Paris: Wine, Bread and More Wine

Bonjour!

Barbara and I are off to our new destination! It is unbelievable to me that I was just picnicking under the Eiffel Tower with two of my best friends from my first days of grade school. Who would have thought back in the days of gymnastics and softball that we would be traveling half way across the world together? Certainly not me. I feel so lucky everyday that I get to live this incredible life and now I am getting to share these experiences with my favorite people in the world. I figured I should highlight the first leg of our trip for anyone who is curious about traveling to Paris.

So Paris, the food is AMAZING... especially the bread. And just the other day we stumbled across a BREAD FESTIVAL(or heaven, as I like to call it). I would have paid big money to have captured the smell of that place in a box and brought it home. It was incredible. We ended up tasting a small piece of bread but buying tiny doughnuts that would have all of the "common white girls" in America hating on Dunkin. And speaking of Dunkin Dounuts, I have been drinking coffee like a maniac. There is just something magical about sitting in a cafe and drinking a cup of coffee while watching the people of Paris navigate through their daily lives. Of course, it's always better to do with a friend. On the subject of beverages, the wine is just so darn tasty! We were drinking so much wine that Barb was stopped at security before getting on our next plane for having a wine key in her wallet. Whoops.

If you decide to visit Paris, one thing I really recommend if you have time is to take a walk through the Catacombs. Barb, Jacquelyn and I(after three or four coffees) took a walk over to see the underground tunnel of bones.  I haven't always been one for creepy/ scary places, but being in the Catacombs didn't freak me out as much as I thought. For anyone who doesn't know exactly what the Catacombs are, it is essentially an underground tunnel where approximately 6 million people were re-buried in the late 1700s.  When I say the word "re-buried" I pretty much mean that they took their bones and built the worlds largest Jenga game out of them. I don't think many people would say that being in a tunnel surrounded by 6 million skeletons is a fun experience, but the feeling I had was unlike any I have had before. As we left the tunnel, it occurred to me that I should have brought flowers, although I didn't see any while we were down there.

Onto a happier note! On our last day in Paris, Barb FINALLY got to see the Eiffel Tower. We had been so busy meeting up with friends, and friends of friends that it took us until our fourth day to really sit down and take in its beauty. I have heard people say it is overrated, but I don't think its possible for anything that size to be overrated, it is gigantic. Not only is it a pretty site, but its a great spot to just lay on the grass and have a crepe, that is if you don't mind all of the men trying to sell you a mini Eiffel Tower (just don't make eye contact).

We are now off to our next destination! I can't wait to see what is in store for us next!

Au Revoir!

Happy New Year!

My first day of 2015 has been lazy to say the least. I’ve probably eaten my weight in macaroni and cheese and watched a couple seasons of “How I Met Your Mother.” But now that the end of the day is near, I decided to take a few minutes and reflect on the past year. It’s been an incredible one. I spent four months in London, traveled Europe, spent my entire summer in LA, went to Nashville, drove up the Pacific Coast with one of my best friends since first grade, I ran my first 5K, moved back in with my parents, I got a phone call from the Ellen DeGeneres Show and Taylor Swift put out the best album I have ever heard.

I started 2014 off in London, how crazy is that? I still can’t believe that I spent four months in a city I barely knew thousands of miles away from my home. I always knew London would be something special for me, but I never could have guessed I would walk away with so many friendships. Not a day goes by that I don’t speak to someone who went on that trip with me and I cannot be more grateful for each and every one of them. Not to mention the other friends I made along the way, they may be thousands of miles away, but I still speak to them on a regular basis.

London was filled with so many firsts. I stayed in my first hostel, I went to four new countries and I ate Indian for the first time. I spent my days roaming the streets trying new restaurants, exploring parks, strolling through markets and making memories with my new friends. But eventually my wonderful life in London came to an end and I had to go home. I’ve never felt such a mix of emotions, I was excited to see my family and friends but I wasn’t ready to leave the city I fell in love with and more importantly my new friends.

Luckily I didn’t have much time to be upset. I was only home for two weeks before I flew out to the West Coast, where I spent my summer. It might seem impossible, but living in Los Angeles was more life changing than London. I loved London, small things went wrong but at the end of the day I could step in dog poop and not even be mad about it because I was in London. But Los Angeles… I hated the place. I hated driving 20 minutes to get everywhere, I hated how far away the beach was and I hated listening to everyone talk about themselves. You’d think I would have had the most miserable summer living in L.A., but I didn’t because I made it work. It forced me to focus my energy on bettering my health. I spent endless hours doing yoga, hiking and running. And luckily I love everywhere else in California, so when I was having a rough day, I could drive to the coast with my new friends. There were times I wanted to quit the program fly up to San Francisco and spend the rest of my summer with my Dad’s cousins, but I didn’t. I stuck through it and I am genuinely proud of myself for it.

Then there was coming home again, but this time for good. For the first time in four years, I moved back in with my parents. It meant going through all of my things and giving away about five trash bags of clothes. It meant making another adjustment. Many people factor in culture shock when moving to a new place, but they forget about the culture shock of returning home. Not only did I move back home, but I was out of the city, away from most of my friends and living with my parents. It may have been the biggest adjustment I have made all year. But after figuring it all out, I am appreciating home more than ever. 

So thank you to everyone who has been in my life this year, old and new. You have all made it the most wonderful year I could have ever dreamed of!

Cheers!

Emily 

We Learn Something New Each Day!

Something I have recently learned about myself is that I love learning. Not necessarily in a classroom, but in everyday life. We learn something new each day, especially when traveling. In the past year I have been to quite a few different countries and with each trip I pick up a new tip for myself. I think it is important to remind ourselves of the lessons we've learned and the mistakes we've made in each place we visit so they don’t happen again. So now I would like to share with you the top ten things I have learned while traveling. These are things I try to remind myself, if they don’t ring true to you, listen to your own lessons. We all take something different away from each experience.

Top ten things I learned while Traveling (I like lists, what can I say?):

1.     We are all connected in some way. What I mean by this is that no matter where you are in the world, who you’re speaking to or what you’re doing, you can find similarities to your own life. Yes, there are places in this world that are so different from where you live that you would think they aren't on the same planet. This doesn't mean the people there don’t have the same wants and dreams as you do.

2.    Be respectful. Luckily this was something instilled in my brain my whole life. But in different countries this can be something completely different than what you are accustomed to. Because each country is different, I find it important to do some research before I head off on a journey. Check to see what is appropriate to wear, how people greet each other, how loud they speak to each other (this one is super important). In a different country, you are the guest and as I’m sure your Mother told you, be respectful in someone else’s home.

3.    Get lost. There is nothing wrong with getting lost. I try my best to not look at maps while traveling, especially when I have the time. You would not believe the wonderful things I have stumbled across while being completely lost. The best things in life aren’t planned.

4.    Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If you do get lost and you don’t like it, ask for help! I am not sure where this fear of asking questions came from, but we all have it. There is no shame in not knowing where you’re going. I guarantee if you ask someone for directions, they won’t judge you. That being said, I wouldn't suggest going up to someone who looks like they may slice your head off in a back alley, be smart about it.

5.    Love where you’re from. It’s what made you YOU! For years I was ashamed to be from Philadelphia, maybe it was because I didn't see what made it different. I wanted to be the person who was from Barcelona or London. But what I've learned is that not many people are impressed by where they are from for the same reasons you are. When you travel to another city, you learn that most people are fascinated by where you came from because it’s different from where they are from. I now realize how wonderful Philadelphia is and that we have SO much to offer.  

6.    Submerse yourself in other cultures. I know it can seem scary to try different foods, go to different churches and speak a different language, but it’s how we learn. One of my favorite things I did while studying abroad was spend a day in a Seek Temple. Everyone in my group was so nervous on our way in, we knew we would stand out. But our nerves were at ease when we walked in and were immediately greeted by a member of the community who offered to feed us and give us a tour. I think about this day more often than not, before I stepped foot into that Temple I had no knowledge of Indian culture or how incredibly peaceful it is.

7.    Have a little faith in humanity. Unfortunately, there is a lot of hate in this world. But what I have realized is that the good outweighs the bad. I think our society has labeled people as inherently bad, but if you look around you’ll find that is not true. There is so much good in the world, we just have to open our eyes to it.  

8.    Eat and Shop Local. Not only does this give you a taste of what it’s really like to live in the city you’re visiting, but it saves you MONEY! Eating right next to the Vatican or Parliament or whatever other attraction you are visiting can be the biggest expense of your trip. Not only will eating further away from common attractions save you money but I can almost guarantee you will have a much better meal. This is something I try to remind myself when I am getting “hangry” (so hungry that you feel like you could punch someone in the face for a cracker). Bring a snack with you while hitting big attractions so you can give yourself enough time to make it to that small Curry House that a local told you they eat at every Sunday. I promise you won’t regret it.

9.       Don’t be afraid to be a tourist every once in awhile. I know this contradicts my last lesson, but let yourself be a tourist before heading to that tiny market that you heard a local talking about. No one will blame you if you have a burning desire to spend a day in Piccadilly Circus or want to eat at a Tapas bar on Las Ramblas. These places are designed to be made easier for a new visitor, get all your silly cultural mistakes out of the way here and then move onto the more local spots. I particularly like taking a bus tour on the first day in a new city. It may seem lame, but it is the best way to get a layout of the city. Once you get a handle on it you can stop carrying around a bulky map!

10.    WALK! Why spend money on transportation when you can see the city and walk? Not only does walking allow you to see more parts of the city but hey, it might burn off that baguette you ate for breakfast. I have noticed myself doing this in Philadelphia more often and I have discovered things in my own city that I never knew existed.

11.   BONUS TIP: Be careful while taking the classic “Phone booth” London photo. Have you ever been to Vegas? If you have, you may remember a certain group of men handing out nude photographs on the street. This happens in London, but in a different way. These photo cards are being stuck to phone booths, and yes people take photos in front of them without knowing it. I never thought of this until my favorite travel writing professor pointed out in class one night.. I rethought every photo I took on the streets of London. Please, just take a quick peak before you accidentally take a photo of your child in front of a nude woman.

--Cheers--

Emily Anne 

So What! (25 Facts About Me)

Hi!

My name is Emily and as you can see, this is not my first attempt at writing a blog. For years I have wanted to start a blog and I have never been able to pick one subject to write about. I have written endless amounts of blog posts while traveling but I never post them because “shit, what if no one wants to listen to what I have to say?”(that’s the voice in my head, by the way). But now I have come to the conclusion that I don’t need a specific reason to write, nor should I care if anyone listens to what I have to say. I just need to do it for myself, to practice my writing and to document whats going on inside my head so maybe I can remember ten years down the line. I need to stop being so scared of what people may say about my grammar skills or my thoughts and just write. So here is me saying “So What!” if I’m not the best a writing? If I am going to get better I need to practice and that is exactly what I am going to do. If I don’t post every fifth Sunday at 4:30 pm or something, So What! I am just going to have fun with it.

Welcome to my blog of thoughts. I’m not necessarily the most interesting person in the world, but who really is? So many people make up half of what they post on the internet anyway. Take Becky for instance (if you are a Taylor Swift fan you will know exactly what I’m saying here).. ok I don’t have anything else to say about that. I will do my best to make this blog sincere, because.. who’s really reading anyway? Ok, lets get to the point. Here is 25 facts about myself at the age of 22.

1. My name is Emily

2. I eat pizza at least once a week, if not more (If you don’t also, you’re lying).

3. I once got into a car accident with a hot dog stand (Sorry Joe).

4. I do not limit myself to one best friend.

5. I have major procrastination issues when it comes to school and cleaning

6. I absolutely do not have procrastination issues when it comes to planning trips and buying shoes. Its more of a tunnel vision thing.

7. I recently studied abroad in London and it was the best time of my life.

8. Although I went to school for public relations, I would really like to be a professional traveler (I made that job up).

9. I am writing this blog post while I am supposed to be writing a paper on Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

10. I think Elizabeth Cady Stanton is a cool chick.

11. If I did limit myself to one best friend, it would be Daisy(she’s a Bichon Frise).

12. I am 4’11″ and if that is not the first question you ask me when we meet, I automatically like you. If it is, I automatically do not.

13. I have seen Taylor Swift in concert 25 times. Side note: I will be speaking about her a lot in this blog.. absolutely no apologies will be given for that.

14. I recently cut 10 inches off my hair to donate and it was the most fun change I’ve have had in awhile.

15. One time I snuck into the back door of the Vatican.

16. I am an only child.

17. Because I am an only child I treat my cousins and some of my best friends as siblings.

18. I embrace change.. so much so that these 25 facts may change by tomorrow.

19. I am at a point in my life where I only do things that make me happy.. Because 22 is the age where that’s what you’re supposed to do.

20. I would love to become an event planner at some point.

21. I have recently become obsessed with taking baths.

22. I have an ugly middle finger nail.

23. I love to meditate and do yoga.

24. I am what some would like to call a “shopaholic”. I have gotten much better in the past few months, but there is still some work to do.

25. Most of my shoes are from the children’s section.

Cheers!

Emily Anne