Freaking Allergies

Ok so apparently Barcelona trees have more pollen than the entire state of Georgia. Today was AWFUL, you couldn't go five minutes without scratching your eyes, sneezing, or blowing your nose. I think the worst part about it is the little stuff that blows off the trees. I wore a black dress and it looked like I had been rolling around with a dog all day (ugh, in my dreams) because there was what looked like little hairs stuck to me. So today, sunny and 75 with a 100% chance of sneezing and stuffiness.

Other than the allergies today was quite nice! I got a lazy start to the day after sleeping through three alarms. We went to a museum this morning about roman ruins. It was really cool and let you walk around ruins of the city that were still in tact. We got an audio tour to go with it and it had signs that explained everything along the walls. It was fun learning things without wondering if I'm going to get tested on it! Did you know that they had sewer system type canal where people from the streets would pee in it and it would all drain back to the laundry place? Apparently pee was used as bleach! Also the slaves (or I guess whoever owned them) had to pay taxes on the pee canals. What a crazy time to be alive!


Today I noticed a lot more coach busses with groups traveling and more families/people in general. Since it's the weekend there were also a few more shops and pop up tents that were on different streets. We walked around the streets and tried to find presents for our people. I love shopping when I travel I wish I had unlimited money so I could buy everything in the tourist shops. You never know when you'll need an olive oil dispenser with La Sagrada Familia on it and matching salt and pepper shakers!!

The streets of Barcelona don't feel as foreign anymore. I'm starting to recognize different areas and people don't look as confused when I throw a Spanish word into my sentences. Tomorrow is our last day though and I'm happy about that because I'd rather leave Barcelona wanting a little more instead of being sick of it and just ready to get out. I feel like you can only be a tourist in a city for so long. After a while you really need a purpose to enjoy the city to its fullest potential.

So on to the important things, FOOD. I slept too late to get breakfast (still scarred from yesterday) and I just had a ham and cheese croissant for lunch. But dinner was SO GOOD! We went to this Mexican place and I had Mexican sangria (it's like soda water + wine) which was kind of weird but fizzy and delicious! This place had a fun vibe and was packed. After dinner we walked home and stopped by a skate park. Barcelona is a HUGE skateboarding city since it's so flat and the streets are so smooth. On our walk home is this plaza where the skateboarders congregate and then people just sit and watch them skate. They can do pretty cool tricks I was impressed!!

Tomorrow we have a few more tourist stops and then it's off to Rome. So until then, Adios!

Emily

Biking through Barcelona

Today was a GREAT DAY!! It was a rainy morning so I slept through that apparently with the rest of Barcelona. Our tour guide later told us shops and restaurants opened later because of the rain. The morning started off a little rocky at a breakfast place called Benedict. I got eggs benedict with some kind of Spanish sausage and it was no bueno. Ryan traded with me because his was a little less terrible and he thought mine was a little less terrible. So overall, really gross breakfast. We wanted to good to the place next door, Milk, but the wait was too long. But maybe we'll be able to go before we leave!


After breakfast we walked around the millions of stores sprinkles along the streets. We got to go inside some beautiful churches and see some new parts of the city. I love how many parks there are here! And they're big parks too. It's like NYC but bigger. After killing some time we went to our meet up for our bike tour! Our tour guide was this cute girl from New Zealand. We went all around the city and we made some new friends too. This guy who had just graduated from UGA was on the tour. He was traveling by himself because he had some time before he started his new job in Atlanta. What a small world! The bike tour was a great way to learn about the city. It was also fun to bike after doing so much walking every day.

Things I learned from bike tour:

Pic 1- People threw their waste pots into the streets and it made for quite an unsanitary town. The Jews started washing their hands before and after meals and they weren't getting sick. The queen (queen Isabella I think) decided that they weren't getting sick not because they were hygienic but because they were cursing everyone else. The logical thing to think! So she started killing them off by  pouring hot wax on them by the wall of the castle. Those who lived were burned alive.

Queen Isabella also had a speculated affair with Christopher Columbus! They met and began canoodling before taking off on his expendition. Being the loving partner that she was she offered to fund his adventures! She gave him slaves from the prisons for his crew and boats from her fleets for him to use. He left and find treasures and land and came back to tell her about how rush he wasN what he failed to remember (or read) was before he left Isabella had him sign a little slip of paper that said "hey everything you find is mine". So although he wasn't the owner of everything he found, he was still happy because Isabella continued to fund his voyages. Later both him, Isabella, and Ferdinand (I think that's the name of the king) all died of symptoms similar to syphilis. Be safe kids!!!

Pic 2 - This is a museum where we learned about Catalan culture. I'm going to butcher it because I don't remember it as well but there was a dictator who oppressed the people so now there are separatists flags specifically for the Catalan people. The dictator was friends with Hitler and Mussolini and died a natural death. He was hurried outside Madrid and never punished for the way he treated the people in the Catalan region. So the Catalan people are PO'd that they never got an apology and that no one recognized their oppression. I forgot how the museum ties into that though...

Pic 3 -  The Arc de Triomphe! This is in a beautiful park. So when they were trying to figure out what structure to build here they had architects from all over come and pitch their ideas. There was one man that came and pitched an idea but the Catalan people hated it and sent him away. He took his designs to Paris and  built the Eiffel Towet there instead of Barcelona. There are (I think) 10  Arc de Triomphs around the world. They are built for soldiers returning home from war to march through. This was not the reasoning behind Barcelona's Arc, they just liked the way it looked.

Pic 4 - This is a cool fountain and I was too distracted to listen to why it's important! I did hear her say the top isn't real gold, they just painted it gold for the '92 Olymlics.

Pic 5 - This is an old bull fighting ring. Bull fighting was banned in 2010 because of the cruel treatment to the animal. They would starve the animal, cover their eyes in Vaseline, drug them, and stab them before the fights. They use the stadiums for concerts and stuff now.

Pic 6 - La Sagrada Familia has too many cranes. But it's really cool! We didn't get to go inside but the outside was very pretty to look at. Gaudi gave himself 200 years to finish it but the government thinks they're going to finish it in 9 years. So time will tell!

Pic 7 - Barcelona has a man made beach. They had to ask Egypt for sand because they didn't have any!

After the bike tour we walked around trying to find a few dinner spots and eventually found a restaurant with some Italian food. It wasn't the best but it also wasn't the worst. I got pizza and Ryan got pesto gnocchi. I'm excited to eat REAL Italian food soon!

Tomorrow we don't have much planned so we'll just be taking on the city.

Ttyl!!
Emily

Beautiful Views + Tapas = Great Day

Today was such a great day!!! But first a few notes: so many people in Barcelona spoke cigarettes and it's a little ridiculous. I didn't really notice it until Ryan said something yesterday but now I notice it everywhere. If we are walking in crowded areas it's like walking in a bar, cigarette smoke just clinging to the air around you. So that stinks. Also the bathrooms/water in general is way different here. Sometimes I feel like I'm in NYC or something but then I'll remember there are no water fountains and you don't get tap water at restaurants and I'm like oh, right, not America. But overall Barcelona is pretty cool!!

Montserrat

So today we started off the day with a chocolate croissant, a cliff bar, and a coach bus that took us to the top of a mountain. Yesterday I was saying how I was sad we didn't get to learn about this history as much but since this was a guided tour we got lots of information! It was also nice waking up with a plan and a place to go. So we head up on the bus for about an hour outside Barcelona and arrive at Montserrat, the mountain with a famous monastery on top. The sun was way stronger than I expected (good thing I remembered to put on some sunscreen before I left!) but it was windy so it felt really great at the top. We got the see the old chapel and learn about a Virgin Mary sculpture that is famous in Spain. There's some Spanish name for her but it translates into the "little black one". I think it has something to do with the material she's made of and it darkens over time? But after our guided tour we had about two hours of free time so Ryan and I did a short hike to an overlook and did a liquor tasting that was included with our trip. Apparently when the monks weren't praising Jesus they were brewing up some liquor. They don't make it on the mountain anymore but we got to try four different kinds. They were all gross. The overlook was BEAUTIFUL though! There's nothing like being about to look out and see whole cities and new mountain ranges on the skyline. It makes the world feel giant but also right at your fingertips. Overall the trip was really great and I'm glad we got to go!

Da Streets

We made dinner reservations for 7 pm and the tour ended at about 2:30 so we had some time to kill. We got a little snack at a burger place and spent the rest of the time walking the streets. It's crazy here. Imagine a maze but within the maze there are shops on every street. I have no clue how anyone finds their way around let alone memorize where places are! It also feels like you're waking around residential areas because the streets are so small and apartments and on top of all the shops. We did a little bit of shopping and eventually made our way to a tapas place that our friend had suggested. It. Was. Awesome.

Dinner

Dinner was so fun!! This was my first experience with tapas and I must say, it set the bar quite high. The restaurant was called Sensi Taps Gourmet. We ordered one cheese plate, four tapas, and a dessert. They bring the tapas out one at a time and make them all on the spot. All the kitchens here are so tiny and restaurants are rarely that big. We had the first reservation time and were the only people in the restaurant at 7, but by 730 the place was packed wall to wall. We got a steak and potato confit, a ravioli that was life changing, pork tenderloin (we could have done without this), and cheese risotto. To top it off we had dulce de leche cheese cake which was just the icing on the cake. This was all a pretty penny but it was worth it I would go back there in a heartbeat!

Clubbin

Barcelona has a really big club scene but I don't think I'll be able to see it because they don't start until 1 am. Tonight we went into an ice bar at 9 pm and were the only ones in there lol. For those who don't know an ice bar is a bar made entirely of ice and kept at freezing temperatures. They give you a parka, gloves, and a glass made of ice for your drink. I was so cold I couldn't feel my fingers for ten minutes so no bueno. We did meet these nice girls (2 girls ended up joining our solo dance party) and we got to talk to them for a little bit. They had just graduated from the University of Edinburgh! Anyway maybe one night we will make it to "da cluubb" but until then it home at 11 and accidentally falling asleep before I wake up and write a blog post :)

Goodnight ttyl!!

Emily

WELCOME TO BARCELONA!

What a crazy day, night, day, and night it's been. Being in the Atlanta airport feels like AGES ago! For those who are just now catching up - Ryan and I were flying standby and did not make it on a flight our first go around Monday afternoon. We had to ride Marta home with some all too interesting characters and get picked up at the North Springs station. This ended up not being the worst thing because I got to catch up on my sleep, hangout with the parents, and get some delicious pancakes before heading back to the airport Monday afternoon to try try again.



The Flight

I was really hoping for a first class seat (since I will probably never actually splurge for one on my own) but instead I got the window seat on the exit row. I thought this was the second best option from first class but as it turns out the exit door is extremely loud and extremely cold. There is also no where to prop your feet up. I had seen most of the movies on the airplane already so I would watch half of one and then just switch. Since I wasn't able to get very comfortable I only got about an hour of sleep during the whole 9 hour flight. Ryan didn't have the most enjoyable flight either and had a stomachache from the beginning. Icing on the cake? We both left our portable chargers behind. Ryan left his charging in the Atlanta airport and I left mine on the airplane. Welcome to Barcelona...

(The views flying in were beautiful though!! So many mountains and green landscape.)



Getting out

We got to wait in line for probably an hour and a half thinking about our left behind comrades (the chargers) since there were 3-4 flights that got in that morning and about 3-4 people working the passport offices. It really was ridiculous that they didn't have more employees working there. We weren't even at the end of the line! I'm sure the people behind us had to wait at least another hour until they could get through to their baggage. So to sum things up - long line leads to stamped passports, which takes us to our bags that both arrived safely, and a nice delta employee who got me my charger back (woohoo!). Now that we had our stuff we were ready to go. The only problem was, we didn't know how to go anywhere. At this point we were nearing the 24 hour mark for being awake so thinking and planning were getting difficult. After looking at trains, metro passes, day passes, taxis, and talking to not very helpful people, we finally figured out what to do. We hopped on our bus and headed to Plaza Calalunya!

 

Dazed and Confused

Still dazed and confused from sleep deprivation we sat on some park benches waiting for our check in time with our air bnb. All the apartments here have balconies with little gardens and they look beautiful. It's either gardens or laundry drying, but I prefer to look at the ones with flowers instead of sheets and underwear. We took our time walking through the streets and made our way to the apartment. It's in a great location that's in a walking distance to most things! We dropped our bags off and passed out for longer than I wanted to (I wanted to catch a bike tour) Tomorrow we're waking up early for a trip to the mountains though so I guess it's good we got to rest up today. Oh did I mention the apartment is on like the fifth floor with no elevator? It's like hiking a mountain every time we come home! Anyway, we walked to get dinner on the beach and had some delicious sangria and churros with our meal. It was nice to relax by the water and people watch for a while. There are so many tourists here and most employees speak English. I've tried speaking Spanish but it mostly just confuses people.


Group travel vs solo travel

We headed back before it got super dark outside and unintentionally passed out again. But I woke up and remembered to write this so you're welcome dad!! Tomorrow we're going to Montersatt and I think it's going to be really cool. I'll send lots of pics! Traveling alone is much different than traveling with a group. It's kind of nice to have things scheduled and someone making sure you get to where you need to be. Group things also make you appreciate free time when you have it as opposed to traveling alone and every second is free time. Something I miss is during my study abroad we were learning about the cities we were exploring. I wish we could do more of that here. It makes you appreciate the city more and makes it feel a little smaller. But that's something we can work on in the next few days!

Ok off to bed! Hopefully I can still sleep after all my naps. Ttyl!!

Emily

BoGo Sneak Peak!

Happy Monday!

First off for those who want sneak peaks into BoGo discounts, products, and offers sign up at this link. I promise you won't want to miss anything! 

Just a refresher, at BoGo Bras for every bra that is purchased a bra is donated to a woman who is coming out of sex trafficking. This can be a little confusing so below is the FAQ page from our soon to be public website. Please comment below if you have any questions, I would love to answer them for you. In the mean time read up and prepare yourself for our product launch that is COMING IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS! Remember, it's never too early to start your holiday shopping... 

Why BoGo?

Many developing countries have a ban on the sale of second hand clothing due to health concerns. BoGo Bras will be donating brand new bras for women coming out of sex trafficking to sell. A large inventory of new bras will allow women to start their own business of selling bras in many new countries where they otherwise wouldn’t have that opportunity.

How does selling bras help stop human trafficking?

When women are rescued from sex trafficking they rarely have a job waiting for them. Many women and girls were trafficked from a young age and did not receive an education and don’t have a skill set to offer to an employer. This lack of opportunity combined with fear, wondering if they will be able to provide for themselves, pushes the women back into doing what they know. Giving women the opportunity to start their own business selling bras encourages them to believe in themselves, be financially independent, and have hope for a better future.

Why do you call the women entrepreneurs?

The women selling bras are gaining basic business skills. They are responsible for managing their money to buy more inventory, managing their profits to provide for themselves and their families, and working on dealing with people. They ultimately run their own business.

How do the bras get to the women?

BoGo currently partners with Free The Girls, an organization  that collects new and gently used bras, to ship to the rescued women. Free the Girls works with aftercare organizations who distribute the bras and train the women on how to start their own businesses selling the bras.

Does every shipment of donated bras go to the same women?

When rescued women choose to participate in the Free The Girls program, only their first box of bras is a donation. The women must manage their money and save enough to buy another box of inventory if they would like to continue selling bras. By giving the women the opportunity to  empower themselves as entrepreneurs, they can gain confidence in their own skills and take full responsibility for their journey to freedom.

Have any more questions? Comment below! The bra is coming soon so get your wallet ready :)

Go Big or Go Home

Back to Brandon & the Big 3

In my last blog post I mentioned three things Brandon Stanton (the founder of Humans of New York) said that stood out to me. Hearing someone like Brandon talk about how happy they are doing what they love everyday inspires me. It teaches me not to settle for the easy option. Brandon Stanton spoke about his initial dream and how different it was than what HONY ended up being. Simply starting a journey is the hardest part and once you start, it will work out and develop into what you need to be. He also spoke about not waiting to receive affirmation from everyone around you. A direct quote from him was:

"Do you know how many people thought it was a good idea to pack up, move to New York, and take pictures of people? None."  

If you know what you want to do just go for it! Pursue your dreams without a safety net. Brandon Stanton is the example of what if looks like to go after what you want with all that you have. If you don't have a backup plan you are forced to give 110% to make your dream happen.

Drumroll please…

I’m sure you all have been on the edge of your seats wondering what Emily Wilhoit wants to do post-graduation. For those of you who know me, you know that ending human trafficking is a cause that is very near and dear to my heart. During the past few months I have been working closely with the nonprofit, Free The Girls, both nationally and here at UGA. FTG works to provide jobs to women who have been rescued from sex trafficking by collecting donated bras and providing them to rescued women as inventory to sell in their communities. So what if we took this idea one step further, what if by buying a bra you could support these women; and thus comes the idea of:

BoGo Bras stands for, "buy one give one" bras, with every bra that is bought one will be donated towards inventory for rescued women to sell.

Put me in coach

The BoGo Bras website is in the final stages and will be launching soon. I have already gotten incredible feedback and support for the idea of BoGo Bras and would like to extend an invitation for anyone to jump on board! We are in the process of creating an ambassador program of sorts that will be call the, "BoGoGetters". You will help get the word out about BoGo Bras, get special offers, and be a part of the initial BoGo team as we work to get this idea off the ground. If you are passionate about helping women and want to make a difference, click this link and give me your email! If you would still like to follow the journey but not be a BoGoGetter we would love to have your information as well.

Vote for BoGo!

So friends, family, strangers who are nice enough to follow my journey, wish me luck as I pursue my dream! I have decided this is my post-grad plan, my answer to the dreaded question. Stay tuned for updates and if you're already interested, follow BoGo Bras on instagram @bogobras! Feel free to share with your network of friends if you want to help a girl out :)

Already have questions? I would love to answer them, leave them in the comments section below!

YOU GET A JOB! YOU GET A JOB! YOU GET A JOB!

Let’s Talk Vacation Days and PTO

As a senior in college,  I’ve already been asked the dreaded, "So you're graduating in May? What do you think you're going to do?", question at least 2-3 times a week. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE dreaming of the future. Being the idealist I am, I usually think of the future as a world of opportunities just waiting for me to pick a dream and say, "I think I'll go and achieve that". However, lately it’s been getting more difficult to maintain this mindset. Many of my friends received job offers from their summer internships, others have a constant stream of interviews lined up, and the rest have plans to pursue a master's or law degree. Meanwhile, I’m cringing thinking about sitting in an office from 9-5 and living for weekends, vacation days, and PTO.

Dreams vs. Reality

My international affairs major has allowed me to spend the last four years learning about topics that actually interest me and gave me a new perspective on the world and how it works. It did not, however, prepare me for a job outside D.C. or for a job where a master's degree isn't necessary. I feel the pressure to join the ranks of corporate America by  getting a “good” job and put all my dreams on hold. Some people may say this is me just coming to terms with the reality that we can't always do whatever we want and that is part of growing up. But I don't believe that.

Thank you HONY

A few weeks ago Brandon Stanton spoke at UGA about his experience starting his blog, Humans of New York. HONY has gained traction all around the world and has MILLIONS of followers and supporters. He has traveled to over 20 countries and given a voice to Syrian refugees, US prison inmates, pediatric patients in the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and of course, humans in New York City.

During his speech he said three things that I have not stopped thinking about:

1) You can't wait until something is perfect to start it.

2) Don't wait for everyone to tell you it's a good idea before doing it.

3) Chase your dreams without a safety net.

So what exactly is my grand plan? My vision starts with BoGo Bras. Stay tuned for more updates!