Dear Family, This month, I just love people. I’ve been getting better at interacting with important people in my life in the spare moments, and I’ve noticed that they’ve also been trying a little harder to spend time with me. And it just makes me so happy. A friend from a previous semester stopped by…
Author: Sophia Willis
Sophie’s September: When She Tried on Pretty Dresses
Dear Family, It’s crazy to think that my wedding dress shopping experience was just at the beginning of September; it feels like it was ages ago now. But after my experience looking at wedding dresses in Latvia, I got together two of my best friends who were with me for that experience and had them…
Sophie’s August: When She Flew, and Flew Some More
Dear Family, It’s finally the end of the summer, and I think this has probably been the most exciting summer of my entire life. There’s probably no need to read another letter after this one, honestly. But I’d appreciate it if you did anyway. The month started off in Latvia, where I completed the last…
Sophie’s July: In Which She Eats a Lot of Borsch
Dear Family, I am pleased to present to you: an entire month in the Baltic states! Now four weeks into my study abroad program in Riga, Latvia, I feel a lot more confident speaking Russian, navigating the city, and eating tomatoes. For those who didn’t know little Sophie, that last one might not sound very…
Sophie’s June: When She Became a Fiancée
Dear Family, This has truly been one of the most exciting months of my life. If you’re friends with me on Facebook, then you probably already know the most exciting part, but I’ll get to that later to keep myself from getting turned around. The first two weeks were just work until the last day…
Sophie’s May: When She Became a (Substitute) Teacher
Dear Family, About half of this letter was written on May 30th. I hope you will forgive the fact that it is written in two parts, the first speaking as though it is still May, the other written the first few days of June. So as you begin to read the letter, do not fret;…
Sophie’s April Update: The Easter Feast, a happy birthday, and the fruitless act of quality checking
Dear Family, Firstly, I’d like to try to convey how much I love the month of April. Every time it comes around, I’m just a little happier. Maybe it’s the perfect weather, the important events, or the feeling of impending final exams (meaning impending freedom from obligation to study); I’m not sure what it is…
February and March Sophie Update: A “date”, accepting ambiguity, and Easter
Dear Family, And look at that, it’s April. Some of you may have noticed that I did not publish a letter in February. Whoops. I hope that you can forgive me. I promise nothing all that exciting happened, but several February events and random thoughts will appear in this letter, so never fear. For examples,…
Sophie January Update: Last names, Russian films, and crockpots
Dear Family, I feel that I need to begin this letter by responding to my dad’s. At the end of his last letter, he mentioned that I started dating a boy named Luke Wo. this month and that he is from Maryland. I wasn’t sure whether I would talk about my dating life beyond jokes…
Sophie’s December: Finals, a Disney Christmas, and a Happy New Year
Dear Family, The month of December snuck up on me, and then finals week quickly snuck in with it. December is such a mixed basket for college students. There are ample opportunities for free food because the campus and various organizations are in a festive mood and professors are sympathetic and extra supportive because they…