Mirror, mirror on the wall...

Who is this person in front of you all? I hate to sound cliche, but I really do feel like a different person after this experience. If everyone was on a road for growth, in September I thought I was 90% there. Not until after this experience did I realize this road stretch much farther than my vision could see. 


Appreciating life

The power of beauty and youth. Our mere existence is unbelievable already, but to exist while being young, healthy, and free. The term "carpe diem" has never been more appropriate. The chances that goals will be met now, are better than ever. 

The unexpected opportunities. I use to worry so much about the future, but there's really no point. Have goals, work towards them, but don't be afraid to take the "scenic route." I realized that plan B,C, D, or Z may actually turn out for the better. Especially when you take trips with Kirsten. 

Challenges. From being homeless to almost missing my flight, I am grateful for every single one of these obstacles. I've gain a new type of confidence, a type that makes you feel invincible.

Friendships. The friendships I've made here are unforgettable. It's unbelievable how comfortable you feel opening up to strangers living thousands of miles away from you. When I first came here I was a disaster. Without these friendships I really don't think I could have come this far. From lending me money when I lost my wallet, to driving me to the airport today, you guys are the greatest friends I could have made. I can't say how much I appreciate every single one of you. 
I'm okay with saying goodbye, because with these friendships I know a hello is around the corner. 






Overall, studying abroad was a wonderful experience and I wouldn't trade it for anything. 




Goodbye Belgium.  
Amy

After thoughts of Family Vacay

We visited 4 cities: Rome (4.5 days,) Barcelona (3.5 days,) Paris (3.5 days,) London (2.5 days.)

Roaming Rome.

With every city, there are pros and cons. Rome is a magnificent city. The fact that they are capable of preserving hundreds of years of history is astonishing.  When I strolled through the city, it felt similar to one giant museum, but with zest. You just can’t get that kind of ancient beauty back in the States! Although there’s a lot of nice architecture, history, and culture in Rome, their subway systems are trash. There are only 2 main subway lines in Rome, and it seems as though a cleaning crew is inexistent. Trash bins are overflowing; floors are collaged with newspaper. This sight could possibly be that way because it’s the holidays and people are on vacation? Who knows. 

The family taking a Spanish cooking class!

On the other hand, I felt that Barcelona was quite the opposite. When I arrived at the airport, the black granite floors were gleaming. The public transportation systems looked as though they were swept at least twice a day.  If you’re looking for Spanish architecture, I would suggest visiting Sevilla rather than Barcelona. Barcelona is very city-like, and it’s a relatively new city when compared to Rome. What I love most about Spain is the people AND the food. The best of both worlds, what more could you ask for? Honestly, no one knows how to party as well as the Spaniards. I understand now why they have naptime ;) After coming to Spain, tapas is now my 2^nd favorite food (after sushi of course.) You all know I’m a foodie, so that really says something!

New Year's in Paris!

The third city we visited was Paris. This trip will be my third time visiting Paris and honestly, I still don’t think I’ve seen the entire city! If you’re really productive you can see the main tourist attractions such as the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, in about 2 days. My family and I go at a one- attraction-a-day pace. Who wants to be stressed out about packing in a bajillion activities a day anyways? I mean it IS called vacation. One place worth mentioning was this awesome historical museum that displayed the evolution of animals. There were 3 levels: ocean, land, and air, which contain animals of each realm accordingly. WAY COOL. The only really bad thing I can say about Paris is the people. Yes they are super chic, but they are so rude! Made me miss our southern hospitality back in Texas. 

    

 The last and final city we visited was London. You can honestly do the main tourist attractions of London in a day. Besides the numerous cameras around the city watching you 24/7, it's a really nice city. 

Overall great family trip!

xoxo,
Amy

When in Rome...

Italians seem to be just as friendly as Belgians. I sat next to two Italian guys who were in Brussels for business. They found out my birthday was next week, and bought wine bottles for our row to celebrate! Strangers and their kids even sang Happy Birthday to me. :)

 

Day 1 

We got so lucky with the weather! Clear skies all day. So we did more outdoorsy touristy things such as the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Spanish Steps. Although these famous structures are beautiful by themselves, the gorgeous blue backdrop adds a nice touch.

Day 2

We took a trip to Tivoli, and visited Villa d'Este. Villa d'Este is the perfect representation of Italian architecture. It truly is a palace with its green gardens, running fountains, and magnificent views! My favorite part of the trip was the pizza we had at a local cafe in Tivoli. It was the best pizza I've ever had! Still dreaming about it. Yum. 

Day 3

It was a rainy day so we did indoor stuff: Musei Capitolini and Christmas midnight mass at the Vatican. My sister had to ask a nun back in the States to help her write a letter so we could get tickets to attend Midnight Mass. Getting tickets is one thing, getting in is another. If you ever seen a line for the iPhone, it's about 10 times that size. There were about 2500 people in front of us, and they let in about only 100 people behind us. We barely made the cut! Although we're not the most religious family out there, it was still a wonderful experience! 

Day 4

Christmas day most establishments are closed excluding restaurants. So we went to the Christmas markets, Pantheon, and Trevi Fountain.




We had clear skies and sun for 3 out of 4 days. Pretty good ratios if you ask me. Overall, Rome was a success. Next stop: Barcelona!





xoxo,

Amy

Just in time

My family is coming to Europe over winter break! They arrive in Rome today, and I'm suppose to fly to Rome to meet them.  I went out with a friend from the States last night, but responsible me decided to come home early to finish packing and a project. Good thing I did too, because I had absolutely no sleep. Packing for 2.5 weeks of traveling in a small carry-on is more time consuming than it looks! (I made an excel sheet for my outfits, anything worn less than 3 times gets left behind :D.)

Well I had some mishaps traveling this morning, what's new.

I left my house 4 hours before my flight departs, which I thought was more than enough time to get to an airport that is an hour away. Well the transportation system of southern Belgium decided to go on strike a wee bit earlier than planned. No trains were available. Now to plan B. 

Bus into Brussels, another to the center of Brussels. An hour long taxi to the airport.

I really appreciate the taxi driver doing some illegal moves to get me to the airport on time!  I got to the airport 10 minutes before the gate closed. :) Luck strikes again.



xoxo,

Amy

AHHHHHHH!!! FINALS.

You see my title there? I usually have that feeling of anxiety around this time of year. Oddly, this semester I don't. I have one final this week: an oral exam. I've never taken an oral exam for a business course, nor have I had 15 minutes of conversation count for 60% of my grade.

If you think that's a lot of pressure...

January 4th- Not only do I have an art history exam that counts for %100 of my grade, but it's also  written in FRENCH. On top of that, she's a new professor so she doesn't have a textbook.

January 7th- Corporate Strategy and Antitrust exam that accounts for %70 of my grade.

January 9th- Advanced Finance exam that accounts for %75 of my grade.


Never again will I ever complain about final exams accounting for %50 of your final grade.


Wish me luck!


xoxo,
Amy

How to be a Parisian

Outside the Louvre

1^st stop: Louvre

Louvre wing

To be a Parisian, you first need to have knowledge of the extensive art works located at the Louvre along with the numerous museums located in Paris. If you wanted to absorb every piece of art in the Louvre, you would need some good walking shoes, a sleeping bag, and enough food to feed an army. The Louvre is GIGANTIC; four hours can easily seem like four minutes. Personally, I don’t enjoy traditional art as much as contemporary art.  I wanted to see more modern art, but we ran out of time to visit the contemporary art museums along the Reine.

2^nd stop: French Wine Tasting

Wine tasting batcave

Menu for the night

Second, a Parisian would never be tricked to pay a ridiculous price for a bottle of wine. So to learn more about the art of French wine, Kirsten and I decided to go to a wine tasting. There are numerous regions in France that produce wine: Champagne, Bourdeaux, Loire, Sud-Ouest, Bourgogne, Languedoc, the list goes on. Northern France produces white wines; southern France produces red wines. From the 6 glasses I had, my favorite French wine is the Sancerre.  

3^rd stop: Tour Eiffel

I think the Eiffel Tower is the most recognizable monument in the world. When people think of Paris, they think of the Eiffel Tower. I’ve seen many photos of the tower in the day, but not as many at night. It was a cloudy night, so the sight was quite eerie.

Kiki's first snail!

4^th stop: French food

In the morning we already had our French breakfast, which consist of a croissant, a cappuccino, and freshly squeeze orange juice. Kirsten never had French snails before, so we went to dinner for her to try les escargots, les frites, and la crème brulée.

 

Before our last stop, I suddenly realized that I didn’t have my digital camera! I assumed a sketchy Parisian pickpocketed my camera on the public transport. Luckily, when I called the restaurant, the manager had found it and was waiting for me to come back to get it. As usual, I had lost something, and some nice European found it to give it back to me. Losing things sure does get old. Sigh.

xoxo,
Amy

Paris by Night

Since we were going to meet up with my friend Megan and her friend Lana in Paris, I decided it would be more affordable for us if we booked an apartment. Not only is it more affordable, it’s nicer than any hotel you would get at the same price! It was a “romantic” apartment, so the place consists of hurricane blinds, erotic literature, and a decked out shower.

We sat like this by accident. 

I hadn’t had sushi in awhile, so the girls and I went to the Champs-Élysées area to grab drinks and a bite to eat at a trendy sushi restaurant. After dinner, we walked around the city to admire the holiday lights and decorations.




xoxo,
Amy

Mug Shots

Next stop: Back to Paris! I made an observation about airplane seats. The middle seat is always the last choice; the window or aisle seat is by preference. Kiki always likes to sit window, and I prefer the aisle seat because of the extra freedom. Out of the 200 seats on the airplane, no one seems to ever want to seat between us. This happened on our Tenerife and Seville flight.  So for our Paris flight, we intentionally sat in our desire seats, leaving the middle seat empty.

We are always smiling, and I thought that might make us seem too friendly and possibly attract even more people to sit between us. So we practiced our mug faces, which scared off a few guys. 




xoxo,
Amy

I'm like a bird, I want to fly away

I came to the conclusion that it took us an average of 2 hours to find our hotels. So we learned our lesson, and took a taxi when we arrived in Granada. After settling in, we changed into workout gear, and then met up with our paragliding pilots at Piazza Nueva, the city center.

Paragliding is surprisingly relaxing. It’s not something to be afraid of, and I recommend anyone looking for some adventure to do it! Our paragliding pilots were extremely friendly. They even drove us up the hill again to do a second flight, but this time with more of an “acrobatic” style.

Our Australian friends

When night falls, we got dressed up to go to a tapas bar near Plaza Nueva. Warning to the girls back home: heels and cobblestone don’t mix well together.  :(

What’s great about Granada is that when you order a beer/drink, you get tapas for free! At our first stop of the night, there were a bunch of Australians sitting nearby that we asked to take our photo. We quickly befriended them, and went bar hopping with them for the rest of the night. 





xoxo,
Amy

Alcazar

Sevilla is one city I don’t mind getting lost in.  The locals say, “Grab a map and just go!” We did just that, but we soon lost the map and ended up just wandering. Sevilla architecture is exquisite, the best of the best.

Detailed tile work

Mazes

One beautifully constructed building that we came across was Alcazar, the King’s Palace. We came 10 minutes before they closed, but they allowed us to stay for another hour or so to explore the grounds. The palace consists of green courtyards, running fountains, fine tile work, open spaces, large arches, and endless mazes. The time and effort that took to handcraft the thousands of tiles is incredible.

Courtyards

Kirsten stole a few oranges from the King. Typical. Now she has to face her consequences…

2 Prison. 

1 Stolen.

xoxo,

Amy

Monkeying Around

When I’m not meowing, people have told me some of my mannerisms are similar to those of a monkey. I just re-read that sentence, and man do I sound like a weirdo. Hahah whatever, we’re all animals at heart.

So I was really eager to get in touch with my monkey friends at the Tenerife Monkey Zoo Park, but unfortunately the zoo was almost 1.5 hours away and it didn’t fit well into our schedule. It gets worst.

11:00 am- We couldn’t rent a car.
12:00 pm- We missed the bus.
1:00pm- We missed the shuttle.

Lost.

The lady at the reception felt sorry for us, and offered us a ride in her car to the airport. She ended up calling the shuttle bus driver again, and he was willing to turn around and pick us up :)

We arrived at the airport, and our reservation for a car rental fell through. Plan B: we take the bus. After the bus dropped us off, we walk around Sevilla attempting to find our accommodation. Let me emphasize the word “attempt.” -_- All the traveling made our stomachs growl, so we decided to take a break at a nearby tapas bar. Luckily, we sat next to a tour guide at a local tapas bar who was more than happy to assist us in our search.

After weaving through countless roads, we finally arrived at our destination!

If you think the series of unfortunate events stopped there, think again.

Next morning…

7:19am- Woke up late.

7:31am- Went to the wrong bus station

7:48am- Arrived to the correct bus station 3 minutes late

7:50am- Our Granada bus tickets are nowhere to be found.

7:52am- Realized that 7:52am is actually 8:52am from the time change.

COMPLETE FAILURE.



xoxo,
Amy

Volcanooo!!

Originally we were planning to rent a car, drive up to the cable car to take us up halfway, and then hike the rest of Volcan el Tiede. Unfortunately it seems that no one here drives automatic transmissions (Sarah Miller if you’re reading this, I expect lessons when I get home.) Things never go as well as planned, and honestly it’s better that way. You have more surprising adventures, and you gain more confidence in yourself when you reach your goals with the improvised route :)

Top of the volcano

We ended up taking a bus to the cable car, and took the cable car halfway up. Kirsten didn’t book her permit to hike to the top early enough for the morning sessions, and instead had booked an afternoon session. What I thought was a minor error before turned out for the better. Since we had a few mishaps in the morning, we couldn’t even use the morning permit I booked!




Success. We made it to the top! The views are phenomenal. I’ve always imagined the crater of a volcano to resemble something of a hole, rather than a large bowl. I wished the crater were filled with water so we could go swimming, but we were way above the clouds for any precipitation to occur. I must say it was difficult to breathe that high up; no wonder birds have the most efficient respiratory system.








After taking numerous photos, we ended up having a little picnic at the top of the mountain :)





xoxo,
Amy

Puerto de la Cruz

Only in Tenerife can you get 70-degree weather at the end of November. Beautiful beaches, great food, and cheap alcohol tend to attract high school seniors during spring break. Tenerife did indeed attract “seniors.” The island was crowded with people the age of my grandparents!




 Here’s a brief preview of the “Hotties.”

Our sweet dates! 

You know what they say, age is just a number. 






Thanks for the shots boys ;)

xoxo,

Amy

Moulin Rouge

We snuck in a photo :)

“Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce coir?” Do these famous lyrics ring a bell? Kirsten and I thought we would start our trip off right, with a bunch of naked dancing women and some champagne!

The lip syncing was mediocre, but the overall show was fantastic! I think the show could be a bit more cohesive, because it felt like a circus. There were acrobats, gigantic snakes, a “talking” dog, ponies, a juggler, a ventriloquist, and dancers. I would recommend everyone to see the show, but maybe not with your parents. It’s a bit awkward with breasts flying around.








xoxo,
Amy

Warning: Don't feed the Europeans!

Grrrr!

The Americans and I thought we would throw a little fiesta for our Italian and Spanish friends, Tex-mex style. So on Tuesday, I made 3 batches of guacamole, a batch of queso, and seasoned the fajita meat. Megan attempted to mix margaritas, which turned out a wee bit on the stronger side. Haven made enough salsa to feed an army and Darren grilled the fajita meat… men and the grill. Ha.

The fiesta turned out to be a success!

xoxo,

Amy

Twice with rice!

(2005) 6 and half years and still going strong! :) 

The rice I’m referring to isn’t the small grain that you would find along your kung pao chicken, but my best friend, Kirsten Rice. She will be coming to Europe in 2.5 weeks, and I am beyond ecstatic to see her! We’ll be going together to visit Paris, Tenerife, Seville, and Granada!

I’ve been spending all week reserving our flights, hotels, and activities. I was so excited; I even made a 30-page powerpoint highlighting all of our plans. I guess it’s just the business student in me, to not only make an itinerary, but to also make it visually pleasing. Hahah okay okay, whatever I’ll admit I’m a loser. :)

Anyways what I was getting to is I probably won’t travel anywhere in the next 2 weeks, so my blog posts won’t be too exciting. Unless I get arrested or something, but let’s hope that doesn’t happen.



xoxo,

Amy

HelloWeeny

White trash & Aerobics instructor

Halloween falls on a Monday this year. Although Halloween isn’t as big of a deal in Europe as it is in America, that doesn’t stop non-Americans from celebrating this holiday… even if they don’t know what exactly Halloween is.

A conversation with my friend Alvaro from Spain:

Alvaro: “Amy, I need to organize a party for Halloween… how do I do it?”

Me: “Costumes and lots of alcohol.”

Alvaro: “That’s it? Are you sure I don’t need anything else, I want to do it right.”
Me: “ Ya, that pretty much sums up Halloween… I’ll make some orange-slice jello shots!”

Alvaro: “Okay! I’ll make sangria! So I can throw it tomorrow?”
Me: “Halloween is on the 31st, but yes you can throw a party tomorrow.”

Alvaro: “Ohh… okay I’ll throw it Monday.”

“Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat!”

"Je suis déchets!!!"

I didn’t bring too many things from home, so I had to improvise on my costume. I decided to be "white trash" for Halloween. I wore a white trash bag as a dress, teased my hair, and put random junk such as straws in my hair. The straws became really convenient throughout the night, as many people needed straws for their drinks! haha.

By the end of the night, the number of Belgian boys I’ve spotted peeing along the side of the streets tripled! I actually saw one multi-tasker peeing while walking! Hence, why I titled this post, “Hello weeny.”




xoxo,

Amy

24 Heure Vélo

The only decent photo captured.

“24 Heure Velo” translated to English means “24 Hour Bike.” Basically, this event involves bicycles, beer, and music… for 24 HOURS.

To give you a sense of how much alcohol is consumed; this event is the 2^nd most alcohol profitable event in ALL OF EUROPE (Ocktberfest being 1^st.) So naturally, classes are cancelled all day Wednesday and the morning after.


For 24 hours, the entire city becomes one huge bicycle track surrounded by concert stages. During the race, you usually see 2 types of bicyclers: the professionals and the entertainers. The professionals are the typical people in bodysuits zooming by in their slick bikes; the entertainers are the people in costumes inching by on bicycle “floats.” Both ride their bikes for 24 hours to raise money for charity. 


Similar to ACL, multiple music stages are set up, along with beer and food tents. The only difference is beer is only 1.5 euro, and the music is free! Gotta love the Belgians ;)

I wish I had taken more photos, especially of the creative bicycle floats, but I hate being responsible for anything valuable while I’m drinking. 






xoxo,
Amy