Columns
A Jumbo’s Journey Abroad: Slipping through my fingers (year three)
By Ben Rachel | April 27Well, here we are once again. My final publication of the school year. Wow.
Ben Rachel
Ben Rachel is a columnist for the features section of the Daily. Ben is a junior studying economics and computer science, and can be reached at benjamin.rachel@tufts.edu.
Columns
A Jumbo’s Journey Abroad: A post, a picture, a memory
By Ben Rachel | April 22I have been on a lot of airplanes over these past few months. As someone who has a goal of traveling to as many new places as possible, flying has almost become a weekly routine. This is all very ironic considering that I despise airports and airplanes in general. Let’s just say my time studying abroad has only affirmed my dislike. F--- you, Ryanair.
Columns
A Jumbo’s Journey Abroad: My big fat Jumbo community
By Ben Rachel | April 9I’ve met so many people here in Barcelona. I’ve made friends with people as close as UMass Amherst and as far as the Netherlands. And while it is amazing to meet all of these people, I miss the people at Tufts. I miss my Jumbo community.
Columns
A Jumbo's Journey Abroad: What do you want?
By Ben Rachel | March 25A week or two ago, my host parents had a few guests over for dinner. They were family friends from Amsterdam: very interesting, opinionated and not afraid to tell a story. My host parents wanted my housemate and I there to act as jesters. We were to be the entertainment for dinner.
Columns
A Jumbo’s Journey: Sonder at 30,000 feet
By Ben Rachel | March 4Sonder: the feeling one gets upon realizing that every other individual has a life as full and real as one’s own, in which they are the central character and others have secondary or insignificant roles.
Columns
A Jumbo’s Journey Abroad: Turning around
By Ben Rachel | February 12My initial idea for this publication was going to be me complaining about the heinous weather out here in Barcelona. I’ve been here for a month now and it’s only been over 60 degrees, like, five times! It’s been getting pretty cold, with last night dropping to the high 40s. I’m not sure what it’s like back at Tufts, but I bet it’s better than here!
Columns
A Jumbo’s Journey Abroad: Hungry, tired, hungover, saying yes
By Ben Rachel | January 28For those who are wondering if I’m still alive, I can confidently say I think I am. I’m going on my third full week in Barcelona, and my stats have been pretty crazy: 10 nights out past 3 a.m., 50 bocadillos, 100 cafés sin leche, 574 Google Maps searches and one Instagram post (on my spam, because I’m still thinking up a caption for my real account).
Columns
A Jumbo's Journey Abroad: What the f$#% is a kilometer?!?!
By Ben Rachel | January 16Cakes and candles to 2026! Wow, just like that we are staring at another clean slate. A whole new year full of memories, stories and experiences waiting for us.
Columns
A Jumbo's Journey: All is calm, all Is bright
By Ben Rachel | December 8Well, we are here: dreaded finals. It feels like yesterday we were in the midst of midterm season!
Columns
A Jumbo’s Journey: All of this, and here we are
By Ben Rachel | November 13If you have been keeping up to date with my column publications, you would know (based on my last column) that I was recently in the trenches and in the midst of midterms. As of this past Wednesday, I finished all my midterms for the fall 2025 season — just in time for finals!
More articles »
Trending
The Print Edition
