Author: Confessions of a Jetsetter

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Mom

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“I remember the first time I arrived in New York City. It was in my sophomore year of college as part of The Tougaloo Concert Choir to perform with the great Duke Ellington at Carnegie Hall. We had traveled all around the East Coast of the United States singing at various historical sites while raising funds for our school. However, New York City was a completely different experience especially for a Southern girl, seeing such cultural diversity during the Civil Rights Movement. It was so strange seeing people bustling about so rapidly with the energy and possibility of hope that filled each of their steps. It was the most phenomenal thing I had experienced up until that point. Excited and just about the hour when the choir was about to go on stage and perform a round of spirituals with Ellington’s band, we were informed that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had been shot in Memphis, Tennessee. It was a moment I shall never forget. April 4th, 1968.”   – Mom   034/100 of #100DaysofConfessions …

Katya Arsenieva-Jetsetterproblems.com

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Katya Arsenieva

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“I was packing to go to Prague but ended up in Egypt. You would think that the most memorable part of my trip was seeing the Pyramids or acquiring a scar from sunburn that left me basically paralyzed for two days or stepping on a sea urchin but nope, that’s not the case! Don’t get me wrong, all of these memories are dear to my heart and I would not change them…and they were just a small portion of the beauty, frustration and hilarity that ensued throughout this trip! But when someone asks me about my trip, the first thing that comes to my mind is the night we drove 4x4s into the Sahara Desert, shut them down and just laid on their rooftops. I will never forget how amazing and insignificant I felt being surrounded by the sky, stars and the dessert with nothing else for miles and miles…When you are faced with such infinite space, you realize that you’re just one of the little dots that lives within the whole universe…” – Katya Arsenieva …

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Francesca Kennedy

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“Guatemala means the land of eternal Spring. Many artists and intellectuals over the years have found Guatemala and Lake Atitlán in particular to be a source of inspiration. Pablo Neruda wrote many of his moving poems there, Aldous Huxley, author of “Brave New World” once described it as “one of the most beautiful lakes in the world,” and it is said that Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote “The Little Prince” there… Since I was a little girl, I was naturally drawn to the local markets to buy Mayan goods. The colors of the Mayan textiles and crafts are so breathtaking that one can only help but be inspired by their beauty. Year after year I would come from Pennsylvania to visit my grandfather at Lake Atitlán. A few years ago, the lake had become contaminated with toxic blue-green algae and I saw children collecting the water to drink. I knew I had to do something to help. I went to the local market as I had always done and saw the huarache sandals they were making and thought …

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Thifa

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“Some people have obsessions like fro-yo, Netflix, sex or shoes. My obsession is traveling. One of my favorite pastimes is going to faraway lands and being mistaken for random celebrities. Not because I look like them, but just because for most of the locals I encounter, it’s not often they see a 6 foot Jamaican girl wearing 5 inch wedges visiting tourist sites. I wonder…who do they think I am?! And will they figure it out when showing their vacation pictures to friends/family or posting on Instagram/Facebook….Do you think Beyoncé, Rihanna or Michelle Obama will shut them down when they are tagged?!” – Thifa   031/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project    

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Jessica Scott

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“When I was 26, I traveled to the African continent for the first time. Since then, I have lived, studied, and worked in different African countries for varying amounts of time and though I have spent time on many continents, it is the only place I consider a second “home” outside of Appalachia. My first time, I landed in Freetown, Sierra Leone, which was a place I loved for many different reasons, though the evidence of recent conflict was palpable and heartbreakingly visible in the shattered infrastructure of the city. As someone who lives in a country where “wars” have not been fought on our soil for many generations, I had to keep reminding myself that almost every person in the country had lived through conflict because it was just that recent… All of the travel books at the time said that women traveling to Sierra Leone should bring tampons with them since they were not readily available and, when available, were very expensive. So, I had stuffed a bunch of tampons into my suitcase. …

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Irina Kipnis

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“Max and I have been married forever. We met in college and became “that couple that ran to City Hall!” Still students, still kids, we floated around looking for the landing ground. Years go by, seven to be precise, and I spend the summer running around the city between three freelance gigs. It must not be all for nothing, I must go to Italy! A decision was made, we were finally going there for 10 whole days. Our first trip together abroad and our first real vacation…  It all begins in Milan. Foolishly we fall into a tourist trap cafe, but it redeems itself by serving the largest bellinis I have ever had the pleasure of drinking. With no time to waste, the next morning we run to the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie to see The Last Supper. The slides from my art history classes pale and disappear and are now replaced with a new memory that I keep to this day… Our journey continues as we hop on a train to Venice …

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Teff

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“I suppose I always seek out nuances of Orange. Or anything in the citrus family…greens, yellows, soft pink, etcetera. The burnt Orange dirt roads, my family home is the softest peach colour and white. The vibrant, vivid hues of yellow, Orange ridden all through the Sunrises and Sunsets. I haven’t seen the Sun rise nor set quite like it does in Africa. Nigeria in this case… This particular photo was taken in the Wuse II neighbourhood of Abuja, Nigeria. My dad, older brother, and myself had been out for most of the day, in the heat, running errands. We didn’t have much breakfast, so we stopped to get some bananas and roasted groundnuts. This woman was out there with her daughter and young son. In all her hustle, her daughter – not any older than 12 – had assumed the role of caretaker. The image reminded me of how some roles may be imposed on us. But the true measure of character and strength is riddled in the management of said roles. Her daughter reflected …

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Christine Amorose

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“Paris, without a doubt. It was my very first international trip when I was 11, and I fell in love with the pains aux chocolats, the Champs-Elysées and the thrill of not understanding what people were saying. I’ve gone back again and again, and I’ve still never tired of the city’s charms…the effortless style, sunset over the Seine, the surprise down a winding cobblestone street, and those perfectly organized French gardens…” – Christine Amorose AKA @cestchristine   027/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project        

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Kelley Louise

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“I planned this road trip last summer with some friends from NYC. The group of friends I was going with are all from Europe, and the original plan was to drive across Route 66. But as we kept planning the trip, it quickly became apparent that they were more interested in the idea of Route 66, rather than the actual road trip. I think we ended up going through four or five different routes before settling on one that worked for everyone. We flew into Vegas and then made our way into California — we went from Sequoia National Park to Yosemite, over to San Francisco and then up to Napa Valley before finally driving down the coast to San Diego. I grew up in southern California so it was a really cool experience to show my friends the things that make my home state special, especially because it was all completely new to them. Before the trip, one of my friends had asked me if I was a mountain or an ocean person. I …

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Mengly Hernandez

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“As a rule of thumb, I travel with various scarves wherever I go. Partly aesthetics and partly practicality. I find that a scarf is one of those accessories that can be functional to cover the face from dust, help you along on a bad hair day, and even serve as a blanket or pillow. On the aesthetic side, it’s one of my favorite accessories because it can add an adorning element to any outfit when worn either on the neck, head, or hip/waist as a sash. Visiting Morocco was a real treat because it fueled my love of textiles and scarves. As a designer of scarves, I felt extremely insured to see so many traditional patterns, specifically geometric shapes that are all around the predominately Islamic country. Their aesthetic harmoniously connected with my love of lines and color combinations. It’s definitely a country I would like to revisit and further explore…”  – Mengly Hernandez AKA @missmengly   025/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project