Vegas, baby!

I have now been in Vegas for 24 hours and my head is spinning with all of the information that I am dying to pour on this page. From how much I hate Spirit for canceling my flight, to all the weird conversations that I have had and overheard to all the dos and don'ts that I am now dying to share with you. Now, I want this blog to help you - I want it to inspire you to feel like Vegas should be your very next vacation spot, whether you are riding solo - like me - or if you have an entire entourage that you want to bring. My purpose is to not only to clear my head so that it has room for all of the crazy things that are going to happen tomorrow, but to share with you my failures of the day - as well as the triumphs (yes there were some of those too!).

Now if you have read any of my other posts, you know one thing about me for sure. I am spontaneous. Now whether that is a virtue or a vice, well you can determine that for yourself. I embrace it as a virtue. And I run with it. To whole new levels. That being said, it shouldn't entirely come as a surprise to you that I ended up in Las Vegas, Nevada. I made the decision to come here ABOUT a week ago - maybe less.

Here is one of the great things about Las Vegas - it is affordable. I mean unless you have a serious gambling problem... probably wouldn't be quite so cheap. Thankfully I do not. Roundtrip tickets to Las Vegas can be found for $200 - at least from Philadelphia! That actually brings me to the main reason that I decided to come to Vegas - the price. I literally googled cheapest places to fly to and Vegas was second to Miami, and well, I was ready to go somewhere new! I am staying at the Monte Carlo (on the strip), and I think it was something like $50 a night, and I am so close to everything!

Be careful about booking through Spirit because something like this could happen to you: I was working in my basement, trying to get as much done as possible before I flew out that evening. I had received an email from Spirit earlier saying that my flight was delayed, which was fine. I can deal with that. So we had to leave for the airport at 6:15. At 5pm I get an email from Spirit saying that my flight is CANCELLED. My heart dropped. I raced up the stairs and just looked at my sister-in-law Melissa and said something to the effect of, "help." Without going into too much detail, I ended up having to switch to a completely different airline, but finally arrived at the Monte Carlo where I was greeted by my wonderful king-sized bed.

On my way to the airport, I realized that I really had no plan for what to do while I was there, so I quickly asked my sister some questions and arrived in Vegas with this as my plan:

I awoke bright and early (the time change helped me get an early start every morning.) I pulled back my curtains and I realized something that I hadn't seen the night before: I have a perfect view of the gorgeous mountains surrounding the city. The next step was finding a Starbucks, but before I could even put it into my GPS, I realized there was one right in my casino. JACKPOT.

The Monte Carlo.

Starbucks in hand, I did a little bit of exploring, grabbed some mimosa ingredients and headed back to my hotel to work.

And that is another reason why I can travel so much... I am a graphic designer, so at times, I can work from ANYWHERE. After a bit, I took a pool break where I brought my book, Ender's Game. This sparked conversation with a few African American girls on the elevator, who somehow, in our quick elevator ride transitioned from Ender's Game to Fifty Shade of Grey.

"Have you seen Fifty Shades of Grey yet?!"
Me: "Nope."
"Oh you just gotta see it. My grandma even went to see it! Granted, she thought that we were going to see Selma..."

Just one example of one of many hilarious conversations I had with people in my casino. Another great thing about staying at a casino is all of the food options that you have right at your disposal. I ended up having Subway for most meals. Super cheap.

It was finally time for me to really explore the city. I grabbed my camera and rushed out into the beautiful chaos of Las Vegas Blvd. I talked to SO MANY people in the couple hours that I was walking in and out of casinos. From guys wanting me to take a picture of them (with my camera) to guys wanting to take a picture with me (I couldn't get away from them because I was waiting to cross the street) to guys inviting me to rooftop parties - it was all just so entertaining. And I declined the rooftop party offer, of course. I didn't get my brothers to be OK with me traipsing around the world alone by taking up offers from overly friendly gentlemen. The perk of talking to all of these people is all of the tips I received. For example, Solomon told me the exact time the fountains and lights came on at the Bellagio so that I was sure not to miss it.

Boy, am I glad I saw this.

I also made friends with so many of my photographers who were all so obliging.

Then, one of the nightmares of a spontaneous traveler occurred. My phone died. When I travel in Europe, I plan ahead because I know that I can't use my phone. Not so much when I'm in the States. Because of my lack of planning, I ended up having to take a taxi to the rental car agency. I HATE TAXIS. I mean, this guy seemed nice enough at first. He asked me for a piece of gum right when I got in - which was weird, but whatever - rather him ask than have horrible breath. He let me charge my phone for a couple of minutes, but then let's just say it turned into the taxi ride from hell. He got lost. I was going to the rental car agency at the AIRPORT and he got LOST. He ended up pulling over to the side of the road in the middle of NOWHERE for at least five minutes. I thought it might be the end. Straight out of a horror movie... except not. Because I lived to tell about it. He then had the audacity to make me pay for all of the time that he was lost. So ridiculous.

Unfortunately for the car rental guy, I appeared at his desk a little worse for the wear. My control on my frustration broke down completely when I was informed that I would not be receiving the convertible that I had reserved. He then tried to charge me the same price for an economy car (which should be half the price.) He picked the wrong day to tell me that. I was 100% OK with being in an awkward situation and (long story short) argued and held very long silences until he dropped the price considerably. 

I was still set on getting a nice car, and knowing the guys in the back really hold all of the power, I chatted a little, laughed, pointed and BOOM - I got an AWESOME car.

Not too shabby, eh?

I then made the mistake of thinking that my car charger was going to work and headed into old Las Vegas. Turned out the car charger didn't work and I got lost for a good while - saw lots of cool things though. More importantly - by way of signs, I found my way to my wonderful casino. I must've looked like a mad person when I was laughing uncontrollably because I had actually found my way back to the strip.

But I made it back to my bed. I blasted Elvis and began this post that I am now finishing two weeks later. And THAT was just day 1.

El Salvador and knowing less Spanish than ever before.

Europe makes you realize that it doesn't matter that you only know English. El Salvador makes you realize that it does. From ordering at restaurants to talking to maids to interacting with EVERYONE... it begins to become a problem when you don't speak the language. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not some uncultured brat that never learned another language. Once upon a time I knew enough Spanish to not look like a jerk - back when I spent an entire summer in Mexico - but that time has come and gone. 

Thankfully, my wonderful friends and family in El Salvador ARE cultured and know English and Spanish and can get me through quite wonderfully.

The purpose of this trip was to see my sister after she gave birth to her second child, Kosuke. When I was on my way out there to visit, I envisioned us chilling at her apartment everyday, just hanging out - which would have been great, I love my fam - but Lois is a trooper and just a week and a half after having a baby was up for just about everything.

We went to Taka's (my brother-in-law) brother's house the first day and laid out in the sun, followed by a wonderful visit to a Mexican restaurant where I was tricked into drinking the worst drink that was ever invented - the Michelada. I've heard rumors that certain countries even use it for torture. How did he trick me into this you might ask? By simply asking the waiter for the drink in Spanish. BECAUSE I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT ANYMORE. I really need to get on that. You are about to understand why. Just take a look at the ingredients.

2 teaspoons honey
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 limes
2 cups light Mexican beer
2 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons hot sauce (such as Tabasco)
1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced
freshly cracked black pepper

Seems like its not a real drink, right? Well, it is. And, its Taka's favorite. AND I did drink the whole thing. AND SURVIVED. Apparently its a fav down there.
The following day (Easter) we relaxed by the pool and read some books and drank some beers. We then headed to an Argentinian steakhouse that had filet mignon that just melts in your mouth. 

The next day was a glimpse into the Salvadoran culture. We had a recording with Lois's band that she manages (Back to Earth) scheduled for 10am. I think we showed up at 11:00, knowing that they would be late, and they didn't come until like 12:30. And Lois just rolls with it... I mean hey, they make great music. I got to interview all of them and will be editing together a little "get to know the band" video. We did get to hang out and hear them jam and hear the beginning stages of a song they're working on that Julia wrote!

We made a little return trip to paradise on our last day - or so I thought.

The day started out wonderfully. Taka let me use his boogie board... I may be an extremely adventurous person, but surfing scares me so much! So, I didn't try it this trip - maybe next time. But man, if you wanna feel like a kid again just grab a boogie board; it is great!

We relaxed in the infinity pool for hours and took walks along the beach and stared at my new nephew for long periods of time because he's so perfect. We ate and drank and talked and tanned - burned - whatever.

We ordered pupusas (traditional Salvadoran food) for our last night.  Later on in the evening my stomach ended up feeling a bit uneasy, but I figured it was just from being out in the sun all day or something. Everyone turned in early because we had to leave at 4am for the airport. I ended up being up all night sick and hallucinating: Food poisoning. I won't even try to describe to you the things I was seeing in my hours of delirium, it still makes no sense to me. 

Everyone woke up to find me laying on the kitchen floor - that is a bad sign right there. But, I somehow managed to get aboard my flight without dying, but started sweating profusely when I realized that I had the middle seat. Let's just say it was an incredibly long day of travel and never before have I been so grateful to see Melissa's white Mercedes and smiling, welcoming face. (Good thing I called her at my layover... she thought I was coming in two days later.)

I lived to tell about it. That is all that matters now!

Why every post grad should take a trip alone (part 2)

So, what is the answer to excuse number four. How do you convince someone that hates traveling to do exactly that... travel?

For one, it is not necessary to travel far. If someone hates traveling THAT much, why not go somewhere that's not very far - within driving distance even? I think the most important thing is that it is done alone. And will you look at that. This person that "hates people" has nothing to worry about because the trip is indeed ALONE. If you don't want to talk to people - don't! I have found it to be so enjoyable to just sit and observe: how teachers interact with their students, how old married couples still find the energy to go out and enjoy one another's company, how some couples have no business being together, or how much people love the city that they're living in. Learning does not have to be accomplished by talking to people.

Not only does a trip alone help you learn so much about others, but it taught me so much about myself. I thought that I knew for a fact that I could not move to a city unless I knew at least one person in that city. Six weeks in Europe changed my mind. I walked away from that trip knowing that I could move anywhere and be OK. It is so easy to meet people. People are NICE - for the most part. Before I did this trip, I had a robotic response whenever people asked me what I wanted to do next: "Get a radio job in Boston." My answer has changed. I will gladly go anywhere. There are SO many opportunities when you look at all of the options around the entire WORLD.

Another important thing that I realized from talking to so many different types of people is the difference between judging everything that people say because they hold a different viewpoint - and understanding their point of view. This is something that I always focus on, because everyone has a reason why they believe what they believe or do what they do. Now, don't get me wrong, some of these people have the worst reasons and it's nigh impossible to respect them, but then there are others that make you understand why people believe in something that is exactly the opposite of what you do.

Whether its talking to people that grew up with a Socialist government or people that have experienced atrocious childhoods - it is fascinating to hear how people came to the conclusions about life that they did. It is a good way to test your own principles and convictions.

This next thing that I learned about myself might sound silly, but I look at it as a proud accomplishment. I now have no problem eating and drinking alone. I remember this one Friends episode where Monica keeps telling Rachel that she just has to try eating alone, how it is such an important thing to be able to do. I disagreed when I first saw that episode, but have since changed my mind. All you have to do is bring your computer or a book or something that you are genuinely interested in. That is literally all it took for me to not feel like a loser. I cannot tell you how many intriguing and wonderful conversations that I ended up having.


My friend Shelly and I were having a conversation recently about personality types. She said to me, "Would you consider yourself an introverted extrovert?" I said "Absolutely! As much as I love people, I really need my time alone and look forward to it."

And then I thought about it some more. To me, enjoyable alone time is drinking a beer at a bar with people all around me, just not necessarily talking to me... so maybe that doesn't count as being a little bit introverted, but I am telling you, extroverts and introverts alike can both thoroughly enjoy eating and drinking out alone.

This brings me to the topic of hobbies. THAT is a question that I often have a hard time answering - and it is one that is often asked. My go-to has always been, "hanging out with friends." Well, that hobby will only get me so far if my friends are not there. If I am alone, it becomes an extremely irrelevant hobby. Traveling alone is the perfect way to find what your interests are that involve no one else. I found that mine is photography.

It is a hobby that is, in my opinion, more enjoyable when you're alone. Whether I was wandering through the city of Dublin, walking along cliffs or exploring castles, I would stick my headphones in, pull out my camera and feel like I was the only person in the world. I find it to be the perfect way to make the most of your travels. Focusing on taking pictures (the best angles or lighting etc.) makes you notice so much more than you would if you were just looking at the sites. So, it was photography for me (who knew I could be so artsy?!). Your new hobby could be ANYTHING!

Not only will a trip make you understand all the things you can do, it will also show you what you CAN'T do. It is important to learn what your limits are. For example, while I have learned that I am quite capable of reading maps, I still have no sense of direction and should not put the map away in the name of "adventure." It just didn't ever really work out for me when I tried it.

When it comes down to it, I'm just a kid. Maybe you shouldn't be taking advice from me. I just felt like I learned A LOT and am hoping that someone out there will read this and realize how rewarding a trip can be. Is it exhausting to plan? Yes. Will something go wrong every day? Absolutely. Will it be worth it? There's only one way to find out.

Why every post-grad should take a trip alone. (Part 1)

     "No can do - I have to get a job RIGHT away. THAT is why I went to college.

     I'm moving back home to save money. I have SO many student loans to pay off. 

     Where the Hell would I even go?

     I hate traveling, and people and well, everything."

I am here to tell you why each and every one of these excuses is invalid.
Now I know what you're thinking... "Yeah, OK - maybe crazy people like you can take a solo trip!" Am I more adventurous than the average person? Possibly. But I know I'm right in saying that EVERYONE should take a trip alone.

My original excuse was the first one. I figured I had done my traveling - it was time for me to suck it up and face the real world. Well, it turns out it wasn't quite time for that. I started looking for internship opportunities abroad. And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is the beginning of the answer to excuses one, two and three. See, I wanted to go on one more big trip before I got suckered into an entry-level job position with no vacation days.

I also wanted to go on a trip where I could do humanitarian work of some sort - instead of just focusing on myself and what I wanted. And that is how I decided to do a mission's internship. So, I was able to go abroad, but I raised support to be able to go - which completely answers the money issue of excuse number two. Student loans will not show up until six months after you graduate - and I am most definitely not suggesting that you go on a six month trip. You WILL have plenty of time to begin making money.

So what would I say to the people that don't even see the point of taking a trip? I have a very extensive answer to that very simple question. I learned so much - about myself, what I want to do with my life, and about all the very intriguing people of this world that we live in.

In my experience, college graduates often don't know what they want to do with their lives. The other side of that is that some people graduate convinced of what they want to do and limit themselves. I am somewhere in between there. I finished school with a degree that I knew I wanted to use, but I only wanted to go somewhere where I knew other people. My viewpoint changed after going on this trip.

This solo trip made me realize that I can go to a random city alone and leave a couple of days later with friends. How much more comfortable will I feel if I move to a city and have that much more time to get to know people?! Taking a trip alone is a good way to figure out if venturing off on your own is something that you can handle. I really think that most people will walk away from such a trip feeling that it absolutely is.

I mentioned that I met so many people while traveling alone. Let me expound on how helpful this was for me. I met people all over the world that hold a plethora of vocations. Traveling is a perfect way to hear firsthand how people got to where they are today. These same people also love to give career advice to confused college graduates. Not everyone is going to have helpful advice, but I think that it is so important to hear what everyone has to say and learn how to differentiate between the helpful and the humorous - of course the best advice will be both.

Advice doesn't have to be taken just from those whom you perceive to be successful. I feel that bartenders and taxi drivers tend to be the most helpful. What haven't they seen? They talk to people from all walks of life throughout the day. Also, they're funny. You have absolutely nothing to lose from listening to cab drivers.

On my four flights home.

Four flights to get home? YEP. You read that right. I had to fly back to Brussels so that I could fly from Brussels to the States. Sunday morning I got through security at the Manchester airport with three hours to spare. I grabbed a cappuccino from the bar and settled in to catch up on some reading and writing. It was fantastic and so, so relaxing. At around 10:30am, I started noticing groups of people getting beers from the bar. And then I remembered. The airport is a no-judgment zone. Nobody cares. Do what you want. So I went for it.

Why not?

The flight I was waiting for was the one to Norway - which I was actually super excited about - it's another country I can add to my list! Some people may debate that it doesn't count, that I was "only in the airport." BUT I did also walk outside to get from the plane to the airport so that argument would be invalid. Since I wasn't flying on a budget airline for this flight, I got to check my backpack! When I was checking in for the flight, the guy asked me, "Do you want to check you bag?" I was like, "Um, is it free?" He looked at me like I was crazy. "Of course!" A half a second later my backpack was on the scale ready to be checked. It was great to walk around the airport and pretend like I was a normal person.

I was a bit nervous about my 30 minute layover in Oslo. Granted, probably not as nervous as I should have been, but I still wondered a little if I would definitely make it. But thanks to Norwegian efficiency, I was off my plane and in the next one in under 15 minutes! And THAT is with going through passport control! 

Got my passport stamped and everything! No one can tell me I wasn't in Norway.

On my flight from Oslo to Brussels, I sat next to a super nice pilot that got all these extra treats from the flight attendants - which he in turn shared with me!

At the airport in Brussels, it took me FOREVER to figure out those stupid pay phones again... but I finally did and the people from the Zav center came and picked me up. I had this whole plan to shower and get dressed up and go to a bar in Brussels one last time... 

But this is what I did instead. 

Walked to my favorite kebab place and grabbed my favorite beer. Last night in Europe well spent.

The next morning I got a ride to the airport. I had gotten out cash to pay them for the ride and for letting me stay there for the other night - but they said it was all free! I then had all these extra euros that I didn't know what to do with, so I went to a chocolate shop in the airport and bought my family A LOT of chocolate! 

On my flight to Frankfurt, I was chilling and reading my book. The guy next to me would not stop commenting every two minutes on what he was reading from my book over my shoulder. I was so annoyed. Also, he had a really thick accent, so I couldn't have even had a great conversation with him if I tried... nor did I want too. Get your own book dude.

My flight from Frankfurt to Philadelphia was everything I hoped it would be. There was no weird guy reading over my shoulder and I had my own TV to myself and I had free alcohol. Those are the flights that I wouldn't even mind if they were longer. It was a great 9 hours.

I watched some great movies, met some interesting people and was home before I knew it!

On Manchester

Saturday consisted of a lot of wandering around and catching up - who's dating whom and studying what and so on and so forth. Oh and ya know, the unavoidable talk of politics. Norway is way up there on the far left and Socialism scale... and I, as I'm sure you know, am not. To put it in perspective: compared to the Norwegian government - Obama is right wing. So yeah - politics - we do not agree on. BUT we did have a fabulous time and saw some super cool things, like a library with manuscripts of the Bible from like 200 AD. We also went to some other museum that I didn't understand at all, so I have nothing to say about it.

Wandering through Manchester!

We had forgotten that since it was Valentine's Day, EVERYTHING was booked - but after failing at one place, this delicious Asian restaurant in Chinatown made room for us!

Note Johannes and Harold in the mirror!

Our next adventure was the escape room! Now, what is an escape room? Well, basically you pay to be handcuffed and locked in a small jail cell with your friends and you have an hour to find clues and decipher codes to break out of prison - it was SO much FUN!

...We didn't make it out.

I think that we made a valiant effort to escape. I mean we did make it out of the cell, we just had a whole other room that we also had to escape from. So we paid to be locked up basically. But it was SO worth it. We then had some drinks at the dorm...

So normal to them... but so weird to me! At Liberty not only could we not drink in the rooms, but we couldn't even have BOYS in our room. 

We then headed to a bar and then bed since we all had an early morning ahead of us! The boys had a hike at 8:30am, which meant that I had to head to the airport then too. We scrambled all of our things together and headed our separate ways - after we took a two second ride in a taxi because Christopher thought it was necessary OF COURSE.

Johannes: "Wait, so how are we gonna get from the grocery store to the University?"

Christopher: "Uh.... Taxi!"

He takes taxis so much that they say, "Hello, Christopher" when he calls the taxi company. He actually has a problem.

On leaving Dublin.

I woke up to my last day in Dublin with a mix of sadness, apprehension and excitement. Sadness that I was about to leave this city that I was just starting to understand and get to know. Apprehension that I was still in bed, hadn't packed and didn't know what time check out was. And EXCITEMENT - that I still had a full morning of doing whatever I wanted - granted they would let me leave my backpack behind after I checked out.

I raced downstairs to make sure that I had not missed check out - I still had 30 minutes. I then packed up all of my belongings once more (in the dark since all of my roommates were still asleep at 10 am) and headed out with a skip in my step because I was not weighed down by my enormous backpack. 

It was a beautiful, sunny morning - perfect to stroll around and take pictures - so that is just what I did, as I sipped my coffee from the little shop right next to my hostel.

It was the perfect way to say goodbye to this city full of character. I took some great videos of myself reminiscing about my time in Dublin - those can be seen in my video journal of this trip - the release date for that is still TBA. I didn't have to use my map once because the city is so easy to navigate. As long as you stay near the river, you can figure out where you are based on which bridge you are near. Each bridge has a specific name and a story.

This bridge is a walking only bridge and people used to have to pay 2 pence (or something like that) to cross it. Now, of course, it is free! Many friendly homeless folks seem to have taken up residence on this bridge.

They decorated the bridge for Valentine's Day!

So beautiful, right?!

I lost track of time a bit - well not so much lost track of it as disregarded it. Right when I decided that I should probably head back to the hostel to get my bag, it started raining - a clear sign that it really was time to leave Ireland. I snagged a bus to the airport just in time, and I was off! Thankfully, I had just enough time to drink one more Guinness at the Dublin airport.

Beautiful - aye?

And then the most magical thing happened as I was looking out the window, sipping on my Guinness. The rain stopped...

And BOOM. Definitely a sign that I'll be back. Also, I bet I could sell this to Ryanair. Could make a great ad out of this picture!

Ryanair is very strict about luggage. If your bag is over a certain size, then you have to check it, and it costs an extra $15. If you try to bring a bag that's too big onto the plane, they can charge you $50 at the gate. So, I had gotten away with it once, so I figured I'd go for it. There were two people that were checking boarding passes - a man and a woman. Guess who I steered clear of? The woman. And good thing, she was yelling at the people next to me about the size of their bag as the nice gentleman flashed me a smile and let me right on the plane. Moral of the story? Women can just be plain mean sometimes - something to remember in such situations. 

I sat next to a nice couple that had just been in Ireland for their honeymoon - they rented a car and drove all around Ireland - sucha great idea. But they did have to fly home early because of all of the snow that was bombarding the states - so annoying!

The flight to Manchester went smoothly, without a single glitch. The real trouble came when I tried to get to the University of Manchester to meet up with my friends. The bus was thirty minutes late and took about twice as long as it was supposed to. When I asked Christopher where I should get off - all he said was "the end of curry mile." As if I'm supposed to know what that is! I asked the bus driver to tell me where that was and he told me right where to get off - so I did! 

Turns out he and Christopher of different perceptions of where "the end of curry mile" is. "What is this curry mile?" you may be wondering... well, let me tell you. It is a mile of Turkish restaurants, bars, hookah lounges - things like that. It was sooo sketchy. Well, the difference in opinion of where this "curry mile" ended resulted in me wandering up and down the street with my huge backpack - lost and forlorn, with no way of contacting Christopher. I went into a few places to ask if they had wifi - they did not. 

Thankfully, I eventually walked by a barber shop that Christopher had stepped into while he was looking for me because his friends were getting haircuts. Who knows what would have happened to me if he hadn't found me then - my mace had been previously confiscated!

After freaking out for a little bit about how horrible he is with directions - we headed to a comedy show - which was AMAZING! There were six different comedians for two hours. I, being the only native English speaker among us, definitely understood the most. I love English accents, so not also did I understand more, I just thought that everything they said was 5X as funny because they were saying it in an English accent - so I may have been laughing a bit obnoxiously.

Harold, Christopher and I

After the show, we met up with Johannes (my other Norwegian friend - he goes to Durham, so he took a train to Manchester) and got some kebabs on curry mile! The evening started out a bit stressful, but ended up being absolutely wonderful!!