Winter can be a hard season to embrace, especially if you’r estudying abroad and aren’t used to a cold climate and frosty conditions. But once you load up on layers, fill your belly with hot tea, and find a favorite outdoor winter activity, you’ll long for snow and ice all year round. Here are a few of the best outdoor activities you can try out this wintertime.

Sledging

If you're an animal lover, Southern California is the place to be. It has some of the best zoos and aquariums in the world. Visiting a zoo or an aquarium is a great way to spend a weekend while abroad, and seeing some of your favorite wild animals and marine life up close and personal can be an absolutely thrilling experience. Here are 5 of the best zoos and aquariums in Southern California:

1. San Diego Zoo

If you’re considering D.C. studying abroad, you have probably heard about the many opportunities to attend seminars organized by famous think tanks. So today, I will share my experiences of attending such seminars and events in D.C. I have always dreamed of becoming a diplomat, so I am very interested in politics and international relations. Thus, I attended seminars related mainly to those fields.

With Halloween behind us and Christmas looming on the horizon, there’s another holiday that gets less attention overseas: Thanksgiving. This harvest holiday is all about the fall, family, and feasts, and it’s a popular kick-off to the holiday season for many North Americans. Here are a few things to know about Thanksgiving, and how it’s celebrated around Canada and the US: 

It dates back centuries

There is the very formal drinking and appreciation of tea, but it is also a fundamental part of everyday UK life.

You need to work and study, but you also need to eat. As one of the most exciting capitals in the world, London not only offers some of the nation’s top universities but also has thousands of restaurants, markets, food trucks, and street stalls that reflect the city’s multicultural nature.

The Midwest is known for a lot of things: beautiful lakes, friendly people, cold winters — the list goes on. The Midwest is also known for some pretty unique dishes. Here are 8 classic Midwest staples you should try if you’re studying abroad in the area:

1. Cheese Curds

Internationally, the UK is known for its rain, fog, and generally dismal weather. But, contrary to stereotypes, the British weather really isn’t all that bad. As the leaves change color, and the temperatures drop, British fall may not have all the drama of an Asia autumn, but it also doesn’t have the threat of typhoons. Not that you’d know it for the fuss and weather talk that you’ll hear everywhere you go in the UK.

​After a moderately pleasant summer, fall means pulling out jumpers (sweaters), wrapping up in scarves, and enjoying some of the best bits of the British autumn.

To be honest, before the semester started, my mother was worried I would lose weight if I wasn't used to American food. However, after several meals in the school canteen, I began to worry about the opposite: gaining a lot of weight gain by the end of the semester! The American University dining hall turned out to be better than I could have ever expected.

If you’re ever feeling down, go see some animals. I find it’s a great way for me to deal with my bad mood. Every time I look at their innocent faces, the ice in my heart melts, and the bad mood is swept away. After that, it’s much easier to hum a song and throw myself back into my work.

After a busy midterm week, my friend and I took a trip to the national zoo in Washington. As a free zoo, there is no shortage of visitors. I was attracted by the poster at the door at the entrance: It’s made up of colored squares, and the animals are displayed in their very cute cartoon forms.