London, Paris, Rome, Capri...all in 12 days?!

I’ve had the chance to visit quite a few places over the past 4-5 years. Boston, Maine and Punta Cana are only a few one the list, but I would have to say that my favorite trip up to date would have to be the one that I took in March of 2012 over March break.

3 days before March Break was supposed to start, myself, 25 other students, 3 teachers, and 3-4 parents boarded on a plane to Europe for a 12 day trip, you can imagine the excitement that was in the air. This was a once in a life time, jammed packed 12 day trip of Europe's finest, including London, Rome, Italy, Paris, Pompeii, Capri, and a few surprises along the way.

Now i paid for this trip 100% myself, all $4500 of it, and I have to say it was worth every penny, and every hour i spent working my butt off at work to earn that money. This trip was an amazing experience and something that I always wanted to do, but never thought i would get the chance to. Almost a year later I still recall all the fun i had, look through my pictures, and still talk to the people that i met going on that trip. Not only did I get to learn about cities and the history behind it well standing at all the buildings you see in books and movies, but I made some great friendships.

My advice to everyone would be that if you get the chance to go on a trip like this, take it. You really won’t regret it, you will have the time of your life and will be surprised about how much you really learn. Also get a tour guide. We had one, and I really don't know how we would have made it to all the places, or found out as much as we did about all the cities without him.

Myself in front of the Leaning Tower

Throwing my coin in and making a wish

Rome!

On top of the Effile Tower

In front of the Effile Tower, My favorte part <3

Capri... So beautiful

Bullying

Amanda Todd and her story about bullying have been making its way onto the news and all over social media sites over the past week. For the people who maybe have not seen the YouTube video or heard about Amanda here’s a little run down.

Amanda Todd was teenage girls who like others, made a mistake. This mistake turned out to haunt her for the rest of her life. When she was 12 she was on webcam with some friends and they asked her to "flash them" so she did. A year later one of the guys who was on webcam that night sent her a Facebook message saying, "If you don’t put on a show for me I will send your picture to everyone." Long story short the picture got sent to everyone. Amanda got bullied so bad that she switched schools a few times. When everything looked like it was getting better, Amanda got beat up and left in a ditch. That night she went home and drank bleach. She ended up making it to the ER in time and having her stomach pumped. About a month ago, Amanda posted a video on YouTube telling everyone her story, and then on October 10th Amanda hung herself.

Now this is something that sadly happens to teenagers a lot, and in most cases the outcome ends up the same. I personally think that more things should be done to prevent bullying. Cyber bullying (one of the ways Amanda was bullied) happens a lot more now, and there should be a way to stop it. Bullying has sadly gotten way out of hand, and personally I don't think it is going to stop anytime soon until the ones who are doing the bullying have higher punishment than just a slap on the wrist!

In memory of Amber Kirwan?

This time last year my hometown had everything it knew turned upside down. The "safe town" that everyone thought New Glasgow was, was no more. This time last year New Glasgow was on a frantic search to try and find a missing 19 year old girl named Amber Kirwan who went missing when leaving the local Doolys. A little over a month later her body was found, and then within the next month they had the killer in custody.


I bring this up because on the one year anniversy of Amber going missing, New Glasgow released a tribute to her. A stone with her picture on it, with flowers, benches and a fence shaped like a heart, all in memory of Amber.

I understand that this was a big event for New Glasgow, but what makes Amber so much more important than the rest of the young girls who went missing over the years and never made it home? Why does her family get this tribute and not the rest of the families? I am not trying to say that this is a bad thing, or that i don't admire New Glasgow for coming together and making this happen, I am just saying that I don't see what makes her different from the rest of the girls, and that if they are going to make something in memory of Amber, then maybe they should think of all the other young people who went missing, and never made it back to their family.

I do believe that this was a very tragic event for our town, and most importantly Amber's family and friends, and I do admire the town for wanting to do something in her memory, I just think that it isn't fair for all the other families as well.