Florida Culture for the Week of May 16, 2016 by Josh Garrick

Some very special things happened in the past week for some very special people.  It is my great pleasure to begin this week’s column with CONGRATULATIONS to … 

Santa Barbara, California occupies some of the state's prime coastal real estate. The city has even trade-marked the tagline The American Riviera - that should tell you something. It's a popular destination for its natural beauty, beaches, Spanish colonial architecture, restaurants, and outdoor activities. Located just two hours north of Los Angeles, it's also a hotspot for celebrities of all types to escape the city for a relaxing weekend. If all of this sounds like mucho dinero to you, well, you're not wrong.

I’d like to take you on a photoadventure around my street, where much of my family also lives. Across from our house are some close family friends, next to our house is my aunt, uncle, and five cousins, past them are my grandparents, and the last house is my aunt, uncle, and their three kids. All of the houses in the neighborhood are painted with bright, cheerful, colors. Many of the houses have colorful gardens.

“It is my honor to create global experiences for educators and artists, and to visit schools worldwide and inspire interest in global awareness for students.” ~ Jacqueline Cofield.  

Florida Culture for the Week of May 9, 2016 by Josh Garrick

Our friend, Boston-based Shannon Heaton, specializes in Irish wooden flute and traditional Irish singing. She performs with Matt & Shannon Heaton, with her string quartet project and as a solist. Her instructional books, podcasts and videos and free audio tracks serve trad music aficionados. Her engaging performance style and her concert compositions for winds, strings, voice and piano make her a multi-faceted ambassador of traditional music for music lovers across genre lines.

Hi, I’m Ally Buzzanga, a 25 year old postgraduate who’s passionate about cultural shock, urban environments, and fish & chips. I spent the fall of 2012 studying abroad in London and decided then that living and traveling abroad was something that I was passionate about. Study abroad programs are getting more and more popular in the US and that’s great. I’d love to see American culture fully embrace the “gap year” and “gone travelling” attitude that my foreign friends so casually mentioned.

Now I must admit, planning didn't start well - and I always plan. I had 10 days planned with my family in Hong Kong, and I punched in the place on my iPad for my Weather channel to provide me with a day by day assessment. So imagine my astonishment when I read a range of 7 to 16 Centigrade (44-57 Fahrenheit). It is supposed to be tropical, typhoons, yes, mist and fog, lots of rain, sure, but abject cold? I'd have to pack jumpers, gloves; what rigmarole!