Paris,

For spring break, I went on a tour to 5 cities with a travel group.  I went on a walking tour for each one of them.  In Berlin, I also went to the zoo.  In Amsterdam, I visited the Anne Frank house and discovered a market where I could purchase cheap souvenirs.  I also went to Brussels, Belgium, where I sampled beer in the world-famous Delirium Café.  Paris was outstanding; I got to see the Eiffel Tower during both the day and the night, and stayed until the 1 am light show the second night.  At the Louvre, many people crowded around the Mona Lisa, but I managed to work my way up for a picture.  The last stop on the trip was Barcelona.  Like Florence, Barcelona has a market that sells fresh food.  The Barcelona market had amazing fresh fruit smoothies.  I highly recommend the Coconut Banana for those interested in traveling there.  We also went to Park Güell and the palm trees and mosaics were a nice change from the other cities in Europe.  All in all, this spring break was very busy but definitely worth it because I got to see a lot in 10 days.

After spring break, my parents came to visit.  I loved having them here and showing them around my new home.  I took them to the supermarket and had them guess the price of my groceries (they guessed 3x the price!).  We took trips to Fiesole and Verona and also did a Vespa tour around Chianti.  Verona was beautiful and easily my favorite place in Northern Italy.  It was filled with love and everyone was kind and happy.  I really enjoyed my parents’ visit because I was able to show them how happy I was in Florence.  I taught them certain cultural facts and manners and took them to all my favorite places in town (including the best Panini place in Florence – All’Antico Vinaio).

Park Güell in Barcelona

The weekend after my parents left, my Ancient Rome class went to Rome on an overnight trip.  It was cool to have a personal tour guide (our teacher), who has already toured Rome over 50 times.  We got to see everything and we even tried the famous “Cacio e Pepe,” which is a spaghetti dish with cheese and pepper.  Rome was beautiful and the old architecture of the city was truly fascinating.

Positano, Italy

For Easter weekend, I went to Corfu, Greece.  There were nearly 400 kids who went on this trip and we all took a cruise ship to the island.  This was my first cruise ship so I was very excited.  The ship had restaurants, a disco, a casino, and a top deck, where we sat out to enjoy the ocean.  Once we arrived at Corfu, I went on an ATV ride through the mountains.  I really enjoyed driving my ATV and getting to ride it up the mountain to the prettiest view of Corfu.  The second day, I went on a boat cruise around the island.  It was a crazy time and the only part I did not enjoy was the cold swim to and from the boat.  That night, the Pink Palace Hostel served us a traditional Greek dinner and threw a pink toga party, which was wild.  Everyone wore pink togas and the employees put on a special Greek dance with plate smashing.

Amphitheater in Pompeii

Last weekend, I went to the Amalfi Coast, which was probably my favorite trip thus far.  We stayed in bungalows in Sorrento and discovered a bakery nearly better than the secret bakeries in Florence.  On Friday, we all went to Positano, and that

The Kissing Rock in Capri

involved taking a bus to the small beach town.  Like any sort of transportation experience in Italy, we were all scared the entire time because the driver was very close to the edge of the cliff and did not slow down on turns.  Once in Positano, we walked through the town and found a Panini shop with Caprese sandwiches (tomato, mozzarella, and basil).  This was a nice beach day with tanning and a boat cruise.  The boat cruise took us to a private beach where everyone got to cliff jump! It was an 18 foot jump and the second cliff was over 45 feet.  On Saturday, we went to the island of Capri.  Capri is definitely my favorite place in the world.  I went to the top of a mountain on a chairlift and got to stare down at the sea.  The view was unreal; we were among the clouds overlooking the whole island.  After that, the group went on a boat cruise around Capri.  This was my favorite part of the entire trip.  We got to see the different Grottos and go inside the Blue Grotto, one of the seven natural wonders of the world.  We also went under the kissing rock and saw a few celebrity houses, as well as the inspiration for The Odyssey.  Capri was absolutely beautiful and it looked exactly like it usually does in the movies.  On Sunday, we went to Naples for pizza and then Pompeii to see the ruins.  I loved Pompeii because the ruins allowed me to see exactly what the town looked like before the volcanic eruption.  It was a sunny day out and our tour guide managed to show us everything in a short amount of time.  Pompeii used to be a wealthy city, but was abandoned after the eruption in 79 CE.  It was cool to see these ancient ruins still intact.

Inside the Blue Grotto!

I am done traveling for the semester.  I decided to spend my last few weekends in Florence because I truly loved it there.  Florence has become my home.  When I climbed the Duomo, I looked around at the city and could name every major landmark and see my apartment, favorite restaurant, and the streets that I walk on every day.  The Duomo is my favorite part about Florence – the view being spectacular.  I also enjoy walking up to Piazza Michelangelo, which now seems like a quick walk compared to the beginning of the semester.  Another thing I love about Florence is the secret bakeries.  Each night, around 1 am, numerous “secret” bakeries open around the city.  They are in hidden alleys and you find them by following the smell of delicious pastries.  Once you arrive at one, you silently knock on the door and a baker comes out to take your order.  You have to be completely silent or else they will not serve you.  The dolce is only 1 euro and the baker usually gives you whatever he has.  I have discovered 4 secret bakeries and each night, I look forward to these treats. Unfortunately, I only have 2 weeks remaining in Florence.  My time here has gone by so fast and I have definitely taken advantage of everything Florence has to offer.  I am going to miss this place so much!  Luckily, I am staying longer than the program requires so that I can travel with my friend who is studying in London.  We will be staying in Europe until May 24^th and I will come back to Florence for a day before flying home.  As sad as I am for the semester to end, I am super excited to see more of Europe.

Eastern Congo has been engulfed in fighting since the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which 500,000 Tutsis were slaughtered; before a Tutsi-led rebel army took power, and more than a million Rwandan people, including militia, fled across the border into the Congo. In a situation bearing parallels to the holocaust, the Tutsi’s want revenge. The existence of mineral resources in Congo is exacerbating the instability on the group. The statistic paints a bone-chilling image of Congo: more than 5.4 million people have died; 2.7 million of those were children. The UN Human development Index report ranks the Congo 176^th of out 182 countries, Can you imagine living in this cyclical state of hate and war?

There are over 10,000 peacekeeping troops deployed, but peacekeeping troops cannot make the peace without the ability to defend themselves. The Department of peacekeeping troops is made up of 113,000 of troops volunteered from many member states but as per the DPKO mandate they are composed of very few armed troops, and generally cannot fire first.

The international community military heavyweights United States and France are spread thin and weak, and are unwilling to take action. They are too preoccupied in current wars and possible future ones (Syria, Iran…). China and Russia, the other two military heavyweights in the Security Council, traditionally abide by principles of respecting sovereignty and non-intervention. They would never lead a military coalition of their own unless their own security is at risk. The only way in which the international community can take an offensive and attempt to make the peace is through an “intervention brigade” to carry out unilateral action if needed or coordinate with local Congolese forces to make the peace. The UN is taking unprecedented attempts are trying to make the peace, and this is a good thing.

The world is no longer state centric, and while international organizations are still far from globally representative (exemplified best by the UNSC itself), a greater ability to act means violence is not perpetuated by a states unwillingness or inability to act. International regimes and organizations are becoming more powerful. Recent EU reforms, a stronger WTO, a global arms control treaty nearing completion, the announcement by the BRICS of the creation of a development bank in the recently concluded March Summit in Durban, South Africa; to name developments that highlight this trend.

Such change can certainly bring about dangerous new situations. Utilizing UN peacekeeping troops for selfish interest such as bringing about regime change, under the banner of peace and security is an obvious one. More importantly, can we innocent civilians loss part of collateral on the hands of the United Nations? It will be up to the members of the Security Council to remain just and fair. Current foreign policy gridlock within the Security Council can provide necessary checks and balances. Granted, it is easier to take such an action in Congo rather than Syria, but at-least this will mean the international community makes a more forceful attempt to find peace in one of the world’s largest war zones. In Syria any military solution mooted has been via NATO as in Libya. Perhaps, the gradual expansion of the UNSC mandate will mean in the future a UN peacekeeping force will be more amenable to all member states, and in circumstances like Syria, increasingly able to take action to make the peace.

Ciao! I love Italy and all of Europe so far. I have been here for two and a half months and have completely settled in. Italy is beautiful and the friendly culture allowed me to easily adjust. It is cool to walk every day by the Duomo, one of the oldest buildings in Italy. Florence is an old city filled with rich history, and I learned in my Ancient Rome class that Florence was styled after Rome and once had an amphitheater in its center.

The food here is amazing. I have found the best Panini place in the city. Also, the best steak in all of Europe is located right here. For anyone interested in visiting Florence, make sure you stay up late enough to hit the secret bakeries scattered around the city. For groceries, I have found that Coop is the cheapest place and I spend only twenty-five euros a week on food. The low cost of groceries allowed me to spend more money on gelato.

Since I have been in Europe, I have done some traveling. My first field trip was through the school. The guides took us to Chianti for wine tasting. The vineyards were beautiful even in early January. In late January, I went to Interlaken, Switzerland. In Interlaken, I went Paragliding – something I never imagined I would ever do. But I could not resist paragliding over the Swiss Alps!

I also went to a parade, chocolate show, and had a three course fondue dinner at a world-famous restaurant. Then in early February, my friends and I traveled to Venice  for the Carnival, which is like Halloween in Venice.

 In mid-February, I went to London to visit my two friends who are studying through RWU’s University of Westminster program. London was amazing – we did the London Eye, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, and watched the guards change at Buckingham Palace.

And then last weekend, my friends and I traveled to Budapest, Vienna, and Salzburg. Budapest felt like a fantasy-land with all the castles. We did a Turkish bath and got to see fireworks! Vienna, Austria is my favorite place so far. With its outstanding architecture and palaces, it is hard not to fall in love with it. Lastly, I went to Salzburg, which was Mozart’s birthplace. Going into the house he grew up in was pretty cool!

My experience abroad has been wonderful so far. I love my classes (particularly my food class), the people, the abundance of food and dessert, and the nightlife Florence has to offer. I am speaking the language every day and can have full conversations in Italian. My favorite part about being able to speak the language is all the discounts I can get. My school is also in the heart of Florence and is in one of the most historical buildings in all of Italy! I love how much history there is in this city and how our school has had no shortage in field trips and activities (such as pizza making). I have been to both the Gucci and Ferragamo museums with my classes. Florence is a beautiful city and it already feels like my home. It is safe to say I have adjusted to the Italian lifestyle very well.

The Bad

The United Nations Security Council responded to North Korea’s recent nuclear launch test by voting unanimously to build on previous resolutions and institute fresh economic sanctions on the state. Diplomatic rhetoric became very heated, South Korean Defense minister Kim Min Seok said it would “wipe the North Korean government from the face of the earth” in response to North Korea’s threat it would aim warheads at the south. Despite further ratcheted UN sanctions, heavy handed diplomatic rhetoric and another satellite test launch by the North Koreans, all of which have further isolated most isolated state in the world; if you have been following closely or even just caught the headlines of major news wires, the news was not all bad.

The Good

North Korea invited former NBA star Dennis Rodman and three former Harlem Globetrotters who are filming a documentary. Pictures of former NBA star Dennis Rodman sitting together with a boyishly excited Kim Jong-un trended worldwide. Not only that, according to Rodman they struck quite a friendship, reportedly telling Kim, “You have a friend for life.”

Only a little while earlier (in January) Eric Schmidt, Google Executive Chairman visited North Korea and later announced that Pyongyang will soon be mapped on Google Earth and be incorporated into its other mapping products. For those watching very closely, particularly Instagrammers, David Guttenfelder Associated Press chief photographer has been posting exclusive peaks of the capital city where he is currently on assignment. How is this possible you ask? North Korea recently liberalized its Internet laws, bringing 3G Internet connectivity to foreigners in Pyongyang. All of these events have been interesting in their own right, but together we can take away some important insights and developing trends regarding North Korea.

The Conclusions

When Kim Jong-un was anointed successor following the death of his father, he was more than an enigma to the world who knew almost nothing about the leader; but not anymore. The events over the past month has created a far more detailed caricature of the leader; the visible extent of his love for basketball, an unlikely friendship with Dennis Rodman, that he considers the internet crucial to North Korea’s development, and has taken gradual steps to liberalize internet connectivity in the country. All has not changed completely though, Schmidt’s daughter blogged about her trip and many of her observations are similar to accounts by previous visitors: “Our trip was a mixture of highly-staged encounters, tightly-orchestrated viewings and what seemed like genuine human moments.” Even so, these insights into North Korea and its leadership suggests that the best route to understanding and engaging North Korea may not be through traditional diplomatic channels.

Both trips were criticized by the U.S state department, perhaps due to its feelings of neglect, because North Korea has demonstrated its willingness to open up to the international community, rather than typical government channels and state mediums.  Sanctions might cripple, and they certainly have crippled North Korea, but any sort of a negotiated settlement seems further away than ever. North Korea’s nuclear aspirations have certainly proved to global conundrum and has been in dire need of something to change the dynamics (basketball diplomacy?), and maybe these events will pave the way for other important business man and or non-governmental leaders and figures will lead the charge to engage Kim Jong Un.

1. Privacy: In the United States, your doctor or lawyer could get sued and face legal charges if they share your private information without your consent, and similarly, the banking system in Switzerland is very strict about confidentiality. For over 300 years, Swiss bankers have had a code of secrecy and the legal framework (established by the Great Council of Geneva in 1713) has engendered this practice.
2. Low Risk: Public confidence in the Swiss banking system doesn’t just come from the fact that nobody can know how much money you have, but also because Swiss banks know how to grow your money. This is because the country in itself has a favorable economic environment: Switzerland has had an extremely stable economy and infrastructure, and its currency (the Swiss franc) has existed with virtually zero inflation (historically, it has been backed by at least 40% gold reserves). The banks in Switzerland  also have a Tier 1 capital ratio, where the proportion of capital on reserve is five times as high as it must be for U.S. banks for example.

Variety of Swiss Banks:

1. The “Big 2” of all the banks in Switzerland (around 400) which are Union Bank of Switzerland (now called UBS after it merged with Swiss Bank Corporation) and Credit Suisse Group. These two banks alone account for more than half of the balance sheet total for all banks in Switzerland.
2. Regional and local banks that are focused on lending and traditional deposit accounts.
3. Cantonal banks that offer low-cost loans and secure investment opportunities.
4. Foreign banks that are predominantly owned by countries from the European Union and Japan.

The Twist:

On thing worth noting is that if you intend to enjoy the benefits of opening a Swiss bank account, the bank you choose to deal with shouldn’t have a branch in your country. For example, a branch of a Swiss bank in the United States has no greater privacy advantages than a regular U.S. bank does.

Another thing about the accounts is that if you keep your money in Swiss francs, you will earn interest on it, but will also be obliged to pay the Swiss withholding tax. This is why most account holders have their money in other currencies, namely the U.S. Dollar, British Pound, or Euro.

Since many people have taken advantage of the banking circumstances in Switzerland to evade taxes (where most cases concern U.S. citizens), The United States and Switzerland agreed (in 2003) to facilitate the exchange of tax information if fraud is suspected. Also, current IRS regulations require U.S. citizens to reveal all offshore accounts upon filing for their annual income tax if more than $10,000 is held in overseas accounts.

Other “Top Secret” Banks:

Although Switzerland has the reputation for bank secrecy, there are many other countries whose banking system offers “tax havens,” some of which are:

1. Lebanon: Also know as the “Switzerland of the Middle East,” Lebanon plays a significant regional role in the Middle East. Its banking system is endowed with several characteristics: There are no restrictions free flow of capital and earnings into and out of the Lebanese economy, all banks are subject to the banking secrecy law, and all interest and revenue earned on accounts opened in Lebanese banks are exempt from income tax. So for the wealthy elite of the gulf countries, what Lebanon offers in terms of banking is a pretty good deal.

2. Belize: Belize has offered offshore banking since 1995, and similarly to Lebanon, accounts maintained there are not subject to taxes and customers are granted privacy.

3. Bahamas: Banking secrecy in this country is not as strong as in the countries mentioned above, since new legislation gives banks the right to examine accounts under certain circumstances.

4. Other countries such as Costa Rica, Cyprus, Panama, Singapore, etc..

1. Google Lively: the idea behind this project was to create an online virtual
life for users. They would create avatars and chat in 3D simulations of clubs
and restaurants. The idea might have been solid, but the implementation failed
miserably.

2. Google Answers: Simply put, the flaw in this project was that it was completely
pointless. The aim was to create a forum where people could ask questions and
have others post their answers (like ChaCha  or AskJeeves ). Again, a pretty
solid idea. But come to think of it, it’s redundant. Why would anyone type a
question into Google Answers when he/she could do the exact same thing on the
search engine itself?

3. Dodgeball: In 2005, Google made two acquisitions: Android and Dodgeball.
Android, of course, has no place in this article because it has evolved into a
billion dollar empire. Dodgeball, on the other hand, was a complete fail. It was
meant to be a location-specific social networking site, but since the location
feature was already present in other social platforms such as Facebook
and Instagram, Dodgeball had no competitive advantage and was left in the
shadows.

4. Google Video: This project was created as an attempt to crush YouTube
Google video was flawless with its beautifully lean interface and whipsmart
programming, but in the presence of YouTube, it was useless. Google couldn’t
beat its competition, so instead it bought it. In 2006, Google acquired YouTube
for $1.65 billion.

5. Google Wave: Saving the best for last, this project is perhaps the most epic
fail of Google’s projects. It was meant to reinvent email. With Google Wave you
didn’t have to send anything to anyone, because messages are not passed on.
Instead you host a conversation  that anyone you invite into the “wave” could tag
along and reply. It’s basically a hybrid between a “Facebook wall” and traditional
email. The interesting thing about this innovation was that it might have been
useful, but it still failed because of its complex, non user-friendly interface.

 
In the end, even industry giants aren’t immune to failure. So the moral of the
story is: embrace failures and mainstream success will follow.

Based on a recent U.N. resolution that said GDP does not “adequately reflect people’s well-being”, the U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development has called for a broader index than GDP that would include environmental and social impacts.  A model that was discussed, is the Gross National Happiness index used by Bhutan, a tiny Himalayan state in South Asia. The term “gross national happiness” was coined by Bhutan’s fourth Dragon king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, to show his commitment to building an economy that would serve Bhutan’s unique culture based on Buddhist spiritual values. Although it started out as a casual, offhand remark, the concept was taken seriously, and the Centre for Bhutan Studies developed a sophisticated survey instrument to measure the population’s general level of well-being. The idea is behind it is that development of human society takes place when material and spiritual development complement each other instead of one growing at the expense of the other. The four pillars of GNH are the promotion of sustainable development, preservation and promotion of cultural values, conservation of the natural environment, and establishment of good governance.
This initiative has been criticized and said to be simply “silly” by many. But come to think of it, isn’t the overarching goal of a nation to make its residents happy? The trend for measuring happiness has not only taken root, but also spread, as the US has now begun developing a happiness index (which is expected to become an official statistic by 2014).

But the question remains: What would the standard be? Are statisticians going to go out and simply ask people how they feel about their lives? The credibility of such an attempt is questionable, which is why the idea of measuring happiness sparks a lot of controversy. Critics say we’re better off finding a new way to measure income distribution rather than trying to measure something we cannot even define.

But happiness polls were eventually carried out. Where do you think the happiest people on Earth were? Of 156 countries, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Netherlands and Canada are the happiest, according to the Gallup World Poll that asked people to rate the quality of their lives on a 0 (worst possible) to 10 (best possible) scale. The U.S. ranked 11th highest.
Ultimately, the compromise in this debate would be to measure the “quality of life.” It is not a fully abstract notion such as happiness nor is it a strictly monetary indicator such as GDP. So, things like political freedom, social support, job security, health, stable families, and so on would also be taken into account when trying to identify wellbeing.

So money can’t buy happiness. But like the renowned author and speaker Rita davenport said:  “Money isn’t everything…but it ranks right up there with oxygen.”

            I landed in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve, only a few hours after the time struck 12. I was tired, but ready to start the year off completely anew. After a night in LA, I started day one of 2013 flying to Loreto, Mexico. I made a list on that flight; goals for this year. One of them, was to try many new things.

            In winter break, I wanted to do something different. I decided to take a National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) course, and finally learn to sail. It would be a one-month expedition in the backcountry of Baja to learn sailing and leadership skills. Going in, I knew little of what was going to happen in this short month of my life.

            Upon landing in Loreto, my course mates and I quickly spotted each other among the other passengers in the tiny airport and together, we left for the hotel. The bus was full of conversation; we talked about our hometowns, school life, and expectations for the trip. The whole two days were a very good “getting to know each other” period. My first impressions of everyone comforted me; it was refreshing to be around a completely new group of people. We all had one thing in common – the desire to do a NOLS course. Amidst college, work and general life, not many take this leap to leave the real world for a month and try something different. This brought us closer quickly, even though we didn’t know it.

             The first day, we were able to explore the little town of Loreto. It was strange, and we quickly began to notice how deserted the town appeared. We walked the empty streets as tied dogs barked at us from behind wire fences.

Still, the place had a kind of charm. We wandered into an old church in the center of town. It was almost as if no time had passed since the church had been built. A stone courtyard and palm trees lined around the edges gave it a colonial

The church’s bell tower, Loreto

appearance. The rooms at the hotel were small, nothing like any hotel I’d ever stayed in. The view made up for it though. That night, I called my boyfriend to tell him I was having fun, and had yet to be kidnapped. “How’s the hotel?” he asked. “Is it nice?” I wasn’t sure how to describe it. We had one more day to explore before heading off on our adventure. As we walked the streets, I couldn’t help but wonder the unimaginable: what would it be like to live here? I could never say. One thing I can say, I’m glad I know Spanish.

            Not many kids in the group spoke Spanish, and even though most locals spoke English, it was definitely handy to know. The people seemed to appreciate Spanish, even if I wasn’t exactly sure what to say. I was just glad to have the practice. I really never knew I could hold an entire conversation with minimal effort with a Spanish speaker, but that was the case in Loreto.

            If my parents had only seen Loreto, they would never have been worried about me going on this trip. Convinced (as any loving parents would be) that I was going to get kidnapped, they initially said no. However, I never felt unsafe at atny point during the trip. I asked a local what his favorite thing  about Loreto was. He replied, “You could be a super hot, 20 year old woman walking home alone at two in the morning, and no one would bother you.”

 We left the next morning in a van to the NOLS Mexico branch, located near Mulege. We were almost halfway there, when we had to stop. We had reached a military checkpoint, and everything had to be searched. Considering that it was in the middle of the desert, it was a nice spot. We were up in the mountains, surrounded by red dotted hills. Men stood around us, all in uniform, all holding guns. Strangely, I didn’t feel threatened. They were friendly, and seemed to know our driver well. They searched each of our bags and asked some questions, and then we were on our way.

            As we drove closer, the ride got better and better. We came upon beautiful bays of turquoise water, little islands sitting in white sand as we rode along the cliffs. It was nothing like I’d pictured Mexico to be. We turned in to the branch, and were greeted by the supervisor and the instructors as we got off the van, looking around with wide eyes. We were surrounded by white buildings, and the guides gave us a tour of the branch. What a place to live. Years ago, the land had been sold to the founders of NOLS by a Mexican ranch owner when they wanted to start a NOLS course in Baja. Now, that rancher’s daughter and other family members still work there as staff. We felt the sense of community immediately; a mix of Mexicans and “gringos” living together on this amazing beach. We spent the day getting to work, preparing food and gear for our departure. We had a meeting, going over the general route, the plans and  expectations for the trip. The instructors had warned us earlier that day about the sting rays in the water, and continued to mention the jellyfish, scorpions, coyotes, and many others. I was beginning to understand the intensity of the environment that was to become my home.

            The excitement was building inside me. I saw the horizon, and I wanted it. The water was beautiful, the people were exciting, and the boats were calling me. I hardly slept that night. The next day, we set off. We had our last taste of yogurt and milk and civilization and packed up the boats. It was a slow process, we had no idea what we were doing. I was already impressed with the instructors’ patience.  Our crew split up, each group boarding the three boats in La Tigresa, Liberdade, and Caper. These three, 22-foot drascombs would become our lives in the next month. Me, Colby and Mady boarded La Tigresa, ready to learn. Miles, our instructor, taught us how to get the boat ready. We hadn’t even gotten out of the bay when the wind started to pick up to white caps. In the next month, I would learn about this wind. We put on our fowl weather gear and sailed out of the bay, waving goodbye to the branch. I waved, but I didn’t look back. My eyes were fixed on the other side of the water.

The fisherman’s marina, Loreto

“This was my first trip out here, too” said Miles once we got going. “I sailed out onto the Sea of Cortez and never looked back.”

 I could see why. It was colder than I expected, and I could already feel the sun on my pale face. But it was beautiful. And, as I knew I would, I already started to love sailing.

                     Camping on the beach sounds incredibly romantic, and in reality, there’s a lot more to it than you would imagine. First of all, I had never seen stars like the ones I saw in the Baja sky. If you’ve never been to the backcountry, where there’s no light pollution, you probably haven’t either. It was amazing. You could see clearly in the night because of how bright they were. Later in the trip, we did an astronomy class where I learned many different constellations. The first few nights, I couldn’t close my eyes because all I wanted to do was look at those stars.

            Maybe I was just tired, but there’s nothing that can sing you to sleep like the sound of crashing waves. The slow lull of the water’s ebb and flow sounded like one of those expensive sleep-sound machines you buy at Brookstone. It was surreal.

            Perhaps the best part about sleeping on the beach was the sunrise. Every morning I awoke to a blaze of color across the sky. One morning, I could see every color of the rainbow reflected on the clouds and the calm water. The sun would peek out from behind a mountain, or rise above the water and spread beautiful reds, oranges and yellows all the way to the other side of the horizon. If I could wake up like that every morning, I would have much less trouble getting to class on time.

            Don’t start thinking this was some dream vacation where I got to kick back on the beach all day and sail around. This was a NOLS course. And thus, there were many challenges.

            First of all, learning to sail is like learning a whole new language. Halyard, boomkin, mizzen, clew, tack, gybe, lazarette, and the list goes on. At first, it seemed impossible for me to learn all these terms and be able to use them without even thinking. However, I soon found myself talking like a proper sailor. I think hearing the terms so much made me really internalize them, as well as the fact that I just looked at the terminology as a new language. I’d been meaning to take another language…

            Another challenge I personally faced was cooking. On the first day, we were divided into cook groups. Each group had a stove, some cooking supplies, and a week’s ration of food. Each day we had to make breakfast and dinner. Even in the front country, I’m not a cook. If you asked my friends, they’d say I could burn water. But when I got to NOLS, it was either I learn to cook, or risk having very angry group mates. So I learned to cook. This was no easy feat, and I could never have done it alone. The first meal I cooked for my group was a mixture of overcooked rice, salsa and chopped carrots. But I got better. Through observing other course mates and instructors, I learned to make a few things. Pasta (don’t laugh), Tortilla pie, peanut sauce ramen, home fries, and eggs. Believe it or not, those were some of my proudest accomplishments throughout the trip.

            Sailing was now ridden of the first-time challenges. I was very impressed with the drive and the skill of the entire group. We were ten students, and all of us seemed to be getting it within a few days. We had very patient, competent instructors to thank for that. And then there was the whole slew of backcountry challenges, that is, sleeping on the ground, forgetting to wear sunscreen, dealing with dread-locked hair… But this was all good. These types of incidents are always good for you. To be surrounded by beauty, to be humbled by large mountains, to forget comfort, and to remember how little you need, was enough . To learn that you can rise to any challenge was enough.

            For example, the second beach we sailed to was called Beatrice. It was another rocky shore, met swiftly by the desert. We tucked the boats up under the protection of the point and prepared for the night.

            After unloading the boats, my group set up our tarp. We didn’t have tents, so that was our protection from any weather conditions in case we needed it. My group, shirking off the task with “It’s not even going to rain” and “the sun is already down,” threw our tarp together so it was barely standing.

            As we finished up dinner, we noticed some clouds gathering above us. I wasn’t even concerned, convinced that it couldn’t possibly rain. I continued to deny this as drops of water began to hit my face. It finally got the point of no return. We packed up our kitchens and ran for our tarps. Throwing my things under the poorly-set tarp, I helped my group stabilize it with rocks and gear for it to hold. We had to completely barricade the north side to avoid getting completely soaked. In a few minutes, however, that didn’t matter. I ran down the beach to “use the ladies room” quickly before I was trapped in for the night, but when I returned I noticed two things missing under the tarp. My group members, and my sleeping mat. While they soon returned, carrying more rocks, I ran down the beach looking for my mat. My instructor Jess, hearing me call out, ran down to the beach. In a few seconds, she spotted my mat. It was safely floating about 10 yards out at sea. I stood for a moment, staring at it. Knowing the LNT (leave no trace) principles and my need for something to sleep on, I knew what must be done. As everyone gathered, I took off most of my layers and handed them to Alex. I started to wade out, Jess keeping her headlamp on the mat.

            “Are you wearing shoes?” called Miles.

            “No…” I said, remembering their warnings about sting rays.

            “Start swimming.”

            I dove in. Luckily, my swimmer instincts kicked in and I was in and out pretty quickly. That part was cake.

            I ran back to the tarp, trying to dry myself in the rain. I put some layers back on and got into my already rain-soaked sleeping bag. The wind continued to blow rain onto me as I tried to sleep. It was a great night to bond with my course mates, staying up to play games and telling stories as we waited out the storm. I just wished I was a little warmer…

            The next day, our instructor Pablo read us a story about a man who can “sleep through a storm.” The moral was to do everything right the first time, so that should a storm come, you can easily sleep right through it. I got the message. Always set up a good tarp.

            I don’t mean to complain, and although that night was the coldest, it was also one of the best nights of the trip. There were many highlights, one of them simply being the beauty of Mexico. Baja is the most rugged place I’ve ever visited. The winds howl without stopping, the waves topple over each other as they rush to the rocky shores, the cactuses and thorny bushes stick up above the dusty desert floor, and the mountains sweep the horizon like the backdrop of an old western. The animals there are just as prickly as the plants: Sting rays, puffer fish, scorpions, and rattle snakes. To inhabit this place is to try your luck against the harshest of climates. When you imagine Mexico, you may picture the harsh desert, or perhaps the sandy beaches. But you almost never picture the two sitting side by side. It’s odd to stand on a bluff and see barren desert to your left, flat lands of cactuses sweeping back to big red mountains, and white sand beaches with clear-blue water to your right. It was amazing. It was also amazing what natural beauty can do to a person. It was hard not to get used to look at the stars instead of a bedroom ceiling,  to sit on the boats instead of a couch. I reminded myself that I was lucky.

            After the first few days, the instructors assigned student skippers to be the first mates on the boats the next day. This included passage planning, overseeing navigation, taking care of the boat and the crew, and making sure the day went as scheduled. It seemed like a lot of responsibility at first, especially since I was in the first group. But, as I always try to do, I took on the challenge with positivity. It was actually one of my best days. There were plenty of mistakes, but it was definitely one of my favorite memories of the trip. Without being put into that situation, I never would have known how much I knew, and exactly what I didn’t know. Miles, my instructor that day, relaxed and let me learn from my decisions. It was this kind of learning that really taught me a lot.

            Obviously, another highlight was the actual sailing. As I knew I would, I loved it and I took to it quickly. Being on a vessel whose only method of transportation was nature itself is pretty awesome. Learning to move through the vast ocean, powered by the wind and the waves was exhilarating. We could be moving 5 knots, under just one sail, and everyone on the boat had to be on their job. It was fun, and feeling that kind of power from the wind on such a small boat was crazy. It was also relaxing, sitting for a while on one point of sail, barely having to move. This was an easy time to slip into conversations with your crew, or ask more about concepts you didn’t understand. Once, on a quiet day, our instructor Pablo taught my boat a sea chantey on our way in to anchor. That was something we all enjoyed, as we were in a sort of silent competition to see who could be more “salty” (or experienced in seamanship). Our boat now had the advantage.

            The wildlife wasn’t all mean and prickly. On our second day sailing, we were joined by a huge pod of dolphins. As we were sailing along, the pod just came racing alongside each boat, jumping in and out of the water as they raced us and danced along the hull. We were all taken aback, trying to get pictures while sailing. Personally, I couldn’t wipe the smile off of my face.

            There was a kayaking course going on at the same time as our course, so sometimes we ended up across the beach from the kayakers. One night, to celebrate the birthdays of three of our instructors (Jess, Miles, and a kayak instructor named Andrew all born within the same 24 hours), we had a big campfire and invited the kayakers over to our beach. They arrived just as the fire was starting, mingling into our circle and sitting down in the light. The instructors picked up their instruments, a quartet of strings, and played in the background. Around the fire was a buzz of hometowns, schools, other travels and backcountry secrets. Looking around the circle, there were smiles on every face. For many of us, this kind of company was rare; we all had the same differences, and the same urge to travel and go beyond the normal adolescent comfort zone. It was a nice night, almost a party for us. New people, a big fire, and song after song until bedtime. Ten o’clock was a late night for us.

            One of the last nights, I realized, I had gone almost the whole trip without sleeping on one of the boats. I had slept on a boat before, but I felt it was something I had to do on this trip. I waded out to La Tigresa and prepared for the night. I wrote,

 “Laying on my back, looking up from the floorboards, I see nothing but stars and half a moon, and two tall masts sticking up into the sky. The moon lights the deck in a white glow as La         Tigresa slowly rocks me to sleep. I can hear the creaking of the anchor through the chalks as we sway back and forth. No one but me and La Tigresa in the Sea of Cortez as I drift off into a sailor’s dreams.”

            In the middle of the trip, we got winded in at one beach called Medano Blanco for five nights because of the strong north winds. On one of the days, we had the opportunity to have solo time for a few hours. We hiked along the coast, and people would stop along the way and pick a spot to spend their time. We came upon a large arroyo, and I knew where I wanted to be. A big, stony beach spread from the arroyo, opening up to huge, light-blue waves crashing on the shore. I wrote, “I sit with my back against a rock, just blocking the wind. In front of me, sharp mountains dotted with dry shrubs and cactuses. Behind me, giant waves crash upon a rocky shore. A cliff juts out to my left, clouded by sea-spray glistening in the January sun. After ten days, I feel as one of the desert’s harsh creatures. With dry hands and a marked face, I was covered in dust and forever squinting beneath the sun. Now I feel that sense of place. Being alone in such an open area is a rare and amazing gift. Laying by the sea, singing to the mountains and allowing my mind to wander to places it scarcely has the space to go. Travel. Nature. Solitude. Is there a problem this couldn’t solve?”

            During those few days at Medano Blanco, we decided to take a costal hike to San Lino to get some more potable water. We weren’t really low, but we weren’t sure if we would be able to make our next re-ration because of the winds. We hiked a few miles along the coast, carrying dromedaries to fill with water. When we got to the town, it was one of the sandiest, most beautiful beaches we’d seen. We asked a fisherman down by the water where we could get some drinking water, and he directed us up the hill to a man called Jesus. We walked to the top of their little town to his house, a larger stone building topped with a roof of palm leaves. I noticed a pink tricycle sitting in the yard by a truck.

Loreto

The family came out of the house: a man, his wife and daughter, and his father. The little girl, about three years old, was called Yasmina. She had big brown eyes and looked curiously at us from her mother’s arms as we stood on her patio. I noticed what must have been her club house, a small standing square room in the yard above some whale bones. They were friendly and glad to speak to us in either Spanish or English. And what a view they had from their back yard! They let us fill up all our vessels and we chatted before our hike back.

            Perhaps one of the best parts of the trip happened on the last sailing day, when we arrived at San Bruno. We got to the beach early to prepare for pickup the next day, and started to unload and roll boats onto land before lunchtime. I quickly noticed a small, quite adorable stray dog on the beach. Upon approaching him, he was obviously a very friendly puppy who needed something to eat. He was a lap-size dog , but his big paws indicated that he might get bigger. He had mostly white fur, with black spots and large black circles around his eyes. Everyone fell in love with him. He was playful and completely human-friendly, willingly cuddling and kissing everyone. We started feeding him, giving him water, and petting him as we finished setting up camp. We sort of accepted the fact that he was “our” dog, and began to brainstorm names. Among many, the name Bruno (after the beach) stuck. By dinner time we were all calling him Bruno and sharing our food with him. At some point in the afternoon, a military truck came through the beach to check up on us. We asked if Bruno belonged to any of the fisherman. They said no, and that he had been there for a few weeks by himself. Later, I saw him hunt down a cricket. This dog couldn’t last long in this environment. Someone, I can’t remember who was first, mentioned that we should take him with us. That was it. Jess and I were talking about him, and she mentioned how she’d been meaning to get a dog. It was perfect. If she hadn’t, I would have taken him myself. The next day, when the branch picked us up, we secured Bruno into the cockpit of Caper once on the trailer, and he was ready to come home with us. I couldn’t describe my happiness, knowing that Bruno would now be in the best of care.

            There are so many little highlights with everyone on the trip. The morning we all confirmed the “dream bluff” myth of having crazy dreams while sleeping on the bluff. The many campfires at which the instructors would play their instruments and we could all reflect on the day. The beautiful sunrises and amazing stars, speaking spanish to the locals, the funny stories that everyone shared, and all the meaningful conversations we had. The countless times that we had to roll boats onto shore to keep them safe (so much so that we started calling ourselves BCR for Baja Coastal Rolling instead of BCS for Sailing), feeling small beneath the mountains, enriched by the company and falling back in love with the ocean. And of course, all the things I learned.

            Sitting in class on a beach in Mexico is a lot easier than sitting in class in a classroom (even with a view of the bay). We learned a lot on this trip, about sailing, the environment, the ecosystem that we were a part of. I found it easy to sit down and take notes with such a view. I learned a lot about Baja, and how to help the environment, even up to the amount of land that I personally require to live. Learning on the boats was even better. With these boats, if you do something wrong, the boat responds. You can feel when your boat de-powers or isn’t sailing well. On top of that, our instructors were amazing. They were patient, funny and amazing teachers. I always felt safe on the boats, but I always felt like they were giving us the opportunity to learn from our own experiences. This made for the ideal learning environment. I learned more in that month than I have in a whole semester of school.

            However, the curriculum is not all that I learned. Being in a group of such amazing individuals really helped me to have the amazing trip I was hoping for. I will never forget when Mady woke me up in the middle of the night to inform me that there were coyotes in our kitchen bags (there were no coyotes in our kitchen bags). Or the time that Joe and I tried to make slurry (a cake mix dessert) and used milk powder instead, which resulted in the most disgusting chunky milk mixture I’d ever seen. I will always remember the times that Julie coached me while I was trying to cook, and when Colby would enthusiastically share quotes from her book and get us all to think about them. I will never ever forget Eric’s bedtime stories about his adventures in Texas, or the way Joel was always the first to dive out to the boats when we needed him. I will never forget when Alex and I actually made a dance to the sting ray shuffle, or when Laura would yell in her southern accent to ask what everyone was doing. I will never forget the bracelets that Lauren made for us all, mine still hanging around my wrist. I will never forget when Pablo told us the story of the orphanage on one of the points we sailed past, or the time Jess mooned a bunch of fisherman. And I will certainly never forget the time I asked Miles why he would possibly be digging into his trail mix on the first day of the ration, and him replying, “I’m not afraid to be happy.”

            I learned how to sail. I learned about my ecological footprint. I learned about the environment of Baja California.

            I also learned that I can rise to amazing challenges. I learned that you should always set a good tarp. I learned to take time to help other people with anything. I learned how to be part of a great expedition. I learned that there is no room for misery, and to never be afraid to be happy.

 On our last morning in the field, I opened my eyes to the dark inside of a sleeping bag, confused at the sound I was hearing. A soft tune of guitar brought me out of my sleeping bag, and I sat up to see Miles standing in the middle of us all, playing under a still starry sky. I listened and smiled as the horizon started to awaken with orange and red that spilled onto the scattered white clouds over sea. He finished, and left us to get ready to end our journey. I don’t think any of us were ready.

            We spent the last day cleaning gear and boats, enjoying our final hours together. I took what was possibly the best shower of my life, and enjoyed some wonderful food prepared by the branch before they sent us off the next morning. I was no longer thinking about restaurant food, my bed, real showers and having my phone, as I had been during the last few days. My mind was still on the beaches of Baja.

            On one of the last days, our instructor Jess shared with us a quote given to her by a friend. “And the day came when the risk to remain a tight bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom,” Anais Nin.

            Finally, I took the risk.

            On the plane ride out of Loreto, I wrote, “I may forget the beautiful sunrise at San Basilio, its colors more brilliant than any sky I’d ever seen. I may forget what it is like to be truly dirty, and to crave front country food so badly that I would dream about it. I may forget the feeling of being rocked to sleep by the boat, or the image of the starriest of skies. I may forget the two-bit bowline or the degree of east error on the compass heading. I may forget the way the waves would sometimes glow with phosphorescence in the night, as if electricity charged through them as they crashed on shore. I may someday forget all twelve names, and the stories behind them. I may even forget how lucky I was to have lived on the beaches of Baja for a month, in such company. But if I am to take anything with me as we go our separate ways, it would be some of the many things I have learned from these people, and the things they have helped me to learn of myself.”

            This expedition was about much more than sailing. The realization of a lifelong dream, and all the unexpected things along the way. For everything that I have learned, experienced, and seen on this trip, I am grateful. Thank you, more please.

Blog 1 December 21st 

We all have a passion that has been in our lives since a young age. A sport, a hobby, even a specific place. For me, my passion was water. I was always the first one in the pool, or the lake, or the ocean, and the last one out. I imagined that someday, when I left my woodsy Connecticut small town, I could someday live where I could fall asleep to the sound of crashing waves. The ocean called to me, and though I didn’t know where to start, I figured a college on the bay was a pretty good place.

I’ve taken the sailing course here at Roger Williams, and I’ve spent a lot of time on the nearby beaches. But I wasn’t quite there, something missing. I knew that my dreams of setting sail on a blue horizon couldn’t be far. But where to start? I’d been wanting to do a course with the National Outdoor Leadership School(NOLS) for years now. The idea of a college focused on outdoor adventure was right up my alley, and when I discovered they had a January sailing course in Mexico, I was sold. Any opportunity to travel makes me jump. I applied first, and asked my parents later. With some applications and some parental negotiations, I was set. I was on my way to fulfilling one of my lifelong dreams: to learn how to sail the ocean.

Now, all that’s left is to get there and take on the challenge. I will be flying into LAX, then Loreto, Mexico the next day. After that I head to the NOLS base and begin my journey. I will spend a month learning to sail, while camping on the beaches of Baja with a group of people around my age.

While I will have neither a phone nor a computer, I plan to journal while on the entire trip. I want to write about the natural beauty I am told I will encounter, as well as the skills I will learn. While we at Roger Williams know our ocean, I think this will be different. I want to uncover the Mexico that I will see, and write about the entire experience as something that I encourage people to try. I hope I can capture the experience and the location that I will be immersed in for this winter break.

Blog 4- Classes

I had my first two days of classes this week! So yesterday I started with Spanish, this was good! My teacher is very nice and it seems like a fun class. I then went to CORE Catalan class, the teacher just basically explained that we are going to be learning specifically about Catalan and not the rest of Spain but that we will reference Spain a lot as well. Catalan is trying to divide from the rest of Spain and a lot of the people here consider themselves Catalan and not Spanish.

I then had a two hour break and went to go eat lunch with friends! Lunch is the biggest meal here and is also much longer then our lunches in the US. Here they have lunch special menus that offer discounted prices and dinner is much more expensive. We went to a place right next to the school which offered an apatizer, a main course, a drink, and a dessert all for 12 euros! Which is a good deal here! The thing that we all find very funny is that you can get wine and beer for the same price as water at any meal so it was included in the 12 Euro at lunch. Some of my friends got beer and wine but I stuck with water! At home I drink SO much water that it is hard to break the habit here!

After lunch I had a painting and drawing class that is in a sepperate studio a few blocks from Arcadia, yesturday the teacher came and walked us but next time we have to find it on our own so I am a bit scared for that! The class was interesting, the teacher explained that we will start with the basics and move on from there. Eventually we will have 2 nude models to draw on two sepparate days! :O We also had supplise we had to buy for the class so when we got out very early we decided to go and try to find the place to buy it. It is very hard to navigate around a city with no wifi no GPS and just a map! Definetly not something I am use to! But we figure it out by asking people!

After that we found our way back to Arcadia (my VERY small university) and I had an international marketing class with one other student, me, and the teacher! That class is 2 hours so it was from 5-7 which is a long time to try and stay awake and attentive when my first class had been at 9AM. My teacher was very nice though, we talked about marketing in the US and in Spain and our favorite stores! She said we will go on trips to see different stores around here during class time on 2 days (I’m not sure which yet)!

Today I had a later class (11:15) so I got to sleep in! That class was my Catalan language class. This was very different from Spanish which I had not expected! We will be learning simple frazes that can help us get around which will probably be helpful even though everyone here speaks Spanish as well. It will help us blend in and not be so obviously American. The next class I had was Brand Barcelona, we had a long discussion about the differences between image and brand and how cities brand themselves or if they can brand themselves! Seems interesting but there is 10 page or more paper due in March so we are not so excited for that!

I have homework in all my classes and they all seem pretty challenging so that MYTH about study abroad classes being a joke is exactly that, a myth! I suppose I should go start my homework now… so I’ll blog tomorrow if I have time!

P.S. if anyone has any questions for me feel free to post on here!

Blog 3- Figuring things out!

I have never been on a metro or a subway in the US and I have figured it out here! Turns out I was very scared of these things for no reason! Also, to all that know me and know how HORRIBLE I am with directions, I SWEAR I am getting better here! I can actually read a map! I feel like this experience is allowing me to grow and better myself in so many ways and I have only been here for less then a week! Who knows what the whole semester will bring!

Blog 2- I’m in love

I absolutely love it here! I love being able to walk everywhere and not have to use a car (hate driving). There is so much to see constantly, me and Ashley got lost looking for our apartment the first day and it was a blessing in disguise, we wandered the city near our apartment as I asked different people along the street for directions! Everyone I talked to was so nice and friendly! We saw a little carnival and explored the area near our apartment. When we finally found our apartment we realized it was only 2 minutes from the original place we got off the metro! We are learning!

Last night we went out bar hopping with a bunch of people from our program, it was great! Everyone in the program is SO nice and we are all becoming such good friends. The bars were very cool we all danced together and I everyone had my back when one Spanish man was stalking me! He was following me around and all he kept saying is “your so beautiful” “your smile is so beautiful!” “Do you have a boyfriend?” (all in Spanish of course) he even told me I look like Britney Spears HAHA what an insult! All of the people from the program kept grabbing me and one of the boys (who actually has a girlfriend in the program) pretended to be my boyfriend and the guy told him to f off! I owe him big time! Thank god we all have each other’s backs and we look out for each other!

I couldn’t be happier in this city and with this experience

Blog 1 1/12/12

Hello! My name is Alyssa and I am a junior at Roger Williams. I am a communications public relations major with a minor in Spanish and marketing. My minor in Spanish is a huge reason why I chose to go to Spain and Barcelona is somewhere I have never been and I have heard that it is an amazing city! Everyone who I have spoken to about

Barcelona has great stories and many have said it was their favorite city in the world! When I was 15 I went to Spain but I am very excited to go back and be living there. I am also nervous though, it is scary to be a young woman living in a foreign city, and people have warned me about this over and over.

I am working on packing now, it is very hard (especially for us girls) to pack for 4 months into one suitcase and I have been advised to leave space for things I buy while I am there! I have been looking online about what to pack and people have said to pack cold medicine because it is much more expensive there, but mostly everything else I will buy there!

I will keep writing for the blog and MANY pictures, I hope whoever is reading this will enjoy it!

Blog 1

Hi my name is Amanda Lingg and I will be studying abroad with professor Ruggieri in London, England. I am currently a senior at RWU and majoring in Accounting. Over the past summer I travel abroad to Perguia, Italy through an abroad program offered by Roger Williams. It was the first time I hade ever been to Europe and could not wait to travel abroad again. I spent a month of the summer traveling all over Italy, to Rome, Florence, Assisi, and numerous other cities. I ever flew to Paris, France one weekend. I cannot wait to begin this next journey and experience the culture of London. I am more excited then nervous this time studying abroad and hope it will be as great of an experience as I had last time. A lot of my friends had study abroad in London last spring semester and never wanted to leave. Hearing their stories and how positive their experiences were in London have made me even more excited to go!