Today is the day to see some more of Paris! After a cold New Years Day that was hardly maximized, we decided today would be spent outside all day long. And we were rewarded with sunlight and clear skies! Our first stop was Les Invalides. The museum and edifice appealed to us enough that we were willing to make it the only museum we planned on visiting. And it was worth it. Just walking around the grounds was neat. The manicured lawn out front, surrounding the building was just what you would picture a French chateau as. The inside courtyard was [View Full Entry]

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Notre deuxième jour à Paris, our second full day in Paris. It was cold. So cold that I am sorry to say that I'm slightly miserable. And nothing is open in Paris on New Years Day. Double problem: I'm cold and I have no where to go. You wouldn't think I'd ever say that in Paris. But it's true. It sucks. We started our day okay enough... woke up and took the metro down to Concorde where we walked the Tuileries Garden and ended up at the Louvre. The garden was nice, but in winter... it's cold and bare. I can [View Full Entry]

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Last night Keith and I arrived in Paris after a long, long journey (4 flights!). We went to the Tour Eiffel and walked along the Seine at night, but today was our first full day of exploring the French capital. We decided that since we would have a long day with the New Years Eve celebrations going on all night that we would stick around Montmartre (where we were staying) and enjoy all the spoils that the neighborhood offers. And, as we were still exhausted from our journey, having our beds near us in case we needed to crash was appealing. [View Full Entry]

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I step outside on 3rd and Pine and before I can even turn the corner, I hear: "Oh, here comes the rain again!" I take one whiff of the air, smell the heavy dampness of the Pacific Northwest and think: Yeah, I'm in Seattle. Of course, while packing for this trip [I'm going to a few concerts in George, Washington, but get to bookend the excursion with a few hours in Seattle], I kept checking the weather. Seattle's reputation for being a rainy city made the idea of bringing my rain boots attractive, but as the chances of rain decreased I [View Full Entry]

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Actually it's not my last day, technically. But it is the last day of fun. Tomorrow is full of taking students to the airport from 5 AM to 6 PM. So... I need to enjoy today! And I did, for the most part. We went up to the Pali lookout, but spent no more than 5 minutes there because it was so windy. Our next stop was at Kailua Beach, which was also shortened because it was so windy which made the air kind of cold. We also went to the Polynesian Culture Center. The PCC was really nice and beautiful, [View Full Entry]

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Today my group took a day-long tour of the west side of the island. Since O'ahu is quite a diverse island, it was a nice break to get outside of Honolulu. While Honolulu and Waikiki are full of attractions and things to do, I felt like I was getting a one-sided view of what O'ahu is really like. Today was my much needed escape. We started out with a hour outside of 'Iolani Palace, which is the only imperial palace on American soil. It was only in use for the last two monarchs of imperial rule of Hawai'i—King Kalakaua and Queen [View Full Entry]

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Hanauma Bay is beautiful. And pristine. And really paradise within a paradise. We got to snorkel in the beautiful nature preserve and work on our suntans. It was really fun. Won't say much more, I think the pictures speak for themselves... [View Full Entry]

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It's been a busy few days in O'ahu. Even though everything in Hawai'i is relaxed (why hurry in the sun?!), I've been keeping things at a high intensity level with work. Luckily, I've still been able to get in a lot of fun time (definitely perk of working in the leisure industry). Past few days' highlights include: catamaran cruise on the Na Hoku II, surf lesson in Waikiki, fish tacos at Duke's Canoe Club, and Pearl Harbor (in the rain). [View Full Entry]

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Aloha from Hawai'i! I'm here on the island of O'ahu, actually on business. I've been here for a few days now, but today is the first time I've been able to actually slow down a bit and take in some of the sights. Since I graduated from the University of Illinois I have been working for a travel agency that specializes in tours for foreign exchange high school students studying in the United States. It's business, but what better place to do business than in Hawai'i... especially if you're from Chicago! I'm having a hard time believing I'm still in America [View Full Entry]

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I am so good at the Boston accent. I can say it all: clam chowdah, Haavid, Bawston. It's a beautiful thing really. Actually, I'm terrible. In fact, I am pretty sure my "Boston accent" sounds more Jamaican than Bostonian. But if I went to Harvard, I think I could perfect it. And let me just say it: I love Harvard. I want to go here for law school. Of all the places I've considered for law, only Stanford holds a place in my heart like Harvard does. It's the Stanford of the East Coast, though I'm sure people here would call [View Full Entry]

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