the world as you have never before imagined it...

I'm riding a high, unlike anything else, that will trickle off much sooner than I want it to. The passion, the ideas, the inspiration, the abundant waves of culture, the PEOPLE are more than I ever could have hoped for. Despite the fact that every single person I know who had been in this type of setting before had "warned" me that it would change my life, no one could have really prepared me for how true this was.

Brodie warned us during one of our presentations the other day about how strongly people rely on "highs", regardless of what they come from, and challenged us to remember that AIESEC DOES NOT happen at conferences, but rather, that the magic and the mission TRULY takes place when you are able to ride out that high and bring the conference back home with you.

watch out Madtown, here I come.

Colombia es pasion...

Es lo que todo dice aqui. No se como explicar pero claro que es cierto.

Warning: I may not leave next week without putting up a fight.

and i can smell the ocean, the salt in the air...

Emotions are running high these days.

I'm starting to feel the pressure of my crazy idea of planning two international excursions, nearly back to back, right at that crucial midterm point of the semester...and my very last semester at that. Instead of staying focused on the research paper rough draft and French midterm that are due tomorrow, my mind has found a million other things to occupy itself with. The list keeps getting longer of things to do, things to buy, things to pack, bills to pay, emails to send... I finally finished unpacking and doing a million loads of laundry (I think I brought home at least a few pounds of sand from the beach in my suitcase), just in time to repack my bags.

Yet, I don't mind at all. The glass of chianti next to my laptop may be helping that just a little. But seriously, every minute of hassle and lack of sleep is so completely worth it. When I travel, I feel alive. I feel that rush of passion that can't quite by explained or replaced by anything else on earth. The chance to step out of your comfort zone and into another culture, the awkward situations and uncertainty, the lack of familiarity that so many shy away from...and that I thrive on. Gotta mix things up, keep it from getting too easy.

Overall assessment of Jamaica: amazing. The culture and the people were unlike anywhere that I have ever been before. I could probably go on forever about my impressions of the country itself, but I'll leave that for another time, or the studying will really never happen. It was a wonderful feeling to bust out the passport for the first time since sophomore year. And I'm not gonna lie, I needed a week of relaxing on the beach, hanging out with some amazing chicas, and rockin' it out to some crazy parties at Margaritaville. We met some great people and Melissa and I randomly ran into a bunch of our guy friends from freshman year in the dorms. seriously, Chadbourne follows you everywhere...

Time to git 'er done. Colombia is so close, I can almost feel it.

bloggin' from jamaica

...the land of beautiful beaches and jerk chicken, margaritaville and rum punch, where everything is "no problem mon", even if that means you are positive that you will not survive the cab ride to your next destination. oh, the stories that we have...

i'm leaving on a jet plane...

Awesome surprise...I got to spend today with a few of my favorite trainees :)




Off to Jamaica, for a relaxing week in the sun. Have a wonderful break everyone and I will see you in a week....

i'm gonna miss this randomness over the next few weeks....

FAC + barhopping = me and Grace packing for spring break DRUNK

quotes of the evening:

Bruni - "My nipples hurt"

Grace = "Should I pack underwear?"

Me - "Adam, you have to go somewhere cool this summer so I can come visit you"
Adam - "Noooooo, go buy me cheese curds"

and where are you from??

It's always nice to see a familiar face. And if you come into the coffeeshop Thursday mornings, there's a pretty good chance that I know what "your" drink is...right down to how many shots of espresso, what kind of milk, extra foam, and how hot you would like that latte to be steamed.

But there's nothing like a couple of really cute foreign guys, with unbelievably hot accents, to break up the early morning, middle age, on the way to work, business crowd of regulars.

mmmmm. There's one way to make that crazy early shift a little bit more bearable.

:)

one last hurrah of the weekend...or something like that

hurrying home at about 245am after I had finally called it a night at hcw and looking forward to the warmth of my bed. turning the corner in front of memorial union, i realized just how beautiful madison is when covered in a fresh blanket of snow, set against a perfectly silent night, with no people, no traffic, nothing to break the stillness. i failed to notice however that the snow-covered sidewalk had turned into a sheet of ice and before i knew it, arms were flailing, feet out from underneath me, no way i could save it, landed right on my ass and slid down the sidewalk a bit. it's all good...could've been worse, middle of the day, middle of bascom hill, something like that. and that's when the laughter of several guys behind me broke the silence and i realized i wasn't actually alone. oops. i guess anyone stuck at the library until almost 3am could probably use a little comic relief. i do what i can.

an unveiling...

for the few, the strong, the dedicated, who outlasted the rest until the earliest hours of this morning