BVU Travel Blog

Diving into D.C.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:16:00 +0000

My name is Elizabeth Heffernan and I’m a junior at Buena Vista University. I’m double majoring in English and Political Science, I’m from Sioux City, Iowa and this semester I’ve been interning at a private law firm called Marzulla Law LLC in Washington D.C. I’ve been in D.C. now for a little more than a month and I can’t believe time has flown by so quickly! Every weekend I’ve been out in the city and the surrounding areas, seeing all the monuments, museums, and even a chocolate festival (and it was just as good as it sounds). I’ve seen the White House, the Capitol, and I’m even going to tour the Supreme Court.

I have been blessed enough to travel a little before now. I’ve visited England, France, and the Dominican Republic all through opportunities here at BV. But I’ve never had the chance to stay somewhere like D.C. for an entire semester. I wanted to test myself, to see what it would be like to be so far from home for an extended amount of time.

And to tell the truth, it’s a bit of a culture shock. You wouldn’t expect that here in the United States I would have more of a culture shock in another state than I would in another country. But the big city is so much different than back home. The pace is faster, everyone is always busy, and there are so many things to do. But it’s been so eye opening. I never thought I could fit in in a big city. Sometimes I still have those moments where I miss home but there are times when I realize that I am able to navigate the city by myself, and that is a great feeling.

I’ve never had an internship before and it’s a great experience. It’s so much different than school, having to stay focused from 9-6 every day of the week. People depend on you in a way that they don’t really do at school. You’re being tested every day but you get to meet lots of new people, and the people at my internship have been so nice and fun to be around. I’ve learned a lot about what I am capable of and what I can do when put to the test And the best part? No homework (at least, not much). When I get back at night I’m actually finished for the day and am able to watch a show or read a book before I go to bed and not have to worry about anything due for work the next day.

I never thought I would grow up this much in so little time. I feel more comfortable with myself, more ready to face things I didn’t think I could face. I’ve realized that I can learn on the job and that it is all right to make mistakes. I’ve learned so much, not just through this experience but through all my travel. At a seminar I went to here, one of the speakers said if you don’t do something because you’re scared of doing it, that’s not a good enough reason. Even though I was nervous about being so far away and doing something completely new, I put myself out there. And it was worth it.

In Chile with the Global Fellows Program

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 14:58:00 +0000

Hello all! My name is Annie and I am currently in Chile with the Global Fellows program.

What is Global Fellows you ask? It’s awesome is what it is. Last February, five other students and I were selected through an application process and were given the opportunity to explore Chile, to study its culture as well as environmental sustainability. In the last 3 weeks we’ve been all over the country. We started at the end of the earth (or civilization anyway) in Puerto Williams – the southernmost town in the world. From there we’ve steadily made our way back up north, visiting Puerto Natales and Punta Arenas down in Patagonia, Valparaiso on the coast, and ending up where we are now in Santiago (the capital!).

But while we have been able to see a lot of amazing sites during our stay here, this trip is bigger than tourism. We’ve gone through a series of experiences that have allowed us to immerse ourselves completely in the culture and deepen our relationship with the environment. While we were down in Puerto Williams, we were able to spend time with Julia – the only person on the planet who speaks Yahgan (the language of the indigenous people of the area). We also went on a camping trip where we got up close and personal with nature – with the Robalo River in particular. We drank straight from it (no worries – it’s the cleanest water you’ll find anywhere) and we used it to wash our dishes. It helped us to realize firsthand how important water is in our lives.

And while we were down in Patagonia we were introduced to some pretty awesome wildlife. There were cara cara, austral parakeets, rhea, guanaco, and (my personal favorite) magellanic penguins!

When we ventured further north, we were introduced to a different sort of ecosystem. One that was full of color and bustling life. In Valparaiso we found a number of things that we weren’t used to seeing back home, including some pretty stunning graffiti. It was on just about every flat surface! And here in Santiago, we’re truly at the heart of the country.

We are all heading back home soon, but I’m pretty sure I speak for everyone when I say that we’ll never forget this experience. Some parts were definitely a challenge – one of the biggest for me was the lack of peanut butter in this country (I miss it so bad!) – but looking back, it was totally worth sacrificing three weeks worth of my favorite spread. Being forced out of our comfort zone made the whole trip a more personal experience. I know for certain that I would not have made it through any of our stops here without the expertise of the people we met here. We’ve relied almost completely on the locals and their culture to show us how things work down here. I can’t imagine meeting more interesting people on any other trip. Through these new relationships we’ve built with the people and places of Chile, we’ve truly had a once in a lifetime experience.

If you want to learn more about our trip, there’s going to be an ACES event on February 6 at 7:00 PM. We’d love to tell you all about it!

Top photos and moments from Ecuador and Galapagos

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:29:00 +0000

As my trip to the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador has come to an end, so has my college career at Buena Vista University.

This J-term trip was my graduation present to myself as was my way of ending my college career on a high note! All things considered, it wasn’t a half bad way to do it (and having my 22^nd birthday on the trip was just the cherry on top of the fantastically delicious sundae that was the Galapagos).

In addition to this trip being a gift to myself, it was also an opportunity to get some cool photos to expand my photography portfolio. Although I did get some great photos for my portfolio, I found myself being drawn to photos not because of their photographic qualities - but because of their subject matter.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the trip:

This photo is from dock in San Cristobal on our first day in the Galapagos. We were headed back to the Coral II after visiting a tortoise habitat, the sunsets were so breath taking I couldn’t help take photo after photo.

On my birthday we were woken up at sunrise to view this rock formation. After viewing it from the yacht we took a dingy ride around it to view the wildlife and caverns it hosts. This photo was taken upon our return to the boat when the sun rid the formation of dark shadows.

This photo was also taken on my birthday. This is the north side of San Cristobal where we saw sea lions up close for the first time. In this photo I love the contrast between the dark rocks and the crystal clear water.

One of the most publicized attractions to the Galapagos Islands are the boobies and this was the perfect set up for a close up shot of the red footed boobie. I wanted so badly to capture a photo that showed the red feet! Luckily, we stumbled upon a nest and I was able to get a shot of red feet and an egg.

This is a marine iguana. We spent a lot of the time on the trip looking for marine iguanas. When finally we got to one of the volcanic islands, we found more iguanas than one could even register. This particular iguana is sunning himself on some rocks. The coolest thing about the iguanas is that they cannot absorb the copious amount of salt in the water so they have to sneeze out the salt.

Although not the most aesthetically pleasing photo - this is one of my favorites. The volcanic island that we found the iguanas on is also the same island where there are a lot of baby sea lions. This little guy was taking a snooze in a tide pool. He would blow out bubbles under water and lift his head for air and back in the water continuing his snooze. I was so entranced by this little guy I couldn’t help but stare at him.

This was the only owl we found while on the islands. I believe it is a Galapagos owl. Jean (one of our naturalist guides) told us that owls choose this volcanic island because there is little competition for food. This island is where we walked over the lava fields, here it looked like moving water was petrified in mid motion.

I also want to share some of my favorite moments from the trip! So although they're not particularly great photos, the moments were priceless:

This photo is from the last day on the Coral II. The crew was so excited to have a younger group on the ship that they allowed us to swim and jump off of the yacht. This was one of my jumps, it took a while to work up the courage but it was worth the thrill.

This was another one of my favorite moments. This is one of the first sea lions we got to see up close on the north side of San Cristobal. We took a walk on the white sandy beaches watching the sea lions and I took some time to chase the ghost crabs.

This was one of my favorite places. While in Ecuador we visited an orchid farm. After touring the farm and seeing the different stages of development of the orchids we visited their garden. This picture is on the bridge in front of the waterfall in the garden.

So long Ecuador and Galapagos...

Imagineer This

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 15:02:00 +0000

Early morning, you wake up. The first thing you see is a train station, with a big floral Mickey in the grass. You proceed to walk under the tunnel, look down Main Street and see a big castle, Cinderella’s castle to be exact. The closer you get to the castle the more paths you have to choose from. You could go down Adventureland’s path or maybe down Tomorrowland’s path. What you don’t see is all the details and story that you walk by every day.

An imagineer’s job, by the books definition, is to be the creative center behind Disney’s theme parks, resorts, and family entertainment experiences. Really an imagineer’s job is to make anyone and everyone who enters the land feel like a kid again. They bring movies and old shows back to life. They take things that “could not be done” and do them. They are inventors, creators. They go above and beyond what is expected, just to impress and improve the story.

World of Color Show

The World of Color, water show, is an example of an imagineer’s work. Steve Davison, Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment’s vice president of Parades and Spectaculars, put together this magical show. It uses about 1,200 fountains, lasers, different colored lights and fire to tell a story. When you look at the surface of the show you see an amazing story told with all these techniques. What makes the story even better is knowing how hard the imagineer’s work behind the scenes. Steve put every laser, presentation, and fountain popping to the music effect together just to make the show perfect for the audience. When a new movie comes out that deserves a spot in the show he goes back and adds it to the story.

Storybrook Boat-ride Miniature

When riding the rides and watching many shows I often thought to myself how genius these imagineer’s are. If I could be a creator and come up with such a powerful and magical show, sigh, I would do it in a heartbeat. I get curious about these imagineer’s backgrounds and how they do what they do. What inspires them? I would trade places with an imagineer for a day or week just to experience what it feels like to make movies and characters come to life.

In one of my tours I was told the most enchanted compliment an imagineer hears is when a child asks their parent if the characters in an attraction are real. So next time you take a ride in an attraction, pause and think about how many imagineer's it took and how perfect every little detail is. After all everything is placed for a reason- nothing is an accident with Disney.

The End (But Also Beginning) of a Journey

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 14:16:00 +0000

Myself, the rest of the students and professors made it back to Iowa from our sports management and marketing trip in Phoenix, Arizona. The trip was an absolute blast and I experienced things that I would have never been able to without this opportunity from BV, which I am very thankful for.

Coming into this trip, I expected to get a better idea of what I wanted to do for my career after graduation. Although I think this did come true in some respect, I think I got a better idea of what I don't want to do as a career, which is equally as helpful in my opinion. Going to Phoenix and talking to the people we did, I realized that I do have an idea of what I want to do and I discovered new possibilities as well. I definitely figured out on this trip that I do not want to be involved really in any type of marketing because it does not fit my personality well. I did discover though that I would consider working in finance in an athletic department, being an athletic director, working in sports television, or being a sports event manager. I would also like to be involved in basketball somehow either in my career or being a middle school girls' basketball coach or even both.

I think that the greatest thing this trip did for me was made me realize what part of the sports world was for me and what part was not. This is only going to help me even more in completely deciding what I would like to do after my time is done at Buena Vista. The most surprising part of the trip for me was finding out that a lot of the people that are in sports started out in ticket sales and marketing. This does not exactly help me out because I know that is not something I want to do at all but I am up for the challenge of getting in without starting there.

I think that what is next for me is getting as many internships as possible before I leave BV. Most of the people we talked to said that internships were very important in helping you get a job after college. I think I am going to look into working with BV's athletic department first and then try to find a summer internship for this year as well. Ideally, I would have at least 3 internships before I graduate because I can also take one next J-term. These internships will also help me narrow down my career options and give me a better idea of where I want to be.

So in conclusion, this trip was a great experience and helped me make important decisions when it comes to what I want to do after graduation. So, while the journey to Phoenix has ended, the beginning of my journey through my life and career is just beginning. And where that journey is going to take me, I don't know. What I do know is I am ready for the ride.

Lacey

What you don't know about Disney

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 17:22:00 +0000

What most people don’t know about Disney is that when they walk into the park it’s like walking into a giant movie theater. First you see all the people lined up at the gates ready to get in. Then you see the curtain which is hiding the focus of the park. The curtain is the train depot and the main attraction is the castle, Cinderella’s or Sleeping Beauty’s. You proceed to walk under a tunnel which is full of posters that have different attractions on them. This is considered the previews. It shows you what the park has to offer. Ask you walk down Main Street you see names on windows. Those are the credits. They are names of all the people that helped Disney come alive. What you may not notice when walking up Main Street is the slight increase in the pavement. Walt knew that at the beginning of the day you would be full of energy and ready to start your day. Then at the end of the day, when you were tired from all the fun, you would walk down the hill. This is only one of many fun facts that I learned while at Disney. Here are a few more of my favorites.

1. Trash cans are no more than 26 feet apart- Walt did research and found out that if a trash can wasn’t found within 26 steps than the person would drop their trash on the ground.

2. Cast members are not allowed in different lands of the park because it would ruin the story. If a cast member from Tommorwland was found in Fantasyland, it just doesn’t make sense and would cause the story to be changed.

3. Matterhorn Bobsled attraction has a half-court basketball court built inside the top of the attraction because something that tall had to have a sports arena in it for building permission.

4. Imagineers and artist are not allowed to sign their names on work that they do for Disney. So instead they place a “hidden mickey” inside the attraction or add a creative touch to make it their own. A mural done by a father and daughter in EPCOT has one emerald gem that is out of place as their signature.

5. Another little thing Disney does is change the ground color to fit in with the different lands. They also change trash cans and light fixtures to go with the story being told in that land.

Matterhorn Bobsled Attraction

The stories being told are endless at Disney, but not always noticeable without being pointed out. Without this trip and all the tours I would have been just another guest rushing to get in line for a rollercoaster, but now I observe every detail on my way to the roller coasters!

To Sport or Not To Sport

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 14:54:00 +0000

We have arrived back from the warm climate of Phoenix to the snowy Iowa and now I need to think if the sports path is the way I want to continue or not. My time in Phoenix was awesome as I made a lot of contacts and had the time of my life.

The trip taught me a lot of different things about the inside world of sports that not very many people get to experience. I feel as if it would be a great time to work in sports, but I am not sure what department I would like to get into. Most had said that the way to get get your foot in the door was ticket sales. To me that does not seem like a great time if I wouldn't be able to be out and about meeting with people.

One experience that makes me want to go down the path is the people we talked to at the Arizona Cardinals. The facility they use is managed by another company and that seemed like it would be a good fit. I think I could see myself working in an arena to get some experience first rather than jumping right in with a certain team or sport.

Overall, I still have time to think about my decision or try other things out, which I plan to do!

Thanks for reading my blog!

Ashley

Phoenix Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 17:43:00 +0000

So for this blog post I decided to talk about the 5 things that were the best part of the trip for me personally and then also talk about how some of the places could help me out in the future. So here is my top 5 countdown:

5. Arizona Diamondbacks- I really liked this meeting because it was awesome to see their facility and also talk to our contacts there that told us a little bit about what they do in ticket sales but also gave us some good advice and tips for making it in the sports industry. I also thought it was amazing that we got to see things that people usually don't get to see, like the clubhouse where the players have their gear and equipment.

Diamondbacks Clubhouse

4. Fox Sports Network- I liked this meeting because I realized that you can still really be connected to sports without having to be with an actual team. Our contact gave amazing advice and also a lot of insight for what they do at their network. This meeting is actually making me consider going this route with my career because I think it would be a really cool experience and maybe easier to get into.

Fox Sports Arizona Network

3. Arizona Cardinals- I liked this meeting because the tour was really cool (even though I'm a Vikings fan) and the meeting afterwards gave me another great option for what I could do with my career. We met with someone who worked with the event management and I was glad that we actually got to talk to someone in management since I'm a sports management major. It seemed like something that I would really enjoy doing for a career.

Arizona Cardinals Stadium

2. Arizona State University- The multiple meetings that we had with ASU definitely helped me get an insight on what I want to do with my sports management degree. At the beginning of this trip I thought it would be fun to do finance in an athletic department and I still think that way. We also had so much fun going to the women's basketball game and the gymnastics meet. I am seriously considering coming back down here to do an internship with them if at all possible.

Wells Fargo Arena at ASU

1. Phoenix Suns- By far this was the most amazing tour, meeting, and game that I was lucky enough to be a part of during this trip! I am a huge basketball fan and this was an experience that I will never forget. The meeting we had before the tour was great and actually really made me sure that I want to be involved in sports when I graduate. This would definitely be the place where my dream internship would be or any other basketball team for that matter. The tour was even more amazing because we were literally 5 feet from Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder who the Suns were going to be playing that night! This part of the trip was by far my favorite and even better than I imagined it was going to be.

Picture of Kevin Durant with No Zoom!

Stay tuned for my complete reflection on this trip some time soon as we already leave Arizona on Saturday. Back to Iowa it will be for us after it is going to be in the 70s right before we leave. Keep on the lookout for my last post!

Lacey

A Whole New World

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:33:00 +0000

My Dream is to someday work for Disney. Being at Disney is kind of like the Aladdin song A whole new world. “A whole new world, a new fantastic point of view, no one to tell us no, or where to go or say we're only dreaming". Just let that soak in a little... Before the trip I thought I could be a cast member, fur character or even a graphic designer. After meeting with a few cast members I now realize that there are so many more opportunities!

In one of our programs, the Youth Education Series program, we learned about leadership. Matt, our leader, had us start the tour by drawing an open window and putting our dreams in the middle of it. He proceeded to tell us to write impossible at the top. It was at that moment when I realized what Walt had gone through, and how depressing it is to see your dream, with impossible written above it. We later crossed out the “im” and made our dreams possible.

Group and Matt after Y.E.S. Program

Besides the Y.E.S. program we had many opportunities to meet with other cast members. We often found ourselves asking them if they loved their jobs and within seconds we would get a joyful yes in reply. I have realized that being “in the happiest place on earth” is on the top of my list for career choices. Every time we went backstage or behind the scenes I got goose bumps and saw pixie dust! It was like I was meant to be there. I could see myself giving tours or being a leader for the Y.E.S. program, I even make the height requirements for some Disney fur characters. I even think that dancing right down the middle of main street USA would be a privilege.

The downside, which I never really thought about, is the Disney salary. Just because Disney is a big company and makes a lot of money doesn’t mean that you’ll be making the big bucks. Like Aladdin, I would have to start humbly (most likely working concessions) before I could become Prince Ali, or in my case, being the creative mind behind the parades. But being in the happiest place on earth, living in the Florida weather (79 degrees), and working for a guy who had the biggest imagination and heart in the world just sounds a like the perfect life to me.

Markets in the Open Air, Shoe in the Mud

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 16:18:00 +0000

My name is Clair Lynn and this J-term I am in Ecuador and will travel to the Galapagos Islands with Buena Vista University and Dr. Katya Koubek.

We left the United States on January 8^th and spent the day flying, after hours on planes and in airports we arrived in Quito, Ecuador and hit the hay for a nice long and much needed rest.

After getting rested up we woke up the next morning for a tour of Quito, in addition to Quito we have also toured Rio Bamba, and Cuenca. Touring these cities we have seen a lot of the traditional stuff such as: churches, museums, and monuments; which have been beautiful, extravagant, and very interesting. However, my favorite places to visit have been the equator and all of the markets. At the equator we got to see first-hand how the hemispheres affect gravity, storms, and weather.

I became very culture shocked when we visited the markets, specifically the one in Cuenca. Seeing how this part of the world buys and sells products, produce and even housewares was so strange and different from the U.S. In the markets there are crowds of people shoving their way through to get their items, and of course stopping to gawk at the American tourists (who looked scared and confused by the whole process).

At a market in Ecuador

The way Ecuadorians live their lives is so different from Americans, Ecuadorians take the time with everything, nothing is rushed. We noticed this a lot with meals, in Ecuador there is no such thing as fast food, I think our quickest meal clocked right around two hours in length; however, they were more commonly about four hours long.

My favorite part of the trip so far has been our visit to the largest market, which was in Cuenca. In Cuenca, I passed a young girl (about 3 yrs old) and her brother (about 5 yrs old). When the little girl saw me and the 5 pounds of my camera she stopped and stared, soon she pointed to my camera and began to exclaim “photo, photo!” She was however pulled away by her brother while she continued to look at me and shout “photo, photo!” I couldn’t help but smile and stare back at the little girl who seemed happy to see new people.

As of now my least favorite part of the trip has been the hike through part of the Andes Mountains, not because of the hike or scenery itself. Instead, my smidge of dislike for the hike came when about five minutes into the hike my foot found the largest and most wet puddle of mud on the trail. Throughout the rest of the two hour hike I powered through with a cold and muddy shoe.

Tomorrow we are heading to the Galapagos Islands where we will board a twenty-some passenger boat and spent 4 days exploring the islands, see you on the flip side

Top 5 Moments Thus Far #PhoenixStyle

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 14:18:00 +0000

5. Phoenix Regional Sports Commission - This made my top five due to my love of the game of sports. We were able to meet with Rob Yowell, who is the interim president. He was able to give us great knowledge about opportunities within their business and how they connect to the rest of the city. I could see myself working for these people due to they are involved with all of the levels of sports from youth tournaments to bringing in different club tournaments.

4. ASU Women's Gymnastics Meet - During our free time the women of the group were granted with tickets to watch the ASU Women's Sun Devils gymnastics meet versus #4 Oklahoma. Attending this meet caused most of us to wish we either continued with gymnastics or actually started. It was amazing to see the difference in height between our heights and theirs. I wish BV had a gymnastics team as it would be very entertaining to watch!

3. ASU Tour - Arizona State University's campus is quite large as ours is VERY small in comparison. We weren't able to tour the whole entire campus, but my favorite part of the tour was definitely seeing Sun Devil Stadium. I found it fascinating due to just having watched the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl Game which was at that stadium.

2. Karsten Manufacturing - PING - Karsten Manufacturing was able to give us an insight to the golf world, especially the company of PING. I am very interested in golf as my father is a manager of a country club in my hometown. We were blessed with the tour given to us by Abby Oates around the facilities. The tour included seeing the making of putters, irons and woods as well as seeing where customers can be given a custom fit for PING clubs. One interesting thing about PING is that they don't sell directly to the customer as one would have to go through a retailer to get them. Even though we were told that the industry is hard to get into, I am willing to take a risk to try and get my foot in the door.

And finally, the number one moment of the trip this far is:

1. Arizona Diamondbacks - This was by far the greatest part of our trip. I am a baseball fan and the behind the scenes access we were granted was AMAZING! We were able to go into the Clubhouse and into the dug out. I truly don't think I would ever be able to get this experience again. We did meet with two of the sales force, Travis Baker and Mike Dellosa. These two gave great advice to all of us not just about in sales or sports but life in general. Both sold the team well as we heard most of their employees, in sales at least, are promoted within which produces a smile on my face! :)

After all the experience is not over yet, as there are many other teams and companies to visit on our last week.

In the dugout at Chase Field.

Our group at Sun Devil Stadium

ASU Women's Gymnastics Meet

That's all for now down in the "freeze" as the locals would call it!

Ashley

Made It To Phoenix...Now What?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 15:35:00 +0000

A couple of days ago, a group of 12 BVU students, myself included, made the journey to Phoenix, Arizona for a J-term trip lasting a couple of weeks. You may be asking yourself, what could be in Phoenix? Well I would tell you a lot of things. But mostly what is in Phoenix for me is a chance to better understand what I want to do with my life as well as bettering my career prospects after I graduate from BV. This trip is a sports management and marketing trip, which matches perfectly with me as I am a junior sports management major.

I decided to become a sports management major because of my love of sports and numbers so I thought going into the business side of sports would be perfect for me. Right now I am thinking about being a financial person in a college's athletic department but I would also like to be able to coach middle school girls' basketball as well. I do not have this career path set in stone and I would really like to see what else the sports world has to offer.

I think that the main thing that this trip is going to do for me is give me more exposure to the things that I am able to do with the major that I have so that I know where I want to be in the realm of sports. So far, I have been impressed with Arizona State University and they are solidifying my choice of career plan that I have picked out so far.

ASU Hall of Fame

ASU Football Stadium

But I don't know what information the other meetings will have so we will find out later if I change my mind before this trip is over!

Until next time,
Lacey

From Local to Phoenix

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 13:38:00 +0000

Today we leave for Phoenix for our Sports Marketing and Management trip, but it took a lot to get here. As a sophomore I've also been blessed with the opportunity to travel locally with the Marketing club. Last spring semester we were able to go to Des Moines and meet with professionals from the Iowa Cubs and Integer. Going to the Cubs was helpful in that it gave me an interest in the sports side of things with Marketing and Management. From that trip it has led me to think that this opportunity to go to Phoenix would be a great idea. Also going to Integer gave me the idea that living in a city would be awesome, but actually working for an advertising agency is not something that I would want to do.

This fall I was able to go to Omaha and visit ConAgra and attended a marketing association meeting. Although this trip wasn't about sports, it was very educational. I liked the idea of meeting with different professionals, but it was also quite intimidating. ConAgra was an exceptional place to view. I feel like it would be a great place to work because I love food and the idea of marketing it creatively.

That's all for now. Looking to stay warm,

Ashley

5 Bonus Travel Items To Remember

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 14:19:00 +0000

A traveler's mind is usually on the big picture and on packing the most important things like passports, luggage and itineraries, but here is a list of 5 bonus items to pack to make life easier while traveling:

1. Mini Tripod for Photos

A mini tripod is great for when you are taking a picture of a group, of yourself, or when you need a steady hand. I really like the small Gorrillapod. It is portable, study, and grips to stuff that a regular tripod cannot. It can grip around street signs, park benches, and tree branches.

2. Hand Sanitizer

Hand sanitizer is an awesome way of cleaning your hands when soap and water is unavailable. There have been multiple times when hand sanitizer has come in handy when I've been in foreign places that do not have any running water. It's also great when you're able to share sanitizer with friends and/or family who need some.

3. More Cash

When traveling outside of the country, it is important to have cash and not just a credit card or travel checks. Cash is easy to exchange into another countries currency, and it's cheaper to bring a little extra cash than to pay expensive ATM fees. When in Belize, there was a $5 extra charge when trying to use an ATM. Remember when carrying a large about of cash, to store it in safe places and not all in one spot. Also remember to bring small bills because many local stores in other countries can not break big bills.

4. Insurance Card

A traveler might not remember to bring an up-to-date insurance card, but it could be incredibly handy if one was to get seriously sick or hurt during their trip. Some countries in Europe do not allow entrance into the country unless the traveler has an insurance card.

5. Headphones

Headphones are great for entertainment, relaxation, and comfort for an individual traveler. I like to pack ear bud-style headphones because they are small, light, and are super easy to pack.

Final Day: Through the Alps, to Venice

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 16:38:00 +0000

On our final day in Europe, we made the 6-8 hour drive from Geneva back to Venice, where we'll catch our flight tomorrow. I put the range in the driving time because we discovered that the time it takes depends largely on the flow of traffic up Mont Blanc.

We discovered this morning that Geneva sits at the bottom of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps. To get to the other side (toward Venice), you can drive through the 11.6 km tunnel, but there's only one lane of traffic going up. You also want to make sure you have enough gas, don't have to pee, and don't have a car that will overheat (we got dangerously close to having problems with all three of these issues). We passed a car that had definitely overheated with three young women sitting on the side of the road. Because the traffic was so slow, I got out and gave them a bottle of water while they waited for help.

Still, the mountain was very beautiful, and the Alpine drive was quite lovely. We spent pretty much the entire day driving back to Venice, where we ended our trip with our new Italian tradition: pizza with hot dogs and french fries, plus gelato for dessert.

This trip was truly epic for us: an entire month in Europe, covering many countries and many amazing historical sites. I realize how privileged we are to have this opportunity. We've tried to enjoy it as much as possible, while being sure to experience the "local" atmosphere of each place as well. While we have many wonderful memories, and it's been a month out of a dream, we are both looking forward to being home, with friends, family, and puppies.

Here's a picture of a small waterfall we passed on the road, with the peak of Mont Blanc in the background.

Day 28: Geneva, Switzerland

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 07:19:00 +0000

Our final city on the trip was Geneva. We wanted to see at least a bit of Switzerland as we drove back to Italy, for our flight home, so we decided to spend the night in this famous city.

This time, our hotel was in a downtown location, but by coincidence, it was also in the heart of the sex district. Snuggled between two sex shops, our hotel's front door is also surrounded by a wide variety of eager prostitutes. I couldn't help but compare them to the ones we saw in Amsterdam. The women here were, in fact, different. There was a much greater variety of ethnicities (Clint pointed out that they had probably been trafficked from different locations than Amsterdam), and the women all were highly made-up, mostly with surgical enhancements. I still wondered about their life circumstances.

We spent the evening in a really wonderful fondue restaurant just a few blocks out of the neighborhood. It was really delicious! We tried Swiss cheeses and Swiss sausages, along with Swiss apple tart for dessert.

Day 27: Marseille, in the South of France

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 15:56:00 +0000

We knew we wanted to see more of France than just Paris, but our time is getting short. Actually, we decided to go back home a week earlier than originally planned, which means we only have a few days left. So, we spent most of the day driving through France down to the Southern border town of Marseille. The drive was nice, changing from the Midwestern-esque landscapes of cornfields to rolling hills, to the beginning of jagged foothills. We passed several vineyards and olive groves.

Marseille is the oldest town in France (they have prehistoric cave paintings, and brick foundations of houses from around 6000 BCE!), and we were attracted to it due to its placement on the coast. Ever since our trip to Crete several years ago, we've had a fondness for Mediterranean cities.

Our hotel is downtown, so it was an easy walk to see the busiest part of the city. Unfortunately there was construction along most of the port, but we were able to find a great restaurant in the pedestrian area. Clint got seafood, which was fitting. I hate seafood, so of course I got gnocchi with 3 cheeses, plus gelato for dessert. I guess I'm Italian if you go by my stomach! Still, the waiter didn't speak English, so I managed to do the entire transaction over dinner in French, which felt pretty good.

Tomorrow: the drive to Geneva! Below is a photo of the Marseille port, about a block from our hotel and where we had dinner.

Day 26: Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 15:29:00 +0000

Goal for the day: See Paris! We got up in the late morning and took the "local" train route back to the Eiffel Tower. There, we got on our "hop on/hop off" bus to tour the city. We went pretty much all the way around and through Paris, taking about two and a half hours (not counting the "hop off" stops) to see the major sites. It was a beautiful day for the open-top bus; not too hot, with a wonderful breeze.

We spent the afternoon doing the tour, then we had a late lunch at a street-side cafe about two blocks from the Tower. We then decided just to rest for the remainder of the day, so we took the trains back to the hotel for some work, a nap, and a late dinner at the restaurant next to the hotel.

Tomorrow we have a long drive, to the South of France: Marseilles. Below are some of the photos I took on our tour today.

Day 25: Versailles and Paris, France

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 22:35:00 +0000

This morning we did the three hour drive from Brussels to the general area of Paris in France. Instead of going right into the city, though, we decided to spend the afternoon touring the famous Versailles Palace, started by Louis XIII, expanded by Louis XIV, and finished by Louis XV (more or less).

We got there around 2:15 pm. First, we drove around for about 30 minutes looking for appropriate parking. Then, we got in our first line of the day, to purchase tickets. We decided to skip the gardens and just see the palace (we were able to see some of the gardens from the windows of the palace anyway). That line took about an hour.

We then saw the REAL line, the one to get inside the palace. It was super huge, winding back and forth through the enormous courtyard in front. We stood there for a minute, silently feeling the depression kick in and realizing that by the time we actually got into the palace, we might be dead.

So I now admit that we were a bit naughty: We simply walked right up to the entry, flashed our tickets, and walked in. No one in the line stopped us. The guards didn't stop us. So we just went in. It saved us the two hour line in the hot sun. We don't regret it. We then had to stand in another line, about 30 minutes, for the audioguides. Seriously, Versailles? By this time I was starting to get hungry for dinner, and that just got me thinking about eating cake... you know, 'cause it's Versailles.

So by the time we finally got in, we were ready to see some opulence. We weren't disappointed. It's pretty fancy in there, with lots of gold, paintings, etc. Actually a lot of the paintings on display are original old paintings by famous people, but they are the thumbnail sketches of really huge paintings that they later put on ceilings, parts of the palace we aren't allowed to see, etc. There's a decent little history lesson next to each thing where they teach you about the different Louis-es, French artists, etc. The entire thing took around four hours.

We then drove to our hotel, which is near the airport, so we had to figure out the Metro system into the main part of town. I asked the woman at the hotel desk how to get into downtown Paris. She said, "Take the shuttle from the hotel to the airport. That will cost five Euros. Then you take the tourist train from the airport to the Eiffel Tower. That costs fifteen Euros." What the who? Twenty Euros?? For each of us? Each way??? No thanks.

So we just went to our computers and Googled how to get from the airport to the Eiffel Tower. In about twenty seconds we got the local instructions and did that, which consisted of driving to a local parking lot for the Metro and taking three trains in. We bought a booklet of 10 tickets for a total of twelve Euros.

We took the trains to the Eiffel Tower and had dinner there, looking up at the tower during sunset, and we watched the lights on the tower become brighter as the daylight faded. It was very nice. Tomorrow, we'll take a bus tour of the city, where I hope to see the Arch de Triumph and Notre Dame.

Photos below are the main gate into Versailles and the Tower, just after sunset.

Day 24: Brussels, Belgium

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 21:41:00 +0000

It was an easy two hour drive this morning from Amsterdam to Brussels, Belgium. I've been looking forward to Brussels and France because I took two years of French twenty years ago back in high school, and I finally have a chance to use a little bit of it! It took us a while to figure out how to get to the hotel due to lots of one-way, curvy roads and road construction, but we finally were able to settle in. Our new hotel is again in a great location, very close to the "center" of town, with lots of touristy-type stuff and beautiful old buildings to see.

We wandered randomly trying to find a good place for lunch, and we decided on a very small, humble-looking bar/pub type place with almost no one inside. The proprietor didn't speak much English, and my terrible French didn't seem to be a good idea, so finally she managed to ask if we wanted "mussels" or "steak." We went with steak. In just a few minutes two steaks came out of the kitchen, along with two gigantic piles of French fries. This made us both pretty happy, actually, because "French" fries were really invented here in Belgium. We ate about half of our plates, and then the cook came out and asked us if we wanted MORE fries. Geez, it was like the Mt. Everest of fries in that place.

We then came back to the hotel for a little afternoon nap, then ventured back out to see the city. We walked around for about 30 minutes, got lost, and I managed to ask a guy (in French!) where we were, and how to get to where we wanted to go? He was super nice and helpful, and I understood about 40% of what he said, which got us going in the correct direction. We finally hit the "Grand Place," the main city square with the typical beautiful buildings, churches, and tons of people milling around and taking photos (including us).

We wandered around the square and little pedestrian alleys with shops, enjoying the atmosphere and cool evening air. We then decided to stop in a place for some Belgian beers. I don't actually like beer too much, but they have delicious fruit beers here that I enjoy. I got a great raspberry one.

We then went around the corner and I got "Belgian waffles," which I'm sure aren't too authentic, but hey, it's part of the experience. I chose one with strawberries, bananas, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce. It was good. We then wandered around some more, drank more beer (cherry this time), and finally went back to the hotel.

We didn't do anything "official" in Brussels, and we didn't visit any museums. But I had a great time here! Below are just a few of the photos I took of buildings near the hotel and/or in the Grand Place.

Day 23: Amsterdam, Netherlands

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 19:19:00 +0000

We spent the morning and afternoon driving from Berlin to Amsterdam, a trip about six hours long. On the way, Clint saw a cool windmill (clearly a sign that we're in Holland). I took a nap.

Our hotel here is the opposite from our last few hotels -- it's fairly crappy, but in an extremely convenient location (no two hour train rides this time). We're about one block from Centraal Station on Damrak, for people who have been here. That's basically the main street of town. It's a fun place to be, with hundreds of interesting people wandering around.

After checking in to the hotel, we found out that the Anne Frank house is open late during the summer. That was the #1 thing I wanted to do while here, so we visited. You can see the two-story "Annex" where she lived with her family and another family (total of eight people) until they were discovered, separated, and sent to different concentration camps. It was a moving museum, but honestly I was surprised at how spacious it was. When I read the diary in high school, I always imagined a tiny, poorly-lit, unfinished space. The visit definitely made me want to read her diary again.

We then walked back to the hotel to get our bearings, and decided to find the Red Light district. Two years ago when I taught "Honors Human Sexuality" at BVU, we all did a class project on sex trafficking. Amsterdam has one of the worst records for this crime, and I was curious to see it for myself. We saw several women standing in their underwear behind windows, trying to get "customers." They were all ethnic minorities, for which the area is known (exploiting certain types of people more than others, kidnapping the minority women of certain countries, etc.).

That entire experience was pretty depressing, especially after visiting the also depressing Anne Frank house. But, the thing that brightened my mood was that we serendipitously walked through the gathering spot for Amsterdam's gay pride weekend, which was really fun to see. So many guys in tight leather pants! It was nice to see a city celebrating something that's so close to my heart.

We had a late dinner at the pizzeria on the ground floor of our hotel, which is an open space. When I'm visiting new cities, I prefer to eat outside where I can watch everything that's happening. I always feel more like I'm really experiencing the environment if I'm outside. Amsterdam seems to be a very friendly city. Even though I've been here two times before, it was only on quick layovers between flights. I'm glad I get to be here on a more relaxed schedule. It's a beautiful place.

Below is a photo of the building where Anne Frank lived for the last year of her life.

Day 22: Berlin, Germany

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 21:41:00 +0000

We woke at mid-morning and made the 90 minute trek to our pick-up point for the "hop on/hop off" bus tour of Berlin. The entire tour takes two hours if you don't "hop off" (which we did in two places), and goes past 90 important/historical places in both East and West Berlin. It also goes past a few "unofficial" places pointed out by the driver, such as the nudist park!

As mentioned, we got off the bus for a better look at two locations. First was the famous "Checkpoint Charlie," a cross-over spot in the historic Berlin Wall. It was interesting to see the sign indicating "You are now in East/West Berlin," and the fake guards dressed up for tourists at the checkpoint. You can even pay to get a replica of the stamp in your passport they used to use.

Our second "hop off" point was the famous Brandenburg Gate. This was a very nice part of Berlin, with tons of people milling around, having snacks, taking photos, etc. The tour explained that Berlin is about 1/3 parks, and it appears to be a very attractive city, with an interesting mix of ancient and modern. It kind of reminded me of a combination of Chicago and New York.

We spent around three or four hours total on the tour. When we got off the bus at the final stop, there was a little street carnival going on, with a few rides and several cute shops with souvenirs, food, and beer. I got a snack and we walked around for a bit. It was fun to just see families having a good time in the city.

After our afternoon in the city, we made the journey back to the hotel, then I took a nap while Clint booked the rest of the hotels for the trip. We then grabbed some simple sandwiches in the hotel lobby and spent the evening getting some work done. It was an easy day, but we feel like we got to have a nice taste of Berlin. Tomorrow, we travel to Amsterdam.

Day 21: Drive to Berlin

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 22:50:00 +0000

We let ourselves sleep until 10:00 today, then drove to Berlin. It was nice to get back into one of the EU countries, as we realized (after our run-in with the police in Bratislava) that we were driving around Eastern Europe illegally. Whoops!

The drive to Berlin took the entire day, pretty much. When we got to the hotel, we checked in, then figured out what Metro stop we needed to get on our "hop on/hop off" bus tour of the city tomorrow. We decided to spend the evening doing a "practice run" to the stop we need for tomorrow, have dinner somewhere around there, then come back for the night.

Unfortunately, it took us about two hours to get from our hotel to the correct stop. We did take the wrong train at one point (we had to switch around among 3 different ones), but that only delayed us about 15 minutes. So it was quite a journey -- basically starting from the far Eastern side of the city to the mid-Western side. So by the time we got back to the hotel, it was around midnight.

That's about all to report for today; really it was just a travel day. Tomorrow I should be able to post about our tour of Berlin.

Day 20: Prague

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 21:19:00 +0000

Today was going to be a relatively leisurely day for us. So, in the morning we joined a "hop on hop off" bus tour of the city, where you ride around on the open-top bus while they point out various sites, and you can get off whenever you want to check out a particular location (then get back on whenever you want as well). The tour was pretty nice, but the cobblestones on all the streets made it kind of hard to hear the commentary.

We got off at the famous Prague Castle, which is the largest "castle complex" in the world. That means that they're counting all of the various buildings that make up the actual "castle" (which is dozens of buildings), plus the huge church, all the out-buildings, etc. I did a tour of the complex when I was here a couple of years ago through a BVU J-term travel course, but it was Clint's first time. We did a brief tour, just seeing the highlights, but it's certainly a beautiful place.

One reason Prague is so pretty now is that it's one of the only major cities that didn't get bombed in WWII, so it still has really nice older buildings, churches, etc. The "castle" itself is known for having buildings and structures that cover 1000 years of different architectural styles, so we saw Gothic, Renaissance, Victorian, etc. We also got to see the changing of the guard at noon.

After the castle and bus tour, we stopped at the main city square for a light lunch. We chose a little restaurant that was located with a perfect view of the famous clock tower that has a show every hour. Basically, the little dudes on the tower move around, the bells go off, and two windows open up to show the "parade of saints," which are little mechanized paintings of about 10 different saints. There's also a dude at the top of the tower who plays the trumpet. It's a pretty nice little show (and it's free!).

After that, we wanted to chill out for the rest of the day (partially that's literally, as it was super hot and humid today). So we rested in the hotel for about an hour, then found our way to an air-conditioned movie theatre that was showing an English-language version of "The Dark Knight Rises" (Batman). It was a great movie, in my opinion, and it was great just to sit in air-conditioning with a large soda for a few hours.

One weird thing about the theater: they had two different kinds of popcorn. They had the regular kind we get in the states, plus a kind that was "ham and cheese flavored." The woman behind the counter let us try it -- it really did taste like ham and cheese! It was like "chicken cordon bleu popcorn." It freaked me out.

Photos below are of Prague.

Day 19: Auschwitz, Poland & Prague, Czech Republic

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 20:39:00 +0000

We knew today would be a long day, both in terms of our itinerary and emotionally. Our morning's tour was of Auschwitz. I knew it would be an especially long day when the roosters woke me up at 6:00 a.m. I told you our hotel was rural.

So, we started with a nice breakfast at the hotel, then drove to Auschwitz. We joined the English-speaking tour and were told that it would take about four hours. The tour starts at "Auschwitz I" which started as a pure "concentration" camp, meaning a place to warehouse all the "undesirable" people, but not necessarily a death camp. This is where they started doing medical experiments and did their first testing to see how much cyanide it took to kill a bunch of people huddled together in one building. We toured several of the original buildings, which are now set up as museums of various aspects of the camp, such as daily life, the experiments, the prison building, the SS quarters, and the first gas chamber. One of the buildings showcases all of the luggage people brought with them, not knowing they would be forced to immediately turn it over to the SS guards upon arrival. Later in the camp history, when people were simply immediately killed upon arrival, things like their shoes were kept. After being gassed, the women's hair was shaved and sold to shops where it was weaved into cloth. One room was simply a huge pile of hair from 30,000 women who were murdered.

The second half of the tour was to the nearby death-camp Birkenau. We saw the temporary living conditions, the remains of the crematoria, and the SS watchtower.

It's hard for me to put my experience and impression into words. It was chilling, sobering, depressing, and simply sad. I found myself about to cry on several occasions, and nauseated on many more. I looked at the faces of victims, captured in photos taken by the SS guards right before they were sent to the "showers." One of my distant relatives was an Austrian Jewish man. Are some of my relatives in those photos? I looked at the chart showing the various ways they classified and marked the prisoners... Jews, criminals, homosexuals.

Because I was in Rwanda only a few weeks ago, I couldn't help but compare the European genocide to the Rwandan genocide. How are they similar, and how are they different? Is one "worse" than the other? Here are some thoughts that flitted through my mind:

Similarities:
1. Thousands and thousands of people were murdered every day.
2. People were chosen for death based on their birth conditions, mostly, something over which they had no control.
3. The types of people chosen for death were classes of people who at one time, in some way, were "privileged" (at least, most of them). Thus, at least part of the genocide was due to simple envy and frustration, which turned to hatred.

Differences:
1. In Europe, people killed strangers in factory-like conditions, making it an industrial machine. In Rwanda, neighbors and friends killed each other close-up, face to face.
2. "Only" one million people were killed in Rwanda. Over eight million were killed in Europe. However, the killing in Rwanda happened much more quickly and efficiently.
3. In Europe, priests and other religious leaders were marked for death due to their higher level of education and the fear that their advanced thinking in terms of ethics would cause them to protest the genocide. In Rwanda, many priests and other religious leaders contributed and helped the genocide.

Similarity:
1. Both made my academic "psychology sense" come out, as I tried to analyze the who, what, when, where, and why of what happened. Only by understanding these questions can we try to prevent such atrocities in the future.
2. Both made me want to cry.

In the afternoon, we drove to Prague. I felt nauseated, but couldn't tell if it was because I hadn't eaten, because the Polish roads were hilly and curvy, or because of what my mind couldn't repress. I eventually took a pill and fell asleep.

We arrived in Prague about five hours later. We settled into our room, took the local tram to a non-tourist part of town, and had dinner. We plan to get up relatively early tomorrow and tour this beautifully preserved city.

For now, I want to sleep. I hope that I don't dream. Photos below are from this morning.