Hi everyone, I’ve made a few playlists in the past, and I’ve decided that back to school deserves its own playlist. I made 2 playlists: 1 of some pump up songs to get excited for the next 9 months and the other is an ironic playlist… which you’ll see when you take a look at it.
What are some songs that get you pumped for back to school or other new endeavours?
Alicia
Good afternoon everyone and welcome to the final post in my super late Peru series. This post is dedicated to one of the best days in my entire life: the day I visited Machu Picchu.
There are physically no words to describe my time at Machu Picchu. My entire day was surreal and went by far too quickly; from waking up at 330 to returning home close to 24 hours later. I met so many people from all corners of the globe and while I would love to say something more about my time, no words can amount to the indescribable day I spent there. So, instead, please enjoy some of my favorite photos from one of the best days of my life.
Well with a title like this, what do you expect? Just this. Rainbow mountain was an experience like no other, for many reasons: the magnificent mountain itself, the amazing people I met along the way, and of course the title of this post.
Rainbow Mountain, or montaña vinicunca in Spanish, is a 3-4 hour hike from 4500m to 5200m in height to the top of a beautiful mountain of colors and many more in the distance.
To be on my way to la montaña de los colores, I had to be awake and ready to go by 330 am. At 315 I was ready and walked down to the Plaza de Armas where I waited for over an hour with another man (who waited longer as we weren’t in the same tour group) until a woman in patterned leggings yelled out my name. I shot up to meet up with her and another couple before boarding our bus to take us to Rainbow Mountain.
After stopping for breakfast, getting a talk about the history of the mountain, time limit, and random facts about the area, we were off on our hike. I met a few nice people at breakfast and the bus whom I talked and walked with for a bit. 1 was from San Francisco, 1 from London, 2 from Lima, and one from a small town in Chile. We discussed our travels and lives back home, before myself, and the ladies from Lima and Chile started not being able to breath too well. We trudged on (we were far too gone to turn around and get a horse) but all of a sudden none of could breathe at all, so we sat down. I took a few hits of my rescue inhaler as one of the guides ran to get us oxygen. The 2 guys from San Francisco and London had been all through South America and had done hikes like these frequently throughout the past 6 months. Us ladies, however, had not. Along with the oxygen came some rescue horses for our group and another group of people past the halfway mark.
We all mounted the horses, oxygen in hand, and continued up the mountain.
The horses can’t take you all the way up the mountain, so for final 200m or so we had to walk up to the top (which happens to be the steepest part of the way).
My new friends and I finally made it to the top and with the little breath I had left in my lungs, it had been taken away by the unbelievable sight I witnessed. The colors of the mountains were unlike anything I’d never seen. I know it’s just how the minerals formed, but it was absolutely surreal. I never had seen something so enchanting in my entire life.
I spent about 20 minutes up there, recovering from the rest of the hike up, taking pictures, taking other people’s photos, and just enjoying the earth’s creations.
I finally started my descent from the mountain and made it as far as I could with no horse until, oh yeah, I couldn’t breathe anymore, so I found a horse, and all of my other rescue horse friends, where we descended the rest of the mountain together.
When we made it back to the start of the hike, there were 10 of us in the bus. Our guide came and told us that we would be waiting a minimum of 2 hours for the rest of the people. We all figured that we would just nap until it was time to leave. Luckily, another guide said that he had an empty van ready for us if we wanted to go now. So, the 10 of us (each friend of mine I’d made that day was on the van with me which I thought was pretty ironic) and our guide started back to Cusco, stopping for lunch and then finally back on the road to Cusco, everyone napping on and off until we were each dropped off at our hostels where we had ample water, ample air, and a nice warm bed for the night.
Alicia
Hi everyone, once I’d finished my time in Lima, I took a 22 hour bus ride to Cusco, Peru. Since I was there for about a week, I’ve decided to make 3 posts on my time there: 1 for Cusco in general, 1 for Rainbow Mountain, and 1 for Machu Picchu.
I would first and foremost like to say that Cusco is a magnificent city, oozing with culture and history alike. I wish I had more than one week in this magical city because my time was not nearly enough (even though I did spend an entire day in bed recovering from Rainbow Mountain and one day recovering from Machu Picchu).
My first full day in Cusco was a Sunday. I made the quick walk from my hostel to Plaza de Armas, where there was a parade. I wasn’t sure what the parade was for, since I arrived in the middle of it, but from what I saw it was very important and there were speeches and flag raising and marching.
After maneuvering past the parade and all of its viewers, I began walking the streets of Cusco. All through the streets of Cusco there are cafes, hostels, high end stores, and other smaller shops filled with homemade goodies and tourist items.
I weaved in and out of people, exploring cafes, statues, churches, and shops alike looking for gifts for my friends and family along with trips to Rainbow Mountain and Machu Picchu. I ended up finding a trip to Rainbow Mountain for 60 soles at an agency that had a cute cat who felt the need to sit on my lap the whole time I was there. My Machu Picchu trip ended up taking a bit longer to book. When you’re paying $20 USD for something (Rainbow Mountain) it’s a lot different than paying over $200 USD for something, so i knew I needed to compare prices.
After visiting over 12 different travel agencies, I finally booked my Machu Picchu trip. Initially I booked it for 2 days (leave on day 1, Machu Picchu and come home on Day 2) because I had already booked my hostel for the night. However, I accidentally booked my hostel in Aguas Calientes Mexico instead of Aguas Calientes Peru, so I had to do all of the traveling and Machu Picchu in 1 day. It did work out, but I was a little anxious bout it at first.
Once I booked my trips, I enjoyed a celebratory coffee and went back to bed, awaiting the next few days.
Also while in Peru, I was able to meet up with Martina (one of the girls I met while volunteering) and her boyfriend. I helped them book their tours and we explored Cusco and had a couple meals together. It was so much fun to be able to see her once more before returning home and to be able to see her being super cute with her boyfriend.
Alicia
Hi everyone, During my third weekend in Peru, it was Easter. The volunteers had a 4 day weekend, so I and most of the other volunteers had the opportunity to take a long vacation. I initially was going to go to Machu Picchu, but Marissa and Skylar got angry with me when I wanted to do my own thing, so I decided to nix Machu Picchu for that weekend and do it later (why I extended my trip a week) because I didn’t want to see one of the 7 wonders of the world being annoyed by 2 girls because I wanted to do my own thing.
So, bright and early Thursday morning I boarded the 8-hour bus up to Huaraz Peru. During that bus ride, I saw so many animals, from pigs to cows, to llamas. Not to mention the views were spectacular. As you soon as you leave Lima, the tall buildings and the hustle and bustle of the city turns to rolling plains, lush forests, and exotic birds. I stared out the window for almost the entire ride.
When I arrived in Huaraz, It was pretty late, so I took a taxi to my hostel, made arrangements for the rest of the weekend, and then passed out in bed.
The following morning I had to be up and ready at 7 because I was going on a bus tour of Huaraz and its surrounding area. I got into the bus we would be taking only to be told that I had to exit because there wasn’t enough room. I patiently waited for the next one to come, and then was told once again that I would have to get onto the next bus that was available because yet again, there still wasn’t enough room. At around 10 am, a man from a different tour company told my tour company that he had 8 open spaces. I, a couple, and a group of 5 jumped at that opportunity and finally were able to start our bus tour.
I was seated next to one of the people from the group of 5, whom I later learned his name was Che. He only spoke Spanish, but we were still able to communicate, with a few barriers, but we could still have a conversation or a few, which was nice.
We made a few stops during the day, the first being at a view point of a luscious mountain range. I was being a bit awkward as I didn’t know anyone yet, so I just took a few photos, walked around, and then hopped back on the bus.
Our bus next docked at a Plaza de Armas in Ancash where we enjoyed fresh sorbet, warm weather, and magnificent views. I sat in the plaza for a few minutes before hearing “AMERICAN TOURS” which was our groups signal for returning to the bus.
After a few more hours on the bus, we arrived at our final destination, Huascaran National Park. There we stopped for a little over an hour to look at the lakes, Llanganuco and Chinacocha, and snap a few pictures of the water, the animals, the foliage, and the waterfalls.
Once I’d taken my fair share of photos and touched an alpaca, I faintly heard “American TOURSS” from our tour guide, signifying the end of our time in Huascaran for the day. I trudged back to the tour bus, snapping a few photos as I exited. As I sat down in my unassigned assigned seat, Che took a seat next to me, and we discussed our time at the park.
Our guide, Bruce, asked if we wanted to make another stop to check out some ruins from a terremoto (earthquake) in 1970, and of course, we all obliged. Once there, Che paid my 10 sol entrance fee for me (how sweet) and we walked along all of the ruins, sharing stories of our times in school, home, and what we liked to do. I met his friends and we all talked as well until it was finally time to get back to Huaraz.
With sore feet, and droopy eyes, not a word was spoken on our way back to Huaraz that night.
The following morning, I was awake bright and early at 4 am, where I was picked up from my hostel, boarded another bus and made our way back to Huascaran National Park, but instead of stopping at the lakes where we’d stopped the day prior, we continued on for another hour, until we got to the start of the trek to Lagona 69.
From there, I, and my three gallons of water started trekking the mountain to Lagona 69. I met some nice girls from China, who took pictures and videos with me, and just shot the breeze until I marched a little bit ahead (I ended up meeting back with them towards the end).
Tired, and sweaty, I reached a lake. This lake was much less than I had expected, but it was still nice and had some snowy mountains in the background to spice it up a little bit. After taking pictures with it, and taking pictures of other people with the lake, I found out that this was not Lagona 69 and that we had another hour or 2 of hiking before reaching it. Disappointed and exhausted, I trudged on awaiting my final destination.
After another 90 or so minutes of hiking, I saw it. A lake of the bluest blue I had ever seen. A sight that made the long hike, the sunburn, and the frequent uses of my rescue inhaler worth it. I plopped down on the ground, gazed at the too good to be true lake, hydrated, fed myself, and just enjoyed my peaceful few minutes that I had.
I decided that even though the view and the rest were amazing, I should start making my way back down the mountain to avoid being late. I don’t remember much of the walk back down, just that I tripped a few times, and made far too many water stops, but I finally made it back to the bus, where I sat down, drank the rest of my water, and waited for the rest of my group members to pile in.
The bus ride back to Huaraz is about 3 hours from the bottom of the mountain. However, 30 or so minutes after departing, the bus broke down so the driver got out of the bus, messed with something under the bus, and we were off again. We broke down again at a small store where everyone restocked on water, Gatorade, and crackers and spoke of how our feet hurt and how we just wanted to goto bed until the bus had been fixed and we were on our way back to Huaraz.
The following morning was Pasqua (Easter). I witnessed part of a parade in Huaraz before driving back to Lima, where I watched Bridget Jones’ baby in Spanish (twice) and saw my very first bone sticking out of someone’s body (6 or 7-car car crash). All I wanted to do was return to Lima, meet all of the new people, and hit the sack.
Alicia
Hi all, as I mentioned a few posts back, I would make one post about volunteering, and then make a collection about my adventures in Peru. I already discussed my first weekend in one of the two posts I actually wrote in Peru. The first weekend we spent exploring Lima, getting acquainted with Peru, and just enjoying a bunch of free time.
During our second weekend, we (Marissa, Skylar, Tresia, and I) took a 4-hour bus ride south to the city of Ica, Peru. We then taxied to Huacachina, a small oasis surrounded by miles and miles of sand. There we checked into our hostel, the Wild Olive, booked a dune buggy tour and settled in to our room.
When 330 approached, we made our way to the travel agency we booked through and found our dune buggy and buggy guide, where we buckled in and waited for the rest of our group to arrive.
I’d never been on a dune buggy, and I’d never seen so much sand in my life. Dune buggying is absolutely exhilarating and sand is nice until it gets into every nook and cranny on your body. Our very attractive Peruvian driver weaved in and out of dunes, going back and forth across the sand; it was like the best roller coaster I’d ever been on.
We made a stop at the top of a dune to take photos of the oasis before piling back into the buggy to continue our ride. After a few more minutes of riding the dunes, we made another stop at the top of an even higher dune. From there, our guide pulled 10 boards from the back of the buggy and told us we were going to sandboard. I’d never done any sort of boarding before, so to say I was terrified was an understatement, however, I mounted my board, kept my legs up, arms in, and cascaded down the dune with ease (and a mouthful of sand) along with the rest of my group.
After a few more dunes we made our way to the perfect sunset spot, where we were able to bask in all that the earth has to offer. Seeing the sunset in Ica was by far one of the most breathtaking moments of my life.
Sadly, all good things must come to an end, so we boarded our buggy one final time and were dropped off at our hostel, where we were able to empty our clothes and shoes of sand and hop in the shower.
The following morning we enjoyed a yummy breakfast with the oasis as our view and then laid out by the pool until we had to catch the bus back to Lima. By the time we arrived home, we were all exhausted, sandy, and I was as red as a lobster.
Until tomorrow
Alicia
Hi everyone. Last year, I posted my 17 goals for 2017, and since we are a little over halfway through the year, I figured I’d update it. Check out the original post here.
Alicia
Hi all, as I continue with my long awaited Peru series, I wanted to discuss the house dynamic. Living in a house with up to 24 other people at one time can get a bit hectic, especially when everyone is so different, culturally, emotionally, and otherwise. I’ll start with the people who live in the house and then start with the volunteers in the order I met them. I have also decided to not put every volunteer in (it was over 4 pages long) so here are a few highlights.
Lidia- The owner of the home we stayed in. She also runs the volunteer program in Lima. We didn’t really see her too much. On our first day, last day, and whenever she left and returned to the house
Lidia’s husband- He was sort of creepy and always touched the girls in a friendly (?) way but I hate being touched so no no.
Abu- Lidia’s mother. She lived on the first floor and would open the door for people if they came home later. She loves talking to the volunteers but she only speaks Spanish so it was a struggle for some of the volunteers.
Sole- The house chef. Sole speaks only spanish and always wears fun patterns on her clothes. Was always very supportive of my vegan needs and always made sure I had enough to eat
Carla + Rudy- They took us to placement every day and they were always there to answer questions we had
Marissa- The first person I met because we had connected on facebook through the IVHQ page. We were also on the same flight from Panama to Lima (she is from New York). She was there for 6 weeks, her boyfriend came for a weekend (yes flew to Peru for literally 2 days) and she ended up being kind of a bitch. More on that later.
Martina- The one who opened the door for us when we arrived at the volunteer house, and who also became one of my favorite people I met while in Peru. She is from Italy and is one of the funniest people I had ever met. I wished I had stayed longer mainly to spend time with her. I’ve already told her that when I study abroad I will make sure to visit her for a weekend.
Clara- 18 year old Clara, from Maryland, was one of my roommates. She had been living in Nepal helping with hikers and was now volunteering in Peru. She was such a sweet girl and I obtained a Maryland sweatshirt from her that she couldn’t fit anywhere, and I actually met up with her in Cusco.
Skylar- Originally from Texas (oh yes politics were an interesting subject) she had been to 3 countries in her gap year before starting at UT Austin. She has a sweet exterior but she, just like Marissa became pretty bitchy. But like I said, I’ll get to that later.
Annie- Annie was only here for a week, because that’s all she could get off from work. However, during her first week, Skylar, Marissa, Tresia, her and I spent most of our time together. She is also from New York and works at a hotel. She was super sweet from the time I did get to know her.
Tresia- There is so much to say about Tresia. She is a 30 year old dietician from South Africa and is one of the sweetest, kindest, most hilarious people I have never encountered. She was by far one of my favorite people I met in Peru and I can’t wait to give her a visit.
Paola- Another one of my roommates. She is from Cancun and is like so beautiful ??? She turned 20 while in Peru so we had a cute party for her and another girl. She makes phenomenal videos of her travels, I could watch them all day.
The Canadians- Shaunna, Maxine, Kalen, Natalia, Brittney, Kelsee- The 6 of them were here for college credit during the last 2 weeks I was volunteering. Natalie annoyed the shit out of me and all she ever talked about was Brazil (she’s never been), Kalen was like very very attractive, and Kelsee was (in my opinion) the nicest of them.
Sylvia- My final roommate. Sylvia, was also from Italy, and works for Revlon. She lives in Milan and while her English isn’t tremendous, she tried so hard and really improved during her two weeks. She told me that when I study abroad, her and I can roadtrip down to visit Martina.
Kandi- One of the kindest ladies I’ve ever met. Kandi is from Jamaica and she loved her coloring books. Her and I helped Malley (next) try to get over a conflict with her roommate (Ana) and the three of us bonded because of that.
Malley- Malley is from Michigan and I literally love her. We both hate Donald Trump and conservative assholes and the education system in America. She had a lot going on medically and took like 12 pills (not an exaggeration) each day and people got mad at her for it (why ????) which caused quite a bit of unneeded conflict in the house. She is going to a school in Chicago in the fall so hopefully I can see her a few times when I’m home.
Ana- Ana was from Canada (not part of the Canadians) and all she did was bitch about Malley. I’m one who can be down to talk shit on occasion, however, when you devote all of your time talking about how much you hate one person, it gets really obnoxious.
Okay, that was still most of the people I met, but a lot of people left a mark on me and I wanted to share who they are with you all.
Alicia
Buenos dias, like many of you may know I have been shitty at posting since returning home from Peru. I had gotten myself into such a routine of writing and coming up with ideas and when I came home, I had gotten out of that routine that I just didn;t write, at all. However, my 5 weeks in Peru were some of the best weeks of my life and I really do want to share what I did while I was there.
This post is going to be centered around the volunteer aspect of the trip (why I went) but since it was basically the same every day, I’m not going to make post after post about it. So, enjoy a brief intro into volunteer life in Lima
In Lima, there are 4 different volunteer programs; Child care, Teaching, Medical, Construction (summer only). I, and most of the others volunteering were part of the childcare program. I wasn’t really educated on the other 3 programs, however, within the childcare program, there are 5 different orphanages, Divinos Jesus (‘functioning’ children ages 0-9), Esperanza (special needs 0-9), San Migitas (special needs 9-18), Renacer (special needs 18-65), and Vidas (teen mothers and their babies).
At Divinos Jesus (my placement), Esperanza, and San Migitas, people are given some children to look after (at Divinos Jesus it is consistent but at the other two it can change depending on the needs that day). At Divinos Jesus, you play with the children, feed them, put them to sleep, etc. I was in the room with babies ages 0-6 months, we were giving bottles, working on motor skills, and putting them down for naps. At Esperanza and San Migitas, there was quite a bit of physical and hydro therapies, along with feeding. At Vidas, it’s mainly talking to the mothers and then taking care of their children so they can have classes and try to be normal teenagers. And finally at Renacer; all of the childcare volunteers go there at the end of the month for a big fiesta to celebrate all of the birthdays from the month.
I love babies so being in that room was so much fun (yes even when I got thrown up all over). I loved all 6 of the babies and I give so much credit to moms of multiple children and moms in general. I definitely got too attached to the kids, one in particular, so I do miss Roberto, Fredy, Valentina, Estrella, and Galeska, but I miss Belen the most. I am not allowed to post photos of the babies or anyone at any of the orphanages because it is a government owned facility, but trust me, babies are SO CUTE.
We did that everyday from about 8-1, so most afternoons we had free. However, on Monday and Wednesday afternoons we would head out to La Punta to volunteer at a halfway house for girls from ages 12-17. We would do a daily game, english lesson, and craft. I loved seeing how the girls progressed from the time they got to La Punta to when I left and seeing the girls leave was bittersweet because I loved them and it was so nice getting to know them, but on the other hand it was amazing because they were making progress in their lives. Some of the girls were so funny, some more reserved, but all of them were genuine, sweet girls who just got mixed up in the wrong crowd. While I loved the babies, these girls were the highlight of volunteering and when I left, tears were shed from both the girls and I, and I really hope they all get out and make progress to live their best lives they can.
Alicia
Hi everyone, look at me posting two days in a row. I’m working on planning out some more posts for July (life and some Peru since I suck) and then some back to school posts in August. Once I start school, I’m not going to guarantee too many posts (especially in September) with getting acclimated to a new place and homework and I’m not going to clack off like I somewhat did in San Diego, but I am going to try.
Okay, enough for an intro, let’s get into this award.
A few weeks back Jewish Thoughts nominated me for this Liebster Award. Thank you so much for the nomination! I love doing these 🙂
Rules
11 Answers
June 2012 I think
It’s my way of getting what I’m thinking out of my brain so I can process it
Christmas
Graduate college
A stable decently paying job
The day I was able to see Machu Picchu
Fall
Yes!!
Student/Nanny
Cinnamon roll pancakes (100% vegan of course)
Work ($$)
11 Facts
11 Blogs
Rosie Culture Enette’s World Experiences De Javu Ciarra Lorren Pirate Patty Simple Serenity The Book Raven Live Life Lightly Out N’ About BeaFree Our Little DIY Corner
11 Questions
That’s all, hope you enjoy this and that those nominated choose to do it!
Alicia
No.. I’m not pregnant but my family did recently adopt a puppy! A little over two months ago, we adopted Kizzee (now Poppy), a one year old Border Collie Spaniel mix from Second City Kanine Rescue. She is the sweetest little pup who has taken my whole heart.
A little bit about this sweet baby; she is all black with some salt and pepper on her stomach and paws (the Border Collie) and has the fluffiest ears and tail in the world. She looks like a fox and she already has too many nicknames to mention. She’s got a bit of a barking problem but with some training and lots of cookies I’m sure that’ll be fixed in no time.
We adopted her from a rescue here in Illinois but she came up from Alabama, after spending over 6 months locked away in a kennel (wonder how that barking started), where she also contracted heartworm. For now, we have to restrict tiny dog’s activity (heartworm treatment) and we have a dog pharmacy on our counter(also heart worm treatment), but once she is heartworn negative this little dog will be bounding all over dog parks, beaches, and people.
Now, while Poppy and I sit here patiently waiting to get that dang blood test, please enjoy a plethora of pictures of this sweet, cute, and tiny pup.
Until next time
Alicia and Poppy🐾
Hello friends. Sorry for my terrible posting habits I have created since returning from Peru. I sort of forgot about time management and my blog in general. However, over the coming weeks I do have quite a bit to share with you all about what has been going on in my life since returning from Peru and becoming reacquainted with my old routine.The first thing I want to discuss is college. As I mentioned a few posts back, I committed to Ohio University, in Athens Ohio. No, not Ohio State, just Ohio. Anyway, last week was my orientation (June 19th and 20th) so Sunday morning, bright and early, my dad and I made the 7 hour drive to Athens.
The first thing I want to discuss is college. As I mentioned a few posts back, I committed to Ohio University, in Athens Ohio. No, not Ohio State, just Ohio. Anyway, last week was my orientation (June 19th and 20th) so Sunday morning, bright and early, my dad and I made the 7 hour drive to Athens.
Upon arriving that afternoon, we checked into the dorm room we would be staying in, grabbed dinner, made a Walmart run to get some breakfast for the next morning, and tried to avoid being soaked by the pouring rain. The dorm we stayed in was quite large, about twice the size of my dorm in San Diego, it even included a sink so I could brush my teeth and wash my face without leaving the room.We went to bed super early because we had to wake up just as early as we had the day before to be ready for orientation (and my two placement tests).
We went to bed super early because we had to wake up just as early as we had the day before to be ready for orientation (and my two placement tests).
5:30 Monday morning (4:30 Chicago time) I hopped right out of bed, showered, ate breakfast, and headed out to check in and then made my way over to 2 different buildings to take my Spanish and Chemistry tests. I ended up scoring in the highest possible grouping for Chemistry and was 1 point away from getting to the highest possible Spanish placement. I won’t have to take anymore Chem classes (I hope) but I will be taking a bunch of Spanish.
After I completed both exams, I met back up with my dad who spent his free time walking around a resource fair. The rest of the morning was a blur, with so many speakers I couldn’t keep up. We were then separated from our parents and took a campus tour (my third), listened to more speakers, and then finally got a break for lunch where we were reunited with our parents. The food selection at Ohio is vast and they have tons of vegan options (the campus is ranked in the top 10 vegan friendly universities in the US). However, all good things must come to an end and the next 8 hours were torturous. We were placed in rooms that were far too cold, and then rooms that were far too hot, being forced to participate in group activities that we had all already done at our prior institutions (it was a full transfer student admissions day so no incoming freshmen were there to questions shower shoes and communal bathrooms), and we had to socialize. The socializing wasn’t horrible and I met some pretty nice girls who I hope I’ll be seeing more of in the fall.
Once we finally finished all of these mandatory (if we didn’t attend we would be unable to register for classes the next day) informational sessions, we had the opportunity to meet with our academic advisors. My academic advisor was less than helpful but it’s a good thing I’m self sufficient and can plan classes on my own (the rest of my group wasn’t as lucky).
When we were finally released for dinner I was able to reunite with my dad and we discussed all of the sessions from the long and tiring day.We retired for bed early again that night because we had to be out of our dorm by 7 the next morning, so after planning out my schedule and reading the piles and piles of information I was given that day, I called it a night.
The following morning, we showered, packed everything up, checked out of the dorm room, and then made our way over to the Union for another couple information sessions and then to register for classes. I had an hour between the sessions and my registration time so my dad and I used the free time to explore downtown Athens.
At around 9:45 I had to trek across campus to my advising session and my dad stayed back to write a letter to me and talk to the campus doctor. When I arrived at McCracken Hall, the home of the college of Education, I saw a sea of people all waiting to have their meetings. There were two people ahead of me still so I had a seat and talked to some of the girls I had met the day before for the next 45 minutes.
At 1030 (my appointment was at 10 but the company was nice so I couldn’t complain) I was able to schedule my classes. I am taking 6 classes: an intro to Psychology, Calculus, Spanish, Teacher Technology, Teacher Education, and a transfer course. I am pleased with my schedule and I have no classes on Thursday so hopefully I can get a job and work that day.
During my advising meeting, my advisor notified me that Ohio didn’t have my AP scores and the credits I completed simply weren’t there, so instead of graduating in 2.5 more years it could be as long as 3.5, so my dad and I rushed over to the admissions office to discuss this issue, only to find out my scores never sent, so I had to resend them. We then walked around campus a bit more, checked out my dorm, before finally making our way back to the car and returning to Illinois.
Now, there are about 2 months until I move in, and I have made a list of what I need to bring, contacted my suitemates, and am more than ready to start this new chapter in my life. OU Oh yeah!
Alicia
A year ago, I posted something about how turning 19 was irrelevant. That the 19th revolution around the sun was a pointless one separating the enticing year of becoming an adult and getting out of your teenage years.
If a year ago I told you that 19 would have been the best year of my life so far, I would have laughed in your face. But here I am, a whole year later, reflecting on my 19th year on this earth.
A year ago I thought I would be attending Arizona State University, majoring in chemical engineering, and living with my aunt.
But here I am, after taking a gap year, getting ready to start school at Ohio University, going to school for secondary education.
This year I did a lot of things, but if there’s one thing I did that I’m most proud of, it’s making my own decisions. I had always been a go with the flow kind of girl, always trying to please. In July, however, I made a tremendous decision to not return to school in the fall, something that recieved a bit of backlash for, people saying I would never return to college after my break. After I chose to take a break, I was able to leave a toxic job that I wasn’t comfortable with. Normally I would’ve continued with both of these things because that’s what was expected of me, but I did what was right for me and that alone made my entire year.
After convincing my entire family, I was able to volunteer in Peru for over a month, working in an orphanage with some of the cutest babies I had ever seen, and travelling and marvelling at the country as a whole.
This year for me has been the best so far, and I hope it only goes up from here. Now, as I continue to get ready for a new school and a new year, I hope you all continue to live life as I am, pulchritudinously.
Alicia
Also Happy Birthday to me !
Well, well, well. I’m alive and well and back in my cozy home, perched on the couch in my living room, writing for the first time in forever.
My initial goal was to blog 10 times while I was in Peru, and only ended up blogging twice. I will discuss Peru in later posts and share photos and all of that jazz, but now I just wanted to write. I wanted to share a bit of a life update (sans Peru) and talk about my summer, my college decision and just how life has been thus far.
Let’s get started with college. After another visit to Ohio University, I finally decided to make myself a part of the Patton College of Education at Ohio University. I am extremely excited to start school and become a teacher. I have orientation in 2 weeks and then I wait until the end of August for move in. I am living in the dorm I wanted and have already found out who my roommate and suitemates are. I haven’t been in contact with them yet but I have stalked the ones I found on Facebook and Instagram, which is basically the same thing. Go Bobcats!
Now onto my summer. Can we talk about babysitting? I am sitting for one family on Tuesdays and Thursdays and then another family on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I am also walking the Tuesday/Thursday family’s dog on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays when I’m done with babysitting. Also, I’m walking everywhere, so my new Fitbit and my body are going to love me at the end of the summer.
That’s it for now, I’ll talk about college, Peru, and my summer antics a bit more in the coming post, but since it is June 1st (and the start if my birthday month AND Marilyn Monroe’s birthday) I figured I would get back in the swing of things since I hadn’t posted once in May.
Until my next post
Alicia
Interesting title I know… but bear with me until I get to that story.
Whenever I am not at home, ie. college, vacation, a friend’s house, I always wake up super super early the first few days I am there. This was no exception. I woke up at around 6:30 or 7 (I don’t remember). I didn’t get up though, mainly because I didn’t want to wake any of my three roommates nor did I know how to get out of my bed.
Once my roommates had gotten up and gone downstairs, I basically cannonballed off of my bed (which really hurt) tumbled on the ground and made my way downstairs as well.
Breakfast that day (and every day) consists of bread and marmalade (Peru is known for their Marmalade and it’s amazing!), and a variety of exotic fruits.
After Breakfast, all of the new girls (Marissa, Annie, Skylar, Tressia, and myself) along with Leo and Clara made our way to Plaza San Miguel to exchange money and make ourselves acquainted with the plaza since we would spend quite a bit of time and money there.
We made it back just in time for lunch which was a really yummy pasta salad, rice, and a salad. If you think that’s a ton of carbs you should wait for every other meal (everyone always complains and I just think it’s annoying).
After lunch, all of the new girls squeezed ourselves into a taxi and headed to Miraflores (a very touristy area on a cliff displaying the Pacific Ocean in all of its glory). In Miraflores, we walked along Parque Kennedy, which is named after President JFK. This park is full of stray cats just walking around and doing their thing. The urge to pet them was so real, yet we didn’t because A. who knows what they had on/in them and B. they were quite skiddish around humans (no doubt due to some little kids trying to yank their tails).
By this time, the five of us had all opened up about being nervous the night before and for the same reasons. We had talked about families, friends, past trips, so many things and we were really getting comfortable around each other.
By the time we had finished telling stories, we were at Larcomar, a shopping center with about the same sorts of stores that the Panama airport had. There we walked around, took pictures of the coast, talked with some locals etc.
Some of the other girls in the house had told us about this Incan Market that was by Miraflores. Marissa wanted a bag, I wanted to look around and see the colors, and the other girls didn’t have a preference of what we were doing so… after a 25-minute walk or so we made it to the Incan market. The market was full of colored bracelets, bags, sweatshirts and more, alpaca blankets were displayed on every wall, and so many hand-carved trinkets. It was such a sight to see and while I didn’t buy anything that day (I didn’t want to lose anything) I will definitely make my way back to the Incan Market later in my trip to get some goodies.
After Marissa bartered for a bag and we had scanned the entire market, we hailed a taxi and were on our way back to the volunteer house.
After dinner, seven of the eight people who hadn’t gone out of town for the weekend decided to go to Miraflores to go clubbing. Well, the three older people (the 4 new girls were exhausted but we wanted to see what clubbing in Peru would be like… so we tagged along). Apparently buying alcohol in bars and clubs in Peru is just as expensive as the States, but buying bottled liquor is much cheaper so we walked to a local grocery store and came out with 2 bottles of $4 vodka, a knock off orange juice, and plastic cups.
We took a cab to Miraflores(where most of the nightlife happens) and started passing out the mixed drinks. (PS I am legal here so it’s all good). When our drinks were being poured and distributed, I had the pleasure of being the first sip. It tasted like cough medicine that your parents have to force down your throat when you’re little. But we had a lot of it to drink so we shoved it down our throats.
After we finished our drinks (well Marisa hid the vodka bottle in a bush), we got to the club. At the club, they played a variety of English and Spanish music and had an insane amount of flashing strobes. it was nothing too fancy, but it was nice to be able to check out the party scene of Peru.
I got home with 2 of the other girls at around 230 that morning and immediately passed out in bed, and the other 4 didn’t get home until 5. Nevertheless, we were up at 730 to explore Lima some more.
Sunday was a lot more laid back. We took a taxi to Barranco, a less touristy, more local city by the ocean. There we found a cute cafe and Skylar had her first acai bowl, and there was a very very cute Colombian barista who complimented my Spanish speaking abilities.
We got lunch in Barranco after walking along the beach for a bit. For lunch, I got grilled veggies and rice, and tried Sangria for the first time. It was good but definitely not my favorite drink in the world.
After lunch, we went to this little sort of Farmer’s Market, called Feria, which had clothes, food, soaps, cosmetic products, and just anything you could think of. We didn’t buy anything there but looking around was really nice. A few of the booths even had fake Kylie lip kits, which I thought was rather funny.
After walking around all day in the scorching heat, we needed something sweet. We found this little gelateria called Blu, which had a line wrapped around the entire block, which made us sure it had to be good. They also had sorbet (vegan!) so I was able to indulge in an amazing banana mango mixture that was absolutely heavenly.
We ate our gelato/sorbet in a park in Barranco which was filled with cute puppies and live music, an A+ on all ends if you ask me.
We finally made it back to the volunteer house, ate dinner, showered, and promptly fell asleep, awaiting what was to come n the following four weeks.
Alicia
Living off Leesh 