Relax, Listen, and Laugh

"Everyone laughs in the same language." It has no boundaries. I've learned a smile really can light up a room and sometimes when nothing else seems to make sense laughter does.  I laugh at the guys and all their immature jokes. I laugh that my sister puts mayonnaise on her rice and corn. Laugh that I have been so lost in a conversation that there's no turning back but no sense in moving forward with it.  I laugh when papa dances to Gangham style in the car. I laugh especially hard while on the phone with mama when I can't follow what she's trying to tell me.  I laugh that we sang Shania Twain at lunch as a family. Laugh when people immediately follow the question "where are you from?" with "Are you mormon?" People have started to figure out that I snort when I laugh and that just seems to bring out more laughter.
    I smile at the beautiful people. Their joy for life. They take time to eat their meals and enjoy conversations. Sundays are "tranquil" days meant to be spent with family not rushing from people to places. I smile during mass when I literally don't understand more than 10 words even though I've gone to mass for 20 years. I smile at the incredibly peaceful sunsets over the ocean that project red hues on the windows of all the buildings. I smile while eating the top 5 best ice creams I have ever had even though I didn't know what kind it was. I smile realizing this really is a dream that has come true. This place is magical.  Yeah sure the language is incredibly difficult, but no one can take away a smile and everyone understands what a smile and a little laughter means.

So this is Chile

I wont make these posts too long for the people who do actually read these, but sharing my 4 month abroad adventures might take some time.  Thus far Chile has proved everything it's ever been cracked up to be.  Tons of people, beautiful country side, incredibly fast spanish spoken, and lots of beer. Not to mention stray dongs all over the place and consumption of abundant amounts of bread at every meal, my two personal favorite things about this country (NOT).  We arrived in Santiago on Sunday morning and quickly became friends with 30 other people while waiting in the airport to head to Hotel-Rent-A-Home (very Spanish name).  The hotel was apartment style so we had a couple of roommates.  The past 3 days have been filled with LOTS of sitting and listening to our program coordinator. I'm so thankful that's done because it got a little repetitive. We toured Santiago and saw the presidential palace, a cathedral, the center of the city, and a vineyard.  We all felt like we were back in grade school on a field trip going place to place walking all together. That had to be a sight watching 30 gringos get off the bus with their big cameras around their necks.  I really liked the cathedral today because there was a mass just ending and the archbishop of Santiago was present and somehow David and I ended up being really close to him with a bunch of Chilean camera crews.  Santiago is massive-almost 7 million people! It reminds me of Salt Lake with its proximity to the mountains.  There was tons of smog and no one in the group really understood what it was, but after living in Salt Lake that's normal for winter time.  Last night was a  great night at Louisiana.  The ratio of Americans to Chileans in the bar had to be 5:1.  It was karaoke night...perfect for us gringos.  Classic songs were song while the DJ looked thoroughly ecstatic to have his job. haha The food is not very good here. It's pretty bland. If you order "pollo y papas fritas" you will literally get french fries and a piece of chicken.  There isn't much flavor. Their "ensaladas" are just iceberg lettuce with tomatoes and cucumbers with oil and vinegar for dressing.  Chile is the second largest consumer of bread after Germany.  They eat so much bread! Don't worry my host family knows I don't want any bread.  Speaking of host families we took the 90 minute bus ride from Santiago to Viña del Mar to meet our families. Everyone on the bus was twerking getting nervous.  It was funny to watch the host families pick us up. Imagine them looking at 30 gringos going "oh I don't want that one. oh please not the one with 3 suitcases. really the kid with the ski boots?"  I think it'll all work out for everyone though. I like my host family thus far. Things are going well. I'm freezing constantly because there isn't central air inside buildings and it's only 40 degrees at night.
      I'm really glad I had my 20 day trip to Costa Rica in December because that helped me prepare a lot for this trip. If I could survive that trip I can survive anywhere!
          I've met a lot of really cool people. There are 10 people from DU on the trip but none of us were super close before the trip. What a great crew we are though, taking over Chile.  It's been a blast to get to know everyone. We're planning trips already to go exploring! Chao 

adiós y buena suerte

Throughout the past year I've lived in Utah, New York and Denver. I've traveled to 22 states, Canada, and Costa Rica.  Every day has brought a new adventure. Thinking back on these experiences every one them has turned out to be incredible.  There's been difficult times, but those are all just learning experiences.  On to the future and great times ahead.  Since I was 7 years old I've said I wanted to study abroad for one year, first in a Spanish speaking country. Today that dream and goal becomes a reality as I leave to study in Viña del Mar, Chile.  I'll live with a host family, take classes with 80 other international students, run along the beach, hike Machu Picchu, attend church, ski in the Andes, and make friends for a lifetime. The most common regret I've heard from adults is they wish they would have studied abroad when they were younger. This will not be a regret of mine. I can't wait to see what God has planned.  There's a mixture of excitement and nervousness, but why be nervous? Every other time I've boarded a plane and gone somewhere where I didn't know anyone it's turned out to be one of the best times in my life. Yesterday on the bus my bus driver from Kenya said "I'm so glad you are going to study somewhere else. I appreciate people like that. To learn and grow with the culture and the people. You can't learn by just staying in one place.  Well here we go!!!!

Boston or Bust

Back in February my friend Mur talked about how she was going to have to drive her car back home to Boston at the end of the year and I casually said "can I come with you?"  That's when the adventure began.   

   On Wednesday June 5 at 12:30pm Mur, Sam David and I piled in Mur's car.  We set out to drop Sam off in Kansas City, KS.  We went through this trip knowing we had 6 days to get to Mur's house but that was the only plan besides dropping Sam off in KC, KS.  We had no places set up to stay, no precise times to be anywhere and no one we had to answer to.  Based on each city we were in here's what happened--

Kansas City, KS- stayed at Sam's house and met her friends, her mom had a cookie cake with our names on it.  

Kansas City, MO- Wendy David treated us to breakfast. quaint city to walk around, the river is pretty

*What I learned in Kansas and KC,KS-- Tech 9 is from KC, KS, driving through Kansas is prettier than I ever thought (it's actually green with hills), I saw one the most beautiful sunsets in my rear view mirror, Hallmark started in KC, Kate Spade is from KC

St. Louis, MO- met up with my friend Jessica Foley from HOBY WLC '09, you NEVER want to be in East St. Louis (we accidentally ended up there), the Cardinals stadium is cool,  St. Louis Bread Co. is really the EXACT same thing as Panera Bread

Evanston, IL- stayed with Clayton Wheeler and got to his house at midnight. So generous to let us stay there and his parents were very nice. woke up the next morning and went to Starbucks to use the wifi and so I could change my clothes.  Then filled up with gas where I bought a toothbrush and preceded to brush my teeth in the bathroom

Chicago, IL- skyline is beautiful! Both Mur and I had only been there once.  We rode the $6 Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier, Walked around Millenium Park, all over Michigan Ave, the art museum and then took the train to Wriggley Field.  Caught a Cubs game for $20.  They have some great fans who LOVE their beer.  

Wilmette, IL- Stayed with Alex Chipparoni and his family.  They live right on Lake Michigan so we got a gorgeous sunset over the lake.  Lake Michigan reminds of an ocean because it's so expansive.  drove past Northwestern's football stadium so I could see where cousin Adam played football. delicious breakfast made by Mrs. Chipparoni.

Ann Arbor, MI- stopped for lunch at a dive restaurant  bought some expensive, but delicious chocolate, shopped in the cute shops, and starbucks for some wifi.  Ann Arbor is really pretty, the football stadium is massive! The campus is pretty with old, white brick

Detroit, MI-Motor City,USA.  tons of graffiti everywhere, old rundown buildings

London, ON, CAN- stayed with Matt Ferguson from HOBY WLC '09 (haven't seen each other in 4 years).  We turned off our phones when we crossed the border so we told Matt we would knock on his door between 7:30-8 that night and sure enough we did at 7:45. His roommates were really nice. We accompanied them to "The Beer Store" (it's literally called that because all the sell is beer in a refrigerated building).  Met more of Matt's friends including 2 cousins who were some of the funniest people I've ever met.  Went out to an outdoor bar that night.  The bouncers laughed at our ID's saying they looked like really cheap fake IDs. people behind us just laughed. We caught the last of the Blackhawks game before finding a table to sit at for a few hours.   Everyone was so nice and friendly. It was a different atmosphere then in the states. our favorite part was that people talked to us and were genuinely interested in us instead of just playing on their phones. We headed to McDonalds and then off to bed at 4am!

*this was my favorite night of the trip

Toronto, CAN-left Matt's house at 8am and drove to Toronto.  It's a lot like Chicago as far as being a big city on the water.  The city is growing extremely quickly. Most of their buildings were built with glass so it made all the architecture gorgeous.  We saw the CN Tour, Blue Jays stadium, and walked around the city and lakefront

Montreal, QC,CAN- stayed with Mur's family friends from when they lived there for 2 years when they lived there 15 years ago. We had a great dinner and then Mur and I walked around Montreal. We probably walked 6 miles that night. Stopped and had some Fro-Yo.  Some much French in Montreal, well Quebec in general. It's like a completely different country.  Not much english anywhere. In the morning we went to a look, went to McGill University and through old town Montreal.  pretty city. 

*we learned that in Canada the speed limit is 100kmph means at least 120kmph or you will be passed by trucks.  "Eh" is a common thing people really do say. people are all friendly and call each other "brother", universities are a lot cheaper there

Stowe, VT- small, small ski town. We met up with Mur's brother Rob and his girlfriend Erin. We climbed and submitted Vermont's tallest peak where you could see lake Champlain.  It was so windy on top but really pretty. I kept making the comment that it's a ski hill not a mountain, but this is one of the Northeast's best places to ski.we had dinner at a Mexican restaurant and then played tag on a playground for half an hour (extreme tag while jumping over railings).  Ate maple ice cream and black raspberry ice cream. drove to Burlington to see some of their friends and walk around UVM.  It's a nice college town right on lake Champlain.  the first Ben&Jerry's was here. church street is a lot like Pearl Street in Boulder because the same guy designed it. in the morning we toured the Ben&Jerry's factory and tasted Milk and Cookies ice cream, delicious! 

Medfield, MA- hung out and relaxed. met Mur's friends, saw the state championship HS guys lax game at Harvard Stadium, watched the first game of the Stanley Cup Finals at a local bar in Boston, had ice cream at Bubbling Brook, hiked to an overlook of the city, embraced all the rain!

Providence, RI-flew out of here to come home. Literally got to the airport at 5:20 and my flight was at 5:40. Made it non the less

The end of an incredible experience. We spent about $500 on gas and tolls along the way, drove over 2,400 miles in 6 days, hung out with incredible people and made new friends. Every step of the way we had to explain that we go to school in Denver but Mur lives in Boston and I'm from Utah but I just wanted to drive with her. People were confused at first but then jealous of our journey. We called ourselves nomades throughout the adventure. we heard almost every song on the radio, satellite radio, cds and our phones. "I want Crazy", "Wagon Wheel","Landslide", "Get Lucky" were our top played songs. I encourage everyone to set out on an adventure like this. It was fun to do it as a 20 year old with one friend.  We never knew where we were going to stay but managed to find people every step of the way. Thank you to everyone who hosted us! America (and Canada) are incredibly beautiful and diverse places that should be explored. Learn something new everyday and meet someone different.  

School's Out for the Summer

   Crazy to think I have finished 2 years at DU.  It seems like not too long ago we were graduating high school and in that same amount of time I’ll have graduated college! I think this year was a year of learning. Learning about myself and others and I guess just the world around us.  If I came up with a “Top 10” list for the year this is what I’d come up with in no particular order….

1)   baking with Rylie. Crepes, cookies, brownies, anything! Usually at midnight or later

2)   figure skating nationals at Dartmouth. Hanging out with David Chaing and then spending a night in Boston seeing friends and touring Harvard

3)   meeting new friends through Athletes in Action and church in general.  Laura, Kiki, Cassie, Abel, Adam, Anna, Garth, Andy

4)   farmers market at Cherry creek after running a 5K with Brandy and with a girl from Girls on the Run

5)   going 3-4 in Santa Barbara for lacrosse and having mom and aunt Dylynn there

6)   road tripping across the country and all it’s random adventures

7)   Spring break in Seattle hanging out with Rylie and Steph.  Finding the chapel I want to get married at, fishing off the pier, gambling legally

8)   Cousin Adam’s wedding at Santa Clara and doing a reading. Spending a night at Stanford with Sanchay after a crazy taxi ride

9)   Having dad, Allison and Kurt visit me at school in February. Go Vandals!

10)                  Memorial day at the cabin with the crew plus Allyson and Mur

I’d say it’s been a fun, successful year.  Put that one in the books.

Caught Up

It's easy sometimes to get caught up in meaningless things especially while at DU.  It's easy to get lost in the Lulu Lemon pants, Ugg boots, Land rovers, Ray-Ban sunglasses.  It's something that I've struggled with since coming to school.  I love shopping at Old Navy and Target, I wear $10 sunglasses and I don't have a car at school.  Sometimes I think that I need to do more in this world like travel more or go on humanitarian trips because so many of many friends here at school have done so many things like that.  All it takes to bring me back to my roots are texts from friends or phone calls that say "gosh I look at your life and I'm jealous." and "I want to be you when I grow up." That's when I realize just how blessed I really am.  
    This all became especially apparent when I finally got into the Valparsio, Chile study abroad program.  Because it's so customary for students (especially juniors) to study abroad from DU it's easy to get caught up in it and forget about how incredible this opportunity truly is.  I'm grateful I have this opportunity and after hearing from people saying how lucky I am and how wonderful my experience will I know I have been blessed.  I'm really excited, a little nervous, to start this adventure down south in July.  God continues to bless me each and every day. 

What a weekend

You know those times when you think, "I'll never forget this moment"? Well this weekend was full of those.  My best friend who's known me since the day I was born came on Thursday.  She got to come to the country club and watch me teach learn to skate.  The 3 boys and 1 girl in my class on Thursdays are hilarious. The boys all call me their girlfriend and one boy says he's buying me an engagement ring (nice to know that 6 year olds like me).  They also find it fun to try and tackle me or hug me until I fall. I can't stop smiling when I teach those kids; they're so full of life and just excited to be kids.  Dad was in town with Dan and Bret his 2 college buddies and they took us to dinner at the Cherry Cricket.  I will never forget the sweet potato fries of the turkey burger with herb cream cheese.  Thursday night we went to our friends house for a Thrift Shop party where we got dressed up in clothes that were literally from the thrift store. It was a blast!  Friday consisted of class in the morning and then shopping and a delicious trip to Crepes N' Crepes with Allyson and Mur.  Allison and I split a savory crepe and then an ice cream filled crepe. So yummy! Friday night we picked up Kurt,another best friend from home, from the airport and headed to the CC vs. DU rivalry hockey game.  This is one of the few times that our school has a lot of school spirit.  Kurt and Allison met a bunch of my friends while we watched the game.  Illegal Pete's was our stop on the way back to my dorm for some much needed late night Mexican dinner.  Susie's sister and sister's friend were here so we had quite the packed room but everyone was content.  Saturday Annie, Allison, Kurt and I went to the gym to play some basketball and get 'swoll'.  After getting cleaned up the 4 of us went to the Idaho vs. DU basketball game to meet up with my dad and crew.  We wore Vandal attire to the game and cheered for the Vandals knowing they would lose by a lot of points.  It was fun to be there with such a random crew including cousin Maggie and one of Kurt's friends from Dixie, Mitch.  We laughed hysterically throughout the game as the Vandals got pummeled despite our best efforts to lead the infamous I-D-A-H-O cheer.


The crowd around us couldn't really believe our friendly bunch.  We ended up at Kaos Pizza on Pearl Street for dinner with our large group.  We shared some of the most incredible pizza we've ever had and played trival pursuit. Who knew you could be so entertained with some trivia cards present at the dinner table? I'm sure the other guests just wanted us to leave.  We also had lavender honey gelato. Now that's not something you have everyday but believe me when I say that it is delicious.  Dan graciously bought dinner and we finally left the table after 2 hours of constant laughter and talk about college and the variety of experiences we've all had.  The old guys shared some knowledge to us young folks while sharing some other stories about adventures I hope I never have.  I'll be forever thankful to my dad when he says "I have loved the life I've lived and I just want my kids to love their life too."

Us kids came back to DU for a little dance and singing session in our room singing every song from "World's Greatest" to "Chicken Fried"before we went and met up with another friend of mine from home, Lena, who was visiting her boyfriend who goes here. Mitch was still chilling with us which  was great.

    I haven't seen Lena since we were counselors together at HOBY 2 years ago and she is so awesome.  The rest of the night consisted of more fun, seeing more friends and having deep talks until 3am.  Such an epic night! Sunday we were up early hanging out watching basketball on TV and eating brunch in the dining hall. Dad and the crew came over to say bye and give us a present from mom.  She's so great-homeade granola, muddy buddies, candle warmer, goldfish, hot cocoa! We talked shared more stories with the old geezers and they headed out. My friends kept saying how awesome dad is. I just say that I love him and he's quite the character. We decided to go roller bladding at Wash Park and Libby, Susie's sister, came along. It was a blast to be outside enjoying fresh air.  Sunday night we had one last dinner in the dining hall before Mitch and I drove Allison and Kurt to the airport to say goodbye.

     I loved hanging out with Annie the whole weekend while she got to be with some of my friends.  We spent a straight 29 hours with Mitch, someone only Kurt had met, and he turned out to be an awesome person who I feel like I've known for years.  Annie and I couldn't stop laughing at everything that happened this weekend.  I feel incredibly blessed to have best friends and family that come to visit.  I'm grateful for the times like these when I know I'll have stories to tell and laugh at for years.