Chipping away, little by little.

Is that a cat I see? How did she manage to scamper in and get in a photo?....

The Outfit:

Leifsdottir Sweater - Nordstrom Rack

Black Skinnies - Target

Tracy Reese Caroline Bootie - Bloomingdales (available in all black at Endless)

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How does the weather become so bipolar? I suppose it has something to do with cold and warm fronts, is something rather elementary and is something I should know from my basic Earth Science course - but, I don't really know - I just dress accordingly.

It's rather dreary and rainy here in my little Burg. I think our high today was 75 - which is quite a difference from the usual high of 90-something.

I took this opportunity to wear this sweater. It was rather nice, because my school is kept at about the same temperature as an icebox, and because it was wet and rainy outside, I didn't look ridiculous.

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I have conquered my mountain of homework for the night - reducing it to nothing a smaller mountain.

 And now I have enough time to sit down and type out this post. :)

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So what are we going to talk about today? 

I'm thinking we should talk about school - because I happen to be a rather studious student and I spend a great deal of time either at school/at school when I'm at home/thinking about school/doing schoolwork/and generally doing all things school-related at almost all times.

1 - school is a job. People like to tell the youth (ie. me) this all the time, and it's true. I think I devote an average of 40 hours a week doing school-related things. And if I devoted any less I would probably not be quite as successful in my work.

2- school is tiring. Just like a job is tiring, because school is a job - students like myself are constantly tired and/or dragging through the day. This has very little to do with the number of hours we sleep - because I go to bed at 9 and wake up feeling about the same as I would going to bed at 12; the institution is a drain. Sleep has no power here.

3- school is tiring. You might think you've heard this before. Maybe you have. Maybe I typed it twice because I'm so tired, or maybe so I could make this joke and feel clever. You'll never know.

4 - school is supposed to be rewarding. Whether or not you buy into this is up to you - I like to think it is, because if I don't I tend to spend a lot of time wondering why I spend so much time there and why it seems to creep home with me.

5 - school is not forever (thank goodness) - but learning is. No matter how much we may dread the deadlines, work, and general atmosphere - the school part of life is fleeting and promptly forgotten when we face the terrors of adult life - with new worries like "how will I feed myself?" and "how will I pay this enormous mortgage bill and/or shoe bill?" The learning part of life is never over, however. Learning is something we do until the day we die.

So - I guess the conclusion to my semi-rant is that you can get through school and join the ranks of society - just don't let it ruin learning for you. Because, it's a shame when people don't want to learn - and an even greater shame that it's so commonplace in our society today. Learning is fun, even if school isn't always. 

PLUS - those of us in the public or really *chill* (for lack of all better words) private schools can enjoy putting together cute outfits everyday. 

Nothing makes school more fun than a new pair of shoes, seriously.

*this also applies to pants, tops...

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And that's all I have for you today. Enjoy school tomorrow if you have it, and if not - enjoy trying to figure out how to pay your shoe debt  mortgage.

Until tomorrow, or maybe the next day if school gives me too much to do~

Jenna B.

It's a Pillow, It's a Pet...

It's a Pillow Pet!

......

Wearing:

Anthropologie Vest - Anthropologie

Lace Cami - Walmart

Celebrity Pink Black Capri's - Macy's? Belk? One or the other.

Inc. Elastic Wrap and Leather Heels - Macy's

Adoring:

Panda Pillow Pets Pee-wee! - Target

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How long have I longed for a pillow pet? Too long, I say. 

His name is Pandy the Pandiferous, because I'm very clever and such. :)

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Cutesy Pillow Pets aside, we can move on to an elaboration on what I began here:

The world is vast - explore it.

The beauty of programs on National Geographic or the Travel channel or Travel magazines is that they instill a love and desire for travel - they are not travel in themselves. It is not the same experience to see the Grand Canyon in a magazine or on TV as it is to see the Grand Canyon. That, of course, applies to every other location and country they cover.

Of course, not everyone can afford to travel to Spain for the summer - and sometimes the people that can don't appreciate it as much as they should - but there's a great deal of travel to be done in one's own country, if that's all one can afford to do.

And as much as I enjoy a nice resort experience, it is just that: a resort experience. It is not travel experience. You get a bit of a taste of travel when you fly to a resort, because you have to deal with checking baggage, annoying stewardesses and such - but that is not the entire experience. Travel involves leaving your own comfort zone and cultural misrepresentations and experiencing a country for what it really is.

Every time I see a television program or article on Bolivia (a country I used to call home) - I shake my head a little bit and switch my focus to something else. Either, the program makes the country look almost ten times worse than it is or ten times better. 

Bolivia is a poor country. They are landlocked and generally un-industrialized, have enormous political problems, and a floundering economy. They are also some of the most fascinating people I've ever known, some of the most hard working, and the country is filled with life, sounds of music and culture that the industrialized world seems to have forgotten.

There is an amazing open market in Cochabamba, Bolivia - called La Cancha. It smells horid, has animals wandering through it, has animals hanging from stalls that look incredibly unappetizing and a majority of the vendors would scare you half to death. The crafts (hats, tables, etc.) are amazingly well made, cheap and durable. The food is real and raw. The people are uniquely Bolivian.

That smell is one you don't soon forget - and that is travel. It's the stench of a country that never leaves your nostrils. It's the culture shock experience that leaves you breathless, confused, and wandering. Travel is confusion - it's new experiences - it's getting lost.

Now - I'm not trying to knock your resorts and poolside vacations - they have their merits too. 

But if you really want to travel and know another culture, you have to be willing to accept that it might not be as glamorous as the magazines make it sound. And I encourage you to do so - because the best way to broaden horizons and know yourself better is to travel to a new country and experience a different culture. It's also the best way to educate yourself about other cultures and not allow yourself to become ignorant and insensitive. 

If you do decide to travel - even if it is just to a new part of your home state - let me give you my two-cents of advice to successful travel:

1) Never act like a tourist - and that includes acting like your not a tourist, because this is what all tourists do. If you take on the persona of an arrogant, know-it-all local, you will be sadly mistaken and you will be mugged. Consider for a second how you act where you live now. Now just act that way when you travel. If you start acting, people can tell. Just enjoy where you are and be yourself.

2) Learn the language of the country you will visit. This doesn't apply much to domestic travel, but (please!) if you travel to a foreign country - know the language before you get there. There is nothing more dangerous when traveling than not understanding what is being said about you as you pass by. People will be able to tell you are foreign the moment you speak, most likely, but they will respect you more and be less likely to take advantage if they see you're making an effort and they can't pull the wool over your eyes.

3) Don't travel alone. You are asking for trouble. You will get in trouble. Bad things will happen. 

4) Be personable. The reason people don't like tourists is because they think they will be insensitive or rude or uninterested in the location they are visiting. Talk to people and ask them about their favorite places to eat, shop, etc. Be interested in experiencing the real deal and knowing what people really do wherever your visiting.

5) Travel often. The best way to become more confident about your travel and more successful in the different areas you visit is to visit them often and visit new places. Discover something new when you revisit an old locale or take what you learned from another trip and apply it to the rest.

There's plenty of other advice floating around on the internet and in multiple books, which I encourage you to glance at - but, for the most part, I'd say that's my top five tips. 

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My mum is taking me northward to browse an outlet mall later today and I best get myself ready to go.

Hope your weekend is going well~

Jenna B.