Machupicchu with Mom (July, 2018)

November 9, 2018January 28, 2019 / Cate Spader / 6 Comments

Looking back at these photos is bittersweet; we really miss this trip but still cherish every memory and are grateful for the opportunity that we had together.

The trek up to the old civilization was an adventure in-and-of itself! Our bus driver was winding through the narrow roads like nobody’s business, abruptly dodging other tourist buses on the way up! I was too excited to be nauseous on the way there, but the way back down was another story…

We had the BEST group on our tour and our guide was amazing. Jamie (pronounced “Hi-May” in South America) was the perfect combo of educational and entertaining! He joked and said he hiked the Inca Trail at least once a week to get away from the world; part of me thinks he was serious because you could tell he was at home here at Machu Picchu.

What still amazes me the most about the Incas is how forward and advanced they were, especially for their time. The way they worked collectively, farmed with innovation in mind, and how they utilized everything they had astounds me.

The views, no matter which direction you faced, were beyond impressive. As soon as I uploaded this photo, I was shocked that I was physically standing there not too long ago; I am truly blessed. AND I got to see some llamas in their natural habitat, which obviously made my dreams come true!

My mom and I were exhausted on the way back home, but our train ride fashion show kept us fairly engaged 🙂 I recommend Machu Picchu, Peru, and South America for anyone who loves cultural immersion, friendly people, and adventure!

Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, Chiang Mai

May 7, 2017May 7, 2017 / Cate Spader / 3 Comments

This weekend, I participated in something extremely spiritual and heartwarming. I visited an elephant sanctuary with my friends from the Mirror Foundation. Mind you, we didn’t ride the elephants, nor do we condone that behavior; however, we fed and bathed them!
Riding elephants, no matter how “well cared for” they are, is awful. It’s an exploitation of Thai culture, as well as a form of animal cruelty that I won’t even get into. The bottom line is this: always educate yourself on animal treatment, as well as cultural acceptances, when researching zoos and animal sanctuaries!!!
The experience was incredible. A songtaew picked us up from our hotel in Chiang Mai, where we met three Swedish girls. I recognized the Swedish instantly, and it turns out they lived in Kalmar, where I lived for five months! Small world!
When we arrived, we immediately changed into matching shirts to wear over our clothes. We had an educational lesson about elephant sanctuaries, which ones are proper, and how to feed/behave around the elephants.
Feeding them was beyond what I thought it could be. They didn’t even need the bananas to be peeled for them; the only one who did was the seven month-old male named Ronaldo! How cute!!! We held the bananas behind our backs and fed them one by one. I absolutely loved the experience, even if my hands became muddy from their thick tongues!
Throwing mud at the elephants seemed like an odd task, but we all had so much fun getting messy and the elephants were enjoying themselves! Bathing them off with buckets of water was probably my favorite part, because we could really get up close and personal with the elephants.
My words and photos don’t do the experience justice. Visit the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary if you’re ever in Chiang Mai!

Växjö, Sweden in a Day

February 3, 2016February 3, 2016 / Cate Spader / 2 Comments

As an American student studying in Kalmar, Sweden, I need a residence permit for my five-month adventure. Unfortunately, Kalmar doesn’t have a migration board office; fortunately, the six Americans had to travel elsewhere.

Vaxjo, Sweden is a small town, but much larger than Kalmar. We definitely packed a lot into one day!

The vibrant colors of the cathedral and the unique architecture cannot be beat; however, the Swedish slides are very confusing, even for twenty-something year-olds!

Umami Monkey was perhaps one of the best burger joints I’ve ever been to…and I’ve been to some good ones in Germany and Ann Arbor, Michigan! To think we were mad that the Mexican place was closed…

The glass museum in Vaxjo really brought out how modern the town is, as well as how innovative they are with their creations! As an American who really knows little about Sweden (excluding Ikea and the famous ice hotel of course), these unique creations were exactly what I imagined Sweden to have!

The Vaxjo town model and Ice Man replicas were neat to see in order to put all I’ve learned from National Geographic in perspective!

The Loranga part of the museum was interesting at first, but then it really brought out our inner child-like behavior!

All in all, we had a great day at the museums, bookstores, cafes, and restaurants in Vaxjo! A day of chores seemed to turn into a day of fun instantly!

When You’re Feeling Down

September 27, 2015September 27, 2015 / Cate Spader / 3 Comments

Hello everyone, I’m feeling down today. I know it’s a weird thing for me to say/admit, but it’s true. I haven’t blogged in awhile or wrote anything worthwhile in a couple weeks. It’s not about the views or the likes for me; it’s about how I feel while I write. But I haven’t felt the need to write recently, and now I feel as though all of my thoughts are bottled up inside me.

Here are some things I’ve been feeling lately:

Stressed
Frustrated
Not myself
Afraid

I feel these emotions and feelings are quite normal, but I need to combat these feelings. As an aspiring Buddhist, I believe acceptance and embracing is key; however, I don’t want to be “okay” with feeling blue.

Here are some things I am going to try in order to ease my anxiety:

Take things one minute at a time
Stop comparing myself to others
Remember what I enjoy doing
Live in the moment rather than in the past or future

I have two exams next week, on top of having to clean my room, my hamster’s smelly cage, packing for a trip up north, and having two jobs to hustle through. Let’s just say that next weekend cannot come soon enough! I need to just face facts and realize that my two exams are important, but will not make or break my life (although they may do that to the grade in my class). I have always been the type who is stressing over exams and sweats the little stuff; I need to be my type-B self when it comes to my education. Exams are exams, and exams are tough, but that shouldn’t define the day or week I’m having.

On top of the stress associated in school, I cannot stop comparing myself to other people. Many of my friends have recently announced engagements or marriages, while I’m over here bickering with my boyfriend of almost three years like an old married couple. We’re both stressed about work and classes, yet while we spend any amount of time together, we take that stress out on each other. It’s not fair for either of us. Also, many of my friends are graduating this May (I guess I “should” be, too). I keep feeling like I’m struggling or something…? I can’t really explain the feeling I have about it. I guess my point is that I need to stop comparing myself, my grades, or my relationship with other people because I am my own person. I know there are things that people think about me that they find impressive (hopefully).

Aside from writing, I have other passions believe it or not. Maybe if I dig into my passions I won’t be comparing myself to others as much (it’s human nature – it’s bound to happen). I really enjoy photography, playing the piano and the flute, as well as golfing. I took homecoming photos for a good friend of mine who is running to be on court, and it made me realize that I really miss photography. I started my own photography website via SquareSpace, and I will be publishing that live within the next few days or so. Whenever I travel, I love capturing what I see because it brings back whatever I was feeling in that moment. I need to keep up with that.

I have also been listening to a lot of Regina Spektor and Stromae lately, which has inspired me to play musical instruments again. I took piano lessons as a child and I had the ability to be a concert performer, a music major, maybe even play for a living. I turned it down when it became too challenging – I gave up on it. But really, I gave up on myself. I did the same thing with the flute; I was really good, but I couldn’t handle the competition. We had to compete for “first chair,” where the best performer sat closest to the instructor. I don’t want to be the best, but I want to be my best. I want to play for me, no one else.

Looking on my past is both inspiring and depressing, and I mean that in the best way possible! I look at things that I would have done different, but I would not have changed a single thing. I am leaving for Sweden soon, which inspired me to look at a few photos from my previous study abroad adventure:

These photos bring me hope; they show me that happiness is real and that this is just a dark time right now. I hope that I can feel like myself again soon, because I miss it when my cheeks hurt from smiling too much! It’s always darkest before the dawn.