| | Current Music: | Kelly Rowland - Rose Colored Glasses | | Security: | | | Subject: | Upheaval | | Time: | 03:07 pm | | Current Mood: |  energetic |
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| I've been uprooted and replanted. My entire life has been spent in one city, and everything I know is still there. I have left all of it behind for the sake of one person. It's a very scary change, but one that I hope will be a good start to the remainder of my life. I'm currently living in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and while I haven't spent very much time here yet, I'm enjoying my new life here for the most part. I have done a bit of traveling around the U.S. these last couple months since I have no job and am enjoying my time off with no obligations. I was able to visit Austin, San Antonio, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Atlantic City, New York City, Las Vegas twice, Seattle, and back home to Orlando for a wedding. I feel very lucky to have been able to visit so many places in such a brief period of time. As anyone who knows me can attest, traveling is my passion in life, and I feel fulfilled when I can visit new places and explore the world. I'd spent so much time exploring Europe in the past years, that it was about time I settled down to explore the many offerings of the United States. I've still hardly been anywhere in the U.S. but I'm slowly making a dent. Although I'm in no way forsaking my explorations of Europe either -- I leave for two weeks in Spain in a few days! :) Here's a map of the tour I will be taking:
Well, I just wanted to let the world know I was still alive and well. I haven't posted, but that doesn't mean I don't check out my friends' page from time to time.
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| | I've been gone for the past month on various excursions, so I haven't been able to keep up with anyone's livejournals during the month of July, and there is no way I can go back through my entire friends list and even try to catch up. I just wanted to let you know that I'm still here, alive and kicking... I'm currently recuperating from my long vacation. I start my new job on Monday of next week which is a mere 4 days away, and I haven't even finished unpacking yet! So much is happening right now and I have no time. I will try to give a brief rundown of my vacation when I have a little more free time. Suffice it to say, I had an incredible time in Europe and Vegas, but I'm glad to be back home. I hope everyone's been well in my absence! | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| I don't feel like writing an incredibly long and detailed journal entry about my trip, but I also feel like completely avoiding it would be wrong as well. So I'm just going to write some highlights from each place I visited.
Berlin, Germany:
-I found out that one of the Contikiers was on my flight from Newark to Berlin. We chatted for a while during our long flight delay and then rode the taxi together to the hotel.
-Met up with someone else in the hotel and then spent the afternoon exploring Alexanderplatz
-Had our welcome dinner and met the Contiki crew at the hotel
-Went out to a local bar for drinks with most of the crew.
-Afterwards, 9 of us wanted to hang out longer, so we found a dance club called H2O and rocked the night away. Be called ourselves the BK9 cuz we stopped for a 2am burger run on the way home and wore BK crowns on the subway ride home.
-Went on a guided walking tour the next day and got an excellent description of the history and architecture throughout Berlin.
-Wandered through the tall pillars of the Holocaust Memorial, walked over Hitler's bunker, saw the remaining sections of the Berlin Wall, and then explored the Checkpoint Charlie museum that had numerous stories of people's escapes. Bought an actual piece of the wall here.
-Went to the Brandenburg Gate and Reichstag, and climbed up the dome to the top for a wonderful view of the city. Ate a currywurst.
Dresden, Germany:
-This city was basically completely and utterly destroyed during the war, and most everything is a reconstruction of pre-WWII architecture. It's amazing what they have done to recover.
-Visited the museum in which Raphael's painting of the two cupids is housed (The Sistene Madonna). Was surprised to discover that the painting contains much more than the two cupids, but that's all anyone ever shows in pictures.
-Wandered through the beautiful courtyards of the Zwinger Palace.
-Ate more bratwurst and sauerkraut -- a yummy staple of Germany.
Prague, Czech Republic:
-Got stopped by the German police as we were leaving the country and they intensely looked at all our passports for a while. They took 6 passports that they had issues with and called them into authorities and we sat there for around 30 minutes wondering how long it would take...
-Finally made it into Prague and went on a nightwalking tour of the beautiful city. Went to an underground bar afterwards that smelled a little funky and had weapons and tons of animals on the walls (bear skins, boar heads, deer antlers, etc).
-Took a walking tour of the castle during the day and discovered just how beautiful Prague was from above.
-Ate with my new Cali friend Julie on a rooftop restaurant and had an excellent view of the old town square while eating amazing (and expensive) food.
-Wandered along Wenceslas Square and then purposely got lost in the tiny alleyways in order to see the heart of the city.
-Tried authentic Czech absinthe. Felt the burn immediately!
-Went to a traditional Czech dinner with music and dancing. The food was a little bland, but still good.
-Afterwards we all partied in an underground club near the St. Charles Bridge for the first part of the night.
-We then moved the party to Karlovy Lazne Dance Club, which was a 5-leveled club with lots of good music and tons of Prague locals. One level had lasers and another had a lighted dance floor that changed colors. Got home quite late and had to wake up early to leave the next morning.
Vienna, Austria:
-Rode into Vienna in the afternoon and went on a brief walking tour of the city center.
-Ate official sachertorte and Viennese coffee at Hotel Sacher with Julie. It's a delicious chocolate cake and is world-famous.
-Ate dinner at the Schönbrunn Palace with apple strudel for dessert. We then attended a concert at the palace featuring an orchestra playing Mozart and Strauss. High class!
-The next day we explored the city and went into the university and several huge churches.
Budapest, Hungary:
-Went to Heroes Square for a group photo and then went up a hill for a picturesque view of the city.
-Had an evening riberboat dinner cruise along the Danube and drank lots of wine, while seeing the gorgeous city all lit up.
-Went down to Club Rio and danced the evening away with everyone. Another late night and rough morning ahead.
-Went with a group of friends at 9:30am to explore the city by ourselves. Saw St. Stephen's Church (and his gnarled hand), the most exquisite Parliament building ever, crossed the bridge over to Buda and explored the castle grounds and Fisherman's Bastion.
-Accidentally took the tram one stop too far, and ended up discovering a church carved into the mountain that must've taken forever to create. The neatest places are always discovered accidentally.
-Climbed up to the Gellért Monument and then posed as Roman gods for a day. Best.Photos.Ever!
-Ate lunch on Pedestrian Street among all the kitchy souvenirs, and then explored Central Market. Went to Vajdahunyad Castle and the Turkish baths before going back to the hotel for dinner. Mmm... more goulash!
Banska Bystrica, Slovakia:
-This was just a short lunch stop on our way to Poland. We stayed here for a couple hours and ate some cheeeeeeap food, which was lovely.
-Wandered around the town square for a while and relaxed in the sun.
-The countryside in Slovakia was absolutely gorgeous -- some of the most quaint and beautiful houses and landscapes ever.
Krakow, Poland:
-Got into our hotel in the evening and ate dinner there. Then we went out to a labyrinthine club and had a wonderful time there. You could totally get lost in the maze of small rooms there. My roomie and I bonded during this night and we became good friends during the rest of the trip. We stayed there in the club dancing well past 2am and were the last ones from our group there.
-Went on a walking tour the next morning and saw the Jewish Ghetto (which is where they sequestered all the Jews and walled them in) during the war.
-Went up to the Royal Castle on Wawel Hill.
-Walked to Market Square, the largest town square in Europe, and it is well-deserving of its name. Ate pierogies for lunch in the square -- yummy Polish delicacy.
-Went to the Wielicza Salt Mines. The mines had gigantic rooms with many sculptures and art throughout them, and you could lick the walls! You have to walk down a ton of stairs to get to the mines, which are around 150 meters beneath the surface. Then you take a quick and rickety elevator ride back up.
-Went to a beerhall for dinner and we ordered the meat platter. We ate veal schnitzel, horse meat, blood sausage (yuck!), pork, chicken, and regular sausage. Quite the variety.
Auschwitz, Poland:
-This was a very sobering day. It was freezing and drizzling the entire day. We started off by watching a very sad film about the concentration camps.
-Entered the gates into Auschwitz, inscribed with the saying "Arbeit Macht Frei" (Work Sets You Free). Quite the lie.
-Couldn't take photos within the barracks. They were filled with roomfuls of displays of human hair, children's shoes, luggage with names on them, toiletries, etc.
-Saw the crematorium at Auschwitz.
-Drove 3km to Birkenau, which was Auschwitz II. This is where most of the killings occurred. They would ship people here on the train, and most would immediately be sent to the gas chambers to "shower up". The weather worsened and the rain came pouring down, soaking and chilling us to the bone, which seemed all the more appropriate considering where we were...
Warsaw, Poland:
-Stopped in the town of Częstochowa to see the holy relic -- The Black Madonna -- which was painted by Luke in the presence of Mary.
-Arrived in Warsaw in the evening and wandered through some downtown bars after dinner.
-The next morning we went on a tour and visited Łazienki Park which has a heart-shaped lake dedicated to the composer Chopin, and many WWII memorials. This town was also obliterated during the war and completely rebuilt.
-Explored the Old Town district and played among all the bear statues that were dedicated to the countries throughout the world.
-Went into the Holy Cross Church with Chopin's heart (his body is buried in France).
-Went to the Wilanow Palace, which was another gorgeous building with peacocks freely wandering outside. We went into the palace for a private piano concert of Chopin's works by a proficient pianist, while sipping on champagne.
-Had dinner in Old Town and ate a candlelit dinner with Julie. The veal was amazing.
-Went to a bar on the 40th floor of a highrise and got a magnificent view of the city at night.
-The bar was way too pricey, so we then went to Mono, a busy nightclub that played awesome beats. Danced the night away again with good friends and cheap beer.
-The next morning we drove alllll the way back to Berlin for one last night together. Then I had to get up extremely early the next morning and catch my flight back to the States.
Tour ended. I'm sad :( Looking forward to my next one already!!! I made some awesome friends on the tour, and we're going to definitely keep in contact, and hopefully meet each other again in the future. It's always nice to have places to stay in other states/countries.
I tried to include some helpful links to the historical places I mentioned. Plus, if you click on the headline name of each city, you can go to my photo album from that city. | | comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
| | Current Music: | The Traveling Wilbury's - End of the Line | | Security: | | | Subject: | I'm BACK! | | Time: | 01:06 pm | | Current Mood: |  exhausted |
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| OMG I had such an amazing trip! There's no way I can sit down and type out everything I did on my trip right now, since it would take me at least a full day of typing probably. So I'm just going to say that I'm back and had a blast while I was in Eastern Europe. I've actually posted my photos from each location on facebook already, so if you're on there, check 'em out. And if not, I'll include individual links to the albums at the end of the post.
I feel like my entire tour revolved around World War II, and I just went through a 2 week long history lesson. It was amazing, and I was immersed in the history the whole trip. Starting off in Berlin, I got to see the origin of WWII and its epicenter. I never realized how much of the east the war affected, but when you see photos of entire cities demolished due to the war and then only recently reconstructed, it shows you the profound impact that the east suffered. They've come such a long ways in the last couple decades, and the cities are thriving and flourishing, although there will always be a significant impact from the war remaining forever.
The food, architecture, and history were amazing in each of the cities I visited. So much to see and do in all of them. Here's the photo links now for a montage of my trip...
Berlin: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2530322&l=2004d&id=2020632
Dresden: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2530433&l=af7bd&id=2020632
Prague: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2530443&l=f825f&id=2020632
Vienna: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2530490&l=cbca6&id=2020632
Budapest Pt. 1: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2530515&l=0931a&id=2020632
Budapest Pt. 2: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2530517&l=71464&id=2020632
Banska Bystrica: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2530526&l=1fa44&id=2020632
Krakow: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2530869&l=d0639&id=2020632
Auschwitz: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2530882&l=98b78&id=2020632
Warsaw: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2530900&l=14462&id=2020632 | | comments: Leave a comment |
| | Current Music: | James Blunt - Same Mistake | | Security: | | | Subject: | Eastward Bound | | Time: | 03:43 pm | | Current Mood: |  rushed |
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| Since there's no way I'm getting on here tomorrow morning (because I have to leave at 5am) I wanted to say farewell to everyone. I fly to Berlin in the morning and will stay there for a couple days before progressing onward to Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Slovakia, Auschwitz, Krakow, and Warsaw.
I've been running about all morning doing last minute things for my trip as well as for the FL Board of Pharmacy since I want everything sent off before I leave for two weeks. I bought a new piece of luggage because the airline company broke mine on my last trip. My new one pivots 360 degrees which is extremely handy. Hopefully this one will last me longer...
 PIVOT!!!!
I also went to the bank to make a deposit, get some papers notarized, and make a copy of my Social Security card. I got passport photos taken at Walgreens. And I completed an online Med Errors CE. All this was for my license application, and once I pick up the photos, I can mail off the packet (plus $300 MORE dollars) tomorrow morning. It's such a relief to have it all out of the way. Now I just need to find out when I can take my boards and then study my butt off upon my return.
I haven't even started packing yet, either. Argh. I hate packing with a passion. And I'm gonna have dinner tonight with Carlos and Paul, so I don't have much time left.
Bon voyage everyone! Auf wiedersehen! | | comments: 3 comments or Leave a comment |
| Ok, everyone knows that I got the residency position at ORMC. That's old news. I just wanted to tell you all that I signed the lease for the condo at The Grande with Robyn this afternoon. It is now official that I will be living downtown in a couple months. So exciting!
So much is happening all at once:
-Got ORMC residency
-Signed condo lease today
-Finals begin late next week
-Graduation in 2 weeks
-Europe in 3 weeks
I guess this is what real life feels like.
P.S. Now I'm broke and accepting donations. :P | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| | Current Music: | Cut Copy - Feel the Love | | Security: | | | Subject: | Sickness | | Time: | 10:35 pm | | Current Mood: |  sick |
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| Today I have felt absolutely miserable. I don't know what's going around, but I have definitely caught it. I had a mildly sore throat for a couple days, but then it went away so I thought I had escaped from getting sick. Last night I started coughing, and I awoke this morning to what feels like a raging respiratory infection. My lungs hurt everytime I cough, and I'm producing a lot of phlegm already. My head hurts and I feel like I'm burning up. Ugh...
I spent all day working on my final presentation that I will likely have to give later this week. I met with my partner in the evening and we worked on the slides and modified some of what we will present. We still have a ton of work left to do, and I feel like we will never get it all accomplished in time.
Not to mention, I have a test tomorrow and Thursday too.
At this point I think I'm just going to chug some Nyquil and call it a night. | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| | Current Music: | Panic! At The Disco's new CD - Pretty. Odd. | | Security: | | | Subject: | Running Out Of Time | | Time: | 12:08 am | | Current Mood: |  nostalgic |
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| Tonight was my first exam in over a year. It felt so weird studying for tests again, and I kept finding ways to procrastinate all day. It was a test in our Herbals class, and they asked all sorts of crazy questions that no one cares about (i.e. the Latin names of the herbs, the active moieties, standardization components, yawn...)
Afterwards a small group of us went out to dinner to catch up with each other. We only have 5 weeks left of classes together, and so I think all of us are starting to realize we don't have much time left. I've hung out with these people for 4 years and we've become quite close friends. They're a great group and I will miss them when we graduate and go our separate ways. Fortunately it's very easy to keep in contact with friends in today's society, but I'll still greatly miss them all.
 Ayman, Amanie, AJ, Stephanie, Melody, Robyn, Jason, Me | | comments: Leave a comment |
| | Security: | | | Subject: | Liftoff! | | Time: | 04:28 am | | Current Mood: | exhausted |
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| Whew, I'm dead tired but I just wanted to post something before I headed off to bed. I just came back from the Endeavor space shuttle launch this morning at 2:28am, and it was spectacular. I was surprised at how many people flocked to Titusville to watch the launch despite being in the middle of the night. However, it was jam-packed with people. They weren't disappointed though, because we had a great viewing of the shuttle as it lifted off into space and lit up the night sky. There was a heavy layer of clouds that obscured the shuttle as it continued to climb, but it was still an impressive sight. This was only my second nighttime launch viewing, so it was still exciting for me to watch. Good thing Tony got together a bunch of friends at the last minute to watch it, because I didn't even know we had a launch until late this afternoon.
I took a video of it, but I don't have a great camera for nighttime photos, and so it came out extremely glarey and looks like a big white fireball. Trust me, it was much cooler in person, but the video is all I have to convey the experience. Enjoy! At least I don't have class til 3pm, so I can still get a decent amount of sleep...
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| | Security: | | | Subject: | Great News! | | Time: | 12:43 am | | Current Mood: |  ecstatic |
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| It's really late and I have to get up early tomorrow morning, but I just wanted to briefly write about a couple of exciting things that happened today.
1) Today was my last day of my last rotation! YAY!!!! It's SUCH a relief to know that my rotations are finally over. Now I get a week off for Spring Break and then we start up our final semester of condensed classes before graduating on May 2.
2) I made an expensive impulse buy today -- I purchased an airline ticket and booked a Contiki trip to Eastern Europe. This is virtually the same trip I wanted to do last year, but had to cancel at the last minute because of nonexistent funds. This time I have decided to only do the trip and skip out on the extra days in London and Paris that I added last time. That will save me a considerable amount of money because adding extra stops on my flights and finding hotel rooms adds a ton of money to the cost, so I am paring it down to the just the Contiki trip alone. The trip is called the Eastern Road and it includes Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Krakow, and Warsaw. An itinerary of all our activities can be found at the website, and I am super excited to visit these places. Needless to say, I am stoked! :)
Well, I'm going to Universal Studios / Islands of Adventure tomorrow morning, so I need to get some sleep before I spend the day there with some friends. Then I have a wedding in Miami on Saturday, so I've got a busy weekend planned. See you on the other side. | | comments: 3 comments or Leave a comment |
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