Sunburn

Being on anti-malarial medicine is such a strange feeling.  My body doesn't handle medicine super well (I'm allergic to four types?), and being on an antibiotic for 46 days wasn't pleasant.  The first Monday I was there, Lanyero took me around the village, and I was only wearing short sleeves.  The entire time I was paranoid about getting bitten by a mosquito.  A lot of my trip there was a haze of fear.  Being fully present was overwhelming and scary, and I was preoccupied most of the time.  I had a list running through my mind about my safety--where was Lanyero, was this safe to eat, how much water do I have left, where is my bag, am I sufficiently covered from mosquitos.  No wonder I slept in the car the first week. 

I would always sit with my raincoat or blazer in my lap when we were in the car.  My hands would be burned from the sunlight streaming in, and I would cover them with my jackets.  I would religiously apply sunscreen every day, but my hands still stung.  It was a familiar feeling, I was on this medicine a couple of years ago and I got badly burned.  It feels like there are pins and needles in your hands most of the time, or the flash of pain from a hot curling iron.  My stomach was often upset, but I'm not entirely sure if that was from the food, the water, or the medicine. 

For a month after I got back, that sting followed me.  I still applied sunscreen, still covered my hands, still wore a hat. 

For whatever reason, I felt that pain yesterday and it just took me back to when my normal was not washing my hair, filling the toilet tank, tucking in my mosquito net, and eating leftover chicken for breakfast. 

xo. Elise

20 Going on 21

I just had the realization that I am living out my last day as a 20 year old.  I'm just confused on how I got to this point.  21 was the age...well the age of everything.  It was officially the old age when I was younger.   But for being a 21 year old?  I'm just feeling overwhelmingly grateful for these chances, opportunities, and experiences.

Some memories from being 20:
- Mocktail party, snow-shoeing, J-Dawgs, Street 180 tacos, and a date all in one weekend.
- Valentine's Weekend with Anne
- Falling in the lake at the ward party
- Making salsa and guacamole often
- Getting shakes and jamming out to country music, only to head home and hear a date recap
- Talking about being a squad all night and watching Inception at midnight
- Playing hot sauce baseball in the kitchen
- Being asked to make lasagna and talking with friends for hours
- Going to Mooyah's on the hard days (spontaneous!)
- 8 a.m. classes everyday--> Econ with Laura!
- Starting another internship at Lucid Software
- Hour-long commute, holla (but not really because that's rough)
- Work retreat at Zion's--> hiking Angel's Landing, paint-balling, skeet shooting, zip-lining, jeep rides
- Running the Ogden Half Marathon with my sister and dad
- Finishing the prerequisites + applying for the strategy program
- Playing volleyball with 11 boys in the rain
- Having people come to my parent's house for the weekend
- Being a peer mentor, not being a peer mentor, working part-time for Lucid
- Having an apartment troubadour, BWW's, movie night every night (with cookies)
-Bon Voyage party with Los Hermanos + a doctor's appointment beforehand
- Traveling the world--> 11 countries, 3 continents, a lot of flights in 40 days.
-Finland: strawberries, blueberry ice cream, salted black licorice, temple trip, island sunshine
-England: London tour guide, Oxford debate, bad sunburn
-Czech Republic: Strategy program interview, turtlenecks, paddle-boating
-Austria: mountains, running, Eagle's nest, salt mine
-Germany: rain, rain, rain, Munich, BMW factory, closed heel shoes, best breakfasts
-Switzerland: Geneva, Nestle, expensive ice cream, temple, pizza, mountains, hills, acceptance!
-Italy: gelato (too much, yet not enough), pizza, Lake Como, so hot, difficult conversations
-South Africa: chilly, temple, Mandela, dancing kids, safari, buffets (custard alllll day)
-India: playing with kids in Mumbai, Taj Mahal, curry, curry, curry, Old Dehli, saris
- Thailand: Pad Thai, large Buddhas, new dresses, favorite necklace, riding elephants
-China: Great Wall (in jeans!), Beijing Times Square, Tiananmen Square, best eggplant of my life
- Hiking Timp--> harder than expected
- Outdoor concert with Mom and Dad
- First semester in the strategy program (holla)
- Recruiting with McKinsey/first interview with Bain
- 2 half marathons in one month --> Pink Series and Haunted Half
- Monthly dinners and weekly lunches with study abroad friends
- Semi-annual General Conference breakfasts
-Surprise party for Shay // Blacksheep Cafe for Alesha's birthday
- Visiting Alesha in the Y-Serve office, listening to Laura's life
- Visits from friends on long homework nights
- Late nights in the Tanner (soooo long)
- Thanksgiving in Arizona // Friendsgiving x2
- Flying out for an interview (13th night alone in a hotel in PA)
- Driving to the temple, going there every week
- Breakfast sandwiches disappointments
- Seeing all of my high school friends again --> weekend in Provo!
- Bringing a 'Make it Rain' poster to intramural games
- Discovering 'Salted Caramel Pretzel Twist' at the Creamery <-- Best flavor ever
- Shopping in Park City with roommates // Anne
- Case competitions (up all nighttttttt)

I've always liked this picture of me, right outside Mother Theresa's orphanage.  It's a good life, and I am one dang lucky (almost) 21 year old.  

KFC Cuisine

Yesterday in class, we talked about Yum! Brands.  So where did my mind go?  Thailand.  

The business visit in Thailand was slightly hilarious.  Honestly, at this point in the trip, everyone was kind of sick.  We had just come from India, and we were still in the recovering phase.  A few people had fevers, sore throats, etc.  We were exhausted and our wardrobes were...interesting.  We had had only 20 minutes to get ready, so we looked like....we had been traveling the world for four weeks and only had 20 minutes to get ready.  I had ironed my shirt, but it was still wrinkly.  The boys shirts were wrinkled.  Meg and I kept giving John a hard time for wearing ankle socks.  We were all a little upset that we weren't getting any free fried chicken as we visited KFC.  But don't worry, in between learning about how KFC is the leading QSR (quick service restuarant) brand in Thailand (it's actually pretty incredible how much market share KFC has in Thailand), we were served free KFC chocolate pastries.  Yes, try to reconcile mashed potatoes with dark chocolate puff pastry tarts.  

Free food is always a perk, especially since my lunch beforehand had consisted of a roll pastry thing...that had a surprise hot dog in it.  Oh gross.  Definitely threw out the hot dog, but I guess it's a popular Thailand thing to do?  

xo. Elise 

11 Countries and 3 Continents

I've had days where my shirt is from India, my earrings are from England, my necklace is from Thailand, my bracelet is from South Africa, my toothpaste is from Switzerland, my purse is from China, my deodorant is from the Dubai airport, and my heart is somewhere in Italy.

I am feeling strangely sentimental about my chipped manicure and the fact that my toothpaste is almost gone.  I finally figured out how to have a cool slide show on my screen saver to have my trip pictures up.  A plane ticket to Switzerland would cost about a semester's worth of tuition.  I still am not sure how to handle the smell of curry.  Sometimes I still feel weird about drinking out of the tap.  I haven't gotten used to wearing something other than my Nikes and three shirts.  My hair has actually been done for the past month.  I still drink Diet Coke more than ever before.  Chocolate just doesn't do it for me, unless it's Milka Oreo.  I still forget that the Czech Republic was a thing.

I do my best not to really talk about it, but I think people would be surprised at how often my brain isn't actually in America.

I guess this is all to say that I really want to tell people about my sunburn in Bath.  The way the elephant's hairs were prickly.  I want to talk about the 'turtlenecks' in Prague.  I want to break my gelato record. I wouldn't mind giving Italian pizza another shot.  I want to wander the grocery store aisles, trying to figure out just what I was buying.  I would be ok having another Jr. Whopper at 2 am flying to India.  I wouldn't mind eating at a South African buffet where the strawberry cheesecake was great and there was a zebra out the window.  I want to ride a gondola up to a hike with a view that was incredible.  I want to sit at a Mountain Hostel and watch the sun set, making the mountains pink.  I want to be an honesty shopper.  I want to eat that gnocchi that was life-changing and only $6.  I want to walk the streets of Mumbai and sign my autograph on the hands that just kept coming.  I want to see the Taj, say hi to my old friend.  I want to sit and take another selfie at the Temple of Heaven, not wearing my sunglasses.  I want to go back and ride the camel in India, a chance I missed out on.  I want to take more pictures of the Great Wall of China...and maybe not wear pants this time around.

And since it has been a month, part of me thinks.  Yep, Elise, you should move on.  Embrace the office job and the schoolwork.  When I put it like that, I can't really blame myself for wanting to run away.

So expect a lot of written stories and pictures in the future.  Because as Meg said constantly on the trip, "I'm still not over it."