Not Your Usual Spring Break: 9 New Locations

In undergrad most do the usual spring breaks destinations: Miami, Cancun, and the various Caribbean islands. While there is nothing wrong with these spots, after years of the same places I was looking for something new. With that being said I have complied a list of nine places I’d like to visit instead. Get your passport and get ready for nice weather and a much-needed vacation.  If you know of any other treasures (especially where the USD goes far) drop them below!

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Canary Islands, Spain

Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt

Cape Town, South Africa

Dubai, UAE

Boracay Island, Phillipines

Phuket, Thailand

Goa, India

Sydney, Australia

Images used are not original and are linked to their sources.

-XOXO

Sugar Rush

While you are enjoying your romantic holiday or taking advantage of the sales on candy the next day, you should be mindful about the excessive consumption of sugar. This is one of the things I LOVE: candies, cakes, and doughnuts. ALL of it! (I have an entire board of just desserts on Pinterest. Check it out!)

One great idea for substitution is always fruit where there it is natural & not added like it generally is in candy.

This Huffington Post article came out in 2013 and tells us a few facts about sugar like:

Sugar can damage your heart.

Sugar contributes to belly fat.

Sugar may be linked to cancer production.

Sugary beverages may shorten your life.

Sugar is also found in other places that you may not realize. A big one is ketchup… but before you go getting all depressed remember that dark chocolate and red wine are known to have some health benefits. As with everything, try to limit the amounts you consume.

-XOXO

Mardi Gras

My friends & I decided to plan a girl’s trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. We had such a good time. Some of my personal recommendations for a trip to this city are:

Go to the street parades

You can find a list of the when & where abouts of these. Also, there is nice jazz on Frenchman Street I’ve heard.

Eat everything

I had some turtle soup and tried alligator sausage!

Stay close to the French Quarter

If you do this you will be in walking distance of every where you need to be.

Be a tourist

Go to Bourbon Street, go see the Carousel Bar, go to Café Du Monde & visit the St. Louis Cathedral.

Collage: Café Du Monde, Cafe Conti, Ma Momma’s House Restaurant (2) & some of my beads on the hotel bed.

-XOXO

Flint Water Crisis

Federal Environmental laws like the Safe Drinking Water Act allow the Environmental Protection Agency to set standards to protect the public.

In regards to the entire population, lead levels cannot exceed a certain amount in your water because it is widely know that it negatively impacts the brain and central nervous system. WHO provides information about that here.

In Flint residents were cited as complaining about rashes and strange odors as well as the discoloration of the water. You can't see, or taste lead in your water, so it must be tested to know for certain. In this case it seems that the water source, although switched had caused the pipes to continue leaching lead. This can be taken care of with water sampling and lead shows up in the blood. Elevated levels were found in Flint’s children last year.

As details continue to come out in this case, I feel that the situation was mishandled on many fronts. To protect yourself the CDC provides resources about lead and monitoring information here. 

-XOXO