Out of Ashes
The smoke filtered through the cold night air as the crowd, bundled in mittens and winter coats, watched a gigantic bird made of wood burn slowly to...
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“If you seek a pleasant penisula, look about you” Look to Grand Rapids
Hey travelers!...
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Small Town, Many Things To Do
When people think of small towns, the first thing that comes to mind is not excitement and adventure. Small towns are usually boring and there is not too many things to do except for maybe going...
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Idaho: The State of Beauty
There is a place of beauty, nature, and adventure that is unknown to most. A place where you can climb mountains, float rivers, hike various trails, and become in tune with nature....
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Memphis’s Miracle cure to Boredom
I walked down a street yesterday. It had an energetic and charismatic crowd with warm smiles and laughter that filled the air. As I walked further my nose smelled a pleasant aroma that tickled...
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Rice Park
Driving past Rice Park on a winter evening is one of the most inviting sights you could ever see. The trees are festooned with magical twinkling lights that...
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Alaska: Everyone’s Last Frontier
Alaska is a great place to live and especially to explore. Despite Alaska being the largest state, able to cover half of the Lower 48, most activity is found in the South Central...
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New York City of the South
New York City is the epic center of the North of the United States and even though many believe that down here in the South there are only pastures, farms, and wild stock, they are wrong. The South...
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Ashland, Wisconsin- A historic town on Lake Superior’s magnificent Chequamegon Bay
There are many things that could make an outsider feel comfortable in Ashland, Wisconsin. Ashland combines the nature of the area with wonderful restaurants and local art appreciation. Ashland...
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Amazing Memphis
My hometown is Memphis, Tennessee and I was born and raised there for almost 17 years. Within those 17 years in the city of Memphis, I have become accustom to the many tourist attractions within this wonderful...
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My Home, Your Vacation
When most people think of Las Vegas, they think of the hotels, the casinos, the gambling, and losing all their money; however, for me, Las Vegas - the city that never sleeps - is home. The past 9 years...
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Suzhou: Heaven on Earth
A famous Chinese saying goes, “ä¸Šæœ‰å¤©å ‚ï¼Œä¸‹æœ‰è‹æï¼Œ” which means, "Above, there is Heaven; down here, there is Suzhou and Hangzhou."...
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New Orleans: An Unexpected Cultural Experience
New Orleans is one of the most cultural and diverse cities of the South, attracting thousands of people every year for its flashy signs and colors along the traditional tourist corners of the French Quarter...
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The Great City of Oklahoma City by Kyara Little
The best places in the world to visit are often the small towns, cities that people have never heard of. Maybe it’s heard of, but not very popular. These places contain a ton of pride and love...
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The Diversity of Phoenix
The place is called Phoenix. It is the largest city and the capital of the state of Arizona, and it is also, the sixth most populous city on the U.S.A. Phoenix lies in the Sonoran Desert, which makes...
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Endless Exploring in Northern Nevada
Northern Nevada, is my home, I've lived here my whole life. It hasn't always been my favorite place, but as I get ready for college, I see more and more value behind it....
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A Taste of Colorado
My guess is that you want me to persuade you into thinking that Colorado is the place for you and your family to be. It would be impossible for me to make an assumption about a...
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An Unexpected Find
Whether you're here for business or pleasure you can find everything you're looking for nestled in a town of about 30,000. Home to the worlds largest retailer, a world class art museum,...
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Live a little; Love a lot!!!!!
They say Virginia is for lovers but that doesn't just mean couples. It is for lovers of just about everything; food, culture, and even animals. Come to virginia and visit one our museums or exhibitions...
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Pomona is the place to go!
First off, I live in an urbanized area in central Pomona. A lot of people who live closely, and/or hear upon news stories that Pomona may be a dangerous/unhealthy place to visit; but I disagree....
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How big is your backyard?
How big is your backyard? Before you answer with the actual size behind your house, I want to tell you it can be as big or small as you want it to be. Past our neighborhoods, past Orlando, and even...
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The old world
Italy: Day 1 After the 8 hour long, tedious journey from Austria to Venice, Italy, I stood up and I felt as if gravity was pushing my body down. The buildings look as if...
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California Gal Spreads her Wings!
As a French Language student at Palos Verdes High School, I was encouraged to sponsor an exchange student for a month during the summer of 2011. Amelie Lejeune was from Luxembourg and from...
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My European Adventure
I remember the days as a child when my mom used to tell me bedtime stories about the various trips she took to Europe. Every trip that she took, she would bring me back a snow globe. Soon my room...
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Lessons From Tiananmen Square
Although nothing special at home, walking in a large group through China's streets, we Americans learned what it was like to be celebrities: people stopped in the middle of their daily activities...
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Footsteps in Argentina
I had a blast in Argentina meeting new people, experiencing new things, and learning about a different culture. First, my classmates and I went to Conte Hotel and checked in. Afterwards, my...
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The Five-Minus-Three People You Meet in Europe
Anxiety filled our spirits as we waited for the mail to arrive to our house. In two days, my mother and I would be flying across the Atlantic and our Eurail pass had not yet arrived. This pass would...
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Best Friends: Around the World and Back
Upon graduating from 8th grade, I had the opportunity to travel with my best friend, a few classmates and teachers/chaperones to Europe. Through Educational Tours, we traveled to London, Paris and...
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Wake Up
“Marie, wake up. Wake up.” Early morning calls to the San Gabriel Mountains on sunny summer days wasn’t exactly how I thought I’d be spending my summer, but now...
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The Space In-Between: Foreign Friendship
It was a lonely June morning in our Royal Blue hotel room in Helsinki, Finland. The sound of strange words in an unknown language echoed in my head as I waited patiently for an elevator. The number...
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Dachau: An Experience That Humbled Me
A few years ago, my family and I traveled with a group from my school to Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We went through a humbling experience when we visited Dachau, a concentration camp...
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Not Your Typical Textbook Travel
I gingerly lower my worn brown boots into the gently rocking boat and duck my head beneath the bright yellow tin roof. I hear giggles and excited squeals as my group begins to slowly move away from...
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“On the Route of the 19 Bus”, on the Border to the Rest of the World
I’ve been lucky enough to travel extensively throughout Europe. However, the most formative of my trips was one where I didn’t learn a new language, I wasn’t confronted with unfamiliar cuisines,...
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How to Make World Peace
Tavarone is a tiny village nestled in the breathtaking, tree covered mountains of Italy and a destination on the Classics of Europe trip from People to People. People to People is a student ambassador...
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Culture Shock: German Style
America idolizes the idea of being the greatest country on earth. We are raised to focus on everything domestic, thus becoming ignorant to what is beyond our borders. I traveled into the heart of...
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French for a Week
Inside, the bus was complete chaos. My classmates, thrown into some unusual blend of unrestrained excitement and absolute terror, were screaming, hanging onto their friends...
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You Gotta Love the French!
What I recall most about eating my first real French crepe was how delicious it was. The jam’s flavor doesn’t stand out to me as much as how the crepe melted in my mouth. It was pancakes...
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Calabria, Italia
In the spring of junior year, I had the opportunity to participate in a cultural exchange with a high school from Calabria, Italy. This two week stay in Italy confirmed that I want to continue my...
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Pura Vida Costa Rica
“Pura vida!” (Pure life) “YOLO!” (You Only Live Once) These were our mottos throughout our adventures in Costa Rica the summer of my junior year. They describe and represent...
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Metropolis in Metamorphosis
The acrid scent of cigarettes deluged our nostrils the second we stepped on Tegel Airport’s turf, the jetway creaking underneath the weight of 20 over-packed...
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My Trip Across the World
This July fifteenth through the thirtieth I traveled to Changchun and Beijing, China. I went through a program called the Confucius Institute that was based in Cleveland State University. It was not...
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Awakening the Soul
I arrived in South America with the understanding that as an exchange student I would be filled to the brim with memorable experiences. Little did I know at the time that one of my adventures would...
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A Trip Back in Time
My family doesn’t travel very often and by extension, I don’t travel often either, but with the trips I have taken, I’ve learned one thing. You don’t have to travel to the...
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My Cultural Immersion in Spain
My recent travel experience was not just seeing another country, but rather experiencing it. Recently, I had the privilege to travel to, live, and study in Alicante, Spain. I spent three weeks this past...
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The Dark Side of Venice
My greatest impression as we left Venice was that it is a dying city, although that was not my first impression. After multiple delays that stretched our overnight train...
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My Year Abroad
Growing up in a small town has its limitations, and for this single reason, even at a young age, I craved to see what was outside my small town in Michigan. I wanted to learn about and...
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A Wonderful Journey, Not a Simple Trip
This may be a little unorthodox, but [i]bear with me[/i], okay? The trip about which I’m going to blog just happens to be a field trip to [size=18]Lawrence, Kansas.[/size] My...
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Sand between my toes, but where’s the beach?
When you think sand, you think lying out on the beach, watching surfers ride the waves, and a perfect temperate climate. However, the sand at The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve has none...
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How Many Camels? An Adventure in a Moroccan Tannery
The leather Souq and tannery in the Fes medina is one of the biggest and oldest of its kind in the world. Hundreds of workers wake up early each morning, before the Moroccan sun has risen in the...
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Unmasking Venice
I wish I could stay in Venice forever. When I visited Venice, or Venezia in Italian, the spectacular grandeur of the city amazed me. Yet, the city seemed so peaceful and quaint with...
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Treasures and Timing
I sat in my Honors World Art Studio Class freshman year expecting to have the opportunity to make pottery and create beautiful art. Within the first few minutes I was handed…a textbook. A...
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No Sleep In Istanbul
Saood Abdul-Kabir peers over me as I dipped a big toe into sleep. As soon as I was drowning in the blackness of sleep, Saood encroaches...
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Fear is Fear of the Unknown
I was overwhelmed to be back to such a historic and majestic park surrounded by tall elegant trees that were covered in a faded blanket of snow. It was surreal. There were birds singing happily in the...
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Switzerland Swept Me Away!
This summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Europe with the Voyageurs Florida Ambassadors of Music. The trip lasted 16 glorious...
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To Germany and Back Again: A Tale of Exploring and Gaining Independence
June 12, 2012 8:30 a.m. MSP Airport, Security Checkpoint I was crying. The trip to Germany hadn't even begun, but my eyes were wet as my friends and I waited in the long...
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Running Late
“Good Lord I’m late!”,I screamed as I barreled down the hall. I looked up at the clock. I could feel it mocking me …”6:45a.m”, shamefully late as usual....
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Digging
As a five-year-old, I remember sitting on the salty shore and contemplating whether or not my friends could have been right when they told me that if I shoveled long and hard, I would hit China. ...
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Island Ecology Trip 2012
This past June, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to the largest Bahamian island, Andros Island, on a school trip. With a population of only...
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