Alitager's Blog

Ali Tager — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 21:57:22 +0000

New York City, Al’lora

Ali Tager — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 15:31:37 +0000

In Florence, we had a term that we threw around that could pretty much be used in any situation at any time: Al’lora. To this very day, I still have no clue what it actually means. Myself and my fellow American students used it to sub for “and,” “like,” “umm,” “then,” “yes,” “no,” “maybe,” and basically every other chance we had to fit in into a sentence. Last week I finally began my internship in New York City and I have so much to say about it can only be described as “Al’lora.” The first few days were filled with basic getting to know the office procedures. I caught up on my clients respective backgrounds, met most of my coworkers, found my way around the office, acquainted myself with the computer programs that I will be using, etc. Now I can be very focused on looking for any and every opportunity to jump in and make an actual impact on my accounts and make a great impression on my bosses! Today my blog is officially transitioning from abroad stories to social media stories. I came across so many that I wanted to blog about for my work account over the past few days that I decided, why not just write about them here? Brilliant idea Ali! Stay tuned, all five followers. The posts I have planned for this summer will knock your socks off (they probably won’t, but they could!). Bon voyage.

Castellamare, Sicily

Ali Tager — Mon, 03 May 2010 21:20:14 +0000

Instead of going to snowy, rainy Switzerland this weekend with my classmates, I opted to go to a small beach town called Castellamare in Sicily with my roommate to visit her extended family. This was honestly one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. The town was so gorgeous, small and quaint with hills and mountains and beaches and fishing boats. It was all so picturesque! We spent 3 days laying on the beach (I actually have a tan) and the water was so clear and calm and warm! We stayed in a spare apartment that her family keeps so we were really able to live the authentic lifestyle. We ate homecooked feasts at 1:00pm while everyone was home for Siesta. We wandered the town and sat on the cliffs watching the fisherman work in the Marina. One of the best things about it was the my roommate’s cousin brought us out with her friends so we were able to socialize with the locals, which rarely happens in Florence. The way that they dress, the music they listen to, everything about them was so incredibly different and I loved being a part of it. They were all so welcoming and loved talking to us because they were able to practice their English. A relaxing weekend on the beach was exactly what this trip had been missing. I am now officially ready to go home. Unless I have time to ride a scooter. I still have yet to ride a scooter and that, too, is a very authentic Italian experience I would like to enjoy.

Amalfi Coast

Ali Tager — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:48:21 +0000

This weekend I went to the Italian Riviera known as the Amalfi Coast. On Friday, I went to the Island of Capri which was incredibly beautiful. I was able to see the Blue Grotto, which is one of the world wonders, however I was greatly disappointed that I didn’t get to go inside of it because the tide was too high for the boat to fit inside the cave. I did get to spend time hiking along the mountains and shopping in the little boutiques and I also had time to visit Anacapri, the small town at the very top of the island. I stayed at a hostel in Sorrento and had dinner with the group that I was traveling with which was very delicious and I had a great time. On Saturday, I went to Positano which was similar to the French Riviera in design but was more of a beach town. My flat-mates and I spent hours on the beach and I was brave enough to go in the ocean, despite the harsh waves and freezing cold water. The beach was very different than anything I had seen before. It was tiny and the bottom was completely rocks instead of sand. It was actually kind of painful! But also very cool to see. I had dinner again in Sorrento and I opted to try the Italian’s version of Mexican food. Although my quesadilla was more like a grilled cheese sandwich and the salsa was actually tomato sauce, it was a nice change of pace from eating pasta every night! On Sunday, I toured the ruins of Pompeii which was much more interesting than I was expecting. Usually I am not that enthused about historically significant sites that consist of large rock piles but hearing about Mount Vesuvius’s destruction of the city and being able to see it for myself was a very cool experience. As much as I love Italy and would like to stay here forever, everyday I become more and more ready to return to reality.

When in Rome…

Ali Tager — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 10:28:33 +0000

Tomorrow I’m going to Rome! I am so excited! I have heard so many amazing things about the city and the sights and the culture and the atmosphere and I cannot wait to finally experience it myself. This week has gone by so quickly. I have been really busy with school and battling with the registrar’s office about my class schedule for next semester but thankfully, everything worked out well. I’m adding a Global Studies minor to my certificate which I think will help make my resume more rounded and reflect my experiences abroad. Oh and I let me roommate cut my hair and she gave me bangs! It actually looks very nice. I may look a bit younger and it all needs to be cleaned up a bit but so far I’m very happy with the results. I will continue to try to upload pictures from Nick’s visit, Spring Break and of this weekend’s trip to Rome but so far this website is having issues publishing my pictures. I hope all is well with you! Ciao

Spring Break: Paris Edition

Ali Tager — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 10:31:20 +0000

Driving from Amsterdam to Paris was a nightmare. It was pouring rain, the bus was freezing and it took several hours longer than we expected. I think I was just anxious to get there. When we finally arrived, we checked into a relatively nice hostel and immediately planned to leave for Sacre Coeur. The only problem was: it was still pouring rain. I decided to brave it and go anyway and I was so glad I did. The sun came out a few minutes after we got there! Sacre Coeur was a beautiful church and we were able to see the end of a mass in progress. I always enjoy that because it is less touristy than most of the other sights I see and it feels like a very authentic experience shared with the real residents of whichever city I am in. We then hopped on the metro and stopped at the famous Moulin Rouge cabaret where we were able to take pictures outside. Seeing a show would have been nice but it also would have been somewhere around 100 euros. Maybe next time! The next day, I went on the official walking tour and I was beaming with enthusiasm the whole time. The tour itself was a bit disappointing, neglecting to stop at some of the major landmarks like the Arc du Tromphe and the Eiffel Tower. I went to Notre Dame and also saw part of a mass there, went through the Louvre on what my friends and I dubbed “The Highlights Tour” because we were pressed for time so we only stopped at the main attractions like the Mona Lisa, and climbed to the top of the Arc du Tromphe which was a beautiful view of the city. I had dinner with the group of students that I was traveling with and then some of us went back to see the Eiffel Tower at night. That was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip. We went to the second level of it (approximately half way to the top) and it was lit up and so beautifully and at 11:00pm, the entire building started sparkling like glitter as some of the lights started blinking and flashing. It was incredible to see and so amazing because we were on the tower while it was happening! I also ate several delicious crepes on the walk home, which were amazing at the time but my stomach regretted it later. On Saturday, our last day on Spring Break, my friends and I went to Versailles to see the palace. It was a bit rainy out so it was nice that we were inside for most of the day. We saw Marie Antoinette’s room and the King’s chambers and the Hall of Mirrors and the beautiful gardens. It was very packed with tourists so it was hard to navigate but I really enjoyed seeing it. When we got back into the actual city I went to the Musee d’Orsay which I actually preferred to the Louvre. The impressionist paintings of Monet and Degas were so beautiful and the museum was much simpler to navigate. We didn’t get to see the Waterlilies because they are on the road (ironically I think they’re currently at the MoMa) but we saw many other similar paintings and sculptures which I really liked. I finished the day by heading to the Eiffel Tower for the last time to take as many pictures as I could. My blog is having trouble uploading all of these pictures, probably because there are roughly 500 from Spring Break alone. I will try to have all of my pictures printed by the time I get home (on May 15) so that I can show everyone! I miss and love you all!

Spring Break: Amsterdam Edition

Ali Tager — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 15:22:11 +0000

Amsterdam was so much better than I expected! I had heard some very crazy things about the city but it was much more beautiful than I anticipated. The city is shaped like a rainbow with canals and bridges intersecting every few streets. It is so picturesque and looks almost fake because it is so beautiful. There were cute shops and flowers and brightly painted bicycles everywhere. The Red Light District was sort of an out-of-body experience. It was sad to see the way that some people have to make a living but it was a smaller part of the city than I thought it would be and not at all as seedy as I had heard. We went to the Anne Frank House which was very sad but at the same time very hope-inspiring. I was honestly surprised because I had pictured it to be like a small closet but it was more like a small apartment. Her diary entries were painted on the walls and some of them were so optimistic they gave me the chills. It was one of my favorite parts of the trip. I also went to a pancake factory which was my other part of Amsterdam! We got huge pancakes with every kind of topping on them. It was like a dream! I would definitley like to go back to the Netherlands. Their lifestyle is so laid-back I really enjoyed the way in which they same to live.

Spring Break: Berlin Edition

Ali Tager — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:36:31 +0000

Berlin was surprisingly enjoyable. I have heard that it is cold, gray, rainy, depressing and boring. However I must have brought the sunshine because both days that I spent there were sunny, warm and beautiful. The buildings were slightly depressing in style and the history, of course, didn’t add to the city’s appeal. But it was very interesting to learn about Germany’s view of World War II and the measures that they took to cover up their mistakes while feigning amends. The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of World War II looked like a park filled with concrete blocks. There was no indication of what it was and had the tour guide not explained it, I would have never known. Although Berlin was paying tribute to the victims of the war, they neglected to explain its significance and therefore a tourist would have to be very interested in this seemingly mondane exhibit in order to research what it is and the meaning behind it. However, there is no specific meaning behind it. The artist leaves the interpretation up to the viewers’ imaginations. I liked thinking of it as a bar graph. It begins very slowly and unevenly, then the blocks grow taller and the ground grows more uneven and the people you are walking through the exhibit with disappear and it grows darker and colder and you become more isolated, and then the blocks gradually get smaller again until you emerge on the other side and you still can’t figure out how it changed so quickly. Its a very accurate representation of the war in my opinion. I also saw the Reichstag building (Parliament), the Brandenburg Gate, the Jewish Museum, Museum Island, the college that Einstein and Karl Marx went to, Hitler’s bunker, the remains of the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, and a memorial to the booked burned by the Nazis which was basically a hole in the ground filled with empty bookshelves. I enjoyed the food and frequently ate a weird concoction called “Currywurst”: a bratwurst sausage mixed with curry and ketchup sauce. The whole city was much more interesting that I expected, however I would still not recommend it. It was a very harsh place, from the architecture to the attitude towards Americans. Although this was my least favorite of every place I visited, I am glad I was able to experience it!

Spring Break: Prague Edition

Ali Tager — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:06:06 +0000

Spring Break was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. It was a mental, physical & emotional roller coaster. We started in Prague and did a walking tour in which we visited the main attractions and learned some of the Czech Republic’s history. I expected the city to be a fun place but I was not expecting how cool it would be! I climbed to the top of Petrin Hill, which overlooks all of Prague and is shaped like a mini Eiffel Tower. I went into the Prague Castle, crossed the Charles Bridge, visited a church famous for housing a mummified arm on one of its walls, and signed the John Lennon Wall. The Lennon Wall was so incredible. It was covered in brightly colored graffiti with messages of love and peace and hope. Everything in Prague was so beautiful and also incredibly inexpensive. 26 crowns equals 26 euros! I also tried real Czech food, which probably would have been okay had I not accidentally ordered liver. I feel very spoiled as an American because every place I have traveled to so far speak English in addition to their native languages. On our last night in Prague, I went to an 80′s and 90′s music dance disco which was so much fun! I danced with all of my friends on stage to the “Grease” soundtrack and to old Madonna songs. It was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

Pictures from the French Riviera

Ali Tager — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:12:20 +0000