Skip to main content

My Favorite Places - Monterrey, Daegu, and St. Louis



I have chosen three places - all of them have a great deal of meaning to me, and store many memories.
Monterrey, Mexico - I recently took my first trip here with my fiancé. It's where he was born, and where his family has its roots. We traveled all over the city, going to museums and shops and eating a lot of food. We also went to visit a few mountains that surround the city. One of the most striking things about it is that the mountains rise up practically from the city.
This is a photo I took of what I believe is the original post office building for the city. Taken December, 2018.
This is a photo I took from the center of a city, in an old steel mill industrial park that has been turned into an oasis in the middle of Monterrey. Taken December, 2018.
Daegu, South Korea - I spent a semester studying at Kyungpook National University in Daegu, and it continues to be one of my favorite places. I made such wonderful friends, and South Korea is beautiful in so many ways: the people, culture, food, and music, to name a very few.
This was Daegu in the 18th Century, according to Wikipedia.
This was the view of the sunset from the top of my dorm building at the university. Taken October,  2016. 


St. Louis, Missouri, USA - St. Louis is where I spent most of my childhood, and where my family is currently located. I love the city for many reasons, despite the bad rep it gets in the news. We have free museums, zoos, concerts, and more, and it's a great place to raise a family.
This is a photo I took from the top of the St. Louis Arch, with some filters added. The city is gorgeous and has plenty to do, without feeling crowded like so many other cities. Photo taken August, 2017. 
This is a photo taken on my phone by a friend of my brother and I at an ice skating rink in a plaza due West of the St. Louis Arch. Photo taken December, 2017.

Labels:

Comments

  1. Laura GibbsJanuary 14, 2019 at 2:27 PM

    What a great combination, Alena! The only one of these places that I have been to is St. Louis (my great-aunts all lived there; I know the Arch well). That picture you took of the Monterrey "oasis" is beautiful... and how great that you have lived in Korea! Here is a fun India connection: The Indian princess who became a South Korean queen -- the Indian "Ayodhya" mentioned in the article is going to be the home of the hero Rama that you will meet in the Ramayana. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AlenaBeeskiJanuary 14, 2019 at 2:35 PM

      How fascinating! I had no idea South Korea and India had such a connection (historically accurate or otherwise). Thank you for showing me this!

      Delete
  2. Laura GibbsJanuary 14, 2019 at 3:48 PM

    One of the very cool things about studying India is looking at the interconnections all throughout Asia. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Elena GuoMarch 3, 2019 at 12:58 AM

    Hi Alby!
    I think it is really cool that you studied abroad in South Korea! My sister is currently working there as a English instructor for primary school students, so I am actually thinking of going there in May to visit her (and because I have always wanted to visit South Korea!).

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Introduction to a Nonprofit Enthusiast

I am studying Nonprofit Administration, and graduating in May. I come from St. Louis, MO, where I've spent just over half of my life. I have two siblings, a 9 year-old brother and a 2 year-old sister, both the best little humans to grace this earth. I've enjoyed my time at OU, during which I spent a semester at Kyungpook National University in Daegu, South Korea. During my time there, I was able to hike many of the mountains surrounding Daegu, visit some gorgeous temples and sites of historical significance, and also hop over to Japan for a little less than a week. I've also been to Frankfurt, Heidelberg, and surrounding towns in Germany. I love both places.     My most recent international travel took me to Monterrey, Mexico, with my fiancé and his mother. He was born there, and still has a large part of his family living there. It was lovely to meet them, and they were kind enough to take me all over the city, visiting museums and parks, and eating lots of amazing foo...
27 comments
Read more

Week 2 Story: Mrs. Crocodile Needs to Vent

Mr. and Mrs. Crocodile Please Note: The current version of this story is on my portfolio site.  Mrs. Crocodile is sitting in her weekly women's group meeting, eating some of the river eel and algae rolls her best friend, Mrs. Piranha, always set out. They had so much to catch up on... Mrs. Crocodile was getting bigger every day with the little babies growing, and her husband had been up to more of his usual antics. She loved Mr. Crocodile, but sometimes she wondered how he managed before she came along. "Hello, honey," said Mrs. Piranha. "How are you today? Those little guys giving you a hard time?" "No, not bad. I'm just enjoying getting to eat all these delicious rolls... you know they're my favorite. All of these cravings have been so strange. Just the other day I had the most intense one for monkey's heart." "Monkey's heart?! Those pests are impossible to catch, but oh so delicious if you can manage to snag a bite....
14 comments
Read more