Hello Summerhill!!

So I've finally made it to Summerhill! It really is unreal how beautiful this place is. There is nothing like it, I'm sure, in the entire world. This is just a very quick update to say that I have made it safe and sound. I don't have the right adapter to plug in and charge my laptop, so I am conserving battery until I can get the correct adaptor. My laptop is only being used for essential communication at the moment (Mom and Dad). The blogging and pictures will begin just as soon as I get the right adaptor and get settled in. It was an incredibly long journey, but it was well worth it!

South Africa is beautiful!!

Today's the day!

So I'm all packed and ready to go! Packing for three months is actually not quite as challenging as you would expect. Many friends have lamented over how difficult it would be to pack for an extended period of time, and they always ask me how I do it. So here's a quick run down of how I prepare to go abroad- I think my experience in Thailand really helped me to get a leg up (jockey pun, couldn't help myself) on this trip. I knew what not to pack (food, books, a million pairs of shoes, all my makeup ect.) and what to pack (shampoo, conditioner, body wash (stuff you won't want to spend money on once you get there, practical clothes and practical shoes)). I have a system that works pretty well. My clothes are fairly organized to begin with so I always start with "bottoms". So I go through my jeans and shorts and decide what goes and what doesn't. Next, I move on to "tops" and go through my closet and pick out a few dressier tops, athletic tops, and tops I can horse around in (if you know what I mean ;)). I always throw in a sundress or two because you never know what you might end up doing, plus nothing is more comfortable than a cute sundress (right guys?). Then of course my riding equipment, underwear, cosmetics, toiletries and shoes. Then you just gotta stuff it all into two fairly large suitcases! Easy! Well kinda... I always roll up all my clothes because I feel that it takes up less space and I can fit more in. However, its been argued that it actually takes up more space (you get into these types of arguments when you study abroad). Either way, its the method I believe works best. So that's how I pack in a nutshell.

Now its almost time to head to the airport! Due to the wonderful weather, we're giving ourselves plenty of time to make it to Chicago! But I am buzzing with excitement to leave. I can't wait for warmth, sunshine and most of all Thoroughbreds!!

I'll shoot out a quick post with a few pictures when I make it to Amsterdam! Let's get this adventure started!! Africa or bust!

Lions, Tigers and Thoroughbreds! Oh my! All about Africa

My journey to Africa begins in exactly 16 days! When it's all said and done, I'll have covered about 10,132 miles in roughly 33 hours. That sounds exhausting, but I'm up for the challenge!

It's still hard for me to believe that I'll be packing up my bags again and heading out of the country. I thought I would officially launch my blog by giving some of the important details about my internship. How I got it, what I'll be doing and a little bit about the amazing Summerhill Stud!

First off, the most frequently asked question- Did you already graduate college? The answer is NO. I'm not ready to graduate yet! I want to be clear in saying that I am still in college and I'm still a senior at Butler. One of the most valuable lessons I've learned while in college is to choose a good advisor from the very beginning and understand that, although you have an academic advisor, you are ultimately responsible for making sure you are on the right track for graduation. Your advisor is there to assist you not do all the work for you. Luckily, I was very diligent in keeping track of my progress as well as meticulously planning each semester. That hard work really paid off because during my four years at Butler I have been able to find the time to study abroad... twice! So, yes, as unusual as it sounds, I will spend my final ever (yikes!) semester of college in Africa! I will arrive home 10 days before I have the honor of walking with my fellow classmates at commencement!

This internship really is an opportunity of a lifetime. I found myself aimlessly browsing the internet one day (don't lie, you do this too!) attempting to find an internship that looked promising. The last thing I need to complete my degree is an internship. For some reason that I can not explain, the Summerhill website popped up on my google search. I clicked on it and was instantly impressed. As I looked through the pictures I started to wonder where this beautiful stud farm was located (I figured California or Florida). Then to my astonishment I discovered it was in South Africa. Thus the seed was planted. I spent the whole rest of the day imagining traveling to Africa to work with racehorses, and by the end of that same day I had taken my first step toward making that dream a reality. The next portion of this story really goes to show the quality of people at Summerhill. I sent a cold email explaining who I was and that I was interested in an internship. I revived an email back the next day informing me that there were no public relations internships available at Summerhill. My heart dropped. However, they said they would be willing to work with me to create an internship that would meet my needs! Have you ever heard of anything like that? Amazing! Over the next three months I communicated back and forth until all the details of my internship were ironed out. Let me just say that so many exceptions were made so that I could have this incredible opportunity. Summerhill in essence created an internship specifically designed to meet my needs for graduation! An internship in another country had ever been done before at Butler either. I would like to thank my advisor, my internship coordinator, my professors, the Financial Aid Office, the Center for Global Education and everyone at Butler that has worked with me to make this possible. The attitude from Butler about my internship was  "we will do whatever is necessary to make this happen for you." That is truly the Butler Way! So with that said, I'm sure you can imagine that I love my university! It took me nearly five months to coordinate everything, plan my trip and purchase my ticket but its all done and now all that's left is to pack my bags and get on the plane! It was so much work, but there isn't a single doubt in my mind that this experience will forever change and shape my life.

Over the next three months that I will spend in South Africa I will take two online classes through Butler as well as receive credit for the internship. Primarily I will be doing public relations, event planning and marketing. I will be involved with planning Summerhill's annual Summer Ready to Run Sale, client liaison and luncheons, Stallion Day and much more! I will also have the opportunity to learn about sales, breeding, farm management and of course work hands on with the racehorses. This opportunity will allow me to experience the many different areas that a career in this industry offers. I believe I will discover where my heart truly lies and possibly some new doors will open for my future career that I am sure will be full of big adventures!

I've always been fond of the saying "Your dream job does not exist. You must create it." So true! What you may think is impossible will always be impossible until you try to make it happen! And let me tell you- dreams really do come true!