I am so nervous for the fall. I am stressed trying to get together all the paperwork and stuff in order to get my student visa. It's such a pain actually. I haveto pay for and sign up for this CampusFrance thing first, then they will let me apply for a visa, then I have to go to the French embassy to get it done. I called there and they spoke to me in French and I was so caught off guard I sounded like an idiot on the phone. I didn't know if I should just start speaking, or say my " I don't speak French" disclaimer. I'm taking a French class soon, so no worries...I'll be able to say "I don't speak French", in French...

Anyway I can't wait to meet the people I'll be travelling with. So far I'm the only girl in the facebook group, there like 10 of us so far who have joined it. It's kind of weird seeing the people on facebook first though because you can't help but make judgements, "oh that pictures weird, they must always do that"

Babson

I have recently been one of 25 students to be accepted into Babson College's Global Entrepreneurship program, graduating summer of 2012. The Babson students team up with 20 students from Emlyon University in France and 20 from Zhejiang University and China to travel, work, live, and study together. This fall I will be headed to Lyon, France for a semester, then to Hangzhou, China for the second semester.

My blog will probably start back then

Adobe MAX

At Suffolk I'm the Secretary of the Information Systems club, and this year we got to attend the Adobe MAX conference in L.A. Suffolk paid for the whole thing, so sweet. So the four e-board members and one professor flew to L.A. this past October, along with thousands of others from all over the world. MAX is a conference for Adobe users, employees, developers, and designers to come together and take sessions on various topics (3D photoshop, E-magazines, creating Apps for android). There's lots of technology, networking, and food.

This conference exceeded my expections by a lot. I thought it was going to be a bunch of geeks talking about boring programming stuff the whole time, when really it was interesting sessions, awesome keynote speakers (Adobe CIO, Martha Sewert, William Shatner, CTO of Google), tons of free food and booze, free stuff (all attendees got a FREE DROID 2, and free Google TV device!), and a huge party called the Max bash.

In the lobby there was a huge chalk board for attendees to draw and write on. Some of the drawings were really creative. Can you find Suffolk University? My handwriting is ugly but my group made me write it.

There were tons of sessions to choose from, and Adobe planned the conference so well that you were never bored from 8am-10pm. There were always things to do. I mean, c'mon look at this "At a Glance" schedule...really?

3D Photoshop session (CS5)

Free Google TV devices

The second night of the conference there was a huge party for all the attendees, MAX Bash. It was on the top of a parking garage, outside and under tents. There was so much food: Chinese, Italian and Mexican. There was a 360 degree photobooth (we got some prety rediculous ones). Arcade games, celebrity look alikes, music, a band (The Bravery), a stripper-type lady with a snake, street drummers, and a tarot card reader. Not to mention open bar of Beer and Wine all night.  It was wild. I met these guys from Belgium and we kept doing accents...their American accent was so funny.

Adobe MAX conference was SO awesome. I want to go again next year, I mean, free food, booze, and technology for three days? Who wouldn't?

Volunteering

Last March I went on an Alternative Spring Break trip to Detroit to do volunteer work. It was awesome, and I met a group of amazing people. We even stayed at a haunted church. Volunteer work is underrated I've never had a bad experience, even when it's awkward.

Detroit,  March 2010

Weekends with Raychel

So, recently I've been hanging out with Raychel at least once every weekend. Sometimes in Lowell, Billerica, or Boston. She also has recently introduced me to Four Lokos. Oops

6:30am

A recent favorite time we had was last weekend. Our friend had a party in Lowell and after everyone was gone(4am) the last four of us decided to walk to a random old bridge/dam type thing and sit on it, just hangin out you know. By the time we walked back it was 6am and the sun was coming up. Our first thought of course is to go get McDonald's breakfast, because let's be serious, in real life you're never up early enough to get McDonald's breakfast and if you are you certainly don't have time to go get it/enjoy it. So three of us went and left our friend at his house, promising to bring him back a sandwich. When we returned he was face down on the floor passed out. You should have seen the face he gave me when I woke  him up, deer in headlights or something, I don't know. I still think about it sometimes and laugh to myself.

I just love her:

Ned Devines - Boston, MA

My apt - Boston, MA

Sometimes she holds dogs:

Billerica, MA

 And sometimes we enjoy homemade pizza together, prepared by our friend Derek. Thanks Diroc

Cake hero

Sometimes I bake cakes

Billerica, MA

Cliff walk

After a wild night visiting Meg at RWU, we decided to spend the afternoon doing the Cliff walk at Salve Regnia. It was a perfect day for it too. 

Newport, RI

Meg - Newport RI

There were so many beautiful houses, this was one of my favorites:

Newport, RI

Halfway through the walk there was a random Chinese themed structure. It seemed so out of place amoung the mansions.

Newport, RI

Weird Tunnel - Newport, RI

Newport, RI

Long lost friend

When I went to Beijing last summer I met a Chinese girl named Daisy(Her English name). She and three other students took us to bars and showed us around a little. We had some beers and played some Chinese games involving dice. She was awesome so we exchanged e-mails. We had been pen pals for about a year when she told me that she was coming to Boston University to get her masters degree this fall. I was so excited. Today we met up for the first time in Boston and I showed her around. We went to Fanuil Hall, Downtown Crossing, and Chinatown where we ate the best dumplings I've ever had in the U.S. There was even some gossip about boys. Just because you're from opposite sides of the world, don't share the same first language, and have completely different cultures doesn't mean you're actually that different.

Beijing 2009

Boston 2010

World Expo

So this past June I was in Shanghai and had the chance to visit the World Expo. This is basically a world fair where each country has a pavilion in which they can show their culture, economy, food and whatever else they feel like. The larger countries built big, elaborate, and creative pavilions. For example, the UAE's pavilion looked like solid gold mountain, showing off their wealth. Some so artistic they don't even look like buildings. This is one of my favorites, the UK pavilion. 

You go inside that thing? Hell yeah you do.

UK pavilion World expo - Shanghai, China

Another Favorite of mine was the Australian pavilion. It is supposed to represent Australia's Ayer's Rock (Uluru). The building's edges look so smooth and rounded, and I like the tube through the side of the building. This is where people walk through to get inside, COOL.

Australia Pavilion - Shanghai, China

Australia Pavilion - Shanghai, China

A few other favorites:

Taiwan Pavilion - Shanghai, China

Taiwan was at it's best at night. So cool

Saudi Arabia Pavilion - Shanghai, China

Spaceship? I guess they're aliens over there.

China Pavilion - Shanghai, China

World Expo Mascot, he's the man

CHINA!! 

We spent an entire day walking around this expo and I couldn't stop saying "WHOA! Cool!". It was one of my favorite things that we did in China. It's sad that they take down most of the buildings after it's over, they're so pretty. I wish I could buy them and live in them.

 The next Expo is in South Korea in 2012, let's hope I'm lucky enough to get to that one too.

Night out

A random girl started telling me stories in the bathroom and preceded to follow me around...telling me more stories. I give you Crazy Brazilian Girl:

Tommy Doyle's -Cambridge, MA

Also, a man in a coat tried to woo Lori with his swing moves. Did it work?

I don't think so. Maybe next time swing guy. I'm rootin' for YOU.

Car Problems

Kenmar Apartments - Billerica, MA

Mean old men park behind my car to prove a point. Apparently I parked in his mini-vans spot. Just trying to visit Meggo at her dad's apartment, didn't mean to cause a ruckus in the neighborhood. He wouldn't move it and was trying to make me drive over the curb/lawn...I had to call the Billerica Police...who also didn't help. Then everyone yelled at me until I cried. Then he moved the van...really old guy? really?

In my world...

Pillows can be two-three times their normal size..

Cairns, Australia. Reef Casino

Where to start...

So I went to Australia because it had been on my list of things to do since I was about 10, also, my best friend happen to be studying abroad there. ..

Meg F

Originally I was going to go alone, but my Dad had expressed interest in going, so of course I invited Woodrow and he funded our adventure. We started in Melbourne, then to Alice Springs and Ayer's Rock (outback), then Cairns (reef) then ended in Sydney where he took a plane home and I took a train to Wollongong. 

I'll post pictures from the trip eventually, but for now WHATS UP 

Meg F. - Wollongong

Meg enjoying a day on Wollongong beach. Sorry Meg, for some reason I love this picture.

Meg F, Laura B - Wollongong, Weerona College

Time: 11am. Mission: drink this box of wine before any other team. Moral of the story: Don't choose me as your partner.

This was what they call a Goon Challenge. In Australia alcohol is extremly expensive, so college kids end up drinking cheap boxed wine ALL the time. I'm not kidding it's all the fucking time, barely ever get to drink anything normal. So Meg basically poured cheap wine down my throat the whole time I visited her. Anyway, we ended up finishing out box around 1ish and going to a "footy" game.  Poor Meg ended up having to chug the entire box because I probably only had about 4-5 cups. She had a little difficulty before we left for the game...but soon enough...

Caitlin, Laura B, Meg F - University of Wollongong game

Long overdue

So a while ago I was telling a friend's (Raychel's) mom about my adventures over the summer(Australia/China) and she insisted that if I started a blog, I would not be sorry. So here I am, blogging my little heart away. Just blogging everywhere, all over the place.