The Glossed Over Blog

It is officially the holiday season! If you are reading this on the day we posted, it is also cyber-Monday! I have seen on social media, people are sharing things that they already have and use daily to spark some ideas on Christmas lists. My friends and I have been talking about how we are getting to the age where we are asking for toasters and vacuums rather than things that we would like to have. I thought it would be nice to share things that I use that are more wants rather than needs. I have created a list on amazon of things that I already have that I would buy again (Mom, no need to use this list, read the sentence again). Here are a few items that are worth the extra shout out for college/study abroad students:

Digital Camera:

Today is the day I am sharing my secret weapon at every party or function I go to. Cam is brought with me everywhere I go. It produces the best pictures and has an app that you can get pictures off of in less than 5 minutes. It is small enough to fit in your back pocket and is super durable. Warning, I did not buy mine off of amazon… I got it off of ebay. Look at all the adventures Cam has captured!

iPad:

Going into my first year of college, I wanted an iPad but had to figure out how to adapt it to be useful for classes. After my first semester, I figured out my system. I take notes on my iPad for all of my classes and use it as an extra screen for studying. I use it to read and annotate academic books/readings. There is probably so much more that I haven’t explored. I also use it for scrolling on Pinterest and tapping into my truest iPad kid. 

Portable Charger:

This is one of my top recommendations for study abroad students! Your phone is going to be used more than ever to get around places. Depending on your phone battery, it will drain faster. Bringing a portable charger in your bag in case of emergency is so important. Unfortunately, we live in a world where all of your tickets are digitized and QR codes are everywhere you look. Also take a look at ‘Things I wish I Knew Before Studying Abroad’ if it is that time of the year for you!

Portable mirror:

In most apartments that you stay in, mirrors are scarce. In my apartment in Italy, one of the bathrooms had a window above the sink rather than a mirror. Not sure what designer thought that was a good idea, but I am so glad that I had a portable mirror with me. I would lend it to all of my roommates. I could get ready in any room, wherever I wanted to without using my phone camera. You can use it on the go and it is very compact for easy traveling. Definitely look into this!

The Game:

Shout out to my friend Emerson! She introduced me to this game a few years ago and ever since it has been brought out at any chance I can. This game is one where you work together to beat the game, but you cannot talk strategy throughout. Over the summer, I played this about 30 times and I only won about 4 of those times. My brothers never fail to try to cheat (when do they not) but it is still always a good time.

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, treat yourself this season. I hope everyone is able to get what they need during this time. As this semester is coming to an end, I wish the best of luck to all of the college students out there! Ace those tests and come home and sing Christmas carols with the family.

♡ Hattie