spain, I was required to take an online placement test of my knowledge of Spanish, which would determine what level of classes I would take. I was pleasantly surprised (and relieved) that I was placed in the intermediate level classes since I had previously taken two Spanish courses, so I had some basic skills of the language, and also because I wasn’t placed in a extremely advanced class where I would feel inadequate because I wouldn’t be able to keep up or fall behind. Therefore, my classes were a perfect fit, and my favorite one was the composition class because my professor was fun and animated (she often made funny faces to describe the acoustics & vibrations of learning languages), and also because I love writing. Who knew that writing in another language would be equally as enjoyable as writing my my native tongue? The composition class was conducted entirely in Spanish, and to my shock, I actually understood what was being taught! Of course, there were times that I didn’t exactly recognize what my professor was saying, but I always understood what she meant, which gave me a lot of confidence with my listening & comprehension skills in Spanish.

The first week was a breeze as we went over the program orientation and the expectations for passing our classes, as well as receiving information about upcoming trips, excursions, and even tips on navigating the city of Valencia. The administration and staff were very helpful and the tutors because in the afternoons after classes ended, we would have the option of going to them for extra help for any classes or additional practice in general. The best part was the amount of free time my friends and I had to explore the city after our classes everyday at noon, which would give us many options to either participate in any school activities on campus or go sightseeing in Valencia. Every week on Fridays and Sundays, the school would take us to the beach and on Wednesdays, we would go on academic excursions to castles, waterparks, churches, museums, and more! We even took a week-long trip to Madrid, Toledo, and Segovia, and had a blast! My favorite city in Spain is Segovia because the scenery is very historical and purely Italian-based as it was built by the Romans, and they even have a huge aqueduct that is completely breath-taking! Also, we stumbled upon the best Napoli pizzeria in Segovia, which ultimately began my obssesion with a Margherita pizza because that is the best pizza in this entire bloody world, and I refuse to think otherwise! If you ever get a chance to try a Margherita pizza, do it because you won’t be disappointed! No other pizza can compare to it.

It was so much fun studying abroad in Spain for the summer and it had many perks, which included good food, walkability, good transportation, history, and having access to other European countries at your doorstep, which are only 1-2 hours away instead of day to get Paris or Rome or wherever. It still blows my mind to think that I got to travel to other cities within two hours and have the rest of day to explore without feeling tired or jet lagged since they all have the same time difference. In addition, the sun doesn’t set until late at 9 or even 10 pm, so I have plenty of time to do what I want without feeling so rushed. Woohoo! Weekend trips were encouraged, so I was lucky enough to do two weekend trips throughout this entire trip: One solo weekend to London, and a small girls’ trip to Barcelona. Because these trips were during the peak of the summer in Europe, the prices weren’t dirt cheap, and a lot of hotels were booked, but thankfully hostels and Airbnb’s were to the rescue! During my time in London, I got to stay at this cute hostel, which was a five-minute walk away from the metro, which I took the entire time for transportation, and it was really cool! As for Barcelona, the Airbnb the girls and I stayed at was huge, cozy, and had a direct view of the Sagrada de Familia, so I considered us lucky! It was also a ten-minute walk from shops, bus stops, restaurants, Mercat de la Boqueria (biggest market in Barcelona) and the Park Güell, which made transportation so much easier.

While there were many benefits that I got to experience in Spain, such as meeting life-long friends, exploring cities, and enjoying delicious tapas and paella, there were also downsides that I encountered, such as confusion navigating trains (my friends and I got lost a couple of times), extreme heat without any AC, despite having fans, (AC is not common in Europe) getting scammed in Barcelona (the pickpocketing capital of the world) and sometimes frustrating language barriers since Catalan and Spanish are both spoken in Spain, and there are too many accents to identify with either language. However, the more I immerse myself in the culture, the easier a few of these challenges became and I was eventually able to understand more Spanish, take the train without getting lost every time, and even feel more confident speaking to locals. It was rather relieving. I was finally able to relax and let my hair down and not be so hard on myself because I was able to grasp that while I will make mistakes, as long as I commit to learning from and making the most out of them then I would be fine, and I was.

Overall, this experience was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, because next summer I will have graduated from college, and won’t have another chance to study abroad for a summer, and now looking back a few months after this trip ended, I’m still in awe of the fact that I was able to do this and benefit from it long-term as my Spanish is improved so much and I actually feel confident talking to native Spanish speakers. I even befriended a Mexican woman on a flight to D.C and we spoke in Spanish and followed each other on Instagram. Cool huh! There’s no amount of words to describe how lucky I am to have gained an incredibly rewarding and enriching experience studying abroad, and I will forever be grateful. If I have the chance, then I will definitely revisit Spain and catch up with my life-long friends!

Blog #9

Featured ruth misori1 Comment

Studying Abroad in Spain

June 3, 2023 by Ruth Misori

Summer is right around the corner, which means nice weather, no more exams, and now I actually have more time to wind down and relax. Finally! Admittedly, this school year has been tough since I completely lacked an healthy balance of school and life, as well as feeling completely burnt out from the overall responsibilities of being a commuter student as well as juggling work, assignments, and household chores. But at last, I finished my junior year strong with decent grades and a good GPA, and praise God because that was the only way I was going to get through all of this!

Actually, a few days after I started my junior year, I was planning a week-long trip to Spain with a company called, ‘EF Ultimate Tours,’ which is a travel company for individuals aged 18-35 that enables them to book fully-organized itineraries based on their choice of destination, interests, or duration. The best part was that you could even opt for arranged flights to and from your destinations, or extend your stay if you thoroughly enjoyed your trip. There’s also all sorts of discounts and the vast majority of participants were college students, so my decision to plan an EF trip after my junior year ended was a no-brainer, and would’ve been a perfect way to begin this summer. In addition, I worked hard that year and also earned a decent amount of money from my previous summer internship, so what a better way than to celebrate my hard work abroad? Unfortunately, life had other plans as I was planning this EF trip right before I had visited my student accounts office at my institution and discovered that I had to pay a large fee in order to be considered 70% financially cleared.

I had two choices: I could either pay out-of-pocket with my earnings from last summer and basically miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime trip, or take out a student loan to cover my tuition. Though I had several scholarships, I didn’t have a full-ride and had to figure out how to pay the remaining fees without putting myself in crippling debt, so I decided to pay with my internship earnings in order to be cleared. That was an extremely hard decision to make because I worked very hard for that money, and would’ve greatly benefitted from a break overseas, and just as a matter of seconds of returning to campus, that opportunity to travel was gone (Or so I thought)!

I was glad to be cleared without taking out any loans, but I definitely moped around and sobbed for days. It was an overall pity party and it was honestly pathetic. I think it hit me the hardest because of the fact that this would’ve been my first international trip since covid, and before I planned this trip, I already had a previous cancelled trip to Ghana, so when I had to pay a stupid amount of money in order to clear for school, I was super bummed out about it. That didn’t stop me from researching other travel companies or student discounts and benefits, but despite all of this, it became very apparent that this EF trip nor different programs weren’t indeed happening.

Flash-forward to December, I decide to talk with Spanish instructor/study abroad coordinator about my desire to travel to Spain for this summer. We had previously spoken about this, but I brushed off the idea because it was expensive and initially decided to wait until I graduate from college to study abroad with my institution. Though, she revealed that are several ways for me to fund my trip which also included external scholarships, fundraisers, family support, and of course, part-time jobs. Thankfully, I already had a job and was in the process of applying for scholarships, but my chances of actually receiving them were slim as they mostly prioritized students who received pell grants or came from low-income households, so I didn’t meet their criteria and had to find other ways to fund my trip. My ears perked up when my professor also informed me of a study abroad interest meeting for this upcoming summer and encouraged me to attend as there would be further information about Spain and a drawing for two round-trip prizes.

I already have a passport, so I thought that if I could win this flight trip for Spain, then all I would have to worry about is the actual tuition for the program, and I could be one more step closer to this trip. My friend Nina, who had been to Spain twice with the program had told me about her experiences, as well as another friend was also currently there for a year and enjoyed her time, and pretty much everyone else I’ve spoken with about the program, so I became really excited of the idea of going to Spain. It sounded really fun and life-changing and I desperately wanted to go. I specifically wanted to go not only to have another opportunity to travel again, but to actually have a traditional college experience since I didn’t live on campus and was basically working all the time whenever I wasn’t in classes, so this summer was a chance get to a foretaste of dorm life and being able to become a little more social without having to worry about work. Don’t get me wrong, I do have friends and try to make an effort to hang out with them when I can, but our availability doesn’t often align since we have clashing work schedules and are sometimes too tired to socialize, so that hasn’t been much fun.

So if I actually have a chance to study in Spain this summer, it would be for a month and a half, I could focus solely on learning the language instead of commuting to classes, work, juggling chores, and actually get a serious break, as well as being able to get more involved socially. I wouldn’t have to worry about driving to school because I’d stay on campus and meet new people in the dorms, and I can go out to eat or shop whenever class ends and have the evenings and weekends completely to myself without serious obligations. Ah! Now that sounds relaxing! Of course, I would still be in some form of academia since I’m studying abroad, but I thoroughly enjoy the Spanish language and don’t really consider that a draining class. In fact, that was my favorite class, and I would love to advance to the next level and maybe one day become a fluent or at least conversational Spanish-speaker.

The day of the interest meeting arrives and I’ve been praying incessantly for that flight prize since I am really serious about studying abroad and wanted that life-changing opportunity. I even printed out pictures of the Spanish flag and a tiny plane to put on my dresser that poses as a vision board, and so I could speak my plans into existence. The meeting eventually ends and now Nina and I were crossing our fingers that we could win the flight prizes for Spain. The two winners are announced (neither of us) and the audience does a loud round of applause. I was obviously disappointed that I didn’t win because I felt like I was the only one who truly wanted to go to Spain badly and the two girls who won weren’t even sure about whether or not if they’re interested in attending the program, so it felt like a slap in the face and annoyed me further. Even though I was upset, I mentally tried to remind myself that there will be other opportunities for me to still be able to go and did my best to be a good sport and attempted to approach one of the girls to congratulate them. I then tapped her shoulder and said, “Felicidades!” “Thank you,” she responded. I asked her if she was excited about going to Spain, to which she answered that she wasn’t sure if she is actually going, which made me visibly annoyed (thankfully I was wearing my mask), so I took that opportunity to end the conversation and leave.

My Spanish professor later informed me of another future interest meeting online which also included a drawing of a round-trip prize, which made me a little more hopeful. ‘Maybe this is my chance to win,’ I thought to myself. Once again, I prayed constantly and did as many Hail Mary’s as I possibly could, lol. Unfortunately, I did not win the round-trip prize and briefly panicked as the deadline to apply was approaching and my institution had a policy that students had to be 100% cleared in order to finish the program’s application (I needed proof of financial clearance & signatures) and ultimately participate. I was running out of options as I didn’t really qualify for competitive scholarships, my fundraisers were low, and I didn’t have enough money to afford this trip with my part-time job. So, my last resort was to apply for a loan, which I was extremely against initially as I didn’t want to accumulate unnecessary debt, but realized that at this point, I only have two choices: I can take the small loan and have the time of my life and gain an valuable language under my belt, or forget about the trip all together and just focus on finishing the remainder of my junior year without worrying about financial obligations.

I shortly decided to take out the small loan as I realized that while I’m still borrowing money, I am responsible and do tend to pay things back on time. So I’m am grateful that this is my first loan that I am taking out, compared to others who may be taking out hundreds of thousands of dollars for their education or to simply stay afloat. Student loans aren’t ideal, but they’re not my enemy, so if this can enable me to have an unforgettable experience in which I’ll cherish for the rest of my life, then it’s totally worth it. And I more than intend to pay it all back, and am trying to figure out ways to pay it off before I even graduate, which I feel is a good sign of financial literacy.

A few weeks after I take out the loan and receive my acceptance letter from the program to study abroad in Spain, I become ecstatic. Finally! My dreams are coming true! I went from sulking from the beginning of my junior year over a lost week-long trip to finishing my junior with the fun anticipation of a longer, life-changing trip! The best part is that one of my friends from school is also going on the trip and asked to be my roommate! Not only do I get to travel the world, but I also get to room with one of my good friends, and we’re even chatting regularly to practice our Spanish! Yay! I may not be going on an EF tour, but I’m glad that God was able to turn my disappointment around and give me something better and more fulfilling that I can one day tell my kids or grandkids about.

Now everything is set, and I will be arriving in Spain in a few weeks to have the time of my life, alongside my friend and roommate, and I absolutely look forward to it! Once I arrive, I’ll keep you posted, but until then, wish me a safe trip!