oh the places we go: part 2

We have some incredible travel opportunities here at St. Mike’s, and I’m not just talking about study abroad (missin’ you, South Africa!)

Last week for my Media Studies, Journalism and Digital Arts senior seminar, my partner & I had the opportunity to travel down to NYC for fashion week to film/photograph/gather info for our website + feature documentary production! Dream.come.true.

Shameless plug: being an MJD major gives you so many outlets of expression, investigation and creation – I can’t imagine my college career without being in this major! Ok, shameless plug over.

But the point is, we have endless possibilities in our education that exist outside of the classroom – get out there and take advantage of them!

You’ll be able to see/read more about the experience and the process of our production at our project website – sellingyourself.org. The final website and feature documentary will be released on April 1st – so don’t mind the appearance as we continue to update!

In the meantime, here are a couple snaps from the city…

Hey, look! It’s me…

top spots: part 2

I’m back with the second post of “top spots” around Burlington! (See the first post here).

To kick things off, MLC Bakeshop in Winooski is my new go-to for coffee and a quick breakfast to-go on my way to the WellWed office for my internship. This week I grabbed a ham & cheese croissant with my typical large cup of coffee (pictured below), and it was perfection. If you haven’t been, or are just looking for a new cafe/bakeshop to frequent, I would definitely recommend it!

This past Friday night, I went into town with my housemates Cara, Emma and Galya (below) for the opening of a new gallery exhibit at Burlington City Arts (right on Church Street)! This is a great option for getting downtown and doing something a little different (aside from the usual shopping and dinner routine)…

However, there’s always a need to grab great food while we’re in town! Radio Bean/Duino Duende (they’re connected) is my absolute favorite spot around. Duino Duende features a menu of international street food (my favorite is the Cubano sandwich), while the connected Radio Bean (pictured below) is a small, live music venue with local drinks (21+!) and a really cool, eccentric vibe. Check it out next time you’re in town – you’ll probably see me there! 🙂

I definitely mentioned Our House Bistro in my last “top spots” post, but it’s completely worth another mention. I mean, let’s talk about this chicken parm mac + cheese (pictured below)…

Unreal.

Cara and I topped off this past weekend with an afternoon of skating at Cairns (where the hockey teams play). This public skating was completely paid for by St. Mike’s – such a great extra little opportunity to get off campus, AND this crosses figure skating again off my 2015 bucket list! Even if you don’t really skate, it’s a must-do winter weekend activity.

Enjoy!

bits of the 2015 bucket list

Hey all!

For this year, I created a “52 in ’15” bucket list, inspired by one of my professor’s blogs of the same idea (Prof. Siplon – you must take a class with her!)

Since I’m graduating in May, there are quite a few that will be completed after leaving Vermont. However, there are SO many things I have left to do before saying goodbye to beautiful Burlington! I’ve compiled the best of my list that partially involves or relates to Vermont for you to read + maybe pull your own inspiration from…

 

Have an article published locally/nationally

Participate in a protest

(Successfully) cook a meal for friends

Read 25 new books

Take a photo at the whale tails

Try Heady Topper (21+!)

Go vegan again for a month (lots of vegan restaurant options in the area)

Dust off the old figure skates and spend an afternoon at the rink (going this week, actually)

Work on not procrastinating (haha…)

Participate in the naked mile before graduating (no shame)

Learn west coast swing (+ do social dancing at Duino Duende on Honky Tonk Tuesdays – one of my favorite restaurants/venues in Burlington)

Re-learn film photography + darkroom developing (taking the film photography class this semester)

Learn to meditate

Take kickboxing classes

Do aerial yoga

Volunteer in Tanzania (ok, this is obviously not something to do specifically with Vermont. HOWEVER, I am going to Tanzania this summer through the Health & Development in East Africa course, led by Prof. Siplon, that I’m currently taking. There are so many opportunities at St. Mike’s to get out into the world – take advantage of it!)

Go for a bike ride on the Burlington causeway

Go hiking + camping in Vermont

Photograph every worthy moment (and Vermont is quite photogenic, anyways!)

Complete a bit of the VT Brew Trail (21+!)

Visit every coffee shop in Burlington

Al’s French Fries — still haven’t been. Definitely not ok.

Snowy season

Hi all!

If you don’t already know, I’m not much of a winter person. (I know, why go to school in Vermont, right?) I enjoy the snow-covered ground for about 5 minutes and then it’s numbingly unpleasant. But, hey, to each their own.

However, I will say that with snow comes a lot of holiday cheer here on campus. My housemates in particular are rather festive this year, and we have a winter wonderland-esque window display in our living room. (Which makes the season a whole lot more enjoyable!)

This is really what the season is about. Great friends, hot chocolate (while watching Frozen, of course) and trying not to freak out too much over finals.

Also, I suppose it is quite pretty with just a sparkly dusting of snow covering our already beautiful campus. Vermont is spectacular any time of the year, really.

Here are a few snaps of the season thus far. Hope you’re all enjoying the winter weather – stay warm!

Did you know that the iconic LL Bean duck boots now have a 100,000 person waiting list until 2015? Apparently, Vermonters are quite on-trend and practical with our favorite winter-wear. I actually posted about them on my other blog, too – click here.

My housemate Emma is a snowflake genius. I mean, look at these! Gorgeous!

Just last week, I discovered that you can get the chai latte at Einstein’s (on campus) with a shot of espresso, which is called a “dirty hippie” – the perfect drink for a tasty jumpstart on a cold day.

Our magical winter wonderland window. Just more reasons why I love it here – fantastic people and so much season spirit.

Our last Defender layout day of the semester just happened this weekend – very bittersweet! Producing the paper is always such a rewarding feeling, but I’m also very excited for winter break, naturally…

This snowfall happened a week or so ago, and I’ll admit, the first real snowfall is always rather stunning. (I just can’t stand the cold, but oh well!)

Two top spots – on & off campus

The following two spots are definitely my top go-to’s; if you like coffee & fantastic gourmet food, this is for you!

First I’ll admit, I’m a coffee fanatic (and my friends might even say that’s putting it lightly). Burlington boasts some awesome local coffee shops, my favorite being Speeder & Earl’s. They have their main location down on Pine Street, a smaller shop (pictured below) on Church Street & we even have Speeder & Earl’s coffee at Cafe Cheray right on campus!

For those 21+, Magic Hat released its (limited time) Hop Drip IPA this fall, made with Speeder & Earl’s coffee beans! Perfect for coffee + craft beer lovers.

Second on the top two, Our House Bistro in the Winooski Circle. Located only about 5 minutes from campus (if that), Our House has a mouth-watering menu of gourmet comfort food-inspired eats, which they call “twisted comfort food.” There was even a “The Bite” column in the last issue of The Defender featuring Our House! One of my new all-time favorites was what I ordered this past Sunday, their chicken pot pie mac + cheese (pictured below). Everything that makes up a pot pie PLUS creamy mac – so good. I’d definitely recommend it!

One of the many reasons I love Burlington so much – there are so many awesome places around the area to eat & get that coffee fix – check back soon for more of my favorites & suggestions!

-Juliana

Feeling like fall

Our ACA in the 400s brought around tissues and tea to all of the residents – just another reason to love the St. Mike’s community 🙂

There’s truly nothing like Vermont in the fall. Apart from running around like crazy (classes, internship, etc.), I try to get into town/outside to enjoy this beyond perfect weather whenever time permits….

Above, left: Stunning fall foliage has taken over the trees on campus, and I’m completely in love with all of the shades of fall. Right: My new vespa, “Mr. Tango,” is the best way to get around while the weather is at its prime – going into town and enjoying the fresh air – I can’t think of anything better.

Above: The Burlington skyline from three different views – all a perfect depiction of why this little city is a beautiful place to be.

Above, left: The outside of Arts Riot in BTV (I loved the strung lights and artsy feel of the outside of the building) Right: Enjoying apple cider in a mason jar outside of my house.

Above, left: Doing work outside with my friend Lauren (one of the handful of times we’ve gotten out of Bergeron and tried to get stuff done while enjoying the fall weather) Right: The first issue of The Defender this semester – my multimedia with Lauren on style in Vermont! Check it out here.

 

5 steps for staying productive

It’s been quite a while since I’ve blogged over here, putting a bit more focus on my personal blog this summer. But after going abroad – exploring and experiencing a new culture – and enjoying the summer at home, I couldn’t be happier being back at St. Mike’s to enjoy this last year as a college student 🙂

On that note, with classes starting once again, procrastination tendencies always seem to follow. Here are 5 simple tips for staying productive as the semester carries on…

1. Pick your place wisely

My go-to? Bergeron (The MJD building).  It’s basically been my 2nd home since day one – a journalism major’s top spot. You can always count on MJD friends already being there, but not to the point where it’s distracting. If you’re someone that needs more individual space, try the library or a classroom in the academic buildings. I never work at home because of the temptation to waste time, but if that works for you, stick to it!

2. Take a break outside

Fresh air! Vermont has a ton of it, so take advantage of the beautiful weather while you can! It can get overwhelming sitting inside/in front of a computer screen for hours; take a little break every hour or so to regroup and clear your head.

3. Make a list/schedule

No list = something will probably get overlooked. Sometimes it’s even helpful and efficient to make an hourly schedule when your workload is at a peak. Also, post-its are probably the most helpful invention to date.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Caffeinate/hydrate

I can’t stay on track without a bit of coffee to jumpstart my day. But if you’re not a big coffee fan, bring water and/or a snack with you while tackling a ton of work. That way you won’t be (as) tempted to leave early/rush. Also, coffee = staying more alert after late night study sessions…always necessary.

5. Background noise (vs. distractions)

Do: put on instrumental study Pandora radio station if you like a bit of background noise while working. Don’t: go over to a friend’s house while they’re having a movie marathon.

photo source

 

 

Weekends in SA

Hey all!

I’ve been pretty bad about blogging weekly, so I’ll wrap up quite a few weekends in this post. Over the course of the last month or so, we’ve been doing a lot of traveling and such on the weekends…everything from a road trip getaway to a quick evening event in Kayamandi. I’ll start with the most recent and work backwards…

Today we went into Cape Town with the whole AIFS group to go to Robben Island, but unfortunately the weather was terrible and we couldn’t take the ferry over to it. So instead, we went to the aquarium (I’m not a huge aquarium fan but this one was actually super cool) and we went out for lunch by the waterfront. Overall, we made a good day out of a not so great situation, which is another reason I absolutely love this place 🙂

Last Sunday, a group of my friends went to Mzoli’s in Gugulethu – Gugulethu is a township in Cape Town and Mzoli’s is a super popular “restaurant”/butchery in the township…they serve a massive pile of meat (which was delicious) on a large platter and everyone just picks what they want from it (which was also super messy but I managed…) and there is music playing & people dancing – such a cool environment.

We went on a holiday (Freedom Day) so it was insanely crowded…we could barely even walk around inside. BUT regardless, it was an amazing and completely different experience from what I’ve already done here in South Africa. I didn’t really get any photos inside because of the space issue and whatnot, but check out the really short video of the crowd that I posted on my Instagram…

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A post shared by Juliana ⛰️ Adventure Travel + Elopements (@julianarenee)

Also, here’s a photo that my friend Colleen took of me eating the meat at Mzoli’s…which is how everyone was eating, for the record…

Last Friday night, a group of us attended a poetry slam in Kayamandi (the township right next to Stellenbosch). I’ve never been to a poetry slam to begin with, and this was actually my first time going to a township to do something other than volunteering – I’m so glad I decided to tag along. The competitors where absolutely incredible – people from Stellies, from the township, even one of my AIFS friends read her poetry…

Brittany competing at the slam poetry event in Kayamandi!

The previous weekend was a long weekend, so a few of us took a 3 night trip to Hermanus, an oceanside town about 2 hours away. We rented a car for this trip and it was awesome to actually be in control of where we could go for once! (The train is super useful but definitely more limited). Over the weekend we shopped around town, checked out the beach, went out for a dinner & gelato, I got my third tattoo (Ubuntu – see here) and really just had a relaxing getaway.

More to come soon!

-Juliana

long overdue post on spring (fall) break!

Hey all!

I’m just getting around to blogging about my fabulous spring break (a week and a half later…oops)

We started our journey from Stellies with a long-ish car ride up the coast to Wilderness (yes, the town is actually called Wilderness).

We stayed at the beach backpackers (right on the Indian Ocean!) for 2 nights – ate lots of great food, celebrated Anna’s 20th birthday (& went to a party on top of the mountain) and went kloofing! (Kloofing = walking/swimming through the river & jumping off cliffs)

Next, we moved onto Antler’s Lodge, where we would be staying for 3 nights. This place was stunning – and we basically had it all to ourselves! During our time there, we explored the Cango Caves, went to Monkeyland, saw leopards/cheetahs/big cats and whatnot, went bungee jumping off the highest bungee bridge in the world (!!!) and FINALLY got to play with the elephants at Knysna elephant park. It was all absolutely incredible…especially the ellies. My god they were SO wonderful…

dream come true.

Next, we traveled up to Tsitsikamma National Park to walk along the coast before heading to the Avoca River Cabins where we would spend one night. Here, some of our group swam and canoed in the river before we had a delicious homemade South African stew for dinner (seriously, there was SO MUCH great food on this trip). 

 

The next day we were up and out early for a safari in ADDO – the day started out really rainy but cleared up just in time to see SO many ellies and quite a few lions as well (among other animals, of course)…

From there, we were in Jeffrey’s Bay for one day/night (the well-known surfing destination) – we did a little shopping in town and enjoyed a bit of the beach…

I’m fairly sure we all wished we could’ve stayed in Jeffrey’s Bay for an extra night, but next we were off to stay in this super secluded/stunning “farm” (?) with camping-style cabins. I don’t remember the name of it but the views were unbeatable – we could look down and see the river where we would be rafting the next day (only 2 people per boat, which was totally unexpected but so fun!) 

Our last day was spent visiting the southern-most tip of Africa (how cool is that?) and grabbing lunch in Hermanus (which is actually the town I’ll be visiting this weekend with some of my friends)…

10 days in one short blog post…but I think the photos tell most of the story. This spring break was probably the most incredible I’ll ever go on…from elephants, jumping off the bridge, spending so much time with these wonderful people and just exploring parts of this beautiful country…every day was exciting and unlike any other.

Seriously though, there’s no place like South Africa!

-Juliana

cafes, Cape Town, kiddos…

Hello all!

I’ve been pretty preoccupied with classes these past two weeks, but as always, there’s time in between to explore this beautiful place. I’ll do this post in list form because another 2 weeks gone by is a lot to catch up on…

What’s been going on lately:

1. Lunches with friends. My goodness does Stellenbosch have a wide variety of cafes and restaurants to enjoy. I often call this town “fake Africa” because it looks very European. Wonderful (real!) iced coffee in wine glasses, art-inspired menus, chalk board wine bar tables…

2. Markets, fresh goods and all things beautiful – last weekend I went to a local fresh goods market with my friend Colleen. We got a bit of food and I drooled over all of the sweet treats, trying not to give in…there was also handmade jewelry and fresh flowers, which in retrospect I totally should have bought. I’m sure I’ll go to another at some point, though!

3. Outings and evenings – this weekend there was a pool party at one of the private (international students) residences,  which was super fun – meeting more people from all over the world.

4. Cape Town. On Sunday a few of my friends and I took the train to Cape Town at 7:30am to spend the day trying delicious food (lots of sushi!), window shopping and grabbing drinks at this absolutely stunning raised-deck/lounge restaurant thing at the waterfront.

5. And of course, Kayamandi. The past two Fridays there have been extraordinary – I can absolutely feel the kids opening up to us a lot more – and the smiles on their faces always make me melt. This week’s theme was “summer” so we had them make sunshine masks, and last week’s theme was “healthy living,” so we bought all of the kids toothbrushes and had them brush their teeth outside (which, of course, was VERY messy with all preschoolers). We also had them make fruit kabobs to learn about healthy eating – they LOVED the fruit, which barely even made it onto the sticks!

I still don’t actually know if I’m allowed to post Kayamandi photos to my blog but I’m going to anyways…

(and that’s my teaching partner – Kaeli – in the back! She’s from the UK, I’m super jealous of her accent)

That’s about it for now. The next post should hold some really fun stuff – stay tuned 🙂

-Juliana