STUDENT LOANS

Let's face it, a majority of the world has these dreaded burdens. Whether you are getting ready to go to college, are already in college, have just graduated from college or are a working adult who has student loan debt and sees no end to these monthly horrors, this post is for you.

Usually in your third or fourth year of high-school, you begin planning the next step in life. Some of us have/had big dreams of attending a specific college and then joining a certain fraternity/sorority or other club on campus, as well as getting a dream internship sometime in the four years. Some of us decide to go to community college for 2 years and then to another state or out-of-state school for the last 2 years. Some of us decide to take off for a few years and either work or travel the world. Some of us just do not attend college and go on with our lives.
Now, the most stressful part of it all is how to pay for it. In the States, some schools are outrageously expensive (especially if they are public institutions) while others are pretty cheap for the in-state price. Still, it's a big bill that needs to be paid upfront or down the road...and for years to come. Even schools in other countries throughout the world have high tuition prices and a price of living that is associated with university life.

So, unless you are lucky enough to have a family that can afford paying it all upfront or if you manage to get a full-ride to a certain school, you are stuck in this limbo or deciding whether or not to pay with loans or not pursue higher education. Students who are beyond their years (in terms of intelligence) are not being given the opportunity to study and prosper in their prospective fields of study because they simply cannot pay for the high tuition and living prices that are a part of the whole package.

Let me tell you my story:

As you may have read in the first few posts or if you watched the Traveling with Wanderlust video, you know that my decision to study in Prague was extremely spontaneously and, financially/academically, the best decision I could have ever made.
For the better half of high-school and my senior year for that matter, I was set on going to either New York University (NYU), some random college in California, the University of Colorado: Boulder (my first choice and I even applied early) or the University of Washington: Seattle. If you know about colleges in the U.S., then you know that these are NOT cheap schools. In terms of dollars, the yearly cost is about $50-60,000 USD;  by the time I walked across the stage with a Bachelor's degree, the grand total would be between $200-250,000 USD.
My parents did not have an account set up on the side with money for my schooling and I was not a contender for a large grant or any type of scholarship. I worked throughout high-school but the money that I made (after paying my car bills, monthly gas money and going out with friends expenses) was nowhere enough for even one year of college. Even the state schools where I lived were quite expensive and I did not receive any financial aid or scholarships from those schools.
Basically, I was trapped in corner with various loan options taunting me into taking on extreme debt with high interest rates after I graduate. I was ready to take the loans head-on and worry about the repayment once I was done.
However, I just couldn't keep calm during that time and heck, I couldn't imagine for the next four years how much I would have stressed about it. I was constantly thinking about how the loans would haunt me after college and how long I would be paying them for after college. "What if I didn't get a job right after college? What if I had to have a Master's degree as well for my future career? What if I could never pay it all back? What if I failed out of college and was stuck with these loans? What if, what if, what if?"

We all know that those "what if's" are no good to constantly think about.

I wasn't the only one going through this. My friends and a good majority of my graduating class also faced this dilemma. I decided, in about March 2012, that I did not want to be one of the many college students who would face enormous amounts of debt from student loans after college.
This is why my spontaneous decision to study in Europe (Prague) was the best decision I have ever made. 
In the Czech Republic, state universities are actually free but are quite hard to get into and the exams are are a b*tch (from what I have heard). The university I currently go to is not free but in comparison to the tuition prices in the States', it is dirt cheap (even cheaper than my community college). Because of this, my parents were able to pay for my education out of pocket.
What exactly does this mean?
It means that I am going to graduate from a private university, in 3 years (it's shorter here) and with a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Communications, with no debt whatsoever. I could not be more grateful for this and the fact that my parents were able to pay for my college out of pocket. During the semester, I work to support myself and I also fully intend on paying back my parents with a fully paid trip to their dream destinations after I land myself a full-time job (hopefully at a travel magazine or a fashion magazine).

All the time I have people asking me about this decision. Especially the financial aspect of it and say "wow, you are so lucky!" Why don't you do it too?! I always want to ask why they don't do it but stop myself because I tend to get worked up in conversations having to do with the hideous figures in college tuition prices.

With all the above being said, my best piece of advice when it comes to higher education: do NOT go to a school that you CANNOT afford.
Yes, you can "afford" it with a loan but could you afford it after college?
If you have a low-paying first job?
If you get fired?
If you drop out of school early?
Probably not...I urge all of the high-school students who might read this to wisely think about your decision if you are in the position I was in before my final decision or the position that most kids your age are in throughout the world.

There are TONS of options for students with little money or no money and no scholarships coming their way. 

Here are some: 

1. Berea College (Kentucky, USA)

2. Alice Lloyd College (Kentucky, USA)

3. Webb Institute (Glen Cove, New York, USA)

4. College of Ozarks (Missouri, USA)

5. Curtis Institute of Music (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)

6. CUNY Teacher Academy (New York, USA) 

7. U.S. Academies (Military, Air Force, Marine, Naval, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine)

8. State  universities of Washington (for those who live in the state and meet the requirements)

9. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering (Needham, Massachusetts) 

10. University of the People (online)

11. As an international student in Norway, no tuition is required but a fee of $50-100 USD is required each semester.

12. For non-EU students studying in Austria, a fee of about $400-$450 USD is required each semester. 

13. In Germany, only 4 of the 16 state schools charged a tuition fee of about $600 USD a semester.

14. In Sweden, international students have tuition fees waived while Swedish students are given either full or partial scholarships.

15. Some colleges in Australia also offer free tuition to international students, but again, that's only some. 

I hope you all got something out of this and if you have student loan debt horror stories, share below!

Travel on wanderlusters!

P.S. I just came across an article about a guy hitch-hiking around the world...without paying a penny for transportation! I am going to somehow find a way to contact him and see if I can get a guest post/interview with him for you guys! More on that soon! 

JUST ONE OF THOSE DAYS

Where the weather isn't wonderful but it isn't horrible. Granted, it's May so it should be sunny and warm everyday, but if you live in Eastern/Central Europe you know that's a common wish amongst people here. I, myself, am not used to having semi-warm weather in May, where I grew up in the States it is warm starting mid-April so this is sort of a weather-shock to me. I'm dreaming of warm air and sunny days (Barcelona in almost exactly a month, EEP!)

I'm spending the rest of the afternoon sitting on my balcony, sipping on some Vitamin C-mix drink to prevent from catching the spring bug, listening to Ashtrays and Heartbreak, writing my final College Fashionista post of the semester AAAAND finishing last minute university work. So, it looks like I am doing a lot but being outside makes it seem like nothing at all...I'm okay with that! I probably am breaking some windows and eardrums with my sad attempt at singing along but hey, that's a chance I am willing to take.

For all you dedicated readers out there, you know how I talked about the book I am writing a few weeks ago? Well...I've hit another writer's block. That's the only negative side of being a writer, you frequently have such creative ideas that you cannot wait to get down on paper (or into the computer now-a-days) that when you do, you write so quickly and when you look back you think "what the hell was I thinking?" So, I've been editing and perfecting the last four chapters for about a month now and cannot get past chapter 4 to start chapter 5. Therefore, I am taking a little writing break for now but will definitely start soon and post a little teaser before I send it off to some publishers.

Now enough about my writing problems and as promised, I am including my fashion bit at the very end of the post (starting this week and will be once or twice a week). Basically, just three pieces I am loving at the moment that I want to share with all of you!
So, this week ladies:
1. Faux leather overalls 
2. Hologram sandals
3. White maxi dresses

Gents:
1. Washed denim jacket
2. Neon chinos
3. Ombre v-necks


The Czech Republic post will go live Wednesday morning, which is also the birthday of one of my very dear friends here in the Czech Republic so a little shout-out to her will be made in the beginning!

Travel on wanderlusters!

BOATS N BREWS

I have been enjoying the bliss of doing absolutely nothing but relaxing the past few days. There's that little angel on my shoulder urging me to: "GO WRITE THE ITALY POST, DO IT, DO IT!" But the devil on the other side is telling me to just relax, go with the flow, you can do it later.

Well, today I have a day off from work for the first time since starting in February so I get to spend my day at the gym then at the park with friends and then finally at my university's annual ball. Not sure how excited I am...I have been to enough homecomings and proms in my day but hey, why not see what this dance has to offer. The venue is amazingly beautiful and in Vinohrady, a beautiful neighborhood here in Prague (we actually looked at flats there). Okay, so maybe I am excited...I'll share pictures with all you wanderlusters in tomorrow's post.

If we backtrack to Wednesday evening, I got out of my last class for the week and one of the last of the semester, so I ran home (literally, because the trams were broken), grabbed my roommate and we headed to the river for a paddle-boat ride. When we finally got there, we had to walk a long ways because the trams were not working, we bought ourselves a nice Plzen beer and got to paddling. As we were on the river, the sun was setting behind the Prague Castle and it was just one of those "lucky to be alive" moments. Breathtaking actually. My roommate and I were laughing about how if we got sucked into the fast waters, it would be okay because at least we got to see a beautiful sunset in Prague on the river (god forbid that actually happened though, I would be a woman overboard!)

Of course, we took one too many pictures so here are some of my favorites:

As we walked, I was amazed that I felt like I was actually walking somewhere in New York and Paris. It was as if we discovered an entirely new Prague. We also found out that where we are moving to, there is a lovely jazz club on the water with delicious smelling food just around the corner from the flat. SCORE.

If these photos do not make you want to move to Prague or at least visit...you crazy! Then again, maybe it isn't for everyone. If you do ever come to Prague, wanderlusters, make sure to take a paddle-boat ride on the river; for one hour it is 250kc, which is about $12 USD aka worth every single penny.

Off to the gym and the rest of today's shenanigans!

Travel on wanderlusters!

SPRING IN THE GOLDEN CITY

The past few days have been filled with sun, warm breezes and good company. Therefore, I have been MIA, yet again, my deepest apologizes!

The end of the spring semester (I only have 4 semester left...what?!) is quickly approaching so the pressure is on and I'm trying to knock all my work out as soon as possible. Also, since I am moving to another flat within the next month, I am trying to keep the stress down.
With the flowers blooming and weather, it's becoming increasingly harder to do so because there are one too many temptations just drop it all and head to the beer garden or the park with my girls. Nothing beats Czech beer either, so the temptation is unbelievable. I keep telling myself to get my work done, study for my finals then I can enjoy Czech beer while walking across Charles Bridge and attempt to tan my extremely pale skin...pretty sure I could blind someone at this point in time...

For my fashion internship with CollegeFashionista, I have been busy typing away various articles on the adorable spring wardrobes of students around campus. My recent articles have inspired me to share a cute look with the ladies who read Traveling with Wanderlust. This season I am loving skater skirts, studded/spiked sandals and graphic tees. I need to get back home to America for the summer so I can stock up at Forever 21!

I am going to work on the last part of the Italy post this evening then I will write a post (the following day), that is somewhat personal, about how I discovered my passion for writing. I love sharing this story with others and actually wrote a book on it that I sent to publishers...still waiting to hear back from several. So, you will get to read a little about me- a break from daily travel posts.

Back to class- travel on wanderlusters!

'THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE AUSTRALIA'

Every Thursday to Sunday when I am on the metro escalator heading into work, I pass by a poster that says 'There is no place like Australia', I smile and think to myself, "I will be living there in just two or three years." Seeing that poster makes going into work that much easier. 

As much as I love university...correction: university life, not the school work and Prague, I am so eager to move to Australia (Melbourne) and live there for the rest of my life. 

I am starting to work on the Malaysia post so expect it tomorrow morning! I also came across this article the other night: 'Forbidden travel destinations that you can visit', hmmmm. 

On the list was: 

1. Cuba

2. North Korea...maybe you do not want to go there now but you can actually go there with the right, authorized paperwork. About 1/3 of the 2,000 annual tourists are American. 

3. Myanmar

4. Iran

I once took a Google Maps trip to North Korea, I could only see one area but still, cool stuff!

Have any of you been to these locations, if so what did you think and would you recommend it to other wanderlusters?

Travel on wanderlusters!

THINGS TO DO IN A CZECH VILLAGE

Nothing.

No, I'm just kidding.

There ARE things to do but you have to really, really think hard about it.
Earlier this week, I spent some quality time with my grandma and great uncle in a Moravian village. I took the bus after class for several hours and passed through a town called Jihlava, which I can firmly say is one of Czech Republic's hidden gems but more on that in a minute. I actually had to stop in Jihlava to get on a smaller bus to the village and when I was at the bus station, I was like "jeeze, I am seriously in the middle of no-where!" When I was coming back from my grandmother's village the following afternoon, I discovered there was a lot more to that city than just the bus station. I fell in unexpected love.

While I was at the bus station waiting (I arrived about 30 minutes early), I had to wait in the sun (thank you sky gods) and I was forced to just aimless look around.
As I was waiting, an elderly woman came up to me and asked me, in Czech, about the bus route and what not. I was able to give her an answer and have small talk with her but when the time came and the bus arrived, I got on and found a seat in the back to avoid any unwanted conversation that I would not be able to contribute to.
So, then, she gets on the bus shortly afterwards and asks me how much I paid to go my grandma's village...in my head I was saying, "oh crap oh crap how do you say 29 again?"
I had forgotten and as I response I just gave her a weak smile while sticking two and then nine fingers up. I then said I forgot how to say 29 and tried laughing it off but at this point people were staring at me with open mouths and the grandma just rolled her eyes because she now figured out I was not a full blood, native Czech.
Oops.
As I like to say, half-Czech problems.

Anyways, when I did finally arrive in my bubbi's quaint little village, I did pretty much nothing for about 32 hours straight.
Such a nice, relaxing break from the daily hustle and bustle I've put myself into.
Well, actually, I did homework for the next two weeks (hallelujah!) and was stuffed with food which then prompted me to sleep like a baby in my grandma's feather-everything bed. Bliss.

I remembered how lovely it is to go from a super busy, bustling, polluted city to a very small, quiet, fresh-air village.

I was laying in bed amazed at how much I missed falling asleep to absolute silence and darkness.
Well, I mean, in Prague I can close my blinds and turn off the lights in my apartment but there's still that little bit of street lights, car lights and tram lights that shine through and the loud traffic noises at all hours of the night.
It made me miss the silence of my room in America. I hope that with the new apartment next month, silence and darkness won't be an issue (my room faces a courtyard park and it's on the very top floor of the building). We shall see though, exciting stuff!

It had not been to my grandma's house in several months because I was there and I usually go with my cousin, aunt and uncle, but since I was alone this time, I had to keep myself company.
I explored the house that I went to during my childhood summers and realized that everything has stayed exactly the same. Sixteen years of no change- no new furniture, no new smells, no new anything.
It was amazing to almost go back in time, in a sense, and remember little things from my childhood.
For example, there is this one door by the bathroom that absolutely scared the living bajeebies out of me as a child, and honestly it still does, and I remembered one time going up there and further provoking my fear when I was about 6 years old.
I wouldn't remember that on just any ole day sitting in my apartment or in class but being there in front of the door was like a time-warp that brought me back to that exact moment in time when I went exploring in that attic/room.

After spending some quality time with my family, I left with an extremely full tummy, full bags of food and goodies, hugs and kisses from grandma and some spending money (love when that happens!).
My grandma is one of those stereotypical Eastern European grandmothers that makes you TONS of food and you must eat EVERYTHING put in front of you, even if you are going to explode.
Despite how many times I politely told her "no, no, I'm full", she still, she insisted that I eat more, more, MORE.

It's always nice to see family, especially after such a long time. I am really excited to see my family in America this summer after all my travels. Just a few more weeks!
I have already started the countdown to no more university and no more work, it's what is motivating me these next few weeks.

I will be posting the Malaysia post either tomorrow or Monday...but most likely tomorrow because Monday is supposed to be 21C (70F) so I will be spending the day outside with friends and a nice, cold Czech beer.

Travel on wanderlusters!

YOUTUBE/VLOG INTRODUCTION

In previous posts I have mentioned that I want to start vlogging/a Traveling with Wanderlust YouTube channel. The Youtube channel is TravelingwWanderlust (wouldn't let me put in the with) I will be posting the introduction video there tomorrow, so stay tuned! 

P.S. This video was taken BEFORE I knew it would post on here...hehe. Enjoy! 

ANCHORMAN

Well, I'm embarrassed, I made a little bit of an oopsie in the last post...oops. My mind was somewhere else! I won't point it out and it's been rightfully fixed.

I spent the better half of my night in the hospital. Reason? I lost partial hearing in my right ear last and today I completely lost it. I know why it happened but I won't go into that for everyone's sanity. As unpleasant as my experience was on that operating table, I can hear clearer now, the water and etc is gone...it's going to be a great, earful weekend. Corny, I know.

I was sitting in the waiting room with my friend joking about writing a post about things to do in a Czech emergency room while you wait and wait and wait. I swear, for producing some of the best doctors in the world, their 'customer service' aspect is quite horrible. Anyways, here is what we came up with:
1. Play flipcup with your cheap, hospital coffee cup
2. Fold up your waiting ticket in different animals and shapes
3. Make paper airplanes with your waiting ticket
4. Stare at your feet and make weird noises
5. Play with your fingers
6. Play telephone with your cheap, hospital coffee cup
7. Talk to yourself
8. Daydream
10. Stare at the walls so you look like a psychopath
11. Make random farting noises
12. Stare at something until your eyes burn
13. Walk up and down the aisles then do cartwheels
14. Crawl on the floor and pretend to be a toddler
15. Fall asleep with your neck in a weird position since the chairs are horrible
16. Sit in the bathroom and do nothing
17. Talk like Shakespeare...to yourself, or the wall...whichever you prefer
18. Just laugh and laugh till you get rock hard abs
19. Do squats or push-ups in an open area
20. Do nothing, nothing at all.

Once you do a majority of these, or maybe even all, you will be called and helped...or maybe you will just have to wait even longer. Who knows now-a-days!

Right now, I'm getting educated on the world of journalism and TV broadcasting from Anchorman, a classic that I have not yet seen. Tomorrow I will begin the New Zealand post and have it for you all!

My days of doing absolutely nothing and relaxing are no more, it's back to the hustle and grind of work tomorrow then the last few weeks of university. Plus, some meetings with a travel magazine (had to reschedule) and InStyle Magazine. Fun stuff!

Travel on wanderlusters!

P.S. For those you wanderlusters mainly concerned with safety when traveling (like myself in some cases) this article and map will help you out! http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/countries-safe-danger-travel-140344866.html --I was happy to see all the countries I have so far lived in to be considered the world's safest and the country I will soon be temporarily moving to (Uruguay) to be on the list, as well.

TEST DAY TUESDAY

Here is another completely unrelated post to travel...I love interior designing! Before I wanted to be a writer, I was seriously considering becoming an interior designer. I mean I played Sims a majority of my childhood, so I was obviously skilled in decorating houses, right? These are all compliments to Pinterest, where I spend a better half of my free time at work on, oogling and planning how our new flat will look like. While I should be studying or going to the gym right now, I'm just relaxing here looking at these fabulous photos:

So, just some of the many photos I love. For more, you can go to my Pinterest board. I'm dreaming of Thailand and Bali today, hopefully, if I save enough money up, I can make a trip there by the end of this year or early next year. Tomorrow's post will be the places I have traveled to starting from the ripe age of 6 months. In coming posts, I'll write and post pictures from some of my most significant trips. Travel on wanderlusters!

P.S. my horoscope today is so accurate, crazy how these things can be sometimes, right?--"It's a great day for you to reorganize your life -- whether it needs it or not! Your mental energy is just right for getting yourself back on track, and you may find the next few months go by easier as a result."

P.S.S. I have just applied for a travel blogging internship meaning that my blog would be featured in a European (English) travel magazine! Fingers crossed!