posts in
Summer
Hollywood Studios
May 20, 2019
Guess who's back! It's been a busy five months for sure, but my lack of posts really just means I have plenty of content to catch the internet up on!
This past weekend, my friend and I went to ~finally~ explore the Toy Story expansion at Hollywood Studios at WDW Orlando. I haven't been to Studios since they ruthlessly killed the Osborne Family Lights Spectacular, but I sacrificed my pain to explore the new area!
The highlights of the new Pixar area definitely include all of the detail they've worked into the park. From the little Jack-Jacks running around the Incredibles area (not forgetting to mention the "Num-Num cookies") to the detail of price stickers from Al's Toy Barn, Disney didn't skip out on the references baked into the area!
And of course, we had to stop by and visit Olaf for some warm hugs. Olaf asked if I could find a way for him to also be in stripes, I told him we'll work on that for the third movie.
Despite the heat and crowds, we had an epic Disney day! Here's to the next park day :)
St. Pete Murals - #TampaLocal
October 3, 2018 St. Petersburg, FL, USA
Anybody who knows me knows I absolutely LOVE taking cute pictures with friends. Luckily for me, St. Pete and its multitude of fabulous murals is only a short 30 minute drive across the Howard Franklin. Recently, my best friend came to visit me in Tampa, and we did what we do best: take ALL of the pictures!
Since it's still warm here in sunny south Florida, we decided to go as early as possible to avoid sweating buckets. We made it to St. Pete around 7:30 in the morning, and set off in search of pretty walls!
The easiest way to find some of these is to just search in Maps for "iguana mural" or "shark mural," or to find their location via Instagram tags. Luckily for me, I have a wonderful friend (@Karina) who takes stunning photos in St. Pete all the time, so she helped me know where to look!
St. Pete has so much to offer, from visiting the flamingoes at Sunken Gardens to searching antique stores for some vintage finds, and it's definitely worth an all day visit. And if you're already going to be there, might as well take some cute pictures to remember your time in Florida's Sunshine City!
India - The Trip!
August 13, 2017
Hi Friends!
For the majority of my time in India, I stayed at Infosys' training center in Mysore, India. This is where we had classes, from workshops to normal lectures to projects and exams, and spent most of our time. Mysore is in the state of Karnataka in the south of India and is known for its silks and sandalwood.
While we were in class from 9:30am-6:30pm (yikes right?), we did have the opportunity to get off campus and explore the city! Our first excursion was for Mysore local sightseeing. We visited the Mysore palace, Chamundi Hills, and had the chance to shop for Sarees!
Two hours later, we arrived in Kabini National Forest for our safari weekend. We checked into our cabins and prepared for our first safari. This probably was my absolute favorite experience in all of India. As someone who has always dabbled in wildlife photography (aka taking pictures of deer and owls in my backyard) the chance to photograph animals on safari is like, one of the coolest things I'll probably ever do. That night we explored the old English style pub before turning in and getting some sleep before our morning safari. They next morning, we went off again into the forest in search of more animals. Over the two days, we saw lots of deer, monkeys, various birds, ELEPHANTS, a tiger, and wild dogs. After the safari, we took a short boat tour of the reserve before heading back to collect our bags and check out. That evening, we took the opportunity to catch up on rest and study for our exam the next morning.
(If you want to see actual pictures of the animals, they'll be in my next post, because I had too many for this already long post oops)
The next week we spent finishing up our course, attending workshops and lectures, completing our exam, and presenting our group projects we'd put together. Most of these week included late nights in the classroom, so we didn't have any major excursions other than one trip out for dinner.
On our last day in Mysore, we finished up classes and thanked all of our instructors and those who supported us during our stay. That evening, we got dressed and headed out for our final night in the city. We visited Mysore palace again, to see the palace lighting. Before the lights, we were able to explore the palace grounds, including visiting the elephant garden! And one of the coolest things of the trip- we rode elephants in India. Finally, we headed back to see the palace lighting. After the lights, we headed to dinner, watching the India-Pakistan cricket game, had some Kingfishers, and reflected on our first two weeks so far.
The next morning, we were off to Bangalore for a tour of Infosys' headquarters. We were given a tour of their campus and had the opportunity to meet some of the executives of the office. After the campus tour, we headed out into the city to explore for the afternoon. We split up into two groups, as Macy and I were determined to get most of our shopping out of the way, and the boys were after a bar. We headed toward commercial street, shopping and haggling for scarves, skirts, bangles, tea, and so much more. Despite the gloomy weather, we had a very productive couple of hours before meeting up with the boys and taking the metro back to our bus to head back to Mysore.
The next day was our final local excursion to Sravanabelagola, a thousand-year-old temple. We left our shoes and began the long ascent up the mountain, which me + altitude made for a very unhappy camper, but the view and temple were well worth a little altitude sickness. The first plateau features a temple and various ruins of other structures, and after yet more stairs, you reach the main temple. This features a 58ft tall statue, the largest monolithic statue in the world. The views from this hill were amazing, and walking through a structure that old was surreal. We headed back down the hill, grabbed some lunch (and well deserved Pepsi's), and headed back to Mysore to pack and prepare for our flight the next day.
The next morning, we were up bright and early for our drive to Bangalore and subsequent flight to Delhi. Once we arrived, we grabbed some lunch before beginning the five hour drive to Agra. We all immediately passed out, only waking up for food. Once we arrived in Agra, we checked into our hotel, exploring a bit before getting ready for dinner. We stayed at the Taj Gateway Hotel, which was amazing, with probably the comfiest bed I've ever slept in. That night, we were treated to dinner at the ITC Delhi by a friend of our professor's who lives in the area, sampling various kebabs and wine. This was one of my favorite nights of the trip, because we all just relaxed and had the chance to just sit and talk and get to know each other a little more!
The next morning, we woke up even earlier and headed to the Taj Mahal. Even saying that now, a month later, I get goosebumps! We were fortunate enough to be golf carted to one of the gates, and our tour guide began explaining the history and construction process of the Taj. When I say this was one of the most incredible buildings I've ever seen, I'm not exaggerating. Once you walk through the main gate and see the Taj, it's almost like stepping into a frozen moment in time; even though there was restoration going on, you truly get to feel as if you've stepped back to the time it was built. We made our way across the grounds to the actual building. We entered the marble structure, visiting the tomb, before making our way out to the riverside. After taking around 200 pictures, we headed off toward the hotel to freshen up before breakfast.
Our professor's friend hosted us for breakfast, allowing us to visit his home and serving us a traditional north Indian meal. We thanked our host, and headed back to the bus for one last stop in Agra. We visited a marble store, featuring various kinds of handicrafts made with the same techniques as the inlays in the Taj. One of the weirdest experiences in the whole trip, we stopped at an Indian Walmart for snacks on our way back to Delhi, which turned out to basically be a Sam's type store. We stocked up on a box of KitKats and a box of gum packets, picking up some other snacks throughout the store on our way out. We finished our shopping, and said goodbye to Agra, ready for our last few days in Delhi!
Our final days in Delhi were spent shopping and relaxing, as we'd had an incredible three weeks. We caught up on our rest at our hotel, the Lemon Tree Delhi, relaxing at the pool and trying the different restaurants each evening. During the days, we took a bus tour past the various embassies and sights, from the India Gate to the official government buildings, and explored Sarojini Nagar and Janpath markets. I loved being able to shop in these markets, because it was so relaxed and we were finally comfortable enough to be able to haggle and really get into the authentic nature of the market atmosphere. Our final evening, we had a long lunch before heading to the airport to be dropped off. Slowly, we all said our goodbyes and caught our flights to various destinations. I, amazingly, had a layover at Heathrow and got to say hello to London again this summer for a few hours, before finally landing back in the States, to a much needed Starbucks coffee that my parents so lovingly had waiting for me when they picked me up.
Overall, my experience this summer was incredible, and even this long, LONG post can't possibly describe how wonderful this trip was. Since I'm entering my final year of school, this trip is one of the last major experiences I'll have in college, and I'm so pleased I get to carry all I learned, both academically and personally, with me in my future endeavors.
This is the master post of my India trip, covering what I did while there, the best foods, and my overall experience! I'm going to have one post with my top five favorites, so if long posts aren't your thing, be sure to check out that one for the highlights!
For the majority of my time in India, I stayed at Infosys' training center in Mysore, India. This is where we had classes, from workshops to normal lectures to projects and exams, and spent most of our time. Mysore is in the state of Karnataka in the south of India and is known for its silks and sandalwood.While we were in class from 9:30am-6:30pm (yikes right?), we did have the opportunity to get off campus and explore the city! Our first excursion was for Mysore local sightseeing. We visited the Mysore palace, Chamundi Hills, and had the chance to shop for Sarees!
The first weekend was our first long excursion. We woke up early Saturday morning and headed for Bylkauppe Tibetan Monastery. This was one of the coolest places we saw, because it truly felt like we'd been transported to Tibet without having left India. We toured the compound, led around by two student monks. After some shopping, we loaded into the bus and headed to our next destination.
Two hours later, we arrived in Kabini National Forest for our safari weekend. We checked into our cabins and prepared for our first safari. This probably was my absolute favorite experience in all of India. As someone who has always dabbled in wildlife photography (aka taking pictures of deer and owls in my backyard) the chance to photograph animals on safari is like, one of the coolest things I'll probably ever do. That night we explored the old English style pub before turning in and getting some sleep before our morning safari. They next morning, we went off again into the forest in search of more animals. Over the two days, we saw lots of deer, monkeys, various birds, ELEPHANTS, a tiger, and wild dogs. After the safari, we took a short boat tour of the reserve before heading back to collect our bags and check out. That evening, we took the opportunity to catch up on rest and study for our exam the next morning.(If you want to see actual pictures of the animals, they'll be in my next post, because I had too many for this already long post oops)
The next week we spent finishing up our course, attending workshops and lectures, completing our exam, and presenting our group projects we'd put together. Most of these week included late nights in the classroom, so we didn't have any major excursions other than one trip out for dinner.
On our last day in Mysore, we finished up classes and thanked all of our instructors and those who supported us during our stay. That evening, we got dressed and headed out for our final night in the city. We visited Mysore palace again, to see the palace lighting. Before the lights, we were able to explore the palace grounds, including visiting the elephant garden! And one of the coolest things of the trip- we rode elephants in India. Finally, we headed back to see the palace lighting. After the lights, we headed to dinner, watching the India-Pakistan cricket game, had some Kingfishers, and reflected on our first two weeks so far.
The next morning, we were off to Bangalore for a tour of Infosys' headquarters. We were given a tour of their campus and had the opportunity to meet some of the executives of the office. After the campus tour, we headed out into the city to explore for the afternoon. We split up into two groups, as Macy and I were determined to get most of our shopping out of the way, and the boys were after a bar. We headed toward commercial street, shopping and haggling for scarves, skirts, bangles, tea, and so much more. Despite the gloomy weather, we had a very productive couple of hours before meeting up with the boys and taking the metro back to our bus to head back to Mysore.The next day was our final local excursion to Sravanabelagola, a thousand-year-old temple. We left our shoes and began the long ascent up the mountain, which me + altitude made for a very unhappy camper, but the view and temple were well worth a little altitude sickness. The first plateau features a temple and various ruins of other structures, and after yet more stairs, you reach the main temple. This features a 58ft tall statue, the largest monolithic statue in the world. The views from this hill were amazing, and walking through a structure that old was surreal. We headed back down the hill, grabbed some lunch (and well deserved Pepsi's), and headed back to Mysore to pack and prepare for our flight the next day.
The next morning, we were up bright and early for our drive to Bangalore and subsequent flight to Delhi. Once we arrived, we grabbed some lunch before beginning the five hour drive to Agra. We all immediately passed out, only waking up for food. Once we arrived in Agra, we checked into our hotel, exploring a bit before getting ready for dinner. We stayed at the Taj Gateway Hotel, which was amazing, with probably the comfiest bed I've ever slept in. That night, we were treated to dinner at the ITC Delhi by a friend of our professor's who lives in the area, sampling various kebabs and wine. This was one of my favorite nights of the trip, because we all just relaxed and had the chance to just sit and talk and get to know each other a little more!The next morning, we woke up even earlier and headed to the Taj Mahal. Even saying that now, a month later, I get goosebumps! We were fortunate enough to be golf carted to one of the gates, and our tour guide began explaining the history and construction process of the Taj. When I say this was one of the most incredible buildings I've ever seen, I'm not exaggerating. Once you walk through the main gate and see the Taj, it's almost like stepping into a frozen moment in time; even though there was restoration going on, you truly get to feel as if you've stepped back to the time it was built. We made our way across the grounds to the actual building. We entered the marble structure, visiting the tomb, before making our way out to the riverside. After taking around 200 pictures, we headed off toward the hotel to freshen up before breakfast.
Our final days in Delhi were spent shopping and relaxing, as we'd had an incredible three weeks. We caught up on our rest at our hotel, the Lemon Tree Delhi, relaxing at the pool and trying the different restaurants each evening. During the days, we took a bus tour past the various embassies and sights, from the India Gate to the official government buildings, and explored Sarojini Nagar and Janpath markets. I loved being able to shop in these markets, because it was so relaxed and we were finally comfortable enough to be able to haggle and really get into the authentic nature of the market atmosphere. Our final evening, we had a long lunch before heading to the airport to be dropped off. Slowly, we all said our goodbyes and caught our flights to various destinations. I, amazingly, had a layover at Heathrow and got to say hello to London again this summer for a few hours, before finally landing back in the States, to a much needed Starbucks coffee that my parents so lovingly had waiting for me when they picked me up.
Overall, my experience this summer was incredible, and even this long, LONG post can't possibly describe how wonderful this trip was. Since I'm entering my final year of school, this trip is one of the last major experiences I'll have in college, and I'm so pleased I get to carry all I learned, both academically and personally, with me in my future endeavors.
India - Packing & Expectations
July 29, 2017
Hi Friends!
So this summer I had the opportunity to study abroad again, by the grace of USF Ed Abroad and my sheer determination to see as much of the world on the college's dollar. After months of going back and forth trying to pick a trip to apply for, I settled on India! This post will be the first of a series on my experiences planning, packing for, and adventuring to the other side of the world!
My initial thoughts on to going to India were very mixed--it's a very diverse country, with rich culture and history, but it's also very very far away and VERY very different from anything I'd ever experienced. But, I decided that nothing ventured, nothing gained, and applied. I was also almost at a disadvantage, because as this was my second study abroad trip my expectations were very very high. Another thing was flying internationally by myself. I can say though without having gone to Europe last summer, I would not have had the mental capacity and nerve to throw myself into a trip with a higher chance of complication like this one, with various flights to catch and layovers where luggage can get lost, but in the end everything worked out fine!
My next complication was of course was what on EARTH do I pack? I scoured Pinterest, searched blogs, and started to get an idea. The difficulty for me was for three weeks, I needed business casual clothing, and believe it or not there aren't that many blog posts on what to wear for business casual in India. Luckily, this trip didn't require a large amount of travel once we got to Mysore, so I was able to pack one big suitcase with everything, rather than last year where I lived out of a backpack.
For classes, my business casual outfits switched between dress pants with simple blouses and maxi skirts with blouses. For excursion days, I packed lots of loose pants in various patterns and maxi skirts, pairing these with solid-colored v-necks or a tank and scarf. And of course, I was (as promised by every blog post out there on India) able to buy clothing there, picking up a couple skirts and another pair of pants. My biggest take away from this is pack comfortable and pack stuff you can easily rewear (i.e. the black maxi skirt I wore way too often in between washes). And remember, you will shop, and you maaayyy have to buy another suitcase in order to fit everything on the way back!
India truly is one of the most remarkable places I've been to, from exploring thousand-year-old temples to going on safari to learning from one of the biggest technology companies in the world, my experiences there are some that I will forever hold dear and ones that will help shape the way I perceive the world.
If you're interested in more about my trip, stay tuned for the rest of the posts about the places I visited, my top five takeaways from India, and why study abroad is so important today!
So this summer I had the opportunity to study abroad again, by the grace of USF Ed Abroad and my sheer determination to see as much of the world on the college's dollar. After months of going back and forth trying to pick a trip to apply for, I settled on India! This post will be the first of a series on my experiences planning, packing for, and adventuring to the other side of the world!
My initial thoughts on to going to India were very mixed--it's a very diverse country, with rich culture and history, but it's also very very far away and VERY very different from anything I'd ever experienced. But, I decided that nothing ventured, nothing gained, and applied. I was also almost at a disadvantage, because as this was my second study abroad trip my expectations were very very high. Another thing was flying internationally by myself. I can say though without having gone to Europe last summer, I would not have had the mental capacity and nerve to throw myself into a trip with a higher chance of complication like this one, with various flights to catch and layovers where luggage can get lost, but in the end everything worked out fine!
My next complication was of course was what on EARTH do I pack? I scoured Pinterest, searched blogs, and started to get an idea. The difficulty for me was for three weeks, I needed business casual clothing, and believe it or not there aren't that many blog posts on what to wear for business casual in India. Luckily, this trip didn't require a large amount of travel once we got to Mysore, so I was able to pack one big suitcase with everything, rather than last year where I lived out of a backpack.
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| Skirt Bought on Commerical Street in Banagalore |
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| Tank & Skirt from home, Scarf from CS in Bangalore |
India truly is one of the most remarkable places I've been to, from exploring thousand-year-old temples to going on safari to learning from one of the biggest technology companies in the world, my experiences there are some that I will forever hold dear and ones that will help shape the way I perceive the world.
If you're interested in more about my trip, stay tuned for the rest of the posts about the places I visited, my top five takeaways from India, and why study abroad is so important today!
#jessabroad ~ Maiwoche
July 5, 2016
During our first week in Osnabrück, we were lucky enough to experience Maiwoche, or May Week. This festival, which happens every year in Osnabrück, features live performances from bands, tons of different options for food, and market stalls selling everything from bags to sculptures made out of recycled materials.
Since we were in Osnabrück the whole week, taking classes and exploring the city, we had plenty of opportunities to visit Maiwoche each evening. I loved the atmosphere, with people enjoying each other's company, trying different drinks, and singing and dancing to the bands. The weather was gorgeous most evenings, making the sky a perfect backdrop to the lights of the rides and the aroma of all the different foods.
In front of the old church, the main keg sold the typical Maiwoche beer. This drink featured peaches soaked in alcohol, and was poured out of an enormous keg in the central tent. The main highlight of this tent were the glasses themselves; a great souvenir, we all decided to try something from the tent just for the glass itself! We all grabbed a drink to try, and spent our evening wandering, snacking, and laughing about our days.
#jessabroad ~ Keukenhof and Amsterdam
June 13, 2016
Sunday morning, we woke up, grabbed some toast for breakfast, and made our way to the train station in Leiden to catch the bus to the Keukenhof. This is one of the world's largest flower gardens, and it's open every spring in the Netherlands. We planned to meet up with some of the other members of our German class and, conveniently, we all arrived at exactly the same time!
Together, the seven of us explored the gardens. Now, I've grown up with EPCOT and the Flower and Garden festival for pretty much my entire life, but honestly nothing can compare to the flowers at the Keukenhof.
Throughout the day, we wandered through the rows and rows of flowers, listened to concerts, and explored all the different areas of the garden. We also grabbed some ice cream, and sat around and enjoyed the atmosphere.
After we finished at the gardens, we headed into Amsterdam to explore the city before dinner. We ate at a restaurant called Bulls and Dogs, featuring specialty hot dogs and, best of all, sweet potato fries! Amsterdam was amazing, from the canals to the atmosphere of the city, and I'd love to spend more time there on another trip some day in the future.
We finished our dinner and headed to the Ice Bar. Our tickets included a drink in the regular bar and two drinks in cups of solid ice inside the actual cold bar. The best part--the whole bar was pirate themed, and as anyone who knows me knows, pirates are one of my favorite things ever. After, we parted ways until the next morning and headed back for our last night in Leiden
As an end to our first weekend in Europe and our weekend in the Netherlands, visiting Amsterdam was a great stop. From the quaintness of Leiden, to the beauty of the beach, to the diversity of Amsterdam, everything in the Netherlands was absolutely amazing.
#jessabroad ~ the departure + Leiden!
June 12, 2016
About a month ago, I was in the middle of studying for finals. Stressed, buried in piles and piles of notecards, and murdering more highlighters than I care to admit, I had another challenge: pack everything I need for a month of travel into one 55L backpack. After a semester of planning, late night runs to Taco Bell while debating which museums to visit, and lots and lots of Pinterest tabs, the time was finally here. A day after my last final, I packed up my car, checked out of my dorm, and headed to the airport!
I traveled with a friend and our flight took us through Dublin to Amsterdam. Our first weekend would be spent in Leiden, a college town outside of Amsterdam. We hopped off the plane, caught a train to Leiden, and dropped our bags off at our apartment, ready to explore Leiden. But of course, first things first, food! We biked to the grocery store (side note: biking is absolutely amazing and terrifying at the same time) and prepared to make dinner. After dinner, we headed into downtown Leiden to meet our friends at a local bar. After a few drinks, some nice conversation, and another bike ride, it was the end to our first night in Europe!
The next morning, after some Hagelslag (traditional Dutch breakfast, basically sprinkles on bread) for breakfast, we headed into Leiden to explore the market. The market consisted of tons of little booths lined up along the canals, selling everything from bike locks to strawberries to fresh flowers. This made me feel like I was truly part of the town, because we got to wander the streets, try different foods, and become completely lost in the culture.
Our main goal for the market was to pick up some snacks to take with us to the beach, so after some browsing, we decided on fresh Dutch strawberries, a tomato spread, some bread, and some incredibly salty taffy. We also picked up some gummy sharks from the candy stall, because they're my absolute favorite and I couldn't resist!
My favorite part of the market had to be the fresh Stroopwafel we tried. These are super thin waffles with a layer of caramel syrup in between, and they are an absolute addiction. They also come in pre-packaged bags, and the two bags I brought home as souvenirs barely made it a week past me being home.
Finished with our shopping, we met up with some friends of our host and began the five mile bike ride to the beach. The ride was beautiful, cycling through the Dutch countryside past farms and fields of flowers. Having the opportunity to bike was amazing, because it's such an integral part of Dutch life that it helped us feel like we were part of the lifestyle. For the rest of the day, we played frisbee, walked along the shore, and relaxed in the sun, munching on our snacks from the market and chatting about our expectations for the trip. Since the sun sets so late in the Netherlands, we ended up staying at Katwijk until around 9 pm, and got to watch the sun set over the North Sea. The view was incredible, and it was a great end to a great day!
After our five-mile ride back to Leiden, we grabbed a quick shower before getting ready to visit The Hague for a drink. We took the train, and walked around the Hague before finding a table to relax at after our long day. After a bit, we headed back to Leiden to get some much needed rest. Leiden was one of my favorite cities we visited throughout my month abroad. I loved the pace of the city, from the lifestyle to the food and everything in between, it was the perfect place to start our trip!
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