The Dominican Republic, Las Galeras and Las Terrenas

Every few weeks I go a little crazy and start to crave water. The vastness of the ocean calms me and provides a wonderful balance to the busy life in the city. 

I love the SUN

Ken's happy place

Our wonderful friend Ezekiel and his machete 

Horses in the woods

The waves at this cafe were reaching heights of more than 18 meters! The owner said that this event was one for the history books. 

Dominican Baseball!

Our First Spring Break! Part 1 Santo Domingo

We just (2 weeks ago- yet feels like a year) returned from our first spring break ever! Through out our undergraduate years we heard stories and saw pictures of that mysterious week off in the spring. We dreamed of warm beaches, no teachers or work and the opportunity to spend a week away from it all. This year Kenneth informed me early on that this will be his only year in medical school with a spring break and so started making plans to take full advantage of it.

We went through the list of countries small enough to enjoy in a week and close enough to not waste too much time on a plane. Our finger landed on the Domincan Republic. Although many suggested the all inclusive resorts, our travel style is a little more local. As a result we stayed with a wonderful family in Santo Domingo before journeying on to the beaches in Samana.

One of my favorite things about traveling with Ken is that he makes friends with EVERYONE! The older ladies seem to be especially drawn to him. I am also grateful for his amazing ability to speak Spanish so fluently. Not only does it help us get around but it blesses the lives of many fellow travelers who also become fun friends. 

We watched many games of dominoes but feared we lacked the competitive domino face that the players wore, to join in. As we watched we met many kind people, many who taught us the game, led us to homemade coconut ice cream- amazing, shared stories of their lives and introduced us to fellow New Yorkers. (It seems that everyone in the DR has a friend or family member living in the city! Felt more like a NYC borough than a different country)

*all of the pics are from our instagram accounts so pardon the grainy enlarged look*

Dominican Republic Film!!

Finally Got My Film Back! 

Spring Break 2014 in the Dominican Republic

Pondering on how we arrived to this small apartment in a very big city.

Since the new year arrived we have been off to a busy start with my work and ken's studies, we haven't had a break. But now as the snow is falling faster I have finally found a quiet night to reflect on the past year that brought us to this amazing big city and all of the adventures in between.

Last year we celebrated Christmas with the Okoren Clan (the BEST gift of all- Ken's acceptance call to NYU Medical School. This was especially sweet as he had been stranded in NYC during the week of Hurricane Sandy but came home in love with the people who opened their homes to him, a complete stranger in the city.)

We enjoyed the beauty of our final winter in Utah. Now being away I realize how blessed we were to live there.

We Graduated from BYU! April 26, 2013 (our 1 year anniversary)

We enjoyed more beauty at the Havasupai Reservation with our friends Anne and Spencer. The waterfalls were amazing as was the kind man who gave us a lift after our car broke down...

We spent some time with the Okorens Celebrating Karina's high school graduation and Prom

We traveled around the world in a trip that included; Peru, Spain, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Turkey, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. (The actual details on this will hopefully follow soon)

After selling most of our possessions and cars, we moved to NYC.

We found our place in St Cyril's Church, a Slovene Catholic Church in the East Village. We joined the local branch of the organization and even helped organize a wonderful Martinovanje celebration for the Slovenes of NY, the Ambassador and friends. 6 geese were cooked and more potica and slovene wine was consumed than I thought possible! After the dinner we were able to meet with the Secretary of Defense for Slovenia. Although he did not answer any of my questions 1) I understood 90% of what he said- IN SLOVENE! and 2) only had to nudge my husband awake once (he doesn't speak slovene but still sat through a 2 hour political meeting-MAJOR POINTS!) and 3) I realized how important education and a focus on opportunities for the younger generation is in building a countries wealth and prosperity. When there are no opportunities for growth, the youth will go where they can find them.

We spent a wonderful Thanksgiving with Ty and Bre in Virginia.

And played a lot in the city. We enjoyed the window displays, went ice skating more than once, rode old fashion subway cars, walked through central park, fought through tourists to visit The Tree more than once, and spent a few nights reenacting scenes from ELF.

We then flew down to Illinois for a wonderful week with the Prices. Their love and generocity astounds me. I am grateful for such wonderful examples from our parents of pure service and devotion to God. They inspire me.

How to Travel Through India

10 Tips to help you enjoy your adventures in India

1. Always have toilet paper on you- in a pocket, purse or backpack- girls especially take heed.

2. Most people are good- just not those who work in tourism, so be careful and wise.

3. Do not buy street food if you are on a tight schedule- or have a toilet very close by.

4. Be direct and honest with shop keepers, drivers, etc. Pay what you think it is worth and expect what you pay for. In the same note remember that the scarf and shoes you are buying might actually be supporting that family so don't be stingy. 

5. Be nice even when others are not in turn nice to you. A smile helps. 

6. Eat lots of good food- just make sure it is a place full of other people. This often means it is good and well prepared. Also drink lots of water. Don't get dehydrated because you don't like the bathroom situation.

7. Research your transportation options then don't be fooled. If people say- oh that is closed or they moved offices don't believe them until you have gone as far as you can. Oh and if people are blocking from a building and leading you towards another- this probably means they are tricking you.

8. Spend time with locals via couchsurfing, or other social websites to help you meet people who can show you the area or culture through a different more authentic lens.

9. Learn and follow local customs. This often leads to greater respect and more enjoyable exchanges.

10. Take time in solitude -This is the home land of buddha and many remarkable meditation practices. It may seem hard to find peace and solitude but you can. Take time in nature, an ashram or even special yoga retreats. Balance the chaos of India with internal peace.

Around the World Trip: Couchsurfing

Have you ever been somewhere, maybe another country, and just felt like an outsider looking in? As kids my mom would invite young Japanese girls to stay with us for a week or two as a part of an exchange program. Having served a mission in Japan, my mom could communicate with them and put them at ease. I remember laughing at how much they enjoyed the simplest things like our trampoline or the candy store at the mall. Although we took them to the tourist hot spots, they seem more excited by our home, the posters of boy bands on my sister’s wall and our daily life. Preparing to travel around the world I had very little interest in just seeing the buildings or tourist sites. I wanted to see the lives of the people. I know a few days or even weeks is often not long enough to really experience a culture but with groups like Couchsurfing, I think it is possible.

When I was first introduced I thought Couchsurfing was a way for creepy people to get cheap travelers like me to stay in their homes out of desperation. How wrong I was. Couchsurfing is a website that connects travelers who want something more out of their experience to hosts willing to house and introduce such travelers to their home. At no cost it works on a pay it forward system. In the past five years I have stayed in people’s homes across more than 10 countries. I have slept in small villages, Bedouin caves, huge mansions, shantytowns and everything else in between. And when I am not traveling I am able to play host to travelers coming to NYC.

The people I have met have changed my perspective on life and have taught me that we are not just citizens of our small community, but of a worldwide neighborhood. We are global citizens and as such we have the opportunity to care for one another. Couchsurfing for me started out as an alternative to hotels but I immediately learned it is not a way to find free accommodations. It is a way to form friendships and see into a culture that a building or tour group could never offer.  Regardless of our budget I know that my husband and I will continue to Couchsurf and host those doing the same.
*Although people maybe worried about trying it out considered this: A hotel views you as a customer and in some places just as a means to income, a Couchsurfing views you as a friend and guest in their home- as a result they care for you as such.

*no tour guide can take you to the hole in the wall that serves the best Dosa in the World*

Around the World Trip: Packing to go Backpacking

*hey if you forget something you can always find a used one in the pile*

Both times I have traveled around the world I was gone for about 3 months. To be honest 3 months was on the short end compared to travelers we would meet who had been on the road for close to a year. And when it came to packing I think we had similar amounts of stuff. I guess that is what happens when everything you pack goes on your pack- you find ways to carry less!

Both times I followed the same rule- if it was heavy or needed a lot of care- DON'T TAKE IT! Of course if you are taking suitcases and staying in hotels then take what you want. But in the case of back packing remember it means packing everything in my case on my small weak and pathetic back. People hear that we back packed and sometimes assume that means we walked everywhere. Now, we did walk A LOT but not always. It just means that when transporting our things and on occasion when lost or just wandering it is on our backs.

So finally the list!
2 pairs of bottoms (either pants or shorts- I took one pair of shorts and a nice pair of linen pants that didn't wrinkle easily and were very light weight)
3 shirts (groooosss I know I know. only three shirts but to be honest it was all I could do)
2 pairs of shoes (one for long walks/hiking I would recommend Keens or Chacos I have both and love them each a lot, and one pair of dressier shoes. For me this was a nicer brown sandal and for my man it was a pair of slip on vans- we prefer foot wear that does not require socks)
1 nice dress or outfit (it was important for us to attend church while traveling and my sun dress double for nice dinners and evenings when I wanted to look clean)
underwear (I wont tell you how much we took, well I took more than him but to each his own on this one)
Swim suite (I also take a spare just in case)
make up (yes I still wanted to feel pretty at times- remember you normally take a lot of photos on trips so look good! but only take as much as can fit in a small ziplock. I recommend waterproof mascara, blush, tinted chapstick, and concealer.)
Sunscreen (coming from a person who gets burned more than my red headed man this is essential. and it normally costs a lot oversees so load up on travel sizes at walmart!)
Deodorant (just because you are backpacking does not give you an excuse to smell like one)
All Purpose Soap (there are many different brands and I have used a few of them. Just get one for hair, body and clothes and you should be fine as a little goes a very long way.)
First Aide (bandaids, neosporin, asprin, tweezers- my basics. Yes you can buy them anywhere but when you need them they are always harder to find so just pack them)
Rain Jacket/Pancho (no matter where you go you might get some chilly winds or rain so have something ready. The smaller the better)
Small Day Bag (really small bag like a draw string or fanny pack for those day hikes or overnights when you can stash your bag else where)
Camera (if photography is your thing you might drop some other items to make space for this guy. We took our nice camera and no it wasn't stolen but you have to be careful and not show it off)
Passport and copies of all important documents in a ziplock! (better safe than sorry.)
*We also took one of our IPhones on our last trip. This way we could get wifi where it was available without having to pay for using a computer and it came in handy as another fast reach camera.

*The faster the drying the better- learned the hard way*

I have never come across a culture that didn't wash their clothes (besides that time I lived with my two brothers in college....) so don't worry you can find a place to get your laundry done or just do it yourself in the bathtub, or sink.
Because we packed so few shirts after a few weeks or when they reached the point of no return we simply threw them away and looked for a cheap street market or thrift store to replace them. Rotating items was more fun and helped us not get bored of our limited options.

*Sorry its fuzzy but here is the only pic of us with our packs!- yes mine is small, like me*

The Back Pack--- there are loads of great packs out there but my man and I LOVE Osprey Packs. Not only do they have a great life time guarantee but they send them back to you really fast. Once a squirrel ate through my man's bag and they fixed it up just in time for us to leave on another trip.  Just make sure you get a pack that is fitted for you. Mine is small and can actually be considered a day pack for some, but for me it works great.

Now a note on shopping while pack backing- do it! get what you want but remember you are carrying it home. My husband and I use a method that was handed down from my father and mother. Have you ever purchased something that at the time, in that place was really cool but then returned home and found that it does not belong in your closet or on your body? Simply this means are you liking that sequined cowgirl shirt because you are in Cody Wyoming and feel that if you bought it you would fit in really well with the other cowgirls in Cody. This way of thinking is now coined as the Cody Syndrome. Would you really wear it at home and not look like a crazy person? It also goes for getting your hair braided while on a cruise- no it has never looked good on a white girl, sorry. Be realistic, remember your back and I promise you wont buy too much.

Around the World Trip: Budget

Of all the questions I get, “how did you afford it?” is the one I hear the most. And trust me before I traveled I wondered the same thing. I used to assume that you only traveled if your parents were willing to back your trip. Over time I have meet tons of people who have found a way to do it. This is the way I did- it definitely isn't the same for everyone but hopefully it will help you brainstorm ways you can make your dreams reality. 

*Myanmar*

I believe that if you desire something enough you will work for it and sacrifice things of lesser value, to obtain it. While planning for both trips I was attending school full time and working at least one job. To afford the trip I saved what I earned and found ways to cut costs in other areas. The fall before my first trip Jaims and I learned how to glean. Lucky for us a lot of people in our small town had huge gardens and not enough mouths to feed. We willingly accepted squash, apples, berries, tomatoes, zucchinis or you name it to add to our pantry. We were not picky and would find creative ways to prepare the food we had. That fall we mastered the skill of making homemade applesauce. We had soo much that we were even able to share it with anyone willing to try and on occasion trade it for other goods. Already being rather thrifty, any new clothes during this season, came from the local second hand store.  I tired really hard to only purchase new clothes when it was necessary. We still enjoyed life fully and would go to the dollar movies and ride our bikes around town. We even ate out on occasion. We just had to be creative in finding ways to have fun without spending our saved up travel fund.  Think of ways you can save or items you can remove from your spending. I laugh when people tell me they are not able to afford traveling while they hold a Starbucks Coffee in one hand and a designer bag in the other. They can afford it but choose not to. Living in a city where gluttony is very easily available we can forget how much we are spending. If you eat out once a day for $10 and get a $5 cup of coffee and then spend even as little as $40 on alcoholic beverages a week you are spending over $7,000 a year on coffee, eating out and drinking. Now this is an extremely low estimate. But for me I knew if I cut these down or completely out in my case since I don’t drink, I could easily afford 3 months traveling around the world. What you are wiling to sacrifice in order to fulfill your desires or dreams is completely in your hands. I know my example may seem extreme, but sometimes we must do extreme things in order to achieve our dreams.

*one of the few street food items I didn't try ick*

When deciding where to go, we looked at places based on cost of living and found a good variety. We figure London will be very pricy but India is ridiculously cheap. We actually spent almost the same amount of money in London for 4 days that we did for a month in India! Yeah no joke. Crazy cheap. We googled budget estimates for  each country and found average costs of hostels and street food- which I LOVE, and transportation costs. We ran simple equations to figure out just how much we would need. We of course than planned on bringing at least 20% more than our estimate. Both times I broke even with my expected budget taking into account that some places had hidden expenses, like booking a flight out of Cairo right before the protests started in June 2012. And other places were actually cheaper either because we decided to couchsurf  (Stay tuned for an upcoming post on how much I LOVE couchsurfing) or were there during low season. You can travel on just about any budget while still having a great time. Just plan ahead and know what you are willing to spend based on what you want to do.

*hot and sweaty in a bus and they still wanted to be our friends!*

My husband was really good about keeping track of our spending. We carried a small little notebook with us and at the end of every week would tally our costs in the following areas: transportation, food, hotel/hostel, activities (tours or classes), tips, extras (gifts for ourselves and occasionally for family). If I found that we were spending less in one area than we guess I would take that money and move it over to the extras area for some fun spending or we would consider an extra activity like renting horses for the day. Other times we let it transfer over to the next country as a safety net which we ended up needing more than once. 

Around the World Trip: Weather

*just getting dressed to head to the beach! I love Hawaii.*

Weather for me is very important. If I could live on a beach I would if for no other reason than to never be cold. Being raised in Colorado one would guess I was acclimated to harsh conditions when in reality I learned how to dress warmly and avoid leaving my house. 

My first round the world trip we decided to only go to warm climates. This made packing very very easy. With my husband on the other hand we did a little of both. We spent the first few weeks in Peru, in June, which is during their winter. We packed lots of warm coats and sweaters that sadly filled our small bags. Because it was our first stop we knew that we could leave all of the warm cloths in Peru before we headed on to our next destination. You can often offer them to the hotel or hostel and ask if they know of anyone who could use some extra layers. They are normally more than willing to pass them on. Our backs were grateful for the break. Remember, you can always buy extra cloths while you travel. For more packing tips read here. On both trips we traveled during our summer, which was peak traveling season for some cities and monsoon season for others. We love the rain so it was a price we were willing to pay.  In some areas the rain meant less visitors so hotels were cheaper and we had beaches to ourselves.

When willing to gamble with the weather take full advantage of those warm days or sunny hours. A week in Hawaii only gave us 2 days of sun and a lot of wind and rain. We had to change our plans but the minute the sky cleared we were in the water!

Remember traveling often means being outside for extended periods of time so be prepared. Wear clothes you can layer incase the weather changes while you are out. And if you have a nice camera have proper cases to protect it from the rain, snow, sand or what ever else you will be facing!

Around the World Trip: Culture

The culture of a place can greatly influence how you travel and if you will enjoy your time there. Culture can include food, customs, language and religion. If you feel uncomfortable not knowing the language, what are you willing to do? Will you take classes? Is a small dictionary enough? Are you ok if people don’t understand everything you say? What are you willing to eat? Yes now a days you can find westernized fast food just about everywhere, welcome to global obesity, but do you want that to be your every meal? Do you want to go somewhere with lots of outdoor adventure or calm beaches? Is there a culture you are interested in and want to learn more about? As you ask these questions make a list of what matters most to you in traveling and then find countries that fit that description. I know some of my friends would love the food of Vietnam but would not be willing to take uncomfortable sleeper busses along the coast. Of course they can fly but they also want to spend more time on islands, so instead of Vietnam they are going to Thailand. There are countless guides available so do some google image searches and read!

I belief that every culture has something beautiful to teach us. While in Thailand I learned how significant a smile is. I had never before felt so welcomed and loved in a place where no one understood me.  As a result I now try to smile at more people, even here on the streets of NYC. I often get concerned looks, as if people are checking to see if I am ok. Oh well, one step at a time. Even if the culture may seem harsh or cold I encourage you to find something good in it. I mean why are we traveling if not to experience new things and learn?  

*toilets in Japan really do solve all my bathroom needs! oh what you can discover.*

Around the World Trip: Distance/Transportation

When I say distance I mean the distance from one country you want to visit to your next destination. Will it be hard to reach, or does it have a large international hub? For example London, or Rome vs any where in Mauritania. Once you arrive in this country how will you get around? Are there buses or tuk tuks? Do you want to be in rural areas? I am not saying urban and bigger is better but flights into bigger cities will be cheaper and can decrease your overall ticket cost. Our RTW ticket cost was based on where we wanted to go and the time of year or even date we wanted to fly. The more flexible you are the cheaper it can be.

If transportation may not be reliable take into account the amount of time it will take to get around. Instead of seeing most of rural Chennai in 2 days, you might want a week.  One advantage we found with STA’s Round the World Ticket was that we were able to fly into one city, for example Zagreb Croatia and then find our own means of transportation to Rome, Italy where we flew out. This option provided us with a lot of flexibility and the opportunity to use local transportation. I mean what better place to people watch than an on a local bus or train? 

One example of this was in India. We flew into Chennai then took buses and trains around the southern half of India. We then decided to skip Mumbai and fly straight from Bangalore to Delhi. We arranged our own travel and bought the additional flight, but it was worth it for us to have the extra flexibility in our agenda.

Based on this I hope you don’t think just visiting big international hubs is the best option. It may be for some of you but on average those cities cost more and were not of special interest to us. So for us, we came up with a good mix of big cities with nice international airports and smaller ones. To save a few hundred dollars my husband and I even agreed to fly into Bangkok on our way to siem reap Cambodia. We then paid $20 dollars for a bus to take us the rest of the way. We were able to enjoy Bangkok for a day, meet some amazing fellow travelers and enjoy the countryside. Be open to other options and your adventure may even improve!

*if you choose to use animals as transportation please please check to make sure they are healthy and well treated. Animal abuse is very common and although touristy, riding a camel or elephant may be contributing to the problem. Read this for more more information on animal abuse. 

Note: be opened minded when using new types of transportation. It is a means to get you from one point to another. The level of comfort and cleanliness can greatly depend on where you are. So please do not get on a bus in Asia that costs a few bucks and is used by the locals and then complain that it is dirty or uncomfortable- although you may be right, the people that use it every day don't need to hear your opinion. View it as an experience or a fun short term adventure and then when you return home to your clean subway and taxis, please just appreciate what you have.

*this is a seat on an overnight bus that was very wet and very covered in dead bugs*

My First Around the World Trip Itinerary

Once my best friend and I learned about the magical around the world ticket and we found STA, the company we wanted to go through for the tickets, we had to figure where we wanted to go and the dates we wanted to fly in and out of each location for our very first Round the World Trip!!! Some round the world tickets offer great flexibility with being able to book flights as you go. Since we only had 3 months to travel we figured that the preset dates were better for us. This way we could pace ourselves and not have to worry about running out of time at the end of the summer.

Where to go? For us this was in some ways easy. We had served as mission companions in Slovenia and had often dreamed about going back there, we also joked about one day visiting Thailand together when we were older. Well now is as good a time as ever right? So we had 2 of our desired 6 places. Jaims mentioned that she had friends in Singapore and would like to visit them. Knowing nothing of Singapore I agreed. We then agreed on India, Hawaii (I know I know not foreign, but hey what a great way to break up a flight across the ocean!), and Italy.

Our rough plan looked like this: (I would recommend using a spread sheet to include all of the details like dates, places you want to go, helpful websites, possible activities ect…)

Hawaii (6-7 days; BYUH, beach time) Singapore (4 days; time with friends) Thailand/Cambodia (three weeks; Bangkok, Koh Phangan, Siem Reap, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai) India/Chennai/Southern States (13 days?; Chennai, Bangalore, Mangalore, Kochi, Mysore)  Northern India (14 days; Amritsarm Delhi, Agra, Varanasi, Dharamsala) London (4 days- extended layover; Cambridge?) Zagreb (1 days) Slovenia (6 days; Celje, Maribor, Ljubljana, Bled) Italy (11 days; Florence, Rome, Siena, Pisa)

When deciding where to go a few things to keep in mind are distance/transportation, culture, safety, weather, cost, flexibility, travel party and personal connections. For the sake of interest I am going to write about each of these in separate posts. If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment and I would love to help you in planning your adventure!

The Golden Ticket: A Ticket Around the World

The Golden Ticket: A ticket around the world

After residing in Sicily and then serving a mission for my church in the most beautiful country of Slovenia, I was ready to see the world. However, I knew study abroad programs were way out of my small student budget and flights to distant countries were SOOO expensive. But one day all those things changed.

My best friend and I were having lunch with a friend, well actually he was interested in her but couldn’t find a way to get her alone, so alas he was stuck with me too! I tried to stay out of the conversation and focus on my remarkable saag paneer that laid before me when casually he mentioned a Golden Ticket. My ears perked up. What was it? A ticket around the world. How does it work? I don’t know, I think you get so many stops but have to travel one direction around the globe And how much is this so called Golden Ticket?!?! I don’t know maybe around $3,000.  My friend and I looked at each other with that look only best friends can exchange. The look that says “yes we will find it, and yes we will buy it”! I then spent the next week googling everything and anything I could find about this golden ticket. It was only January and yet I knew what my summer plans would be. I turned down a job as a country director for a local NGO, I took on extra shifts at work and began researching countries I had never even heard of in preparation. Jaims, my best friend was luckily by my side and ready to go. We looked at countless companies that offered discounted flights and round the world tickets but found the best option was through STA Travel. If you are under the age of 26 or a student or teacher, they offer the best deal I have found on international flights including round the world tickets. Check out their website- they usually have awesome deals all over the globe! 
And thus our adventure began!

Around the World Trip. How?

*Slovenia*

Travel is one of those things that always comes up in conversation. Maybe because people ask why I don't want a job with only a few weeks vacation, or why I have really random objects in my house (opium pot from vietnam- no I don't use it, it's just really cute) perhaps why I spend more time checking flights than I do my email.
I simply love to travel. I believe Mark Twain was on to something when he said,

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”

Once someone hears I love to travel and have since visited countless countries while completing 2 around the world trips and seen and experienced so many wonders, they ask how. Because I am horrible at responding to these emails while on the road, and lets be honest- I am pretty bad at responding to things even when I have nothing else to do. So here it is. For the next 10 days I will write a post a day in response to those questions. And then after the questions are answered I will finally organize my thoughts and photos from my many adventures around the world. 

My Maiden Voyage Abroad: Sicily

Currently unemployed with way too much time on my hands I figure it is time for me to finally organize my photos and tell my story. Hopefully this way my children will understand my love of traveling and maybe even desire to expand their world family as well.

How it began:

As a young girl I would listen to stories of far off lands and dream of one day visiting places like Japan or India. Not even being able to afford my school’s eighth grade trip to DC, I wondered how I would ever travel. Luckily my parents instilled me with a hard work ethic and faith that the good desires of my heart can be realized. Despite economic difficulties, my father always found ways of making my dreams come true. I still remember the Christmas when I went into the basement to find half of the basement had been turned into a dance studio, complete with full-length mirrors and a ballet bar.  How he did that over night I will never know.

People often asked me why I travel, or when and how did it start. 

After my first year of college, the start of 2007, I was emotionally lost and longing to just get out. I don’t know what I was looking for but I felt as though it was going to be found far away. Working an office job with a lot of down time I spent countless hours searching for flights, a hobby I still actively engage in. oh wanderlust!  Two weeks before the semester was to end, I found a cheap flight to Sicily Italy. I was very familiar with Italy as my great grandparents were from the southern Italian provinces, but Sicily was completely foreign. With out consulting any one I purchased the ticket. In three weeks I was on a plane to Sicily! People thought my parents were crazy, and to be honest I kind of thought so too. My mom however, strongly believed that she raised us to live. She would sometimes respond to others shock saying, “better for my children to die living, than to not live.” I couldn’t agree more! Granted as an 18 year old this first trip seemed more like I was going to die than live. I found work as an au pair for a family, which comforted me greatly. But trust me, a maiden voyage alone is still scary. I had to keep asking myself “What is the worst that could happen?” Often the worst possible outcome was me getting lost, which I did or standing alone in the middle of the airport for hours crying, which I also did. Or getting stranded in another country where I don’t speak the language and don’t know anyone, which of course also happened. But the best part is- I lived through it! And to be honest, I think I am a much better person for it. That summer was certainly the hardest summer of my life. I was alone and isolated. I had no real friends and no one that even understood me. I was lost religiously and spent much of my free time reading scriptures and praying. I wanted direction in my life, which I found, but sorry that story will have to be for another day. 

Like a right of passage, the men would sit smoke and discuss

making sauce

Sicily is the Italy we all imagine when we think of vineyards, and fresh mozzarella. Sicily is that old man sitting on his balcony listening to classic italian records on a record player while puffing on a cigar. Sicily doesn't try to prove anything to anyone, and as a result allows time to pass with out regard for much else. Sicily cares about the family and relations. It is drenched in tradition and beautiful sunshine. Sicily is a place connected to its past while living fully in it's present. Organic in diet in lifestyle, this island is grounded and content.  Sicily is the Italy you see in pictures of Sophia Loren or create while listening to the songs of Andrea Bocelli.

sicilian cards

Sicily changed me, as traveling anywhere tends to. I became a more confident person. I learned that things, even scary things, turn out alright in the end. I learned that people in another country are a lot like me. We all have desires and fears that we are sorting in my minds. Despite the language and cultural barriers, for the most part, we are all seeking to love and be loved.  I learned that it is ok for your greatest priority to be your family and spending time with them. Sicily taught me to adore real flavor and how to eat a whole pizza by myself in one sitting. I sadly never learned how they maintained such beautiful bodies while eating more than me... Sicily taught me to love a culture other than my own. 

Erice

I love how the graffiti is so romantic- even when placed by a drain

*this trip was my first time really taking pictures and it was on a hand me down camera so I am sorry they are not as clear as I would like*

India Love and a Roof Top Video

I often still think about those nights spent in India. A month gave us a good introduction to the people and cultures, but I pray that I will soon return to that vibrant country. There is still much to experience there.

*Video and narration by my best friend Jaims*

Italy: Rome and Lake Castle Gandolfo

As I mentioned before at this point of the trip jaims was pretty ill with giardia and so we decided to see and experience all of Rome in one day. So we threw on our running shoes, packed a skirt for the vatican and took off running. 

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*Same photo as before just different lighting- both taken by jaims and I like each of them for different reasons*

We saw everything we wanted to see and ate everything we wanted to eat and then spent the next day on Lake Gandolfo. We rented a paddle boat and spent the last day of our around the world trip on clear blue water as we talked about the future, the cute boy at home who I wanted to marry, and another boy that Jaims wanted to marry but whom she hadn't yet met. We talked about life after college, and who we want to become. Rome is an amazing city with beautiful buildings, great food and remarkable history, but none of that was as amazing as the hours spent with my best friend in the middle of the lake dreaming about the future and enjoying those precious hours together before our lives went back to busy schedules, boys, school and reality. Thank you for being my best friend Jaims. I look forward to the days when we get to travel together again. Hopefully sooner than later. 

last letter written from this adventure *sigh*

Hey everyone!  Thank you so much for your prayers and for putting my name in the temple.  What an amazing blessing it is to have such a loving and involved family.  you guys are wonderful!  So the rest of Italy was wonderful!  I kept praying that God would just take away the sick feeling I had so that I could enjoy the rest of the trip but then I realized that the principles that apply to praying to be better are the same principles that apply to praying for anything, once you get off your knees, you've got to do everything in your power to make it happen, and I wasn't slowing down enough and giving my body the rest it needed to heal. So I decided that day to stay in all day, and I slept a lot, emailed a lot, almost read an entire book, and you know what? the next day I felt better, not great, still not much of an appetite, but much better. So we went to church in Sienna to a branch which usually consists of about 5-7 people not including missionaries and BYU students doing their studies abroad, but this day the chapel was full! at least 30 people were there that day bc there was a general authority from France traveling with his family who happened to be the brother in law of one of the women in the ward I attended in Lille when I was living there nannying, and guess what?! they were there too! It was so neat to walk in and see her and her husband and their kids who were practically unrecognizable.  So so neat. I got to talk to her a bit about the other ward members and her other family members that were also in the ward at that time.  her family was such a  huge blessing to me when I was there and they took such good care of me. so neat to see them

We went to Pisa that day - very very neat - laughed about all the people doing the generic pose of pushing against the leaning tower - took a bit of a nap on the grass - and went back to sienna for the night.  We left for Rome early Monday morning, got in around 1:00, found a cheap bed and breakfast place near the Colosseum and walked around Rome for the next 8 hours seeing everything we could possibly think of.  My favorite was Michelangelo's David and also the Rape of the Sabine Women.  Really amazing sculptures with so so much detail, I mean the imprints of the fingers on her leg and then the veins in David's arms and hands - you forget that he was carving it from hard marble. SO COOL!!!  We were pretty beat when we got back home and slept pretty well that night and woke up pretty sore from walking so much....oh this body isn't what it once was :)

Tuesday = Vatican! Went to St. Peter's Basilica and wow it is beautiful.  My favourite was finally getting to see Michelangelo's Pieta.  I just loved the emotion - the motherly love and the grief that he was able to show on the sculpture.  Also went to the Vatican museum after standing in a massive line for about an hour and a half that was surprisingly not all that boring.  The Sistine chapel and School of Athens was really really neat to see - i just can't get over the amount of talent that one person can posses.

So I'm home now! and I brought back a few little stowaways in my small intestine, little sneakers.  Was feeling pretty okay when I got home, still no appetite though and feeling pretty tired, and thanks to my mom's encouragement I went in to the health clinic to make sure all was okay.  I had to go to the lab and talk to the cute lab tech about stool samples and my inability to produce one on the spot (does that ever really even work? i mean do people actually do that? honestly)  So I took my little container into the bathroom, attempted, failed, walked back out dejected, and when I walked back into the lab and the lab tech greeted me with a hopeful face and asked "Success?" with a thumbs up I felt for a brief moment that I was back on the trip with Cami - I had answered "no" to her asking me that question so many times before ha!  So the next day I brought a sample in and turns out that it came back positive for giardia - great news! I'm grateful that's what it was so it can just be taken care of with a prescription.  I'm already feeling quite a bit better!

It's pretty good to be back with full access to all the water my body can possibly handle, make my own food, and get my clothes out of a drawer instead of a bag.  There is something about having a home base to come back to that is really nice, and I just think utah is beautiful.  Love you guys so much and count you as a very significant blessing in my life.  Looking at my life it's really a neat thing to see how much the Lord has blessed my life with good people.  I've just been surrounded by them always and have just been so well taken care of.  What a neat thing.

Take good care and hope you all are healthy and happy! Love hearing about how everyone is doing and miss you all a lot!

much love,

jaim