Random Post 1

The Beauty of Travel

 “Ya mon no problem” was a phrase I heard in Jamaica many times. Jamaicans, who are extremely nice and welcoming, are known for running a bit late and not having a real sense of urgency to get somewhere on time. I learn new things about different cultures every time I travel. Traveling is one of my favorite things to do. I love exploring new places, trying new foods at that place, experiencing new adventures, and making new memories. I think traveling is one of the best things to do with your money as those memories you make from traveling last a lifetime. Outside of the U.S. I’ve only been to Jamaica and Mexico (4 times). However, I have done a good amount of traveling in the U.S. I’ve been to three of the islands in Hawaii (Maui, Kauai, and Oahu), New York, Virginia, Maryland, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, and all over California. I love exploring and adventuring more than anything in the world. While some of my friends have been to many more countries than I have, I’ve been up and down California more times than I can count. 

 California

The ocean, mountains, desert, and everything in between is what makes California so amazing. Growing up in Southern California has been a great experience and I wouldn’t want to grow up anywhere else. I’m very grateful for being raised in such a beautiful place and being able to go to the beautiful beaches of Malibu and Santa Barbara, the mountains in Big Bear and Mammoth, and the desert in Palm Springs. I’ve been camping in Malibu, Carpinteria, Big Sur, and Big Pine lakes. Big Sur is one of the most beautiful places in the world. It makes sense why it was the generic default wallpaper on the MacBook for a while. Big Sur is the perfect spot where the mountains meet the coast, full of Redwoods, beautiful hikes, and pristine beaches. That being said, favorite spot in California, a spot that I’m moving to upon graduation is San Diego. I love San Diego because it’s the perfect mix of a big city and a smaller city right on the coast. It’s got all the great aspects of LA plus some elements that LA doesn’t have. For instance, it’s got the big city feel and opportunity that LA has, but it’s also got beautiful beaches, more laid-back people, less traffic, less homeless, warmer water, and better weather. That’s why I want to move to San Diego when I graduate this May. 

 International

Hablo un poco de Español. I worked in Oxnard for four years of my life in high school and college and there is a heavy Mexican population in Oxnard. There are many Mexicans with many Mexican markets, restaurants, and shops. Everyone at the company I worked at spoke Spanish, with some guys speaking only Spanish. Therefore, I learned a decent amount of Spanish in my time there. Even though I’ve done a significant amount of domestic travel, I really want to travel more outside of the U.S. Some places at the top of my list are Europe (Spain, Italy, Portugal, Netherlands, Germany, France, and Switzerland), Australia, Norway, Brazil, Japan, and Bali. I really want to go more places, learn more languages, experience other cultures, try new foods, and meet new people. I love meeting new people from other countries as I was exposed to a great number of international cultures at my high school, which was a boarding school in Ojai, CA. Some of my best friends were Russian, Turkish, Thai, Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, Mexican, and Indian. Now at USC I’ve made some more international friends as well. I can’t wait to visit some of the countries that some of my best friends are from.