Although sometimes it feels like winter, or summer. Typical April weather is what I am trying to say.  The weather may be changing but one thing is for certain, ONE MORE WEEK OF CLASSES!!! Get excited.

International Events

Light the Night for Haiti

On March 31st, the International club hosted “Light the Night for Haiti”, a fundraiser to collect funds for the Brothers of Christian Instruction at the Walsh chapel. Most of the international students came to participate and recite poems and prayers in their native languages and listen to others while some played musical instruments to showcase their talents. Brother Marcel gave us all insight on the conditions of Haiti and what the funds would be contributing to. There was even a few Walsh faculty and staff present, one of whom did a fantastic job demonstrating his multi-musical skills. More than $1,000 was raised by this effort, so I would like to say a big thank-you to all who came and supported this worthy cause.

Our candle table from "Light the Night for Haiti"

Tennis time

Our season is nearly finished and what a success it has been! Our men’s team recently completed the match that would make them conference champions, congrats boys! The women just missed the mark for conference champions, but that doesn’t mean we are out of the running at all. It just gives us more incentive to win our regional tournement, to be hosted at Walsh APril 29-30th on the outdoor courts behing Giant Eagle. Here are the results so far:

Women’s records: Baldwin Wallace- L 4-5, Malone - W 7-2, Ursuline- W 9-0, Tiffin- W 9-0, Carlow- W 9-0, Shawnee- W 9-0, UNOH- L 4-5, Georgetown - L 2-7, Cedarville- W 8-1, Robert’s Wesleyan- W

Next matches: Otterbein HOME Friday 23rd at 12 p.m., Grove City HOME Tuesday 27th at 4p.m.

Ready for another awesome match!

Men’s records: Notre Dame- W 9-0, Malone- W 9-0, Cedarville- W, Georgetown - W, UNOH- W 8-1, Muskingum- W, Robert’s Wesleyan - W

Next Matches: @ Ohio Northern Mon 19th at 3:30pm, @ Kenyon Sun 25th at 9 a.m, Grove City HOME Tues 27th at 4pm

Our men's doubles in action.

Good luck to both teams!

Ski Club Seconds

Repeat: Plans are already underway for our 2010 winter break trip. It’s never to early to plan! If you are interested in joining ski club, please contact me at juliakole@walsh.edu for more info. We are thinking big this year, with possible locations of Quebes, Canada or Vermont in the plans. More information to follow!

In Other Walsh News . . .

Honors Convocation and Servant Leadership Banquet

Every year around this time Walsh likes to acknowledge students who have been dedicated to achieving high grades and giving back to the school. This year’s convocation was wonderful, with a great performance by the chorale and lots of awards and recognitions to Walsh students, traditional and non-traditional alike. I had not been to the banquet before, but I am assuming that it has always been such a well-attended event. I was happy to see the kind of involvement some students put forth on campus as well as off of it all in the spirit of volunteering. Congratulations to everyone who was recognized that evening, including my fallow Blogger Chris who was chosen as the recipient for the TOWER award

Cleveland Culture

In honor of a friend’s birthday, a few friends and I went up to Cleveland to watch Cirque du Soleil: Allegria. What an amazing performance! The things people can do with their bodies is unreal (mesmerizing/creepy contortionists). The high-flying acrobatics on the trapeze, funky bungee cord and trampolines was out of control. Never have a gasped so dramatically in my life! Afterwards we topped the night off with dinner at P.F. Chang’s. Highly recommended if you are an avid foodie like I am. Delicious.

Wireless petition

Horray! Someone has finally started this! I would love to see wireless installed all across campus, as would the 300+ students who have signed the petition. It would be much more convenient and almost necessary in the technological world of today. Hope this petition makes it through

Student Advisory Board

A new organization at Walsh, the Student Advisory Board (SAB) is a small board of students chosen by the faculty from the School of Business to discuss current topics within the Business program. Our semester of meetings and discussions was met with great success! We will continue to meet next academic year and try and tackle current issues within the program to further benefit all current and incoming Walsh students.

Travel Tips and Tangents

Sorry, no feature this week. But a few tips:

- Plan your trips, but be flexible. Having a tight schedule fit for the military is always prone to changes, so never set plans in stone.

- Pick your travel buddies well. Try to find someone or a small group of people who have similar interests with you.  It makes for a more enjoyable experience.

- Not comfortable jumping halfway across the world? Start small. Travel to a major city in your state for the day or stay overnight. It’s amazing the kinds of experiences you can find locally. Or, be a tourist in your own town.

- watch out for gypsies

Travelling with friends makes the experience even better :)

Have a great week everyone!

Julia

]]> http://www.lifeatwalsh.com/aprils-wild-weather-makes-for-an-interesting-birthday-month/feed/ http://www.lifeatwalsh.com/march-madness/ http://www.lifeatwalsh.com/march-madness/#comments Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:17:48 +0000 Julia http://www.lifeatwalsh.com/?p=961 Hey all!

If you are in Ohio right now, specifically the North Canton area, I do hope you are getting out and enjoying this wonderful weather. As unpredictable as Ohio is with its weather patterns, this week has been amazing! Let’s hope it decides to stay for a while.

International Events

Wondering about World Week?

I sure am! Has anyone noticed all of those posters on every wall and door? Well, you should because they are promoting a very fun-filled week of cultural goodness. Come and enjoy desserts from around the world, diverse musical performances and displays of many of the countries represented by your very own Walsh students! Keep a look out for the Canadian table, complete with ketchup chips and native jewelry

Tennis time

Well our season is really underway now and both the men and women are in game mode. The men picked up a win at the University of Findlay 8-1 on Sunday and repeated their winning status again by defeating Tiffin on our home turf 7-2. The boys fought hard on Monday and a thanks is in order to some Walsh fans who made it crossing the street. I hope we can count on Walsh fans to increase their support for both teams to come cheer them on when we play at home. For those of you who do not know, our home courts are in Hoover Park, behind Giant Eagle.

Diego of Argentina fighting it out yesterday in singles. Vamos!

Some supporters watching the men on our home courts. Cloudless day, no wind, great time for tennis!

CJ and Jarred playing all out for their singles matches.

The women play Ashland University today at HOME!!!! Our match starts at 3pm, please come support your Cavs!

Next matches: Men and Women play away at Wittenberg Saturday March 20th.

Men: Sunday 21st at West Virginia Weslyan

Thursday 25th HOME against Norte Dame. 3pm at the outdoor courts!

Women: Tuesday 23rd at Baldwin Wallace.

Ski Club Seconds

Plans are already underway for our 2010 winter break trip. It’s never to early to plan! If you are interested in joining ski club, please contact me at juliakole@walsh.edu for more info. We are thinking big this year, with possible locations of Quebes, Canada or Vermont in the plans. More information to follow!

In Other Walsh News . . .

Career opportunities for all

I guess the warmer weather gets us all in working mode. There have been many career-related activities going on around Walsh, including job fairs and mock interviews. It’s a great way to polish skills and get updated on what’s going on in the real world ( yes, there is a world outside of campus life, scary eh?).

St, Paddy’s Day soundtrack

Thanks to our Student Government president, Walsh was getting it’s Irish on all afternoon. Will was kind enough to provide the campus with a selection of Irish tunes as he blasted them out of his apartment window. It’s always a good day when you can jig and skip your way to class.

Men’s Basketball made us all proud

I was so thrilled to see the support our Men’s Basketball team drew into the Barrette Conference rooms during their final match with St. Francis in the NAIA Division II National Championships. So many people came to show their support for their team, and our men fought hard right until the very end. Great season boys, hope to see you back at the Championships next year!

Travel Tips and Tangents

Ever heard of St. Francis of Assisi? Well I went to pay him a visit in Assisi, Italy along with my Rome Experience Fall group of 2009. Of course, there was no real conversation, but I was very impressed with the Cathedral and town of Assisi. It had such a medieval vibe with its cobblestone streets, twists and turns and of course its walls around the city. We did not get a chance to visit the modern part of Assisi, but who would want to? We had a great day of exploring the many shops and restaurants in the small town and got an in-depth lesson of all things Assisi. A very quaint little place and a definite must for any Italian pilgrimage.  A word to the wise, no heels in this city! Everything is on an incline and paved in uneven stones. Leave the Manolos at home and just pack flats and running shoes. Your feet will thank you later!

Assisi Cathedral is the king of the hill. Worth the climb!

The little place St. Francis would pray. I think it was an old stable. He was an avid lover of nature..

Bellisimo! Such great scenery and atmosphere in this little town.

Have a great weekend everyone! 2 more weeks until Easter Break!

Welcome back everyone!

I hope you all enjoyed your week off school and went travelling to all sorts of fine and exotic destinations. Stayed home and worked? Well at least you made money, whereas I just ended up spending a lot of it. I blame Florida’s outlet malls and their tempting prices.

International Events

Kalahari was a big SPLASH!

Our international trip was met with great success! Everyone went wild at the water parks and good fun was had by all. It was a nice change to snow and cold, that’s for sure. A few of our daring boys tried out body-boarding while trying to keep their bathing suits (some had little success with that one), while others tried out surfing! We all conquered all of the water slides, with my favorites being the water roller coaster and the 4 person giant slide with a funnel. The next day we went to Great Wolf Lodge’s waterpark, which was not as extensive but just as much fun. Thanks to all who went and thanks to Lori for helping organize much of the trip.

Waiting for the giant bucket to drench us at Great Wolf Lodge

Diego up on the board for about 3 seconds.

Tennis Time

Walsh took up most of the AirTran plane on our way down to Kissimmee, Florida. Both men and women’s teams went down for a week to play some tennis, soak up some rays and enjoy our time off before our season really gets underway. Although the sun was not as present as we would have liked (and temperatures were far from tropical), it was the best trip yet! The women won their Webber International and Rochester matches and all girls had a chance to play. Even I got back into it, though I am very rusty after being off with an injury. Our next match is away at Ashland U on Friday March 19th at 12pm outdoors, 3pm indoors. The men play Sunday March 14th at the University of Findlay at 9:45am.

Ski Club Seconds

Other students chose to head North-East instead of South and went to Jay Peak, Vermont for a 5-day intense ski trip with a ski club from Cleveland. President Alex and 3 other Walshers enjoyed amazing conditions and spared me no details, which made me rather jealous. Wish I had pictures!

In Other Walsh News . . .

Adios snow!

The temperatures are creeping up and the snow is making a slow and steady exit. I don’t think there will be more on the way, but hey, we can still hope for a freak blizzard and a snow day!

Convenience Store mark-ups

Yes, Flex-dollars are not real money but does that mean we students must get scammed out of our credits so quickly? Since when does a box of Nilla-wafers cost more than $5.00??? I would like some justice here. You know we are strapped on cash so please make more student-friendly pricing

Travel Tips and Tangents

Although I did not have a camera to bring on this trip, the sights were basically the same. So this week, let’s travel down south to Florida for some sunshine and colorful buildings. Kissimmee, Florida is on the outskirts of Orlando and from what I can tell, a big resort and condo hot-spot. There are some pretty cheesy stores and attractions and wacky themed motels as well as it’s share of classy hotels, resorts, golf-courses and tennis facilities. Too bad there is no beach, but there is lots to do if one has a lot of disposable income. Now for some pictures!

Ignoring the clouds, the complex was quite pretty.

Where we spend every moment we aren't sleeping, eating or playing tennis.

I decided to start international friendships with the local wildlife. Note: this bird was pretty darn big!

We took a pass at Disney this year, but last year we had so much fun!!

Enjoy your weeks back before Easter break!

]]> http://www.lifeatwalsh.com/oh-hey-there-spring-break/feed/ http://www.lifeatwalsh.com/winter-is-back-but-lets-go-to-spain-instead/ http://www.lifeatwalsh.com/winter-is-back-but-lets-go-to-spain-instead/#comments Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:44:54 +0000 Julia http://www.lifeatwalsh.com/?p=913 Another break coming up and not a moment too soon. These next few weeks are the first waves of exams, so having a long weekend is always appreciated. It also gives us a chance to get outside and enjoy all of this snow! . . . anyone? hmm? No, I’m probably alone on that one.

International Events

Valentine’s Day at Kalahari

The plans are being finalized, the rooms booked and money collected for Kalahari madness! 20 students will be enjoying the wild water fun at both Great Wolf Lodge and Kalahari this weekend. No need to brave the elements, it’s all indoors!

Tennis Time

Our first match is fast approaching and we are working hard to get ready. The women play Kenyon at 2pm Sat 13th while the men have a tournament at the University of Charleston Friday 12-Sat 13th. Wish us all luck! Not only for our matches, but for the hours and hours of driving we have ahead of us. Wish we had a tennis bus because those passenger vans are impossible to find a comfy position to sleep in!

Ski Club Seconds

Our 7Springs ski trip to Champion, PA is a definite go! Alex and I worked hard on a pretty sweet poster, complete with the yeti monster from that wonderfully advanced PC game Ski Free. I was so thrilled to find the picture of the monster I went back to the room and downloaded the original version. (It’s as addicting now as it was when I was 13). But back to the trip. Conditions look great and the group looks like a fun bunch. Will post some pictures on that too, when I find that darn converter SD card for my phone . . .

In Other Walsh News . . .

Blizzards Abound

The campus looks amazing with this dusting (actually about 2 feet) of snow. This morning the trees had a sparkly layer of frost on them that distracted me for a bit on my way to class. It’s nice to have winter again though *ducks to avoid angry glares from everyone else on campus*

to the snow removal team:

We do realize it is important to clear the paths so students can get to class. However, I don’t think that anyone is too eager to get up bright and early on a Saturday morning. That being said, why do the campus plows start working before the sun is up? If the windows at Walsh were properly sealed and soundproof it would be a different story. But alas, they are not.

Congrats Cafeteria!

I cannot complain right now of our cafeteria food selections, because they are actually good! I mean as far as school food goes, I find I am pretty satisfied every meal I go to. Except Breakfast, that meal needs a dash of creativity, but it still gets the job done.

Travel Tips and Tangents

Let’s escape the snow for a while and jump across to Europe again to visit Toledo. Yes, this is the original Toledo in Spain. It is the central point for catholicism in Spain and is home to the most beautiful cathedral in the country. As a world UNESCO heritage site, this medieval city has kept much of its ancient charm. The city itself is like a maze with alleyways and streets that lead you every which way. Being built on a hill has its advantages, but level walking ground is not one of them. Expect to shed the calories from the marzipan and cheeses you indulge while there with all of the walking you do. Leather goods is also a Toldeo specialty, as is medieval weapons and Damascene jewelry and artworks. Tempted to get a 16th century sword replica, I went for the jewelry instead. Here are some memories of the wonderful city of Toledo:

Narrow streets make cars outright ridiculous here.

Group shot! Not everyone, but you get the idea.

Happy 2010 everyone!

Hope you all had a great holiday break. Whether it was a whole month, a few weeks, or just a few days, I’m sure it was fun and relaxing and well deserved! I finally got to go home, a  place I haven’t been to since August. Good times were had seeing family, friends and the dogs (a new puppy spells JOY in any language). Boxing Day was a smashing success and the credit card was just as worn out as I was at the end of the spree. I was not pleased by the fact that I left for home expecting snow and found out later that Ohio got MUCH more than my hometown did. Myth = busted. Canada is NOT the land of ice and snow. Just bitter cold, maple syrup and toques. ( pronounced “tewk”). But enough about my Northern adventures, let’s get back to business:

International Events

For all of the internationals that do not have such a love affair with snow like Canadians do, the club is organizing a tubing trip on MLK day. What better way to appreciate the snow by ripping down a mountain at an alarming speed? Pictures will come next week.

Stay tuned for International club fundraisers!

Tennis Time

Spring semester can only mean “it’s game time!” Both the men and women are hitting the gym and the courts to prepare for another great season. Nationals anyone? It’s possible. Let’s make it a reality this year! Please keep stopping by for updates on match dates and come out to support us if you can.

Spring Break is coming up! Can hardly wait :)

In Other Walsh News . . .

Ski club shreds the slopes in New York

What better way to celebrate the end of exams than with a little bit of R&R? After a few pit stops and a flat tire, 30 Walsh students headed up with their gear in vans to Ellicottville, New York to take on Holiday Valley Ski Resort. Some wrong turns and a few more hours later, we made it to our rooms just in time for some night skiing. Our three-day voyage flew by all too fast, as did many of our talented skiers and boarders as they conquered the slopes. Perfect conditions and no crowds made it the best ski trip yet! (for me at least).

Alex and I on the way up.

Me on the left with one of the Professors and other Walsh students.

A new cafeteria gets a thumbs up from me!

An extreme makeover: University edition must have taken place while we all went home. I came back Sunday evening to find the food section of the cafeteria redone and lookin’ fine! With more diverse food choices, more food options and our lovable waffle makers *applause*, I may be stopping by there more often.

Welcome back Rome Fall II participants!

We missed you! Another year of Walsh Italian adventures successful.

Travel Tips and Tangents

I will count the ski trip as this weeks edition.

Enjoy your first weeks of classes everyone!

Julia

International Events

The International Dinner was a great success! All of our hours and hard work paid off beautifully, as many have claimed that it was the best dinner yet. We had so many tables filled with wonderful food from around the world and everyone had enough to eat. The entertainment portion was a great success as well. Our salsa dancing made me dizzy as I swayed back up to the podium, too many spins! Keisuke’s piano playing was impressive, as usual, and Thom’s game show was challenging for everyone there. The Internationals ended up winning, congrats! The fashion show gave everyone a chance to learn more about our different cultures’ styles of dress and was a great finale to end off of. I wish I had time to take pictures with my camera, but here are a few I’ve collected from other people:

The International Club crew! Plus some others who helped us out that night.

The President and Vice President after all of our hard work!

Now we can relax and start up again in the spring with fundraisers and spring break trip planning!

Tennis Time

Help support your Walsh Cavaliers tennis teams! Both the men and women are working together to sell Walsh hoodies and sweatpants you CANNOT find in the bookstore. At only $20 a piece, this is a deal you will not want to miss! Check out the David Center during meal times and head on over to our table.

Also for sale, to support your favorite tennis team, are Walsh sports bracelets (think the Livestrong kind). We will be selling these bracelets at home games for basketball in the gym, so when you head for the game grab some extra cash so you can purchase some Walsh pride.

Some of the tennis girls came to support us. Thanks ladies!

In other Walsh news . . .

Ski Club helping Habitat

We couldn’t have picked a better time to participate in our service project. It was a gorgeous fall day in Canton as a group of us Walsh students learned how to measure, cut and put up siding on a house. It was very rewarding to see how happy the homeowner was as she worked alongside us and how grateful she was for our help. It was a great experience, and I’ve become a better handywoman as a result!

Captain’s council, unite!

The Howards are very generous people for letting us spend an evening of good food and good company for our first Captain’s Council meeting. Think of it as a student government meeting for athletes, where each team has a representative come over for dinner to hear the latest news in all things sports here at Walsh. What can I divulge? The tennis courts will be fixed this summer (hurray!), we are still working hard to get into the NCAA and baseball may see a new scoreboard in the future.

Travel Tips and Tangents

This week, let’s jump over the ocean to CADIZ, SPAIN

This little coastal town is set on the Atlantic part of Sothern Spain and has a great quaintness about it. When me and my European friends arrived, it was rainy and miserable with some terrible wind. It was just our luck though, as we were thinking of hoping on a train back to Seville that the sun came out, the rain dried up and the wind was far less violent so we could enjoy our day. We had a seaside lunch of fresh fish, walked around town admiring the great architecture, frolicked in a public park and walked along the seawall for some great views. So sunny, so wonderful, so Spain!

The main square in Cadiz, right after the rainstorm.

One of the seaside parks. Very well kept and very pretty.

A view of a strip of beach from the catwalk out in the sea.

Lots of fishing boats in a harbor. Not much else to say about this one.

Aboot time for an update, eh? Sorry for the delay, work just keeps on piling up and blogging gets up on hold. But I am back and ready to report the latest and greatest in Walsh News:

International Events

The time has come for our club to start preparing for the International Dinner, a huge evening put on by all of us students and our International coordinator for the Walsh community. Since it is at the end of founder’s week and is the wrap-up event for Walsh’s 50^th celebration, there are great expectations this year. I hope to make it successful as possible, so wish me luck as I try to get everything under control! If anyone would like more information on the dinner or would like to help out, send me a message : juliakole@walsh.edu.

Also in international news, I wished Selahaddin Ibrahimy good luck early Saturday morning as he left for the Rome Experience Fall II program. Check out his blogs, where I’m sure he will give you detailed accounts of everything Walsh is doing overseas.

In Cleveland partying it up, Arab style!

Tennis Time

Congratulations Gary and Mark Innes for going down to ITA Nationals in Alabama and representing Walsh! Coach Bossart told me they played extremely well and fought hard, despite their score of 0-6, 3-6. They made a point that Walsh sports are serious business.

Our season has come to an end until March Break. If I hear of anything new, I will let you know.

Having some fun at Disneyworld!

In other Walsh news . . .

A Fall Break in Boston

The Business and Communications Club had something to boast about, going to Boston MA for part of Fall Break. Early Monday morning we departed from Akron-Canton and before you could even settle down in the plane we were off on the subway heading to our hotel. Good thing we had a few students familiar with Boston and it’s public transportation so in no time were moving and shaking like the locals, minus the wicked Bostonian accent. While in this coastal city we visited some main attractions from a business perspective. We had a tour of Harvard (pronounced Hahvahd) and ate in their Business school cafeteria (I recommend the pizza, fresh from the wood-burning oven). We also got to visit the federal reserve, where we were given free money! Shredded and void, of course. Our last planned trip was to the original Samuel Adams brewery, where we entered beer-making 101 and learned how to brew and got to taste fresh beer straight from the vats. Us underagers were not forgotten in this experience and were given free root-beer as a substitute.

Fellow blogger Chris and I on the bridge into Cambridge with Harvard in the background.

It is as beautiful as people say it is.

Erica and I outside of the Brewery

Part of Harvard Business school. beautiful day and beautiful building

The rest of the time we had to create our own itineraries, so of course that translates to a license to shop! Our hotel, the Taj, was located right on Newbury street, the main shopping district in Boston. The spirit was willing, but the purse had limited money, so a trip to Filene’s basement was in order. Great name brands for a fraction of big store prices, a haven for shopaholics everywhere! We also experienced the culinary side of Boston as well as I made it a point to try the seafood, including New England clam chowder, Boston baked beans and Boston cream pie. Some of us stopped into Cheers, the inspiration for that quirky 80s show, and had a hearty meal. We also made a point to see as much of the city as possible in 2 days and what better way to do it than by doing a duck tour? Riding around in amphibious vehicles (a massive military bus that turns into a boat) and listening to a stranger than strange tour guide we saw almost all of Boston and its historical landmarks. We unexpectedly plunged into the river and saw the city from the water as well.

Cheers everyone!

A patriotic Duck tour bus . . . boat . . . whatever.

All in all, a great trip with lots of memories. I wonder where the trip will be next year . . .

Travel Tips and Tangents

I think my Boston trip counts for this section, so I will cut it off here.

Keep checking back for more information from a Canadian perspective!

Julia

A month of school has passed already, I cannot believe it! It seems like only yesterday I was unpacking my clothes and decorating the room. Actually, that was still yesterday, I really must finish up with that Other than the usual bombardment of schoolwork, here is what’s been going on this week:

International Events

I ran two, yes two, International meetings two weeks ago. It actually worked out very well as I had a great turnout at both meetings and lots of ideas for the year. I think we may have too much on the agenda already, but I am willing to do as much as I can to make sure the club keeps active. In recent club news, we are working on various volunteer projects, fundraiser ideas and even a trip down to the Ohio state/Walsh men’s basketball match! If anyone is willing to give me ideas or suggestions of events, please let me know! juliakole@walsh.edu.

Adriana and I last year at bowling. Internatoinals did it again! (and had better scores this time too)

Tennis Time

Sunday the 27th was definitely not the day of rest for women’s tennis. We departed on a long and very country-scenic journey to the University of Findlay for our first team match of the year. All of the girls played very well and our freshmen experienced their first taste of collegiate tennis. Clearly they all liked it because we won as a team 6-3! Way to go ladies!!! Our next match was Thursday the 1st at West Liberty College, but more on that later. Two more matches to go for our fall season!

A glimpse of last year: The Rossi sisters and Jen Yost at a match in Kentucky.

In other Walsh news . . .

Requisition passed! Student Government generously gave us some funds for our Boston expedition. We have a full itinerary ahead of us, I can’t wait! Recent trips added: a tour of the Sam Adam’s brewery! Walsh took over at the Burner-Cox event last Thursday; we had the biggest turnout of students! It was a great evening, and I learned a lot about working in a Public accounting firm and internship expectations. If anyone ever has an opportunity to go to career events I say go do it! It will only benefit you and your decisions on your career field. And remember, sweatpants are strictly casual, they are not considered BUSINESS casual! Dress to impress is the key.

Chef Greg’s meals are well worth the wait. Whenever you see him cooking up a storm, line up! You won’t be disappointed.

Travel Tips and Tangents

I will give you a break from destinations and discuss a different issue this week: gypsies. Now the term gypsy (or gipsy) was a common term used to describe Roma people or “Travellers” around Europe. These people have accumulated certain stereotypes over the years and although they do not apply to all Roma people, some of them enforce the stereotype. Having encountered a few of these nomads through my travels in Europe, I have been inspired to write some badly ripped off poetry that brings their money schemes to literary life:

“One ring to trick them all, one ring to scam them. One ring shown to tourists, to get some euro from them”- when a woman tried to sell Keisuke and I a fake gold ring in Paris

“A pinkie held out is all I need, a pinkie and slick words. to make a bracelet out of string and charge an amount absurd” - when Keisuke paid way too much for a sad little bracelet at the Spanish steps in Italy

“Look how helpful I can be, showing you what to do. for all the work I did today, I take 2 euro from you!” - our first time in the subway, as a man helped us buy tickets at the machine but then took 2 euro from the change tray as “tip” in Rome

Many Roma people wait outisde churches and other buildings for donations.

Lesson learned: keep money out of sight and keep on walking! But all this was a minor detail, and I still defend that travelling is the best thing you can do if you ever have the opportunity to do so.

Now back to the educational grindstone!

Julia