Author

Alex

Finding My Freelance Writing Niche…Sorta

There’s a LOT of freelance writing advice out there, especially about finding your freelance writing niche. Trust me, I’ve been reading up constantly.

You’d think that’d be a good thing right? An endless wealth of knowledge at your disposal giving you step-by-step advice on how to start a flourishing career as a freelance writer. I mean, it would be a lie to say that the knowledge people share isn’t valuable.

But here’s the catch: there’s a lot of conflicting advice. People’s journeys have been different, they began in different ways, they get paid different amounts, they write about different things, and so many other variations.

One of the biggest conflicts was whether or not to find a niche. Do you start out as a jack-of-all-trades and niche down eventually? How about you never finding a niche and writing about everything? Do you start off extremely narrowed down and expand later? Is it pronounced nih-ch or nee-sh?

You’ll hear equal amount of arguments from both sides, even down to how the word ‘niche’ is pronounced. Finding my freelance writing niche has been my biggest hump to overcome, and it still is.

Let’s explore the positives and negatives of approaching what to write about.

Jack-of-all trades

You don’t know what to write so why not write about everything?! Your interests are plentiful and your passions know no bounds, so how could you choose? Or, if you’re like me, you have no clue what you’re passionate about. You have no idea what you could spend forever writing about, so why not write about everything and possibly find it?

When I first started looking this up, this is the approach that sounded the most appealing to me. I can write about anything which means I can get paid to write about anything. If I decide I don’t like a subject I’m writing about, then there’s no harm in me never writing about it again.

But the negative of this approach is the profiting aspect. If you write about everything, you won’t become an expert in anything. Therefore, you won’t be able to market your expertise in healthcare SEO copywriting (I just made that up) because you don’t have the experience in it.

When these companies look for writers, they’re looking for experts. That doesn’t mean that you have to have been a professional in a field to be an expert. But you do need to have deep knowledge of the topic you’re writing about.

Another thing I found negative about this approach is you could burn out much quicker. If you don’t have a passion and all you’re doing it for is money, it’s going to be really hard to stay motivated to sustain this business. I definitely burn out when I start things VERY fast, so this was my biggest worry being a jack-of-all-trades.

Having A Specific Niche

So your passion is gluten-free dieting. Or maybe you were so broke in college you figured out how to save money and can tell people about it. Or you just really love weddings and you could spend all day talking about them (this is me). These are all things you can actually write about and get paid writing for them.

When finding your freelance writing niche, you want to pick something that you’re either well versed in or you’re obsessed with and don’t mind a little research. This way, when you’re looking for clients, you know EXACTLY what you’re looking for. And by writing in that subject, you can position yourself as the expert they’re looking for!

You can make your niche a little broad too. Maybe you want to write about music concerts. Or maybe you want to make it as specific as “death metal music festivals”. What matters most is you picked a category.

However, there were a couple of things that scared me about this approach. I’m not an expert in anything except for how to write, and honestly I’m not even an expert in that.

I don’t have years of expertise in anything, I’m only 22.

I’m not even sure if there’s a ton of people looking for a writer in the market I want to write for.

What if I think I’m passionate about something and I burn out anyway? What do I do if I have to change?

These are all valid and normal questions I’ve discovered. And, as I’ve mentioned in the beginning, there’s no clear answer. You just have to take the leap and figure out how things work along the way.

Picking my niche…sorta

As you can see from the title, finding my freelance writing niche was what became important to me. I’m trying to make freelance writing my job, not a side-gig or a hobby. So I want to market myself as an expert so that I can find more clients and know exactly what clients I’m looking for.

But now the issue is, what do I want to be an expert in? And I have to put an emphasis on “want to be” because I don’t have years of experience I could write about in anything. I’m good at researching and I actually enjoy it, but figuring out what I could research forever was the tricky part.

*Que dramatic slow down to a pause sound*

Now came figuring out what I even liked. It took me a while to get together what would bring me joy to write about constantly.

And then, it appeared.

Lifestyle and weddings.

Those Niches Aren’t Specific At All

That is where you are wrong! And kind of right, but wrong. I made my freelance writing niche slightly broad because I hadn’t left behind the jack-of-all-trades mentality. I could write about wedding dresses, venues, photography, advice – but it’s all under the guise of wedding. When it comes to lifestyle, I could write about dating/relationships, food, traveling, or life enhancement – and that’s all under the guise of lifestyle. I have a specific market to look for now, but they’re broad enough that I can still explore.

What will be specific is WHO I want the audience to be. I’m not cutesy, or high-brow, or overly bubbly in my writing. When I look for the businesses I want to write for, I’m looking for edgy, sassy, and fun – maybe even a little provocative. Think Cosmopolitan or A Practical Wedding. Knowing who I want to help and who I want to write for gives me motivation to pursue this business.

Freelance Writing Niche Wrap Up

My advice to you is do what you think is best for you. Someone will tell you they made a full time income because they wrote about anything and everything, so therefore they had no limits. Someone else will tell you their freelance writing niche was so specific that they already knew who they were going to write for, and that’s what’s going to make you money.

Every approach is going to make you money. Every market you can think of is looking for a writer. What will make you the most money is being persistent and intentional with what you’re doing. If you put in the work of a freelancer, you’ll get the money of a freelancer.

As I continue to update this blog, you will see me discussing more than just freelance writing, but lifestyle topics. I also have another blog in the works so that I can hone in my wedding writing, which I’m very excited about. I’m doing this as a way to not only have content for my blogs, but showcase to the businesses who read my blogs that I can write in their market. I’ll also be using this as a way to practice SEO, which is a whole other topic to talk about.

It’ll be like a more personal portfolio for me to showcase as I try to pitch to clients.

So as you’re going into your own writing journey, consider what your freelance writing niche will be or if you even want one. It’s probably the biggest obstacle people have before they take the plunge into becoming a writer. So don’t let it stop you and make a decision already.

And if you’re looking for some really good advice to start freelance writing, I’ve been obsessive over Elna Cain and Creative Revolt.

January 19, 2019

Opinion

You Need To Find Your Why

With this business in mind and my impending graduation, setting goals for myself is critical.

But as I’ve mentioned before, I’m really bad at finishing what I start. So as I’ve been obsessively researching freelancing, I’ve also been obsessively researching how to stay motivated. I’ve been practicing The Law of Attraction, saying positive affirmations out loud, and scouring through inspiring Pinterest quotes. Honestly, they’ve been kind of working! But reading Morgan Harper Nichols quotes daily, as uplifting as they are, aren’t quite enough to keep the negativity at bay.

A Stroke of Inspiration from an Impulsive Newsletter Sign Up

Enter: The Good Trade‘s daily newsletter, The Daily Good. Every morning I get sent an email that links to emotionally moving songs, podcasts, aesthetically pleasing photos, and articles from the online magazine.

The first article I read was eerily exactly what I was looking for. The writer, Emily Torres, wrote about how to set meaningful and achievable goals in 2019, and I couldn’t have clicked the link fast enough.

I was expecting a list of steps and clichés, but what her advice resonated with me. The gist of it is: the only way to have the motivation to achieve your goals is to find your why.

It’s simply asking yourself why something is your goal, instead of only asking yourself how you’re going to achieve it. Why do you need this goal? Why is it so important? If you can find something meaningful in your why, it gives you a reason to actually put forth the effort, rather than just getting it done.

Finding My Why

Let’s take my freelance writing for example.

I could say “I want to freelance write because I want to make money.”

Well, working at McDonald’s could make me money. So I have to dig deeper than that.

“I want to freelance write because I want to make enough money so that I don’t have to work for someone else.”

A little better, right? But still not deep enough to make me jump out of my chair. Freelance writing is going to take a lot of dedication and hours, so focusing purely on money won’t be enough.

Now, my why is:

“I want to freelance write so I can have money for my freedom. I’m not looking to be rich, just independent. I want to keep my septum ring, get tattoos when I want them and not have to ask if that’s socially acceptable. I crave the freedom to travel; I’ll either take my work with me or take a day off without having to ask someone. I’d be able to have a sick day without having to get it approved. I’d have the ability to take a mental health day if I need it.

I can spend time with my significant other and ultimately (far down the road) I’ll have time to spend with our kids. I can work in my PJ’s or dress up a little and sit in a coffee shop. I’ll be able to set my own hours because God knows I’m not a morning person. And I’ll finally find the time to workout….but I’ll have to find my why for that too.”

Get it? Getting to the root of my goal is what is going to motivate me. Maybe for some people money is their motivator and that’s completely understandable. But for me, it boils down to values and my disdain for being told what to do. It’s been that way since I was a little girl and I can’t see that changing any time soon.

Finding Your Why Everyday

Finding your why doesn’t have to be about big goals either, it can be little goals as well. By using this exercise I’ve realized that I subconsciously do this anyway.

Example: getting out of bed so I can go to class in the morning.

Saying “my goal is to go to class so that I don’t get penalized for missing a day” isn’t and never has been a motivator for me. I’ll find some other excuse like “oh someone will just send me the notes” or “someone will sign me in” (that’s cheating don’t do that).

So, my real motivator has to be “my goal is to go to class so that I can get a croissant from the bookstore on my way there.” Boom, motivator. It’s the little things people.

It’s Still Not Easy

Although my mindset is changing, it’s still hard to combat the negativity some days. I’m still anxious I won’t succeed. It is day two of school and I’m already tired when I get home – thus I have to force myself to write. I have to get over my anxiety-hump that’s preventing me from pitching to writing jobs. But I’ll get there. I’ll continue to state my why everyday. I truly believe by keeping this mindset and working little by little, I’ll see my goals through in 2019.

January 16, 2019

Inspirations

So Freelance Writing, What Gives?

In my last post, I briefly expressed my desire to start a freelance writing business. What inspired me to take on such an endeavor you may ask? The truth of it is, I honestly have no idea.

I was laying on my boyfriend’s parents’ couch in Iowa, wide awake at 3 a.m. Staring into the darkness, my mind just began thinking of freelance writing. I’m about to be a college-grad, and as I’m approaching the bitter end I’ve been wondering what I want to spend my 20’s, and subsequently my life, doing.

Like a quarter-life crisis if you will.

So I’m laying there thinking, freelancing? Why is this even occurring to me, why would I even want to do that? I began imagining those generic 90’s rom-coms. You know, where the protagonist is a broke freelancer that’s somehow able afford a studio in New York City. The story begins with them frantically looking for inspiration for a story and falls in ~love~ in the process (see: How To Lose a Guy In 10 Days) . And I was thinking….why would I want that?

A Discovery

But I couldn’t shake the idea. So I spent the days after forming this in my brain Googling and Pinterest-ing, and finding that freelancing is so much more. It’s not only profitable work, but reasonable profitable work. Profitable work that I could do.

Now don’t think that I think that this is going to be an easy endeavor. I don’t want you to think that either. As I delve deeper into the idea, I constantly get overwhelmed by the minutiae that’s involved in creating this little business.

I mean duh, there’s a lot of writing. That’s the point. But there’s pitching. Cold emailing. Warm emailing. Content mills or to not content mills. Job boards. Invoices. Keeping up with your own website. Contracts. Rejection. Constructive (or maybe not) criticism. Niche narrowly or be a jack-of-all-trades. Setting rates. And so much more – this paragraph on what freelancing entails could be a whole post on its own.

There’s so many different ways to freelance, thousands of niches, and millions of different ways to approach how to do it.

But that also means that there are a million different ways to be successful at it.

The Ultimate Goal

I am very much the type to start a project and never a finish. I will have this grand idea, become utterly obsessed with it, go all in for maybe a couple of weeks… and then completely lose the passion. Or the reason why I started it. Or I talk myself out of taking the risk.

So the ULTIMATE goal of this is to not let this die. Not only because I actually genuinely love writing, but because I want to prove to myself that I can actually follow through with an idea. And this one is different from the other projects I’ve pursued – there is a sense of comfort and confidence that I’ve never felt when I attempted other endeavors.

Career Goals

But that’s not all!!! Yes freelancing means writing, which is the best part, but with freelancing comes money and with money comes self sufficiency. I want to work for myself. I want to sit in my PJ’s, or go to a coffee shop, or sit somewhere aesthetically pleasing and work. I don’t want to get up before 8 a.m. (the later the better honestly), I don’t want to walk in the cold, I really don’t like being told what to do, and I have a septum ring and some tattoo ideas that I’d rather not be judged on.

I can make as much money as I please, choose who I work with, and write what I want to.

There’s pros and cons to working for yourself and I’m very aware of the cons. But as someone who adores being alone and living on her own terms, there’s not many jobs that will allow me that freedom.

So the goal here , by some point in the middle of 2019, is to make enough money to become self-sufficient. It’s lofty, especially as a full-time college student with a part time internship. But it’s doable. And I have to keep reminding myself of these goals to fuel this fire I have.

This all being said, I can’t wait to take on this adventure of freelance writing. I have a LOT to learn, a lot to prove, and a lot more to share. And hopefully I can inspire a few people to take the plunge as well.

January 12, 2019

Inspirations Opinion

New Year, Same Me, Different Ideas

It’s 2019 and I’m BACK!

… Like I am every year, promising myself at the beginning that I will “write more and create my own business”. Kind of like a New Year’s Resolution where you promise you’re going to go to the gym three times a week. You actually follow it for a month, then it wanes until you look up and it’s April and you hadn’t gone to the gym in 10 days.

That’s what I’ve treated blogging/writing/creating like. I’ll burn myself out, get lazy, lack ideas, and then say I’ll try again some other time. I’ve been putting it off because I’m only 22; I’ve felt as if I’ve had all the time in the world.

And I still do! However, I’m graduating in May with a degree in public relations and a cognate in sociology. So that means I’m in game-time mode. What do I want to do with my life? Where do I want to live? I have such a broad degree, I know I have the world at my hands when it comes to what I can do.

But here’s the thing … I don’t think I want to do public relations. As a matter of fact, I don’t think I want to work for anyone at all.

*GASP*

That’s right, four years and thousands of dollars later, I’m pretty sure the degree I have, although extremely beneficial, isn’t what I want to do. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s a journalism degree, which is exactly the field I wanted to be in. I grew up with visions of broadcast journalism and writing for cutting-edge editorials, but the in-state tuition public relations offered was calling my name.

So, now what?

All that being said, I’m in the midst of ~finding myself~. I could bite the bullet and get a corporate PR job. Or… I could create my own space and work for myself.

At 3 a.m., asleep on the couch of my boyfriend’s parents’ house, I had an epiphany. For some reason, freelance writing popped into my mind with no prompting. For the past two weeks, I have been consumed with the possibility. I enjoy writing, I enjoy writing alone, and I enjoy making money doing things I enjoy. Sounds like a no brainer right?

So now I’ve set my goal as being a fully functioning freelance writer by the summer. A lofty goal, but from the many Pinterest stories it’s not an impossible one. And if I actually stop watching thriller Netflix shows for five minutes and sit down and create, who knows how far I’ll go.

Planning it all out

Truthfully? I have no idea what I’m doing or how to begin this. I’m one that really hates the unknown, so I spend half my days researching and the other half laying on the floor with feelings of dread dancing in my head. But with all the projects I’ve started and forgotten in my life (and there’s a lot – see Enneagram 7 personality types) I actually feel confident about this one.

This post is the beginning of me documenting my journey. Yo Soy Alexandria began as a lifestyle blog, which it will continue to be. But I will be documenting my journey into this unknown, writing about what I’m learning, and also using it to blow off the steam I know I will create as well. It will be a portfolio showcasing my samples, a place to practice my writing (and SEO) skills, and a way to market my services.

I’m excited, nervous, overwhelmed, and impatient, which are my usual day-to-day emotions. However, because of this project, these emotions are taking a new form – a motivating one. I can’t wait to see how far I can take these ideas because for once I feel confident in what I’m doing.

And if anyone has any profitable niche ideas, please. Let me know.

January 7, 2019

Inspirations

What I Really Learned

Author John Koenig created this project in 2012 called The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. It’s a collection of new words, not official Oxford Dictionary words, but words that are lacking in the English language used to describe everyday feelings.

One word that has stood out to me for years is “sonder”. The definition reads “the profound feeling of realizing that everyone, including strangers passed in the street, has a life as complex as one’s own, which they are constantly living despite one’s personal lack of awareness of it.”

As I’ve passed by people on my college campus, watched my teachers leave their classrooms, left people who I’m acquainted with but don’t know well enough to know their story, I wondered what they went home to. What their relationships were like. Their goals and aspirations. Did they ace that test, did that person they like text them back? Are they happy right now or are they hiding a darkness they feel? Tons of personal questions that I’ll never know the answers to.

I wonder about the billions of people I’ll never talk to or even see.

Traveling this past semester made these feelings even more powerful. As I sat at my window seat preparing to land in Rome, I looked down and saw a person riding on a bike on a narrow street, most likely unaware that I was above them and watching. They have a name, friends, a family, an entire life that I will know nothing about.

When I was sitting on the metro in Prague on the way to class, I saw a young woman sobbing and looking at her phone, while no one asked her what was wrong.

In Berlin I watched an old woman approach a teenager and ask for a cigarette – he gave her one, they laughed, and then they parted ways.

I watched people who spoke in languages I didn’t understand conversing with friends and strangers a like. I saw people laughing, crying, sober, drunk, on their way to work, on their way to a party, sitting by themselves, sitting with friends and significant others. All I can do is wonder how they are.

It’s a sobering feeling and a joyous one too. It’s feeling connected to everyone I pass if only for a brief moment. The human experience is a beautiful thing. I think that with the current state of the world where almost every new story is heartbreaking/fear-inducing/maddening, it’s easy to forget that. But traveling reminded me of the little day-to-day feelings of people. I hope to never forget that.

December 29, 2018

Inspirations Opinion

Berlin

I loved Berlin so much I went twice. And I’d go again and again. And if I felt the need to be an expat in a country, I’d choose this city. Is it the most beautiful city in the world? Not in the traditional sense. Berlin’s beauty comes from its vibe, history, and people.

Graffiti. It’s everywhere. The moment you step into the city center, you’re greeted with spray painted murals, nonsense, crude pictures, inspirational quotes, and whatever else you could think of tagging. It covers every building from bottom to – somehow – the top, doesn’t matter what the building is underneath whether it’s an apartment, shop, restaurant, etc.

The buildings are relatively new since the city had to be built from the ground up after World War II. A city that doesn’t shy away from its dark past, there are reminders of the war all over the city: the Berlin Wall still stands in pieces in random areas and memorials to the Jewish people are spotted all around the city (seen below – Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe)

The people are as diverse as any major American city and they dress artistically/athletically/sharply. Their tattoo, piercing, and goth culture is prevalent. And their English is just as clean as their German. Their thrift stores – even though expensive (!!!) – were filled to the brim with clothes from all over the world.

And their food culture is just as diverse as their people. I had Indian, German, Middle Eastern, vegetarian-Persian food, and I had a hamburger at a Mexican restaurant. I sat in a punk-rock themed restaurant where all the patrons and workers were covered in black clothes and tattoos. Our waitress regaled us with stories of the insane clubs Berlin has to offer while serving us burgers and piña coladas. Basically, what I’m saying is you can get whatever food experience you please.

The vein of rebellion and freedom of expression ran through the heart of the city; no one looked at anyone strangely no matter how many tattoos were on their face or how colorfully they dressed.

I felt the need to indulge in their 5:00 to 9:00 happy hours and giant thrift stores. I almost bought a camo jacket with a German flag on the sleeve, but I felt that would be unsavory in many American public spaces.

They celebrated street art with the Urban Nation Museum and an exhibit for Banksy in a mall that was solely pop-up shops.

It was the first country I visited where I actually had conversations with locals.

It was the only country I felt the most at home. I’ll be back Berlin. I’ll be back.

July 10, 2018

fashion Inspirations

Give Me More T-Shirts

Project Social T Constellation Tee – $34

Digressing from the study abroad updates, here is a little fashion inspiration I’m actively trying to incorporate into my life.

Growing up I would go out of my way to wear the flashiest, weirdest, most controversial clothing I could find. I had Jeffrey Campbell boots with silver spikes, I had tutu-like skirts, I had shiny disco pants in menthe (that I still wear) – basically anything that I could possibly break dress code in.

As I’ve gotten older, and cringed at past clothing choices, I’d like to say my taste has … refined. I still strive to be different, but college has me looking for comfort first and aesthetic later.

And it’s sad to say that at my 21 years of age I am finally allowing myself to wear t-shirts. I never owned any growing up. My mom wouldn’t allow it and I had too many pretty clothes to “just wear a t-shirt”.

And boy was she WRONG because there’s actually some really cute ones that you can throw on and look like you actually tried that day! Here are some of my favorites that I found on Urban Outfitters. Yes, they’re a liiiiittle pricey, but what else would you expect from Urban?

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July 2, 2018

Inspirations Opinion

Vienna

I don’t want each of these posts to be an essay. Not only that I don’t remember every single detail of every trip – some cities stood out to me more than others. So each post will be more picture filled and maybe an anecdote thrown in if it comes to me.

With that being said, let me start with the first city I went to – Vienna, Austria.

After being in Prague for 3 weeks attempting to learn the Czech language – which was wholly unsuccessful – a huge group of people and I traveled four hours to Vienna for the weekend.

It was a gorgeous old town with ornate buildings, amazing food, and businesses that close at early hours. Not a party city by any means.

We walked around in the cold snow dusted city and looked for attractions that everyone was willing to pay for – sadly those attractions were few and far between.

But where we did settle on seeing was more than worth it. The Albertina, a 200+ year old art museum, was my shining moment of the whole trip.

State Rooms of various colors with giant chandeliers to walk through, paintings by Picasso; Monet; and Klimt, and other famous drawings that you’re only shown in grade school art classes.

We also went into the library that inspired Beauty and the Beast and as gorgeous as it was, you’re not allowed to touch anything. Someone tell me what the point of a library is if you’re not allowed to touch anything.

This trip was my “trial-run” trip. To see if I can make trains on time, get the feel of leaving the country, experience a slightly different culture. It was a nice beginning to the adventure that was the entire semester.

June 27, 2018

Inspirations Opinion

Insert corny “Czech It Out!” quote here

Prepare yourselves, because this is a long one.

When I was telling people I had chosen Prague to study for my spring semester the response was always “Oh cool …. Where is that?” The geography nerd in me was always confused about why no one knew about this city which is the capital of the Czech Republic. But I suppose it isn’t normal to think of this until recently communist country as a destination spot. Also, a ton of older people still refer to the Czech Republic as Czechoslovakia even though that hasn’t been the country’s name since 1989. But I digress.

There are many reasons I chose to study there:

I wanted to go where I wouldn’t know anyone else in my program or in the city
I wanted the ease of country hopping
It was weirdly inexpensive to survive there and the cheapest of AIFS programs
Who goes to Prague?

So, after a fall semester of a lot of almost missed deadlines, crying, and gathering funds, I was set to go.

BUT THEN. Due to my slight error, I sent my visa application in late. I was waiting around for it to show up…. down to the very last day. Tears were shed and phone calls were made and it looked hopeless leading up to it y’all. And thanks to God and the lady at the Czech Embassy, my visa got approved the DAY I was supposed to leave on January 26th. But then FedEx messed up the delivery to my house 🙂 so I didn’t get to go on the optional excursion to London with my program. Now to be quite honest, I’m not even mad I didn’t go. I believe that London was not supposed to happen because clearly there was something there I wasn’t supposed to see – and now I have slight anxiety about London as a whole. Anyway, on January 29th I headed for Prague. And after two flight changes, 11 hours of flying to Europe, more crying from happiness and stress, and a lot of praying, I arrived on January 30th.

As soon as I arrived I hit the ground running – I figured out how to get from the airport to my dorm at Charles University to meet with my program. As much as I just love attention, I wasn’t particularly fond of receiving attention as the “late girl.” But I ran with it. Thankfully my roommate was dope, and so were all of the people that were empathetic to my stressful journey. And without missing a beat, in normal fashion, I went out that night with everyone and bonded with people instantly. God bless my social skills.

I’m not going to give you a day by day because that’s boring. But I will give a quick rundown on a few of the things that stood out to me the most:

School

I had the honor of attending Charles University, one of the oldest colleges in the world. I took Czech Language for two weeks, Urban Sociology, Landscape Sociology, and Czech History during their protests in history. Here’s what I learned academically:

Nothing.

But that’s my own fault. When you’re jetlagged basically the whole time and the school is 20 minutes away and the classes have no true format, you have a tendency to fall asleep a lot. Or maybe it was just me. I don’t know. I enjoyed getting to know the professors and roaming through the halls of the main building. But my learning came from experience, not the academics. Even the finals were easy. I took two tests where the professors gave us all the answers and I had to write 3 papers that only had to be max 2000 words. I didn’t even have to excel, I just had to pass. And I don’t even feel bad, because a girl I talked to that studied abroad before me told me “the hardest part about studying abroad is getting there.” And WOW was she right.

The People

Czech people aren’t rude, they’re just reserved. Something I had to remind myself very often when the waitress wouldn’t smile at me, no one would try to make conversation, or no one would look me in the eye. I learned that when you’re on the metro, being loud is rude and so is looking at people. God forbid if you’re a girl and you look a man in the eye; that’s considered flirting. And if you smile at him too? You’re inviting something you really don’t want.

However, once you get used to how reserved the people are and let go of perception based on negative things you’ve heard about them, you’ll learn that they’re actually nice people. You can’t judge a society that’s vastly different from yours solely because of what you’re used to, and I learned that every day. People would help me when I needed it, they’d laugh at my very poor attempts at the Czech language, and they would smile once they learned I am an American. Shoutout to that bouncer at Lucerna who bought me a mojito and asked me to teach him some English. But that probably wasn’t out of the kindness of his heart… I might have smiled at him.

Food

People tell you that Czech food is meat with potatoes and very little vegetables or fruits and you’ll drink a beer at every meal. As a matter of fact, their “vegetarian meal” is a solid block of fried cheese with tartar sauce on the side (seen above). People will tell you that all you’ll eat in the Czech Republic are meat and potatoes, and that you’ll get little if any vegetables or fruits. That’s not true in Prague, but it is true in other cities in Czech Republic. It is true that you will drink beer at every meal. I have unfortunately developed a taste for beer, and I would like to curb that craving as soon as possible.

However, I was pleasantly surprised at the vast array of international food options. As an Asian food enthusiast, I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun trying so many varieties so often in my life. I almost lived off of Vietnamese food on a regular basis because there were so many different restaurants in the city. I got to try Indian, Chinese, and Japanese foods too. But Vietnamese reigned supreme because I needed a bowl of Pho at least twice a week. And they had the tried and true American fare: pizza and burgers. If pizza was more than $2 I didn’t want it and it probably wasn’t good anyway. And burgers were good everywhere I went.

Partying

Beer gardens man. All you did is sit in a park with friends. Beers flow for $2 and hot dogs cost $1. A great concept.

We went out a lot and I spent more money than I should have. A rundown of the nightclubs and bars:

Roxy: the definition of a Euro club that only played weird techno music. The club was filled with 90% men who gave creepy vibes under strobe lights. 0/10 – I don’t recommend.
U sudu – a favorite if we wanted a chill night. Or it was where we went before going to the next club. It was in a cave, so the deeper in you went the farther underground you went. And each level had different music and different activities. A lot of international groups would come and talk or sing as loud as possible. Also, they allowed cigarettes inside (as a lot of European places did) so once you came up for air your hair and clothes would smell like smoke. A small casualty for a fun night.’
Chapeau (Chateau? who knows.) Rouge – went here my first night and fell in LOVE with
A bar with three levels: chill level, hip hop level, and then weird techno-they’re- probably-doing-something-illegal level. (I went down there once and then immediately went back up.) All the American kids were there so you weren’t getting an European experience. But at least you didn’t have to keep saying “I can’t understand you.”
Retro – Rowdy and American. That’s all I have to say.
Radost – a cool swanky club where Rihanna filmed her “Please Don’t Stop the Music” video.

Don’t worry; I didn’t just party all the time.

I saw Prague Castle, the landmark that is famously depicted in almost every picture of Prague’s skyline. I walked the old Charles Bridge and marveled at Old Town Square which is beautiful, old, expensive, and filled with annoying tourists (Technically, I was a tourist too, but I lived there so I had every right to be annoyed.) The Astronomical Clock, unfortunately, was out of service so all I ever got to see was a hologram of it, but not seeing an old clock wasn’t the most disappointing thing that could happen. The John Lennon Wall was smaller than I anticipated but still cool due to the fact that people would tag it every day, so it was constantly changing. There was a park that had several peacocks in it and no one explained to me how they got there. I even went to the opera “Don Giovanni” and I managed not to sleep through most of it. See, I immersed myself in the culture too. Of course that’s not all it, but for the sake of keeping this somewhat condensed those were the activities I enjoyed most.

It’s surreal being able to look at pictures and say: “wow I stood there.” I don’t want to be the girl that talks about studying abroad in all my conversations. But I probably will end up being just that.

June 20, 2018

Inspirations

Study Abroad Rundown

Let me start by saying this isn’t a travel blog yet. Keyword is YET because, as a broke college student, I can’t jet set and review the best Airbnbs in Dubrovnik or Bali at the moment. But maybe one day I’ll be able to be that extra.

That being said, I still want to share how my first time leaving the country went since I had such a transformative time in Prague. These posts can end up being long winded since I spent four months living in this Eastern European city and traveling, so I’ve decided to split them up in a series of topics that stood out the most to me: a Prague only post, the cities I went to, race, and what I ultimately learned from the whole experience.

You might be wondering why I didn’t document my every magical moment traversing Europe with new people while trying exotic foods and seeing landmarks that you only see on Google Images.

Well here’s the thing – I don’t function well when it’s cold. As often as I would try to capture the moments of many of the places I went to, my main focus everywhere I went in the beginning of the trip was to get from point A to point B. Living in the South my whole life left me completely unprepared to handle random snow flurries and 20 degree days for weeks on end. If I didn’t have the mind to buy a last minute winter coat (because who would need those in Atlanta or Columbia, SC?) I surely would’ve gotten hypothermia. And once it was warm I had already adapted to my Czech living so my awe and wonder had eased into comfort.

I also didn’t document everything while I was there because I had settled into the day-to-day rhythms – not everyday was magical. And truly I was at times overwhelmed to be in a country where not only did very few people speak English but the native language was difficult to learn/speak/understand. Still, I loved Prague. The city has this lost-in-time vibe with its medieval buildings. There were tons of sites to see. And I tried to see as much as I could. There were days when my friends and I strolled down random streets just to see where we would end up. But there were also days when I was just plain lazy and needed some creature comforts. So I would get some Pho from the Vietnamese place around the corner from my dorm or a slice of pizza and I would sit in my room or hang with my boyfriend and watch Netflix.

All this to say, I loved every second of my trip and I don’t regret a single thing – the days I walked around for miles or the days I spent inside. I don’t regret the people I met – good or bad. I don’t regret any of the weird food I ate which forced me to get over how picky I am. And I don’t regret choosing Prague, not even slightly.

June 15, 2018