I MADE IT!!! After quite the journey I made it to Watford England which is about 20 minutes away from London, so basically London. I don't know how to sum it all up, but I will do my best to make a long story short.
The day my flight left: I woke up early and had a Grand Fusion shake around 7:30 am with Tyler. Um, yum. My last shake. Gave Tyler hug goodbye. Drive to Crookston to see Kathryn and mom in the hospital because they arrived there via ambulance that night because Kathryn had pneumonia (and ran a few other tests on her, but I think the extent of it was pneumonia). I haven't heard the final result yet, but I know they are back at home now! I got my taxes finished. Said goodbye to mom and Kathryn at the hospital. Went home to finish packing and get my haircut. Kristen drove me to the airport at 3. Liz and Lisa met us there (WOW I have amazing friends and family). Realized that the plane coming back from Chicago was an hour late so I was bound to miss my connection flight to London. Say goodbye to the girls and get to Chicago at 9:00, my flight was supposed to leave at 9:01 but they wouldn't let us off the plane! So after trying to make a few phone calls to people I knew in Chicago for somewhere to stay, I had to settle with a hotel room, even though I am VERY budgeted on this trip so hopefully my travel insurance can cover! I get to the airport at 4 to make my 6am flight to London. Send out my last text messages for the entire 9 months (SOOOO WEIRD). The flight was pretty empty so I had my own row which made things much more comfortable. I studied the entire way, did a little soduko (thanks to Tyler's going away present haha!), and watched a movie :) I arrive in London at 10pm England time. Find out that my luggage is coming on the next plane to London in the morning. By this point I was pretty exhausted and was almost happy that they were going to deliver it to me rather than me lugging it across town! The lady working at the baggage claim knew EXACTLY where the YMCA is and told me she would just drop me off here since she lives only a few minutes away! haha. Wow, the way things happen sometimes amazes me.
At the YMCA. Upon my arrival here, it is Friday night and all of the other Steiner (the name of the company who hires and trains for cruise ships) students are pretty rowdy as it is the weekend and the bars are located on the same block as our bulding! I was eagerly welcomed and felt immediately at home. My roommate was sleeping when I put my things in my room. Which is very much like a dorm and we share one shower and toilet with 2 other boys in the next room. She is from Portugal. I only met 2 other Americans, one from Chicago and another from Nebraska. I am the minority here and I am loving it! So many great accents and personalities.
Now I have some unpacking to do and need to run out into the town and so a little exploring of my whereabouts. I should be getting hungry soon but I think I am too nervous/excited to eat! haha.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Packing S.O.S.
I leave for London in 4 days and the issue of packing has become quite the reality. How does one pack for 10 months, especially when you do not know what type of climate or part of the world you will be living in for the entirety of it? Any packing advice would be greatly appreciated!
Here is my list so far ...
1). Passport! and ID
2). Photocopies of my massage certificates
3). Carry on material i.e. books, Ipod (currently updating), extra clothes, etc
4). Swimsuit, Parka, day off clothing, scarves, hats, mittens, beach towel, umbrella, boots, sandals (I think this just about covers all climates)
5). Personal items i.e. shampoos, makeup, hair supplies (I have to wear full makeup and hair in updos everyday so this will be something different for me to get used to!)
6). British outlet adaptor for my "American" plug in supplies
7). Hmmmmm?
It's a start anyway! Thank you everyone who came out to Bdubs, Big D's, and OL's (Sun) ... It was more than I could've asked for to see everyone before I leave. Held back some tears and got more hugs in one night than a girl could ever ask for! I have such great friends and family and it's times like these that remind me of how lucky I am. I have a lot to do in these next couple of days. Including a few more "see you laters" ... It's GO TIME!!!
Here is my list so far ...
1). Passport! and ID
2). Photocopies of my massage certificates
3). Carry on material i.e. books, Ipod (currently updating), extra clothes, etc
4). Swimsuit, Parka, day off clothing, scarves, hats, mittens, beach towel, umbrella, boots, sandals (I think this just about covers all climates)
5). Personal items i.e. shampoos, makeup, hair supplies (I have to wear full makeup and hair in updos everyday so this will be something different for me to get used to!)
6). British outlet adaptor for my "American" plug in supplies
7). Hmmmmm?
It's a start anyway! Thank you everyone who came out to Bdubs, Big D's, and OL's (Sun) ... It was more than I could've asked for to see everyone before I leave. Held back some tears and got more hugs in one night than a girl could ever ask for! I have such great friends and family and it's times like these that remind me of how lucky I am. I have a lot to do in these next couple of days. Including a few more "see you laters" ... It's GO TIME!!!
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| "A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words" |
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Growing Up or Growing Old ...
It's almost 1 A.M. and I finally feel as though my blogspot is up to par. What a learning experience! I hope you enjoy my newly personalized site and I promise to keep everyone updated on my whereabouts and my thoughts on those whereabouts! haha As I am packing and preparing for my trip, I can't help but think of ways to make the most out of where I am going and the lifestyle change I am about to make. I keep thinking back to a story I heard in college, I don't remember where or when, but I found it on the internet and here is the link ...
www.humanhealing.com/stories/growing-up.php
Please take your time to read this story. Take the advice of those who have lived theirs to heart. It makes me want to make the most out of every change and curve ball life throws. Negative or positive, they are all experiences that we need to make the most out of.
www.humanhealing.com/stories/growing-up.php
Please take your time to read this story. Take the advice of those who have lived theirs to heart. It makes me want to make the most out of every change and curve ball life throws. Negative or positive, they are all experiences that we need to make the most out of.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Coach J
Since I moved out of Moorhead and back into Fertile MN, I did what I like to do best to pass some of my free time, got myself into the gym to shoot some hoops. Little did I know, this would lead to me being offered a job as C Squad girls basketball coach and assistant to JV and Varsity for the Fertile-Beltrami Falcons. Back to my home turf! This might have been one of the best opportunities I have ever been approached with. I have always loved basketball but never thought about coaching it, and I'm really not sure why.
So here I am, adding on to my 5 year plan. COACHING. Never have I had such a rewarding feeling. Knowing that I have the chance to help with the development of these young ballers. The rewarding part comes when I work extremely hard with these individual girls, put in extra gym time, outside gym time, get to know who these ladies are and help them work on growing into fine athletes. You can actually see the poise, hard work, talent, and teamwork that you taught them used in a game situation, and you know all that time spent was worth it.
I have taken a lot of pride into being a good example for these ladies. Even though they may be 10 years younger than I am, they are making me a better person. I get to be around basketball, work with some great girls, and the best paycheck of all is that rewarding feeling you get knowing you taught them the up and under move at post, the give and go, how to dribble behind your back, or the perfect jump shot.
So here I am, adding on to my 5 year plan. COACHING. Never have I had such a rewarding feeling. Knowing that I have the chance to help with the development of these young ballers. The rewarding part comes when I work extremely hard with these individual girls, put in extra gym time, outside gym time, get to know who these ladies are and help them work on growing into fine athletes. You can actually see the poise, hard work, talent, and teamwork that you taught them used in a game situation, and you know all that time spent was worth it.
I have taken a lot of pride into being a good example for these ladies. Even though they may be 10 years younger than I am, they are making me a better person. I get to be around basketball, work with some great girls, and the best paycheck of all is that rewarding feeling you get knowing you taught them the up and under move at post, the give and go, how to dribble behind your back, or the perfect jump shot.
Welcome
Welcome to my blog!
I am choosing to start a blog because this next year of my life is going to be a whirlpool of adventure and it will be hard to keep in touch with everyone. The last year of my life was an adventure in itself and it's time to close that chapter and begin a new ...
Thinking back to when it was the time to graduate from MSUM, I had no clue what to do with my future. Options were available to me, but one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make is choosing one, and choosing one on my own. I decided to go with an opportunity I had to combine passion with a career. My passion being traveling and exploring new experiences with a career (massage therapy).
I have been hired on as a massage therapist on a cruise ship. I am being sent to London January 27th for training. While I'm in training I will be assigned which ship I will be on. The possibilities here are endless. Denmark, Sweden, Jamaica, Alaska, Hawaii ... I could be anywhere as of March and this is the type of unknown I enjoy the most! Anywhere I end up, I will be making the most of it and I won't take for granted one second of the journey.
My goal is to work hard and after my 9 month contract is finished, I have the chance to be sent to manager training. From here I can sign another contract, shorter if I want to, and be a manager in one of the spas. They have spas on ships and on land. Ideally I will aim to be a manager on a world cruise ship. These ships have more time off and travel to more places. CHING!
Long term goal. Some of you know about my new found health kick ... Herbalife. The products have made me feel like an entirely new person, physically and mentally. I always enjoy a stop at one of their Fargo or Grand Forks locations (Grand Fusion, Fusion Revolution, etc). At one of my stops for an aloe shot, tea, and a shake I was approached with the idea of opening a store of my own. I could be my own Herbalife Distributor, manage my own store (so the management training will do me wonders here), and open it at a location in MN where one day, I will move back to because I know I will miss the lakes, snow, fall, friendly people, and it's many more attributes. So, the 5 year plan is in place.
Well, here is the next few years of my life in a nutshell. I have never been so satisfied with the idea of my future. This gives me a lot of drive to make it happen!
I am choosing to start a blog because this next year of my life is going to be a whirlpool of adventure and it will be hard to keep in touch with everyone. The last year of my life was an adventure in itself and it's time to close that chapter and begin a new ...
Thinking back to when it was the time to graduate from MSUM, I had no clue what to do with my future. Options were available to me, but one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make is choosing one, and choosing one on my own. I decided to go with an opportunity I had to combine passion with a career. My passion being traveling and exploring new experiences with a career (massage therapy).
I have been hired on as a massage therapist on a cruise ship. I am being sent to London January 27th for training. While I'm in training I will be assigned which ship I will be on. The possibilities here are endless. Denmark, Sweden, Jamaica, Alaska, Hawaii ... I could be anywhere as of March and this is the type of unknown I enjoy the most! Anywhere I end up, I will be making the most of it and I won't take for granted one second of the journey.
My goal is to work hard and after my 9 month contract is finished, I have the chance to be sent to manager training. From here I can sign another contract, shorter if I want to, and be a manager in one of the spas. They have spas on ships and on land. Ideally I will aim to be a manager on a world cruise ship. These ships have more time off and travel to more places. CHING!
Long term goal. Some of you know about my new found health kick ... Herbalife. The products have made me feel like an entirely new person, physically and mentally. I always enjoy a stop at one of their Fargo or Grand Forks locations (Grand Fusion, Fusion Revolution, etc). At one of my stops for an aloe shot, tea, and a shake I was approached with the idea of opening a store of my own. I could be my own Herbalife Distributor, manage my own store (so the management training will do me wonders here), and open it at a location in MN where one day, I will move back to because I know I will miss the lakes, snow, fall, friendly people, and it's many more attributes. So, the 5 year plan is in place.
Well, here is the next few years of my life in a nutshell. I have never been so satisfied with the idea of my future. This gives me a lot of drive to make it happen!
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