VEGAS!!! WOOOHHHH!!!!

What was I doing in Vegas??

Family vacation. Yes, I understand it is an odd place to have a family vacation and yes, I am only 18, but I had plenty of fun while we were there. So my family wanted to go on vacation over winter break and Vegas had a cheap flight ticket so we were like why not?

We headed on this seven day journey a few days before Christmas. The first two days we spent on the Strip. It was fun walking through every hotel. All of them had beautiful festive decorations up and they had gorgeous architecture. My mother was fascinated by all the different themes that each particular hotel had. For the first three nights we watched shows. Two of them were Cirque du Soleil and those were just mesmerizing. We went to both O and Ka, water and fire, and each of them were very different but both of them were phenomenal. Then we also went to see David Copperfield who made a kid disappear, a UFO appear, and guessed the future. Who knows how?

But, my favorite part of the trip was being able to go hiking and see all the natural wonders around. One day we went to Valley of Fire State Park. That place was not to far away from the Strip and was absolutely gorgeous. My brother and I both love hiking and climbing rocks, so we got to do a lot of that there. It was just a wonderful and beautiful experience. We also went to the Grand Canyon, again very stunning, except for the icy parts and when I slipped in fell. It's my brother's fault even though he disagrees. My family also did a hike from Lake Mead to the Hoover Dam where we walked through tunnels and saw gorgeous views once again. The hike was long, it got dark, the park was closing, and my mom was terrified we would not be able to get back to the car in time of the trail closing, which made for a stressful but hilarious walk back. Then the last day, we went to Death Valley and hiked, climbed rocks,drove through beautiful nature, walked on salt flats, saw the sunset on the sand dunes. Oh my god, it was just wonderful. Words cannot describe how beautiful it was. Sometimes just walking around in nature is just the best thing to do while on vacation. I absolutely loved it.

Oh my god, I almost forgot to talk about where I stayed and ate, two very important things. So, we stayed in the Palazzo, and it was a magnificent room with a great view. I got to sleep on the bed every night so that made me really happy, well I refused to give it up, but still I got to sleep on the bed so it was great. I don't get that in college so I needed that. Plus, the curtains were remote controlled so I played with those a lot, especially when the rest of my family would be partaking in 21+ activities and I could not. We would eat two meal a day and all of them were wonderful. Everyday we would attempt to wake up early, but that did not really work out. So, we ate a lot of brunch, which I love. We went to the Bellagio buffet, The Grand Lux Cafe, Paris Baguettes, and Nook Cafe which had a delicious Banh mi. So good!! Then we'd eat dinner at like 9 at night. Most of the time we stayed in the hotel because it was easier that way. We went to Sushisamba, a really fancy French Restaurant, got some Italian food, and just a lot of other places. Basically all the food was great, the hotel was great, and the vacation which was much needed was spectacular. I loved it even as a person who was not of age to do what Las Vegas is famous for. 

Oh, but I will for sure go after I'm 21, its an experience I feel like I need to have, just for the fun of it. Ok talk to you in March when I head to Peru. BYES!!

I'M BAACCKKK!!! Oh and Montreal

Hey, what's up hello. I'm back guys, aren't you all excited. All 0 of the people who are reading this post, but that is completely fine with me, because I am technically writing this post for myself.

So let me catch you up on the year I've had since I have stopped. It was quite eventful, I mean I started and surprisingly finished senior year. Oh what a great year, I made some wonderful memories. I spent every moment I possibly could with some of my best friends that will remain my best friends forever, hopefully, who knows it takes a lot of work to keep in touch. I did all the senior year things, like apply to college for one, go to prom, and actually walk across the stage and get a diploma. I moved out of Cedar Rapids and ended up in the wonderful city of... CLEVELAND!!! (Yes, I go to Case Western, and yes it is the same place my brother goes. I am my own individual please leave me alone.)

So as you can tell, not much has happened in the past year at all. But this past weekend, let me tell you about that. I went to Montreal because we had fall break, and it was a wonderful trip. I decided to try something new out; I mean this blog exists from ages ago because I was forced to write it, and now I thought why not write about my trip. It is like my memory journal and no one will ever read it, so why not.

So let's get started!!!

Day 1: I arrived in Montreal after a long over night bus which I slept 0 hours on. No I am not salty at all. Not to mention the fact that it was raining and snowing in Montreal when I arrived, but who cares because I was on break!!! So I dropped my stuff off, and three of my other friends, oh I got to do a quick side note now. Before going on this trip I was trying to find some close friends from college to go with me, but most were going home or didn't want to pay. I was not about to head back home so I was like whatever, I'm gonna buy a ticket and have my own fun. Luckily in line, I ran into three friends and that's who I hung out with in Montreal. Ok, back to the story. Where was I? Right, ok dropping stuff off. Then we headed out to get brunch and I got hot chocolate and FRUIT!!! I haven't had fruit in so long, like actual, good looking, healthy, tasty fruit. It was so good. Then we went shopping on the streets, I bought souvenirs and nothing else shockinlgy. I showed great restraint. We also went to the underground city, which was a giant mall, again I showed great restraint, mainly because I was tired from my 0 sleep, not like I was mad at the bus or anything. I just hate sleeping on busses and planes and all that. Well here comes the good part, just kidding, it just felt nice, I took a nap. Then woke up and went to an over priced French restaurant, that was very pretty and had an indoor garden, but served 3 spoons of soup for $9 and duck risotto for $18. We are broke college students and can't deal with all of that. Then we went to a burger place to get more food and other stuff and it was great. I bought chocolate, typical.

Day 2: So goal of fall break, catch up on sleep and have lots of fun exploring. That's what we did. I slept in so late that day. But then we went to the Basilica and Old Montreal and my god it was beautiful. The place is very European but also has western influences. I love being able to walk down the middle of a street in a pathway with all these cute little buildings around with quaint, indie shops. But, then we'd go to another part and it'd be urban central, oh so great. Oh and we went to the Olympic stadium, biodome, botanical gardens, and by that I mean we were cheap and saw them from the outside but they were still cool. That night my friend got sick so we just ended up watching a movie, The Martian, it was hilarious "I'm a space pirate!" Best of all, I had poutine!! It was at this cheap place called Pattati Pattata, and we walked a mile in the freezing cold to get there. It was late and night and quite sketchy so ya that happened.

Day 3: Last day, woke up late again, checked out, grabbed bagels. We went to the lookout and on a hike. Our uber dropped us off in the wrong place so we tried to climb through the backyards of rich Canadians to the trail, but then got stuck and it was awkward. Finally we found the trail and walked through the woods in order to cut through the trail, but ended up on the wrong side, eventually finding the lookout with such a beautiful view. After we headed back to the same place to eat because one of our friends ditched us the night before but still wanted to go there, plus it was cheap and I had $5 to spend. The meal was delicious and then began our hunt for Kinder eggs, which involved visiting 6 stores till we found the cheapest, even though the sketchy store next to the metro where we bought them at was not the cheapest. We had time constraints, sorry. Sadly, it was time to leave when we got back to the hotel. 

Now I am back at school and vacation is over sadly. But on the bright side, I had a phenomenal time there and we smuggled back Kinder Eggs, so might as well call it a success. We are criminals. Oh, you would think I would've changed with the rambling and became more mature, but nah, where's the fun in that. Ok till my next trip, I shall go now. It is very late, this happens every night, I need to stop, ok bye guys. Montreal is great, I had fun, and now I'm ready to continue adventuring and writing for my own memory.

Goodbye Friends.

It is the last week of blogging and this is going to be my last blog. When I started this, I had no idea what I was doing, and I probably still don’t. But, I found that just sitting in front of the computer and typing about whatever topic you wanted, was the easiest way to get a great post. The best posts come from passion.

This year has not been the best year for me. I was not a fan of junior year, but I do need to thank everyone that was a part of making this year better on those terrible days. One of those people would be you. Yes you, the person who is reading this.

I am still the same person who wrote the About Me at the beginning of the year. Yes, I am as weird as it probably portrayed. But, one thing has changed, because now I can easily write a first draft of something that sounds decent. I’m going to let you in on a little secret, it took me a while to write my about me and come up with that verbal vomit of me rambling as I am doing right now. However, this blog has taught me to focus, to explore ideas that I would never look at, especially ones that I really enjoy, rather than restricting me like every other English class I have taken.

I feel like this post is going to be cheesy, but honestly, I did not think I would enjoy this at the beginning, having to write three times a week, but it became easier and I actually started to like it. Once the juices started to flow, I could go on and on about a subject. The thing is, I liked something and I went on with it. I feel I chose a topic for this blog that I enjoyed and I can’t believe I talked about it for a whole year. In this blog I got to say things and research things and talk about things that I usually would not. I was able to give advice, rant, and just have fun, all because you gave me the opportunity to do so by reading this silly blog.

 I had a great time writing this blog this year and if I could give you one tip, try it out. It is not too bad and writing is a way to get lost in your dreams and ideas. Writing takes you into another world and allows you to escape. So, to you who read my blog, if you are travelers, document your travels on a blog. If you are a regular person struggling to get through the last month of school, write a blog or journal just to get your feelings out, because that is not something we all do.

Thank you for everything. Now it is time to go, I may cry. Goodbye friends. Despedida. وداعا. Au revoir. Auf Wiedersehen. Afscheid. Paalam na. 再见.  Arrivederci. Hwyl fawr. ลาก่อน. до свидания. 안녕히 가세요. さようなら. Αντίο. नमस्ते. குட்பை. Goodbye.

(Thanks Google Translate)

Dance Like No One Is Around

I cannot believe I have not done a post about dances around the world. I have done almost everything else, and I never did something about my favorite thing in the world. Currently, I am in disbelief and am very angry with myself, but let’s get over that, and write you a killer post on dances around the world.

Dancing is one of the best things in the world, next to travelling, eating, and sleeping, comes dancing. Honestly, I could not imagine a world without dancing. It is way for one to express oneself, it does not even matter if you are bad, and that is how you are expressing yourself. My favorite thing about dancing is that you can escape into the music and explore a different world, which are your imaginations and ideas that come together and hopefully go to the beat. If they don’t that’s ok. Just a reminder, if you are told that you are a bad dancer, don’t listen to anyone. It is not about how good you are, that is what is so cool about dance, it is about expression, just like making a statement with fashion, so tell them to shut up and just keep dancing.

Here is a look at some of the dances from all around the world. There are so many forms of dances.  Nowadays, twerking is all the hype, but there is so much more to dancing than moving your butt or gyrating.

Ballet is one form of dance that is all about grace and beauty. It started during the Italian Renaissance in the 15^th century, and is now a widely practiced dance that shows the elegance of people. Similarly, tap and jazz are also quite popularly learned, especially here in America. Tap is when small metal plates on the shoes of dancers hit the floor making a tapping sound and was started in the US. Now, more popularly we have break dancing, which looks so cool and probably takes a ton of skill. It is very athletic and visual, that started in NYC area in 1970s by African Americans and Puerto Rican youth.

Then we have all the dance styles that happen on the ballroom floor. There is the waltz, a dance to slow and melodic music require delicate movements that flow well. Polka is a central European dance and swing is a group of dances in the style of jazz music. These types of dances typically require partners, usually a man and a woman, but does it really matter now.  For feistier partner dances, there is the tango, salsa, and fandango. The flamenco is pretty feisty too.

Dances from other places include Kekak Trance dance, an Indonesian performance to connect with ancestral spirits. Capoeira is a Brazilian dance martial arts mix, similar to Shaolin Monk Dance. Celestial dance is Cambodian and depicts stories of the country’s past. Belly dancing is done in the Middle East, and we all know what that is. Kabuki is a Japanese dance drama, while the Lion dance is from China and the performers wear lion costumes whiling mimicking its actions. Cossack Dance is from Ukranie and uses a lot of acrobatic fest, jumps, spins, while Irish step dance is more of just a focus on footwork.

So, this list I am looking at, suggesting all these dances, puts them in order of what is best. Guess who shows up on there three times? The INDIANS!! That’s right, we are pretty good at dancing, from Bhangra and folk dance, to classical Bharathanatyam and Kathak, to our super famous Bollywood dance. We incorporate styles from all over the world and put it together while wearing vibrant colors. Not to brag or anything, but we are awesome. Actually, all dances in general are awesome, so try it out, doesn’t matter what gender you are, just dance.

For the list click here. 

Summer Vacation Ideas

So, summer is coming upon us. I cannot wait at all. I hope this summer is one memorable and crazy summer with a lot of fun adventures. Last week, I gave you tips on summer break travelling and just summer in general. This week, let’s talk about the places that are perfect for a summer break vacation.

One of the things about summer break is that it is a longer time off, allowing for a longer and nicer vacation. By this, I mean people can travel further and for a longer time. So, here are some of the great summer vacations for 2014.

Hawaii, everyone has always wanted to see this beautiful state. Though its part of the U.S., it is so far away from the majority of us and is this beautiful, exotic place. It has gorgeous scenery, and the verdant color just stands out to the eye. The beaches are amazing for water activity and this Hawaii, specifically Maui, is an amazing place to get some sun, surf on the beaches, and explore the beautiful scenery.

San Francisco is a great place to go year around, however, summer time means better weather. This coastal city off of California has a lot of places to see. It has an amazing vibe that most people fall in love with. It is just a good place to spend time with friends or family and explore the city. With its diversity, there are a lot of fun places to eat and see, making the experience relaxed, yet fun. Similarly, if you head a little north, you reach Seattle, another great place to vacation. It is a unique destination here in the U.S., but in summer the weather is nice, so it is one of the best times to visit the place. It has some cool buildings and things to do, both active and relaxing.

There’s always the family vacation to Yellowstone, for those here in the States. To be honest, I have never been there, but then again its always an idea that comes up and I shoot it down. This is not because it is a bad place to go, but I feel like there would not be as much to do, that I would enjoy. During a shorter vacation, I would love to go there. Yellowstone is great for family vacations though.

Heading out of the country is possible during summer break. Some of the best places to go are in Europe, including Munich, Barcelona, Paris, and Amsterdam. These big European cities each offer a unique experience during a great weather time. Visiting Europe is very different than here in the U.S. There is a lot of old culture, historical sites, museums, but also a more modern area. People can tour these cool sites, walk or bike around the streets, or just relax as they sit in a garden or a cute coffee shop. These cities allow for an experience of a different area that lives a different type of life than us, allowing us to get a great new perspective on culture.

Then, there are always the beach vacations. Everyone loves going to the tropical areas to get their tan on and do a lot of water activities and spend all their time beach side. Great places that offer this would be Fiji, Mykonos, and Nice. These areas are all amazing to go to and explore culture, but spend time on the beautiful beaches.

So, who is ready for summer? I know I am. These are some nice ideas for summer vacations this year, so have fun.

For more information click here.

AP Week

Sometimes life gives you a rough time. All you want to do is escape and break away. All you want to do is hide and keep everything within yourself. But trust me, that does not work at all. For many of us, this past week, and this upcoming week, has been and will be just crazy. All we are doing is going to school, doing all our extra stuff, then spending all of our time studying. That is what AP test week is all about. As I said, this can be pressuring and rough, but everything will get better. There are so many more things out there that are worse than AP week.

Going down the halls of Kennedy, I hear everyone talking about how bad it is and how hard it is. I am even one of these people. But then I realized, there are people who have it much worse than we do. Yes, I have four AP tests, yes all these tests have caused me to slack in other classes resulting in dropping grades, but I still have a month. There is no need to panic now, because it can only go up. Well, it can go down, but we are just going to look at the positives. So, those of you stressing this week, just take a deep breath, calm down, and take it easy. It will be over soon.

What Time Is It? Summertime. (Almost)

This week has brought us some hot temperatures here in Iowa. Going from the -50 degrees to the 90s now, creates a big change. Also, it did not make it any better that it was extremely humid and wanted to rain, but would not rain. The clouds were so thick, it was like a child was trying to cry, but couldn’t. Now, we all know what this hot weather means. SUMMERTIME!!!!

I could not be more excited for any time of year. Summer means no school, amazing weather, hanging out with your friends, and exploring avenues of life that you want to explore. Instead of sitting inside school and learning all day, you get to choose how you are going to spend these few months off.

For me, I do not get much of a break at all, but that is what I chose. With all this freedom brings out some issues, so I am going to give you a little advice.

Summer is a great time to enjoy yourself; it is a time to create memories with your friends and take part in activities you never thought of doing ever before. Also, it means you can go on summer vacation. I highly recommend this. If you get the chance to go somewhere this summer, do not deny it.

The thing about summer break, is that it is so long. We have time to go see places in the world and actually spend a good amount of time there. Instead of spending a week that we get off for Thanksgiving or Spring break, we can spend two weeks to a month in a country or continent deeply exploring the beauties. That is what is so amazing about summer travel. There is so much more time to explore the true beauty of the world.

When travelling there are always tips to keep you safe that you need to keep in mind. Do not go anywhere sketchy, especially after a certain time. Remain calm in situations that may cause panic and do not be a stupid tourist. No one likes a stupid tourist in their hometown. It could just result in a bad experience.

With that aside, try to enjoy this summer. Always make your summers memorable, so make this one memorable too. If you get the chance head outside, go to the beach, have a bonfire, watch the sunset and sunrise, have a water balloon fight. Most of all make the best of the longest vacation you get and use the time wisely. Spend it with your friends and family and make those bonds stronger.

With the little taste of summer that we received this week, I cannot wait for these 33 days to be over. I am extremely excited for junior year to be over and summer to start. It can’t come any sooner. I will be waiting and counting down the days.