Just as I was losing hope over having a snow filled winter season, Europe has been hit. It was only my second day being back, and I awoke to everything covered in a white blanket and frozen canals. It’s not often that the ice becomes thick enough for people to walk on, so to see ice skaters moving up and down the water ways has been a sight to behold. One of my professors gave us a little piece of advice about going out on the ice, “If you fall in, DON’T GO TOWARDS THE LIGHT.” (Supposedly the hole you should swim towards will appear black underwater.) The instant freeze has also coincided with my first week of classes this semester.

So far my class schedule consists of: 1) Art, Consensus, and Canon 2) Romantic Love Narratives 3) Identities in Culture and Images 4) Photography in Modern and Contempory Art and 5) Production of Culture.

With the whirlwind of changes not only in my life but also on the ground, I am so excited to get the chance to have another half year here in my new home!

xxx – Tatiana