Riverwalk in Grenoble |
I started off my summer by getting an amazing opportunity to study abroad in France. I studied at a school called Grenoble Ecole De Management and took business and marketing courses while I was there. While we had to go to class during the week, we had a bunch of time to explore as well. The first three weeks were spent in a city called Grenoble, France, and the last full week was in Paris, France. Seeing what life was like in Grenoble was so cool! For someone who has never been out of the country before, experiencing the culture of a totally different continent was incredible! The food, the people, the architecture, EVERYTHING was new to me.
Park Guell in Barcelona |
We were fortunate enough to be able to travel on the weekends as well! The group of people I went with decided to take a trip to Barcelona, Spain on our first weekend. The views in this city were like nothing I have ever seen before. The non touristy parts of the city were my favorite because you got to see how people actually lived with the markets, shops, neighborhoods, and schools - so neat! The people were so friendly and fun loving everywhere you went here too! We saw the Sagrada Familia (the church that the disney castle is based off of), explore Park Guell, eat at the yummy tapas restaurants, and experience the fun nightlife of the city! And those were just the highlights!
Grand Canal, Venice |
The following weekend the group and I traveled to Venice, Italy. One of my favorite cities by far! Strolling around the streets of Venice and looking out to all of the canals feels like walking past a massive painting. Everything in Venice looks exactly like I imagined it to be, but better! The Grand Canal and riverwalks were so breathtaking. We even got to take a gondola ride through the city! And the FOOD! Ugh Italian food is so amazing! I would live in Italy for the food alone!! Such beautiful, much wow! ;)
Gondola ride in Venice |
In front of the Eiffel Tower, Paris |
The entire trip and experience was hands down the best thing that I have ever decided to do! Because of this trip I now have so many great friends, the coolest stories, and memories that will last a lifetime. I miss it so much already and cannot wait to continue my adventures traveling again soon!!
The whole crew in Paris |
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If studying abroad wasn't cool enough, I've also had many other cool experiences this summer as well! Along with working at the Student Center, I have been a marketing intern with the Bluegill Music Fest. The fest took place on July 4th and the Rend Lake Dam in Benton, IL. 20 bands, 3 stages, unlimited food & drink, and lots of cool activities - this was a rockin' good time! This was the first country music festival of this size to ever hit Southern Illinois! The Eli Young Band headlined the festival and killed it on the main stage right after the biggest firework show in Southern Illinois took place! Such an awesome experience! The makers of the festival plan to make it an annual event and bigger and better each year! I cannot wait to see how it expands in the years to come!
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If you haven't realized by now, I am quite the adventurous person. I love thrill and am a major risk taker! My biggest thrill of the summer so far was taking the leap of faith and jumping out of a plane......yes! I went skydiving! Such a wild time! I surprisingly wasn't scared to jump out, but more anxious. My heart pounded so hard as soon as we were standing 13,000 feet in the air, looking down at the ground that was so far away, and getting ready to jump out. I did a tandem jump and had a guy attached to my back that jumped out with me. Jaco, a new friend from South Africa, was super cool and helpful the entire time! He counted to three and we jumped from the plane, backflipping and spinning around everywhere! SO Epic!! After 40 seconds of free falling we were down to 6,000 feet and Jaco pulled the parachute. We jolted straight up and down and floated down to the ground the rest of the way. He let me control the parachute for a while and we spun around multiple times until we were about to land. Skydiving = UNREAL!!
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My summer has been insane already, but it is far from over! Stay tuned to catch up on the rest of my adventures! :)