Good-bye, Au revoir, Ciao, Cheers!

Wow, within a blink of an eye, my adventure in Europe is over. As I am leaving to go home tomorrow, I want to thank AIFS for giving me this opportunity to blog and share my travel adventures with you. Without AIFS, my experience in London would not have been the same. So, thank you, AIFS-you guys are the best!

Over the course of 10 weeks, I have learned not only a lot about myself, but about traveling as well. And I want to share some tips that I hope will help future/current travelers and study abroad students. 

1. When you are uncomfortable, you are growing. Yes, when you are UNCOMFORTABLE, you are growing. This was my mantra throughout my entire trip. Almost everyday, I did something outside my comfort zone. And, it wasn't anything dramatic like skydiving, but taking the Tube by myself or asking a stranger for directions. Many people think that being uncomfortable is correlated with negativity, but that's not true. Being uncomfortable allows you to challenge your limits and learn to defy those limits. 

2. Do NOT waste a single second sleeping. We all like to sleep, but you can sleep all you want when you arrive home! I'll be honest this is a hard one, but get up, grab an espresso and GO! You will regret it if you don't. 

3. Travel for the right intentions. It's fun to party (I KNOW), but don't let partying and drinking be your main priority. Your abroad to travel, to see the world, share stories about your cultural experience. That story about you and your friends going to a club, yeah, that gets old. 

4. You can have more than one home. "You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere." I left a family behind in London to go home to my family in California. London was an experience I will never forget and I call it home. 

Well, that's it. That's all I have. 

Traveling has made me realize that the world is HUGE and there are still many places that I want to explore that I still have yet to see. Also, traveling has taught me that I am truly blessed to know so many wonderful people. THANK YOU to everyone who has supported me (in both big and small ways) along my journey, each of you will always have a special place in my heart! 

Xoxo,

Mon

Prague Blog (that rhymes)

Ahoy! Hello!

EARLY Monday morning…let me clarify…4AM Monday morning, I arrived in London from the lively Prague, Czech Republic.  

I spent my days devouring savory goodies, touring medieval castles and dancing the nights away. 

If there is one thing the Czechs know how to do right...it’s snacks. Czech food is primarily made up of carbs on carbs on carbs and savory red meat. In the center of town, there are stands where roasted hams are spinning on pikes, sausages are being grilled and seasoned for hot dogs, potatoes are diced for potato skewers, and best of all TRDELNIK. Don’t ask me how to pronounce this treat or how many I had…Trdelnik is rolled dough that is wrapped around a stick, then grilled, and covered in cinnamon-sugar. OMG. My mouth is salivating again…and to compliment your pastry, a cup of hot wine hits the spot (Yes, HOT wine…it’s magic). 

Trdelnik and Hot Wine. 

Czech munchies. 

During my short stay in Prague, I visited all the major tourist attractions like the Astronomical Clock, St. Charles Bridge, the Prague Castle, and the John Lennon Memorial Wall. 

Aside from the vibrant sights and yummy snacks, Prague shares a more serious and moving piece of history. 

On the last day of my trip, I visited the Lidice and Terezin memorials. The Lidice memorial commemorated the 82 lives of innocent children who were gassed and killed in concentration camps during WW II. When seeing this memorial, I walked in silence-only able to hear the shuffling of my feet. How this happened? Why did this happen? What motivates a person to take an innocent child’s life away? 
I thought of my own brother and sister, Justin (7) and Alyssa (11) who are just around the same age as most of the kids who suffered this tragic incident; I thought of how frightened and confused they would have been if they were suddenly taken away from my family and brought to a strange land. My heart aches for these children and their families. 

These children had feelings; these children played games; these children fought with their brothers and sisters; these children were like you and me, the only difference? They didn’t have the chance to fall in love, go to college, have a career, start a family, or grow old. It disgusts me to think that this is not a one time incident, evil like this is still exists throughout the world today. Innocent people: children with futures, adults with families—their lives end shortly and abruptly because of malicious and unnecessary acts. These people are like you, these people are like me.

Today, I encourage you to reflect on how grateful we are to have the opportunity to live in countries like the United States and United Kingdom and how lucky we are to be able to have that chance, the chance to go to college, the chance to fall in love, the chance to have a career, the chance to raise a family, the chance to grow old. 

Lidice Memorial. 

Terezin Memorial.