28 knots

Summer Shoe Picks

Every woman loves shoes.

Is it because of their practical, everyday use? No. It’s because feet don’t have fat days, and the right pair of heels can turn average stems into those worthy of a Venus Razor commercial. Here are my summer favorites…

J.Crew Ballet Flats:

{I have no complaints about Italian leather}

J.Crew Seville Wedges:

{perfect for work, perfect for play}

Anthropologie Sanguine Slingbacks:

{sass included}

70’s Americana Tennis Shoes, Etsy.com:

{I’ve become really patriotic, and these are obnoxious but so fun}

Anthropologie Safa Sandals:

{crafted by Meher Kakalia, so cool}

Depths of the Amazon…

When the MV Explorer first entered the Amazon River, I was amazed at the sheer size. We were unable to see land for an entire day aboard the ship. The only way we knew we were no longer on open ocean was the sand colored water and the intense Brazilian sun. The small riverboat that my group transferred to from our ship was no five star hotel. We were ready to rough it-5 hours into the middle of the Amazon! Piranha fishing, visiting a backwater village, a beach luau, and cayman hunting were some of the highlights of the trip.

{swimming with wild pink dolphins}

{where the Rio Negro meets the Amazon River is called the Meeting of the Waters. the two rivers don’t mix!}

{the Amazon at dusk is so beautiful}

{I felt like I was on an episode of Swamp People while Cayman hunting!}

360*

It may seem as though I have dropped off the face of the earth. Well, actually, I have just been circumnavigating it. It took nearly 4 months and 25,000 nautical miles. Each day aboard the MV Explorer brought a new element of surprise, a new sunset, and often even a new time zone. I have been to Dominica, Brazil, Ghana, South Africa, Mauritius, India, Singapore, Vietnam, China, and Japan. My “campus” not only had a library and lecture hall but also a spa, gangway, and pool deck. Have you ever had classes cancelled for a synchronized swimming competition? What about to see the inside of the Taj Mahal or the un-restored section of the Great Wall? With my friends by my side I have experienced everything from the poisonous snakes of the Amazon, to the post Apartheid world of South Africa, to the nightlife of Tokyo. “Where I used to see shapes on a map I now see people; beggars, politicians, drug dealers, philanthropists, thieves, travelers, parents, children, and in many countries, angels. I have done more and seen more than most people will in their entire lives. This is how it feels to have a dream come true.”

I can’t wait to share what I have been up to for the past few months! Check back soon to see more pictures from my nautical life.

 

*Shout out to Bailey Gerber for making me cry in public with her blog post How This Feels

Mash Up

I obviously failed on keeping up with a travel blog while on Semester at Sea. Between next-to-nonexistent Internet and living out dreams, I simply never made time for blogging. I did however, keep a detailed journal and took a copious amount of pictures. Look for a mix of old posts from Pretty Little City, stories (and shopping tips) from around the world, as well as new posts. It’s a blog mix up mash up! 

pretty little city: Curiouser and Curiouser..

(finally) On A Boat!

It was around 9:00pm on the night after the scheduled departure date. 10 of us were still not on the ship. The only difference now was that we were landing in the Bahamas and we knew we were on our way to the best semester of our lives! We arrived to the dock and went through security together, coming out on the other side to see our new home waiting for us. We walked, trying not to run, as a group to the door of the ship. The excitement and energy was indescribable; I felt like I was back at the State Dance Team tournament. All of the students on the ship were outside waving to us and cheering us on as we made our way to the MV Explorer. There was even a camera crew standing by to document the process.

 

{walking to the ship!}

The best part was the moment after we went through ship security when the captain opened the door for us to get onto the ship! All of our friends from our homeschools and our friends we had met while stuck in Fort Lauderdale were waiting there for us! I can’t even explain how happy I was to finally see the place that I had been dreaming about for the past year. To say the least, it was a rush.

{Bennett and I-right when they opened the doors}

:)