Pass 2nd Year

My mother hounded me for not posting enough, which is quite true. I’ve been so caught up in each moment, that sitting down to update a blog has fallen to the very bottom of my to-do list. Rather than bombarding you with several posts that gently brag about my past semester, I thought I’d cover all of the bases in one fell swoop. I commend those that last until the very end.

I’ve become increasingly more aware of the validity in the cliché, “Time flies while you’re having fun,” and this past semester was no exception. It had both its ups and downs including: traveling to five countries, raising hell with karaoke, and performing my first eulogy (something I never imagined myself doing, especially at nineteen.) I could write about the hardships (read: loads of unexplainable shit) we dealt with in January, but this seems far too impersonal of a platform. Rather than dismiss them altogether, I figured it’d be best to acknowledge that, yes: not everything was perfect or fair, but to explain that we’ve decided to remain optimistic.

Off to a late start second semester, the months were filled with frequent nights out (probably too many nights out), a successful student-government campaign, reading, (yes, I study a lot- stop asking, Mom.) and spending as much time as possible with my incredible friends.

Here’s the part where I don’t really understand why my mom wants me to update this- I don’t know what to say or where to start. Most of the “juicy” stuff, my friends already know, and if you don’t know- I’m not sure I want you reading it.

I dated. I drank. Blasphemous, I know. Above all, I really just enjoyed myself: reconnecting with old friends and making new ones along the way. My second semester was filled with trips to Istanbul, the Houston Rodeo, Norway, Cannes, and Paris. Norway was particularly fantastic because I met a group of spunky, spontaneous people that decided to go with me with less than a week’s notice. We had a wonderful time, and I really do cherish their friendships.

In May I had the opportunity to intern at the Cannes Film Festival. I cannot put Cannes into words. It was absolutely incredible. You never knew whom you’d end up talking to. I turned to people at bars/restaurants and met buyers, screenwriters, all walks of life and all in love with film- in sum, my people. The most stressful part of the festival was the fact that I had to commute between France and Scotland to take my exams. The first time I returned, all of the flights went smoothly. The second time, not so much. I literally sat bawling on the plane- sure that I was going to miss my exam and fail second year. The woman next to me fluctuated between looks of concern and sympathy. Long story short, I made it to Scotland at 3am and had never been more thankful to arrive somewhere. I fell asleep for three hours before waking up to study for my exam at 9am. I would not recommend this to anybody. (Strangely, this was the exam I actually performed the best on, but that’s beside the point.)

In Cannes, I “worked.”  Overlooking the water in such a beautiful country, it didn’t really feel like work. I spent most of my free time watching movies. Our badges let us in to movies that won’t be coming out for months, so that made me feel super swanky. I also woke up at about 4am to get in line for a Pixar panel starring my idols: Amy Poehler and Mindy Kaling. I went. I cried. I also ate an exorbitant amount of crepes and baguettes. I was fortunate enough to spend my time with two incredible ladies- some of the best people I know. Seriously.

After Cannes it should have been back to reality, but my Cannes roommate encouraged me to join her in Paris, which I did: more crepes, more baguettes, more awesome times. I then went back to Scotland for a week spent with another incredible lady before heading back to Texas.

I spent about 24 hours in Texas before heading to Pebble Beach with my family. Honestly, this is my favorite place in the world. My time there went by way too quickly. We also took a family trip to the lake, which was a shit show in the best way possible. Too many margaritas ended in someone passed out on the bathroom floor, someone falling in a thorn bush and cutting their face, and all around embarrassing laughs. Once home, I had to quickly pack and prepare to celebrate my twentieth and move to Los Angeles. I celebrated like any 20-year-old would; I went to Inside Out with my friends. Yeah. The Pixar film.

Shortly thereafter it was time to go to Los Angeles. When I landed in LA, I took a cab to my new address. I was exhausted from staying up all night and a bit peeved that I was spending my 20^th birthday with strangers in a foreign city. The driver asked how I was doing, and I said, “Fine,” before asking how he was doing, out of courtesy rather than curiosity, I hate to admit. What he said really changed my perspective on things, (and I promise this it the cheesiest I’ll get.) He chimed up: “It’s a wonderful day. I was blessed to wake up, get myself out of bed on my own, and go to work. Some people are hooked to breathing machines and aren’t as fortunate, so I count my lucky stars every day.” We hear things like this on a daily basis, and I’m not sure if it was the mention of the breathing machines (which if you know anything about my life these past few years, you’ll understand) or what, but it resonated deeply, and he challenged me to treat each day less pessimistically than I normally would. I no longer saw myself as being alone in Los Angeles on my birthday. I decided it was an opportunity to explore my unknown surroundings and make new friends. Okay, that’s it for the do-gooder portion of the article. I know if you wanted a lesson, you could’ve read God-vine or something like that.

During my first week in Los Angeles, I was feeling pretty good. I had so many friends. SO MANY. Like 4. My brother, my cousin, my good friend, and my new roommate. I was so excited. Then… well, my cousin went on holiday, so did my friend, and my brother moved. I was kind of at a loss. Luckily, I’ve pushed myself out of my comfort zone and have had some incredible times so far (which will all be obnoxiously detailed in another post that my mother will no doubt have me write.)

Well, if you’re reading- that kind of gets you up to speed. A lot more has happened, which you can ask me about if you’d like. If not, that’s cool- don’t really know why you’re reading then. I promise to share all of my bus woes and travels from here on out within the next few weeks. Until then, enjoy life. Peace.

Interview Hugh Grant/Jamie Dornan

I’ve started my second year at the University of St. Andrews, and I feel like I’ve barely had time to breathe. With the increased workload and abundance of school activities and functions, there is never a dull moment here in Scotland. However, I decided that it was finally time to sit down and write a post about one of my most exciting weekends to date.

As most of my Facebook friends will know (because of my frequent and incessant postings) I recently interviewed Hugh Grant and Jamie Dornan, amongst other famous celebrities. What many people don’t understand is why I did this. People seem to reject my response that it’s because I’m super famous and popular, and they wanted to talk to me.

The real reason is that I am the Vice President of the student television network in St. Andrews (wooo go BubbleTV!) Because of this, the President and I covered the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, which is a golf tournament held at The Old Course in St. Andrews. Many renowned golfers and amateurs (celebrities) participated in the tournament and town festivities. We were lucky enough to obtain press passes and witness the tournament alongside other (professional) media outlets.

From the Wednesday (practice day)- Sunday of the tournament, we spent all day, every day at the course. Most days, I seemed to have my life together: I wore cute outfits, brushed my hair, and put on some makeup. Of course, Saturday morning (after getting only 3 hours of sleep… late night of karaoke) it was POURING down rain. My only rain jacket with a hood is bright yellow… so when I had the privilege of interviewing Hugh Grant and Jamie Dornan, I looked like a freaking human minion. That doesn’t matter, I charmed them anyway. They were so kind to give a few minutes of their time before teeing off. Luckily everything happened so quickly that I did not have time to get nervous until after the interviews.

The entire experience was something I will cherish forever, as cheesy as that may sound. It was also my first experience with journalism on a somewhat professional level, especially considering most of my previous film experience has been scripted. Comparing the two is like comparing apples and oranges. I would definitely say that this was way more stressful… we had to hope and plan ahead of time to make sure that we’d be in the right place at the right time.

Luckily, we were pretty successful and created an awesome video that you can check out here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEJ7_J3UM0o

Go to Australia/Skydive

I’ve been putting off the writing of this post for two reasons: 1.  It seems nearly impossible to summarize four of the most incredible weeks of my life into one post, and 2. Creating a summary of this trip would make me come to terms with the sad truth that the holiday is actually over. I’ve been in denial for far too long, hoping I could magically teleport back “down under,” but now that it’s been almost four weeks since my return, my heart must accept what my brain has been trying to tell me. So here’s my attempt at encapsulating the most incredible experience into one post: thanks for reading.

Back in December I was lucky enough to have dinner with one of my best friends, Ali, when she mentioned that she would be traveling with her friend Kathryn to Australia. The three of us had gone on a school trip together in 2009, (and I’m not sure if I invited myself along, or if they invited me) but we somehow decided that the trio should reunite for Australia 2014. As the trip approached and it came time to pack for our four-week vacation, I was suddenly filled with anxiety: I had traveled far away from home, but never THIS far. I also knew that Kathryn was an incredibly sweet girl, but that was about all that I knew of her- we didn’t even exchange phone numbers until we arrived at the airport. However, after just a few short days on the trip I realized that all of my worrying had been foolish and proceeded to have quite possibly the most amazing four weeks of my life.

We started our trip in Cairns, an adorable, small town. The weather was in the 70s, which we thought was amazing for “winter” (although, we were fooled. As we traveled south, it became increasingly colder) Cairns (pronounced “cans”) was the perfect place to begin our journey. We caught beautiful glimpses of the water as we walked around town to various restaurants along the main road. We spent one day taking a cable car over the rainforest. We also took a boat excursion to the Great Barrier Reef to snorkel. The boat we were on was not the most welcoming to people with weak sea legs, so I put my head down on the table to listen to music while a good third of the boat lost their lunch. At first we were flattered that the hot boat staff took such an interest in “Team Texas,” as the deemed us, but in hindsight, I think they were taking bets on which one of us would be sick first.

As some of you may know by now, yes, I did go skydiving, and no, I did not tell my mom until after the fact. Skydiving was something on my bucKIT list that I planned on doing only once. Unfortunately for my mom, I now plan on going many more times in the future. It was the most exhilarating experience of my life.  (However, for those of you that are aware of how uncoordinated I am, the gracefulness of my landing was less than stellar. I fell down and took the tandem jumper with me, seeing as our harnesses were still attached.)

Following Cairns we went to Brisbane. To be honest, had we not been visiting Ali and Kathryn’s friend, the stop would not have been worth it. The woman at the front desk was simply atrocious, and now we can’t help but to laugh at the situation.  She seemed to be anti-teenager, anti-American, anti-talking, anti-asking questions, and anti-fun. We weren’t even causing trouble. We’d quietly walk into the hotel, and smile politely. One day we even had the audacity to ask for a Wi-Fi code, so we could talk to our parents. Oh my god, you’d think we had asked her to kill a puppy, she rudely glared at us and rolled her eyes. We took the high rode, ignored her, and nicknamed her “That bitch, Maureen.” But, anyway, back to Brisbane. The city itself would be great for residents, but leaves much to be desired for tourists. We did have the sweetest local showing us around, and she took us to a delicious restaurant and a really cool local food market. We also spent our Fourth of July there at a bar called “Down Under.” We met some interesting characters and had a rather fun night.

Our next stop was the Gold Coast. It was simply beautiful- some place I’d definitely want to return to during summer. Our time there was pretty uneventful but relaxing: we ordered in Thai food (twice), watched movies (not Twilight… okay, maybe Twilight), and I pierced my tragus. We did go to a wildlife sanctuary one day, and we CUDDLED KOALAS. Can you think of anything cuter?!

Following the Gold Coast, we went to Sydney where our many touristy activities began. We did the bridge climb, which was absolutely incredible (and it didn’t hurt that our guide was a young, attractive Australian guy. Although, he kept walking by at the most awkward parts of our conversation) We also went to the zoo, wax museum, and aquarium. Ali and Kathryn introduced me to more of their friends, and we had a great time together. Fun facts for any Australians in Sydney: 1. The hottest guy works at the aquarium in the touch-pool zone. 2. There’s this magical restaurant that only hires gorgeous Italian men. Yes, I took a photo with one of the waiters.

We went to Canberra for about two days, and that was too long. We wanted to see the capital of Australia, but honestly- there isn’t much to see there. I still had a lovely time with my friends, but it was a very uneventful stop.

Our next stop was Wagga Wagga, where I met more of Ali and Kathryn’s sweet friends. When most of the Australians we talked to heard that we were going to Wagga Wagga, they’d all reply the same thing: “Why?” Well, we were going to visit friends, and we had a great time doing so. Although for a typical tourist, this stop would probably not be on your radar and wouldn’t need to be. We had a great time spending time with our lovely hosts and buying some amazing merchandise that says “Wagga Wagga”- a great conversation starter.

Our second to last stop was in Melbourne. I think this is when I realized that our trip was nearing an end and started the annoying calls to my parents. I seriously think I called them twice a day, every day, asking if I could extend my stay. Melbourne was a really neat place with a cool market for shopping and tons of laneways for food. You’d walk down a busy street and head down a random side street only to be bombarded by different restaurants offering discounts if you eat there. It was a great way to get a few free cocktails ;) In Melbourne I met more of Ali and Kathryn’s friends- honestly, I have never met nicer people than the entire crew I met in Australia. I didn’t meet anyone that I didn’t like (except for “That Bitch Maureen.”)

Our final stop was Perth. This is when we had to start dealing with the difficult questions: 1. Did we really need to leave? 2. Would our suitcases be TOO heavy? 3. How many jars of Vegemite should we bring home? I met more Australians in Perth and even caught up with an old friend from high school (in a night which may or may not have led to on-stage mud wrestling.)

Unfortunately, after four weeks of shenanigans, it was time to head back home. After an awful 15 hour flight, which consisted of an aggressive woman kicking my seat with such force that I could no longer recline, we arrived back in the states.

While I’d love to share all of the anecdotes from the trip, there are far too many to type here, and this post is already quite long. Obviously there’s quite a bit that I’ve left out. If you want to hear about dancing in the street, riding an emu, a hot wombat caretaker named Jet, or an “I <3 Kebabs” tattoo, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Rome-ing Dublin and Greece. St. Patrick's Day--> Greece Island Hopping.

Our two week spring break started off with a bang in Dublin for St. Patrick's Day. We were on a Shamrocker Adventure Tour, and honestly, it could not have been more amazing. We were put in Barnacles Hostel, which is by far one of the greatest hostels I have ever stayed in. Anyone going to Dublin should stay here for the location- literally in the heart of Temple Bar, you could not ask for a better spot. The St. Patrick's Day street party mayhem was right outside of our window. The rooms were also nice and clean, an added bonus. The tour organized walking tours and pub crawls, and we had a great few days meeting people from all around the world. One night we went to a pub called O'Sheas- some of the most fun I've had lately. The band was simply incredible. You knew the words to every single song they played, which makes it so fun for everyone. Everybody can drink, jump to the beat, and scream out the lyrics to fantastic songs (I, being an avid karaoke fan, was super pleased by this singalong environment.) St. Patrick's Day was, in short, a hot mess- but a fun one. For some, the drinking started way too early. I woke up early and put on my giant green top hat with attached red beard. My real hair and the beard matched almost too well. One Irish guy even said that if it weren't for the tacky tourist hat, he'd probably assume I was Irish (my face tattoos and "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" necklaces probably didn't help the image) The morning parade was very interesting, but something worth seeing once. We spent the rest of the day hopping between pubs and parties. Before we knew it, the day was over. 

The next day my friend and I were off to Rome. We told the rest of our St. Andrews buds goodbye and went to the airport. Rome was literally two and a half days full of eating the most incredible food. It was my third time in Rome, and my friend isn't too interested in the stereotypical tourist activities, so we wandered the streets looking for the best, most authentic places to eat. I could feel myself getting more bloated by the minute, but who cares? The pasta carbonara and gelato was well worth it. We were also staying in the same hostel as a group of nineteen from the St. Andrews' history society, so it was so fun spending some time with them. I ran into another friend that was visiting at the same time, it's such a small world. We also had such fun hostel roommates, two guys and two girls in addition to us, so fun! 

On Friday morning we joined a tour group to head on our Greece Island Hopping adventure. We were deceived. On the way from Rome to the port we were on a bus with 20 people. We thought, this is awesome! We're all going to get so close and have a great time together. Um... False. At the port we were joined by over 200 people from Florence, a bit unexpected. While there were some nice people on the tour, I have never been more reassured that being abroad is where I should be. Some of these people were shocking- they didn't understand why Greek people didn't speak English, and one guy even had a shirt on that said St. Patrick's Day "The Great American Tradition." Can you not? These people are the reason that Americans get a bad reputation around the world. I was embarrassed to be with some of them at points. Also, the tour hires really perky recent college grads, which is fun until they actually have to do their job and you realize that they have no qualifications.  They had no idea how to easily transport so many people. To be fair, it wasn't their fault. The company should have capped the trip at a smaller number. The company also failed to mention a few minor details like, "You're going to be on an eight hour overnight bus with no reclining chairs or toilets- have fun!" Griping aside, the trip was pretty breathtaking. We stayed at the Pink Party Palace in Corfu, which was wild. It was actually kind of funny, my friend and I kept wondering how long these girls would stay in denial. It was cold- not beach weather. We wore our appropriate jackets and pants and watched as these girls froze in their small bikinis. The party palace offered tons of activities like ATV safari, Corfu Town day trips, and Booze Cruises- to name a few. We went into Corfu town one day and had an awesome time. Corfu isn't a huge tourist destination, so it was awesome to actually be with the locals and experience town. I had a really great day. The Pink Party Palace also offered a toga party, which was so much fun. They basically gave us pink bed sheets and were like, "good luck!" We quickly mastered the toga technique. Everyone went to dinner in their togas, we had a dance party for a few hours, and then the real party started. Traditional Greek dancers came in and put on an incredible show. After, we took shots of pink ouzo and had plates smashed on our heads. It was such a crazy, unique experience. I'm not sure anything like that will ever happen to me again. We went to Athens from Corfu and were there for Greek Independence Day, so a lot of stuff was closed. We did go to the most delicious restaurant and had incredible food. We thought we wouldn't be hungry for dinner, but we were back out a few hours later (the diet should start soon) The next morning we went to Santorini, which is incredible. We went to both the black and red sand beaches and saw the sunset at Oia (the place with the white buildings and blue domes) Today we did some more shopping and some more eating. I'm currently on an overnight ferry back to Athens (again, they forgot to mention this... Hmm) I'm excited for our last day in Athens, but I'm ready to go back to school. It's been an exhausting two weeks, it feels like so much longer. I have an essay due Monday, so I should work on that soon (see, I do schoolwork too!) That's all for now folks!

*I wrote this the Saturday before leaving on Sunday. The most notable thing I must mention is that two cab drivers got in a full brawl on the street over who got to drive us to the airport. We met a taxi driver on Saturday that was so friendly and asked if he could drive us to the airport. We agreed, but because of the time difference, he was late. (Daylight saving time happened over here on Sunday). Anyway, we got in another cab and drove away, but the cab we called came out of nowhere and cut the other driver off. He made us get out of the car and was so upset that the "bad boys" had tried to scam us. It was a wild ending to our trip. I was happy to make it to the airport alive.

Disclaimer: not all of this is glamorous. I experienced a hostel mate vomit... A lot. Some of the literal traveling has been so unbearable we considered going back to St. Andrews. I'm glad we didn't- we met a few cool people and were able to realize how awesome we are by meeting some of the other people...

Here’s the YouTube link to the video I made on Spring Break. It’ll be the best way to see the pictures of my experience J https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yl9pjXhdys4&feature=youtu.be

Mardi Gras in New Orleans 2014

            The weekend before last I experienced my first Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana. I pulled two “all-nighters” beforehand to finish papers before leaving, and it was completely worth it.

            I flew from Scotland to the states on Thursday morning, arrived Thursday night, and went straight to partying in the streets and watching parades. I met my dad at the airport and quickly met up with one of my best friends at the hotel. Thursday night was the Muses parade, which features the famously decorated shoes and shoe beads. Despite not catching a shoe, while the man next to me gloated about his, I had a great time. My goal of the trip was to eat as much king cake as possible. Thursday night I was so happy to see a man pulling a cart on his bicycle selling “mini king cakes.” My first night on the trip, and I could already have king cake?! I happily purchased two. I WAS DECEIVED. They were just bagels with icing (still delicious, did not stop me from eating them) BUT STILL- NOT KING CAKE. To be fair, I probably should have taken the sketchy bicycle salesman as a warning sign, but what’s to stop a girl from excitement at the potential of king cake?

            I spent most of the day on Friday catching up on sleep. The lack of sleep and time difference hit me hard. I did get to explore the city some with my dad, which was loads of fun. Due to his recent leg surgery, our mode of transportation was a pedicab- always a blast. Friday night there were more parades. It actually is quite a workout jumping up and down trying to catch as many beads as possible.

            Friday night my brother and some of his friends joined us, and I was so excited to see them. I actually ran into him on the streets of New Orleans (buying fried chicken on a stick, because why not?) We decided to head back to the hotel and order some delicious Dominos. It was fantastic. There’s some great pizza in Scotland, but this was simply delicious.

            Saturday morning I hit Bourbon Street with my brother and his girlfriend. Bourbon Street is actually crazy. Everyone is drunk and all over the place 24/7. We saw a woman with a whip that went around to men who willingly lowered their pants to be smacked by her. People are absolutely wild and willing to show anything for some beads… anything. It’s definitely an experience everyone should have at some point. My favorite advertisers were screaming “huge ass beers!” and “Happy Mardi Gras bitch!” Who could resist?

            Saturday night the real festivities began. My dad was in the Endymion parade, which is simply huge and incredible. The extravaganza spent 3 million on beads alone. The party was in the superdome, so I was with thousands of my closest friends. There are no words to describe the parade. We were at the front and were consistently pelted with beads. (It was actually painful at times! I got bruises) My dad actually recognized me from the float and attacked me with beads. After this Carrie Underwood performed. The night was so well organized and simply amazing.

            Sunday morning we went to “Mother’s,” which is delicious. After, we walked around Bourbon street again- I was definitely more uncomfortable with my dad there. We had a great day bonding and enjoying the weather and sights. Sunday night we ordered room service and watched the Oscars, a perfect ending to my much too short weekend.

            Monday I was off to Scotland. The flights were stressful- I actually missed one (long, stupid story) and had 16 minutes to get off one plane, change terminals, and board another before it took off, but I made it!

            I had an incredible time watching my dad in the parade and seeing some family and friends. I definitely missed seeing my momma, oldest brother, and sister-in-law though! Mardi Gras was a very unique experience, and I’d love to go back at some point.

 

Go to Morocco/Milan; Take a Surf Lesson

After almost two weeks of traveling I am back home in Houston (trying and failing to sleep because of jet lag.) Over the past few days I spent time in England, Morocco, and Milan, and I am going to try to give a brief overview of my experience in this post rather than create something too long and/or boring.

I left for England on the 9^th, and after a seven-hour flight delay, I was finally on my way. My friend picked me up from the airport, and we went to Windsor for the day. It was beautiful, and I definitely want to go back at some point to see the inside of the castle (it was closed when we got there thanks to the flight delay- you rock, United.) 

The next morning we had to get up extremely early to head to the airport for our flight to Morocco. I have both extremely positive and negative things to say about my experience in Morocco. I had a lot of hesitations about whether or not I should go on the trip after everything my family went through over Christmas break. Additionally, my brother’s words of wisdom before I left were: “Kit, seriously, don’t go. Morocco is a shithole.” I’m glad I went: I would have always wondered “what if” had I not, and I did meet some really cool people- but you probably couldn’t pay me to go back.

We were staying in a surf town called Taghazout, which is extremely beautiful from far away. When you get up close, the beaches are completely covered in trash. However, the hostel was extremely nice for what we were paying (it did have an odd odor, but what do you expect when you’re paying next to nothing?) The surf instructors and people working at the hostel were also extremely friendly and fun to be around. On our first full day in Morocco, we gathered our wet suits, boards, leashes, and lunches and headed to the beach. The surf lesson was so fun. I was by no means talented, but I had a great time trying.

Unfortunately on the second day of the trip, a majority of us fell ill. I was extremely sick for about 24 hours. I pretty much hated life. After that, I met a friend of a friend of a friend. Kind of a far removed connection, but the family was so kind and hospitable. They took me in for the night and showed me Agadir and a real Moroccan home. It was so nice to see a different part of Morocco and be with a lovely family (although there was a bit of a language barrier since I don’t speak Arabic or French.)

We spent the following days on the beach or relaxing in our rooms. Morocco was much colder than I expected. The last night we were there, there was a massive storm. The water was turning brown, and the streets were completely blocked because of mudslides and flooding. I just sat there thinking to myself, “God, please let me leave this country tomorrow.”

The three definite highlights of the trip were: 1. Riding a camel. I told myself that I wouldn’t leave without riding one (even though I had to take a bunch of Benadryl to avoid an allergic reaction.) It was a lot of fun and definitely a unique experience! 2. Buying colorful Moroccan (or MC Hammer type) pants/trousers. Because they’re obviously fantastic. 3. Meeting interesting people that I may not have met otherwise.

There were definite aspects of the trip that I did not enjoy… really didn’t enjoy for that matter, but it was a good experience to go.

The weather luckily cleared up, and I was able to go visit my friend in Milan. I stayed with her wonderful family and saw Italy from a local’s perspective. It was incredible: the food was delicious, the company was fantastic, and the sights were breathtaking. I’ve traveled a bit in the south of Italy, but this was my first time in Milan, and I definitely enjoyed it. My friend took me around to her favorite places. The shopping scene was incredible, but I had to refrain (my dad would not have been too pleased, despite my best efforts of convincing him that, “You HAVE to buy a Prada when you’re in Milan! I mean, come on!) I ate way too much, but it was all delicious. I tried various homemade Northern Italian dishes.

My friend’s mom also works in PR in the fashion industry, so I got to see previews of collections and spend a few minutes in her office. Again, incredible.

I was only there a few days, but I can’t think of better people to have spent the time with.

I had a pretty unique experience. At the end of the day, I am glad I went on all of the trips. I was able to see new places and cross a few items off of the BucKIT list.