Category Archives: KS-K3

Things I learned studying (&living) abroad in England… My last post

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Bailey’s Café and Tearooms, located on 7 Museum St across the street from the library. Credit: from the café’s Facebook page.
The place is neat and cozy with lots of natural light coming from the big windows, and the food is delicious. Their Cream Tea is my favourite.

I promised in my first post that I’d give you an update on the café that was recommended to us by the Student Union upon arrival, and let me say it is wonderful! I’m passing that recommendation along because it ended up being the place I went to more than any other place beside university. I’d be there multiple times a week and took friends and family for a break as I was showing them around York. Ok, back to the article.

It is few days until Christmas in a long year of mostly staying where we are. I see the irony of posting about boarding an airplane and going abroad in the middle of a pandemic. But, don’t you think that is exactly why it is good to talk about it? To hope for an open world again, to be able to move freely, or at the very least, escape a little, and talk some clichés.

“Learn a new language! Improve your job opportunity! See the world!”… etc. If you were to ask for a good reason to move abroad for few months, there’s a good chance that one of these answers above would make an appearance. While all these reasons are plausible in the general sense, I always felt that there was something missing, and I think it’s because the real benefits are in the little things that change slowly, but steadily. From my experience, an opportunity to go on exchange should not be missed for these reasons:

■ People are equal… but different.

It could be that I was part of the English program —which many international students pick— and went to England —a distinctly diverse country— for my exchange semester, but encountering people with varied backgrounds has been one of my favorite things about my experience. I’d classify myself as an introvert, so by no means did meeting different people mean lots of high-energy activities. Instead, I loved the quiet conversations, exchanging stories about where we grew up and what we used to do in our free time.

The Student Union’s café became part of a routine. Every week, Monday 5-7 pm was always reserved for activities and meeting friends I did not share classes with, and getting to know new people.

While underneath everything we all share an undeniable humanity, getting to know how the differences between mine, my friends’ and acquaintances’ circumstances have shaped a unique journey for each of us is nothing short of refreshing. It was like new life perspectives just few conversations away. The weekly meetings we used to have at the Student Union’s café were especially great, and something I looked forward to every week, because the chance to sit with new people and get to know them is something we can’t just order online or routinely have in the background. It always felt fresh, and that made the hard parts of moving, such as missing family or feeling homesick and far away, feel easier.

Of course, we can’t overlook the hassle of moving countries, which turned out to be even bigger and messier than I thought it was going to be. Documents to print, fill & send, visas, lots of back and forth emails, etc. It gets hectic, but despite it all, I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat, and I hope you do too, because you come alive seeing the world with a fresh eye when you meet someone who’s different from who you know back home.

■ The added responsibility of living alone is not that bad

I found the new routine of having to do everything myself to be freeing, since it allowed me to make my own schedule and fill it according to how I wanted, instead of being a burden. That part of being independent is probably what surprised me the most, since I thought it needs adapting, but found it so automatic. Of course, if you already live on your own in Sweden then you’re familiar with the situation, but if you’re not, don’t worry. You may find it to be the least of your worries. It really is true that what you may think is the problem turns out to be trouble-free, and what you thought is easy ends up being complicated (like getting the paper work done).

■ The benefit on your CV from having an international experience will show on your face first.

When you come back, it’s true that having been abroad benefits your job opportunity, but why skip ahead. Have you ever been next to someone who has just come back from a trip or travels a lot? Then this situation will sound familiar. They start talking about it and couldn’t stop. From the journey to the airport until they came back. The flight, the hotel, the food, the buildings, not sparing a detail. And you wouldn’t want them to, because you see their faces light up with excitement as they speak that they just take their phones out to show you the pictures and videos they took.

That’s what you get living abroad. Except it’ll be more than just few hours worth of conversation. You’ll remember things at random and text your best friend about them immediately, and other things that will stay with you when you come back. I remember I took a spontaneous, day long, why-not roadtrip to Yorkshire Dales with my cousin when she came to visit once, and to this day it’s one of the best days I had that I speak of often. We were a small group and had a great driver who told us fun information about the places along the way and took us to the best places that he knew from experience. Also, I tried Yorkshire Tea for the first time in a little café in York and now that I’m back home I get mine from The English Shop in Malmö because I don’t drink any other type anymore (don’t laugh). It may sound like these little nuggets are trivial, but I’d argue that they are memories in the making, and in today’s world, these seem to be worth increasingly more. Don’t miss out on them while you can.

Little dinky cafés such as this are the most unique thing; every place has its own design.
This was in a little village we stopped at during the road trip.

■ The journey will end, likely faster than you think.

The way I know this is both funny and heartwarming. It was during an afternoon lecture of one of my favourite courses that I studied. We were working individually like we had gotten used to for the previous few months, when the teacher suddenly said “Ok everybody, thank you for these past few months. I wish you the best in the future. Finish your work and pack up because, as you know, today is our last lecture”; I was so taken aback that I thought he was either joking, or speaking metaphorically, that we wouldn’t have more lectures but would surely still come to class for, I don’t know, practice or a seminar? Nope. Last class; finito. I felt like time was stolen from me, and then had a laugh that I actually wanted the course to go on for much longer, which is a weird feeling if you’re a student —a creature who never wants classes to go on for long—. I realised at that moment that I had been so present I lost track of time, and that York’s journey has ended. Bittersweetly.

Just like this one. We’ve come to the end. This is my last post and it’s been a wonderful journey being an editor on the site. I learned a lot while trying to put this adventure in writing, and I hope that the pieces entertain you and help you make an informed decision about going abroad. Say yes, take risks and live your best life. Good luck! 🙂

Mafaz

x

The Shambles

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Let’s be honest: no one likes to read about boring history, but this street is one you’ll want to know the story of (and maybe potentially visit? 😉 ).

I should preface by saying that it’s been a long time since my last post. I came back to Sweden at the end of Summer and thought I’d do one last post about the city. My time in York is officially over, and it has been one of the greatest experiences I’ve had; one I will look back on with a big smile. So, I thought a great way to end my documentation of the trip is a post about a quintessential York attraction; The Shambles street.

The street is rarely this empty, so I felt really lucky to be able to catch this picture one early morning. 🙂

The Shambles is an old street that used to house butchers’ shops. It’s all in the title, as Shambles is actually an Old English word that meant “a place for slaughtering animals”. Resembling a meat market, the street was the location in which animals were slaughtered and made ready for sale. Cut to now, and the street does not even have one butcher’s shop, but has instead become a tourist attraction that is almost never empty. What’s more, if you’re a Harry Potter fan, you might recognise it because it’s the inspiration behind the great Diagon Alley! How fun?! 🙂

The street is divided into 2 parts. The street itself and the Shambles Market. The street is ideal both for shopping or to simply walk along it and look at the shops and the intricate little items they sell. (Being the inspiration behind Diagon Alley, there are 5 Harry Potter-themed shops in this little street alone, and that’s if I haven’t forgotten one!)

I was very lucky in that I passed The Shambles every day on my way to uni, so I grew a connection to it. Early morning class and I’m barely awake? I passed it. Afternoon class where tourists filled the shops? I passed it. Finished class at 5 pm and it’s pitch black and cold in the Winter? check. So many memories, and it feels great to have lived with it as part of my “normal” for few months instead of experiencing it only few times.

The Shambles Market runs parallel to the street and has everything from food stops to clothing and art stands, and even a small farmers’ market that especially sells fresh produce on Saturdays. It’s great for buying some vegetables and fruits but really more so you can feel like you live in the countryside as you fill your shopping bag with what you know is local and cannot be gotten anywhere else. 🙂

A little farther down the road there are two shops that caught my heart; Hebden Tea shop and Minster Gate Book Shop. Hebden Tea has few more shops in the city and aside from having a wide variety of teas to choose from, they always have some brewed tea to try while you pass. I don’t think I’ve ever passed without trying what they have. Especially good on a cold day. 🙂

The Minster Gate Book Shop has the coziest feeling a shop can have. It’s small and radiates warmness, and although the books are organized in broad categories, they are for the most part placed randomly, so you discover as you go. It brings back the feeling of being “lost” in literature, and spending a long time flicking through different books, many of which you haven’t seen or heard of before. There are books on the shelf, on the floor and along the steps as you climb up the stairs. If York has the feeling of going back in time then this shop best expresses that feeling.

There are more shops that can be mentioned (the vintage jewelry shops along the street, the sweets shop making great-smelling fudge every morning, or the little shops selling tweed scarves and hats to make you feel like Sherlock), but we’ll be here all night, and I wouldn’t wanna tell everything, since words can only match the experience so much 🙂 So I’ll wrap by saying the cold of Winter was balanced by the warmth and beauty felt as you walk in The Shambles with a cup of hot chocolate, or if it’s Summer and too hot, then the ice cream from The Market will make it a worthwhile trip still. All in all, to say it’s a must-visit is an understatement.

Mafaz

x

Whitby

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Hello, everyone! Today’s post is about another Student Union-organized trip we took last month, to the city called Whitby. It is to the North East of York and famous for being the inspiration for Dracula, after Irish author Bram Stoker lived there and was taken by the Gothic feel of buildings such as Whitby Abbey.

That’s where we started our trip. The bus parked up high and we had a walk down, about 30 or 45 minutes, to get to the city centre, which was great because it meant we could look at the city and take in the views.

Collective picture taking of the view.

The view being pictured collectively. 🙂

When we got to City Centre we walked around as a group for a while then took a boat trip together, followed by a good 3 hours to our own before we needed to head back to York. Some friends and I decided on fish and chips for lunch (I mean you gotta, right?!) and The Magpie Café is what we were recommended. I’m passing that recommendation forward because it was great!

After lunch we found a beach and hung around there for the whole two and half hours we had. Not much was done, but the good soul cleansing earned as a result was well worth it.:) 

And that’s it! we headed back to York in a bus full of knocked-out people who were too tired to even chat to one another on the bus. a day well spent!

Thank you, Whitby! You are beautiful.

Mafaz

x

Liverpool

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Our trip to Liverpool was on Feb 2nd. It snowed the day before in York and the remnants made for a beautiful journey on the bus. We gathered at Uni at 8.00 am and it took us around two and half hours to get to Liverpool.

Our first stop was the beautiful Liverpool Cathedral..

Such a stunning building. Spacious with great attention to detail, beautiful stained glass and a very peaceful atmosphere inside.

Next we had about 2 hours for ourselves which some of us took to walk around a little and have lunch. We had cheeseburgers and enjoyed some Chinese New Year celebrations on the street afterwards.

After that we were on to the main event; The Beatles museum (any Beatles fans?) :

Aptly called The Beatles Story, it’s designed in a great storytelling-as-you-walk way where we got headphones and mini devices (remember walkie talkies? They resemble them a little. Nostalgia: check.) and got to hear different little clips with every room we went into.

This is how the studio looked when the members would record an album. It’s amazing how such a small space can produce great works of art which topped charts for months!

This is the stage in the cafe the band played in for the last time before they exploded into a worldwide phenomena; the picture above to the right is how the tickets looked like. It immediately makes you think of the memories the people who attended it must have..

THE yellow submarine, guys! 🙂

John Lennon’s “White Room” where he wrote few songs. Gorgeous crisp white!

And that was it! A short but sweet trip. My friend and I took some time between events to rush and see the Titanic memorial and the Yoko Ono section in Liverpool’s museum, but by that point it was so cold my phone died. iPhones! Haha.. I managed to switch it back on in the bus just in time to get this picture on the way back to York 🙂

The tour guides were amazing and we wouldn’t have been able to organize such a trip without them; I feel grateful that the experience so far has been nothing short of great.

Mafaz x

Student Union activities

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For the past month or so now, the Student Union here at York St John has been taking care of us in the best way possible. Mingling events, quizzes, food hospitality, trips to other parts of England, you name it. I’ll put some of the events here that took place over the past few weeks. I love going to the Student Union café because it’s always fun.

To start with, we had a welcome party for all the international students at the end of Introduction week. We had dinner together and got to know each other more.

There are students from so many countries in the world; it’s amazing. We played Bingo and the mission was to find people in the room who fit the descriptions we had on our papers, and we couldn’t repeat a name twice. Really got us to chat to each other and break the ice!

During the night we also pinned our names to where we came from, on a world map. Hello, Sweden! 🙂

Then we were quizzed on everything British, with a  pretty good prize; tickets to a trip to Liverpool the Student Union was arranging. With the efforts of my teammates, we won. Yay! (post about the trip here).

On  feb 4th we celebrated Chinese new year with a quiz about Chinese traditions and a lantern-making activity. Safe to say it wasn’t easy for me, but the thrill of doing something new that introduces you to a new culture made it very entertaining.

I had to leave early so I didn’t get to finish my lantern, but wish I had.

Then just couple of days ago we had a Viking event because it is Viking week at the time of me writing this. We had pizza (doesn’t fit the theme but I think the Vikings missed out) then watched a video about Ragnarok, the ancient Norse apocalypse. (for more info of it you can watch the documentary Thor: Ragnarok by Marvel Studios. Not too dissimilar. 😉 ).

Then we got to make our own Viking shields; we felt like small kids painting again and it kept us very present, painting and chatting. York was populated by the Vikings around 1400 and the city still carries traces of that time to this day, so it was very fitting to celebrate this week.

Next up, Liverpool!

Mafaz x

Hello from York!

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Hello, everyone!

Welcome to my first post. My name is Mafaz; I study English Studies at Malmö University and as I write this I am currently in York, England for the first semester of my two semesters with elective courses. Has anyone been to York before? The university I’m in is called York St John’s University or, as it’s been dubbed, Hogwarts. 🙂

On the first day I got to meet new friends from many countries who were also here for the semester, and we had a mini tour of our own around campus. The university is big! And really beautiful. These are some pictures that I took.

This one is from one of the accommodation buildings; how nice is the greenery?

Some of us had been to York before but others not. I had absolutely no expectations; I hadn’t heard much about the city, which actually worked in my favor because I felt very present when I arrived. I was seeing something completely new. The first week was all about helping us get settled. We had a 2-hour walking tour around town by the Student Union’s staff, where we got to know the city and write down some tips for places to check out and eat at. Walking around the city made me feel like I was transferred back to the 1400s, very unique.

Apparently this place has one of the best afternoon tea options; I have it on my list of places to visit; I’ll let you know how it goes!

This picture is one of my personal favourite places in the city, The Shambles street. It deserves a dedicated post, but see that “shop that must not be named” logo? The street is the inspiration behind the famous Diagon Alley in Harry Potter. Actually this little street alone has around 4 Harry Potter-themed shops. Pretty cool. 🙂

This is where you can start a city-walls walk, we simply passed by it but definitely one to check out, maybe around Spring when the weather is slightly gentler!

The tour ended near the York Minster, one of the most beautiful buildings in the city (and there are a lot).

The details are mesmerizing!

After that we went home and got ready for another day. The Student Union team hosts many events and consists of a bunch of lovely people. The next post will be about some of those events they organised for us as newbies 🙂 Have a lovely time until then!

Mafaz x

INU Summer School – Hiroshima 2018

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Cecilia, Yara, Greta and Eman

29th of July 4 amazing girls, Cecilia, Yara, Greta and Eman, packed their backpacks and started their adventurous trip to Japan. This experience has been very enlightening, the lessons you are about to learn will stay with you for the rest of your life!

To start with, the espresso house in the center of Malmo became our meeting point where we first hugged each other and started to plan the trip. There was no doubt that we were very excited to be chosen for this amazing opportunity, but we also had many practicalities to deal with such as flight tickets, accommodation, the amount of cash, clothing etc.  


Eman, Greta and Yara outside an arcade in Tokyo

We were very lucky to be covered with travel insurance by the Malmö University. However, the insurance covered only our stay in Hiroshima, where the summer school is held. The rest of the time that we were traveling, we had to provide our own insurance.

Even though the Summer school in Hiroshima is an amazing experience in itself, we highly recommend that students experience more of Japan on their own. Since the programme of the summer school is so tight it is not possible to experience other cities in Japan during this time. Therefore, traveling around in Japan either before or after the summer school in Hiroshima gives one a great opportunity to experience other cities in Japan. We started off our adventure by traveling to the beautiful city Tokyo, which is a must if you want to get a proper Japan experience. Both Greta and Cecilia also travelled after the summer school and visited Kyoto where shrines and temples are everywhere to be found.


The four of us having sushi at the Tsukijis fish market. A must if you enjoy a really good sushi!

To travel to Tokyo was extremely easy. The metro system is very well organized. For example, each station name was written in Japanese and under it, an English version was always provided. In most of the stations, we could easily find an information center where people spoke good English. Plus they always provided us with English maps and good directions, sometimes even an advice of where to eat or see. Besides it, the possibility to connect to the free wifi is amazing in Japan. Many places have free wifi and some spots in the streets have access to the internet. At the same time, the Japanese are extremely friendly people and they always helped to find our ways. To be honest, younger people spoke better English and they were a bit more open to stop and talk with us. However, we also had many situations where body language became our tool to communicate with locals.


You haven’t experienced Tokyo unless you’ve done karaoke in costumes

The Summer school in Hiroshima consists of a busy schedule where you get to learn and have fun at the same time. First two days we got to spend it with our country groups, the groups that we had been assigned to represent the countries in the upcoming role play. In these groups, we were a mix of Japanese and international students. We got to know each other and do many fun activities such as visiting the breathtaking Island of Miyajima.
The following day was more emotional because it’s the day where we get to attend the peace memorial ceremony and to remember the time of the Hiroshima bombing that happened on the 6th of August. The ceremony was accompanied with a tour of Hiroshima’s museum, and even the pleasure of listening to an atomic bomb survivor. Rest of our days were spent in Hiroshima university filled with workshops and seminars where we got to experience how the United Nations work and how it’s like to be a part of the General Assembly. Our advice is to enjoy your time, the seminars are important but try to find time to have fun and go out with your newly found friends.


Hiroshima


All the participants at INU summer school with the amazing Ms. Keiko Ogura

Working and eating with our country groups!


In preparation for the UN role play, meetings were held to make allies and secret plans

It is quite important to know that Japan, especially Tokyo is a place with a high amount of tourist and therefore it is important to book the place to stay in ahead. Hostels are a great way of saving money and meeting locals. Furthermore, the hostel that we stayed in had a high standard (assuming that it is this way in all of Tokyo/Japan) Also, during the summer Japan is extremely hot and humid meaning that thin layers of cloth, a hat or ever and sunscreen are recommended. Since it is so hot outside there is always air condition inside and a light jacket is a great idea.


Last photo of all participants at 2018 INU summer school in Hiroshima

To be part of the summer school in Hiroshima was an experience you get once in a lifetime, The people you meet and the things you get to experience will change your view on the world. We are forever thankful for Malmö University for giving us the chance to be a part of this great adventure.

Thanks for reading and taking part in our journey!
Eman, Greta, Yara and Cecilia

The big city life, exploring caves, discussing politics and more – live from JMU

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Soon my last week at James Madison University begins. It will be tough to say goodbye to all the friendly people I’ve met here and lived so close to. But before we go our separate ways, we have one more week of projects, lectures and excursions left.

Last weekend was a fun one, when we all spent two days in Washington D.C. We had a guided tour around the big monuments in the National Mall and then visited museums around the area. Most museums in central D.C. are free to enter, so you can bounce around quickly from one to the other. I can’t put into words how much fun it is to have so many great museums lined up one after the other! Later in the night, I met an old friend who lives just outside the city, and we biked around and saw the monuments again but this time lit up against the night sky.

My favorite monument was without a doubt the Vietnam veterans memorial. When you approach, it looks like just a large black stone sculpture. When you start to get closer, you see the thousands of names engraved into the wall showing the American casualties. The memorial was designed by a young college student, and I think the concept it interesting. Instead of listing the names in alphabetical order, they are written according to the date the soldiers were killed or reported missing. It makes for more of a narrative display, compared to what would have looked like a phone book of dead soldiers if the names were shown alphabetically.

Later in the week we visited the amazing Shenandoah Caverns. They were very beautiful! The strange shapes created by minerals traveling with water has been featured in the National Geographic, and it’s not hard to see why. See for yourself in the pictures below!

We were invited to a panel discussion where four people born in the US answered questions about North American life, culture and politics from their personal perspective. It was interesting to hear their different points of view. Something that really got me thinking was when one of the participants said that “local-level politics are where the real meaningful decisions are made”, which should be a reason for people to get involved in what’s happening in their local communities. A problem in the US today is that fewer people go to vote, and focus on the local level seemed to me like a good attitude to have when fighting that problem.

As I’m writing this we have just come back from a very rainy trip to King’s Dominion, a big amusement park about two hours away from the university. It was without a doubt the wildest rides I’ve ever been on. Now it’s time to relax and have a warming cup of mate!

Thanks for reading.

Jakob

Playing with children, camping and studying – first week at JMU

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I have now spent just over a week at the James Madison University here in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It has been some very busy days, and I have been sleeping like a baby every night. In this post I will mention a few moments that have stuck with me!

After a few days of settling in, being toured around campus and stocking up on necessities at a huge supermarket, the group went for the first excursion: the Boys and Girls club of America. It’s a daycare for kids all ages, located in central Harrisonburg. Seeing this place compared to a daycare in Sweden was a big contrast. Instead of small groups of children, divided by age, all the kids share a big building with several classrooms, a gym and a small baseball field in the outside yard.

It was very impressive how just a few caretakers could handle almost 60 energetic children running around. However, I think it may be almost impossible to give enough individual attention to the kids. I remember having a personal relationship with teachers at my daycare as a kid, and this experience made me appreciate that more.

The next day, we packed up to go camping at the picturesque Sherando Lake. So far, this was without a doubt the highlight for me! I have always liked being close to nature and the area we stayed in was very beautiful. Our campsite was close to a few different hiking paths, a lake where other campers would fish in the early morning and not far away from another lake where we would go for a swim.

Everybody were in a constant good mood and the trip was a great way to relax. Since I arrived to the US there had been a lot of new impressions, so having some peace and quiet in a pretty forest was perfect. There were even some members of the group who had never camped before, which in a way let me experience camping for the first time again! When I asked another member of the group what his favorite thing about this camping trip was, his answer was the modern amenities that was available at the campsite, like grills for a barbecue, many water taps and even an amphitheater for outdoors movie nights.

In addition to leaving campus for different activities, we’ve had classes with the professors of the Center for Global Engagement. It has been interesting lectures, seminars and workshops on subjects such as diversity, global citizenship and leadership.

Every day we exchange enlightening stories from our respective countries of origin, and they can often be surprising – like how children in Taiwanese school will be taught positive values while in the US the norm is that school “stays out of the raising of children”.

Last but not least, I have to make a shout-out to my classmates from Argentina who always has a cup of the herbal tea mate available to keep you alert and in a good mood!

Until next time,

Jakob

Three tips for taking photos worth keeping

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In a few days, I will be traveling to Harrisonburg, USA, to attend the Cross Cultural Summer Program on Leadership and Global Engagement at James Madison University. It’s going to be a jam packed month of different activities and excursions around the university and the American capital city of Washington D.C. It will be a month with a lot of experiences to remember.

The singer and actress Rickie Lee Jones said that ”you never know when you’re making a memory”.  And while that’s true, there’s a way to get around the weak points of the human memory: cameras. They give you the ability to choose your memories, in a way. The modern digital camera can store hundreds or even thousands of snapshots on a single memory card. But if you are anything like me, there’s a lot of pictures from some vacation lying unobserved on a hard disk somewhere. These digital memories won’t do you any good like that.

I will share three things that help me to take better pictures. What someone likes in a picture is of course really subjective, and these tips are really situational, but maybe these tips will work for you like they do for me.

  1. Get close!

When you’re about to shoot some old monument, most people would probably take a step back and try to fit the whole thing in the frame. This works for many occasions, but can also lead to boring postcard-style photos. Thousands of tourists have probably already taken the exact same photo as you are lining up right now. Instead, crop your image boldly. Find the small detail that catches your eye. It might make for a unique photo and will usually not feature any other tourists in the image, which is usually a plus. This tip works really well for photographing people too. Getting up close usually leads to more personal, fun and playful pictures.

  1. Be quick!

Keep your camera close, and draw it quick. For digital cameras, don’t be afraid to snap a few quick shots in a row to capture something happening in the moment. While carefully composed pictures are not necessarily bad, I find that my favorite shots are the ‘in-the-moment’ pictures, often with someone who has not yet realized I am taking their photo. It’s better to ask for permission after rather than before shooting the picture. And don’t skip cleaning up your camera reel by the end of the day, it’s the best time to edit out the boring pictures.

  1. Tell a story.

Humans love narratives. If you are ever going to show your vacation shots to a friend or relative, make it into a journey that is worth listening to. Landscape pictures are pretty hard to make very interesting, but can work as an establishing shot for the location that you arrived to. Then, follows a portrait of a local that gave you directions. Maybe you can get a picture that says something about the personality of your traveling buddies. Thinking about what a picture is saying can be a great way to make the images come to life, and help you remember all the things that you were thinking about when you were taking them.