Life. Oh man, life.
Lately, life has been full of an overwhelming amount of ups and downs and all too many emotions that I am not nearly capable of handling without losing my mind.
Since school started, I have moved off campus for the first time, got three internships, aced a few midterms, bombed some others, drank more than I intended, gone to more events in the first few months than I did in the past three years, and have had to deal with the evolution of relationship that is to be expected with time.
Out of all of the experiences I have had lately, the most emotional has most definitely been the changing relationships. People that I never really talked to have become close friends and close friends have turned into acquaintances. The hardest thing has been watching people who you used to know like the back of your hand turn in to a complete stranger. I get that time changes things and people, but it doesn't make it any easier...
I think that I have been taking these changing friendships especially hard because it takes a lot for me to trust someone and open up to them so it hurts when I lose that person. I find it hard to believe that people care about me and my life so I only ever really open up to people when I can tell that they are actually listening and care and don't feel like I am being a burden to them.
I guess it's just extra hard to deal with life and all of the emotions that come with it when you're forced to keep everything bottled up and deal with those feelings on top of feeling like you are a burden to the people who are supposed to be helping you through the madness of life. If it were up to me, I would much rather have these people adding joy to my life rather than anxiety, but I guess you don't always get what you want...
Now, this is not to say that I don't have any friends. In fact, the negatively evolving relationships have made me that much more thankful for the good friends that I do have. Losing friends has made me realize just how important those good friends are to me. So, to those good friends I say, thank you for being my friend. Thank you for helping me deal with the melodrama that I often make out of my life.
Anyways, that's all for now. Just a few thoughts that have been keeping me up at night.
Sincerely yours,
Just Another Original
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Depression Is...
Depression hurts.
Depression is a loss of appetite.
Depression is one word answers.
Depression is a lack of motivation.
Depression is sleeping the day away.
Depression is not believing in yourself.
Depression is a loss of interest in the world.
Depression is being unable to focus on anything.
Depression is waking up without any sense of purpose.
Depression is not feeling comfortable in your own skin.
Depression is being unreasonably, irrationally irritable.
Depression is going through the motions just to pass time.
Depression is millions of thoughts racing through your mind.
Depression is a struggle.
Depression is a battle.
Depression is real.
Depression is a loss of appetite.
Depression is one word answers.
Depression is a lack of motivation.
Depression is sleeping the day away.
Depression is not believing in yourself.
Depression is a loss of interest in the world.
Depression is being unable to focus on anything.
Depression is waking up without any sense of purpose.
Depression is not feeling comfortable in your own skin.
Depression is being unreasonably, irrationally irritable.
Depression is going through the motions just to pass time.
Depression is millions of thoughts racing through your mind.
Depression is not being able to make eye contact with anyone.
Depression is counting down the minutes until the day is done.Depression is a struggle.
Depression is a battle.
Depression is real.
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Plans Unfold
Oh hey!
Today was truly a wonderful day - let me tell you why...
So for the past few months, I have been freaking out about everything - just life in general. Realizing that I will be graduating college in a year has stressed me out a bit, to say the least. Everyday I wake up wondering what exactly I am supposed to be doing with myself for the rest of my life. I am the type of person that likes to have most things planned out, so not having any post-graduation plans has brought on countless anxiety attacks. I have spent so many nights laying in bed asking God to point me in the direction of what I am supposed to do.
You would think that college might have given me some idea of what I want to do, but it has only made me more confused. I know that I do not want to be a doctor or an engineer but each day I am discovering different career paths that sound interesting. Not only have I been stressed about having no idea what I want to do, I have also been stressed about what to choose, and then not being able to do anything because of my lack of experience in whatever I decide that I want to do.
With that being said, everyone has stressed getting an internship. Now, that is much easier said than done. Not only is it extremely difficult to find someone to look past your resume and cover letter and actually give you an interview, but it is even more difficult when you don't know what you even want to apply for!
While I was in Italy, I started applying for internships. Since I have no idea what I want to do, I was applying for all sorts of internships - PR, communications, marketing, event planning, etc. However, it didn't seem to matter where I applied - no one wanted me. I thought that having work experience was good but I guess it wasn't what anyone was looking for. It didn't matter what I titled emails, said in my cover letter, or put on my resume because no one seemed to want to give me the time of day.
I was getting discouraged by the lack of responses to internship inquiries, so I committed to working as an Orientation Leader again just because I knew that it was a guaranteed job that would pay me good money. This way, at least I had something to do. When I applied, I had no other summer plans, so I figured that it was better than nothing.
Little did I know that it would get in the way of my internship search… When people would finally respond to me and ask for my availability, they did not like the fact that I would be gone for an entire month. I'm not saying that my time commitment to orientation was the only reason that I was struggling with finding an internship, but the chunk of time taken out of my summer definitely didn't help.
It was beginning to seem like I was going to have to choose: unpaid internship or paid summer job - not both. I was getting really stressed out because everyone was telling me that all employers care about is internships so that should be my top priority. However, I didn't want to back out on orientation and burn that bridge for an internship that I didn't even have. It just seemed like no matter what I did, I was not going to win. At that point, I had pretty much come to terms with the fact that God didn't think I needed an internship so I should just hold tight. His plans for my life have not led me wrong thus far so I figured I should trust him and not stress too much.
After giving it all up to God, I became much more at peace with my situation, realizing that He would take care of me. Once I accepted that, I was a lot less stressed. I kept applying for internships hoping that something would work out, but being okay if nothing did.
On a whim, I decided that wedding planning could be fun so I emailed a couple companies in Portland, explaining my time commitment issues, and asking if there was any way that I could work with them after orientation. Yesterday, within an hour of emailing one company, I got a response saying that I emailed them just in time; they were finalizing their summer interns at the end of the week. Today, I had an interview. Twenty minutes into the interview, I had an internship.
Turns out God was looking out for me the whole time - He just wanted to make me sweat a little. With His help, I am able to not only keep my job with orientation and make a little money, but I am also able to gain some experience - and a resume booster - to see if event planning is something that I might be interested in pursuing.
I have always been a firm believer that life never goes according to our plans; God always has His own ideas for how He thinks we should live. However, I have never been a fan of the whole waiting for His plans to unfold part. These past few months have just been a reminder to be patient and know that God is good. I'm just happier that now I can sleep easier knowing that He is working His magic and is looking out for me.
Here's to trusting in His process and watching our lives unfold before our eyes.
Sincerely yours,
Just Another Original
Today was truly a wonderful day - let me tell you why...
So for the past few months, I have been freaking out about everything - just life in general. Realizing that I will be graduating college in a year has stressed me out a bit, to say the least. Everyday I wake up wondering what exactly I am supposed to be doing with myself for the rest of my life. I am the type of person that likes to have most things planned out, so not having any post-graduation plans has brought on countless anxiety attacks. I have spent so many nights laying in bed asking God to point me in the direction of what I am supposed to do.
You would think that college might have given me some idea of what I want to do, but it has only made me more confused. I know that I do not want to be a doctor or an engineer but each day I am discovering different career paths that sound interesting. Not only have I been stressed about having no idea what I want to do, I have also been stressed about what to choose, and then not being able to do anything because of my lack of experience in whatever I decide that I want to do.
With that being said, everyone has stressed getting an internship. Now, that is much easier said than done. Not only is it extremely difficult to find someone to look past your resume and cover letter and actually give you an interview, but it is even more difficult when you don't know what you even want to apply for!
While I was in Italy, I started applying for internships. Since I have no idea what I want to do, I was applying for all sorts of internships - PR, communications, marketing, event planning, etc. However, it didn't seem to matter where I applied - no one wanted me. I thought that having work experience was good but I guess it wasn't what anyone was looking for. It didn't matter what I titled emails, said in my cover letter, or put on my resume because no one seemed to want to give me the time of day.
I was getting discouraged by the lack of responses to internship inquiries, so I committed to working as an Orientation Leader again just because I knew that it was a guaranteed job that would pay me good money. This way, at least I had something to do. When I applied, I had no other summer plans, so I figured that it was better than nothing.
Little did I know that it would get in the way of my internship search… When people would finally respond to me and ask for my availability, they did not like the fact that I would be gone for an entire month. I'm not saying that my time commitment to orientation was the only reason that I was struggling with finding an internship, but the chunk of time taken out of my summer definitely didn't help.
It was beginning to seem like I was going to have to choose: unpaid internship or paid summer job - not both. I was getting really stressed out because everyone was telling me that all employers care about is internships so that should be my top priority. However, I didn't want to back out on orientation and burn that bridge for an internship that I didn't even have. It just seemed like no matter what I did, I was not going to win. At that point, I had pretty much come to terms with the fact that God didn't think I needed an internship so I should just hold tight. His plans for my life have not led me wrong thus far so I figured I should trust him and not stress too much.
After giving it all up to God, I became much more at peace with my situation, realizing that He would take care of me. Once I accepted that, I was a lot less stressed. I kept applying for internships hoping that something would work out, but being okay if nothing did.
On a whim, I decided that wedding planning could be fun so I emailed a couple companies in Portland, explaining my time commitment issues, and asking if there was any way that I could work with them after orientation. Yesterday, within an hour of emailing one company, I got a response saying that I emailed them just in time; they were finalizing their summer interns at the end of the week. Today, I had an interview. Twenty minutes into the interview, I had an internship.
Turns out God was looking out for me the whole time - He just wanted to make me sweat a little. With His help, I am able to not only keep my job with orientation and make a little money, but I am also able to gain some experience - and a resume booster - to see if event planning is something that I might be interested in pursuing.
I have always been a firm believer that life never goes according to our plans; God always has His own ideas for how He thinks we should live. However, I have never been a fan of the whole waiting for His plans to unfold part. These past few months have just been a reminder to be patient and know that God is good. I'm just happier that now I can sleep easier knowing that He is working His magic and is looking out for me.
Here's to trusting in His process and watching our lives unfold before our eyes.
Sincerely yours,
Just Another Original
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
A Whirlwind of A Weekend
Hello hello!
I apologize to anyone who religiously follows this blog for the lack of recent posts. Now that I am home and don't have weekly travels to write about, I guess I've been slacking a little…
Fear not! I am about to tell you about my most recent adventure - going back to LA to visit LMU!
This whole plan started a few months ago when I asked my parents if I could go down to LMU for Pi Phi's senior farewells before graduation. They said yes, but I wanted to surprise my best friends so I told them that they said no because I had spent too much money abroad and they didn't want to have to pay for any other plane tickets. After talking with my old boss and a few other people, I finally devised a plan to get to LMU and surprise everyone.
On Wednesday afternoon, I flew from PDX to LAX and met up with my friend, Deanna. Now, to be quite honest, Deanna and I have never spent a whole lot of time together so I didn't know if there would be a lot of awkward silence but I wanted to see her so I took my chances. We ended up having so much fun together swapping stories from the past semester and shoving our faces with Mexican food. Being with her was so refreshing because she genuinely cared about me and wanted to know about my life - so different than a lot of the people that I spent time with for the past couple months.
Deanna, thank you for being you and letting me be me too. You have no idea how much I appreciate your genuine care and concern for me. I really needed some reassurance that I was worth being cared about, so thank you again.
After spending a few hours with Deanna, she dropped me off on campus where I met up with my little, Alyssa. Now, Alyssa and I have never been super good at keeping in contact - even when we are on the same campus - but she is someone who I care deeply about and always enjoy spending time with. When we saw each other, she literally attacked me with the best hug ever. Once we finally established that, yes, I was really at LMU, we went to her room and talked and talked and talked until she had to go write a paper - because, after all, it was finals week at LMU…
Alyssa, thank you for bearing with me through my horrible story-telling and making up for it with your awesome stories. Your passion and enthusiasm for life is truly contagious and I am so lucky to call you not only a friend, but also a sister - my little sister.
When Alyssa went to the library to work on her paper, I had nowhere to go (because everyone else I wanted to see either didn't know that I was there or was sick) so I just sat in her room for two hours until it was time to surprise my friends. Two hours has never gone by slower in my life! Sitting in that room waiting for the time to pass was like watching paint dry or waiting for the phone to ring - just miserable.
When the clock finally hit 10 o'clock, I went over to Rosecrans to make my appearance. They were having their end of the year party, so my boss got everyone's attention and told them that he had a surprise for everyone. I walked through the door and was immediately overwhelmed with the sound of screeching and gasps. I wasn't even in the door for 30 seconds before Karly ran over to me sobbing and attacked me into a bear hug while John just kind of looked at me with a confused look and mouthed, "wait, this isn't real, you're not here, are you?" - exactly the reactions that I was hoping for.
After the party, I hung out in Karly's room for a couple hours with residents - just like old times. It was amazing how easily things went back to the way they were before I left. We all sat around stuffing our faces with junk food, poking fun at each other, and gossiping about everything going on at LMU. While it may seem like nothing, those times hanging out with residents were some of the times where I was happiest during these past two years as an RA. Call me crazy, but I really did miss my job.
At around midnight, John was finally done with fraternity stuff so we got to catch up. We stayed up until probably 3:30ish catching up on literally everything. To be honest, John probably knows more about my life than most people do. Don't get me wrong - he still talks more than I do, but he is a good listener too. It was so relieving to be back with someone who knows all about me - the good, the bad, and the ugly - and still wants to spend time with me. I really missed being able to talk to someone about everything going through my head and not having them judge me for it.
John, thank you for the long talks and late night walks. After being the best person at keeping in touch with me while I was gone, I wasn't too worried about us drifting apart, but still, thanks for keeping me around and being my best friend.
When I finally got to bed, I literally could not sleep one, because it was hotter than hell in Karly's room but two, because I had so much adrenaline pumping through me - I was just so excited to be back and reunited with my friends! After maybe an hour or two of sleep total, I met up with Sarah for breakfast. During our two hours at the restaurant, there was never a moment of silence. We took turns eating and rambling about our lives at a mile a minute. Sarah has always been one of the people who can make me talk because I can tell that she genuinely cares about me and my well being. It was nice to catch up.
Sarah, thank you for caring. I have always looked up to you and truly appreciate you always looking out for me. You are such a wonderful friend and I honestly don't know what I am going to do without you next year to make me acknowledge my feelings and be open with people about them.
After breakfast, I met up with Brielle in the Lion's Den. Brielle has always been like a little sister to me so I wanted to make sure to take some time to check in on her while I was back. It was so good to see how she was doing and make sure she was still sane. While I was mostly there to check on her, she also did a good job on checking on me too.
Brielle, I'm not supposed to have favorites, but let's be real - you have been one of my favorites since o'session two. You have always thought that I am a lot cooler than I really am, but your admiration for me always makes me feel so loved and makes me feel like I'm doing something right - you'll never truly know how much that means to me.
I spent the rest of the day walking around campus and hanging out with random people just trying to pass the time before it was time to be reunited with my Pi Phi family. At three, I met up with Christina, Alyssa, and Rebecca for some quality family bonding. Being with them was such a joy. For the past couple years, it's just been three people in the family, but now that Rebecca is finally here, there are four of us and it just felt so complete. I am honestly so blessed to have such a wonderful group of women to call family; each of them is perfect in their own way and makes our family whole.
Rebecca, I heard a lot about you before meeting you so you had a lot of high expectations to live up to but let me just tell you that you exceeded every one of my expectations. You are such a joy to be around and make everyone feel comfortable. You are such a wonderful addition to this family and I am so excited to get to know you better and see how your time at LMU unfolds.
After our family dinner, I was finally reunited with Julie! She had been sick for the past few days so we couldn't hang out before; needless to say, I was so excited to finally get to see my best friend! To be honest, we had seen each other around campus a couple times and I was kind of bummed because things seemed off - I felt like I had been replaced. But, once we finally got the time to really hang out and reconnect, it was like nothing had changed. We sat in her house for about five hours catching up and just talking about life. I had really missed her so I was glad that things fell right back into place.
Julie, I truly don't know what I would do without you. We are always on the same page, finishing each other's sentences, and reading each others' minds. I am so thankful to have a best friend that I can not only relate to in so many ways, but look up to as well. Thank you for accepting me as I am while always encouraging me to be better. You are the best best friend that I could ever ask for.
When I finally got back to Rosecrans, Karly and I just lounged around in her room until we were tired enough to sleep. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I missed hanging out with her - talking when we feel like it and embracing the silence when we don't. I think it says a lot about a relationship if you can have silence without it being awkward.
Karly, thank you for not expecting me to talk every second but listening to me when I do. You are my partner in crime and I truly don't know what I would have done without you this year. I don't know how I have survived without you by my side until now but I'm glad that I don't have to anymore. You are such an incredible person and I am so lucky to call you my best friend.
The next day, I woke up bright and early to make my way to Disneyland with my fellow Pi Phi's! I was originally planning on going with Julie but then she told me that we were going with three other girls as well. Now, I didn't know all of the other girls super well and I have a weird thing against odd numbers (something about there always being one person being left out), so I wasn't as excited for the day as I normally would be. However, like (almost) always, I worried for no reason because the trip ended up being so fun and I actually got closer to one of the girls that I didn't know super well.
I apologize to anyone who religiously follows this blog for the lack of recent posts. Now that I am home and don't have weekly travels to write about, I guess I've been slacking a little…
Fear not! I am about to tell you about my most recent adventure - going back to LA to visit LMU!
This whole plan started a few months ago when I asked my parents if I could go down to LMU for Pi Phi's senior farewells before graduation. They said yes, but I wanted to surprise my best friends so I told them that they said no because I had spent too much money abroad and they didn't want to have to pay for any other plane tickets. After talking with my old boss and a few other people, I finally devised a plan to get to LMU and surprise everyone.
On Wednesday afternoon, I flew from PDX to LAX and met up with my friend, Deanna. Now, to be quite honest, Deanna and I have never spent a whole lot of time together so I didn't know if there would be a lot of awkward silence but I wanted to see her so I took my chances. We ended up having so much fun together swapping stories from the past semester and shoving our faces with Mexican food. Being with her was so refreshing because she genuinely cared about me and wanted to know about my life - so different than a lot of the people that I spent time with for the past couple months.
Deanna, thank you for being you and letting me be me too. You have no idea how much I appreciate your genuine care and concern for me. I really needed some reassurance that I was worth being cared about, so thank you again.
After spending a few hours with Deanna, she dropped me off on campus where I met up with my little, Alyssa. Now, Alyssa and I have never been super good at keeping in contact - even when we are on the same campus - but she is someone who I care deeply about and always enjoy spending time with. When we saw each other, she literally attacked me with the best hug ever. Once we finally established that, yes, I was really at LMU, we went to her room and talked and talked and talked until she had to go write a paper - because, after all, it was finals week at LMU…
Alyssa, thank you for bearing with me through my horrible story-telling and making up for it with your awesome stories. Your passion and enthusiasm for life is truly contagious and I am so lucky to call you not only a friend, but also a sister - my little sister.
When Alyssa went to the library to work on her paper, I had nowhere to go (because everyone else I wanted to see either didn't know that I was there or was sick) so I just sat in her room for two hours until it was time to surprise my friends. Two hours has never gone by slower in my life! Sitting in that room waiting for the time to pass was like watching paint dry or waiting for the phone to ring - just miserable.
When the clock finally hit 10 o'clock, I went over to Rosecrans to make my appearance. They were having their end of the year party, so my boss got everyone's attention and told them that he had a surprise for everyone. I walked through the door and was immediately overwhelmed with the sound of screeching and gasps. I wasn't even in the door for 30 seconds before Karly ran over to me sobbing and attacked me into a bear hug while John just kind of looked at me with a confused look and mouthed, "wait, this isn't real, you're not here, are you?" - exactly the reactions that I was hoping for.
After the party, I hung out in Karly's room for a couple hours with residents - just like old times. It was amazing how easily things went back to the way they were before I left. We all sat around stuffing our faces with junk food, poking fun at each other, and gossiping about everything going on at LMU. While it may seem like nothing, those times hanging out with residents were some of the times where I was happiest during these past two years as an RA. Call me crazy, but I really did miss my job.
At around midnight, John was finally done with fraternity stuff so we got to catch up. We stayed up until probably 3:30ish catching up on literally everything. To be honest, John probably knows more about my life than most people do. Don't get me wrong - he still talks more than I do, but he is a good listener too. It was so relieving to be back with someone who knows all about me - the good, the bad, and the ugly - and still wants to spend time with me. I really missed being able to talk to someone about everything going through my head and not having them judge me for it.
John, thank you for the long talks and late night walks. After being the best person at keeping in touch with me while I was gone, I wasn't too worried about us drifting apart, but still, thanks for keeping me around and being my best friend.
When I finally got to bed, I literally could not sleep one, because it was hotter than hell in Karly's room but two, because I had so much adrenaline pumping through me - I was just so excited to be back and reunited with my friends! After maybe an hour or two of sleep total, I met up with Sarah for breakfast. During our two hours at the restaurant, there was never a moment of silence. We took turns eating and rambling about our lives at a mile a minute. Sarah has always been one of the people who can make me talk because I can tell that she genuinely cares about me and my well being. It was nice to catch up.
Sarah, thank you for caring. I have always looked up to you and truly appreciate you always looking out for me. You are such a wonderful friend and I honestly don't know what I am going to do without you next year to make me acknowledge my feelings and be open with people about them.
After breakfast, I met up with Brielle in the Lion's Den. Brielle has always been like a little sister to me so I wanted to make sure to take some time to check in on her while I was back. It was so good to see how she was doing and make sure she was still sane. While I was mostly there to check on her, she also did a good job on checking on me too.
Brielle, I'm not supposed to have favorites, but let's be real - you have been one of my favorites since o'session two. You have always thought that I am a lot cooler than I really am, but your admiration for me always makes me feel so loved and makes me feel like I'm doing something right - you'll never truly know how much that means to me.
I spent the rest of the day walking around campus and hanging out with random people just trying to pass the time before it was time to be reunited with my Pi Phi family. At three, I met up with Christina, Alyssa, and Rebecca for some quality family bonding. Being with them was such a joy. For the past couple years, it's just been three people in the family, but now that Rebecca is finally here, there are four of us and it just felt so complete. I am honestly so blessed to have such a wonderful group of women to call family; each of them is perfect in their own way and makes our family whole.
Rebecca, I heard a lot about you before meeting you so you had a lot of high expectations to live up to but let me just tell you that you exceeded every one of my expectations. You are such a joy to be around and make everyone feel comfortable. You are such a wonderful addition to this family and I am so excited to get to know you better and see how your time at LMU unfolds.
After our family dinner, I was finally reunited with Julie! She had been sick for the past few days so we couldn't hang out before; needless to say, I was so excited to finally get to see my best friend! To be honest, we had seen each other around campus a couple times and I was kind of bummed because things seemed off - I felt like I had been replaced. But, once we finally got the time to really hang out and reconnect, it was like nothing had changed. We sat in her house for about five hours catching up and just talking about life. I had really missed her so I was glad that things fell right back into place.
Julie, I truly don't know what I would do without you. We are always on the same page, finishing each other's sentences, and reading each others' minds. I am so thankful to have a best friend that I can not only relate to in so many ways, but look up to as well. Thank you for accepting me as I am while always encouraging me to be better. You are the best best friend that I could ever ask for.
When I finally got back to Rosecrans, Karly and I just lounged around in her room until we were tired enough to sleep. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I missed hanging out with her - talking when we feel like it and embracing the silence when we don't. I think it says a lot about a relationship if you can have silence without it being awkward.
Karly, thank you for not expecting me to talk every second but listening to me when I do. You are my partner in crime and I truly don't know what I would have done without you this year. I don't know how I have survived without you by my side until now but I'm glad that I don't have to anymore. You are such an incredible person and I am so lucky to call you my best friend.
The next day, I woke up bright and early to make my way to Disneyland with my fellow Pi Phi's! I was originally planning on going with Julie but then she told me that we were going with three other girls as well. Now, I didn't know all of the other girls super well and I have a weird thing against odd numbers (something about there always being one person being left out), so I wasn't as excited for the day as I normally would be. However, like (almost) always, I worried for no reason because the trip ended up being so fun and I actually got closer to one of the girls that I didn't know super well.
Marissa, you are the coolest. I am so bummed that we haven't really hung out before Disneyland because I feel like I've been missing out on a great friend. You are such a genuine person and I can't wait to spend our last year at LMU together!
We got back from Disneyland fairly early so I finally got some time to hang out with Spencer. I was bummed because I didn't think our schedules would ever line up and I was going to have to go another four months without seeing him, so needless to say, I was okay with leaving Disneyland a bit early to see him.
Spencer, thank you for always being there for me. You always know just what to say to brighten my day. Thank you for always seeing the best in me and constantly reminding me that I am good enough. You truly are the best.
After another night of restless sleep, I spent the afternoon with a lot of lovely Pi Phi's for Senior Brunch. The whole afternoon was dedicated to saying farewell to the graduating class. It was super emotional for a variety of reasons: one, it was the last time that I may ever see some of these women ever again, two, everyone was emotional and emotions are contagious, therefore I was emotional, and three, it reminded me that next year I will be in their position - graduating and heading into the real world. It was just a lot to handle. However, it was really nice to spend time with my little family to support my big as she heads off into the big bad world.
Christina, you truly have been such a huge blessing in my life. You are the perfect big sister for me - so incredibly like me but very different at the same time. You are such a light to everyone you come into contact with and always see the good in others. I am so excited to see how the rest of your life unfolds - I will always be there right alongside you (metaphorically) every step of the way!
As the weekend came to a close, it was time to head back to the Pacific Northwest. The weekend was quite a whirlwind but I wouldn't have traded any of the chaos and craziness for the world.
To be perfectly honest, like everyone else, I like to play situations out in my head and fantasize about how great things could be - only to be disappointed when reality doesn't live up to my expectations. Needless to say, after months of going over how this weekend could go, I had pretty high expectations for my trip. However, this whole weekend - especially the reactions to my arrival - exceeded my expectations - by far. The way that people embraced me and welcomed me back with open arms made me feel so unbelievably loved. It's true that distance really does make the heart grow fonder and I know that I realized that I am quite fond of a lot of people, so it was just nice to know that people are fond of me too.
Christina, you truly have been such a huge blessing in my life. You are the perfect big sister for me - so incredibly like me but very different at the same time. You are such a light to everyone you come into contact with and always see the good in others. I am so excited to see how the rest of your life unfolds - I will always be there right alongside you (metaphorically) every step of the way!
As the weekend came to a close, it was time to head back to the Pacific Northwest. The weekend was quite a whirlwind but I wouldn't have traded any of the chaos and craziness for the world.
To be perfectly honest, like everyone else, I like to play situations out in my head and fantasize about how great things could be - only to be disappointed when reality doesn't live up to my expectations. Needless to say, after months of going over how this weekend could go, I had pretty high expectations for my trip. However, this whole weekend - especially the reactions to my arrival - exceeded my expectations - by far. The way that people embraced me and welcomed me back with open arms made me feel so unbelievably loved. It's true that distance really does make the heart grow fonder and I know that I realized that I am quite fond of a lot of people, so it was just nice to know that people are fond of me too.
Here's to good times and good people!
Sincerely yours,
Just Another Original
Monday, April 28, 2014
Lessons Learned
Hello to you and you and you and you!
I've been home for over a week now, putting this off, but I think it's time that I sit and reflect on everything that happened in the past four months.
Lesson 3: Everyone has a story to share, if only you take the time to listen.
I have always been a firm believer in that everyone has their own story to tell. I love hearing everyone's stories and learning about people's lives. Oftentimes it is easy to get caught up in our own lives that we forget that everyone else has lives of their own. However, my friend Erin reminded me that there is always time to take a moment and listen to others. Anytime we traveled together, we would make new friends with the randomest of strangers. For instance, one time in Krakow, we went to get a Kebab and ended up talking with the shop owner for at least an hour, listening to his life story. During our time with the man, it was easy to see that he was so happy that someone was interested in his life. People really like it when someone takes interest in their life and you never know what you can learn from others.
Lesson 4: People don't hate all Americans.
Before I went abroad, everyone told me to be wary because "everyone hates Americans". During my time abroad, I realized that this statement was very true but also very false - "everyone hates certain types of Americans". I had no problem getting along with locals and no one seemed to care that I was American. I was always very gracious and eager to learn about the culture of where I was. I tried as best I could to learn a few words of the language and communicate in a way that made sense in the host's culture. However, I did run into Americans that people did roll their eyes at. There are plenty of people - especially Americans - who act very entitled when they travel. They expect people to know their language and cater to their every need. Many American tourists are very rude and hostile towards other cultures and give all other Americans a bad name. As long as you go in with the right attitude, people will be kind to you.
Lesson 5: Love is universal.
I got the unique opportunity to attend an Italian elementary school musical (thanks to my roommate, Sam). While Sam and I did not understand a single thing that was going on, that didn't stop us from feeling so incredibly joyful watching these kids stumble over their lines, trip over their costumes, and forget their dance moves. However, the joy that we felt was so minuscule compared to the pride of the parents in the crowd. Just like in America, parents all had their video cameras out, recording their kids. They gave a standing ovation at the end and congratulated their stars with flowers. It was just really cool to see how even in other cultures, love, pride, and joy is very present and something that everyone can relate to.
Lesson 6: People can really make or break an experience.
This one is kind of self-explanatory. All I can really say is that you can be in the coolest place, but if you aren't with good company, it can really be a bad time. On the other hand, you can be in a really boring place, stuck in the rain, or lost on a subway but as long as you have good company, it can be a fun experience. Some of my favorite memories are the random times where nothing seemed to be going right, but I was in good company so it ended up being a wonderful adventure.
Lesson 7: Getting lost can be fun.
I've been home for over a week now, putting this off, but I think it's time that I sit and reflect on everything that happened in the past four months.
There is a quote that says, "the traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see." Now, while I did spend plenty of time as a tourist, I also spent much of my time as a traveler and this is what I "saw"...
Lesson 1: Just because someone is technically an adult, doesn't mean that they are grown up.
This may sound harsh, but some of the people that I encountered on my journey really should not have been on their own. Just because someone is 18 and a legal adult does not mean that they are capable of taking care of themselves and navigating their way around foreign countries. It's really sad how little common sense or street skills some people have…
Lesson 2: Don't always listen to others; sometimes you need to make your own opinions.
If you've kept up with my blog, you might have noticed a trend. Many of my stories started with "people told me that ___ was overrated, boring, or simply shouldn't waste my time there". However, you might have also noticed that that statement was often followed by "I'm glad that I didn't listen to them". While listening to others and taking people's advice can be a good thing, sometimes you need to make opinions for yourself. Some of my favorite memories from this whole experience were the times when I ignored the nay-sayers and decided to do something despite others' negativity. For example, if I would have listened to others, I would have never gone to Paris or Lucca - two of my favorite trips of the semester! What I'm trying to say is that everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but sometimes you need to make an opinion for yourself rather than just going with the crowd.
Lesson 1: Just because someone is technically an adult, doesn't mean that they are grown up.
This may sound harsh, but some of the people that I encountered on my journey really should not have been on their own. Just because someone is 18 and a legal adult does not mean that they are capable of taking care of themselves and navigating their way around foreign countries. It's really sad how little common sense or street skills some people have…
Lesson 2: Don't always listen to others; sometimes you need to make your own opinions.
If you've kept up with my blog, you might have noticed a trend. Many of my stories started with "people told me that ___ was overrated, boring, or simply shouldn't waste my time there". However, you might have also noticed that that statement was often followed by "I'm glad that I didn't listen to them". While listening to others and taking people's advice can be a good thing, sometimes you need to make opinions for yourself. Some of my favorite memories from this whole experience were the times when I ignored the nay-sayers and decided to do something despite others' negativity. For example, if I would have listened to others, I would have never gone to Paris or Lucca - two of my favorite trips of the semester! What I'm trying to say is that everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but sometimes you need to make an opinion for yourself rather than just going with the crowd.
I have always been a firm believer in that everyone has their own story to tell. I love hearing everyone's stories and learning about people's lives. Oftentimes it is easy to get caught up in our own lives that we forget that everyone else has lives of their own. However, my friend Erin reminded me that there is always time to take a moment and listen to others. Anytime we traveled together, we would make new friends with the randomest of strangers. For instance, one time in Krakow, we went to get a Kebab and ended up talking with the shop owner for at least an hour, listening to his life story. During our time with the man, it was easy to see that he was so happy that someone was interested in his life. People really like it when someone takes interest in their life and you never know what you can learn from others.
Lesson 4: People don't hate all Americans.
Before I went abroad, everyone told me to be wary because "everyone hates Americans". During my time abroad, I realized that this statement was very true but also very false - "everyone hates certain types of Americans". I had no problem getting along with locals and no one seemed to care that I was American. I was always very gracious and eager to learn about the culture of where I was. I tried as best I could to learn a few words of the language and communicate in a way that made sense in the host's culture. However, I did run into Americans that people did roll their eyes at. There are plenty of people - especially Americans - who act very entitled when they travel. They expect people to know their language and cater to their every need. Many American tourists are very rude and hostile towards other cultures and give all other Americans a bad name. As long as you go in with the right attitude, people will be kind to you.
Lesson 5: Love is universal.
I got the unique opportunity to attend an Italian elementary school musical (thanks to my roommate, Sam). While Sam and I did not understand a single thing that was going on, that didn't stop us from feeling so incredibly joyful watching these kids stumble over their lines, trip over their costumes, and forget their dance moves. However, the joy that we felt was so minuscule compared to the pride of the parents in the crowd. Just like in America, parents all had their video cameras out, recording their kids. They gave a standing ovation at the end and congratulated their stars with flowers. It was just really cool to see how even in other cultures, love, pride, and joy is very present and something that everyone can relate to.
Lesson 6: People can really make or break an experience.
This one is kind of self-explanatory. All I can really say is that you can be in the coolest place, but if you aren't with good company, it can really be a bad time. On the other hand, you can be in a really boring place, stuck in the rain, or lost on a subway but as long as you have good company, it can be a fun experience. Some of my favorite memories are the random times where nothing seemed to be going right, but I was in good company so it ended up being a wonderful adventure.
Lesson 7: Getting lost can be fun.
I know that this may sound weird coming from me - the girl that likes order and planning - but I've learned to really enjoy just wandering and seeing where getting lost can take you. It is really cool to just start walking without any plans or sense of where you are going and see where life leads you. By wandering around, you will often find random hidden gems that aren't necessarily tourist attractions but still pretty cool. Some great stories come from getting lost, let me tell you... If you are open to see what the world has to offer, you will encounter some pretty incredible things.
Lesson 8: Plans change. Life happens. Just go with it.
If you followed my journey, you'll know that not everything went according to plan. My first day in Italy, my luggage was lost and I ended up going to Rome without a change of clothes. My first big trip to Paris was postponed due to air traffic controller strike. The list goes on. As easy as it would have been to let all of that discourage me, I decided to just go with it and not let it get me down. In the end, life happens and all we can do is just go with it; it's really amazing how everything seems to work itself out on the end.
Moral of the story: Life happens whether you want it to or not. All we can really do is embrace the crazy twists and unexpected turns thrown our way and take what we can from each experience. Beauty and joy can be found anywhere, it's just a matter of opening up your eyes and seeing it.
And with that, this boondoggle has come to an end. If you would like to vicariously relive my experience, I have made a little video to commemorate my time abroad.
Thanks for coming along on this crazy journey with me! Stick around for more thoughts, travels, truths, and tales from the life of Just Another Orignal.
Sincerely yours,
Just Another Original
Monday, April 14, 2014
Amster-DAYUMM
Ciao ragazzi!
This weekend in Amsterdam was my last weekend getaway of the semester. Next weekend I will be making my trek back to the states after four months of gallivanting around Europe.
My first day in the city was spent wandering around the Red Light District by myself trying to find my hostel. Once I managed to find it, check in, and get settled, I decided to wander around the city considering it was still only five o'clock. This event proved to be a bit more overwhelming then I expected because of the massive hoards of tourists, bikers, and stoners stumbling around the streets. I made myself stay out until it was at least dark enough to see the city lit up by all of the different colored lights before I decided that it was acceptable to go back and get ready for bed.
Let me tell you, wandering around the Red Light District - especially at night - is quite an experience. Seeing all of the girls in the windows, the people gawking at them, and the guys going inside just makes me so sad for humanity. I am well aware that these girls' line of work makes them good money - and I also learned that it is legal - but I just think that everyone deserves to be treated better than they are treated. No one should have to degrade or demoralize themselves in that way just to get by in life. I don't know, I guess some people choose that life and are okay with it but I just can't imagine anyone being very happy with that life. Everyone deserves a better life than that.
The next day, I woke up bright and early because I had to be checked out of my hostel by nine. Before going on yet another free walking tour, I went to a little cafe to try Holland's famous Dutch pancakes. Let me tell you, those things were absolutely delicious! Dutch pancakes are kind of like crepes but they have stuff cooked into them and they are just so good! I wasn't quite ready to try the typical apple-raisin pancake so I stuck with a bacon pancake but it was still great.
Once the tour was over, I spent the afternoon wandering around the city by myself all day until I finally met up with Erin and her friend Leah that night. We spent about an hour getting settled and catching up in Leah's apartment before we headed out to a local pub for dinner. For dinner, we decided to try some more local Dutch cuisine and ordered ourselves some Bitterballen. These are kind of like hollow meatballs coated in breadcrumbs. Besides the fact that these balls were scalding hot, they were delicious! I would absolutely recommend them to anyone that went to Holland.
Our last day in Amsterdam was spent doing all of the touristy things. Part one of our day consisted of making the hour and a half trek to Keukenhof for Amsterdam's famous tulip festival. Now, usually I hate going to flower festivals and things like that, but Erin was dead set on going to this festival and I didn't want to spend another day alone so I figured I might as well go. Let me tell you, I'm glad that I did go! This place was like Disneyland but for adults. The grounds were stunning and the flowers were just so pretty that it was hard not to enjoy your time there.
After having a little picnic and wandering around the grounds for a few hours, Erin, Leah, and I were set on finding ourselves a tulip field. Don't get me wrong, the park had a ton of tulips, but they were all pruned and posed - there weren't any fields full of tulips anywhere in the park. So, we left the park, walked down the street, and stumbled upon this massive field full of all kinds of tulips. We were determined to go play in the tulips, but that proved to be more difficult than we expected… We ended up having to walk through rows of flowers, hop a fence, and jump over a little moat/stream in order to get to our flowers. Once we finally got to our red tulips, we had a blast frolicking in the flowers and just appreciating their pure beauty.
By the time we finally got our perfect picture, it was about dinner time so we decided to stop and get pancakes. The place we went claimed to have the best pancakes in Amsterdam. Now, I realize that that was probably the biggest tourist trap, but Leah (our personal Amsterdam tour guide) said they were her favorite and they were actually really good! This time, instead of getting a typical pancake, I decided to try yet another Dutch staple - poffertjes! These are little mini Dutch pancakes coated in butter and sugar. They were sooooo good. I could eat those for the rest of my life and be perfectly content.
When we were done eating, Erin and I made our way to the Anne Frank House. After waiting in line for about forty-five minutes, we finally made it inside. This was probably the coolest museum I've ever seen. We got to walk around their actual house and see where the Frank family spent years hiding. The house was empty except for mini-replicas of what the rooms would have looked like furnished and quotes by Anne decorating the walls. It was unreal to see what so many people had to deal with during the Nazi-regime. I really have no words to explain it. All I can say is that if you ever find yourself in Amsterdam, make sure that you go to the Anne Frank House - it is definitely a must see.
And with that, our time in Amsterdam was over! Overall, I loved Amsterdam as a city. Everyone says that the city has something for everyone - whether you want the pot and prostitution or simply want to explore the parks and canals - and they were right. While I wouldn't necessarily want to live there because of the excessive rain and lingering smell of weed wherever you go, it is a really cool place to visit.
Now it's back to reality! Time to study for finals and stuff my face with as much pasta, gelato, and carbs as I can before I go home!
Ciao for now!
Sincerely yours,
Just Another Original
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Perfectly Prague-matic
Hello helloooo!
This weekend was definitely one for the books. On Thursday afternoon, I made my way to Rome alone in order to catch my flight to Prague, Czech Republic. I was supposed to meet up with my friend, Erin, when we both got to Prague but life decided to throw us a curve ball. Before I even got to the Rome airport, I got a text from Erin saying that her flight was changed without her knowledge and had left four hours before she got to the airport and the next flight that she could get on wouldn't arrive in Prague until Saturday afternoon… Now, most people I know would probably have freaked out at that point and turned around and just gave up on the trip. However, for some reason, Erin's text didn't even phase me. I kept on track and made my way over to Prague by myself, ready to see what was in store for my weekend alone. Sorry Mom and Dad…
After finally making it to the hostel and getting a few hours of sleep, I woke up at eight and made my way into Old Town Square to go on a free walking tour. Now, anyone who travels by themselves knows that this is the first thing that you should do. Besides being a free way to get an idea of where you are and what all the city has to offer, these tours are also a great way to meet people without having to go up to random people in restaurants or on the streets begging them to befriend you.
Anyways, on this walking tour, I managed to make myself not one, not two, but three new friends (one being the tour guide, but hey that counts too). Turns out two of the girls who were actually staying in my room at the hostel were on the same tour so we got to hang out and get to know each other. Turns out these two Russian girls were best friends when they were younger but moved apart. They hadn't talked for ten years but met up in Prague and were just as close as they were when they were younger. They reminded me a lot of me and some of my friends. I think the best kind of friends are the ones where you don't necessarily need to talk everyday, but when you are together, it's like no time has passed.
After the tour, I parted ways with my new friends and spent the afternoon frolicking around the city on my own. My favorite thing that I saw was the Jubilee Synagogue. This synagogue was jaw-droppingly beautiful. It reminded me a lot of Disneyland's It's a Small World ride. Prague itself is a very vibrant, colorful city, but this building took that to the extreme. I honestly spent at least half an hour just standing on the sidewalk staring at the building in awe. If you ever go to Prague, this place is absolutely a must see.
Later that night, I met up with my friends from the hostel to go out to dinner for some typical Prague food. I wanted to go to a local, hole in the wall restaurant, but one of the girls that I was with was set on going to one of the restaurants that she had gotten a flyer from - aka a tourist trap. I wasn't about to argue with these people that I hardly knew, so we ended up at her restaurant against my will. When we got there, I ordered some schnitzel while everyone else got dumplings. After picking off each others' plates, we all agreed that the restaurant was no great shakes and I had to bite my tongue and hold myself back from saying, "I told you so".
After dinner, we meandered around town trying to find somewhere to get a drink and go dancing. After getting the input of some locals, we found ourselves at James Dean Bar & Club. This place was a local favorite - partially because there was no cover charge to get in but also because of its cool 60s like diner atmosphere. The drinks were a little overpriced, but it was fun dancing to the old music, while simultaneously avoiding the creepy older men preying on the young drunk girls.
The next morning, I went out with the intention of making my way to Prague Castle. However, somehow I winded up getting a little off the beaten path and ended up in the middle of some grassy hills with a beautiful view of the city. After about an hour of frolicking around the grassy fields and reflecting on the humor of my situation, I realized that I was closer to Petrin Tower than I was to the castle, so I changed my plans and made my way to the tower. I ran up the hill, climbed up the tower, and finally got to take in the view of Prague that everyone had been raving about. Seeing the whole town from that perspective was really cool and I'm glad that my path led me there.
After getting my exercise for the day, Erin and I were finally reunited! Once she landed in Prague, we had less than 36 hours to make sure that she saw everything that Prague had to offer. We spent the day running around town from the Old Town Square to the John Lennon Wall and everywhere in between. On our way across the Charles Bridge, Erin and I asked these guys to take a picture of us and we ended up befriending them. At one point in the conversation, one of the guys whips out a bag with a bottle of some type of typical Prague alcohol in it from inside his jacket and asked if we wanted some. Now, study abroad lesson number one states that you should never take alcohol from a stranger - especially in a foreign country when there is a language barrier. So, realistically, we should have said no immediately, but these guys seemed harmless and we wanted to see what Prague had to offer so we said to hell with our intuitions and took a swig. As my mom would say, yolo - right?
After about eight hours of running around like chickens with our heads cut off, Erin and I passed by a little Thai spa that was offering massages and fish pedicures for a fairly decent price. After a minute or two of deliberation, the two of us decided that we deserved to treat ourselves to something relaxing and fun. I had always wanted to try the famous fish pedicure but never found anywhere that offered the service, so that is how I ended up with my feet in a tank full of flesh eating fish. It was quite an experience - to say the least - especially considering they put me in a display case in the front of the shop where passerby's would stop and stare at me - and take pictures! - as I sat on a bench with little fish attacking my feet. I guess now I know what it's like to live in the public eye?
The next day, Erin and I hit up some of the last major tourist attractions including the Dancing Building, the National Museum, and Jubilee Synagogue before ending our trip with some typical Prague food and drink of brats and brews. Just kidding, I got a hot dog and some cider, but close enough, right? However, since Prague is accredited to inventing beer and beer is legitimately cheaper than water, I did try their Pilsner beer. Now, usually I can manage to choke down a beer, but this beer was absolutely vile. I was quite disappointed that the place that invented beer didn't have anything better to offer.
All in all, this trip was definitely one of my favorites. First of all, I learned that if I were to pick up and move to a random country, Prague would probably be that country. The vibrant colors and friendly people made it impossible not to be happy - and I mean, the sunshine helped a bit too. It would be really easy to get immersed in the culture and feel at home even in the foreign place. Maybe later in life I will end up wandering off the beaten path into Prague's beauty again…
I also learned that traveling by yourself is really something. I don't think that it is for everyone, but it is a really cool experience if you can handle it. I really liked the freedom of being able to do whatever I want at whatever pace I wanted, but it was also a bit lonely at times. There is something about being able to turn to someone and share in admiring the beauty of something or laugh through the inevitable miscommunications that come with language barriers that you just don't get when you are by yourself. I am glad that I got to experience traveling all by myself, but I think I prefer traveling with someone else better.
With that being said, I have one last trip (where I will be on my own for a few days again) before it's back to the states for me! Here's to one last adventure in Amsterdam!
Ciao for now!
Sincerely yours,
Just Another Original
This weekend was definitely one for the books. On Thursday afternoon, I made my way to Rome alone in order to catch my flight to Prague, Czech Republic. I was supposed to meet up with my friend, Erin, when we both got to Prague but life decided to throw us a curve ball. Before I even got to the Rome airport, I got a text from Erin saying that her flight was changed without her knowledge and had left four hours before she got to the airport and the next flight that she could get on wouldn't arrive in Prague until Saturday afternoon… Now, most people I know would probably have freaked out at that point and turned around and just gave up on the trip. However, for some reason, Erin's text didn't even phase me. I kept on track and made my way over to Prague by myself, ready to see what was in store for my weekend alone. Sorry Mom and Dad…
After finally making it to the hostel and getting a few hours of sleep, I woke up at eight and made my way into Old Town Square to go on a free walking tour. Now, anyone who travels by themselves knows that this is the first thing that you should do. Besides being a free way to get an idea of where you are and what all the city has to offer, these tours are also a great way to meet people without having to go up to random people in restaurants or on the streets begging them to befriend you.
Anyways, on this walking tour, I managed to make myself not one, not two, but three new friends (one being the tour guide, but hey that counts too). Turns out two of the girls who were actually staying in my room at the hostel were on the same tour so we got to hang out and get to know each other. Turns out these two Russian girls were best friends when they were younger but moved apart. They hadn't talked for ten years but met up in Prague and were just as close as they were when they were younger. They reminded me a lot of me and some of my friends. I think the best kind of friends are the ones where you don't necessarily need to talk everyday, but when you are together, it's like no time has passed.
After the tour, I parted ways with my new friends and spent the afternoon frolicking around the city on my own. My favorite thing that I saw was the Jubilee Synagogue. This synagogue was jaw-droppingly beautiful. It reminded me a lot of Disneyland's It's a Small World ride. Prague itself is a very vibrant, colorful city, but this building took that to the extreme. I honestly spent at least half an hour just standing on the sidewalk staring at the building in awe. If you ever go to Prague, this place is absolutely a must see.
Later that night, I met up with my friends from the hostel to go out to dinner for some typical Prague food. I wanted to go to a local, hole in the wall restaurant, but one of the girls that I was with was set on going to one of the restaurants that she had gotten a flyer from - aka a tourist trap. I wasn't about to argue with these people that I hardly knew, so we ended up at her restaurant against my will. When we got there, I ordered some schnitzel while everyone else got dumplings. After picking off each others' plates, we all agreed that the restaurant was no great shakes and I had to bite my tongue and hold myself back from saying, "I told you so".
After dinner, we meandered around town trying to find somewhere to get a drink and go dancing. After getting the input of some locals, we found ourselves at James Dean Bar & Club. This place was a local favorite - partially because there was no cover charge to get in but also because of its cool 60s like diner atmosphere. The drinks were a little overpriced, but it was fun dancing to the old music, while simultaneously avoiding the creepy older men preying on the young drunk girls.
The next morning, I went out with the intention of making my way to Prague Castle. However, somehow I winded up getting a little off the beaten path and ended up in the middle of some grassy hills with a beautiful view of the city. After about an hour of frolicking around the grassy fields and reflecting on the humor of my situation, I realized that I was closer to Petrin Tower than I was to the castle, so I changed my plans and made my way to the tower. I ran up the hill, climbed up the tower, and finally got to take in the view of Prague that everyone had been raving about. Seeing the whole town from that perspective was really cool and I'm glad that my path led me there.
After getting my exercise for the day, Erin and I were finally reunited! Once she landed in Prague, we had less than 36 hours to make sure that she saw everything that Prague had to offer. We spent the day running around town from the Old Town Square to the John Lennon Wall and everywhere in between. On our way across the Charles Bridge, Erin and I asked these guys to take a picture of us and we ended up befriending them. At one point in the conversation, one of the guys whips out a bag with a bottle of some type of typical Prague alcohol in it from inside his jacket and asked if we wanted some. Now, study abroad lesson number one states that you should never take alcohol from a stranger - especially in a foreign country when there is a language barrier. So, realistically, we should have said no immediately, but these guys seemed harmless and we wanted to see what Prague had to offer so we said to hell with our intuitions and took a swig. As my mom would say, yolo - right?
After about eight hours of running around like chickens with our heads cut off, Erin and I passed by a little Thai spa that was offering massages and fish pedicures for a fairly decent price. After a minute or two of deliberation, the two of us decided that we deserved to treat ourselves to something relaxing and fun. I had always wanted to try the famous fish pedicure but never found anywhere that offered the service, so that is how I ended up with my feet in a tank full of flesh eating fish. It was quite an experience - to say the least - especially considering they put me in a display case in the front of the shop where passerby's would stop and stare at me - and take pictures! - as I sat on a bench with little fish attacking my feet. I guess now I know what it's like to live in the public eye?
The next day, Erin and I hit up some of the last major tourist attractions including the Dancing Building, the National Museum, and Jubilee Synagogue before ending our trip with some typical Prague food and drink of brats and brews. Just kidding, I got a hot dog and some cider, but close enough, right? However, since Prague is accredited to inventing beer and beer is legitimately cheaper than water, I did try their Pilsner beer. Now, usually I can manage to choke down a beer, but this beer was absolutely vile. I was quite disappointed that the place that invented beer didn't have anything better to offer.
All in all, this trip was definitely one of my favorites. First of all, I learned that if I were to pick up and move to a random country, Prague would probably be that country. The vibrant colors and friendly people made it impossible not to be happy - and I mean, the sunshine helped a bit too. It would be really easy to get immersed in the culture and feel at home even in the foreign place. Maybe later in life I will end up wandering off the beaten path into Prague's beauty again…
I also learned that traveling by yourself is really something. I don't think that it is for everyone, but it is a really cool experience if you can handle it. I really liked the freedom of being able to do whatever I want at whatever pace I wanted, but it was also a bit lonely at times. There is something about being able to turn to someone and share in admiring the beauty of something or laugh through the inevitable miscommunications that come with language barriers that you just don't get when you are by yourself. I am glad that I got to experience traveling all by myself, but I think I prefer traveling with someone else better.
With that being said, I have one last trip (where I will be on my own for a few days again) before it's back to the states for me! Here's to one last adventure in Amsterdam!
Ciao for now!
Sincerely yours,
Just Another Original
Monday, March 24, 2014
They are here! He is here!
Hello hellooo!
Guess what… The fam is in the Flo! I repeat, the fam is finally in the Flo! Watch out world, the Olsons are back at it - and in a foreign country, might I add. Let chaos ensue...
Mama Carolyn, Papa Jeff, Callie, and my nana all arrived in Florence Saturday afternoon. I had their itineraries so I decided to surprise them by showing up at their apartment to greet them when they arrived. Upon our reunion, I was immediately embraced and my spirits were lifted. I don't usually get home sick, but something about this whole experience has made me miss home and my family more than I ever have, so seeing them all for the first time after three months was a dream.
However, the dream only lasted so long. After less than an hour of being together, I found myself thinking of the mantra, "can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em." I really did miss my family, but I guess I just missed the more pleasant characteristics of them; my rose colored glasses really altered my feelings and made me forget about the fact that they are indeed humans, have flaws, and really stress me out.
After having trouble getting into the apartment, struggling to communicate in Italian to the neighbors, and getting worked up about every little thing, we finally made our way to dinner. Gusta Pizza did a little to help calm down my family's exhaustion, hunger, and thirst prodded mood swings, but even on our way to gelato, tensions were a bit high and - as bad as this sounds - I found myself wondering why I was so excited to see them.
As we were walking quietly through the streets, I turn around and look back and my mom was stopped in her tracks a few yards back. Annoyed, my sister asked my dad what was going on and why she stopped. My dad just shushed us and told us to let her be.
Unbeknownst to us, the street musicians were playing the Andrea Bocelli song that my grandpa (my mom's dad, my nana's husband) died to. Right when my dad told us that, I got the chills and started to tear up. We all just stopped for a second and listened to the music. In that moment, not only did I feel my grandpa smiling down on us, but I also just felt God's presence - I don't really know how to explain it. A calm fell over us all and everything felt so peaceful.
I didn't get the chance to know my grandpa all that well because he died when I was fairly young, but the one thing that I do remember about him is that he loved everyone and always wanted everyone to be happy and get along. He was always the one to break the ice and make people smile even when they were mad. He truly was a remarkable person - everyone could agree on that.
At that moment, I stopped in my tracks and just thanked God for everything: for my life, for my family, for this experience - everything. In that second, I knew that it didn't matter what was going on. God had everything under control, brought us together as a family, and He just wanted us to love on each other and live. Just like God, my grandfather loved everyone despite their flaws and shortcomings and was always thankful for everyones company. Traveling and being with anyone - let alone your family - for such a long period of time can cause a roller coaster of emotions, so I guess God - and Gramps - just wanted to remind us what really matters. God is so good.
Moral of the story: Everyone is flawed, but worthy of love. Life is not perfect and neither are we. We are to find the beauty in the flaws and love despite life's imperfections.
Just something to think about…
Sincerely yours,
Just Another Original
Guess what… The fam is in the Flo! I repeat, the fam is finally in the Flo! Watch out world, the Olsons are back at it - and in a foreign country, might I add. Let chaos ensue...
Mama Carolyn, Papa Jeff, Callie, and my nana all arrived in Florence Saturday afternoon. I had their itineraries so I decided to surprise them by showing up at their apartment to greet them when they arrived. Upon our reunion, I was immediately embraced and my spirits were lifted. I don't usually get home sick, but something about this whole experience has made me miss home and my family more than I ever have, so seeing them all for the first time after three months was a dream.
However, the dream only lasted so long. After less than an hour of being together, I found myself thinking of the mantra, "can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em." I really did miss my family, but I guess I just missed the more pleasant characteristics of them; my rose colored glasses really altered my feelings and made me forget about the fact that they are indeed humans, have flaws, and really stress me out.
After having trouble getting into the apartment, struggling to communicate in Italian to the neighbors, and getting worked up about every little thing, we finally made our way to dinner. Gusta Pizza did a little to help calm down my family's exhaustion, hunger, and thirst prodded mood swings, but even on our way to gelato, tensions were a bit high and - as bad as this sounds - I found myself wondering why I was so excited to see them.
As we were walking quietly through the streets, I turn around and look back and my mom was stopped in her tracks a few yards back. Annoyed, my sister asked my dad what was going on and why she stopped. My dad just shushed us and told us to let her be.
Unbeknownst to us, the street musicians were playing the Andrea Bocelli song that my grandpa (my mom's dad, my nana's husband) died to. Right when my dad told us that, I got the chills and started to tear up. We all just stopped for a second and listened to the music. In that moment, not only did I feel my grandpa smiling down on us, but I also just felt God's presence - I don't really know how to explain it. A calm fell over us all and everything felt so peaceful.
I didn't get the chance to know my grandpa all that well because he died when I was fairly young, but the one thing that I do remember about him is that he loved everyone and always wanted everyone to be happy and get along. He was always the one to break the ice and make people smile even when they were mad. He truly was a remarkable person - everyone could agree on that.
At that moment, I stopped in my tracks and just thanked God for everything: for my life, for my family, for this experience - everything. In that second, I knew that it didn't matter what was going on. God had everything under control, brought us together as a family, and He just wanted us to love on each other and live. Just like God, my grandfather loved everyone despite their flaws and shortcomings and was always thankful for everyones company. Traveling and being with anyone - let alone your family - for such a long period of time can cause a roller coaster of emotions, so I guess God - and Gramps - just wanted to remind us what really matters. God is so good.
Moral of the story: Everyone is flawed, but worthy of love. Life is not perfect and neither are we. We are to find the beauty in the flaws and love despite life's imperfections.
Just something to think about…
 |
| Sending you love from my flawed family to yours! |
Sincerely yours,
Just Another Original
Monday, March 17, 2014
Spring Break!
Cheerio mates!
My oh my, what a week it has been!
Anyways, the next day, we went to Dublin's other main tourist attraction - the Guiness factory. I didn't really want to do the Guinness tour because I really don't like beer, but everyone told me that I absolutely could not miss it because it's literally Dublin's claim to fame, so I begrudgingly decided to go. The tour was fine - nothing special - but maybe I just thought that because I went in thinking I wouldn't like it. But, we did get to pour our own perfect pint of Guinness - watch out world, I am now a certified beer pourer! After that, we got to hang out in Guinness' famous "Sky Bar" that overlooked the entirety of Dublin, so that was pretty cool.
That night was the Beyonce concert - aka the whole reason we went to Dublin. We had general admission tickets, so we ended up waiting in the arena for a couple hours before the concert even started. We were all getting kind of annoyed having to wait around, but at least we didn't faint; there were legitimately three girls that passed out - because of the heat, drunkenness, dehydration, etc. - and had to be carried out by the body guards before the show even started. Anyways, the concert was absolutely amazing - I mean, I wouldn't expect anything less from Queen Bey. It was one of the best shows I've been to. She was flawless.
The next day was our last day in Ireland so we figured we would make our way to Ireland's famous Cliffs of Moher. The trip was pretty cool because we didn't just go to the cliffs - we also stopped in little towns along the way and actually went on a little hike around a family farm and got to enjoy some warm apple pie from "Granny's Cottage". The cliffs were beautiful, but I feel like I couldn't appreciate them as much as I would have liked to because I couldn't actually see the cliffs because of the heavy fog. Oh well.
All in all, Dublin was pretty cool, but no where that I am dying to get back to. My favorite part was the bars and live music, but I don't think that that's necessarily reason enough to spend an arm and a leg to go. It was fun for a few days though and I'm glad that I went but I probably won't be back anytime soon.
LONDON, ENGLAND
I know I said that Dublin reminded me a lot of the States, but London was legitimately an American city. I've never actually been to New York, but I've heard that London and New York are very similar - London is just a bit cleaner.
We only really had a day in London because our trip was cut down by a day due to air traffic controller strikes in Dublin - sounds familiar, right? - so we just tried to knock out as many of the big tourist attractions as possible.
The other two girls that we were with wanted to go into every museum, so Carly and I went off on our own because we didn't want to waste our day inside. We basically just wandered around the city taking in all of the sights - including Big Ben, the Tower Bridge, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, St. James' Park, Westminster Abbey, etc. We even made sure to have a photo shoot with the famous red phone booths.
Our time in London ended with quite a bang… On our last night, my friends and I were woken up at 2:30 in the morning by our hostel's fire alarm. We were all really confused when we first heard the sound, thinking it was someone's alarm or something like that, so we just kind of ignored it and laid in bed until someone said, "shit, guys, I think that's a fire alarm!" After that, we all jumped out of bed, layered up with jackets, grabbed some of our belongings, and ran out the door. We stumbled outside the hostel with all of the other confused residents and watched as the Greenwich Fire Department rolled up and handled the situation. No one really knows what exactly happened, but I guess it wasn't a huge deal because we were back in the hostel within half an hour. I guess it was a good thing that it wasn't a serious fire because if it was, we all probably would have died inside considering it took us a good ten minutes to get up, get dressed, and grab all of our stuff. Maybe next time we will know to move a little quicker…
Just like Dublin, London was cool to see, but no where that I am dying to get back to. It was just too busy for me and I just felt really touristy the whole time. Maybe if I had more time there I would have been able to take in more of the English culture, but at the same time, if I go back to England, I think I will go to a different part. Everyone in England told me that I shouldn't judge the country based on London - London is not a very good representation of England as a whole because it is kind of the melting pot of London where all of the immigrants come and tourists congregate. In the end, I'm happy I saw it, but I don't need to go back anytime soon.
At the end of the day, spring break was absolutely exhausting (we averaged a maximum of five hours of sleep a night) but a lot of fun at the same time. However, I have never been so happy to come back from a trip and just be able to breathe in Florence. Next weekend, my family is coming to visit so hopefully this next coming week will be a bit more relaxing than last week.
Anyways, back to reality I go! Five more weeks of this crazy adventure before it is back to actual reality…
Ciao for now!
Sincerely yours,
Just Another Original
My oh my, what a week it has been!
As the title suggests, this week was spring break for GIF. For me, these past ten days consisted of five flights, over eight cities, four hostels, two currencies, and one backpack.
Three of my friends and I decided to make our way around the UK for our break to visit Scotland, Ireland, and England. To preface these stories, I didn't really have much to do with any of the planning of this trip. My friends planned most of it and I just decided to tag along. I didn't really know what any of these places had to offer - I was just along for the ride. The only expectations I had for this trip were to just take in what each place had to offer, run with whatever life threw at us, and to simply be thankful for the journey.
Usually I like to do a day by day recap of each of my trips, but that would take far too long and no one would really want to read all of that, so I'm just going to share a few of the most memorable parts of each destination...
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND
The first leg of our three country journey was in Edinburgh, Scotland. Now, like I said before, I didn't do much research about anywhere I was going, so I didn't really know what to expect from Edinburgh. With that being said, Edinburgh far exceeded any expectation that I might have had. It was probably one of my favorite places I have been this semester.
Scotland reminded me a lot of Oregon. The city itself was really pretty and clean, but there was also a lot of greenery and trees. It was beautiful. I absolutely loved it.
The weekend that we were in Edinburgh, there was a huge rugby tournament (the Six Nations tournament), so the whole city was absolutely packed with fans - especially French and Scottish people - all there for the game. In fact, we didn't have a place to stay until the night before because every single hostel/hotel/airbnb was booked to capacity. Needless to say, we ended up finding a place to stay, but we did end up spending a bit more money than we would have liked to...
One day, while we were walking around, we were approached by a group of French men - really happy, drunk French men - who asked who we were rooting for. When we told them that we didn't really care, they insisted that we root for the French and then proceeded to draw the French flag on our faces. I guess we chose the right team because the French ended up winning that day.
Besides that, the first major touristy thing that we did was explore the Edinburgh Castle. To be completely honest, I couldn't tell you what the castle was really for, but it had a pretty view of the city. I don't know, I'm not much of a museum person so it wasn't all that exciting for me; I simply went to appease a friend who wanted to see it. However, we did get a free whiskey tasting in one of the gift shops so it wasn't a complete waste of time.
After the tour of the castle, we made our way to the center of town to meet up for a free Harry Potter tour. Now, any Harry Potter fan knows that Harry Potter land is in Florida and the studio is in London, but you might not know that Edinburgh is actually where JK Rowling wrote the books and where much of the story was inspired. Even though I'm not a huge Harry Potter guru, I still really enjoyed the tour. I mean, these books are essentially the books of my generation; we grew up with Harry and his friends. So, even though I didn't necessarily know all about what the guide was talking about, I could still appreciate learning about everything that went into it. And, I mean, it was also fun to let loose and act like a kid for a bit by reciting spells as we walked around the town.
The next day, we hopped on a bus and made our way to the Scottish highlands. Now, I didn't know what to expect from this, but I had heard that it's something that you have to do when you are in Scotland because that's one of the things that they are known for. After visiting the highlands, I can see why it's something for people to visit, but honestly, it wasn't all that awe inspiring for me. All of the hills, greenery, and lakes (including Loch Ness - home of the magical Loch Ness monster) looked exactly like what I am used to seeing at home. I know I sound really bratty and ungrateful but trust me when I say that's not it at all. I appreciated the beauty of it and am glad that I did it, it's just something that I don't have to do again.
After our uneventful tour of the highlands, I wasn't all that excited to get on a bus again the next day and go to St. Andrew's, but I'm really glad that I went. The town was absolutely stunning. St. Andrew's is famously known as the home of golf - it's not where golf was first played, but it is where all of the rules were made and continue to be modified. Even though I can't play golf to save my life, I still found the golf course and area to be gorgeous. Granted, the sunshine and crystal clear blue sky helped a lot but it was still beautiful on its own accord.
St. Andrew's is also a big college town - home to St. Andrew's University. Besides being jaw-droppingly beautiful, this university is also able to boast about being the place where Prince William and Princess Kate met and fell in love. How perfect, right? After walking around the grounds, I seriously considered stopping by the study abroad office to see what I needed to do to be able to attend the university. I wouldn't mind attending the school and falling in love with British royalty - I mean, Harry has yet to get married, right?
I know it might sound like I didn't really appreciate much of Scotland, so you might be confused as to why I am claiming that it was one of my favorite places. To be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of all of the touristy things that we did, but I absolutely loved the city itself. Like I said before, it reminded me a lot of Portland - it was beautiful, the people were friendly to a fault, and it was just a really cool place with a lot going on all of the time.
DUBLIN, IRELAND
After our time in Scotland, we made our way to Ireland. Again, I didn't really know what to expect from Ireland - the only real ideas I had consisted of lots of drinking, little red-headed leprechauns, four leaf clovers, and lots of green - really ignorant, right?
Well, Dublin was nothing like what I expected. Dublin was very Americanized and reminded me a lot of the States. It was just a big English speaking city with lots of people bustling through the streets. To be honest, I was kind of disappointed by it. I know that I can't judge the whole of Ireland on one city, but I guess I just was hoping to experience more Irish culture than feel like I was back in the States.
The first day in Dublin, Carly and I meandered throughout the city and eventually made our way over to the Jameson distillery.
Now, if you know me at all, you know that I don't really drink so you might be wondering why I willingly pay to go on an alcohol tour. Well, since I have been abroad, I have started to test out alcohol - partially to fit in with the culture and partially so that when I finally turn 21, I will know what I like to drink. With that being said, by no means am I suddenly a huge drinker, but I do enjoy my fru-fru girly, mixed drinks when at the bars/clubs. I mean, I never drink just to get drink - I still refuse to drink anything that I don't like - so take that as you will.
Anyways, I went on the tour because it's just one of the things that you do in Dublin. Dublin is home of Jameson and Guinness, so those are two of the biggest tourist attractions in the town. I had been on brewery tours before, so I wasn't over the moon excited for it, but the Jameson tour was actually really cool. It was short and sweet, but very interactive and easy to grasp. The tour ended with a free (with admission) Jameson drink, so that was nice. I found out that Jameson is one alcohol that I do like - I guess I have expensive taste…
That night, Carly and I went out to a local pub down the street from our hostel and it was honestly one of the best nights I've ever had. This pub was exactly like what you expect when you go to Ireland - picture the PS I Love You bar scene, and that's what it was like. The bar was absolutely packed with locals all sipping on their brews and singing along to the live music. Everyone was just so happy and friendly - it felt like everyone was there hanging out together as one big group, not separated into little cliques doing their own things.
We were all enjoying singing along to songs like Galway Girl and Wonderwall (Ireland's theme song - we literally heard it at least twenty times a day and that's not an exaggeration) when the singer switched it up and started playing some song that only a few people in the bar knew (I later found out that it was Tribute by Tenacious D - random). Anyways, I turned around and asked the guy behind me what song it was, figuring he would know since he was passionately singing along. After that initial question, Carly and I ended up spending the entire night with him and his friends. The six of us (Carly, four German boys, and me) spend hours singing along with the singer, swapping travel stories, learning about each other's lives, and teaching the other how to German/English. I will always remember the night as one of the times where I was genuinely happy.
The more I think about it, most of my favorite memories from each trip have consisted of the random times spent meeting locals and other travelers, learning about their lives, swapping stories, and just being in each others' company. It's just really cool and humbling to realize that no matter where you are in the world, you can find people that you can relate to and feel comfortable with. It just makes me wonder about how many cool people there are in the world that I will never meet.
Anyways, the next day, we went to Dublin's other main tourist attraction - the Guiness factory. I didn't really want to do the Guinness tour because I really don't like beer, but everyone told me that I absolutely could not miss it because it's literally Dublin's claim to fame, so I begrudgingly decided to go. The tour was fine - nothing special - but maybe I just thought that because I went in thinking I wouldn't like it. But, we did get to pour our own perfect pint of Guinness - watch out world, I am now a certified beer pourer! After that, we got to hang out in Guinness' famous "Sky Bar" that overlooked the entirety of Dublin, so that was pretty cool.
That night was the Beyonce concert - aka the whole reason we went to Dublin. We had general admission tickets, so we ended up waiting in the arena for a couple hours before the concert even started. We were all getting kind of annoyed having to wait around, but at least we didn't faint; there were legitimately three girls that passed out - because of the heat, drunkenness, dehydration, etc. - and had to be carried out by the body guards before the show even started. Anyways, the concert was absolutely amazing - I mean, I wouldn't expect anything less from Queen Bey. It was one of the best shows I've been to. She was flawless.
The next day was our last day in Ireland so we figured we would make our way to Ireland's famous Cliffs of Moher. The trip was pretty cool because we didn't just go to the cliffs - we also stopped in little towns along the way and actually went on a little hike around a family farm and got to enjoy some warm apple pie from "Granny's Cottage". The cliffs were beautiful, but I feel like I couldn't appreciate them as much as I would have liked to because I couldn't actually see the cliffs because of the heavy fog. Oh well.
All in all, Dublin was pretty cool, but no where that I am dying to get back to. My favorite part was the bars and live music, but I don't think that that's necessarily reason enough to spend an arm and a leg to go. It was fun for a few days though and I'm glad that I went but I probably won't be back anytime soon.
LONDON, ENGLAND
I know I said that Dublin reminded me a lot of the States, but London was legitimately an American city. I've never actually been to New York, but I've heard that London and New York are very similar - London is just a bit cleaner.
We only really had a day in London because our trip was cut down by a day due to air traffic controller strikes in Dublin - sounds familiar, right? - so we just tried to knock out as many of the big tourist attractions as possible.
The other two girls that we were with wanted to go into every museum, so Carly and I went off on our own because we didn't want to waste our day inside. We basically just wandered around the city taking in all of the sights - including Big Ben, the Tower Bridge, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, St. James' Park, Westminster Abbey, etc. We even made sure to have a photo shoot with the famous red phone booths.
Our time in London ended with quite a bang… On our last night, my friends and I were woken up at 2:30 in the morning by our hostel's fire alarm. We were all really confused when we first heard the sound, thinking it was someone's alarm or something like that, so we just kind of ignored it and laid in bed until someone said, "shit, guys, I think that's a fire alarm!" After that, we all jumped out of bed, layered up with jackets, grabbed some of our belongings, and ran out the door. We stumbled outside the hostel with all of the other confused residents and watched as the Greenwich Fire Department rolled up and handled the situation. No one really knows what exactly happened, but I guess it wasn't a huge deal because we were back in the hostel within half an hour. I guess it was a good thing that it wasn't a serious fire because if it was, we all probably would have died inside considering it took us a good ten minutes to get up, get dressed, and grab all of our stuff. Maybe next time we will know to move a little quicker…
Just like Dublin, London was cool to see, but no where that I am dying to get back to. It was just too busy for me and I just felt really touristy the whole time. Maybe if I had more time there I would have been able to take in more of the English culture, but at the same time, if I go back to England, I think I will go to a different part. Everyone in England told me that I shouldn't judge the country based on London - London is not a very good representation of England as a whole because it is kind of the melting pot of London where all of the immigrants come and tourists congregate. In the end, I'm happy I saw it, but I don't need to go back anytime soon.
At the end of the day, spring break was absolutely exhausting (we averaged a maximum of five hours of sleep a night) but a lot of fun at the same time. However, I have never been so happy to come back from a trip and just be able to breathe in Florence. Next weekend, my family is coming to visit so hopefully this next coming week will be a bit more relaxing than last week.
Anyways, back to reality I go! Five more weeks of this crazy adventure before it is back to actual reality…
Ciao for now!
Sincerely yours,
Just Another Original
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)