Summer Vacation - Blog Posts

夏の終わり

End of summer

夏休み最終日の昨日、驚くほど美しい十和田湖を楽しみました。

遊覧船に揺られながら、心地よい風を体に受けて。

美しい航跡波。

湖水の透明度が高く、キラキラしていました。

前日とはまた違った湖の素晴らしさを感じることができました。

どこにいても、つい探したくなる朝露。

どうしても訪れたかった奥入瀬渓流で、豪快な滝しぶきを浴びて。

夏休みの終わりとともに、今年の夏が終わってしまったような気がしました。

自分の記憶の中で、こんなにゆったり過ごした夏休みは思い出せないくらい。

夏惜しみつつ、秋に思いを馳せて。

十和田湖の夕暮れ

Twilight of Lake Towada

子供を送りがてら立ち寄った十和田湖

こんなにきれいな夕暮れ時に、久しぶりに巡り会ったかもしれないなあ…

2020/09/15

海と緑と空と　大切な人との時間

松島　

曇り空だった昨日　

子供と松島デート(笑)

赤い長い『福浦橋』を渡って福浦島へ

緑いっぱいの島で　ちょっとした冒険感覚に浸りました

海と緑と空と　松島はそんな場所でした

The sea,the green,the sky

Time with important person

Matsusima

summer vacation

Make the Most of Your Summer Vacation

Olaf and I have similar ideas about what makes a good summer. “Relaxing in the summer sun, just lettin’ off steam”. Although doing “what frozen things do in summer” sounds appealing to Olaf, I understand that summer can be a whole lot more than bumming on the beach, blowing dandelion fuzz, and sand volley balling. It can be hard to decide what to do with your precious summer vacation, volunteering, interning, or working at a job. But my discussion with you today will hopefully help you make the most of your summer.

I have had a number of summer volunteering, interning and working experiences. I used to be a volunteer for Duluth Minnesota's Essentia Health hospital stocking IVs and making patient beds in the Surgical In/Out patient unit. I also interned at the University of Minnesota Duluth's Computer Science Department and for Rockwell Automation. As summer class registration is in swing, companies are looking to hire, and you are finalizing where you will be staying this information may be help you out. We will look at three different factors to consider when deciding if it is the best to volunteer, intern, or work. These three factors include if you want to make a substantial amount of money, where locationally-wise you would like to be over the summer, and if you would like your experience to be relevant to your major.

MONEY First let’s talk cash. The green paper, and sometimes electronic figures, that rule your life.  As broke college students having a little change on hand to help pay for college expenses, toss into savings, and curb debt is always a plus. Naturally, a factor to consider when deciding how to make the most of your summer is if money is on your mind.

Volunteering -  although rewarding does not offer pay so may not be a first choice if money is a major factor.

Internships - they can lead to well-paid summer experience. As reported by CNN Money in an article, “Interns at Google probably make more than you” written by Katie Labosco in 2013, interns at tech companies like Google “are paid $5,800 monthly, while specialized software engineers make as much as $6,700 per month”. This amount is higher than the United States’ median household income. Unfortunately not all internships are paid and the amount depends on the demand of the trade such as technology and healthcare.

Summer job - Money seems to be the biggest perk of a summer job despite the possible burger flipping and shirt folding to get it. Unlike an internship summer jobs are more plentiful and with flexible hours let you work more than one at a time.

Another factor to keep in mind in addition to money is location

LOCATION Location can potentially be like the icing on the cake of an experience. You can decide to conveniently stay in your hometown, pick a location with a more desirable climate, or travel somewhere on your bucket list.

Volunteering - offers an endless pool of locations to choose from- between the nursing home across the street and tribes in Africa. From suburbs to cities someone - somewhere someone will need your help. Volunteering through United Way, Church Missionaries, American Red Cross, and Peace Corps offers a wide variety of locations. There are local volunteering opportunities right here in Duluth, MN too. Feed homeless at Chum, take care of precious stray animals at Animal Allies, or help patients at Essentia Health like I did.

Internships -  can be a little scarcer in where they are offered. Companies must have a budget and mentorship resources set aside for interns mostly major companies in large cities offer internships. There are however a few internships in smaller cities such as Digi Key in Thief River Falls, MN and study abroad programs held by global companies such as Rockwell Automation.

Summer jobs - can be easily in your home town or where you are studying, some even within walking distance. Some summer jobs offer housing as a part of their package. At Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio workers are offered a place to stay on site, for cost food, and good pay.

Aside from a nice location choosing a summer activity that is relevant to your field of study will also help you make the most of your summer.

Me Performing Community Outreach with the Daredevils Duluth East Daredevils FIRST Robotics Team 2512. 2012. Duluth

RELEVANCE TO MAJOR A Huffington Post article “Why Gaining Work Experience Is More Important Than Your Education” written by Thad Baker in 2013 claims that, “you need more than a college degree to get hired”.  From that same article CNN reported findings from High Flyers, Research Company that specializes in student recruitment research, that “college graduates without work experience have "little chance" of getting a job”.

All Three -  Fortunately Volunteering, Interning, and Working are all opportunities that can relate to your field of study.  Volunteer at a hospital to get experience on the floor while pursuing a nursing degree, intern at a company you wish to work at someday, take a job that exercises skills that you will need in your career like as a manager or sales personnel.

CONCLUSION Today we have discussed factors to consider while deciding what to do over summer vacation Options we weighed included volunteering, interning, or working based on the money that can be made, location, or relevance to major. Now you have an idea of how to make the most out of your summer vacation. No matter which of these options you pick there will still be time to hold a drink in your and prop your feet against the burning sand like Olaf.

WHAT YOU CAN DO...

Volunteeer Match: a quick way to find who needs your help locally or abroad http://www.volunteermatch.org/

Internships: my best advice for finding an internship would be visiting you university's career center, attending a job fair/ internship fair, or searching on your desired company's website. Your university's career center can be experemely helpful with not only finding an internship but also preparing your resume and cover letter.

I edit resumes, cover letters, and internship applicaitons! Find me on Fiverr: https://www.fiverr.com/s/7rmpki

WORKS CITED

Lobosco, Katie. "Interns at Google Probably Make More than You." CNNMoney. Cable News Network, 12 June 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2015.

Baker, Thad. "Why Gaining Work Experience Is More Important Than Your Education." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 14 Aug. 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2015.

This post is from a speech I wrote for my public speaking class. I liked it so much and thought it would be helpful so I put it on here!

Love life and take a food tour in Rome!

Interrailing in Italy means that you will eat a lot of super-delicious food. Rome is not an exception in Italy and when staying here you can enjoy a food tour. Led by a food-loving guide, this small-group tour will teach you the secrets behind these Italian specialties. It can't be a much better and interesting way to get to know Rome and its food culture!

Link for info: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/activities/food-drink/small-group-food-tour-rome-espresso-gelato-tiramisu#ixzz3TFcHbVHW

Enjooooy food-lovers!

Interrailers, next up the capital of  Italy, Rome!

Rome is the capital of Italy, with a city of population of 4.3 million residents it the most populated city of italy. Rome is one of the most ancient cities of the world with its civilization dated back to almost two and half thousand years back. The annual average temperature of the city is 20 degrees.Having a history dated back to almost 700 BC it a perfect blend of modern and ancient sightseeing. You cannot leave rome without seeing the Vatican city, the Trevi Fountain, St Peter's Square, Spanish Steps, Colosseum and more. You have a lot to explore about different cultures from past and present in this unique city of ancient art. In addition to the cities sightseeing the open air markets make it more fun to walk around and shop as a tourist. One of the best quotes to define tourism in rome is "Even a lifetime isn't enough to see Rome." For all italian food lovers Rome is the best place to have the Italian pastas and pizzas, not forgetting to mention the exoctic wines of Rome. We recommend to take a taxi in case you want to conserve some energy from walking around the maleficent ancient city. Add the city to your travel cart, we will be posting more about food, hotels and activities in Rome. 

Enjooooy! :D

Stroll around in the Brera district of Milan

Interrailing is all about finding new destinations and spots where you can soak up as much new culture as possible. The Brera district in central Milan is really a spot like the ones you are searching for! Strolling around finding second-hand markets, restaurants, cafés while enjoying the sun and the atmosphere makes this a great place visiting!

Colonne di San Lorenzo

Enjoy life and get interrailing experiences at Colonne di San Lorenzo in Milano! 

The checklist of interrailing escapes 2015 continues, next up Milano!

Located in the northern part of Italy you find the fashion city Milano. The city is the second biggest city in Italy primarily known for fashion and luxury stores, but the city has soo much more than this to offer! Architecture, fashion, football, restaurants and great looking people are some of the things that the city is really famous for. Traveling to Milano is really easy and the railway station located centrally in the city simples things. Going here gives you opportunities to enjoy the true fashion spirit that Italy has developed and is originated from Milano. Strolling around watching all beautiful people in costumes, sipping espresso and eating at great restaurants is truly worth a visit. Besides that we will provide you with some other really interesting tips when visiting Milano.

So don´t forget to bring a nice shirt when backpacking for your visit in Milano!

Cicchetti crawl in Venice

Strolling around in Venice makes you want to try out some authentic Italian food. But although you're in the mecha of Italy it is actually quiet hard finding some really good Italian food. This is why we want to provide with some really good tips regarding great, authentic Italian restaurants. Cicchetti or, pronounced Chee-keett-eeeh, are Venice´s answer to Spain´s tapas or Milan´s appertivo. Small plates with food and often different kinds of dishes like fish, meats, cheese etc. A perfect meal together with friends and a glass of wine after a long day of walking around! A perfect place is All Arco to sit down at, genuin staff and greeaat food. In combination with good prices this makes an excellent choice! 

Breathtaking Venice! Is this place on your interrail checklist?

Venice!

Extraordinary view in Venice: The Campanile

As most of you already know, Venice is a beautiful city in the north-east Italy, but how beautiful is it? If you want to experience a more holistic view of the old city we really recommend you to walk the stairs of any high tower or viewpoints in Venice. The Campanile http://www.timeout.com/venice/attractions/venue/22472/campanile is Venice’s tallest building, at almost 99 meters (325ft) over the ocean you will perceive the city in a new dimension and you can point out where you want to go, where you think you will explore new sites of the city. The Campanile was built between 888 and 912, but collapsed in July 1902 and rebuilt exactly “as it was, where is was”, which the town council of that day promised. Back in 1451, the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III rode his horse upstairs to the original top, but nowadays there is an elevator that takes you up, so forget the stairs! The view is superb, taking in the Lido, the whole lagoon and on a clear day the Dolomites in the distance.

For more towers and viewpoint please check out Timeout. http://www.timeout.com/venice/search/?tag_id=4252

Ljubljana: the unidentified pearl of interrailing

South-west of Budapest we find the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana. With train the trip between the cities take about nine hours, perfect opportunity to catch up with your sleep or a photo-session of the nature traveling through. Ljubljana is a city not very well known by the general mass making it perfect in terms of finding new, unexplored escapes. The city itself is mid-size and has around 280 000 inhabitants. It is a very unique city dotted with pleasant picturesque places where you can expect all kinds of nice little surprises. The city has two different features: on the one hand the city is full of history with old houses and various traditions. On the other hand the city has a young and modern touch which makes it very dynamic and full of life. All in all, a Ljubljana is super nice city with a great setting in which you can breathe out and explore its escapes.

Chapters: 1/31 Fandom: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Original Series Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Leonard "Bones" McCoy/Spock Characters: Spock, James T. Kirk, Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Nyota Uhura, Pavel Chekov, Hikaru Sulu, Montgomery "Scotty" Scott Additional Tags: Summer Vacation, spones - Freeform, Summer of Spones (2021), Mirror Universe, only in some chapters, Tourism, Beach House, Funny situations, Trekking, city, Parties, tags may change depending on the chapter Series: Part 1 of Un verano muy caliente Summary:

El mar Mediterráneo, el calor típico de la zona, la exquisita comida, los lugares llenos de historia medieval, las zonas al aire libre lejos de cualquier otra persona, una casa acogedora a orillas de la playa, deportes de todo tipo, paseos por lugares de ensueño, lugareños carismáticos, una guía contratada por Jim... La tripulación del Enterprise está de vacaciones el mes de agosto. Jim, Spock y McCoy quieren descansar y no tener que preocuparse por nada durante todo un mes, bañarse en el mar, tumbarse en la arena, recorrerse el pueblo y zonas de interés de los alrededores... Como cualquier otro veraneante. Sin embargo, cada día les pasará algo inusual, algunas cosas más raras que otras, unas provocadas por ellos, otras por pura suerte. Mientras tanto, Spock y McCoy tienen algunos momentos en los que se plantean su amistad y unos posibles sentimientos más hondos. Tienen ocasiones a solas en las que intimar y desarrollar esos sentimientos, otras en las que Jim les parecerá la mejor compañía para romper ese incómodo silencio. Pero en las dos coincide algo, están juntos y eso es algo que les gusta. ¿Aquel lugar les ayudará a confesar al otro lo que de verdad sienten?

Esta es la misma historia pero en español. La pongo porque me resulta mucho más fácil expresarme en español y considero que hay partes en inglés que puede que estén mal traducidas. Si alguien entiende español, yo aconsejo que es mejor leer esta, la riqueza de vocabulario es mucho mayor (aparte de que hay muchos sinónimos de palabras que he utilizado en español que en inglés son iguales).

This is the same story but in Spanish. I put it here because it's much easier for me to express myself in Spanish and I consider that there are parts that may be mistranslated. If someone understands Spanish, I advise that it's better to read this one, the richness of vocabulary is much greater (apart from the fact that there are many words that I have used in Spanish that are the same word in English).

Chapters: 1/31 Fandom: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Original Series Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Leonard “Bones” McCoy/Spock Characters: Spock, Leonard “Bones” McCoy, James T. Kirk, Nyota Uhura, Pavel Chekov, Montgomery “Scotty” Scott, Hikaru Sulu Additional Tags: Summer of Spones (2021), Summer Vacation, spones - Freeform, Mirror Universe, only in some chapters, Tourism, Beach House, Funny situations, Trekking, city, Parties, tags may change depending on the chapter Series: Part 1 of A very hot summer Summary:

The Mediterranean Sea, the typical warmth of the area, the exquisite food, the places full of medieval history, the outdoor areas far away from anyone else, a cosy house by the beach, sports of all kinds, walks in dreamlike places, charismatic locals, a guide hired by Jim… The crew of the Enterprise is on holiday in August. Jim, Spock and McCoy want to rest and not have to worry about anything for a whole month, bathe in the sea, lie on the sand, walk around the town and surrounding areas of interest… Just like any other holidaymaker. However, every day something unusual will happen to them, some things stranger than others, some caused by them, others by pure luck. Meanwhile, Spock and McCoy have some moments where they consider their friendship and possible deeper feelings. They have times alone when they can intimate and develop those feelings, times when Jim will seem like the best company to break that awkward silence. But in both of those situations, they are together and that is something they like. Will that place help them to confess to each other what they really feel?

Here is the first chapter of the Spones fic I talked about.

I took me more time than I expected in translating from Spanish. Also, it’s longer than I firstly thought, but I managed to finish it in August (in the limit)