Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Journal 5
In Twain's Two Views of the River, he describes his first impressions of the Mississippi River and how those impressions later changed. Describe your first impressions of a place you have visited. What things made an impact on you? What sights, sounds, smells, etc. do you remember most vividly? Have those impressions changed over time? Explain.
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First and foremost, I would like to point out that I have responded to the blog before Adam...
In the seventh grade my aunt had an extra plane ticket to New York City, and offered it to me. When I first arrived in New York, I was astounded by its size. Even compared to Minneapolis, it was HUGE!! The thing that I remember most vividly was all of the different people and the cultures that they came from and created. Every section of the city represented a different countries and displayed the different cultures. For example, in Little Italy all of the fire hydrants and most of the buildings were painted in red, green, and white (the colors of the Italian flag). Another sight that I remember vividly is Times Square lit up at night. One of the smells that I remember the most was the smell of exhaust. Seriously people, let's try to preserve the enviornmet a little! The sounds that I remember most were the constant honking of horns and the hundreds of different languages. The thing that made the most impact on me was seeing the block where 9-11 happened. New Yorkers took offense to the tourists that took pictures of that block. This is because they had lived through the tragic event and believed that the tourists didn't understand how sacred that block was. My impressions of the city haven't changed over time, but they have changed ME over time. I love the idea of living in a place where I have more space to experiment with ideas and try to understand the opinions of others. I'm not sure if I could ever get tired of New York City because it is so full of culture and change.
P.S. I'm just kidding, Adam! :)
crud. sorry, I didn't realize that I had written a book...sorry!
Hmm..this is a change! To have someone who's not Adam respond first...it's a sign...oh well!!
Just last summer I went to Europe for a music program with Strawboy, and it was AMAZING!!!! So after three days of intense rehersal, we loaded onto the planes and were off. When we first landed I could already tell that the weather was different because it like being in a sauna, humid and warm...(maybe if the airconditioning wouldn't have broken...) I could also just feel a difference in the atmosphere when we got outside. That was just for London, but every place that we stopped at had a different feel to it. It was cool but unfamiliar at the same time. The smells changed everywhere too. Some parts of London, Paris, and Venice didn't smell any better than a dump. Probably because there was trash on the streets...I still think that says something... Other areas of the cities were much better, and it was even better up in the mountains where everything was clean.
My favorite part of the trip would have to be, besides playing and singing, seeing the sights and learning about them!!! I saw many familar things like Big Ben, the Eifle Tower (forgive my terrible sp@ellging)the London Eye, Tower Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, Dachaow, and others. They were great to see, but you know how you see all of the movies that have background music with these things...yeah well it just wasn't the same without the music....still fun but not the same.
The languages spoken in all seven countries we visited didn't change as much as I thought. Everywhere we went people knew English, French, and others that I can't remember or spell...so there weren't many language barriers. Another thing that was surprising to me was the openness of these people! They are perfectly fine with sharing things that we might find offensive. For example...I might regret this later... in Switzerland, while we were walking along the shore of Lake Geneva, there was a couple skinny dipping in the lake...there was also an old man in his 80's maybe in Austria that was outside watering his garden in a speedo...weird and mentally scarring.
It was an AMAZING trip, except for a few things..., that I won't forget anytime soon!!!! However, since I haven't been back, I can only say that the impressions that I got the first time have not changed, but they have changed me. I would love to go back again, but spend more time in each country so I could learn more about the cultures there. If I had the chance to live somewhere in Europe I would take the chance, but still come back home to visit.
Adam...You disappoint me... JK!!!
Wow Kate... you thought you wrote a book...
About 5 years ago I went to Alaska over the summer with my Dad and some of his super-rich friends who graciously invited us to come with them. The thing I remember thinking when I walked off the plane was, WOW. People live here. Weird....but pretty cool. As we moved around the state a bit, I grew to appreciate the natural beauty of it all, especially the fact that alot of people there were very kind and helpful, almost more so then in Nebraska. As we got to an important port city and military base, Seward, I noticed that A TON of people lived there, more so than I ever would've anticipated. We got to go deep-sea fishing, and I caught a shark, which was pretty much the coolest thing ever. I also went on a tour of nearby glaciers, which was neat to see, because when pieces fell off every five or ten seconds, it sounded as though a cannon was firing in the distance. We also saw a lot of wild-life, such as seals, whales, and bears. To me, it would pretty much be the the perfect place to live, and since then, I have visited twice, each time as good as the first.
A couple of months ago (June 16 to be exact) I flew out with a group of people from Grand Junction, Colorado to Australia. We were a group called People to People Student Ambassadors. It’s a group that…. well if anyone wants to know more about it then you could probably go online or there will be an article about it in the ECHO (unfortunately). Anyway, we flew out and as soon as we got outside the airport the first thing I noticed was it was chilly. The day I left Nebraska I believe it was around 105 degrees and there since it was winter for them it was about 60 degrees and cloudy. We started touring by checking out some different shopping areas and towns which are pretty much identical to Kearney. It was pretty easy to get used to the left side of the road and their accents and I already started to like the place. Another activity we did was a farm stay where we, go figure, stayed on a farm. Their farms are about the same as ours in Kearney with cows, pigs, sheep, and different crops. The only difference is they didn’t have as much corn or the fact that they were over 50,000 acres each. We may think different rodents are vermin in Kearney but there, kangaroos are considered pests. Families in Australia are a lot closer then they get together and do more activities with each other. There are also two points in the day where they drink tea called morning tea and afternoon tea. After a week or two of traveling I noticed, as did everyone else, that everyone is a lot friendlier than in America. Nobody was rude and a lot of people, when they asked me how I was doing, they truly wanted to know instead of like here where people just keep walk right by you as you give them an answer. Australia also has a thing with making large sculptures of different objects for example a pineapple, banana, shoe, horse, ect. In fact the have published a very large book about their large sculptures. When we toured some of the mid-sized cities they were just like our cities just like their towns are similar to ours. There a lot greener then we are here with all the trees and grasses. By this time I thought I would never want to leave. Then we arrived at Sydney. It was like Chicago just not as dirty or as over crowded. It was the most beautiful city I’ve seen. Their wasn’t much traffic yet it was still full of life and you could still see the sky and stars partly even with the lights. The next day we did all the tourist things like see the Harbor Bridge (which we climbed), Opera House, and even the building in the first Matrix that gets destroyed by the helicopter. All these sights were a lot more amazing then the ones I’ve seen in America. After staying their for a month I didn’t want to leave although everyone wanted to leave eight days earlier. I never called my mom once and I still wasn’t homesick. I guess Australia’s first impression got me to stay for at least another month. The impression never really changed because we were in different places everyday and I would most defiantly go again if offered.
While I was In Australia I learned an interesting story. On our way down from the bridge climb there was a latrine our instructor pointed out. It was small, green, and had two urinals in it. It also had no roof so anyone who went on the bridge climb could see right down into it. Our instructor told us this one was a gift from the French government (just one). So America got the Statue of Liberty as a gift while Australia got a latrine. True story.
I think Eric wins the novel trophy, here, folks. Why don't you ever talk this much in person, Eric?:)
My favorite place that I have ever visited is definitely Estes Park, Colorado. The first time I ever went there was for my grandparents'50th wedding anniversary. All my family went, including my 15 or so cousins(that was interesting), and we all had a really great time. The land was absolutely beautiful with the mountains, trees, wildlife, and various other amazing stuff. It's such a nice little town; it's very clean and open to visitors. Now it's pretty much just a tourist town, but I still love it. There's so much to do: horse-back riding through the mountains, hiking, watching the elk,(there was one right below my hotel window one morning, and if I wanted to, I could have jumped off the balcony and landed right on its back!)rock climbing, a mini-theme-park-type-thing(aka Funland), and much, much more. I've been there 3 times, and I never want to leave. I'm usually sad to have to go home, and even though we do the same things every year, I still love it! It's nice because it's not that much different from Kearney, sure there's no corn or cows, but there's elk and rocks! I'm a little bit of a nature freak, and that's why Colorado appeals to me so much. I would seriously consider living up in the mountains later in my life.
I don't exactly remember coming to the United States because it was when I had just started elementary school. What I do remember is that coming to Kearney from Ecaudor, like I said in class.. a 3rd world country.. was a huge change! In Ecuador, there were holes in the streets that we drove on, people walking the streets begging for money at every stop light, all the schools had uniforms and it never snowed! EVER! When I moved here, I spoke nothing but spanish and didn't understand a thing that anyone said. That was a very hard experience for me and I thought it was something I would never get used to. My feelings towards Kearney and the United States have changed alot over the time. I do miss being in Ecuador, but I would never regret leaving it. After a year or two of living in Kearney, I ended up forgetting ALL of my spanish, and I was finally NORMAL!! :) I can speak English with no problems, and now it's spanish class that I have trouble in. The point is, Kearney has been a wonderful experience for me and I would never change it for the world.
I don't exactly remember coming to the United States because it was when I had just started elementary school. What I do remember is that coming to Kearney from Ecaudor, like I said in class.. a 3rd world country.. was a huge change! In Ecuador, there were holes in the streets that we drove on, people walking the streets begging for money at every stop light, all the schools had uniforms and it never snowed! EVER! When I moved here, I spoke nothing but spanish and didn't understand a thing that anyone said. That was a very hard experience for me and I thought it was something I would never get used to. My feelings towards Kearney and the United States have changed alot over the time. I do miss being in Ecuador, but I would never regret leaving it. After a year or two of living in Kearney, I ended up forgetting ALL of my spanish, and I was finally NORMAL!! :) I can speak English with no problems, and now it's spanish class that I have trouble in. The point is, Kearney has been a wonderful experience for me and I would never change it for the world.
First impressions....leave an impact on everything but they do not determine what is real....Last year at Christmas time my grandma (dads mom) decided that my whole family on my dad's side should go up to South Dakota and stay in a big cabin. This was her gift to us all... I still can't believe we went. Looking back the snow covered mountains and cabin filled with corn ball scent still fill me. It was one of a few times I have actually been outside the state of NE. I recall my family jam packed in the car tailgating the rest of my family in their cars. We drove and drove and drove...lol At one point we were driving onto snow covered roads. Then we finally arrived at the cabin the site was unbelievable. We all just paused as it drifted across. As the days passed the newness didn't wear off. The echo of voices through the cabin I'm sure still linger. One morning we all got up early and through the window near the trees by the house there stood four deer; peering in with their glistening eyes at us. I will never forget the Christmas we spent in South Dakota. I loved South Dakota but Kearney is my home and I think it is too much a part of me to leave it just yet. I would never want to change where I have grown up; it is a part of me.
I think Adam's at work...anyway..
First impressions..oh man there are so many, but since Kearney has been such a topic of discussion lately, I'll use it (and also because I can't really think of anything right now). Directly, we moved here from a town smaller than here in Kansas called Dodge City, but I had only been there for half a year, and there really wasn't any big streets we drove down very often, especially at night. So when we got here (at night) driving down 2nd AVE was like this is really pretty! (the lights were like glowing in the dark) Then we went to Wal-Mart right after moving in and it looked exactly like the one in Dodge City! I felt like in this strange new place I was not new. Eventually, I got around to miss all the Asian food we had in Chinatown (NYC) because that little town in Kansas had an Asian Market. Finding an elementary school was a horrible experience. Windy Hills was closest, but the lady in the front office said that their school was for people who spoke fluent English and sent me to Central to take a test. Now, my English wasn't fluent but I didn't appreciate how she judged me when all I said to her was "Hi." The teachers at Central were nice so it turned out okay.
It's been a long time now, and soometimes I still think of the lights I saw the first day when I go down 2nd AVE but it's just not very attractive anymore. I don't mind the food that much either because I've gotten used to not having them and also we found the markets in GI and Lincoln. I remember once going into Windy Hills and seeing a poster or sign that read something along the lines of "We have room for everyone here" and it hurt, because it wasn't true. But I don't hold a grudge, it's just a memory that I pull out whenever a topic runs across it. I would also like to say that when you've been somewhere or doing something for a long time, you get used to it, and you stop looking at the negatives at the cost of ceasing to appreciate it (sometimes, some people anyway). I see it as an unavoidable fact of life.
I really didn't pay attention to any sound or smell so there's nothing to say.
In my life so far I haven't been to many places outside Nebraska. A place I have visited so far that has stuck in my mind is South Dakota. Last year was when I went with my family. In particular my dad's side. This was pretty exciting for my family and I. South Dakota was like a whole different place. This period of time was during Christmas time. The scenery was breath taking with the mountains and snow. I can still smell the bitter-sweet scent of the snow. Sounds that I reminiss are of the crunching of snow, laughter, and Chelsey obsessing over TWILIGHT.(lol i agree lol) Some smells that i distinctly remember are chocolate (desserts :), corn balls, and swirly candy canes. The sights were unbelievable to me. South Dakota was totally knew to me. The cliffs/mountains were all around displaying beauty. My impressions have not changed. After a while of vacation though I didn't get tired of being there although I was ready to head home. For me being in different places is a wonderful/thrilling experience. Honestly though I am not ready to leave Nebraska not yet anyway. In my opinion going different places makes a person who they are.
okay first of all, Marisa are you aware that you put your blog in twice.. and that your two blogs together don't even come close to the size of erics or dans!!haha....
...ne way...unlike some of you guys i havn't really been out of the US...the farthest ive gone from nebraska was when i went to Seattle Washington to visit my aunt and uncles for thanksgiving. they had jus bought a new houe and the fam had never been to seattle so we decided to take a road trip. When my uncle took us out the first day to see the city i was in Awe!! It was SOO BIG! there were GIANTIC skyscrapers everywhere and tons of trafic with like 10 different lanes!! It was so cool to be in such a huge city!! the skyscrapers literally touched the sky!! You could here the sound of cars honking and the smell of exhaust in the air....i was in awe of how big everything was!
..my expiernce there was amazing!! we got to go up in the Needle and look all around you and see for miles and miles!! and we got to go to a Seattle Sonics game!!
I don't think my impressions have changed for seattle. i would love to go back and visit again!! It was so COOL!!:)
A couple of summers ago, i went to Las Vegas with my family. My first impressions of the city, as we were driving up, was that it was really dry. I remember wondering what kind of plants they used for landscaping because they had to all be zero-scaping plants in order to survive that kind of heat (i totally feel like a loser for thinking about plants on vacation). I also noticed that there were hardly any people outside. They were all in the air conditioned buildings because it was ridiculously hot outside. later that night we went down to fremont street (a street kinda like the "strip"). Im not going to lie, i was kind of scared. There were all of these drunk people walking around. having lived my whole life in kearney, this was quite a change from the ordinary! But that is not the extent of it! We went to the "Strip" the next night and that is a whole different world. All of the lights and people are kinda intimadating! as i look back on my experiences there, i dont really think my impressions have changed. i do not like the big city life!
So this last summer I went on a Mission Trip with my Youth Group to Hobbs, New Mexico. When we arrived, after being in a van for 13 hours with a certain sophomore girl who is notoriously known for having an IQ lower than a goldfish(sorry that was mean, maybe a gopher), the city seemed really cool. Instead of having a regular Welcome To Hobbs sign, they had these huge orange letters, kinda like HOLLYWOOD. When we arrived at the school we were staying in, I was really impressed. The main doors went straight into the cafeteria, and let me tell ya, it SCREAMED High School Musical. It made me want to jump onto the table and start singing "Stick to the Status Quo!" Anyway, to say the least, the school was amazing. They had a swimming pool nicer than UNKs and 3 Gyms that all had balcony seating. Their locker rooms were as big as the our boys and girls put together. They also had 12 tennis quarts, a football field nicer than UNKs. They even had an indoor football field. Seeing all this really made me wonder why we were here. I mean, if they could afford this nice school than surly they didn't need our help. But, i was wrong. The next day, I went to see the house I would be working on with my crew. Driving around town, I realized how bad of shape they were in. ALL the houses were run down and falling apart. The house next door to where we were working had a tarp with tires to hold it down for a roof. I couldn't believe how bad it was. I later learned from my resident that the only reason the school was so great, was because all of the government funding went straight to the school and really nowhere else. It made me realize that things aren't always what they seem to be.
I know what you mean Nikki. Las Vegas is kinda scary. And you didn't even mention the pimps standing on the side walk handing out cards with prostitutes on them. It's kinda funny actually to look down as you walk and see little pictures of half/completely naked women on the side walk. (Ok, so they weren't completely naked. They had little stars covering the parts that mattered.)
Alright so I'm trying not to fall asleep here so when I sound stupid no one can say anything at shcool tomorrow...
I guess the most memorable trip i have gone on was the one to Ireland with the chior. The country itself is amazing. The scenery, the shopping centers, the food, all of it. Like I've said before, if I could I would live in Ireland even if it was only for a while. The people there were for the most part super friendly and the scenery is amazing. All of the country is georgeous feilds and it is SO green there. I never liked nature like at all until this summer. I think I could definately deal witht the serene nature in Ireland. Now the food, THE FOOD, it is delicious. They serve so many potatoe dishes (yummy) and there french fries are amazing too. The shopping centers there reminded me of small markets with their narrow streets of bricks or stones. I wish we had places like them here. That whole trip (as rocky and stressful as it was) convinced me that I am meant to travel. I will most definately be returning to Ireland in my lifetime and I already have a laundry-list of other places I want to go too. In response to my impressions changing, I really dont think they have. I still think Ireland is as breath-taking noe as I did when I was actually there.
K I'm gonna finsh my Lit circle worksheets now so I can go to bed...umm yeah.ANd sorry I know that I wrote a whole book for this blog too.
last summer i went to minneapolis (i think thats the right spelling)and i really loved it there!!! my favorite thing about it was the trees around the area and all the water everything just seemed so alive. it smelled like a city...a rainy city but it wasnt bad just different. i think the biggest impact it made on my was that it was just so different then what im use to in NE the trees water everywhere....more than 2 houses in 50 miles radius(jk not really)but it was i think a place that made a huge impact on me because i like the area so much i dont know if i would want to live in the city but definitly in minnesolta. my impressions of it havnt really changed and i really want to go back soon!!
First of all Mrs. S miss spelled the post she forgot the "i" in the first word. The only place that I can think of is the little town of Eagle Nest in New Mexico. My family and I have visited this town twice a year for a long time. The first thing that impacted me the most in Eagle Nest is the scenery. Eagle Nest is surrounded by mountains nestled next to a lake, which is bigger than the whole town. There is always the sound of running water from the trout streams that run all the way through the mountain pass right into the lake. The one smell that impacts me each time is the smell of garlic knots that the local Pizza Stop in town makes, ”they are amazing”. You should be able to tell that I love this place even to this day. My impression of this little town has not changed at all over the many years of visiting. If anything I have grown to enjoy it more with every visit.
To be truthfully honest with you, I hated Kearney when I first moved here. I didn't know anyone, I missed my friends, I missed my house and my sister left for college a year after we moved to Kearney. I played soccer for about a year and quit because a girl on my team told me that I sucked. Haha, I haven't played soccer ever since..I had a very low self esteem as a child, and soccer was kind of lame anyway haha. :)
I always would want to go back to my hometown in McCook but everytime I went back, I liked it less. Over time everything changed there and it was never the way I left it or wanted it to be. McCook wasn't even a fun place to visit anymore and I did't like going back. Eventually once school started in Kearney, I did start to make friends and I am very glad that we moved here because if we wouldn't have moved, I wouldn't be the person that I am today! :)
If you don't want to read the long section, skip to bottom for synopsis.
Since Katie stole my NYC topic, I guess I'll do another place. I'll also add that I haven't been there since last winter, so my impressions haven't changed much, but there are a few things. Last winter, I got to go to Floria for a week. I remember thinking Florida was sunny, warm, and had lots of palm trees on the plane ride there, and when I got there, I was seriously surprised. It was sunny, warm, and, holy cow, lots of palm trees. I remember thinking about how big Hollywood was (which is actually a city in Florida), but yet how easy it was to get around in it. It smelled so fresh down there. Again, completely stereotypical, but it smells like salt and like people would expect an ocean to smell like. Coming from -8 degrees in Nebraska to 80 degrees in Florida was amazing. Until the end of the week when I was tired of the hot, humid weather. My impressions changed then. Also, people were very friendly in Florida. Yeah, we were in a tourist trap, but we stopped at a few stores on the oceanfront and the store owners came out and spent time with us, trying to help us find the perfect thing to take home with us. We also went on a "canal boat" ride, and it made me realize that some people have too much money. When someone can coat their personal belltower in gold, it's time to find a charity. Seriously. But, again, the people on the boat ride were really nice and made the tourist experince more special because to them, we were people, and not just things to make money off of. Florida made a friendly impression on me. I'm not sure if it would be different if I would go there later and under different circumstances, but it seemed friendly and nice.
The food there was also cool. Everywhere we went, fish was on the menu. Italian-fish. Fast food-fish. Fish. Fish. Yes, they had other options, but it was like hamburgers in NE. Everywhere has them. There was also a lot of Italian places to eat. There was very little Mexican food, Chinese food, etc. It was kind of weird to have Italian and fish for lunch and supper every day. Not that I was complaining...
The best part for me and the part that impacted me the most was the ocean at nighttime. I think everyone has that one thing that they see that takes their breath away and it cannot be captured in a picture or words, and I found that in Florida. For me, it took me a millisecond to sit on the beach as the full moon came up and reflected off the ocean. I sat there for about 30 minutes, and I came back later that night and sat and watched and listened. It was a really weird feeling. It made me realize that I don't need to spend money to go see 'beautiful things' or have to go to a special place. I was on a random beach in Florida and two things that anyone in the world can see (the moon and the ocean) captivated me for hours. That experince made me realize how much we actually have in NE. Has anyone ever actually watched a sunset? More than once a week? (It was hard to see them in Florida.) How many other places have as beautiful sunsets as we do? The Platte River was fun to come back to. Yes, it was not as big and majestic as the ocean, but it had its subtle beauty. I learned that we take way too much for granted here in NE.
Wow. Those were some strangely organized thoughts. Florida was warm and green and wet, smelled like salt, pretty moon and ocean, Italian and fish cuisine, and nice people. Nebraksa's Pretty!!! Who cares about the hurricanes down there?
This little box is deceptive. I did NOT write that much in here!
whoa there lyndee...lollll
When I was about 10 years old, I went on a family vacation to an island just off the coast of South Carolina, called Hilton Head. Up to that point in my life I had never before seen the ocean or even a real beach for that matter. When we first arrived I remembered going into a kind of culture shock after I started to experience the enviroment I had been thrown into. The fast paced tropical atmosphere was almost too much to handle, being the naive(?) ten year old little Nebraska boy that I was at the time. The people there had a laid back, easy going attitude that I for sure wasn't used to, but definitely enjoyed being around. The first time we left our condo to go to the beach, I remember walking over a hill and stopping dead in my tracks. I was astounded of the sheer vastness of the ocean. It was so clear blue and never ending, it absolutely blew my mind. I had never seen anything like it before in my life. Since then I have been back to the coast about four times. Obviously the shock of seeing the ocean for the first time isn't there anymore. But every time I go, I learn something new about people and different cultures. I couldn't imagine growing tired of that lifestyle. It's the only place where I feel truly relaxed, I can just sit, listen to the ocean and think about life.
**To all the above junior novelists, thanks for making me look bad! Appreciate it...
Katie told me she wanted first post... So I'm posting right after Marchin Band rehsal... lol
I really have not made many impressions on places so far this year... or last year. I went to California and thats about it for the past 2 years. However when I was in California for the first time old enough to understand "Major Change" (Town of 10K to about 750K) I was like "ooo..o thats like a tall house". I also learned that its not safe as I thought. 2 Years ago my Dad's Car got stolen... and the bike lock used was apparently smashed and bike stolen anyway. My last impression was in Iowa, when my mother told me that we were moving to this one place called "Kearney". The first thing I did was map locate it and found that it was big. (In my language). I liked the small town that we were in and moving to "A big place" to Live did not please me that much. When I actually got to Kearney, I did not like the size of it "Big" *note the quotes* and it took me awhile to get used to it. Horizon middle school was really different from mine. The teachers were different, and people were very different. I did not like people... well until I got used to it (A year..ish). My impressions of Kearney did get better though after I got used to it. New friends really changed how I viewed Kearney 2 Years ago. I remember that it was size, different people, leaving friends and traffic noises (Attempting to sleep with window next to 2nd Ave.) were the things that bothered me most. Everything now is good though. Got used to my new friends, the noise, adapted to people.... etc...
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*well until I got a job... my job has literally made me hate people*
Aka when some old person comes in and randomly asks me my age then rants about me being 16... and refuses to pay for his pizza... um get a life?
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The first time I visited Chicago, I was in awe. The beautiful buildings, the shops, the food, the entertainment. It was amazing. I've been to Chicago four times since then, and every time I travel there, I'm still just as amazed as I was ten years ago. I've always been fascinated with big cities, merely because no one knows you and you can be whoever you want to be without major backstabbing and gossip. I also like them because you can ALWAYS find something to do. I also agree with Katie, saying that there is always something to test me in a city, like culture and new ideas. Everything is open for discussion, unlike Kearney, where many things are just left on 'autopilot". I'd move to Chicago in a heartbeat and I would never get bored. Many people in our class (everyone except Jessa, Megan, and I) would disagree, but I guess they'll never know, simply because they'll never try.
When i first went to Seattle, i was absolutely amazed. This was the first big city i ever visited, and i loved it right away. it was so green and rainy. the architecture was amazing, especially the space needle. i remember that the roads were always busy, but that didn't matter because people mostly walked. the streets were also very hilly and steep. even though Seattle is a big city, it is still fairly easy to get around town. unlike some bigger cities, there are smaller places within the city you can go where it is not so crowded. i remember the moment i walked out of the airport, i fell in love with the rainy city. it was loud, busy, and smelled like it was going to rain. i would definitely move there in a heart beat. the wether was perfect, and the city was full of things to do.
Alright so Dan kindly STOLE my idea! Haha, not really, but we went on the same trip, so I'm gonna talk about our European tour, too. But I'll skip the 16-day trip summary since Dan already put that in there...
We visited seven different countries while Europe, but Switzerland was my favorite, by far. One of the first things I noticed upon arriving was the air. The crisp, cool mountain air was AMAZING. It felt so clean and...pure? Ha. Also, the mountains themselves were awesome. The view right outside our hotel room was the coolest thing I've ever seen. Then =we took a ski lift up higher in the mountains and a couple kids and I climbed all the way up until we found some snow, then we had a snowball fight. In the middle of the summer. Yeah, we're that cool. We also named our little mountain Mt. BJJZ. Don't ask. Then we could see down and look over the whole town, it looked so tiny. I would go back there in a heartbeat!
Oh and Dan, apparently I missed the skinny dipping and guy-in-thong thing. Darn?
I moved from Chadron to Omaha, which was a big change. My first impression was that everything was big and there tons of cars and people. i also noticed that everyone seemed worried about themselves didnt even pay attention to what was around them(especially in traffic). It seemed that no matter where i went there was a different kind of restaurant or an arcade or somewhere different to hang out. The longer i lived there though the more i got used to it and noticed less and less what was there. In a way i turned into an average everyday person that was worried about how fast i was going to get to school and if im stuck in traffic how annoying it was to sit there and wait. Looking back now i wished i would have journeyed around town more just to see the different buildings and cool things instead of getting into a routine(which i hate) and focusing on going form point a to point b.
How does everyone write so much? Its a pain in the butt just to write a short paragraph.
Mexico has been the only place that has made an impact on me. When I was there I stayed with an elderly woman, her cleaning lady, and four other women. It was pleasant (besides the whole sharing a bathroom with four other girls thing...). All the people I met were quite friendly. They wlecomed me with open arms and invited me to learn about their culture. The town of Guanajuato (GTO) had a population of 120,000 people. It was not a big city, but wow that place had some attitude. Jazzy so to say. When I first arrived there I went out with a few of the people from the school I was attending (Acadamia Falcon). We decided that we were going to out to the night clubs and dance, but first we stopped and had dinner ata local bar. While I was there I began a conversation with one of the very cute waiters. His name was Saul and he turned out to be one of my good friends. Memo was another waiter who caught my attention. His english was very good and he was just so friendly. Those two boys gave me the best impression of that city. They taught me things I would never have learned anywhere else. They introduced me to the young side of the culture and showed me the city from a whole new perspective. The city was beautiful. The town was painted so many different colors it was amazing. You walked down the street only to be surrounded by different sights and smells. I could never thank them enough for that experience. They showed me how to appreciate the things that were around me. I love GTO and I plan to return next year. My idea of that cuty will never change. My experience was so amazing that I will never be able to forget it. No one will ever change my opinion on that lovely city.
Three years ago for vacation my family went to New YOrk CIty and my first imoression was.... Holy Crap. NYC is AMAZING. I loved everything about it, the smells the people the venders on the street, the hustle and bustle of the city, the tall buildings and architecture. I went insane. It is by far my favorite place in the world. One of my first impresssions was that I couldn't understand how peolple couold live here and be in such a hurry instead of taking the time to see everything. I guess after so long you oget used to all the excitement but still it was amazing to me. My family and I got to go see 2 broadway musicals, The Phantom of the Opera and Beauty and the Beast, which was my favorite and most memorable part of our time there. I remember so well the excitement while sitting in those broadway theatres, waiting for the heavy red curtain to lift, and the suspense in the stories, and the goosebumps the actors voices gave me. It was perfect. After ethe Beauty and the Beast performance I got to meet the actress that played Belle and got my picture taken with her. Another thing I loved was the police officers on horseback. I thought that was the coolest thing ever. We also got to take horse drawn carriage ride around NYC at night whinh wasa amazing. The city that never sleeps... it's so true. It was really cool talking to all the street performers and venders at night and hearing their stories. Everyone there was so interesting and genuine. Those impressions definetly have not changed. I would go back in a heart beat. Every little experience was so amazing from riding the subways to seeing Ground Zero. There is just to much to see there to get sick of ot to me.
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