I don't like cities, but I love New York!

I think I have made it very apparent that I love to travel. Usually, I do not enjoy traveling to big cities, but I just recently went on a trip to New York City and had a fantastic time. The trip was organized through the college activities office on campus and a lot of people from the college attended. I had the best time and I cannot wait to go back to New York. We left La Roche on a Thursday night and drove through the night on a tour bus. We arrived in NYC that Friday and had free time to do whatever we wanted both Friday and Saturday. Sunday we had to be checked out of the hotel by eleven, and the whole group went to the Yankees baseball game.
My friends and I were so overwhelmed with the city; we did not know where to begin. We had some places in mind that we wanted to visit, but we just decided to spend our time without having an itinerary, which turned out better. On Friday, we went to Times Square, which was amazing. There were so many great stores and restaurants that I could have honestly spent my whole trip there. That night, we got dressed up and went out to dinner and hung out in Times Square again. I loved Times Square at night because all of the lights were on and there were so many people. And it really is not a joke when people say that the city never sleeps, everything is continuous; 24/7.
On Saturday, we decided to do some sightseeing. We took the subway (which was not as bad as what we thought it was going to be) to south ferry, which is where the statue of liberty is located. It was a beautiful day and my friends and I took the Staten Island Ferry across to see the statue of liberty. Afterwards, we went to the Twin Towers memorial site, which was extremely devastating. It was nice to see a picture of the new memorial they are building in remembrance of all the people that were lost on that tragic day.
After, we decided to grab lunch and do some more shopping around that part of the city. We eventually took the subway back to our hotel and got dressed to go out that night. Saturday night was so much fun. My friends and I went to China Town and Little Italy. We ate dinner in Little Italy and it was the best Italian food I have had in a long time. We also ate dessert at a little pastry shop; it really felt like we were in Italy. That night, we just shopped and browsed around China Town and then went back to our hotel. On Sunday, we went to the Yankees game and I had a great time. I love baseball and going to games is one of my favorite things to do. After the game we got on the bus to come back to La Roche. There are not enough words to express how much fun and how amazing New York City was. My friends and I are already talking about taking another trip there considering we had so much fun! This was a great opportunity that the activities office offered and I hope they offer more activities like this in the future.
Unfortunately, I had to come back to classes on Monday, but we only have three weeks left. Now I am busy with exams, projects, and papers because the end of the semester is inching closer. At least summer is right around the corner!

Adiós! :0)
-Ashley

A busy Spring...

Lot’s to do in the spring

Spring break was fantastic. It’s always great to have a break in the middle of a semester to relax, vacation, and catch up on work. This semester is really flying; I can’t believe it is almost April! My spring break was nice; I hung out with my friends, went shopping, and did some homework. I would have loved to go away, but it is kind of difficult when there was still homework and tests to complete. I’m going to New York City in a few weeks and I am really excited. I have never been there before and I have been working extra to make more money so I can do lots of shopping!
This week is scheduling week for me, a perspective junior. I cannot believe that I am going to be going into my third year of college already, the time is flying by; you really need to be sure to enjoy every aspect of college. Scheduling is always a remotely stressful time, trying to manage classes you need with the master course schedule. Always make an appointment with your advisor ahead of time to review classes you need to take. I highly recommend keeping track of the classes you have taken and completed on your own course guideline sheet as well. I have decided to minor and possibly double major in psychology along with Spanish. I have always been interested in child psychology and adding it will not be too difficult to manage.
April is going to be a difficult month with homework and tests because it is the last month of the semester. Personally, I do not mind the work that much, but it is always nice to know that summer is right around the corner. Well, I better get back to reading for my Latin American literature class; I will keep you updated on things occurring towards the end of the semester!

¡ Hasta Luego!

-Ashley :0)