Nine months with Jet Set Zero already. It’s been a wonderful experience in countries I had never been to, with people I had never met before. A truly rewarding experience. I have proven to myself I can do it, so it’s time for me to hit the road on my own. I’ll be in South America a few more months, heading south.
And I’ll be blogging: photos, videos… Come check it out: http://laureneworld.wordpress.com/ And please leave comments, questions or suggestions!
Here’s a short video to remember the goods moments in Quito and Ecuador. A compilation of photos you have seen, and others you haven’t- yet.
Traveling is a fulfilling experience. Make it your own.
Prior to this whole JS0 thing I had never had roommates, lived on campus in a dorm or ever shared a living space with anyone other than a girlfriend or my family ever before. Moving into an apartment in Quito and living with 4 other strangers under one roof was an adventure in and of itself. I loved the experience and got to meet some pretty amazing people that I will never forget. Here is a little bit on my friend Laurene. She is an interesting person and I’m sure you will love her just as much as we all do.
Mindo’s fresh air made us thirsty for adventure. Setting aside our fear of heights for the exhilaration of gliding above the cloud forest, Laurene and I set out early to go ziplining.
Making our way through the cloud forest
A local named Giovanni picked us up in his truck for the winding drive up the hill. We were racing against time since I had to return to Quito to work in the afternoon so I was glad we had decided to fork over the $3 for the lift up the road.
You can probably imagine that it’s kind of hard to make a show about living abroad without a video camera.
And so much has happened! Laurene quit her job, Ryan and I took a boat ride on a lake named after a guinea pig, Ryan and Freddie went to the coast, I found a job, Laurene started looking for other jobs, Ryan got thrown into a jail on wheels, the boys went on an Indiana Jones adventure in the jungle, the World Cup began. And so on. All those little things like Life.
While the powers-that-be behind Jet Set Zero have been researching every possibility to get us a new camera as soon as possible, they’ve encountered headaches and hurdles like customs, duties paperwork, and exorbitant shipping costs.
Enter creative solution #1: Find a courier to fly down with the camera.
I jumped on the horn (ok, the internet) and contacted my best friend Amy Cao, a food writer and blogger in NYC. Would she be available to fly down to Quito with the camera on a moment’s notice? An email response from her later, it was a done deal.
She arrives tonight into Quito, and the show will go on!
Food writer Amy Cao arriving in Quito soon!
Send an email to Jenna, the author of this post, at jenna@jetsetzero.tv or read more of their posts here.
My name is Laurene and I am the newest Jet Set Zero cast member! I’m absolutely thrilled to be part of this adventure, and to make it even more international since I am from… France!! (Yay! Go France- and please do qualify for the 2010 Soccer World Cup!)
I first heard aboout Jet Set Zero about eight months ago while I was surfing the internet looking for potential jobs or internships. Somehow, I ended up on Jet Set Zero’s Web site. I got addicted to it, and I have followed them ever since.
What I really like about Jet Set Zero is the idea of traveling on a low budget. People usually think that
you need a lot of money to have a great trip. Well, from what I’ve seen- especially among people of our age- the money often goes into partying or into going to expensive bars. With little money, little temptations. Instead of hanging out at a bar for Westerners, you hit the local café. Instead of partying, you get acquainted with your neighbor and perhaps his entire family.
I love traveling because I love meeting new people, listening to their stories, and getting to know their culture. And of course, I love being able to do so with three enthusiastic girls from different countries.
For me, the adventure starts in Ho Chi Minh City, and I think I’m going to have a fantastic time!
*********
Bonjour à tous!
Je m’appelle Laurene et je suis la dernière recrue au sein de l’équipe Jet Set Zero! Je suis emballée à l’idée de participer à cette aventure, et d’en faire quelque chose d’encore un peu plus international puisque je représente la France aux côtés d’une Américaine (Serene) et de deux Canadiennes (Jen and Kris).
J’ai découvert Jet Set Zero il y a environ 8 mois en surfant sur internet à la recherche d’un emploi ou d’un stage éventuel. J’ai atterri sur leur site internet un peu par hasard et j’en suis devenue accro.
Ce qui me plaît tout particulièrement dans le projet de Jet Set Zero, c’est de voyager avec un mini budget, en routard pour ainsi dire. Souvent, on pense qu’il faut mettre pas mal d’argent de côté pour faire un voyage inoubliable. Mais d’après mes expériences passées, beaucoup de voyageurs- surtout parmi les jeunes de nos âges- dépensent leur argent en soirée ou dans des bars pas spécialement bon marché, comparé au niveau de vie local. Eh bien avec peu d’argent, peu de tentations. Au lieu de papoter dans un bar-repaire à Occidentaux, on va au petit café du coin ignoré des touristes. Au lieu de faire la fête, on fait la connaissance de son voisin, et peut-être de toute sa famille.
J’adore voyager car j’aime beaucoup rencontrer des gens d’horizons différents, écouter ce qu’ils ont à raconter, et apprendre à apprécier leur culture. Et bien sûr, je suis ravie de pouvoir le faire en compagnie de trois filles pleines d’enthousiasme et originaires de pays différents.
Pour moi, l’aventure commence à Ho Chi Minh Ville, et je suis certaine que ça va être génial!
Send an email to Laurene, the author of this post, at laurene@jetsetzero.tv or read more of their posts here.
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