Top 10 Travel Moments of 2010

It seems appropriate to make one of these lists that everyone else is writing for their blogs. 2010 was such an incredible year for me. I finally broke free from North America and explored foreign countries both on my own and with my friends. I learned so many lessons this year from my ventures. With that said, let's journey back.

10) Moving into my flat

My first apartment was a flat. I think that's pretty wicked.

9) Seeing The Saturdays in concert in London

The Saturdays are an extremely popular girl band in London, and I was lucky enough to be able to see them perform in a really small space. To top it off, I was reunited with Vince and Janelle, two of my favorite people I lived with in South Africa.

8) Bungy jumping from the world's highest bungy bridge





Not as cool as skydiving, but something I've always wanted to do. For those few seconds, I was just....extremely happy.

7) Learning about the Belfast peace walls

It is hard to imagine a modern city going through the hardships that Belfast has endured in the past decade. The walls tell a real story, and I loved that I was able to visit them for my independent study project during the Ireland seminar I went on.

6) Gaining experience from an international internship

It was really a huge learning experience for me to finally be able to put into action the things I learn at school. Even though my employment was brief, it really solidified my career plans now that I've actually been able to try a few things out.

5) Experiencing the 2010 World Cup





I was never much of a soccer fan before this year. That quickly changed. Out of the 64 matches, I think I missed watching just two of them. Attending the first match at the new stadium in Cape Town was incredible.

4) Getting held at the South Africa/Mozambique border because I was an illegal immigrant

In the heat of this moment, I was petrified. We couldn't speak the language; they were clearly just trying to milk us for money, our bus abandoned us and we had a flight to catch or we would be stuck for a very long time. At least I can add "illegal immigrant" to my resume.

3) Skydiving for the first time

It won't be my last time, though. There is no way to describe the feeling from jumping out of a plane. The view on the way down was beautiful; two oceans and a mountain range. I'm hooked.

2) Getting to know my class





The children that I met at Christian David Primary School changed my life forever. They are like no people I had ever met; they were so happy despite some pretty dismal conditions around them. Some of my favorite experiences this summer were just little moments in class where a kid finally learned how to spell a certain word or understood a math problem.

1) A perfect Fall break





You just can't top this. I visited three countries I've always wanted to go to in just one week. I also had an entire day to explore a Disney park that I'd never been to, and as a HUGE Disney geek I was just pumped. Paris was something out of a movie; Milan was an ideal shopping city; and Athens was beautiful. This was easily one of the best weeks of my life.

After writing this, I have to say that 2010 was the best year of my life, so far. If 2011 is even half as awesome, I'll be thrilled.

End of the Year

Alright, so it took me a while to get around to blogging. While in London, I was so busy studying and finishing up my semester that I didn't have time to blog. And ever since I got home I've been just enjoying the time with my family and friends. And Christmas snuck up pretty quickly.

After being home a short time, all I can say is I miss London. That city and I just got along nicely. I'm really excited to get back to Syracuse, but for now I'm just hanging out in Novi.

So what's next? I may be back in the states, but I have no idea where I'll be in May. Last year I didn't completely decide to go to South Africa until about March, so at this point I can't predict my next summer. I do have a feeling that I'll love it, though.

I know I'll be back in London soon. And after spending six out of the past seven months traveling, I'm getting right back on a plane as soon as I can and heading out on another adventure.

It's the Final Countdown

Well, the time is here; just 10 days left in London. I was told that the semester would fly by, but didn't I just get here? As much as I'm really excited to see my family and friends, be reunited with my BlackBerry, and get back to American portions at restaurants, I've really loved London. I'm going to do some posts from Michigan reflecting on my semester, but I wanted to give an update right now.

Last weekend my flatmate and I went on a school-sponsored visit to a show called La Soiree. It was like a circus/vaudeville freak show. It was pretty jaw-dropping and had some really memorable acts. I'm rounding out the final days in classes, so the work has been kicked up a notch. It is the end of an academic semester, as easy as that is to forget. On the work front, I'm really happy with how far I've gone with my internship. I've met some great people and learned a lot, and I'm excited to finish up.

Which leads me to my next point, I've been offered a new job when I get back to campus. I'm thrilled to announce that I've been selected to be on the Syracuse Social Media Team. My job entails me assisting in the facilitation of @SyracuseU, which is the official Syracuse account on Twitter. Combine two things I like: Twitter, and talking about Syracuse and you can see why I'm really excited about the job. It's also a great way to learn more about a field that I'd like to have a career in one day. I've really taken a liking to social media/digital marketing and new trends in marketing, and I plan on pursuing a job within that realm upon graduating. It seems like a great way to break into the marketing department of a company that I'd like to work for and then build from there. A lot of companies are hiring recent grads to fill new positions in this area because they figure we understand the medium better than most people. That is something I'd completely agree with. (PS, follow me on Twitter!)

So even though next semester I'll be blogging from Syracuse, and not South Africa or London, hopefully I'll still have some exciting things to talk about. As for now, I'm enjoying the fact that I have a few more opportunities to enjoy the city with my friends here.

London Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers! It was a strange Thanksgiving, just because it wasn't really Thanksgiving at all. I had class as usual, and had to call it an early night because I had work today. One of my flatmates parents is in town, though, and they cooked us dinner while we were at class. It was wonderful to come home to a fully home-cooked Thanksgiving meal. It was nice to have family around, even if it wasn't my family. I'm really excited to see my mom, dad, and brothers in a few weeks. (Speaking of which, my middle brother just got into Harvard Law...can't believe it!)

As is customary this time of year, I like to share what I'm thankful for. I am extremely grateful to have been given the opportunity to travel as much as I have the past few months. I'm really thankful that I go to such a good school that has a well-established London program, and I'm really thankful to the city of London for being a great host this semester.

And today marks the first Black Friday in a while that I've missed, which to me is almost as upsetting as missing Thanksgiving. I LOVE the madness that surrounds Black Friday (even though three years ago I had to work the electronics department at Target at 5am on Black Friday...not fun.) If I were in the states, I would be shopping all day. Today was just another normal day.

What are you thankful for?

Average Day at Work

So yesterday I walk into work and I get handed a really cool task. The company I work for has been designing a large banner and some other promotional materials for use at conferences, events, etc. I've been helping out, and they take my feedback seriously, which as an intern is really cool. Seeing as how their main target market is American & Canadian students, they listen to what I have to say (especially when it comes to things like Facebook and stuff like that.)

I got handed a camera and told that they needed a picture of London for the banner. I had a few hours to run around the city and snap as many pictures as I could. I was given a few specifications (horizontal, colorful, something depicting "iconic London.") I don't think I've ever been more excited about a work project, so far. I'm not a master of photography, so I was challenged to actually take a quality picture (the four photo majors that I live with would laugh pretty hard at some of the ones I took.)

I felt like a contestant on a reality show. I had a simple point-and-shoot camera, a few hours, and the limited knowledge of London that I've gained in a few months here. I had a deadline to meet: my boss wanted to send the banner to the printer that afternoon. PRESSURE! Of course, I wanted lots of options to turn in, so I BOOKED IT around the city. I'm a pretty fast walker, I can navigate the tube well, and I consider myself pretty good at weaving in and out of traffic (people, bikes, busses, cars...I only almost got hit once!)

So I basically spent the whole day running from place to place taking pictures like a tourist. I went back to a few places that I had been before that I think of when I think "London." When I went to Buckingham Palace it was actually almost time for the changing of the guards, which I hadn't seen yet. I stuck around, and it is actually a much bigger ordeal than I expected. Got a few pictures there, and then it was back to pounding the pavement.

It was a beautiful November day in London: sunny, and not too cold. I wanted to share a few of the pictures I took.


Changing of the guard


I like the Eye peaking out...


This one took some work. Had to position myself properly, wait for a bus, and hope I timed it right. A few tries later, and once enough people gave me funny looks for squatting, I got the shot!

I Amsterdam

This weekend I went to Amsterdam with all of my flatmates. We were all really excited for this trip, mainly because it was the first thing we booked, but we booked it really far in advance. It has been staring back at us from our calendar for months. Finally, the weekend came! As soon as I got into the city I realized that my camera was dead, so I had to rely on my friends' cameras. I'll post a few of my favorite pictures once they upload their pics, but for now, I have nothing to show from my trip.

While in the city, we just walked around and explored. It's a fairly small city, so it wasn't a problem to get to where we wanted to be. We played on the well-known "I Amsterdam" sign, which is great for pictures. We also toured the Anne Frank house, which was bigger than I expected. It was unfurnished, so I bet when there were eight people and some furniture in there it quickly got a lot smaller. We also planned on touring the Heineken brewery, but we were a little slow getting there and that plan fell through. So we basically spent the rest of the day exploring the Red Light District (which is exactly how you would picture it) and some other well known areas in the city.

The next morning we woke up in time to catch part of the Christmas festivities that were going on that day. Santa came in on a boat, and there were a LOT of people there to see it. I was shocked at the number of people that were dressed up; both kids and adults. It was really cool. Anyway, Amsterdam was a lot of fun. I wouldn't say it was my favorite European city that I've been to, simply because there just isn't as much to do there. But all in all, I still had a great weekend.

The main thing I was excited about was getting the stamp in my passport. I've had layovers in Amsterdam before, but I've only left the airport for short periods of time. This was my first real visit of the city, so the first time I actually counted the passport stamp. This one is significant because it brings my count of countries I've visited up to ten. (United States, Canada, South Africa, Mozambique, Ireland, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Greece, Netherlands) I can't believe that I am only 20 years old and I have been to ten countries across three continents. I count myself very grateful for the opportunities that have given me the ability to travel as much as I have at such a young age. With that said, I'm aiming for 20 countries by the time I am 25.

Countries I'd like to visit: (in no particular order)
-China
-Japan
-Australia
-Spain
-Brazil
-India
-Thailand
-New Zealand
-Costa Rica
-Morocco
-Germany
-Denmark

And basically everywhere else in the world.

Sometimes I Play "Grown-Up"

It's weird being back from Fall Break. But after being in London again, I think "you know, this whole London thing is working for me." I enjoy taking the tube to class, despite the frequent strikes. I enjoy always having something to do, or just hanging out in my flat. Before I got to London I played with the idea of coming back at some point; I already knew I would love it. Now that I am here, I do love it, and I have been seriously looking into graduate programs here. I had already researched a few before getting here, and I've actually even toured a couple and talked with admissions counselors. I really think that if I keep at it and keep in the direction I am going, graduate school in London can be a much more real possibility.

Speaking of grown up things, I haven't really spoken about my internship placement, mainly because getting it wasn't as smooth as an administrative task as I was hoping it would be. Anyway, I am happy to say that I'm an intern at a student resource company for academic, volunteer, and internship placements around the globe. I handle a variety of marketing tasks including restructuring their Facebook presence, which is really cool, and some other neat stuff. I even get to write on their blog from time to time, and they just published my first post!

I want this opportunity again. I want to come back to London on another level, not just as an undergrad student for one semester. The other day, one of my professors here asked me how I was finding London. All I said was "I want to come back," and she said "all the good ones do." I really took that seriously.