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[bellawanderer]

Change of Pace

My first college tour definitely counts as a travel experience. It may not have been out of the country but it was out of the state. 

The University of Michigan was an amazing school. The campus was beautiful with all of the architecture and landscaping. I also loved the pace of the school. It was not super fast but faster than here in Montana. 

We had the opportunity to check out Ross Business School and it was a pretty cool place. We had a meeting with an admission counselor there and another counselor for the University of Michigan. They told me about what I needed to apply and other useful information. 

Overall, the school is a pretty good fit for me. I loved the people, area and more importantly...the food.

My friend Emily and I at the University of Michigan

[bellawanderer]

All Alone

Being scared for my first overseas experience alone was one to remember. I felt kind of clueless because my dad is usually the one that plans everything. I was also nervous because I was going with 30 complete strangers that mostly knew each other somewhat well. 

This amazing trip was Australia. Almost 9,000 miles across the ocean from my family and I was ecstatic. My brother couldn’t bug me for 17 days. Sounded like a great deal for me.

Over the two weeks, we bonded with snorkeling, feeding kangaroos and having lip sync battles on the bus rides. There was a day where we got the opportunity to stay at a house with an Australian family. It was not much different from the United States but it was still pretty amazing.

For the most part, Australia was one to remember. The friends I made are ones I still talk to today. It was kinda of weird. There was just a special bond that felt like all awkwardness was lifted. We all got along and loved each others company. Man, I miss them a bunch.

The group next to a termite mound

[bellawanderer]

The Real African Experience

Back in 2014, I traveled to Africa for the first time. Getting to see big animals and interacting with them was quite amazing to think of. 

We get to Johannesburg, South Africa and I learn we get to go on a safari twice a day! My brother and I had our cameras ready and were jumping off the walls with excitement ready for the days to come. 

In the morning, the safari was SO cold. It was like being back in a Montana winter. Most people think that when you go to Africa, it is going to be sunny and hot. They thought wrong. During the drive we saw elephants, lions, rhinos, giraffes and many more amazing animals. To this day I still have the 4,000 pictures on my phone. 

Before we left, we went to a cheetah reserve. At this reserve we go to pet all kinds of cats. I found the cheetahs astonishing. They purred louder than a normal cat and were lazier than anything I have ever met. One of the cheetah we met was bottle fed for to long so we got to stick our thumbs in its mouth and the cat would suck on it. The tongue feeling was surprising. It felt like dry sandpaper rubbing on my thumb.

At the end of the trip we got to say goodbye to the elephant that drank out of the pool by swimming in it. The idea was cool but trust me, elephant snot is pretty gross. 

My dad with the cheetah sucking on his thumb

The elephants drinking fountain...our swimming pool

[bellawanderer]

My First Wandering

The first time I traveled out of the country I remember being scared for some reason. Maybe it was because I was scared of the the plane crashing in the ocean or maybe I was scared because I might not like Italy. 

It all started May 9, 2012. The only reason I remember that date is because that is the day our local U-Swirl opened and I was devastated for missing the grand opening. I don’t completely remember the flight there but, I do know it took FOREVER.

It was day 1 in beautiful Radda, Italy when I decided I would have to have gelato at least twice a day for the next 6 weeks. I learned that in Italy that they mix gelato flavors. My mind was blown for the rest of the day. In my mind, I contemplated what flavors I should mix. I ended up with chocolate and lemon gelato and thinking back on that, it was one of the weirdest decisions I have ever made.

A couple weeks into our adventure and my mom crashed the rental car. Not once or twice but three times! This car looked demolished. It looked liked it was in a monster truck show and had been destroyed. 

Other than these experiences, we had a pretty normal trip. We ate a whole lot of pizza, explored vineyards and even ran out of the Vatican but that is a story for some other time:)