I love traveling and the adventure of seeing a place for the first time. I enjoy observing different cultures and customs. Everywhere I go, I meet so many nice people. It's comforting to know I can travel across the world and still find a friend. Below is a list of places I have been to: , Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, South Korea, and United States
I went to Buenos Aires, Argentina, in September 2007 for my friends' wedding. What a fantastic city! There is so much to do and see, and the food is great. I ate a lot of empanadas and pizza. My favorite place to go was 'El Quartito.' My friends and I checked out the tango hotspots and were in awe at how beautiful they dance. More so than in New York, people in B.A. stay up very late. We went out for dinner one night around midnight, and the restaurant was packed! And not just with night owles, there were lots of families with young children.
From November 2005 to December 2006, I lived in Canberra, the national capital. Great city to live, but I wouldn't recommend visiting if you have only a few weeks to spend in the country. I mainly traveled around the south-east corner, as shown in the map above. While in Australia, I met so many great people from all over the world. I cooked my first Thanksgiving dinner while in Australia, and had 17 guests!
During the summer of 2002, I studied in Galway, Ireland, for a month. I took two classes at the University of Galway: Irish Literature and Irish Society. I enjoyed the laid back and friendly atmosphere. I really liked the climate as well; it rains a lot... and I always feel refreshed when it rains. My favorite night was the last night I was there. A few friends and I got to take part in the post-game celebration of a local football team at the pub. The team's huge trophy was filled to the top by the bartender and passed around to everyone in the bar. I hightly recommend visiting Ireland.
During November 2006, I visited the south island of New Zealand. My friend Shaun and I took the boat ride from Wellington to Picton, which I highly recommend. We then toured the wineries in Blenheim, and drove from Tasman Bay to Milford Sound to Christchurch and back to Blenheim. Very beautiful country, it reminded me of a coastal Montana.
On my way back from Australia to the U.S., I stopped in South Korea for a few days to visit my friend Khai, who lives in Jeju Island. It was my first time in a country where the main language wasn't English. I had a few 'lost in translation' moments, such as asking for help to find a pay phone and a woman poking me in the shoulder and then at the moon and yelling something. But, I was very fortunate to have Khai show me around, and all his friends took very good care of me. I visited a green tea farm, and buddhist temple, a grocery store, and pool hall. And, ate lots of great Korean food.
The US has so much diversity in landscape. I've lived in the US most my life. If you haven't been here before, I urge you to come visit! But, don't just do the tourist thing and see Disney Land and New York City. See the country side too. Stop at a small town diner and eat a burger and milk shake. Go watch a college football game. Below are some recent trips I've been on.
Boston, Massachusetts
I've always wanted to check out Boston to see what Harvard and MIT looked like. I moved to Boston in February of 2007, and have lived here for a year now. It's a great city to live. The public transportation is awesome- I've easily survived one year without a car. In addition to saving money on gas, car insurance, etc., it's a good idea not to have a car in Boston. The drivers here can get a bit crazy. Some of my favorite events this year have been: clam bake in Buzzard Bay, dinner parties with friends, riding in the Hub on Wheels annual bike ride, playing pickup basketball, seeing a grand slam at Fenway Park, a picnic at Commonwealth Park, and trivia night at Johnny D's in Davis Square.
New York City, New York
I visited NYC for the first time in March 2005 for Spring Break. I and eleven other HCI students drove there from Pittsburgh. It was amazing to look at the city from the top of the Empire State Building; the city sprawled out as far as my eye could see. I got to see two broadway plays: Hairspray and Julius Ceasar. Julius Ceasar starred my favorite actor Denzel Washington. After the show, when Denzel finally exited the gate, he greeted us with a big smile. I could tell he was a real down to earth sort of guy. Even though it was so cold outside, he gave out lots of autographs, and I got him to sign my playbook!!! Another classic moment was when I was at the gift shop of the Empire State Building and the guy working there asked me where I was from. I replied Montana, and he asked, "Is that in the U.S.?"
