I figured I’d devote this next blog to food. Just kidding (not really).
Something I hadn’t given a lot of thought to before landing overseas is eating healthy meals everyday. I was never a huge cook back in the U.S. but living abroad has taught me that more often than not cooking is your best option for nourishment. Eating out can get old (especially when you don’t have the funds to pay for UberEats everyday). Luckily if you’re already an avid cook, this is the lifestyle for you. The first month I often found myself looking up cooking recipes, videos, and so on. Also, the cooking space is limited in my apartment so lavish, three-course meals aren’t really an option. So typically I go grocery shopping every one to two weeks and plan out what foods I need, what I plan to cook throughout the week, and so on. My usual meal is some variation of pasta. It’s hard to go wrong with pasta. Definitely a bit of a challenge, but I guess adults do this ‘meal-prepping’ thing all the time.
When I’m traveling around Europe I take a break from the stove and stuff my face with some quality, well-cooked restaurant food. I’m sort of a picky-eater, but prefer to stumble upon a good place to eat than to yelp around for five-star restaurants. Sometimes you end up eating an unfulfilling meal and other times you take a little nap after testing your stomach’s limits with a giant plate of pasta.Then after you finish that meal, you wake up and unapologetically go for round two with a cone of Italian gelato. To be honest, I’ve probably consumed more gelato in the past month than I have in my entire life, and yes it was well worth the bloating.
Okay so when I’m not taking part in one of my favorite past times: eating, I do other activities. I feel like now is a good time to mention working out. While living abroad it can be hard to get into a work-out routine, or find a gym for that matter. I suggest finding a nice path to have a run outside (if the weather allows it) or doing at home exercises a few times a week. I’ve found that I’m not always as active as I am back home, so I have to force myself to get up and get my body moving. I also find myself a bit out of touch with what’s going on back home at times. It can be helpful to check up on some current events going on, just so you’re not out of the loop. With the remainder of my free time I usually pick up my laptop and start mapping out my next travel destination.
