I often find that the expectations in my head, brought about by anxiety and uncertainty, are far worse than reality. This applies in both travel and other facets of life. Granted, these situations aren’t always incredibly serious to begin with. I think some of the earliest examples of this in my life, and in the…
I’ve written about the languages present in many other countries, but I thought I’d delve into the language diversity of my home country, the United States. In March of this year (2025), for the first time in its history, the US designated English as its official language. Prior to that, we had none. (I also…
If you know Dubai, it shouldn’t surprise you to hear that the UAE is a very diverse region with people from all over the world. As a tourist, you might worry about your ability to get around in the country with regards to language. Luckily, the country’s diversity comes from language just as much as…
It’s October, so there’s no better time to talk about my visit to Bran Castle, the castle that “inspired” Dracula! While it never served as the home of Vlad the Impaler— the source of the stories of vampires and possible inspiration behind Dracula— it is still a very old castle with an important history. Bran…
Nestled amongst the forests in the Bucegi Mountains of Romania is Sinaia, a town named for the large monastery it was built around. This was one of my favorite destinations in Romania, probably in part because it reminds me of my hometown. It’s deep within a forest, and the town itself is also full of…
Moldova is a small country sandwiched between southern Ukraine and eastern Romania. Known for its wine, it can be a good place to visit as a tourist, especially if you’re already visiting Romania! I visited Chișinău several months ago after spending a few weeks in Romania, and took a train back to Bucharest afterward! But…
During my time in Romania, I got to pay a visit to Bușteni! It’s not a particularly large town, but there are a few great things you can do there! One of the town’s biggest claims to fame is Cantacuzino Castle, the filming location for the Netflix show Wednesday! Since they only used the exterior…
After my recent trip to Chișinău, Moldova, my travel buddy, Billy, and I returned to Bucharest. But unlike our way in, we didn’t do it by plane. We decided to take the Prietenia (Romanian for Friendship) Train instead. It was a great experience, and one I would highly recommend. But I would also recommend you…
I don’t mention it on here much, but I’m in the process of writing fantasy books. As part of that process, I obviously have to design a setting and world for the stories to take place in. Since I’m a big language nerd, creating constructed languages (or conlangs) is an important part of that process…
Chișinau (pronounced Kee-shee-no) is the capital of Moldova, a small country situated in Eastern Europe between Ukraine and Romania known for its wine industry! I spent a day there in between my trips to Bucharest and Dubai. In spite of the short time I spent there, I really enjoyed it! Arrival in Chișinau We arrived…