Jena - Jena Hazlerigs

Life is a series of adventures, and here I find myself resting before the next one begins. I'm 25 years old with a Sociology degree from the University of Georgia and a Global TESOL certificate from Georgia Perimeter College. I am currently working as an Administrative Coordinator for a large insurance agency and as an International Coordinator placing international high school students here on exchange with American host families. On top of all this, I am working on my Masters in Leadership to be completed in 2010

Having never stepped on an airplane until I was 21, I'm a bit amazed looking back that I've been able to see the places I have (given the limited budget!) in just 4 years. Needless to say, that first airplane ride by myself to Italy got me hooked on the travel bug! Dance is also a huge passion of mine - as well as a universal language.

List of postings:
2008.August.31 - Bahamas Cruise
2007.December.9 - Bahamas Cruise
2007.September.29 - Georgia, USA.

2007.July 14 - Belo Horizonte Brazil
2007.July.11 - Lavras Novas, Brazil
2007.July.11 - Chapada, Brazil
2007.July.10 - Ouro Preto, Brazil
2007.July.9 - Brasilia, Brazil
2007.July.8 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

2007.May.28 - New York, NY, USA
2007.April.28 - North Carolina Waterfalls, USA
2007.April.21 - Atlanta, GA, USA
2007.March.24 - Savannah, GA, USA
2007.March.24 - Tybee Island, GA, USA

2007.January.25 - Western Carribean Cruise to Mexico
2007.January.23 - Tulum, Mexico

2007.January.07 - Atlanta, Georgia, USA
2006.October.22 - Gatlinburg, Tennessee, USA
2006.October.14 - Helen & Cleveland, Georgia, USA
2006.May.02 - Athens, Georgia, USA
2006.March.19 - Dallas, Texas, USA
2006.March.15 - Los Angeles, California, USA

2005.August.5 - Viareggio, Italy
2005.July.31 - Cinque Terre (Monterosso), Italy
2005.July.30 - Tuscany, Italy (horseback)
2005.July.29 - Vatican City / Holy See
2005.July.29 - Rome, Italy
2005.July.09 - Berlin, Germany
2005.July.07 - Amsterdam, Holland
2005.July.06 - Brussels, Belgium
2005.June.24 - Florence, Italy (Festival San Giovanni)
2005.June.10 - San Gimignano, Italy
2005.June.10 - Siena, Italy
2005.June.06 - Florence, Italy (2 months worth!)

2005.March.12 - Panama City Beach, FL, USA

2004.June.11 - Tramonti, Italy
2004.May.30 - Florence, Italy
2004.May.18 - Piancavallo, Italy
2004.May.15 - Venice, Italy
2004.May.13 - Aviano, Italy

Private Message Subscribe 4 Forum Posts Top Photos Blog Map

Blog Comments Search Blogs Favorites Gallery First Entry Latest Entry

Joined on: January 28th 2006
Last Login: November 9th 2008

Blog Entries: 42
Photos: 1059
Recommended by 1, Recommends 1

TB Code: [blogger=11820]
Status: BLOGGER

Blogs & Travel Journals

by Jena, order by Date newest first.

By Jena
September 4th 2008

Carnival's Sensation - 4 day cruise to the Bahamas

Central America Caribbean » Bahamas

Carnival's Sensation

I will preface this entry in saying that this was one of my favorite vacations ever. It's possible I very likely learned the art of cruising and relaxing on this trip - or maybe I just needed a vacation THAT badly. Either way, it was my first bit of time off during a year that has brought many changes, including the purchase of my first home and the beginnings of my master degree. Intinerary on Carnival Sensation's 4 day cruise: Sunday (8/31) - 4PM - Depart Port Canaveral. Monday (9/1) - 8-5PM - Freeport, Bahamas Tuesday (9/2) - 8-5pm - Nassau, [View Full Entry]

By Jena
December 10th 2007

Dec 7-10, 2007 - 3 Day Cruise to the Bahamas!

Central America Caribbean » Bahamas » Nassau

Sovereign of the Seas

With the end of the year approaching, and two days of vacation time left, I knew I had to head to warmer weather! We were lucky enough to find a cruise that fit into a weekend, so December 7th, we departed Port Canaveral for a 3 Day, $230 cruise to the Bahamas on Royal Caribbean’s Sovereign of the Seas. Our itinerary was fantastic, leaving us with full days and little time actually on the boat: Friday - Depart Port Canaveral (5PM) Saturday - Nassau, Bahamas (11AM-Midnightish) Sunday - Coco Cay, Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas (9AM - 4PM) Monday [View Full Entry]

By Jena
September 29th 2007

Life continues on in Georgia - Hindu Temple, Stone Mtn Chili Cookoff, and the Gwinnett County Fair.

North America » United States » Georgia

Hindu Temple

Sept 29: Today was a day of contrasts. First was the Miller Lite Chili Cookoff at Stone Mountain park, and then a visit to the recently constructed Hindu Temple in Lilburn. The chili cookoff was a lot of fun. There were tons and tons of booths, each with a different theme. There was even a pirate ship! (And an old style diner, red necks, cowboys, firemen... you get the idea.) Even if you weren't a big chili person, there was also a secondary Brunswick stew and cornbread competition. It was a lot of fun wandering through the different areas and getting [View Full Entry]

By Jena
July 14th 2007

Belo Horizonte - Friends, Fun, and the last of my time in Brasil.

South America » Brazil » Minas Gerais » Belo Horizonte

After the dance lesson

All the thanks in the world go to Mark for planning out my short weeks stay in Brasil. I reflected on my time there as having shown me the different aspects to what the country was like, given the time I had to see it. Rio was a traditional tourist town, showing the exterior side of Brazilian life. From the Carioca (Muscle Beach-ish) mentality to the glimpses of the favelas. Brasilia showed me a different take on a capital city, a rather surprising lack of security from what we have in Washington DC, yet it seemed more secure. I also had [View Full Entry]

By Jena
July 11th 2007

Lavras Novas

South America » Brazil » Minas Gerais » Ouro Preto » Lavras Novas

Souvineer Shop

Lavras Novas is an extremely pleasant little town on the side of a hill. All the buildings are different colors. Because we went in the middle of the week, there weren't too many people, but it was a pleasant day none-the-less. We spent much of the day at an outdoor cafe owned by Milly, a lady with a welcoming smile. I also found the souvenir shop that I had seen pictures of on the internet - and the prices were very fair too! (And of course I had lots of giggles at the cow.. horse.. mules as they walked up and [View Full Entry]

By Jena
July 11th 2007

Chapada - Waterfall!

South America » Brazil » Minas Gerais » Ouro Preto » Chapada

The Waterfall.
(Mark took this picture.)

Not too far away from Ouro Preto is a town of only a few homes near a waterfall. It's around a mile walk, up and down hills. It was a pleasant walk and worth the effort of driving down the red dirt roads, for many miles, to get to. We'd hoped to grab a quick snack in the town, but no one seemed to be at the one little cafe! [View Full Entry]

By Jena
July 10th 2007

Ouro Preto

South America » Brazil » Minas Gerais » Ouro Preto

View out the window of the pousada

After catching a flight from Brasilia to Rio at 7:20am, catching a 9am bus into Belo Horizonte, and arriving to Mark's apartment around 10 - it was time to prepare to head to Ouro Preto. Ouro Preto is a thriving, colonial style city that began as a gold mining villiage. It is very hilly - and beautiful. I was pretty shocked to see cars zipping around on the VERY steep hills, but it's just a daily thing here. My visit to Ouro Preto actually had significant spiritual overtones. Hundreds of pounds of gold are plated on the walls of the churches, [View Full Entry]

By Jena
July 9th 2007

Brasilia

South America » Brazil » Distrito Federal » Brasília

Inside the cathedral.

We arrived into Brasilia late in the night. Our plane had been delayed a bit, but this was the norm considering that there have been issues with control tower strikes creating delays... Either way, nothing is ever cancelled, and all international flights are running on time. (Don't worry mom!) It was not until the next morning that I met Mark's aunt and uncle, our hosts. They were the sweetest, older couple and more accomodating than you can imagine. Truly the type of people that you want to spend time around. She didn't speak English at all, but as time went on, [View Full Entry]

By Jena
July 8th 2007

Rio de Janeiro - Beaches and Live Earth!

South America » Brazil » Rio de Janeiro

Live Earth Rio. 7/7/7

My 1 1/2 short days in Rio has been fun. Yesterday I saw Copacabana Beach and the Live Earth concert. There are people everywhere! Most of the crowd is for the upcoming PanAmerican games in the city. I have been staying at an apartment just a few blocks from the beach that belongs to a friend of Mark´s mom. (Mark is my host/friend here.) It´s a simple apartment, but is more than sufficient for this trip - and it´s free! Interestingly enough, the elevators are different here. There is a door you pull open once the elevator has arrived, in addition [View Full Entry]

By Jena
May 28th 2007

3450 New York Minutes

North America » United States » New York » New York » Manhattan

Times Square

I have a lot of emotions when I think about my visit to New York. It's a city full of gems waiting to be discovered, and a lot of misconceptions. I didn't find New York to be full of rude people or an unmanageable hustle and bustle. Instead, I found a remarkable city that accommodates all the people within it with amazing ease. The transportation is amazingly efficient and Manhattan, very clean. (I do recognize things change once you leave the touristy areas, radiating outward, that things are always much different.) All that being said... I feel we accomplished the unthinkable. [View Full Entry]

TravelBlog » Jena

Jena | Jena Hazlerigs | Travel Blog