How Puerto Rico Stole My Heart

I come from a very diverse family. My immediate family growing up was quite Polish, we still have family on a hill once called “Pollock Hill”. The Polish festival was always one of my favorite days of the year because my great uncle would make homemade pierogies. Om nom nom.

When I was around 10, I think don’t quote me on that, my mom married an Italian man. His parents lived in South Africa, he had family still in Italy, his brother was married to a Puerto Rican woman, and he had lived about a gagillion places I swear. Including living in a van in Michigan for a year.

The introduction of my step-dad changed the shape of our family culture. I swear I didn’t know what loud was until I saw my step-dad and Uncle in a room together. They switch back and forth from Italian, Spanish, and English mid-sentence. And as Italians, all conversations are loud and have lots of gestures. With my uncle and step-dad there is always lots of swearing in three languages as well. Along with my new uncle also came my new Puerto Rican aunt. A loud and sassy woman who used to live in a house with both my uncle and my step-dad, you know she has got to be one brave tough lady.

I have grown up with these characters and the diversity they provided my family for so long I barely remember a time before them.

The point of this spiel though is that if my mom had never married my step-dad I may have never traveled to Puerto Rico.

The Pros and Cons of Cruising

I have been fortunate enough to have a travel agent as a grandmother, albeit one with a definite preference to cruising. This blog will be dedicated to the pros and cons of cruising as a form of travel.

Lets begin with the Pros:

1. If you have kids cruising can be a very appealing option. I went on two Disney cruises before hitting my teens and absolutely loved them! Cruise ships have day camps (day cares) for children, which are especially helpful for days at sea. The Disney kids room had a pirate ship, toys, and interactive activities; one day we got to play with dry ice and make flubber. This allows the adults some free time to enjoy the rest of the ships amenities, particularly the spa and the bangin bars. 
• Aside from the day care most ships, particularly Disney, have a lot of space dedicated to kids throughout the ship. This ranges from kid friendly pools to a rock wall or mini-golf. Obviously these can be enjoyed by all ages but are a special bonus if travelling with kids.
2. The entertainment factor! Cruises have something going on at all times and it is always listed in the daily itinerary, so there is no searching for something to do that night. I have seen fantastic plays, water shows, comedians, game shows and more on cruises. Now that I am old enough, I have also enjoyed the on-ship casinos. 
• As I stated earlier many ships today come equipped with rock walls, mini-golf, surf simulators, zip-lines and more. These are fun on there own but there are also competitions associated with them that are fun to participate in or watch. My personal favorite has been the "Mr. Universe" contests, where men must strut there stuff and show off there best belly flop. 

Magical Northern Ireland

I feel like Ireland is one of those places that everyone and their mother has been too.

This is not true of Northern Ireland.

While everyone wants to visit the rolling green hills of Ireland, no one seems to want to visit the neighbor to the north. I am here to inspire you to give Northern Ireland a chance. You'll love it!

Time for Introductions: Hope

Hello dear readers!

Before I begin telling you about my travel adventures thus far, let me tell you a little bit about myself.  I am 22 years old (at least for the next two months). I recently graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a degree in History and am currently working for City Year; an Americorps program that aims on lowering the national drop-out rate. I enjoy reading, kayaking, hiking, traveling (obviously) and general silliness. I dislike beets, close-minded people, frivilous conversation and the cold.

As Alisa mentioned we are both aiming to teach in South Korea next year. I have been accepted into the EPIK (English Programs In Korea) program but have not yet been assigned a school. One of the reasons I chose to do this is because I wanted to emmerse myself in a completely different culutre and because I am still not sure what I would like to do with my life. As a City Year corps member I have spent the past year working in a school and found that I enjoy it a lot, not enough to pursue as a lifetime career, but enough that I could continue doing it for a few years. I know that I enjoy helping people, working with youth, and exploring new cultures. How that translates into a job, I'm not entirely sure yet. I would be more than open to your suggestions!!! : )

Time for Introductions: Alisa

To kick off this blog, Hope and I decided to compose introductory posts for each of us. These posts will serve as an introduction to us, and a quick overview of the travel we have already done. If we touch on a country you would like to know more about, just send us a message or leave a comment. We can either address your specific question or design a whole new blog post!

So, hello and welcome to The Windblown Earth! My name is Alisa and I am one of the two writers for this travel blog.

I graduated from university last year, I can't believe it has been that long, and am now trying to figure out how to be a real adult. Other than a strong desire to travel the world and help people, I have no idea what I want to do with my life. I guess my early-mid twenties will be spent trying to figure that out.