Blogtember Day 4: Afraid

Ok confession time. I passed out on the couch last night before I got a chance to write my post for Blogtember. I'll make up Day 3 tomorrow, since we get Saturdays and Sundays off, and I'll continue with Day 4 today, since that's what I'm supposed to be writing anyways.

Day 4 Prompt: A story about a time you were very afraid.

This one is hard because in my young adult life, the only times I really get truly scared are when I think I'm going to throw up. It's my biggest phobia. Other times that hit me for being really afraid happened when I was a little kid. There are a couple of travel stories that I can think of, though, where I was frightened at the time. Nothing earth-shattering, but here goes.



This particular story happened when I was studying abroad in Belgium a couple of years ago. I was on my way to visit another American friend, and to get to her host family's house, I needed to take both a train and a bus. The train ride went smoothly, and I arrived in this big city called Liège (that's the train station above). I was pretty familiar with it, so I didn't have any worries going by myself. I had done it plenty of times before. However, I had never taken this particular bus. Well, for some reason, I didn't have money for the bus and had to withdraw money from the ATM in the train station, which was nothing new for me. This particular night, though, the ATM was conveniently out of order. It was probably 8:00 pm, which means all the shops were closed and the bus kiosk in the station was also closed for the night. I realized that I had no way to withdraw money, nobody with me, and nowhere to go. I'm also pretty sure that my cell phone was dying... I was pretty much stranded and freaking out. I even asked where another ATM was, but when I got there and tried to withdraw money, it didn't work. Finally I went up to the ticket window for the trains, shaking and scared, my voice trembling, and trying to withhold tears, explained to the ticket man what was happening. Although he wasn't very empathetic, he did make a transaction for me where he was able to do a sort of cash-back situation and gave me a 20 euro bill. I was more grateful than you could imagine. Eventually I did make it on the bus (where there was a guy bleeding out his eye) and managed to get to my friend's house in one piece.

There were a few other situations where I had gotten on wrong trains and ended up in the middle of nowhere or forgotten my train ticket at home and had to hide out in the bathroom... I even have other stranded stories. The only other instance where I can remember being truly frightened was on New Year's Eve when I was in Belgium and one of my friend's got so drunk that completely passed out and we couldn't get her to come to for a long time. I remember seeing people smacking her, dunking her in water, and her just being limp. I'm not a heavy drinker, so I'm not used to seeing these things, and I was truly terrified. In the end, she was perfectly fine and didn't feel a thing the next morning. Meanwhile I was traumatized.

There may be something else in my past that was scarier than these things that I have mentioned, but like I said, nothing earth-shattering. My life has never been threatened, I've never witnessed a crime, and I've never been injured so badly that I questioned if I would live through it. Trust me, I am grateful that I've never been through those things and that the scariest my life gets is being stuck in a train station! God has been good to me.

What are your real-life scary stories?

Blogtember, Day 1: Where I Come From

One of my really good friends, Amy (at Remended) linked me up to this awesome blogger challenge called Blogtember over at Story of My Life. Jenni put together a whole month's worth of blog prompts for us to use every weekday in September, starting today! I decided to participate because I used to be a very avid blogger back when I was keeping my Belgium blog. This sounded like a great way to "get back to the basics" as Jenni calls it, and to share a little bit more about myself with all of you! I am still going to continue to do style posts and travel posts as I have been doing, but this is also really convenient as I kick off the school year, cause Lord knows it's been busy for the past week and it's only going to get busier!



Anyways, today's prompt reads: Describe where or what you come from. The people, the places, and/or the factors that make up who you are.

I love this prompt because I think that knowing a person's background can tell you amazing things about the person that you see today. I truly believe that our past experiences, relationships, even acquaintances, mold us into who we are. It kind of goes along with my whole "everything happens for a reason" mantra. That being said, I really think that everything that I've been through, happy or sad, exciting or boring, fun or dreadful, is a part of me and I wouldn't be who I am without every single one of those things.



I come from an extremely close and nurturing family. My parents are amazing, hardworking, dedicated people who taught me how to be a strong, independent woman who can chase dreams and be just as extraordinary as I want to be. I thank God every day for giving me the most loving parents I could have. They taught me how to be ambitious and how to work for the things that I see in my future. They taught me to help others and to be generous. They taught me how to be a true, compassionate, as well as encouraging, friend. They exposed me to art and music and culture from the moment I was born. They showed me how to be a well-rounded, smart person with a passion to learn about life. Not to mention my rockin' sister.

Of course, nobody's story is perfect. In my life, my parents have both had career changes. Once by choice, the other by lack of choices. This obviously led to difficult times where we were struggling, and we still deal with that daily. However, through it all, my brave and amazing mother worked for and received her Masters degree, showing me again that anything can be accomplished, even when it all seems like it's headed downhill. I also come from a background of anxiety disorders and depression, but I know that working through that also makes me stronger. Positivity is the key to a healthy and happy life!



Right now I'm in a happy relationship with a guy named Steve Martin (yes, his name is actually Steve Martin. No, I'm not talking about the celebrity), but like most of us, I've had not-so-happy ones in the past. I even had a long-distance relationship for about eight months. Even though those didn't work out, I know I wouldn't be where I am now without them, and they each taught me something about life and about myself. Even the friendships that I've had in the past that faded taught me things. Everyone you meet, everyone who comes into contact with you, they all affect and help shape you. I have amazing friends and I love them all.



I feel most at home, and always have, on the stage. I come from performing and the spotlight. I've danced nearly my whole life and got involved in theatre when I was very young. Performance has always been a huge part of my life and ultimately, it will be where I spend the majority of the rest of it! Seeing shows as a child (again, thank you parents for exposing me to culture at a young age) and being involved in the performing arts so young helped me to choose a career path early in life and I couldn't be happier with it! The first musical I ever saw was A Chorus Line. I was in sixth grade, and I knew immediately that that was what I needed to do with my life. I've been dancing and acting and singing ever since and I'm not slowing down now!

Other random facts: Walt Disney World and the Walt Disney Company as a whole have both played major roles in my life and continue to do so to this day. Writing has often been my saving grace. Attending Cleveland State University was one of the best decisions I ever made, even though I fought it for a long time. Although it hasn't always been, fashion has become a really important part of me. If I wasn't going into theatre, I think I would have to do something with weddings. I've lived in the same house my whole life, except for the year I spent in Belgium and the six months I lived in Florida. Being average has never satisfied me, and I don't think it ever will. I couldn't do anything that I've done and I wouldn't be able to do any of the things I plan to do without the love of God (I didn't want to get too religious in this post, but my religion is a HUGE part of me).

This is a very abbreviated version of "where I come from". There are a million factors that go into the making of me and I could go on and on. I think this is enough for now, though! Keep checking back for more Blogtember posts this month! Where do you come from?

Loving Study Abroad

Today is Labor Day, yes, but it is also something much more special than that. Today, we sent my sister off to Ireland for her study abroad program! Since I completed mine a little over two years ago (whaaaaat?!) I have been pretty obsessed with getting the word out there and promoting foreign exchange and study abroad programs (by the way, the photos in this post are from my year abroad). I really think that going to a new country to live, learn, and enjoy a new culture is something from which we can all benefit. It is such an eye opening experience and shows you how much there is out there if you just look past your own backyard. The benefits are endless. Obviously, there is the fact of traveling to some place new and seeing all of the beautiful things that the rest of the world has to offer. Of course, there is the chance to hear a new language and participate in a different culture.





But then if you scratch below the surface, there is more. There is a chance to not only see other cultures in action, but to learn them. To learn that language and speak it every day. To eat the local food every day as if it was your daily college Ramen noodles. To make friends and spend time with those people every day as if they were your family. That is where the true magic lies. Pretty soon, you develop not only an appreciation for this new life that you have discovered, but you find a new appreciation for the one you put on the shelf for a while. You begin to realize why your culture is the way it is and why this different way of life works, too. It is an amazing feeling.



As a study abroad student, you immerse yourself. You learn all of the nooks and crannies of your town because you desire nothing more than to be a local. You go to every bar so you can choose your favorite. You get to know the people that work at the sandwich shop down the street. You open a bank account. You have a bus pass. You're not just visiting, you're building a life. And believe it or not, you're making connections that will last a lifetime. You still get to do all those great touristy things, too! Except you get to do them more than once, and you become an expert. Pretty soon, you're the one guiding the tourists!





What may be the coolest thing about it, though, is what you learn about the human race. The fact is that there will be a language barrier at firs, but you'll soon find that it doesn't matter. The humanity in people overrides it and you find yourself laughing with someone and you don't even know why. You have conversation half in broken English, half in broken French, but somehow, you communicate. You pull out every charade, every sound, every strategy you can think of to talk to someone. In the end, it pays off. You have a family, a group of friends, a best friend. Those are the things you never forget.





It's so much more than croissants and pizza. It's so much more than towers and bridges. It's so much more than mountains and beaches. It's experiences and relationships. It's learning about other people and learning about yourself. It's about taking advantage of every opportunity and living life to the fullest. It's about using your mind and your skills to their full potential. It's about becoming the biggest, best version of you.



I'm so proud of my little sister. I hope she has the best time over there and comes home with a suitcase full of memories and stories to share.

If you are interested in following along on her adventure, she has a blog too: USA to UCD. Check it out!

Things You Should Know

Since my blog seems to be gaining a little bit of attention, I think it's about time that I share the things that my friends know about me, but you, my anonymous readers, don't know. These are all pretty basic things that everybody in my life knows, but I guess I'm kind of late on the introductions, so here we go!

In 2010, I lived in Belgium for a year on foreign exchange. I stayed with host families and went to school there. I actually got a second high school diploma, so I have an American diploma and a Belgian one. Pretty sweet, huh? During that year, I got to travel to eight countries and see some of the most iconic landmarks in the world. I'm pretty obsessed with travel, now, and hope to do much much more of it after graduation.

I'm fluent in French! One of those perks from being abroad. I love speaking French and I wish I got more opportunities to do it. It's a wonderful language and I can't wait to get back to Europe and speak it again. I also study French as part of my double major.

The other half of that double major is theatre. Performing is my first passion and I love it! I'll graduate in two years and then I'm moving to New York. I know there are a million aspiring actresses out there, but it's my dream and I am never letting go of it. My biggest dream is to be a part of an international tour. Combination theatre and travel? Yes please!

I am a cast member at Walt Disney World. I perform in the Electrical Parade as a Finale Dancer. If you're not familiar with that parade, the Finale unit is at the very end (hence the name, "finale") and it is America-themed. The float is absolutely monstrous and looks like a ruffling American flag with a massive bald eagle on the back. It's pretty majestic coming down the street. I also have the privilege of dancing next to it :)

Well that's all for now! Hope you all enjoyed learning a little bit more about me, and I hope to learn about all of you, too! What are your great life adventures?

My Blogging Story

The truth is... I'm not that much of a newbie blogger. I've actually been blogging for quite a long time! My blogging story starts about three years ago, when I was getting ready to embark on the biggest adventure of my life to date: my foreign exchange.



I was getting ready to go to Belgium and thought, hey, this is the perfect time to start a blog! It ended up being fairly successful, considering I didn't know about half of my followers and still continue to get hits on the page, even though I haven't posted in about two years. I was a diligent blogger back then; I hardly ever missed a day. When I did skip posting, I caught my readers up for every day I missed. My blog was full of adventures, stories, jokes, emotions, feelings, accomplishments, revelations, clever and very poignant writing. I was on fire.








P.S. I really enjoy flashbacks so don't be surprised to find more of where this came from!

Then, my exchange ended and I went back to every day life. I came back to the States and started a new blog. The problem was that my every day life wasn't that exciting. Not nearly exciting enough to write about daily. I tried time and time again to start another new blog with another new theme but they never took off because I was not passionate about them. Even when I went off on other adventures, such as my Disney College Program or when I was considering studying abroad in Italy, I never re-found that drive to blog like I did when I was overseas.

So what? You may ask. Not everyone has to be a blogger. Some of us can be readers, followers, or just not care at all. The thing was that I wanted to be a blogger. I envied those people who could find release and an outlet through blogging. I don't know why, but there is something so fascinating to me about the beautiful, put-together, well-written blog. I have seen many of them and I keep up with them and follow these people's lives. For some reason, I want to be followed, too. I want to be a part of this vast cyber community that covers everything from food to fashion to photography and beyond!

So I rolled up my sleeves and told myself, this is it. This time, you're going to do it right. The first thing I had to do was choose something that was so important to me that I would physically need to blog about it. I found that I am passionate about so many things that it was practically impossible to choose just one. I decided to just do it all. It would all be tied together by overlying philosophy: everything I do in life, I do with class. And Classy Emma was born. Whether it be cooking, crafting, exercising, shopping, whatever, I do it with class.



And here we are! A fun blog with things for people with many interests to enjoy. I hope you'll continue to stand by me along the way. And invite some friends while you're at it ;)