Language Barriers

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Language Barriers

My proposal for this project grows with every article I read. Because I am visiting such a wide range of countries, I (personally) want to have a large amount of knowledge and sources about the issue of homelessness within each place I travel to. I'm encountering an unforeseen problem, though, and that is the language barrier and difficulty of finding websites that are based in foreign countries.

Previously, all my research done for projects and proposals has been from sources within the United States- with maybe a few translated exceptions from Spain or France. Now, though, I'm looking up these seemingly obscure organizations which I find from leads (larger articles, reports) through Google and coming up with either short Wikipedia articles or completely foreign webpages. While Google translator and my subpar level of other languages does help, it still adds a barrier I did not anticipate.

However, I am enjoying working my way around this barrier. It is a great learning challenge and if I lose my positive attitude on something this small, how will I every handle myself as I wander around Europe with only a backpack to my name?

Oh. And it is currently snowing in Tucson. Not just a snowflake here and there, but visibility-reducing, minor blizzard status.

Cheers,

-Sam

Forward Motion

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What to Do

I would love to live a life worth living.

Me encantaría vivir una vida digna de ser vivida.

Mi piacerebbe vivere una vita degna di essere vissuta.

J'aimerais vivre une vie digne d'être vécue.

Ich würde gerne ein lebenswertes Leben zu leben.

Ik zou graag een leven de moeite waard te leven.

It's been a busy while since my last update. Wrapped up my first wave of tests for the semester and now I am back into researching the issues of homelessness and learning the languages for my trip. It is hard to balance so many different tasks and duties, but I figure if you love doing everything you set yourself up to do, it is more than worth it to have a packed schedule.

I'm wrapping up my proposal for the Europe adventure and it is coming along nicely. Once it is complete, I will post portions of it onto the blog for those that are curious. Afterward, I look to begin applying for scholarships, grants, and opportunities that will assist in the funding and viability of my trip.

My start date has moved back to May 24th. I was hoping to take the MCAT on May 11th but that day was at maximum capacity. Instead, I settled for the May 23rd test date. I'll leave Arizona the day after the test for Madrid with a fat grin on my face and a backpack filled with what will define my life for the next couple of months.

I hope your life is exciting and you are feeling healthy and happy.

Best,

-Sam