Starting to Feel Normal

Now last week was quite the time. This week was back to reality. This post is important to me because although last week was fun, this week I started to hit my rhythm in terms of my consistency in Coyhaique. It hit me while I was walking to school on Monday, five minutes late while drinking out of my maté thermos, that I was starting to feel like I had a routine. That this new world in Patagonia was not foreign to me. I was just going to school like a regular kid. That moment for me was HUGE. Following that moment I had the best day of my exchange so far. Nothing special happened, I just finally felt comfortable. I understood my classes, understood my friends, got to know the other exchange students, and had a nice peaceful choir rehearsal in the night. My comprehension has definitely risen and with that I am becoming happier here in Chile. 

Wednesday, with my project group, I went to a day care and played games with kids. They couldn't pronounce Weston so Gringo had to do. I had face paint like a cat and the whole afternoon was really cute. It was about a 20 minute walk from the school so on the way back I had a very nice conversation with one of my classmates about my exchange and some do's and do not's in Coyhaique. 

Thursday night I had my first performance with the choir. We were featured in a celebration of El Aniversario (for adults, my shirt was on). It was a great experience. We wore these things that were very, I don't know how to describe it other than interesting. 

There I am! 

Friday afternoon I finally got to lift at a Chilean gym. My friend Oscar and I went and got memberships at Gimnasio PowerFitness. It is a bit tinier than gym's in Manchester but I'm excited to get my weekly swell on again. On Friday night I had my first event for the local Rotary. It was a reunion for the three students that have returned from their exchanges. There were about 20 people there including older rotarians, the three rebounds and the two inbounds (me and Max from Germany). It was the first time I got to see Max since the orientation. It was great to talk to him and his dad. He has definitely started to learn some Spanish! It's a long road when you come with nothing and I commend him for the work he has put in. It was really fun. We had a big dinner and I got to talk to Rotarians in my community for the first time. After the dinner the three rebounds each gave a presentation about their exchange. What made this really special for me was I was understanding everything the entire night. Unlike the US where an event like this would start at 6 and end at about 9. This started at 9 and ended at about 12. The people in Chile like to get down really late, no matter the age!

                          

                               THE GYM                                                    ROTARIANS/FRIENDS

Saturday I woke up at 1, classic Chile, and went to my grandma's for lunch. I followed that with a sandwich at a local restaurant with another exchange student to practice our Spanish and the another trip to the gym with Oscar. After the gym I came home, showered and changed, and piled into a car full of friends for a dinner gathering at my friends house (all the way to the right in the Rotary picture. It was all of my sister's best friends and they were kind enough to invitre me. It was really awesome. It was the second time I had been to Michelle's house. The first time was the day after my birthday and it was fun but I did not understand anything that was going on. Last night I felt really comfortable with everything that was going on around me and I understood everything and could make conversation with people. 

Tonight is my first basketball game! Its only a scrimmage but it's still some competition, very pumped. I am really looking forward to what next week has in store. Keep in touch!

Photos from this week:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/98473393@N04/sets/72157635228828896/

Photos from the Rotary Reunion: 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/98473393@N04/sets/72157635228928090/

El Aniversario... and more

Let’s just say, this week has treated me well. However my adventures are hard to describe with just words. I know there is a lot written here so if it's too much, definitely check out the pictures at the bottom. To start let’s go back to Friday night, my birthday. My family had a big gathering at our house until about 4 in the morning. I could not hang in for that long! It was bedtime for the gringo. We ate food, played card games, laughed (well the others laughed because I did not understand what the hell was going on), and just had a good time. 

The next day, I woke up at 2 o clock. I have never done that in my whole life. Let me tell you, being an exchange student drains everything out of you. I have never been so tired in my whole life! Valentina (my sister) and I went out and about in town to take pictures of Coyhaique. We started on the roof of our house and then proceeded to leave Coyhaique and take some beautiful pictures from a-far. It was amazing, despite the freezing rain. Patagonia is just the most beautiful place in the world. Before I knew it Vale and I were walking in the dark as it had gotten late very quickly. This walk around Coyhaique was a great time for me to work on my Spanish and just have a nice conversation with my sister. She is the sweetest girl. We finished our tour of Coyhaique with a stop at Sandwich Patagonia. I got the “Complete” and it was so great. The sandwiches are huge! When we returned to the house Vale and I got changed and ready for a small party at a friends house where they celebrated my birthday and the honored the soon to be departure to France of Vale. It was great to hang out with some friends outside of school and meet some new people.

Sunday, the day where most people sleep in till the afternoon. For me? Nope. Vale and I were going skiing with family friends. We were ready and out of the house by 9. As a skier up in the US I was very excited about going skiing in Chile, IN PATAGONIA. The drive to the closest mountain is about 40 minutes and it was quite the climb. We may have gotten stuck a couple times/had to tow someone out of a snow bank, but we made it alive! If you don’t have the right type of car, you aren’t skiing at this mountain. I did not have any equipment so I had to rent. Despite the rental gear being quite subpar, and the snow was some crust on dust on crust on dust action. The day was magnificent. It was sunny and everything overlooked the Andes. Words/my pictures cannot describe it. I guess you’re just going to have to visit me! We skied for about 4-5 hours and then the mountain closed and it was time to make it down the treacherous mountain. Did we have any troubles? I am not sure because I was asleep the entire time…

So this week in school was “El Aniversario” (the 58th anniversary of the school). Every year they have a full week of activities and events scheduled for this occasion. So, classic new kid, I was selected to be the “Rey” (king) of my alianza (part of the school). There are 4 alianzas, about 250 people in each. Each alianza has a Rey and Reina (king and queen). I was also put on the “Lista Rosada” which is a list of all the handsome men in the school. Second day of school and I was killing it! Unlike the US, the teachers do not censor the students. We can pretty much do what we want. The seniors run around school all week with pant brush pens and proceed to write the name of their class on everyone’s faces. On Tuesday I was presented to my alianza as the Rey with my Reina (who is 12 years old, very nice and very cute, a little awkward don’t ya think?). I had to do things like, get danced on by a random girl, dance on a random girl, and have girls take candy from my mouth, with their mouth…welcome to Chile gringo!

Wednesday and Friday were the two most important days of the celebration. On Wednesday we paraded around the plaza (the four alianzas) with the Rey’s and Reina’s. We were treated like royalty it was so cool. We had togas on and were pulled around in a car while waving to all the people watching. I’d say this is an interesting way to get to know the school. Before I touch on Friday, Thursday was a Catholic holiday and I did not have school. Because of this I accompanied my family in bringing my sister to the airport for her exchange to France. Unfortunately things took a little turn and there was a crazy snowstorm on the way there. It took us twice the normal time to get to the airport and once we got there we immediately found out that the flight was moved until the next day at 5:30. For some reason I am not sure of, because ya know I can’t speak Spanish, we stayed at the airport for another hour. In the car my family and I boiled water with their hunting kit and drank maté and coffee, which hit the spot. A long car ride later--filled with snow, Spanish music, and sleeping—and I was home for the night.

Now Friday--was a whole new world. In the morning each person in my class ate two hamburgers, which I thought was pretty strange for 9 in the morning. Then my friend and I were taken out of the room by two girls and blindfolded. We were then taken to a different location in the school. When I was stripped of my blindfold I was welcomed to a room of the other men on the Lista Rosada and 20 senior girls. I was given a present for being on the list and then it started to get weird. Every girl put on a ton of red lipstick and kissed all the guys all over their face. Then we had to play the game with the candy in the mouth with more people I did not know and on the way out of the room the girls lined up to manhandle each guy. Then we all went into the gym for a big fun music/games assembly with different people from the alianzas. I was selected to represent my alianza in a contest with 8 other men. I had to take my pants off and 4 different girls felt up our legs and kissed our legs then voted on the winner. Hey now, I won! Oh yeah and it this was in front of the whole school. Then I had to play the candy game with my queen, Vale (awkward cuz she’s twelve). Next was an hour of dancing to one of my classmate/friend’s band, it was really fun and the band was great. All Chileans know how to dance it’s ridiculous. Plus it’s really awkward because there’s like six different dances to six different types of music, and I don’t know any of them. The afternoon was the modeling of the Reyes (Kings and Queens) and the finale of El Aniversario. I had to bring formal clothes, sport clothes, PJs and party clothes. In between the modeling they had dances and videos that the kids had put together. I ended up having to take my shirt off 3 times which was a little excessive. But overall the week was just amazing.

My Spanish is improving, I am making friends, fitting into the community, and all of this was a big help to my sister, Valentina. I wish her the best on her trip and am going to miss her very much. I also want everyone reading this to have one of my friends from school, Natalia Squeo, in their hearts. On Wednesday her father was in a fatal car accident. She is a very nice person and has been vital in my transition into the school. Thank you.  

Photos from activities of "El Aniversario": 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/98473393@N04/sets/72157635107739789/

Photos from the Snow Storm in Balmaceda: 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/98473393@N04/sets/72157635116070730/

PHOTOS FROM SKIING AND SOME VIEWS OF COYHAIQUE ARE ON MY CAMERA AND WILL BE UP ON THE NEXT POST

First Week

Tonight concludes my first week here in the beautiful mountains of Chile. To recap, we have to go back to last Friday. The ride over was brutally long. But with the help of some fellow brothers going to my orientation we made it a-okay. Initially, arriving in Santiago, we (Kobie, Nathan, Cody, and I) were quite disoriented. In fact, had we not seen another girl with a Rotary blazer on, I probably would not be here right now. However, we found the right people, got our boarding passes for the next flight, and got to sit down and relax for a couple hours with was much needed. There we got to know our entire district in Chile (D. 4355). We have a diverse group of Germans, Americans, Bermudans, and French. They are all incredibly nice and we enjoyed the first two hours together getting to remember each others names and breaking the ice with some classic universal fun. We had one more flight and a nice 2 hours bus ride until we finally stationed ourselves for the weekend at the Salto del Laja hotel in Los Angeles. During our orientation we enjoyed each other's company, played fun and insightful games, and ate great chilean food. We got to really get to know and stay up late talking to our Rotex leaders, Romi and Javier, as well as get to meet three Chileans who just finished their exchanges. One who stayed in Germany, another for It was the perfect way to get break the ice for our year to come. I am definitely going to remember that weekend for the rest of my trip.

Now on Sunday all the parents of the kids in our district got picked up by their families. My and the other future Coyhaique resident did not get this pleasure because, well, we had two more flights the next morning to make the trip down to our southern home of Patagonia. That night we both stayed in very welcoming houses of fellow Rotarians. Max does not speak Spanish so even though he is german I translated everything (everything that I understood that is) into English, our common ground. It was a very calm night leading into a very hectic morning of flying and waiting for the moment I had been waiting a very long time for, meeting my host family. My baggage had been a problem the entire trip and continued to be a problem as the dimensions of my carry-ons were, let's just say, pushing it a little bit. On my last flight I was so anxious that I couldn't even read. I was just sitting there, absorbed in everything that was going on around me. May I say, the view from the plane coming into Balmaceda airport (one hour from Coyhaique) was un-freaking-believable. Absolutely spectacular. When I landed I turned to my right and I could see in the distance waiting for me inside was my family. Balmaceda airport is much different than what I am used to. It has space for one airplane only. As soon as I got to baggage claim and was ready to grab my stuff I was swarmed by my family. They are so sweet. We exchanged greetings and took pictures and then we were off to the house! The ride to the house is jaw dropping. From the airport to Coyhaique is one hour of beautiful snow capped mountains of Patagonia. Once we arrived in Coyhaique and unpacked everything it was dark out so I did not get to see much of the city. However, my family had two of my Rotary counselors come over for dinner and conversation. That was a great way to start my exchange and Coyhaique.

After five days into my stay in Coyhaique, I could write for hours. However, I do not want to bore y'all. I'm going to give you the simplified "low down". So the town is absolutely beautiful. There are snow-capped mountains that you would think were painted in the sky surrounding the entire city (about the size of Burlington). My family are so welcoming and caring I can't talk about them enough. My mom is treating me like I am one of her own. I have known my sister for only five days but I feel like I have lived here forever. Her and I are getting very close. It's bittersweet because on Wednesday she is going to France for an exchange and I will not be seeing her most likely for a long long time. My brother and I have a lot in common and enjoy bonding over the local drink "Maté". My dad is a very caring and is willing to help me along with my language skills and anything I need in my daily routine. That leads me to my first obstacle of the exchange, speaking Spanish. I spoke alright during orientation so I expected to be do alright in Coyhaique. I was proven wrong right from the start. Small talk. I am fine, hi how are you where are you from etc. However, when we move into deeper questions like what class do you have next? Or, how times have you eaten today? We start moving into some shady territory. Each day I am getting better and better. By the end of the month I should be able to understand my family most of the time (I hope). For those of you who do not know, Chileans speak the some of the fastest Spanish in the world and have the most slang. It is very difficult to understand sometimes. You know me though. I speak with my face and my body language, my message can get across.

Today was my first day of school. I did not understand anything in the beginning. When the teachers do not write on the board to highlight the things they are saying, I don't understand almost anything. But when the teachers are writing on the board (or in Math, writing problems), I can sort of understand what's going on. The school is a little bit different than back at home. The teachers switch classes and the kids stay in the same classroom for every class. Also, you get a two hour lunch break where you go home to eat because in Chile lunch is the biggest meal. Because of this, I got out of school at 6 PM today. I actually kind of like school it better with the big breaks. Tomorrow is my birthday. I am excited to see what a Chilean birthday is like. I wish you all a good time wherever you are while reading this and I'll be writing soon again to tell you more about my year long adventure. Nos vemos.

Weston

Photos from the Airports/Plane Rides: 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/98473393@N04/sets/72157634994681776/

Photos from Orientation: 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/98473393@N04/sets/72157634988457029/

Photos from the first few days in Coyhaique:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/98473393@N04/sets/72157634994982648/

Family Vacation: Departing Tonight

Tomorrow night is the night. I leave from Albany Airport at a little before 6 PM. But before we jump the gun, my family and I had an eleven day vacation. Our adventure starts with the goodbye to Manchester. This consisted of several things. It started with some pictures of the house, as a farewell. We then proceeded to a five minute goodbye to the dogs and cat, gotta love them. Then it finished with a wave goodbye to the Muench Family household and a good old burrito from Cilantro. I'll tell ya, I have eaten there so many times in the last couple years, it's actually frightening. In reality I was saying goodbye to my second home. 

Photos from the Manchester goodbye:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/98473393@N04/sets/72157634882031330/

FAMILY

First stop was dropping my bags off at a dear friend's, Demi Feder, house. She lives in Malta, NY which is about 20 minutes from Albany Airport. It made good sense to put my heavy luggage that was unneeded for vacation in her house as the calendar flipped towards my departure. However, our first stop of the actual vacation was at my dear Great-Uncle Father Bill's house in Saranac Lake, NY near Lake Placid. There we saw his  parish and ate at a wonderful little restaurant called The Red Fox. He put us up in a Best Western that was right near a great trail to run on, which my family took advantage of in the morning. That morning we took pictures with him and said our goodbyes and before I knew it, we were off to destination number two: Pop Pop and Grandma's house. 

We arrived in the early afternoon and made ourselves right at home. By the time the sun began to set my Uncle, Aunt, and my cousins all had gathered at my grandparents house to enjoy a wonderful home cooked meal. Let me tell you, my grandpa made about 200 clams for us to chow down on. After dinner it was time for the cousins to bring home their love birds. My cousin Mary and my cousin Will both had their boyfriend and girlfriend come over. I had already had the pleasure of meeting Kurt on several occasions but it was very nice to meet Sabrina for the first time. She is a very sweet girl. Kurt, Mary, Sabrina, and myself entertained the house with some live music before closing out the night with some hugs and goodbyes. The next morning we woke up early for a very nice breakfast and that was followed by an emotional goodbye with my grandparents. I love them so dearly and it was very hard to say goodbye to them. But, with the adventure I have ahead of me I know that it had to be done. I love the both of you so so so much. 

Photos from Family tour: 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/98473393@N04/sets/72157634882084628/ 

NIAGARA FALLS

After saying goodbye to my grandparents we ventured up north to Canada for me and my brother's first  ever visit to Niagara Falls. It was spectacular. The views were breathtaking. After crossing the border and making our way over to our Marriott hotel, we settled in quickly and started touring the town. Our first stop was the classic Maid of the Mist. It was truly a marvelous site. You really get right next to the falls I could not believe it. Then we made our way back for a very delicious dinner at the hotel restaurant overlooking the falls. I still cannot believe those falls are completely natural. After dinner we went to the Skylon tower. This elevator takes you to the top of a giant building which overlooks the falls. We went up when it was dark out and it was spectacular. To start, the whole city was lit up and that was interesting in itself. On top of that, there are lights that shine on the falls and it was just breathtaking. After that it was pretty late and we called it a night

We woke up early the next morning as a family. My mom and I elected to go on a run while my brother and my dad decided to walk down towards the falls and take some pictures. I was about two miles into my run when I ran into my brother and my dad and decided to call it quits and just hang out with them. The site was unbelievable. The day before it was pretty cloudy, however this next day it was sunny and beautiful. All the tourists must be incredibly late sleepers because we were at the most touristy spot at the falls, at 8-8:30 AM and there were maybe 2 people there. I kid you not. We looked down four hours later and it was packed to the brim. Morning? Nope, no one wants to get out of bed. We sure took advantage of that. After taking a look at the sites and a very scrumptious breakfast provided by Applebees we packed everything up and filled the car once again. However, instead of leaving right away, we decided to make a pit stop at a simulated sky diving facility. This was such a great way to end Niagara Falls. My mom, brother, and I ended our trip with an indoor skydiving simulation in a wind tunnel that as out of this world. 

Photos from Niagara Falls: 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/98473393@N04/sets/72157634884654762/

LAKE MICHIGAN

When we left the simulated skydiving we embarked on a long car ride to Michigan. We have family friends who live in Cleveland and have a lake house right on Lake Michigan and we wanted to see them since they were on our way to Chicago. It took about 7 hours before we found ourselves in Muskegon, Michigan. We had to spend a night about 15 minutes from their house because, well, they weren't there yet! Muskegon is a ghost town. There was not much to do there so at the crack of dawn we ate breakfast and made our way down the road to the Clemens' lake house. It was honestly the most relaxing day. We got there and immediately went down to the beach and just enjoyed the sun and the waves and the wonderful aura of the lake. Between tanning, bocce ball on the beach, kayaking, reading, and almost anything relaxing you can think of, we did and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We had a wonderful supper followed by a beautifully cooked breakfast. The Clemens family is such a wonderful group of people and I am so glad I got to spend some of my last days with them. At about noon the next morning we had to get ourselves out and on the road for our two day trip to Chicago. 

Photos from Lake Michigan:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/98473393@N04/sets/72157634878266053/

CHICAGO:

The road to Chicago was seamless and perfect, all the way until we got about five minutes from the city. All of a sudden we hit the worst traffic you can think of. It took us about 45 minutes to get two miles. Completely stand still. In the end it was far worth it because Chicago was one of the best places I have seen in my life. We were greeted by our family friends, the Franck's, and were given a wonderful two day adventure through the Windy City. To start, Dorie and Megan Franck took us to a restaurant for lunch where the servers were mean and wise to the customers as part of the schtick. Very interesting. We then went to the top of  the Hancock building where we saw the best view of Chicago. After we finished with that, my family and I parted ways as I finished my night with a friend of mine from my Peru trip last summer, Reba Orloff. She showed me around her neighborhood and I got to meet her friends as well as spend quality time with a person I had not seen in a very long time. The day was a total success. 

The next morning I woke up and had breakfast with Reba and her sweet mother. Reebz and I watched and sang along (well it was mostly me singing along) to an hour of Sound of Music before Reba took me to Wrigley field where the rest of my family was meeting me. Reba and I said goodbye and it was time for the tour of the beautiful ballpark, Wrigley Field with my family and Dorie and Nicole. It was gorgeous. We got to learn fun facts about the field as well as go in dugouts, on the field, and go in the clubhouses. The next few hours Dorie took us to the must sees in Chicago (such as The Bean). At the end of the day we took a water taxi into downtown. We ended the night with a very relaxing (and may I say, incredibly well cooked meal by chef Carston) dinner at the Franck's and some ESPN/SNL to put us to sleep. 

We woke up  to a great breakfast featuring home made eggs benedict and some Fever Pitch. It was the perfect way to end a wonderful 3 days with some of the best people I know. Thank you so much. 

Photos from Chicago: 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/98473393@N04/sets/72157634878501855/

COLLEGE VISITS

Finishing up our tour of Chicago and moving towards our trip to Pittsburgh, we had to make a couple stops at a couple important colleges. My family have always been Notre Dame fans. Ever since we were little we've been watching their games on NBC every Saturday afternoon/evening. So we decided to take a trip to South Bend and see what all the hype was about. It was absolutely beautiful. The architecture, the history, touchdown Jesus, the whole thing was incredible. Not only was it completely worth the trip to see the campus, we also got to pick up some swag at the world class bookstore. 

We spent the night in Twinsburg, Ohio just to crash and then we were on the road again in trek towards our next college, Washington and Jefferson located in Washington County, PA. W and J, being my mom's Alma Mater, was a very special trip for my family. It was the first time any of us had seen the campus and it was the first time that my mom had been back since her graduation day. We took a full tour and Taylor is strongly considering applying there now. I really liked the campus. Mom, great choice!

Photos from College Visits: 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/98473393@N04/sets/72157634885246002/

PITTSBURGH

It was only a 40 minute drive before we entered Pittsburgh. That night was the first game of a five game series between the Pirates and the Cardinals, both of which are fighting for the NL Central crown. We also had tickets to that game. Unfortunately we pulled into Pitt about an hour later than we expected and were scrambling before the game started. Our hotel room was outstanding thanks to the hookup from Doug Stats Rawson who is currently working for Choice Hotels. We quickly drove to the incline where we were taken to the top of a hill that has the best view of Pittsburgh as well as some very nice restaurants. Unfortunately, the restaurants were a mile down the road, we hurried as fast as we could and found a nice little restaurant. We scarfed down our food and quickly made our way to the ballpark. We got there with just 15 minutes to spare. My dad did an amazing job buying tickets because we were second row right behind first baseline. My brother and I right away got an autograph from a Cardinals reliever. The game was so much fun. The Pirates ended up winning 9-2 and we saw two Top 10 plays while we were there. Every three innings the ball girl would rotate and I got a picture/talked to each one of them. They are very nice ladies. After the game we went to get a famous Pittsburgh sandwich at Primanti Brothers. Not only was it very affordable but it was incredibly tasty as well. The fries and the cole slaw were on the sandwich, not on the side. In between the two thickly slices Italian bread. Yum. Not going to lie, Pittsburgh goes to sleep at about 8 o'clock. After P Bros we went back to the shack and rested up for a long drive the next morning. 

We woke up and ate quickly because we had another 7 hour drive ahead of us to Sea Bright, NJ.  

Photos from Pittsburgh: 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/98473393@N04/sets/72157634878840717/

SEA BRIGHT, NJ

Our second to last stop came in the form of a little Jersey Shore town that has been close to my family's heart since Hurricane Sandy. For those of you who do not know, my dad did a documentary, named Sea Bright Rising, on the fall and rebuilding of this town off the coast of Jersey during and post Sandy. We have been there several times filming the past few months and finally we got to come without the video cameras and enjoy the sun and the beach. I had not seen the place since early December so I was truly astonished at the transformation and the life that was in the town that had been so destroyed just a few months prior. Councilmen and dear friend Reed Murphy took us out to eat at the classic Woody's restaurant. That was place is hopping. The atmosphere couldn't be topped, the menu was huge, and the food was delectable. I couldn't have asked for more. After dinner we went over to Johnny Decker's house. JD is a 79 year old local clammer who I stumbled upon while making Sea Bright Rising. We ended up filming him in December and using him in the film. Reconnecting with him was very interesting. We talked to him for about an hour. He is a remarkable human being... talk about living life to the fullest. After a quick dip in the hotel pool we went to our beds and slept. 

The next morning we had the pleasure of not immediately getting up and leaving but being able to hang around Sea Bright for several hours. We went out and got a nice breakfast, then we went to the hardware store and bought some beach stuff, and then we beached. We beached real hard. It was such a relaxing two hours for us to not have to be on the move or have any duties. Just two hours to ourselves where we could enjoy the summer sun while catching a few waves. Unfortunately, like every part of our trip, it was short lived and two hours later we were on the road to NYC. When I return in June I cannot wait to see the finished product of the rebuilt Sea Bright, NJ. 

Photos from Sea Bright, NJ:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/98473393@N04/sets/72157634878889935/

Link to Sea Bright Rising:

http://vimeo.com/64919028

NEW YORK CITY

Seeing the Manhattan skyline from the Sea Bright shoreline made me very anxious about getting to the final stop of my family tour/vacation, New York City. As we arrived from NJ it became very real. One of our closest friends and more or less my relative Rich Millet put us up in the Ritz Carlton in Battery Park. When I walked into our room, my jaw dropped. It was a suite that I can't even describe. It was unbelievably nice. It wasn't long before Taylor and I discovered the bathrobes in the bathroom! My mom, brother, and I took advantage of the beautiful weather and we all went on a 5 mile run down by the water. It was very refreshing and scenic. After our run my mom and dad went to their room and Rich, Tay, and I kicked back and watched some TV while eating room service and enjoying life. Soon the time ticked towards our dinner reservation and my parents came to our room. It was two hours before dinner when I realized that we forgot to get basketball shoes for my trip. We made a surgical strike to City Sports and picked up some kicks and were back in time to change and look good for dinner. We got to dinner and it was such a great place. It had a beautiful bar with such a great atmosphere, not to mention a great menu. My mom's brother, my Uncle Donny, came out as well and it was the perfect way to end my vacation and start my journey towards Chile. 

Photos from New York City:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/98473393@N04/sets/72157634887850836/

So as I sit in my hotel room the morning of my departure. I really am appreciating everything I am leaving behind. Thank you so much to everyone who has wished me luck or helped me along the way. Feel free to check in periodically throughout the year right here on my blog!

Weston