A look back at 2005....

January...the month that for some represents a fresh start. A chance to do things different. A good month for many, the only month to start with a clean slate. A month filled with hopes and dreams for the following year. January was a great month for me. I rang in the new year in the Mid West...Detroit, Michigan to be exact with a long time friend Julie Lutfy who I met years back when I first went to Ireland with Athletes in Action. In Detroit I got to meet up with some other friends from previous AIA tours as well as do a little touring of my own! I got to drive down the infamous 8 mile road, experience 17 degree weather (which for some reason they kept saying was warm), and catch up with a great friend. January ended with the begining of a long journey. A journey that began in Orlando, Florida where I trained for the next 3 months to be a bar manager at TGI Fridays.


Feburary marked the second month of training. A good month because we (my fellow manager Meghan and I) began to make friends and did more then work and sleep. In Feburary I got to enjoy a free trip to Disney World where we went to MGM Studios, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot...we were told it was research as we took note of different aspects of the parks such as food prices, cleanliness, and the staff. It had to be considered "research" because that meant it was paid for by Knott's Berry Farm. We should have done more of this type of thing. Also while in Florida I was able to score a free trip to Sea World thanks to a roommate of a server I met there. Oh...and don't worry West coasters, the beach's in Florida have nothing on us!


March was a ton of fun. The begining of March was spent in Florida finishing up training, while the end of it was spent in Guadalajara, Mexico visiting a couple of friends who I met on my Brazil tour with Athletes In Action the summer before. In Mexico I got to experience some real culture. Martha and Erandi were still in school when I went there, so on those days I slept in and then traveled the 30min train ride followed by the 15 min bus ride to meet them at school. I got to attend a few classes, practice soccer with the University team...and even play in a game (I hardly stood out as the only Gringa on the team...or in the stadium for that matter). I got to see the beautiful city of Guadalajara, visit the Tequila factory of Jalisco and shop in the Gigante market, much like the one in Whittier. March was good to me.