tears and laughter

Los Angeles, we're coming

needless to say: The Hollywood sign

my favourite star - Johnny Cash

LA was really interesting to see because you hear about it so much, and due to the media, there's a certain expectation. The main streets are smaller than I thought they would be, but that's not necessarily a negative thing. To explore the city and walk on those famous stars was amazing; in the end they are just stars and belong to human beings, but they are still quite special and made us feel like teenagers again. The next point on our to do list was the tour around Hollywood, from Rodeo Drive to Sunset Strip to the Beverly Hills, we saw LA's highlights. The best part was obviously the Hollywood sign, which can only be seen from quite far away and under no circumstances be climbed upon like in all those romantic movies. Nevertheless it was impressive! Throughout the tour we got to see awesome villas of great celebrities and were constantly on the lookout for stars, hoping to make the most of LA.

We also visited Disneyland, which has been a big dream of me ever since I was little. It was the first time for me to see Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Pluto live and the child inside me did a happy dance.  

After some great days in LA with awesome food, fun people and lots of sightseeing we had to say good bye to the city of Angels and picked up our car to drive to San Francisco.

It wasn't just any car though, we got ourselves a Ford Mustang!! I have to say, it looks awesome and it is a great car, but I'm not really into cars anyways, Vanessa is though and yes she found her one big love. She was obsessed with that car and so sad when we had to give it back in San Francisco. I've got to admit, the car made a difference to our road trip, it felt awesome cruising around Beverly Hills and on the streets along the beach in a convertible Mustang, wearing sunglasses and singing out loud to the Spice Girls, forgetting that others could hear and see us. The ultimate dream of road trippin' came true!

Road trippin' with my favorite allies
Fully loaded we got snacks and supplies
It's time to leave this town
It's time to steal away
Let's go get lost
Anywhere in the U.S.A.

After stopping at beautiful beaches along the way and 6 hours of driving we finally arrived to San Francisco, the place I fell in love with.

San Francisco is beautiful. It is not only a city where hippies feel at home; it is rich in food culture, has the most amazing sightseeing spots and makes people simply feel welcome. San Fran is the most European city I visited in the United States and maybe that's one of the many reasons why I was so excited about it, I felt more at home there than any other city we saw during our trip. But I know part of my excitement goes back to me listening to 50/60s music, believing in harmony and loving the image of San Francisco, it's time to admit that there may be a little hippie inside of me! One of the many highlights was driving over the Golden Gate Bridge, listening to Scott McKenzie's San Francisco, I know it's so cliché but I don't care, it was a moment I will always remember. Another fun thing to do there is go down to the docks and look at the seals bathing in the sun, although they do smell a little. All in all San Fran was awesome: once again great food, fun people, shopping and lots of memories being made. By the way, if you ever go to San Fran I advise you not to drive if you're not a 100% confident driver, the up and downs of these streets are crazy!

 best Pizza in San Francisco (maybe in the whole wide world)      The Golden Gate Bridge and a beautiful view

Once again we found ourselves packing our (way too heavy) bags to go to New York, the last stop on my journey and the city I have wanted to see so badly since I was a 12 years old.
New York came very close to what I expected: big, loud, crowded and absolutely amazing!! I love big and busy cities anyways but New York and London are definitely in my top 3!

We did everything we planned on doing in New York and yet I could have stayed so much longer than 5 days and not be bored a minute, I actually already have a new list of things I want to see, experience and do in NYC the next time I go (Oh yes I'll definitely be back). The view from the Empire State Building was astonishing and the history really interesting. The Central Park is beautiful and I could imagine myself going for walks there or just sitting on a bench reading a book, I'm such a romantic, I admit. The One World Trade Center Memorial leaves you breathless and almost made me tear up; seeing all those names of innocent people who died on 9/11 is very emotional and a must see when going to the big Apple. The same goes for the Statue of Liberty, which is not only a must see but also one big story about NYC and its population. The best things about New York for me were Times Square, the buzz of the city, drinking cocktails on a rooftop bar and going to a broadway show. The great thing about the play was that James Franco was starring in it but most of all that it was telling a story of my favourite writer: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. The play was beautiful and I even cried a little (a lot actually), meeting James Franco was pretty exciting too. The last day was well spent, we went shopping and I ended up spending my last money, I'm not kidding my credit card stopped working at some point... The ups and downs of a traveller.

On the 30th May and exactly 5 months of staying in the USA I was about to board a plane and go back to Europe. I was both sad and happy to leave my American life behind: I made so many great memories in those months, met the most beautiful people inside out, got to know different cultures and had a lot of fun. I learned a lot about myself and I grew from experiences and from what I saw. I had ups but also had quite a few downs and I was ready to go home for a reunion with family and friends. I found happiness abroad but most of all it made me realise how much happiness there is waiting for me at home, if you don't get out every once in a while and take a step back, you don't see what lies in front of you, you take for granted what makes you a lucky person but in fact you should be grateful for the love and joy that you carry in your heart.

Stepping out of the plane and walking into the arms of my mum and dad is a moment I will never forget because it felt right and I now know that wherever life will take me, I will always have a home where I can and will go back to.

A special thanks goes out to Andrea who made my semester at GVSU unforgettable. Our friendship is the best thing that happened to me in the United States. It is not about the places you see or the things you buy there, it is definitely about the people you meet that make a destination into a great memory! I know that Andrea and I will stay friends even if we'll be miles apart in the future, and I hope that goes for all the other amazing people I met along my journey! I love all of you and am proud to have met you!

My dear readers, that's it...that was my year abroad and I hoped you enjoyed reading about it as much as I enjoyed living it! Blogging became so much more than just a duty to keep you up to date and I will definitely keep on writing, one way or another!

I will keep you posted so don't abandon me just yet!

xx

Cath

(by the way I am so so so sorry for the delays of my posts but I had to end it, even if all of my adventures have finished long ago)

naughty new orleans & lively las vegas

If you think Las Vegas is the city of sins, you haven't been to New Orleans!

But let's start where I left off last time, happy to leave the city that brought me nothing but tears, I made my way to New Orleans and to a friendly face, I hoped would cheer me up! When I arrived in New Orleans, Vanessa was waiting for me with her arms wide open and I was never happier to see her than in that moment. I got to know her friends, we celebrated my birthday, had awesome wrap creations and enjoyed the beginning of our trip.

New Orleans is a beautiful city with lots of culture, happiness and strange stories. People from New Orleans are interesting, and I don't mean that in a bad way. It's just awesome to see their happiness and joy for life, knowing what the city has been through in previous years. The city is loud and yet mysterious, the people know how to celebrate, how to live to the fullest and they sure love food, so all in all a great mixture and I loved it!

enjoying the hot weather in New Orleans and experiencing their food culture

Next on our list was Las Vegas, Baby! We arrived quite late, got ready and immediately hit the bars, what else? After just one or two drinks fatigue hit us and we decided to go to sleep early and make most of the day to come. Next day, as planned, we woke up early, got us a car and drove to the Grand Canyon!! I was so excited to see the famousGrand Canyon, learn about native Americans and most of all just enjoy the beautiful view. It made me feel quite small standing there, looking at those rocks that have been there for hundreds of years and you can't imagine how big it all is. When I thought about the Grand Canyon before I honestly didn't know what the fuss was all about, but it is not just a rock, it is the whole surrounding and it's an unbelievable ambience because it's just amazing what nature can do. We took some great pictures, bought some souvenirs, had lunch just across the Grand Canyon and all in all had a fun first road trip day.

Afterwards, we drove back to the city of sin and got ready for an evening of great food and few drinks. Our initial plan to hit the clubs was cancelled because apparently Las Vegas does sleep sometimes! We were told that sundays isn't a good day to party, even in Las Vegas and so we just enjoyed a quiet last night in Nevada. Unfortunately I never had my big camera with me throughout the night so the pictures aren't high quality, nevertheless you can get the idea of Las Vegas and how beautiful it actually looks life in the dark because of all the lights. All in all, it may not have been what we expected but it's definitely worth a visit because of the lights, the buildings etc.

the best thing for me: dining at BURGR - Gordon Ramsay's restaurant (it was so good)

Next up: LA, San Francisco and New York

I'll keep you posted

xx

Cath

How not to start a roadtrip

After 4 months in cold Michigan and some super stressful weeks of studying and writing, the time was finally upon us: end of April, beginning of my fun filled summer.

After a great last night out with friends and lots of tears that were shed, I had to pack my bags and get ready for a new, or rather several, destinations. Packing sounds so easy, but after living 4 months in one place, things just add up and even if you think that you didn't even buy that much, somehow not even half of your stuff will fit into your backpack. IMPORTANT advice, and maybe the most important thing I have learned on my journey so far: travel light! You don't need all the things that you own, not even half of them, especially if you're a traveller! At first you may think that you're gonna miss stuff, that you will have nothing to wear or that you will be miserable without all of your make up, but that is so far from the truth. You will feel relieved because you won't be carrying unnecessary weight with you and because that way you won't to worry about doing some shopping abroad. Most of all if you travel with a backpack, like I did, your shoulders will thank you!

In the end, I threw half of my clothes and shoes away because there was no way I could carry over 18kgs on my shoulders without breaking my back and because nothing more could fit in anyways (I know if it would have, I would have tried to carry 40kgs just to get my stuff home). Although it broke my heart to leave my beloved UGG Boots and many other clothing items behind, I was ready for sunshine and the beach.

Unfortunately my bad luck continued and there were delays with my flight, so many in fact that I missed the next one in Chicago and had to sleep at the airport. Thankfully Chicago's airport is huge and prepared for delays and cancellations and so I got to sleep on a camp bed, hugging my valuable things and waking up every half hour just to check the time. That wasn't the worst part though, because I didn't really care about one more day, all I wanted to do is to arrive happily in Miami at some point, go to the beach and just enjoy! Unfortunately by the time I finally arrived there, my bag didn't, they forgot to put it on the airplane because of all the confusion and delays. At that point I couldn't take it anymore; the past days were filled with all-nighters at the library, my laptop crashed right before finals and all data was lost, I had to say good bye to all the friends I made during the past four months, I had to throw away half of my closet and now here I was ready for sunshine and happiness and what I got was tears and despair. I knew that it was only a bag and material things, but it was all I had left. I found myself in a foreign country, in a city where I knew nobody and all I had on me was a description of how to get to my hostel, my passport, my wallet, my phone and the clothes on me. Worst of all, I was wearing all of my warm stuff because I couldn't fit it in my bag and because I came from Michigan obviously. Covered in tears and sweat, I made my way to the hostel and when I finally got there I realised that the only way I could survive the heat was if I would buy me a completely new wardrobe. Needless to say that money doesn't just come to me as an international student. I won't bore you with all the details but in the end I bought some things to survive and that's what I did, I survived in Miami and waited until the very last day of my stay for my bag to arrive. When it got here all I could do was take it to the airport the next morning and hope that it wouldn't get lost on the way to my next destination. All in all, I did not enjoy Miami, I'm pretty sure that most of that comes from being in a bad mood, not having my bags and having to spend way too much money, but I have a feeling that Miami isn't my city anyways.

I was happy to leave Miami behind and go to New Orleans where a familiar face would welcome me and join me on my road trip through the United States. I will tell you all about it in the next post and believe me the journey did get better.

see you next time! xx

Cath

back to the future

Dear readers, let me tell you a story!

Once upon a time (a few months ago anyways), there was a girl from Luxembourg studying in the United States. She loved reading and writing and so she decided to create a blog, to keep her family and friends informed about her life overseas. At first all seemed good, she wrote her experiences down every now and then and enjoyed talking about her international lifestyle. Slowly but surely, however, fewer posts got shared and in March she stopped working on her blog altogether. I'm sure you were or still are wondering what could have happened to trigger this? Was it sheer idleness? Too much stress because of university? No time because there was always something a little more exciting to be done? To be honest all of these reasons apply but another huge maleficent factor influenced the sad decision to stop writing: my laptop broke down.
You heard me, my internet-able device, which I trusted with all my documents and photos, bailed on me and decided to shut down for good only a week before finals. Of course I had all my drafts, final essays and homework on it and no, of course I didn't save it on another device or send it to my e-mail account. GONE! It was all gone... Not only did I have to say good bye to all my documents, furthermore my laptop did not restart again, he simply refused to work and so I was back to paper and pencil again!
As I said this wasn't  the whole reason why I stopped writing but it increased the stress I had to cope with and left little time for blogging next to studying and meeting friends. I could have used the computers in the library but first I had to re-write all my essays and I couldn't have posted anything with pictures. So I decided to concentrate on my studies and the real life in the now rather than spending my free time in the library too! I probably would have bored you with my anger about technology if I would have taken the time to post anyways, so you didn't miss out! And no worries I swore to myself to finish this blog once I'd have more time on my hands and access to a computer again. So here I am back home and ready to reflect on the past weeks in the States, from finals to roadtrips, I'll tell you all the exciting details within the next weeks!

so this time for real: keep coming back, I'll keep you posted! xx

paradise awaits

The Bahamas (feels good saying it believe me!)

view from above, looks really small doesn't it?

Was stellt man sich unter den Bahamas vor? Paradiesische Strände, tanzfreudige Menschen,  chaotische Märkte, reiche Amerikaner, fruchtige Cocktails etc... Zugegeben meine Vorstellung von der Inselgruppe war nicht gerade sehr groß, genauso wenig wie mein Wissen über die Nation oder Kultur. Wusstest ihr dass die Bahamas aus über 700 Inseln besteht und eines der reichsten Ländern Amerika's ist? Ich auch nicht, aber da ich lernwillig bin und mich für neue Länder und Kulturen interessier, freute ich mich ein weiteres Land zu meinen bisherigen Reisezielen hinzufügen zu können. Das, und natürlich die Aussicht auf gutes Wetter, Strand und Cocktails, it is Spring Break after all! Als wir nach unserer, wie im letzten Post beschriebenen, etwas anstrengenden Reise, in Nassau angekommen waren, freuten wir uns erstmal darauf in unser Hotel zu ziehen und die Stadt zu erkunden. 

 

British Colonial Hilton Hotel

 

Nach reichlichem Genörgel wegen Mangel an Schuhwerk von meiner Seite aus, ging es dann auch los, zum ersten Mal seit Monaten konnten wir unsere shorts und t-shirt rauskramen und uns auf Sonne freuen. Erstes Ziel: Flip flops oder Sandlen kaufen da ich keine mitgenommen hatte und mein Paket wie gesagt nicht rechtzeitig angekommen ist. Also ging es erstmal mit Sportschuhen nach draussen in angenehme 25 Grad. Leider macht in Nassau alles unglaublich früh zu, vor allem Sonntags, und wie es der Zufall wollte kamen wir erst kurz nach 3 an. Klingt früh aber nach etwas rumschlendern durch die Souvenirshops und an der Promenade entlang ging die Zeit schnell um und bevor wir uns umsehn konnten war es 5, die Läden machten dicht und die Leute eilten nach Hause zu ihrem wohlverdienten Feierabend. Fazit: Ich musste also einen weiteren Tag meine Nike's vollschwitzen. Schnell eilten wir in den lokalen Supermark, der von außen auch als Gefängnis durchgehen würde und von innen, naja nennen wir es kreativ chaotisch eingerichtet war. Doch auch dort wurden wir nach 5 minuten wieder rausgeschmissen denn auch diese Bahamians wollten nach Hause, Feierabend scheint ihnen wirklich heilig zu sein. Also machten wir uns wieder Richtung Hotel da in Nassau dem Anschein nach eh alles geschlossen war, ja sogar die meisten Restaurants und Cafés. Da wir eh müde von der Anreise waren entschlossen wir uns lediglich gegenüber vom Hotel essen zu gehn und dann früh in's Bett um den nächsten Tag auszukosten...und Schuhe zu kaufen. Die Stimmung war eher mittelmässig da die Bahamas auf den ersten Blick sehr verschlafen wirkten und die Leute auch nicht so freundlich waren wie gedacht. Was Andrea sehr schockte war das Verhalten vieler Männer, die beim Anblick von Westlichen Frauen sich doch des öfteren umdrehten oder sogar mit Komplimenten um sich schmissen. Aus meinen vorherigen Reisen nach Lateinamerika hab ich gelernt bei sowas einfach zu lächeln wenn es nett gemeint ist oder es komplett zu ignorieren, die meisten Männer meinen es nicht böse und freuen sich einfach über die Touristas. Andere Länder, andere Sitten!

Am nächsten Morgen sah alles schon ganz anders aus, bei Tageslicht fühlt man sich einfach wohler in einer neuen Umgebung, vor allem wenn man sich in einer komplett anderen kulturellen Situation befindet. An die Aufmerksamkeit gewöhnt man sich relativ schnell und auch wenn es mich persönlich stört und vor allem nach 'ner Weile nervt, hat es unserem Aufenthalt keinen Abbruch getan. Denn die Bahamas sind wunderschön! Es wirkt alles sehr klein aber irgendwo auch gemütlich mit einem sehr karibischen Touch. Was mir am meisten gefallen hat sind die bunten Häuser die sich durch ganz Nassau ziehen und dass es trotz vieler Amerikanischer Touris, eine kleine Stadt blieb in der man nicht mal einen Tag im Einkaufszentrum oder Vergnügungspark verbringt, sowas gibt's nämlich nicht...auf jeden Fall nicht in der Nähe. Es gibt nur einen lokalen Supermarkt, schöne flip flops zu finden war eine Sache der Unmöglichkeit und wenn man essen gehen oder feiern wollte waren die Möglichkeiten auch begrenzt. Aber das störte uns nicht denn schon nach dem zweiten Tag hatten wir unsere Stammkneipe gefunden: Señor Frogs, eine Bar mit sehr guten Cocktails direkt am Wasser mit Blick auf Paradise Island, und meisten gefüllt mit anderen Studenten on Spring Break. Am zweiten Abend saßen wir genau 10 Minuten alleine an einem Tisch bevor uns andere Studenten angesprochen haben, und damit mein ich nicht angeflirtet oder betrunken rumgestammelt, wie es uns warscheinlich in Cancun passiert wäre. In den Bahamas konnte man gut feiern und tanzen, allerdings mit Leuten die auch tatsächlich nüchtern waren und sich für Gespräche interessierten. Wir lernten außerdem, wie soll es anders sein, vor allem andere internationale Studenten kennen und auch in den darauf folgenden Abenden tranken wir den ein oder anderen Bahama Mama Cocktail mit unseren neuen Freunden.

 Saudi Arabia, Luxembourg, France, Kroatia and America in one picture

another fun night out at Señor Frogs

Außer Feiern und faul am Strand liegen, gehört natürlich auch das Erkunden der Insel dazu, hier sind ein par Fotos damit ihr euch die Atmosphäre der Bahamas vorstellen könnt

Die Polizei ist etwas anders in den Bahamas, nicht nur dass sie sehr Touristen-freundlich sind, sie sehn auch einfach super lustig aus in ihrer edlen Uniform.

Gleich am ersten Tag hat uns ein Polizist angesprochen und gefragt ob wir ein Foto mit ihm machen wollen, die kennen die Neugierde der Touris ja schließlich. Unüblich für Polizisten war dann allerdings dass er mir seine Telefonnummer und E-mail Adress zusteckte und meinte wir könnten ihm die Fotos ja schicken und Brieffreunde werden. Andere Länder...

Am meisten mochte ich die bunten Häuser, die mich an die Karibikseite Costa Rica's erinnerten

Das wichtigste fehlt natürlich noch: Strand!! Hauptgrund warum wir in die Bahamas reisen wollten ist natürlich das Wetter und der Strand. Nach den ganzen Midterms und Schnee hatten wir uns eine Auszeit verdient und wo lässt es sich besser relaxen als am Stand in der prallen Sonne (mit einem kühlen Bier)

 

 Der Strand von unserem Hotel, mit bequemen Liegen und Strandbetten! So relaxed man richtig!

 

Haupt-event der ganzen Reise war allerdings nicht unser schönes Hotel, die leckeren Cocktails, das gute aber viel zu teure Essen oder die Strände, sondern mit Delfinen schwimmen und TANZEN!

 An unserem letzten Tag in den Bahamas fuhren Andrea und ich mit der Fähre zur Blue Lagoon Island, einer Insel wo man mit Delfinen schwimmen und knuddeln kann aber auch mehr über diese wunderschönen Geschöpfe lernen kann und dazu beitragen kann sie zu beschützen. Nach einer Einführung und kurzen Inforunde über Delfine und ihre Umgebung, ging es schon in's Wasser wo wir unseren Delfin Cacique kennenlernten und erstmal in Aktion beobachten konnten. Der Trainer war unglaublich lustig und man merkte dass es dem Tier auch Spaß machte sich zu Schau zu stellen. Von lachen, bis unter Wasser prusten, zeigte uns Cacique was er so alles an Kunststücken kann und wie schlau er ist. Dann ging es los, wir durften zu ihm in's Wasser und ihn streicheln, umarmen und mit ihm tanzen. Um anzufangen gab mir Cacique erstmal ein Küsschen auf die Wange, dann streckte ich die Arme aus und er streckte mir die Flossen entgegen und fing an rumzuwackeln, perfekter Tanzpartner würde ich sagen. Auf den Mund hat er mich dann auch geküsst und obwohl es super niedlich war und eine unglaubliche Erfahrung so einem Geschöpf so nah zu sein, muss ich sagen dass es eher komisch ist einen Delfin zu küssen. Sushi Geschmack ;) Aber ernsthaft es war unglaublich und würde jederzeit wieder mit Delfinen schwimmen gehn! Wenn ihr die Gelegenheit habt, zögert nicht es ist ein einmaliges Erlebnis und dort wo wir waren wurden die Tiere auch super liebevoll behandelt und beschützt!

Es gibt noch so viel zu erzählen über diesen erlebnisreichen Aufenthalt, so viel Fotos zu zeigen und über so viele Aktionen zu lachen aber ich denke ich hab euch für heute genug gefoltert mit Delfin und Strandbildern. Darauf dass wir diesen Urlaub nie vergessen werden und dass das Wetter in Michigan sich in der zwischenzeit gebessert hat (ansonsten Schock unseres Leben's würd ich mal sagen).

xxx eure Bahama Mama

last trip with the ferry before going back home...

snow, don't let me go

Spring Break

destination: The Bahamas
mission: to relax and have a great time (away from the snow)
the problem: airports (any kind of transportation vehicles to be honest) really don't like us...

My last class ended on thursday morning so I had enough time to start packing and finish up my last assignments before the break. My plan was to go shopping that day as well but somehow time management wasn't on my side (is it ever?!) and so I had to deal with what I brought to Michigan in the first place. Which wasn't too bad, I always pack way too much stuff and of course I thought of bringing some tops and shorts when I packed for 5 months abroad. However as I wasn't even thinking about spring break back then, I forgot quite a few things or didn't pack them as I planned on buying new stuff once I'd be settled in the States. Mainly shoes weren't on my list, I ruined my flip flops and my sandals in Australia so I didn't bring them here, thinking that by the time I'll get to a warmer place, I'd have more than enough opportunities to go shoe shopping, we're in America after all?! Yeah... that didn't go as planned...The shopping mall is two buses away from where I live which means it takes you at least an hour to get there and once you're there you realize that although they have a few nice shops, all what's in store at the moment is to get you through the cold winter. Yes by the time of midterms and up until today (March), no spring in sight, but tons of snow instead! So no footwear for sunny weather, I had to deal with my boots and sneakers. Somehow I always manage to pack the right things (attention: irony!). I asked my mum to send me a few things but I texted her too late, so unfortunately that package never made it to me in time, and now that I got it, I can't really do anything with it because there's no need for a bikini or flip flops in Allendale right now...Oh well I'll make use of it afterwards when touring the USA with my best friend Vanessa. I cannot wait! But before going into that vacation I'd rather stay concentrated on telling you about the one that actually took place just last week-BAHAMAS! How I love saying this ;) In this Post let me tell you about how we got there and the many nerves that got killed along the way.

On friday 28th February Andrea and I got our stuff together and took the bus to Central Station as the cab that was supposed to come and pick us and two other girls up from GVSU, cancelled our arrangement saying they could only make it to the bus station downtown in time and then get us to the airport from there. No problem, we planned in some extra time and we're flexible, no worries right?! We arrived at the station where we met the other two girls who didn't have much more time left until their flight, so naturally they were a little nervous seeing nothing but buses and a bunch of people with luggage. We called the cab company and of course they didn't pick up, not the first, second or 211432358th time, so quite angry we tried several other companies who ensured us that it would be impossible to get a taxi within less than an hour now that spring break has started. 'Wie die verrückten Hühner' we started running around looking for taxis to drive by, ready to jump in front of them, because slowly Andrea and I became anxious too. How could they all bail on us and why the heck is it impossible to find a taxi in such a big city as Grand Rapids claims to be?! After a while of hysterically calling taxi companies, posting on facebook for help and imagining the worst. One of the other girls came running back claiming she found a car that would take us. I thought she was talking about a taxi, turns out she managed to convince a guy with his two children on the backseat to squeeze us 4 into their car and get us to the airport, in turn of chipping in some money for gas. At that point we didn't even care if our backpacks lay on top of the snow covered trunk (open-air btw) or if his little girl next to me burped into my ear. Not to worry family, he was a very nice family guy, doing this out of pity for us and maybe for the money, but most of all because we looked so miserable and he wanted us to make it to our well deserved spring break destinations. Faith in humanity restored, this man saved our day and probably our whole trip! Thank you thank you thank you stranger!!

First obstacle is overcome! There's more to come? Oh yeah, didn't I tell you about the 13 hours gap we'd have in Dallas, Texas? My bad! So after a 3 hours flight to Dallas our next flight wouldn't leave until next morning 10am so we had the whole night to discover the Dallas' airport. We stepped out of the airport to go to our terminal and had the joy of sweating in our warm winter clothes. After weeks or even months of snow, wind and cold, we finally got to experience what it meant to step outside and feeling a summer breeze. We didn't have to watch out for ice when walking on the sidewalk, nor did we have to bury our hands in our pockets to protect them from freezing and falling off. I didn't know what it was like to see grass or even the road instead of snow. Spring Break I already love you!!!

People at the airport then told us that checking in our luggage wouldn't be possible neither would be going beneath the gates where all the shops and food places were. Fortunately enough we had to fly off from the international terminal where they had couches and a hotel upstairs. Being poor students we couldn't afford the airport hotel, but we treated ourselves with a nice dinner and a drink at their restaurant. It must have looked quite funny, seeing us two packed students walking into that fancy restaurant, me having a huge backpack on, but what can I say it's just so much easier to travel with!! We ordered this amazing cheese platter, which was worth every penny and of which I'm still sometimes fantasizing.

 

Goat cheese on top of the freshly baked bread with dates, and a little honey sprinkled on top...#foodporn (I'm sorry but there's no other way to describe it)

After that we went back to reality and spend the following 11 hours trying to get some sleep while keeping an eye on our luggage build up around us like a shelter. Andrea somehow managed to get quite some hours of sleep, while I was observing funny sleeping behaviours of the people around me. I really couldn't sleep on these arm chairs, they weren't too bad considering we were at an airport but everytime I fell asleep I woke up 5 minutes later because I had to change sleeping positions or I'd end up with a broken back. Furthermore, there were two televisions on reporting non-stop news on maximum sound volume, interrupted every 15 minutes by an extremely happy and annoying jingle coming from the closed Starbucks right next to our chairs. So I concentrated as I said on watching others, listening to music that would actually cover up all other sounds and reading a book for one of my courses. By the end of the night, when the coffee shop actually started serving again (without annoying jingle in the background) I had finished the book and my Ipod was out of battery, I know how to pass my time I'd say. Andrea and I had a yummy breakfast at Starbucks, including a big cup of coffee, which I needed to get through the next hours of security check and boarding, without hurting others. Shine and rise, shine and rise!

 

After another 3 hours in the air, we finally arrived in Nassau, Bahamas!

We stepped outside, carrying most of our clothes in our hands, who would have thought that after 4 months of Australia I'd say that I'm not used to heat anymore?! I was smiling from ear to ear, I missed it way too much and now I can definitely say: I'm a child of summer! Whatever, I'm a child of anything that doesn't involve snow, rain and the cold ;) When we entered the airport they were playing 'bahamian' songs to welcome tourists, and by saying they, I don't mean the radio or a CD, there was an actual band located next to the immigration terminals dressed in colorful clothes, playing instruments and singing about the beauty of life. Oh how I loved this place already! Getting through immigration was easy, all we had to do was indicate that we were students on spring break and they let us through to get our bags. We took them and made our way to our hotel, smiling from ear to ear, enjoying the layed back mentality and sun shining on our skin.

midterm crisis

I know that many of you guys out there think that studying abroad is all about having the time of your life in a foreign country, and yes that's part of it, but it's still called studying abroad not celebrating abroad. I do study, a lot actually. The workload at uni here is awfully big, I'd even say that it's 'worse' than Australia, which wasn't a piece of cake either. Besides the weekly readings and essays, like blogposts or short writing assignments, there are midterms, projects, group works and last but not least FINALS! So not to worry, I won't be sitting around not knowing what to do in Allendale, there's always a reading that needs to be done...

For those of you who are not familiar with the term midterms, those are exams or assignments which need to be completed during 1-2 weeks in the middle of the semester, thus: MIDterms. Normally students have a midterm in every subject they enrolled in, it depends on the course though, I only had two exams. However, I had to work on two projects, two short writing assignemnts and a quiz during those same weeks, so it wasn't any easier for me unfortunately. Plus the readings that need to be done. Oh well I don't want to complain too much as I know that every student knows that problem and I don't want to bore you or be a cry-baby about my life in the States. Because after all I'm still very glad I did this whole study abroad experience, it may be hard at times but who says that study-wise it wouldn't be just as hard being at Kingston for my second year. So I really made the rights decision going abroad, discovering different uni systems but most of all getting to know new cultures and people.

I got one exam back already and I got 45 out of 50 which is really good and I'm so happy about it because I recently got back a quiz for another course which wasn't too good, so this really encouraged me that not all is lost and that I can get there when I get my lazy ass to the library more often. And there it is again, my favourite spot has returned to the surface: the library! At the end of every semester I'm so fed up seeing the library even from the outside because I basically move in there once readings, assignments and projects start to pile up, not to mention during exam times. So when midterms began I started once again going to the library more often. Before that Andrea and I always studied at the fireplace in Murray (one of the student accomodations) or in the meeting rooms, however with nobody watching us we tended to get distracted very quickly and started chatting about anything and everything to keep us from our books. The risk of falling asleep at the fireplace was also quite big as I always sat in one of those comfy chairs in front of the fire reading, which is fatal for such a sleepy person. So the decision was made, our new study place would be the library, where people would shush you once you started talking, where you couldn't just fall asleep and where everybody was determined to study. NOT! I don't know if all Americans are like this or if those people just always happened to be around us two, but American students do not know that you are supposed to be quiet when studying, writing or reading at the library. There's this unwritten rule that on the higher level you are, the quieter you should be. Level 1 and 2 are supposed to be study places but most people wouldn't mind somebody talking or whispering, whereas on level 3 and higher the concentration level is on the maximum and so people's reason to be there should be studying and nothing else. I mean, if people want to procrastinate on level 4 I don't mind, happens to me all the time that I end up playing around on my phone instead of concentrating on my readings but talking out loud or even singing is a NO-GO! Unfortunately, this happened more than once when I was there. It was okay for the midterms as I had to do quite a lot of writing and noise doesn't bother me when I'm writing as I just ignore everything around me once I get started, but when it comes to the finals I think I have to find a new quiet home to actually study.

Oh one more thing about the library, it's very modern and new and the best if I would have to compare it to the other universities' libraries I visited so far. Not only does it have different levels, comfortable chairs, couches (on which you can fall asleep pretty easily) computers, a fireplace, televisions, outside areas (which we cannot use right now as it is still freezing) and an organic tea/coffe shop, the printing is FREE! And I guess all students can relate to me saying how awesome it is not having to think about what material you can afford to print and what you'll leave out and just read online. Thanks GVSU!

What kept me alive through those weeks of hard work, was the though of me and Andrea going to the Bahamas during Sprink Break! YES you heard me bahamas it is!!! We were asked to go to Cancun first but with all that stress going on we needed some time to just relax. I love Cancun and it would have been lots of fun for the first days but I know that it wouldn't have been a vacation and that after a few days I would have cursed all those half naked 18 years old drunk Americans behaving like they own that beautiful place. They would have ruined the image I have of Cancun from when I was there a few years ago and I didn't want to spend money on a trip I wasn't sure I would enjoy. And after all this stress and the finals which are yet to come, we needed a good break from cold michigan. Be prepared next post will be about the wonderful time we had in the bahamas, if you don't want to be jealous, don't read it, but I promise it's gonna be worth hating me ;)

xxx