Last November, I was thinking about a cool place to fly. I promised my co-RA April that I would fly her out to Chicago, so I booked a plane for the entire day. The night before the flight I thought the clouds would be too low across Indiana and Ohio for me to fly. The day of the flight, I woke up and all I could see was the blue sky. I planned a trip for us to fly to Chicago executive airport via the shoreline, so we could get a view of the skyline. I’ve flown in the area before, but I hadn’t flown into Chicago executive before. The entire day pretty much had to be near perfect for me to fly out far out and still get back the same day. This day offered just that, and we were on our way to OSU airport around 10am. Everything was the usual. Fall offers great hues and we took great advantage of that. We could see the leaves changing colors and the trees were bright orange and red. She had never flown in a small plane before, so she was excited. We were flying above the clouds and then below the clouds on the last half of the way there. The flight to Chicago was about thirty minutes longer than our flight back. We were flying with another general aviation plane about two miles off to our right on its way towards Lake Michigan. Once I reached Gary, Indiana, I was handed over to Chicago approach and that was filled with Southwest airlines pilots. It took a while before I could get in a word. As I was flying along the shore line, I saw the Bears stadium, the Bean, the Cubs stadium and other landmarks. I’ve seen other pilots fly this route which made me want to fly in front of the Chicago. After I made a pass to my left, I circled around so the city would be off my right wing for my co-RA to see. We eventually landed at Chicago and we were greeted with the best FBO I’ve ever been to. We Ubered into the city and we ate deep dish pizza at Lou Malnati’s. Their meat lovers’ deep dish is really good; I highly recommend it. After we finished eating, we went back to executive for our flight back. The airport is about ten miles north of O’Hare, so I had to be cognizant of the airspace. Again, I flew in front of the skyline for the photo pass. We had a nice tailwind with nice weather, so our flight was pretty short. I didn’t get a chance to show her the campus from above since it was already dark. I thought it was crazy to go to Chicago, eat lunch, and be back on campus by night

Mid December 2017 I took a trip to Telluride Colorado. Telluride is one of the most quaint, beautiful, little towns I have ever had the pleasure of laying my eyes upon. The town is nestled into a valley about six hours west of Colorado Springs. Deep into the southern part of the Colorado’s Rocky mountains. The drive was long, 33 hours there and about 28 to get back. I traveled with the ski and board team by way of coach bus that had happened to break down in the middle of the night in Kansas, I’m 15° weather, without a replacement nearby. This didn’t bother me as much as some of the other fifty some students that came along for this ski trip to one of my favot states. I was along for the journey, and weather we made it or not it was definitely a memory. After getting a replacement and loading all of the luggage and ski/board equipment to other bus we managed to arrive at the town. The town was beautiful, all decorated for Christmas. It looked as if it were right out of a Hallmark movie. Lights strung across the small main Street. Christmas trees at every corner. A massive tree at the center of town adorned with a countless number of lights. They even had a tree made from old skis from the old days.

The reason for coming to Telluride was not for the beautiful town, it was for the skiing and snowboarding.  The mountain, sadly, had not gotten it’s due snow fall yet. And because of this there was only 16 out of 160 trails open. This did not stop me from enjoying all that the town had to offer. The night life of the town was fairly low key and expensive, but the ski team provided an ample substitute. With the riding becoming repetitive after the first few hours each day it allowed time to go hiking in the nearby mountains, where I as able to drink from a stream and rest on an overlook above the town. Our lodging was only a short bus trip away from the downtown area. Where street art and small shops adorned the streets. The town had such a small town feel that it was nearly imooimposs to not feel like you were merely a visitor. We visited small coffee shops and even a small place that specializes in fancy toast. The town and the friends that I was with made the vacation. The snowboarding was disappointing, luckily steamboat here recently had made up for that.

Sunset in Jamaica

Me Zip-lining

Over the course of my lifetime, I’ve been to many places and to rank the one that was the most fun is going to be difficult to tell. But before I say my top trip I’m going to say my second most fun trip and that trip was going to the Dominican Republic. The reason why it was ranked so high was that the time I want to the Dominican Republic the World Cup was happening and the rest of the world is into soccer. So I got to witness a watch party for Columbia in the World Cup and that match was against Uruguay. The watch party was in a sports bar and you could feel the atmosphere for that match in the watch party. At the party people had vuvuzelas and when Columbia scored a goal the place went insane and everyone was cheering. Columbia did end up winning the match so the environment was a good feeling to be in.

Some many ask what might top a world cup watch party. Well, I will tell you and the place that topped the Dominican Republic was Jamaica. My experience in Jamaica is hard to match because I had so much fun stuff to do while being in Jamaica. For example, I want zip-lining for the first time and while zip-lining I was able to zip-line from tree platform to tree platform. Another thing that I did while doing the zip-line action. There was one part where I repelled from a tree as well as. But the best part of zip lining was going through the trees and going through a massive gap to look at the beautiful forest around before going back into the trees. Another cool thing that I did in Jamaica was visited Bob Marley’s birth and resting place. While being a Bob Marley’s place I had the opportunity to sit on his thought rock and when sitting on the rock you could look out to see the lovely mountains that surround you while you sat on the rock. One of the last things that topped this trip off was seeing the beautiful sunrise and sunset. I took some epic shots of the sunset and I’ll share one with you in this post. But the things I did in Jamaica are probably that I’m not going to forget anytime soon.

One event that was really fun and memorable in my life was an event and a vacation wrapped up in one. For basically my entire life, I was involved in competitive cheerleading. Because of this, I was always travelling and usually did so with my mother. We would have competitions almost every other weekend from October to May, so my mom and I were able to spend a lot of really sweet one on one time together which we both really cherished and forever will. When my last competition of my senior year came around, my team performed a really amazing and emotion-filled routine. Once off stage, my mom and I both cried as we knew it was the end of our cherished little weekend getaways together- or so we thought. At the awards ceremony we were surprised to hear that our team had won a full paid bid to compete at one more competition in Disney World. This was huge, as the Disney competition was the most prestigious in the entire United States. Needless to say, we were all ecstatic. Around a month later as my mom and I were getting ready to leave for the airport, my dad walked out of his room with his bags packed. I was super surprised and excited because since I’m the oldest of 5 kids, one of my parents usually has to stay at home with the kids. This was the first and last time that both my mom and my dad would be able to travel with me to a competition. We stayed at the Swan and Dolphin resort in Disney World and explored the parks in a whole new way. It was very different being at Disney without little kids, we were able to take our time and enjoy new foods and places that aren’t as interesting for the little ones. For the next 4 days we had a blast together jumping from parks to practices, and then to competitions. I will always remember the love and support I felt as I looked out into the crowd to see both of my parents standing there together cheering for me in my last moments as a cheerleader. It was very different hanging out with my parents when it was just the three of us, and that time we spent together laughing and exploring and making new memories is something that I will cherish forever and ever.

I have had many exciting and fun vacations over the years and one of those was taking a cruise to Cuba. I traveled to Cuba last summer with my family and a few other close relatives. Even before we got there it was exciting as Cuba just recently open back up to American tourists in 2015. From the start it was unclear if our trip would end up getting canceled until a few weeks before which added anticipation. This was because President Trump was expected to make a decision on whether or not to keep Cuba open to the U.S. Luckily for us Cuba stayed open for the time being.

We took the cruise through the Norwegian cruise line and it turned out to be half of the fun. The day and a half trip there was full of onboard entertainment from seeing a comedian at a show to playing games like shuffleboard and swimming in one of the many pools. As we sailed towards Cuba in the early morning it was cool to see the Cuban coast line off in the distance as we approached Havana. I wasn’t really sure what to expect as we docked in Port Havana. Right away I noticed it was like a glimpse into the past as cars from the 1940s and 50s lined the streets. The city itself looked historic as the majority of the buildings appeared to be crumbling with age.

The day started out with a tour of Havana in the old historic cars. First our tour guide drove us through the city and told us more about Havana and what it was like living there. The first full stop was the Christopher Columbus cemetery as it was the largest in Cuba and an important part of their culture after one passes away. It sounds like a cemetery would be an unusual spot to visit but it was popular among tourists to learn more about Cuban culture and to see all of the architecture within the cemetery. The next stop was Revolutionary square where Fidel Castro gave his famous speeches to the public. All around Cuba you could see propaganda about the Cuban Revolution with posters at shops to large sculptures of political figures on the sides of buildings. Havana seemed like it was a safe city to be in but at the same time there was evidence that it was still a communist country. It was a very unique experience to hear what the local people thought about the Revolution and how it was different from my prospective coming from the U.S. Overall Cuba was one of my most exciting places that I have been fortunate enough to travel to and I have viewed it as a once in a lifetime experience. I recommend visiting Havana if you ever get presented with the opportunity.   

I got an opportunity to visit Mumbai, India in the summer breaks with my family. This was the first time I had been to a place that has beaches and most of the water sports to have fun. We started by spending some time at the beach and seeing the beautiful sunset which can only be observed from the shoreline. Mumbai is very well known for its street food and the most mouth-watering dish is Vada pao. I started searching for the best street food corner near me to enjoy the delicious Vada pao and other specialties of Mumbai. The next day, we planned to go and see the various famous monuments and museums. The monument which I found the best among every other is The Gateway of India. It was huge, appealing and one can observe the neatness in its architectural design. The museum consisted of the alluring art and armory found in the Palace of great kings from India and other parts of the country. I was stunned by seeing a small, handy statue of Lord Buddha in the museum which was very beautifully decorated with gems and ornaments. We also visited two major temples in Mumbai and enjoyed the biggest gathering of the week for the evening prayer. One of these Shrines is located a mile away from the shoreline into the Sea and is covered with water from almost all the sides just leaving a small path in between to enter and exit. The cool winds blowing and the peaceful environment near the Shrine made me forget everything and observe the beauty of the waves and the Sea.

The trip become more interesting and enjoyable when we visited H20, a place where most of the water sports is available in Mumbai. I started with my favorite speed boat and at first it was scary but after a while it was fun, and I loved it. Then I and my sister decided to do night parasailing which was quite enjoyable as well. Finally, I with my family went on a pleasant night cruise which had a beautiful rooftop restaurant and there was a common place where various games were going on, dance floor, Bar and other fun-loving elements. The dinner I had with my family that day is I believe the best meal I have ever had with them in such a pleasant and beautiful setting. I definitely want to visit Mumbai once again as I have missed a lot of things which should not be left by someone who loves travelling new places and meeting new people.

My most memorable vacation was when my family went back to Ethiopia after 13 years. First some background information, I was born in Alexandria, Virginia where I lived for the first four months of my life before hopping on a plane to go live in Ethiopia with my grandmother. In Ethiopia, things are very different from how they are in America. As a kid, I was pretty much allowed to do whatever I wanted. So when I eventually came to live in America after six years I was very hurt that I was not allowed the same freedom that I had when I was in Ethiopia, and by “freedom” I mean the freedom to go out and play all over town, I was only allowed to go down the block when I cam here. The memory of doing whatever I wanted created an image of Ethiopia in my mind as some magical wonderland. And as the years went on and family that lived there would send us pictures of how things were changing that image became more and more real for me.

So needless to say when we finally went back I was going back with all this built up excitement. I had so many things that I wanted to explore and do. When we first landed in Ethiopia we were met by all our family at the airport. So my trip had started on a really good note. The next day we went around Addis Ababa exploring all the markets and historical sights. After about a week there we flew to Gondar which is where my family is from.

In Gondar, we were again met at the airport by all of our family that lived there. Gondar was where I had the most fun. I was able to see and hang out with friends that I had not seen in over a decade. It was also where I learned to drive a manual transmission and ride a motorcycle. All in all it was the best trip I ever had becasue I was with almost every single memeber of my family at the same time.

Looking back at all the trips I’ve taken, I wouldn’t say I have a specific one that was my favorite, as I enjoyed every single one of them. But, I would say that I have a most memorable. One of the more memorable trips for me has 2 parts to it and it occurred over a  3 week span. The first part of this trip was spent with my family. My Parents, two brothers, sister, brother-in-law and myself all made a trip down to Hilton head as for a family vacation. This already was a special event as my sister was a few months pregnant with her first child (and families first next-gen child) and it was the first time we had all been on a trip together in years. Normally, someone has to work or had school which prevented them from coming, but everything lined up for this trip which made it extra special. It was also a much needed trip to the beach as I hadn’t been to a beach in years. Throughout the trip, it was mostly just relaxation and hanging out with my whole family, which we don’t get to do often as my sister is a nurse in Cincinnati and my older brother manages a bar in Grandview, so both are extremely busy and can’t really take time off. It also didn’t help that I was in college and my little brother was still in high school, so I didn’t see him or my parents very often either. So being able to hang out with family that I didn’t get to see as often as I would like already made the trip better. Looking back, that’s the best part about this trip, was the amount of time that i spent with my family. The second part of the trip was both good and bad. This trip occurred right before I had Air Force training in Alabama. In fact, I actually flew out of an airport near Hilton Head to go to this training, as I didn’t have enough time to come back to Ohio. This training was to evaluate me and my potential as a future officer in the Air Force, and even though it was very stressful both physically and mentally, I actually ended up having fun. The thing I enjoyed the most was the bond that i formed with the others that were down there with me. We were from all over the country and had just met when we got down there, but we bonded pretty quickly and I actually talk to them pretty regularly. These three weeks provided huge contrast between them. Going from laid back to an uptight military setting, being surrounded by family to not knowing a single person then back to being surrounded by “family”, and the vast difference between my wake-up times (10am to 4am) have all made these three weeks the most memorable “trip” I have been on (even though I really wouldn’t want to do the Air Force portion again).

The most memorable trip I have ever been on was a family trip to Vietnam. My family went to visit our family friends the Minge’s who have lived all over the world due to Mr. John working for BP and moving every 2-3 years. Travelling to Vietnam took 23 hours of continuous travel from Dallas to JFK to Heathrow to Taipei and finally to Ho Chi Minh. The Minge’s lived in Ho Chi Minh, the largest city in Vietnam, so for a large portion of the trip they showed us around the city. We toured shopping malls, street vendors, shopping and food markets, and so much more. In one market a lady even offered to buy me from my parents (blonde hair and blue eyed children are considered lucky). On the Sunday we were there we went to an illegal underground church, because at that point the country was still under communist rule and freedom of religion was not a thing. For the last handful of days of our trip we went to the Minge’s beach house at a resort owned by expat friends of theirs. This resort was the only place in Vietnam at that point that sold cheeseburgers, which was just what a 7 year old Barrett wanted. The Minge’s have two children, David and Emma, who are both older than my sister and I so they acted as our older siblings whenever we visited. Whenever my family visited the Minge’s growing up we were always met with new places and experiences that have stuck with me and shaped who I am.

Every year my aunt rents a house on the ocean in Topsail Island, North Carolina for two weeks in the summer. My mom likes to take us down there for a week or so since it is one of the only times in the year she can see her sister and it is a cheap vacation for my family since my aunt often refuses to let my mom help pay. One year stands out in my mind because the week after we went straight down to Florida to visit Disney World and Universal Studios. I think I was in middle school still and I was really excited the weeks coming up to the vacation. We drove from Minnesota to North Carolina, which is about a 13 hour drive. We hadn’t been able to come out the year before so it had been a while since we had seen my cousins and I remember being so excited to hang out with them. They were all a couple years older and I remember thinking I was so cool for getting to hang out with them and that they seemed to enjoy the company of my younger siblings and I. We got to spend a week just goofing off on the beach with my cousins which was a ton of fun. This vacation always sticks out to me because usually my dad likes to plan vacations where we have an agenda of things to do, and events to go see and there is never time to just sit and relax, which I believe is the mark of a true vacation. To be able to just spend a week swimming and lounging on a beach was heaven. Of course the next week, when we went to Disney/Universal, my dad had his list of things we had to go see. It was still a lot of fun though, and we went right as the new Harry Potter world was opening. My brother and I were huge Harry Potter fans and I remember getting a wand and using it at certain places around the park that were rigged so it looked like you were actually using magic. The lines for everything were super long but we pretty much just goofed off the entire time and so waiting wasn’t so bad. I had just discovered that I liked roller coasters and so my brother and I tried to go on every ride at least twice. I usually hang out with my sister, so being able to hang out with my brother for most of the week was fun and we got to bond over Harry Potter and rides, since my sister wasn’t that into it. The whole vacation was so much fun I didn’t even mind the 22 hour ride home. Although I think we might have stopped somewhere in Tennessee for the night. I think the reason this vacation was so fun and exciting is because it was different from what we normally do. My parents are big outdoorsy people and so usually our vacations are spent in a tent camping somewhere. I like to camp but it was nice to do something different, like stay in a resort amusement park or just lounge around on a beach for a week. It was definitely one of my favorite vacations