Paris, the Beauty Within
I’ve always dreamed of going to Paris, France. Walking along the River Seine and having lunch by the Eiffel Tower. Wanting desperately to see the beauty that only Paris could give. After much consideration,...
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(Re)new York
I’m writing this blog post on a plane, returning home from what’s probably my 25th trip to New York. After so long, they begin to blur together into a mess of lights and cabs and street meat, albeit...
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Juan Dolio
On an oppressively hot day in mid-July, armed with hundreds of hastily assembled ham sandwiches and bundles of clothes, I climbed on a bus and rode with thirty other students through the dusty switchbacks...
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New York Is Not All About the City
The first thing that pops in a person’s head when they think of New York is automatically related to the city. I grew up on Long Island so the first thing that pops into my head when I think of New...
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The Inception of Perception
Flashback to July 2nd – the day before I left on the trip of a lifetime. I had 46 less friends, less knowledge of foreign cultures,...
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New York’s Most Memorable Sight: The Empire State Building
If it weren’t for the automated elevators I would have pressed every single enticing button, just to see every magical floor. It took three...
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Home is Not a Place
The only thing different about her was that her hair was a bit longer than last time and that she had changed her glasses to have tortoiseshell frames. She still wore the same, serene expression, casual...
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Wrong Turn Made Right
During the summer of 2012 I had the opportunity to travel from my suburban town in Minnesota to Chicago with my youth group from church. We...
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My NYC Adventure With My Concert Choir
It’s the lights, the shops, the street performers, the attractions and the peoplethat make New York City a perfect place to explore. I traveled to NYC with the Moose Lake Concert...
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Tropical Paradise, Elephant Rides and… Cultural Discovery?
After a mentally and physically exhausting two week mission trip, my team and I were beyond ready to enjoy some well-earned fun in the city of Chaig Mai, Thailand. That morning we...
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A Heroic Tragedy
The day was March 31, 2014 and all I heard was crying, screaming, and harsh stomping as the noise quickly filled my ears. I rushed towards the horrific news that my twenty eight year old brother Alfonso...
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Jammin To A Different Rhythm
When you hear the name, "Jamaica," do you see white sandy beaches and beautiful blue...
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The Africa They DON’T Tell You About
Many times when people write about visiting Africa, it tends to be about a missionary trip. The term ‘Africa’ is usually synonymous with poverty, dirt, corruption and illness. Africa is...
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Four Seasons At Whistler Blackcomb British Columbia
Get ready to hit the ski slopes, the mountain bike trails or the lake, with family traveler reviews about Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada.If British Columbia is Canada's premier...
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As Far As the Eye Can See
My eyes flutter open as the smell of papaya and salt water fill my nostrils. As my vision returns after the long night's rest, I can see the dark wooden ceiling and greenish...
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The Un-Disney Walt Disney World Resort
The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel, actually two wings of a large convention center in the heart of Orlando's Disney World, is the perfect destination for the family who wants to do Disney...
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When the Party’s Over, World Cup 2014
“Bro, can I get a selfie?” Never have I heard this as many times as Brazil’s World Cup this year. This simple phrase highlights something that makes my trip to the 2014 World Cup unique...
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Ecstatic Elijah
“First we’ll have to cross crocodile pond, and then we’ll go up ice mountain,” little Elijah said, as he clasped my hand tightly and started to sprint across the gym. The five year old was one...
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I Think We’re in Kansas
The road north curves and winds through the valleys of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains just as the summer breeze cuts through the New Mexico maple and pine trees that line the luscious terrain. ...
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Asante (Thank You)
Journal Entry Day 5: “As I step off the bus into an unknown desolate, I...
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Keep Dreaming
The real magic happens when I close my eyes. I usually squeeze them really tight when I want to get a good feel of the ocean breeze in my face. As the sun settles in for the night, the sand beneath...
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An Untraditional Vacation
Most people go on vacation to relax, have fun, and make memories that’ll last a lifetime. Although my family had these expectations when we visited Nigeria in 2008,...
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The Trip That Has Forever Changed My Life
Most people look at the world as this picture perfect place where everyone lives a life either the same or better...
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The Treasures You’ll Find
I remember hearing the name Bugg’s Island and daydreaming about what treasures were awaiting to be discovered. Since as long as I can remember, my family, and our friend’s...
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When in Rome, Relax As the Romans Do: What My Italian Adventure Taught Me About Life
‘Twas the night before I was set to leave on my first European vacation, a two week trip to Italy. My bags were packed, my camera charged, and my passport updated. I was sixteen and expecting...
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Meeting My Grandfather
My parents came to the United States in 1990, six years before I was born. Three years after they moved, my grandfather passed away. Although he died before my birth, he was extremely proud that my...
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A Not So Perfect Picture
Whenever I went to a party, my camera would be in my hands, capturing the moments that I longed to never forget. Even as a little girl, I had a training camera. Finally, at the age of fifteen I took...
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Cambodia to Thailand: A Tale of Monuments and Mango Milkshakes
When it comes to traveling I’m always up for anything and everything. I love sight-seeing at places like the Great Wall; but I also enjoy the atypical experiences--eating rooster head and thirteen...
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Mid-Winter in Manhattan
I thought I’d seen New York. I thought...
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I Think It Really Is My Kind of Town
This past spring break, my family and I embarked on a vacation to Chicago. Our main intention was to visit the University of Chicago and Northwestern...
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Journey to the Emerald Isle
While on my travels to the U.K with the People to People Student Ambassador Program I was most excited about going to Ireland. Not only because of how beautiful everything looks over there (my camera...
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Stressed But Blessed: London and Paris 2014
“No, I’m not too old to be a Girl Scout,” I told the man sitting next to me on the plane. I get tired of saying that. Before you ask, we do more than sell cookies, too. Way more in fact. At that...
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Hello Dalai!
It was about noon when I fully realized that I was much farther away from the Dalai Lama then I had anticipated. I suppose, in retrospect, that that wasn’t entirely in my control (the Kalachakra festival...
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Indian Identity
After we settled into the apartment my grandparents have lived in for years, I was presented with something I had sincerely missed: authentic South-Indian cuisine. Living in the United States and being...
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Across the Pond in Ten Amazing Days
Buongiorno, je m’appelle Jessie. Wait. What I mean to say is, hello, I’m Jessie. I guess you could say I’m having trouble reverting back to speaking...
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The Lone Mushroom
In an attempt to discover pieces of myself that may have been hidden, I decided in the spring of 2014 to explore the...
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New York – A State of Mind
The Big Apple, The City that Never Sleeps, Gotham City. Whatever you call it, New York City is dazzling and unforgettable. The Statue of Liberty stretches her arm upwards, her torch pointing to the...
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One Fraction
Four journeys. Eight plane rides. One fraction. At age two, I flew over the Atlantic Ocean guided by my Senegalese father and part Portuguese, Irish, German mother for the first time. Our destination...
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A Thought-Provoking Adventure to Kenya
In July of 2012, my family boarded a plane bound for Kenya, full of excitement and a little apprehension. Our safari had been booked through Tim Melesi Safaris,...
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The Week I Danced in New York
The Saturday before Thanksgiving in 2013, I boarded the plane and was off to New York. I was ecstatic, and even though it was early in the morning I was full of energy. I was practically jumping off...
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Get Some Red on Your Shoes in St. George
I fell in love one weekend, not with a boy, but with a place that changed my life. I returned from my weekend getaway with red dirt sticking to my white socks and to my hiking shoes. And it stuck to...
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I Shall Return
Going back to the home of my ancestors was now or never. The Philippines, my parents said, was Third World: No paved roads, No streetlights, No running water, Sweat, and Mosquitos....
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The Mission of a Life
The power to change the world. At the young age of 17, I never thought I would have that chance. Now, after a mission trip to Black Mesa, Arizona, I believe anything is possible.Twenty-five people...
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500 Miles
I would walk five hundred miles “Welcome to London.” Over a ten-mile trek through the city, I tripped on cobbled sidewalks and absorbed the sights around me—double-decker buses, towering...
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From Concrete to Campgrounds
New York City is arguably the most incredible city in the world, and I have the good fortune to have lived there for all 15 years of my life. It is buzzing with activity and full of culture. It is so astonishing...
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