Hey there!
I am back from a 12-day
cruise - six countries in one month! I would love to share everything that
happened, but that would take forever, so I’ll give highlights from each
country.
I’ve already described
how amazing the cruise was. We participated in a flash mob, won tons of medals
amongst the group, became famous on board, learned and experienced so much and
made a ton of new friends. This is me in our first port, a Portuguese
island, The Azores, with the Jewel of the Seas.
London, England: Please mind the gap
London, England was our
first stop and my first reaction was complete culture shock. Walking outside
was like stepping into another world, such a cliché metaphor but so fitting. I
have never seen anything like that city. Old sculpted buildings towered over
us, diverse cultures and faces rushed by. The English they spoke was not English! I could barely understand
most of them. I came to learn that mashed potatoes are called “bubble and squeak,”
crazy.
The culture of London
is centered on a healthy lifestyle. Everyone seemed to be fit; a plethora of
runners overtook the city. Never in my life have I seen a city dedicated to
fitness. They have no drive thru restaurants in the city, its walker friendly,
and McDonald’s competition is not hamburger joints, but a restaurant called
Pret A Manger. They are on every street corner and serve freshly made, all
natural sandwiches, fresh fruit, and healthy snacks. This was refreshing since
I was raised eating only organic foods, and instead of being the odd one, I was
surrounded by a society of like-minded individuals.
Of course we played
tourist and saw the sights including, Buckingham Palace and the changing of the
guards, rode the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, London Tower, rode a double
decker bus, ate fish & chips and so much more!
Paris, France: City of Love
We went to four cities
in France, but Paris was the most glorious of them all! We climbed to the top
of the Arc de Triomphe and watched the Eiffel Tower light up like a firework twinkling
against the night sky. It was one of the most beautiful spectacles I’ve ever
beheld. We went to the top of the Eiffel Tower and looked out over the city,
shopped in Champs-Élysées, saw Notre Dame, the Pantheon, the Louvre and the
Palace of Versailles.
For being a city
overrun with tourists, I assumed their marketing strategies would be
irresistible. On the contrary, lining every street were illegal vendors selling
the exact same product, Eiffel tower key chains. It became burdensome
constantly saying no to overbearing salesmen with identical, cheap gifts. During
the four hour wait to reach the top of the Eiffel Tower, our team created innovative
marketing strategies for the vendors from differentiating oneself through
products and or a bath!
Switzerland: High prices and Happy places
By the time we made it
to Switzerland we’d taken every form of transportation: planes, trains,
automobiles, and even a ship. Life had been so fast paced the serenity of
Switzerland was welcomed bliss. One word to describe Switzerland is
picturesque; everywhere we went could have been displayed on a postcard. The
second most notable aspect of Switzerland is their prices; the cost of living
is beyond outrageous. A McDonalds Big Mac is 11francs, which is equivalent to
11 American dollars, just the sandwich folks! That was the cheapest meal we
could find. The grocery store became our best friend.
Our time spent in
Switzerland was experiencing the culture. We traveled to about ten different
cities and each one had their own individuality while maintaining the standard
of beauty and serenity the country offered. Bern and Interlocken, the two most
well-known cities of Switzerland are only a couple hours apart but vastly
different. Interlaken has a variety of touristy shops so we spent hours buying
for friends and families and moseying around the town. We happened upon a
beautiful river flowing from the Swiss Alps, in a quaint Dutch village with
paragliders soaring overhead. In contrast, Bern had larger architectural
buildings, streets lined with brand name stores, pubs crawling with people and
bustling streets. It wasn’t as clean as the smaller cities and Swiss flags were
hung on every street. As the capital of Switzerland it was more industrialized
but maintained a feeling of peace through the surrounding mountainous
landscape. There aren’t many necessary tourist destinations but we did see the
Matterhorn, Swiss and French Alps; toured a Cailler chocolate factory, and
stayed on Lake Vevey.
Florence and Rome, Italy: Leather and gelato, all day every day
Two years ago, I house
sat for some friends while they traveled across Europe. They returned home with
glorious leather shoes and purses. It was on that day I knew I would do the
same. Finally in Italy, the country I had waited for over two years and got a
credit card for. We stayed in Florence for three days and one in Rome. Two out
of three days was solely devoted to shopping; every day was spent consuming
gelato! Unending markets lined street after street with flattering salesmen. I
came home with my fill of Italian leather, but I still crave gelato. I spent my
21st birthday in Florence. We went clubbing where the cast of Jersey
Shore did, celebrated at an Irish Pub and my friends threw me a surprise party
with Italian ice cream cake! There were spectacles to see in Florence but I
wanted to experience the culture. One of my favorite moments was leaving the
touristy area and happening upon a boisterous market. Italian families lined up
booths and had one massive yard sale; they spoke loudly to one another with big
hand motions and laughed heartily. It was in that moment I truly felt in Italy.
We saw the Trevi Fountain, shown in the picture, the Duomo in Florence, Roman
Coliseum, the Vatican and heard the Pope speak. One day we took an off the
beaten path tour in Tuscany and went to ancient burial grounds and organic winery
and farm and medieval village.
It was a month I will
never forget! Out of all the places we went and sights we saw I discovered
there is truly no place like home.
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The question “what do you want to be when you grow up?” reverberates through the years. At 8- years- old my plan was not management and marketing. My childhood dream was to be an actress. Although I chose a different direction later in life, Berry recently gave me the opportunity for my five seconds of fame. Last April, Berry College served as the backdrop for the television pilot “, The Following,” starring Kevin Bacon. Dozens of students were chosen to be extras, I was not one of them. I live by the motto, “where there’s a will there’s a way.” On this occasion, persistence worked in my favor because there was no way Kevin Bacon, James Purefoy and Maggie Grace were going to film here and I not be a part of it.
I knew it was the day of production after stumbling over cords, cameras and a ton of strange men flooding the hallway while walking to my first class, not to mention the cranes outside Green Hall. The day was a giddy rush, actually making it as an extra, professionals choosing your outfits, and seeing famous actors walk by. Our first scene was with James Purefoy and Maggie Grace in one of the Business School classrooms. We spent two hours shooting a scene that would last 30 seconds! I couldn’t have imagined the labor that goes into film production. This experience has changed the way in which I enjoy and appreciate entertainment. This picture was taken the night of the season premiere, January 21,
2013 off the TV, hence the blurriness. I am seated on the front row to
the right of James Purefoy, my signature pink back pack got a debut too.
We filmed three more scenes but I wasn’t featured in any other shots, but my best friend and I did get real close to Kevin Bacon and sit behind scenes on one of the shots. It’s a day I will never forget. Almost a year later, vivid memories thrive of profusely sweating from dressing in sweaters in 70 degree weather, the thrill of the hustle and bustle, and my five seconds of fame on national television. Two of my favorite movies, Remember the Titans and Sweet Home Alabama were filmed at Berry and now one of my favorite TV shows. It’s experiences like these that I am forever grateful I chose Berry. Even though a huge event like that couldn’t have been predicted, Berry College ensures first--hand experience and four years you’ll remember forever.
