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Julie's Graduation Photos
December 15, 2019
It's certainly been a while since I've been good about keeping up with this little corner of the internet...but the best thing about the year ending is that we revisit those resolutions we made 11 months ago, realize we haven't met them, and make a last-minute hail mary to make up for it.
Just me? Okay cool...
Back in May I had the honor of taking some graduation photos for one of the closest people in my life, Julie! This cutie graduated with a 4.0 in Marine Biology and plans to be a teacher, helping inspire other kiddos to pursue science. Literally a human cinnamon roll, and a blessing in my life.
A very belated congratulations to this human, so proud!
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.
#jessabroad ~ Weimar/Buchenwald
September 26, 2016
Our second week in Osnabrück consisted of more classes, more shopping, and preparing ourselves for our long excursion. From fighting over the laundry machines to navigating our way through Kaufland's to gather snacks for the bus ride across Germany! We left around four in the morning on Wednesday, after a night of staying up all night so we would sleep on the bus ride, headed to our first destination--Weimar! The bus ride was filled with naps, charades, and card games as we made our way to Buchenwald.
Once we arrived in Weimar and got to Buchenwald, the atmosphere completely changed. It sounds cliched to say, but it really does just feel heavier when you arrive at a place that was the site of so much hatred and suffering. Since we'd read Night by Elie Weisel in our class during the semester, this was a particularly heavy place to visit for us. The visit is hard to describe in words, and the value of the visit is more than I can describe in words; it's one thing to learn about the tragedies of the Holocaust in a classroom or from a book, but to see firsthand where these things actually took place is more valuable than all of the information you can read or absorb during a lecture.
#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.
Dealing with the Feels ~ Stress in School Part 2
September 18, 2014
So, now that you know EVERYONE deals with stress, the question that presents itself is:
How do I deal with it?
I've found over the past four years that I have three main ways of reducing school-induced stress. These won't work for everyone, but it's how I've managed to stay sane despite the incredible work load I deal with.
1. Figure out what is causing you the most stress, and tackle it a little bit at a time. Whether it be a project, college apps, or studying for tests, breaking stuff up works wonders. Sit down with a calendar or a sheet of paper, write EVERYTHING you have to do, then number it by priority. Then, take the top three of those and break them down over a week. This accomplishes two main things: it keeps you from feeling overwhelmed at the size of a major assignment and helps you eliminate procrastination.
2. Find something, NOT SCHOOL RELATED, to do in your free time. Now, don't get me wrong: if you want to spend your free time researching historical events because that's what makes your blood rush, go for it. But for me, I find that doing something to take away from school really helps me relax. Go for a walk, go shopping, play ten hours of Minecraft, read a book. Do something that is a change of pace from every day events. This will give you a chance to breathe, take a step back, and just enjoy some of your time.
3. Talk to someone. This is probably the hardest out of all of these. I hate burdening people with my problems, so I'm the kind of person to just brood over anything that's bothering me, but getting something off your chest does wonders for the soul. Look for a friend or sibling who will put up with a vent session. Go for a coffee, and let loose the frustrations! If you're like me and have a hard time telling other people your problems, start a journal. Journaling can be like a conversation, but no one else has to know anything you say. Or, if you want to be really cool, you can even start a blog!
There are so many other ways to reduce stress, and if you're feeling the pressure, try something. It's better to go on a fifteen minute walk than to let something stir inside of you. Stress sucks, as we've established, and it is a necessary evil of our lives, but it can be dealt with!
And if none of these sound interesting to you, my personal favorite way to deal with stress: naptime!
How do I deal with it?
I've found over the past four years that I have three main ways of reducing school-induced stress. These won't work for everyone, but it's how I've managed to stay sane despite the incredible work load I deal with.
1. Figure out what is causing you the most stress, and tackle it a little bit at a time. Whether it be a project, college apps, or studying for tests, breaking stuff up works wonders. Sit down with a calendar or a sheet of paper, write EVERYTHING you have to do, then number it by priority. Then, take the top three of those and break them down over a week. This accomplishes two main things: it keeps you from feeling overwhelmed at the size of a major assignment and helps you eliminate procrastination.
2. Find something, NOT SCHOOL RELATED, to do in your free time. Now, don't get me wrong: if you want to spend your free time researching historical events because that's what makes your blood rush, go for it. But for me, I find that doing something to take away from school really helps me relax. Go for a walk, go shopping, play ten hours of Minecraft, read a book. Do something that is a change of pace from every day events. This will give you a chance to breathe, take a step back, and just enjoy some of your time.
3. Talk to someone. This is probably the hardest out of all of these. I hate burdening people with my problems, so I'm the kind of person to just brood over anything that's bothering me, but getting something off your chest does wonders for the soul. Look for a friend or sibling who will put up with a vent session. Go for a coffee, and let loose the frustrations! If you're like me and have a hard time telling other people your problems, start a journal. Journaling can be like a conversation, but no one else has to know anything you say. Or, if you want to be really cool, you can even start a blog!
There are so many other ways to reduce stress, and if you're feeling the pressure, try something. It's better to go on a fifteen minute walk than to let something stir inside of you. Stress sucks, as we've established, and it is a necessary evil of our lives, but it can be dealt with!
And if none of these sound interesting to you, my personal favorite way to deal with stress: naptime!
Stress in School ~ Part 1
September 11, 2014
Well, we're well into the school year. Schedule changes are long since settled, homework loads are starting to regulate, and grades are starting to roll in. Basically, school is back to normal. For many students, myself included, school creates stress. This is completely understandable; we have teacher/parent expectations to uphold, social needs to fill, and sleep quotas to meet.
I'd think most people would agree stress sucks. It isn't unique to school, employees have bosses to please, deadlines to meet, adults have bills to pay, etc. But personally, I believe that it falls short on adults the stress that we deal with on a day to day basis.
For example, my day starts at 5:30. I'm at school by 6:30, normally reviewing notes, literature, or working on assignments while I wait for the first bell to ring. English starts, we complete a short classwork assignment, practice grammar, discuss literature, and take notes. Quiz on Tuesday, test Friday. The bell rings, second hour class begins. We go over notes, hold a class discussion, and try to wrap our minds our knowledge issues. Essay due Monday. Third period, history. Notes out before the bell rings, reviewing, preparing to fight for required class participation points in a class of thirty students. Take notes, and make sure to write anything that could be on an essay test. Relate it to the syllabus. IA Sources due Friday. Essay test Monday. Pop quiz in the near future. Fourth hour: Spanish. Round robin homework review, grammar lesson, class discussion. Daily homework, quiz Thursday, project due Monday. Lunch, three more classes with more tests, quizzes, and homework.
Not to mention, don't forget to work on your college applications, look for scholarships, participate in extracurricular activities, volunteer, keep a job, sleep, keep up a hobby, and hey, remember you have those exams at the end of the year, better start studying now.
I'm in no way complaining, and I understand my course selections probably account for the majority of the work I do, but this is just an example of a day at school. Seven hours spent at school, plus anywhere from one to five hours of homework every day, but school is a major cause of stress.
If you're dealing with stress caused by school, believe me, you are not alone. Everyone feels the pressure, no matter how much it seems they don't, and everyone is trying to work through it. My next couple of blog posts will deal with ways to manage stress, tips for developing (and sticking to) a schedule, focusing, and keeping up with schoolwork. I hope they help!
I'd think most people would agree stress sucks. It isn't unique to school, employees have bosses to please, deadlines to meet, adults have bills to pay, etc. But personally, I believe that it falls short on adults the stress that we deal with on a day to day basis.
For example, my day starts at 5:30. I'm at school by 6:30, normally reviewing notes, literature, or working on assignments while I wait for the first bell to ring. English starts, we complete a short classwork assignment, practice grammar, discuss literature, and take notes. Quiz on Tuesday, test Friday. The bell rings, second hour class begins. We go over notes, hold a class discussion, and try to wrap our minds our knowledge issues. Essay due Monday. Third period, history. Notes out before the bell rings, reviewing, preparing to fight for required class participation points in a class of thirty students. Take notes, and make sure to write anything that could be on an essay test. Relate it to the syllabus. IA Sources due Friday. Essay test Monday. Pop quiz in the near future. Fourth hour: Spanish. Round robin homework review, grammar lesson, class discussion. Daily homework, quiz Thursday, project due Monday. Lunch, three more classes with more tests, quizzes, and homework.
Not to mention, don't forget to work on your college applications, look for scholarships, participate in extracurricular activities, volunteer, keep a job, sleep, keep up a hobby, and hey, remember you have those exams at the end of the year, better start studying now.
I'm in no way complaining, and I understand my course selections probably account for the majority of the work I do, but this is just an example of a day at school. Seven hours spent at school, plus anywhere from one to five hours of homework every day, but school is a major cause of stress.
If you're dealing with stress caused by school, believe me, you are not alone. Everyone feels the pressure, no matter how much it seems they don't, and everyone is trying to work through it. My next couple of blog posts will deal with ways to manage stress, tips for developing (and sticking to) a schedule, focusing, and keeping up with schoolwork. I hope they help!
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