Christmas (and my birthday) are around the corner and I’m reminded of it every living breathing minute as a mall girl. Yes, I’ve taken up retail now. What can I say? I’m just a sucker for corporate holidays that I don’t even celebrate. Personalizing gifts for individuals is something really important to me and watching…
Category: Ideas
Privilege Check: Let’s Stop Saying “Anyone” Can Travel
I often ask myself what it is about travel I love so much. Initially, I thought it was all the new places and experiences. Though this is true, there’s more to it. I’ve only recently put the pieces together. The real reason I love to travel so much is because I get to indulge in…
Everything You Need to Know Before Teaching English Abroad
I’m sure many of us have thought of doing this at some point. Especially when we’re broke and desperate to travel fresh out of our undergrad with little to no experience in teaching whatsoever. If you end up finding the right opportunity, take these tips with you. You are not a real English teacher so…
I Graduated From My University, Not My Program
This week, I graduated from my undergrad in Media Production. Like a lot of immigrant families with dreams for their children to be doctors, lawyers, and engineers, my parents still ask me what my major is because it falls in none of the above. And at this point, I can’t even answer. Stepping into my…
Change is not good or bad, it’s simply needed
Lately, I’ve been struggling intensively with attempts to close several chapters in my life. It all feels a lot like a book you’re so physically invested in that you don’t want to turn the last page in fear of an unexpected ending. The brink of graduation has been the same. I can see it on…
Digital Death
Originally posted on RUSL There is a new side to death: digital death. Our inactive accounts have become carcasses of ourselves. “Pics or it didn’t happen” is a real cultural phenomenon attesting to the legitimacy of our existence. Is the award you won actually something to be proud of if no one “likes” your accomplishment?…
The Best (Job) I’ve Ever Had
Now that you’ve acknowledged my Drake pun, let’s move on. With McDonald’s as my first job, I looked at the customer service industry with pity and a promise to never go back. But this summer changed everything. I cannot be more grateful for the experiences I’ve had and the people I’ve met through my summer…
Dating Your City: A New Version of Urban Medicine
In the phases I’m not traveling, I feel as if each new day competes with the last to further grow an uneasy feeling of routine on my skin. For a Sagittarius, the idea of a routine is synonymous with Toronto’s version of the Scarborough RT: gross. Judging by the amount of content produced and relationships…
Aeroplane Mode on a Subway: Finding Your Personal Space
Calling myself a writer at only this stage in my life seems a little narcissistic (which I definitely am), but I do like the idea of being a storyteller. With so many distractions, a word that has become instantaneously synonymous with life, it’s hard to pick out certain stories without having a time and place to…
4 Letters Away From Accomplishing Every Alphabet
I realize its extremely difficult to collect all the countries on a broke budget so I’ve settled on cities instead. My goal is to cross off every alphabet in the English language. Amsterdam, Alexandria, Atlantic City, Abu Dhabi, Ahmedabad Baghdad, Boston, Burhanpur, Baswada, Bancroft, Bizerte Cairo, Ciudad del Este, Chicago Dubai, Denmal, Dhrool, Dallas E Franca, Foz do…
RU Abroad with Zahra: Honduras Highs and Lows
Originally posted on RU Student Life Travelling is fun, but that’s not all it is or is meant to be for that matter. Fun is only the icing on the adventure. You have to get through layers of challenges and soul searching to get the gooey chocolate inside with a taste you will forever carry…
Forget Love, Fall in Coffee
There are two types of people in this world, those who spend Friday nights bar hopping to later edit vague memories, and the won’t-admit-it-hipsters who spend Fridays cafe hopping to later edit an Instagram-worthy shot. Obviously, I’m the latter, I mean have you seen my insta? It’s actually a serious problem, I’m addicted to shots….of…