Autour du Monde en 4 Ans...

On the brink of graduation, I have spent a lot of time reflecting back on my college career. How can I sum up the last 4 years? Stress? Freedom? Blossoming adulthood? Intellectual enlargement?

-- Actually, perhaps surprisingly, my college career can be labeled with one over-arching word: travel.

Since I arrived in Provo lo these four years ago, I have found every opportunity to leave. In fact, reading through my journals for the last few years, I have discovered that I have traveled to nearly every nook and cranny in this country as a student, as well as many places throughout the world.

Please enjoy my own makeshift travel journal below, as I immortalize my college career in my adventures.


-If my apartment was burning (heaven forbid), I would save this first: my most prized possession; my ticket to freedom. This has been my most constant companion in times of trial, and, well - travel (bad pun, I know...).



Ahh...home. Every year I return to my beloved Vermont, where the trees cover the earth and the people know that 'syrup' comes from trees, not corn. Champlain. Green Mountains. Sanity. My heart breaks for those who will never know the New England way of life, for that surely is a great and terrible tragedy.

Sunday, 7 June, 2009 - It is a rainy day in Vermont...




Paris. Summer after my freshman year, I went with my family. You can only imagine how a family of 8 redheads stuck out in the black-clothing ridden city. Beret? Check. Crêpes on the Champs? Check. Escargot? Check.

Thursday, 23 August, 2007 - Paris. Day 2. Time is so screwed up for me right now - it is almost 7 AM Paris time, and last night I slept for nearly 12 hours...



London study abroad, summer after sophomore year. I really think I could live in Notting Hill for the rest of my life and have no problem - am I a speaking blasphemy as a French major if I say I like London better than Paris?...the streets of London are so alive, so full of color and vibrancy, so green and so dirty all at once. I cried when I was torn away to come back to school in the States.

Wednesday, 1 July, 2008 - England is fantastic. Today we are on our way to Stonehenge and Bath - I am looking forward to seeing things beyond London...


Four months after London, I went to Washington, D.C. to intern for Senator Hatch. How good to be living on the East Coast again, in the heart of the nation! These four months were hands down the best of my college career - while in D.C. I traveled to New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland, and West Virginia. As you can see, I wore out my favorite pair of heels on the marble floors of the Capitol...

Sunday, 25 January, 2009 - I am absolutely loving Washington...


While in Washington, I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend the Inauguration of President Obama. I cannot describe how amazing it was to stand with millions of Americans (and yes, below is a picture of my coveted ticket) on the lawn of the Capitol, and watch democracy carry on from one administration to the next.

Wednesday, 21 January, 2009 - Yesterday the Mall was absolutely swarming with people. More than 2 million flooded the streets of DC to witness the inauguration of Obama...


While living in D.C., I traveled to NYC for Valentine's Day weekend with some friends. It was the most freezing weekend I can remember (okay, okay - it does get down to 40 below in Vermont, but living in Utah the last few years has made me weak), and we collapsed from walking at the end of every day. Broadway? Check. Chinatown fake Versace bag? Check. Exorbitant food prices? Check. (Confession: So I actually saw the NYC Ballet in D.C., but it fit in nicely with this exhibit)

Sunday, 22 February, 2009 - Last weekend for President's Day I went to New York with some friends. This was my first trip to the city, and it was honestly one of the best weekends of my life...


Approximately after 3 weeks after returning to Utah from Washington, I went on a road trip to San Francisco, for no other reason than I could. I saw redwoods, I saw the famous Golden Gate Bridge, I got free chocolate at the Ghirardelli factory, I went to a Giants game, and I saw my first San Francisco street cars. Wow. What a cool place.

Sunday, 21 June, 2009 - I am driving back to Provo after an amazing road trip to San Francisco...


Two months after California I went with some girlfriends to the isles of Hawaii (thank you tanking economy for cheap flights). After two bottles of 80 SPF, and spending the 10 days under the cover of an umbrella, I have decided that as a fair-skinned redhead, tropical isles are not my ideal vacation spot. Sunburn, however, did not prevent me from enjoying every minute, especially the characters we met in our international hostel, or the breathtaking hikes deep within the misty mountains.

Thursday, 3 September, 2009 - Last week my best girlfriends and I came back from an amazing 10 day trip to Oahu...



What adventures await me following graduation??? Well, only time will tell, but I am officially moving to Provence, France in September for a year, and so I will have plenty to write about in my coming Mediterranean travels...Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, j'arrive...