Staying Grounded

If there's one thing I learned while being in California for the past six weeks, it's that being away from home is the best way to find who you are. That sounds so cliche, but I can wholeheartedly say it's the truth. I've spent the last 24 hours thinking about my trip and the person I was when I was away from everything I know. It's like you have all this free time to think about everything that happens to you and how you reacted and you decide what type of person you are comfortable being. It's a crazy thing to think about and I'm just coming to these conclusions after being home 6 hours.
I felt that I got to choose what made me happy instead of what I was being pulled to do. I got to decide what entertains me and the type of people I want to surround myself with. I'm not saying I now know the type of person that I am, but It'd like to think that I've made a few discoveries.
I've realized that dance brings me a lot of joy and fulfillment. I am whole when I am dancing and it's a way for me to express myself. I think I would implode if I couldn't dance.
I've realized that humans are meant to be active beings and I'm happier when I exercise more regularly.
I've realized I'm comfortable around people who are themselves and have a different perspective on life. I like being with people who challenge my thinking and are witty. They make life exciting and fresh.
I've realized that the majority of Utah is a bubble. I hate to say it, but outside of Utah there are different life goals and expectations.
I've realized that I am who I am and I'd rather be "hated for who I am instead of loved for who I'm not." It's hard to follow that concept, but the best feeling in the world is loving yourself for who you, why be anything different?
I've realized that I should never settle. I can always be a better person and work harder than I did the day before.
Even though I feel like I've learned so many new things, the one thing that's stuck with me is the importance of staying grounded.
 The night before we left California, my Aunt said, "Every person you guys worked with commented on how grounded you were." I really didn't understand what she meant until I got home.
The way I interpreted grounded is that we stay true to who we are. We had a strong sense of what was important to us and we stuck with it. We do our best to work hard, never complain and treat others with respect.
I think that we stayed grounded in California because we didn't have very many distractions. We were there to work and that's it. We weren't distracted by friends, school, or other family members. I think it's very important to find a place that can bring you back to your roots and help you stay grounded. Otherwise, we get lost in the confusion of life and are never happy.
My advice would be to find who, what and where keeps you grounded. Find that something that reminds you of what makes you happy and the type of person you were born to be.

XOXO annikakae

Tasting the Stars

You know those moments where you're so incredibly happy that it feels like your chest is radiating some sort of light that nothing in the world could destroy? That's how the business scholars trip made me feel or at least that's how I felt periodically throughout our trip. Looking back on pictures reminds me of those little moments that I've forgotten about where, for a second, nothing mattered in the world. Where my problems felt microscopic. Where I felt unnaturally grateful to be living in such a remarkable world. I love these moments because they make all the hard times in life worth the pain.

For the past year I have been involved in a program at the University of Utah called Business Scholars. I can honestly say that applying for this program has been one of the best decisions I've ever made. It has brought nothing, but good things this past year. Yes, the actual course was hard and overwhelming at some points, but I loved every moment. It brought new people into my life that I am forever grateful for. I got to live in the Honors Dorms and I learned so much through our business visits and lectures that it's hard to imagine how anyone could pass this course up. I could go on and on about how much I love Business Scholars, but I will spare you all.

One of the best perks of the program is that we get to go on an end of the year trip to visit international businesses. In the past they have gone to China and Paris, but this year we had the opportunity to go to London AND Paris. 

What people don't realize is that we had A LOT of time to do stuff on our own. We landed in London and had the entire day to venture the city. For various reasons it took us three hours to get to our hotel that day, but it was probably the funniest three hours ever. London is so different from Utah that we made a comment about every strange thing that we saw. It doesn't help that most of us were jet lag and slap happy and hot, but it was the best way to start our trip. 

We spent three days in London consisting of:

a trip to the study abroad school location, a business visit to Rio Tinto, 

a showing of Wicked, 

a Blue Badge tour of the Financial District and plenty more.

Our last day in London we went to the London Bridge and the London Tower and then wanted to visit Chelsea. Chelsea is a higher end area where we ventured into a book store and tried to blend in with the locals.

I'm sorry for all the pictures, it was just too much fun.

That Wednesday morning, we took a two hour ride to Paris. Paris was scary at first because 50 of us had to navigate the subway with all our luggage during rush hour in a place where we couldn't read a single sign. Then again, it was also fun.

Our first night in Paris was planned by our director so we had dinner all together and then went on a boat tour on the Siene River. I remember staring at the sunset that night on the boat feeling so satisfied with my life.  My favorite thing was floating down the river with the Eiffel Tower sparkling on our right as someone on the riverside played the accordion and parisian sirens echoed in the distance. I could not imagine being in a more wonderful place with better people. Not to mention the views on our boat tour were breathtaking.

The second day we visited Versailles, site saw, had dinner in a big group and met at night to sit by the edge of the Siene River.

Day three in Paris we ventured to the Rue Cler street market, took pictures at the Arc Du Triomphe and met our crew at the Eiffel Tower so we could climb to the top.

 We ventured to Belgium on our last day for a rainy adventure looking for chocolate and Belgium waffles.

I enjoyed the trip so much because every single one of us got so close. We all loved hanging out with each other so by the end we were like family. I can wholeheartedly say that I fell in love with Paris during our trip. The entire city has a romantic aura about itself. There are little cobblestone streets winding everywhere and cafes on every corner. There is a constant aroma of cigarette smoke and at night time the city is simply magical.

 I am so grateful that I got to go on this trip with such wonderful human beings. It was the trip of a lifetime that I will never forget. I wish every day that I could go back to relive those laughter filled days. Until next time, here's to tasting the stars around the world. 

Amour, Annika

Photo cred: Kate Moss