Sunday, April 3, 2011

“ My Great Life as Travel Agent “ by Norma Perilla
















Today, I want to tell you about my life as a Travel Agent. When I was in high school I wanted to travel around the world. So, I started to study Airlines and Travel Agencies Administration.

After I finished the practice hours, I began to work in the most important travel Agency in Colombia called Aviatur. It has more than two hundred agencies within Colombia.

At the beginning was a little difficult because I was studying and working at the same time. But, after two years I had more experience, and my work was more relaxing. The first job I had to do was to help one hundred people who were traveling to Jamaica for a Sales Convention. It was very hard because I had to resolve every problem with the logistics of the event. Then, I got my American visa and went to Miami for a hotels inspection. Little by little, I got to know Europe, the Caribbean Islands, as well as many countries in South America and North America.

Every time I took vacation, I choose a different place for research. I’ve enjoyed their cultures and gastronomy. The most beautiful place that I’ve known is Greece. It is really fascinating. I think it’s the best place for honeymoon, but, I went for work.

Finally, three years ago, an important airline invited me to Mexico for “Fiestas Patrias “ and there I met my husband. We started to chat and speak every day. Two months later he came to Colombia to visit me. Then I went to Sacramento to visit him, and after two years, he moved to San Francisco for his job, and we decided to get married. I am really happy. I think San Francisco is the best city in the United States. Now I hope to learn English quickly because I’ve realized it is very important to know English well for life and work in the United States.



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Friday, April 1, 2011

"My Vacation" by Flor Monteza















I am a city girl. My childhood was around a collective houses in Peru where mostly everybody knows each other. In the mornings, I usually attended school classes from 8 am. to 2 pm. I enjoyed being at school every morning because my classmates and teachers were very friendly. I remember taking classes in cooking, sewing, dancing besides the academic classes. But, I can say, the school was a religious one, so every Friday we went to the chapel to pray for a short time. During vacations when the classes were over, we would travel to visit my grandparents. They lived in a rural area, far away from my city, so we traveled there by plane. That was really fantastic! My whole family traveled to the Valley of Huancaray where we saw rivers, and crops of different plants that looked like a lively mosaic on the ground. I had the chance to ride horses, feed ducks and chickens, as well as climb the trees to catch the best and sweetest fruits. The lakes and rivers were clear as a mirror and I was able to catch delicious varieties of fish. I think this experience with nature made me have a great sense of caring of our environment.

The vacation also had a touch of craziness when the Carnivals were celebrated with music and dances all day for three consecutive days. At that time we played, throwing water balloons at each other or painting faces with talc. Food and beverages were offered during the carnivals at no cost because the community celebrated together and ate together. After returning from vacations, we came back home with loads of presents from our relatives and the remarkable experience carved in my memory.

OTHER ARTICLES BY FLOR MONTEZA:

"Loving Science and My Family", by Flor Monteza

"What Impresses Me About Martin Luther King Jr." by Flor Monteza