As I look out over Lake Geneva from my two-foot wide balcony on this luminous Monday morning in Lausanne, Switzerland, I find that, even though this view is to die for, with the lake’s piercing-blue ripples and such starkly white mountains that encompass it, Lake Geneva can be misleading. Currently, I only see one little white sailboat slowly making its way past my field … [Read more...] about Don’t Let Pictures Fool You
Perspectives
Heidelberg Abroad Perspective Of The Refugee Crisis
Eye contact. It is a simple way to acknowledge the humanity of another person. But, on that morning, I caught the eye of a man outside my car so unexpectedly that I was suddenly thrown into a painful realization: those numbers of refugees on the news were just as human as me. Not only did they have eyes, but they had hearts, minds, families and took breaths. It's one thing to … [Read more...] about Heidelberg Abroad Perspective Of The Refugee Crisis
I Went Abroad And Tried Snapchat For The First Time
I’ve never really been up to date with the latest and greatest social media trends, but I must say, I’ve never felt my digital age more than when I finally conceded and downloaded Snapchat two months ago before leaving to study abroad. Yes, you read that right: two months ago. I’m aware that I’m a few years late to this game.What followed has been an … [Read more...] about I Went Abroad And Tried Snapchat For The First Time
Feeling Year 2 Maliblues
Art by Christine NelsonThe beginning of the sophomore year finds Pepperdine students preparing to spread out over four continents and seven cities. Instagram has been inundated this last week with pictures of all the beautiful and exotic places where everyone will be living in just a few days. For me, that place is Malibu. To any sane person, that’s as good as it gets. I … [Read more...] about Feeling Year 2 Maliblues
Don’t Judge Me
Don't judge me. How many times have we heard this phrase? Whether it's from the mouth of girl looking guiltily at the mountain of Caf mac 'n' cheese heaped on her plate, or a manly guy expressing his deep love for Taylor Swift's acoustic album, we've all heard it. My question is, where does this come from, and why does the person saying it care? I would argue that judgment is … [Read more...] about Don’t Judge Me