M Y E U R O P E T R I P 2 0 1 6

Day 5:
Today we woke up at around 5am and went downstairs and ate some breakfast at like 7:30. Then at 8:15 we took a 2 hour car ride from Brussels, Belgium to Cologne, Germany. During this car ride I slept the entire time and it was wonderful. As soon as we got out of the car, we went to the Cologne Carhedral and it was beautiful. We walked up 533 stairs which is equivalent to like 35 flights of stairs or something. Then we went to an amazing burger joint with amazing food and it was fun. Then we went to the chocolate factory until around 3:45 pm and we left at 5 pm. We then went back to a new hotel and chilled out for like an hour. Then we went to a family dinner and came home at like 10:30 and chilled till 1am then we slept.

Day 6:
We woke up at the normal time which is about 6 am. Then we went down stairs at around 7 and had some breakfast. Then we left at 8 to drive 2 hours from Cologne, Germany to Frankfurt, Germany. The car ride was intense, we slept most of the way so it was fine. When we got to Frankfurt we were all starving and we went to this amazing Thai resturant and it was delicious. Then we went to the Goethe museum that had a beautiful garden. Then we went shopping for a little while and I got some super cute souviners and such. Then we got settled in a hotel which was good and we rested for a little. So after we settled, we went to a family dinner and this was definetly one of my favorites. The family was so funny and hospitable and it was just amazing. We got back around 11 and hung out in one of the rooms till around 12 am then we went to sleep.

Day 7:
We woke up a little later than normal, and by that I mean like 6:45 am but the 45 min make the world of a difference. After we got ready we went downstairs and had to say goodbye to Caroline and her mom Mrs.Christine because they were leaving a day early. So after that we had breakfast and drove for what was mostly the whole day from Frankfurt, Germany to Netherlands, Amsterdam. It was really hard today because we were all thinking about all the memories we had and the memories we made. We left the hotel at around 10 am and drove to the peace bridge in Remagan, Germamy because it was on our way. By the time we were finished it was like 11:45 I think them we continued on our journey. We then drove to Aachen, Germany and explored a little then got back in the car at around 4 or something. When we finally arrived in Amsterdam we went to the place where we first had dinner on the very first night and talked about our experience. AND ROBIN CAME!! It was a great "last supper" to quote Annie. After dinner we went to a kind of mix between a dollar store and a big lots and we got lots of chocolate and such. Then we went to the hotel around 10 and the kids hung out till around 12 for an amazing end of trip

Traveling:
Today we woke up super early and I mean 4:45. Then we went to the lobby and met the others around 7am and we headed for the airport. It was so hard to say goodbye because it felt like we really created a bond that we know will last forever. We all said we would keep in touch and went our own way for our own flights. Our flight from Amsterdam to Dublin was good. I read my book a little and took a short nap and we were there before we knew it. The flight from Dublin to Orlando was the same. I read my book, watched some movies, and slept a little.

 I'm really happy to be home with all these memories and experiences that I will never forget. I'm very thankful to have had this opportunity and have a lot of respect for the people who made this all happen because I'm sure it wasn't easy. Everything was more than I ever expected from the places to the people. This really was the adventure of a lifetime and I can't wait for more experiences like this.

M Y E U R O P E T R I P 2 0 1 6

So I am finally gonna announce where my trip was to. I actually went to 3 places in Europe and they are... Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. So the way that I'm gonna do this is there is gonna be a recap of everything I did everyday so here it goes.

Traveling:
So we started off the day really well and went to the wrong terminal at the Orlando Airport. But it turned out great because we had time to spare and the right terminal has a Starbucks so...😂. The flight to Dublin, Ireland and I slept a little and watched zootopia and it was great. Then we waited for the flight to Amsterdam which I slept the whole way through. When we got to Amsterdam we took a shuttle to the hotel where I took a shower and me and my mom went to dinner. There was this super cute looking retro diner at the hotel and we both got burgers and they were super delicious. Then we got back to the hotel and slept in not pretzel form like on the plane

Day 1:
The day started off at 4am in our hotel room and me and my mom showered and got ready and by the time we were finished it was around 5:30. So me and my mom took a shuttle back to the airport where we met all the other lovely people that we would be spending the trip with. After we got all the people situated we went to a school that Ann Frank attended and we had breakfast. Then we went to Dam Square and The royal palace and we did a canal tour and it was really beautiful. Then it was around 3 and we had these killer French fries and went to Rijks museum and at this point we were all so tired so we checked into the hotel we are staying at now and had dinner at a Turkish resturant then came back to the hotel and passed out at 10:30pm to end our night.

Day 2:
Today started off at 5 am which is the time we are gonna wake up everyday from now on and then we got ready and left at 8 am. First we went to the Ann Frank house and it was really a hands on experience that was a really eye opening experience. So then after that it was around 9:30 am so we drove to another school that Ann Frank attended and we had brunch  which was good as always. Then we went to the Van Gogh Museum which was incredible and the souviners I got were amazing.Then we did a bit of shopping where some damage was done.We then went to a Museum and went shopping again. Then we ended the night with some Halal Fried Chicken at HFC which was good. At this point it was 10:00 pm when we got back to the hotel and we went to the room, did a mask, and knocked out at 11:00pm

Day 3:
So this blog post is getting super long so 🎉 C O N G R A T S🎉 if you are sticking through. The first thing that we did today was go to breakfast at the school we went to yesterday for brunch. Then we went to see the windmills which was super amazing and beautiful and we got some good pictures. Then we went in a car ride 🚘 from Amsterdam to Hague. In Hague we visited the cubic homes and the peace palace and got ice cream. Then we went to a FAMILY DINNER, which is by far one of my favorite part about these trips. It was amazing as expected and the family was so nice. Then we had a looooong car ride ahead of us and had another 3 hour drive 🚘 From Hague to Brussels. We got to the hotel at 11pm and came back to the hotel room and slept after an hour.

Day 4: Today we woke up and were kinda tired and we went down and ate breakfast at the hotel. Then, we went to Atomia and Mini Europe and it was super cute. Then we had some super good burgers for lunch and went 🛍SHOPPING!! We went to grand palace and went shopping and had a bunch of fun and I bought a super cute lunch box. Then we went to the hotel and Abigail did my makeup and it was super nice. Then we went to a family dinner and came back to the hotel and chilled at Laurna's room and went to sleep back in our rooms🛌

✈️A T L A N T I C I N S T I T U T E✈️

Like I mentioned in my last blog post, I'm going on a trip somewhere. So, I'll talk more about the trip when I come back but for now I'll tell you that It's somewhere in Europe. I actually won an art competition that was run by Atlantic Institute a couple months ago and the prize was a trip to Europe. I've actually won this competition four times and the first time I won the trip was to Turkey.

Like the trip I'm going on this time it's just gonna be me and my mom then we meet up with the others in the group. We went to Turkey for 10 days and it was quite the adventure. My mom and I started off our trip and met the rest of the group in Istanbul. There were about 5 other participating students that had won who came on the trip with their respective teacher. So, we adventured throughout the country visiting Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara, Konya, Ephesus, Cappadocia, and Bursa (maybe more but I don't remember). On the last trip I think I was like 10 or 11 so its been a pretty long time.

My favorite thing from the Turkey trip was when we got to visit the sponsoring families. There was this one amazing family who had this garden next to their house and it was so legit. There was a cherry tree and now every time I see cherries I remember that family. But, while we were there we literally saw everything there was to see; The Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Library of Celsus, Whirling Dervishes and a ton more. It was a great experience and I really love traveling so I can't wait for this trip and many more to come.

   

✈️ T R A V E L E S S E N T I A L S ✈️

In the near future I have some exciting trips planned and I'll talk more about them in a future blog post about the reason and stuff. You can also check out my youtube channel because I'm gonna do a travel diary when I come back so you can check that out. Back to the essentials:

1) My first essential is gonna be some gum because you all know the chewing gum trick on take off and it really does work.

2) My next must have is earbuds just incase I wanna watch some youtube, on this particular trip it's gonna be go go go so idk if I'll even have time.

3) I was never big on sunglasses until I got this pair from Forever 21 last week and I absolutely love them and will definitely bring them with me

4) Another thing is facial cleansing wipes and moisturizer and lip balm and stuff like that.

5) Something really good is gonna be a book, I'm reading "To Kill a Mockingbird" and it's super exciting if I finish I might review it as another blog post maybe.

6) Because I need to make sure I capture every moment that happens, that means my phone is gonna die so A portable charger is great.

7) The last thing on my list is snacks because traveling can be tiring and the last thing you want is to be hangry so having some granola bars or something is great.

My Eid Routine

🎉🎉E I D   M U B A R A K🎉🎉

Today is Eid and I have another blog post for you so that is always super exciting. On Eid me and my family usually do the same thing and it's always super fun. These are the things that we do on Eid:

So it depends on what salah we go to then we decide what time we wake up. I think we are going to the 8:00 a.m today so we are gonna wake up at around 6:30am because we have to be punctual. So by the time I am done getting ready it is 7:45a.m. Then me, my dad, and my brother go to pick up my grandparents who live like 5 min away so thats super fun. Then we make takbeerat in the car because EID. Then we drive over to the masjid and pray salah-tul-eid and we finish around 9:00. Then...

We go to IHop with the family. When I say family I mean my entire family. I mean my mom, dad, brother, grandpa, grandma, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We literally get the back room because there are so many of us lol. Then...

When we finish IHop it is around 12 o'clock. And if I'm being honest, I feel like all we do on eid is eat which is super cool i guess. Then we drive over to my aunt's husband's parents house and we eat some more and talk and have fun. This year, my aunt from out of state is coming so we are going to my other aunts house. We are gonna have a little tea party. I'm making macaroons, my cousin is making rice krispie treats, my aunt is making cucumber sandwiches. So then we are just gonna open gifts and see what else the day has in store for us. Thats all for our Eid day, later we might do something but I don't know. Have a blessed Eid😘😘