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June 12, 2007

WOW!! It has been forever since I updated. I LOVE this life. There were exams in April. I have passed everything so far. I have two more courses to go, but they don't finish until July. I can't believe things are starting to come to an end. Many of my friends are starting to leave the Netherlands. This week 2 of my closest leave. It will be sad to see things change. I have decided not to travel so much and spend more time with the people. I was still able to take some trips, but not as many as I could have attended. There are some places I had hoped to visit, that I do not think I'll make it to. However, there are some places that I traveled to that I had never expected to visit (Central Europe). I will be going to Spain for a month in July though. Things are great here now. Just finishing up school and partying. This life is amazing. It is official now though, my study abroad will be ended on Aug. 1 when I return back to the United States =0( I hope to do another study abroad, and I would like to move to Europe, but we'll see about all of this once I graduate...whenever that may be. It's back to LSU next semester. I have a schedule, an apt, a job, and possibly tweaking my current major (...again). We'll see though. Viva Erasmus and GEAUX TIGERS!

*Jen*

March 7, 2007

Hola,

Things have been so incredibly crazy here. There is so much to tell. I am loving every minute of life here. It really is one big party. School started early in February. I had to change my original plan a lot, but I finally have a set schedule. It's nice. Once April hits, I only have class two days a week. It'll be sweet. Classes aren't too hard either since they are catered towards non-native English speakers. My roomates are awesome. One guy from Spain and a girl from Mexico. Our fourth room is empty. My spanish has improved so much. I shall be fluent when I leave here, that's for sure. Although, my english is suffering greatly. I have had the chance to travel a good bit: Masstricht, London, Dublin, and Wicklow (check out all the pics). I hope to go to Brussels, Paris, and Germany soon. I have been introduced to futbol and also rugby. They are fantastic sports that we just don't pay that much attention to in America. Biking is a kick. I love it...although, I will never be used to riding in the rain and cold. Luckily it is starting to warm up a bit here, or maybe I am just adjusting. Well, that's all I have time to say now. Hopefully I'll be able to update this more often.

-Jen-

January 28, 2007

Hey,

I have now been in the Netherlands for 11 days (10 at my University). This is such a nice country, and the people are really friendly and helpful. This past week has been orientation. It is been a lot of partying. It was great though because I was able to meet a lot of people. There are not many people here from the United States, so I have been able to learn a lot of other languages. I'm even starting to pick up some Dutch. School does not start until February 5, so there is still a week of vacation left. I think I may be going to Brussels, Belgium next week with one of my new friends who lives there. We shall see though. I am upset the Saints did not win the NFC Championship, but I am still proud of them...next year we go all the way. It is hard to keep up with the USA here: tv, sports, news, etc etc. They are behind on their tv series, and not many USA sporting events are televised. I try to keep up with LSU Athletics though. I can't wait for school to start. It is very different here, and I'm curious to see how their schooling system works. More updates to come. Be sure to check out all my pics of my apt and of the trip to Amsterdam. Lots of fun times there.

``` Jen ```

January 2, 2007

HIYA!!!

It has been a while. Happy Holidays and Happy 2007 to everyone. Things have been crazy here with finishing up school and preparing for the Netherlands. It's hard to believe that I leave 2 weeks from today!!! Over the holidays, I haven't been doing very much at all. Due to the holidays, I have only been able to train a few times. I also was not able to work because of the short amount of time that I will be in the States. I'm looking forward to my departure and also to the Sugar Bowl (GEAUX TIGERS). I'm also hoping for a Black & Gold Superbowl (yeah Saints)!

Jen

November 23, 2006

Hey,

First off, HAPPY THANKSGIVING everyone. I am currently in New Orleans, LA visiting my family for the holidays. It's good to get in some rest and relatixation. Things have been pretty hectic at school. There have been many papers and meetings regarding study abroad to keep me busy, along with classes and work. I am done working at Elite Gymnastics, at least for this semester. Finals are in 3 weeks. I'm ready for this semester to be over so that I can prepare to leave for study abroad in Nijmegen, Netherlands.. I leave on January 16, 2007 and tenatively return July 12, 2007. I can't wait. I will be attending Radboud University Nijmegen. Also, our house is finally complete. It only took a year and a half. We still need 2 pieces of furniture, but we are taking our time looking since we have a makeshift setup. It's nice to come back to a house with walls.

-- Jen --

October 6, 2006

HOLA,

It is currently Fall Break, which means I'm nearly halfway through this semester. I am liking the Finance major, and I am considering an Internal Auditing path. I am currently at home in New Orleans. We are finally getting sheetrock in our house. It only took a year and two months. Also, I am able to get a few days of tumbling in. I miss Elmwood.

I have been getting more involved at LSU which makes me quite busy. Aside from school work, I have two jobs up at Baton Rouge. I am coaching gymnastics at Elite Gymnastics in Baton Rouge. I am also working at LSU's University Recreation. Which is the non-athlete LSU workout facility. I work in many different areas, which is keeping me from becoming bored.

Other than that, I'm pretty excited about my 21st Birthday coming up on Tuesday, although I have 2 tests and work. It is still going to be a great day!

-~- JEN -~-

August 31, 2006

Hi Everyone,

Summer is now officially over =0( Once again, I have to quit the gym. I enjoyed training and coaching the past 3 months. It's hard giving it up again, but it was expected. In the meantime, I'm looking for a job that I can keep while I'm at school.

I have just begun the new semester at LSU. I am very excited about this year. I am not really in depth in any classes yet, but my schedule consists of Accounting, Business Law, Economics, Spanish, Management, and Information & Decision Science (ISDS). It's very different from my pre-med studies.I am also looking forward to experiencing the LSU football games again (which I had missed out on when I took part in the Disney Intern), as well as other athletic events. GEAUX TIGERS!

Jen

May 27, 2006

Hey everyone,

I guess it's time for a summer update. I finally finished my first semester back at school since the Disney intern. It was hard getting back into the school thing, but I ended up doing better than expected and made the Dean's List. I also just changed my major from Chemistry to Finance at the end of this semester. It's a very different path, but I think it better suits me.

This summer, I'm back living at home in New Orleans after being gone so long. Along with judging, I'm coaching trampoline and tumbling again at Elmwood. I'm also training quite a bit. I'm glad to be back in the gym. I've missed it. I was also made Asst. Supervisor at Elmwood Gymnastics.

The near future includes studying abroad in Amsterdam for the Spring 2007 semester. I'm also looking into auditioning for some productions this year or next. We'll see. At this point, I'm just taking each day as it comes at me.

Jen

March 3, 2006

Hey,

Mardi Gras in New Orleans was a huge success. It was one of the best ever, despite the Katrina mess all around us. It definately helped boost the morale of the city, which is such a great thing. I'm now back up at LSU. Classes are getting harder and becoming more work, so I'm busy with that. Plus scheduling for summer and next Fall is coming up as well. Things are also starting to pick up with Disney and being a campus rep. The presentation is this month. Judging for Sports Acrobatics starts this month. The first meet I judge is March 18. I am also currently working on getting a coaching job up here. I may be coaching Acro again soon. Keep your fingers crossed. Also, I may be working with Leslie Hoffman and her fitness shows and videos. All of the details on this are coming soon.

It looks like I'll be spending my spring break in Italy. It will be fun, and a nice break from my hectic schedule here in Louisiana. Anyhow, until next time...take care.

~ Jen ~

January 13, 2006

The Disney College Program is finally finished. It's been 8 months, but it seems like forever. The program was a unique experience that I will never forget. I believe that if you can survive this intern, you can survive anything in life. It was so fun, but it was not so easy a lot of the time. The work hours were so long, crazy, and at the strangest hours of the day, working-living- and dealing with people from different countries (some good, some bad) who couldn't speak english, and putting up with roomate drama were some downfalls. However, the people I have met while taking part in this program are the best. They are some of my best friends ever, and I know we will stay friends long after this. This program is also a great thing to have on my resume.

I'm back in New Orleans now. It is great seeing my family and some good friends again, but it is aweful here. Katrina hit this place pretty good. I've never seen such devastation. It's almost not like home anymore with some of my close friends relocated around the USA. My house is pretty much back in order, but much of New Orleans is not. I hope it rebuilds soon. Mardi Gras will be going on this year, so
hopefully that will help restore some normalcy and bring people back in the city.

I'm excited about heading back up to LSU tomorrow. I have a good schedule and I'm excited about going back to school (believe it or not). GEAUX TIGERS!

-- Jen --

September 4, 2005

Hi,

As many of you know, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and has devastated and destroyed New Orleans. Although I'm safe in Orlando, my house, my home, and my city has been destroyed. A week after the storm hit, I have finally been able to contact my family, who is safe at my Aunt's house in Mississippi, but has no power. We do not know whether we are relocating or rebuilding. At the present we are not even allowed back in the city, as it is covered with water and full of disease. The government has finally taken action, and help has arrived, so things should get better from this point on (hopefully). Once the city is safe we will assess the damage and make a decision. As we wait, we're keeping a positive attitude and hoping for the best. I am going to complete my College Program here at Disney while my family remains at my Aunt's in Mississippi. In the meantime, my heart goes out to everyone who is suffering more than me from this horrible natural disaster. I want to thank the rest of the country for the help is has shown the Hurricane victims. I appreciate everything. I also want to encourage all who haven't donated yet to participate and donate to the Hurricane Relief Funds or help in anyway possible. Thanks.

- Jen -