Where to start on my latest adventures from The States..... The past few weeks have been quite the adventure....
So here goes....
Letting a gang of Irish J1 students loose in Las Vegas is probably one of the best experiences of my trip here, and in fact it is one of those trips that just have to be done with your best friends. Rocking up to the Airport at 6am we were full of the joys of life, hitting the Hard Rock Hotel by 8am the moods were still high and they sure continued. The hotel was amazing, and we kicked off the trip with the Rehab pool party with Sean Paul. It was a bit of a surreal experience, drinking on with a few thousand revelers in the pool with a few cans of fourloko. What more could you ask of J1 students..... Perhaps more alcohol
Reunited with The LA J1 gang, everything was all set to go.... The night life is as real as the Hangover movie, we had the handbags and glad rags at the ready, for Vanity night club, Caesars Palace and Cosmo nightclub. VIP treatment was the call of the day and night. Las Vegas really is the fake glitz and glam vanity that I have come to expect of America and did I buy into it, did we all buy into it.... Yes . I think it's safe to say Las Vegas stole our souls and perhaps a few hundred $$$$$ from the black jacks tables. The Vegas romances were also had by a few of the group and for some the romance continues....
But as the say ''What Happens in Vegas'' stays in Vegas.....
Back to life in San Francisco, and I must admit to falling in love with this city. It is the most incredible place I have ever been too. From Kayaking around the bay, to biking the Golden Gate bridge, to discovering the hidden gems such as Coit Tower. It really is a city of immense possibilities. The fact the summer is going by a little too quickly is a scary prospect. Loving the lifestyle is going to make it very hard to leave, the random encounters or as I have come to call them, my ''Chance'' encounters make for a new exciting adventure.
The harsh reality of being homeless in a city like this have become such a big part of my daily commute to work and I can't help but feel a little ashamed at times at not looking at all the homeless lying on the streets. It really is a problem but there are so many people of all different social categories in this situation. It really does make me take a step back and look at my life of a young Irish student, living the all American summer dream, while the vast majority of these homeless people experience such an immensely different American dream on a daily basis.
My thoughts and prayers really go out to the victims of the Colorado shootings. Such a callous act of treachery which robbed the innocent lives of so many people and their families. It truly is a tragedy, and one which will haunt America for many years to come. To all the victims RIP
Living the American dream is an amazing experience but one which brings great reflection with it. There is a lot to be respected in this world, and there are those who think it is their right to carry out such hate crimes.
A summer of partying and working in the American bubble is really put into perspective when we looked at the Colorado tragedy....
For this Summer dreamer, there is another few weeks of adventures left and moments to reflect upon
So until next time readers. Enjoy
S
Tuesday 31 July 2012
Sunday 8 July 2012
Another day, Another $
Time for the weekly update from San Francisco :)
The powers of persuasion and an accent do truly work wonders for us J1ers at times, and as the saying goes another day another dollar, I have managed to talk my way into a second job in a cafe in North Beach...... Have I ever worked as a waiter before? The simple answer is no but to my new boss I have several years work experience in the restaurant trade. The cafe is a hip little place with some great jazz music bopping from the speakers, it's a great little environment to be working in. I do however feel that working in the restaurant ,trade in America is not all that it's cracked up to be. Sure the tips are great and you meet some very diverse characters, but coming to the half way marker of this J1, I am getting the urge to want to quit and go explore America and party on for the final month but we will have to wait and see how the bank balance holds up!!!!!
I took my first steps as a proper tourist in the city late last week and ventured out onto the bay on a boat tour with Grainne, to say it was an experience is an understatement. We took to the water like ducks as we thought it was a great idea to sit on the corner of the front of the boat. Turning down the option of a blanket was my first mistake, the second was wearing a wife beater!!! The first wave hit hard and fast and we were two drowned rats but having the craic and the views of the bay were amazing and going under the golden gate bridge was amazing. Taking the boat back around Alcatraz was a bit of an eerie experience, this island with a prison. It is somewhere we have yet to venture inside of but the time is coming.
Berkeley has fast become an Irish hot spot with the clubs becoming like an Irish night club, I think the bouncers may be getting a little bit tired of the Irish antics, and for this blogger there was one minor little incident with a pool queue that lead to an apology, if only the blackouts would resist but then again you only live once and it the summer of fun
Liberal, fast paced, the rock and roll jet set lifestyle all words I could use to describe this amazing city. Sometimes I think I'm taking this summer for granted but it's the times when I am rushing to catch the bart to get back to berkeley that something in the city catches my attention and I realize how lucky I am to be living in the city.
I recently saw a quote which read
"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco"
It really is true but for this summer dreamer, the dream just keeps getting better
Until next time
:)
The powers of persuasion and an accent do truly work wonders for us J1ers at times, and as the saying goes another day another dollar, I have managed to talk my way into a second job in a cafe in North Beach...... Have I ever worked as a waiter before? The simple answer is no but to my new boss I have several years work experience in the restaurant trade. The cafe is a hip little place with some great jazz music bopping from the speakers, it's a great little environment to be working in. I do however feel that working in the restaurant ,trade in America is not all that it's cracked up to be. Sure the tips are great and you meet some very diverse characters, but coming to the half way marker of this J1, I am getting the urge to want to quit and go explore America and party on for the final month but we will have to wait and see how the bank balance holds up!!!!!
I took my first steps as a proper tourist in the city late last week and ventured out onto the bay on a boat tour with Grainne, to say it was an experience is an understatement. We took to the water like ducks as we thought it was a great idea to sit on the corner of the front of the boat. Turning down the option of a blanket was my first mistake, the second was wearing a wife beater!!! The first wave hit hard and fast and we were two drowned rats but having the craic and the views of the bay were amazing and going under the golden gate bridge was amazing. Taking the boat back around Alcatraz was a bit of an eerie experience, this island with a prison. It is somewhere we have yet to venture inside of but the time is coming.
Berkeley has fast become an Irish hot spot with the clubs becoming like an Irish night club, I think the bouncers may be getting a little bit tired of the Irish antics, and for this blogger there was one minor little incident with a pool queue that lead to an apology, if only the blackouts would resist but then again you only live once and it the summer of fun
Liberal, fast paced, the rock and roll jet set lifestyle all words I could use to describe this amazing city. Sometimes I think I'm taking this summer for granted but it's the times when I am rushing to catch the bart to get back to berkeley that something in the city catches my attention and I realize how lucky I am to be living in the city.
I recently saw a quote which read
"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco"
It really is true but for this summer dreamer, the dream just keeps getting better
Until next time
:)
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