Prague: September 13-17

Beer Sampler

Friday, September 13

We arrived in Prague from Berlin and exchanged some money at the train station. We then got on the metro to arrive at our hotel. After getting settled we went to Pivovarsky Dum, a local micro brewery for food and beer. We got a sample that included sour cherry, banana, and nettle flavored beer. We ended up spending about $20 for dinner and beer which was nice and cheap. After that we walked back to the hotel to relax for the night.

Saturday, September 14

We got up and had free breakfast at the hotel and then went to the meeting point for a free walking tour. The tour covered lots of Prague history and was a good intro to the city. After the tour, we relaxed in a park for a bit enjoying the sun and then went to the Communism Museum.

Bike Day

After the museum, we walked around Wenceslas square and got some honeywine. It had a very interesting taste but was sweet and enjoyable. While walking up to the top, we noticed lots of people on bikes and after asking a local, I found out that it was a bike-day thing to encourage people to bike around more. Lots of people attended and it was cool to take photos.

We then decided to grab food and beer and after walking for a bit we found a place, Kotleta that had nice outside seating. One thing we noticed about the beers is they are cheap but flavor is lacking. After our food we came back to the hotel for bed.

Part of Prague Castle

Sunday, September 15

We got up and enjoyed our free breakfast at the hotel. Then we headed off to the Prague castle. Our ticket allowed us into various buildings which were all interesting. After seeing the castle we walked down and looked for some food. We ended up at a nice restaurant where I enjoyed spaghetti and a lemon beer. After we walked to John Lennon Wall and across the Charles bridge. We then headed for the Prague Beer Museum that claimed to have a wide variety of beers. We ordered a couple each and I got some chips to enjoy as well. After that we headed back to the hotel to shower and get the smoke smell off.

Monday, September 16

I woke up and enjoyed the free breakfast while Scott relaxed a bit more. Then we headed off to Vysehrad castle which ended up being more of a large garden with a few buildings. After seeing enough while battling the rain we decided to eat at a place that seemed a pretty cheap.  After food we came back to the hotel to research our train for the next day and relax. For dinner we went out to U Medvidku, a brewery under a hotel. We expected them to have the beer they brew there on tap, but instead it came in bottles, while Budvar (Budweiser) was on tap. After our meal we headed back to get prepared for leaving the next day.

View from Charles Bridge

Tuesday, September 17

We got up and enjoyed free breakfast, got all packed and got some food for the train.  We then had a 7 hour ride to Budapest.

lovin’ life- kelsey.

Berlin: September 10-13

Brandenburg Gate

Tuesday, September 10

We arrived at Tegel airport at about 9 in the morning and worked to find a bus and train to get to the hostel. We ended up having to wait a bit for check in, but once settled, we found food at local bakery and then went off to start a free walking tour. While waiting went to the Willy Brandt museum, which depicted the writer and some political events.

The tour hit the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin Holocaust memorial, Berlin Wall remains, Museum Island, and Checkpoint Charlie. We ended up not being prepared for a rainy walking tour but we survived. After, we came back to hostel for a nap to combat jet lag and then we headed off to find food and drink. We found a nice lounge that specialized in Berlin spirits, which wasn’t quite what we expected but it worked. We got margaritas and I had penne pasta ratatouille. The weather in Berlin was a lot colder than we expected but doable as long as we were prepared.

Wednesday, September 11

Pergamon Musuem

We woke up to grab food at a cafe on our way to Museum Island. We started at Pergamon museum to see the sculptures and artifacts. Then we went to Nues Museum to see Egyptian artifacts. It was very interesting to see the various tombs as well as the building itself.

After the museums we came back to relax for a bit and then headed out to Berliner Republik, a local bar for some beers. This was an interesting place as the beer prices change during the night according to a exchange listing. This allows you to get a beer at a very cheap price when the market crashes. After a couple of beers and some food we went back to the hostel for sleep.

Thursday, September 12

Charlottenburg Palace

We woke up early to grab food at a bakery and headed to the Charlottenburg palace. We got to walk inside all the rooms and the garden. Most of the rooms didn’t survive  so lots of it was pieces from the Berlin palace and restorations.

Then we wanted to see the Reichstag building but after arriving we were told that you must make a reservation so there wasn’t enough time for that. Then we decided to go enjoy some German beers. We ended up next door to the bar we were the previous night. This place was known for their Gaffel kolsch so we got a couple each. Then we went next door to Berliner Republik again where they have beers that change prices based on a beer exchange. We ended up tasting almost everything on tap and then got some food as well. While we were at the bar a UK woman came and sat by us. We chatted with her about our travels. At the end of the night we walked back to our hostel, got some gelato and went to bed.

Friday, September 13

We got up and packed and then checked out of hostel and off to train station to head to Prague. The train ride was about 4.5 hours and we talked with the people in our compartment who helped us out by giving us a spare map.

lovin’ life- kelsey.

2 Week European Adventure

About a year ago, myself and my boyfriend started talking about the idea of traveling to Europe the summer after we graduate. Once we had both secured employment, we figured that this would be a good opportunity to go. Over the summer we booked our flight from LAX to Berlin and started working on where we wanted to go in between. We settled upon Berlin, Prague, Budapest, and France as we felt like it gave us a good mix of cheap, history, and fun for our short 2 week adventure. I decided to do 1 blog post per city including a description of our time along with pictures as well as this post to be both an introduction and a conclusion of our adventure.

Here are some things I noticed while traveling and some concluding items that I thought were interesting to point out:

• In Prague and Budapest the escalators in the metro station were very large and had a custom of non-walkers on the right side while walkers could come up the side of you on the left
• I felt like people in Prague had the most distinct facial features and looks out of the places we visited and most women were wearing nylons to cover their legs
• Budapest had a very nice airport, is known for producing wine, and the city is pronounced “Budapesht”
• Our best Hostel was in Budapest (Bazar) as the room was large and we were positioned very well by cheap food and drinks
• We learned Budapest is very popular for their “Bikaver” a dry, red wine so we enjoyed a couple of bottles during our stay
• The train rides were relatively easy and tickets were a lot cheaper buying in Europe rather than prior via raileurope.com
• Free walking tours turned out very helpful on our journey and I would recommend doing them again (we did one in every city to begin our visit)
• The metro stations in Europe use the honor system for tickets with rare checks except for Paris where you had to use a ticket machine to open the door
• According to Europeans, the stereotype is that young Americans just come to europe to drink, which I can easily see being true for 18-20 year olds who go crazy with the lowered drinking age
• While on the subways it is typical to see someone on board either:
  • speaking loudly in a rant/asking for money (not sure which as we couldn’t understand)
  • or playing music at night soliciting money

Us under the Eiffel Tower

Overall, I think I liked Prague the best due to its beautiful views of the city and great buildings. Beer was also very cheap in Prague, yet we did compare it to base level beer (Budweiser) with not much taste. Our trip was very fun and it was great to see so many sites. I think our allowance of 2 full days per city worked good to see everything in the city but still have travel days to relax. It was an awesome adventure and I can’t wait for our next vacation!

lovin’ life- kelsey.

College Accomplishments

In my 4 years here at UCSB I have accomplished quite a lot. I decided to list out some of the major feats in celebration of my graduation in June. UCSB offers a lot of opportunities and you have to be active to take advantage and reap the benefits!

1. secured full-time employment for after college
2. maintained the same job for 4 years at UCSB Rec Sports
3. spoke in front of 300 students and professionals at the 2012 Accounting Awards Banquet
4. organized the largest-to-date UCSB Meet the Firms, with over 600 attendees
5. received the Maxwell Pellish Award for Outstanding Service to the Accounting program
6. completed roughly 250 units in my time at UCSB including the Economics and Accounting major and Technology Entrepreneurship Certificate

lovin’ life- kelsey.

Google Yourself

Today in my New Venture Finance class for UCSB’s TMP certificate, the first thing out of my professor’s mouth to start the class was “How many of you guys googled me? Well I googled all of you.” He then proceeded to call me out for having the best search results page and the 2nd highest amount of LinkedIn connections of students in the class. He then mentioned random facts about select students that he found on the internet. Throughout the class he continued to make references to all the information that he found about me, which made it kind of awkward, but I am very proud of my accomplishments and my personal marketing. My professor noted that anyone who is looking to hire you or fund you (venture capitalists) will google you to do background research. Because of this, I knew that I wanted anything that showed to be controlled by me. This idea of personal branding became very apparent to me during my sophomore year as I was preparing for the fall accounting recruiting season. I made a personal website, blog, focused my twitter account and used google analytics to optimize my search results.

The world is becoming ultimately digital and you must be prepared for people to see everything you have posted on the internet. I hope to inform more students about the value of LinkedIn and personal branding to encourage them to get recognized for their unique talents.

lovin’ life- kelsey.

2013 Resolutions

2013 will be the year I graduate from UCSB, move to LA, and start working full-time in public accounting in October.

My resolutions are:

1. pass at least 2 parts of the CPA exam
2. go rock climbing once a week at UCSB
3. experience more of Santa Barbara before leaving in June
4. expand my professional network beyond accountants with 10+ LinkedIn connections
5. take a vacation or travel europe after graduation

lovin’ life- kelsey.

UCSB Accounting Association Reflection

Fall quarter 2012 will mark my last quarter as an officer for the UCSB Accounting Association and I felt like a rewind and reflection post was needed.

I first got involved with the Accounting Association two years ago during my sophomore year.  I went to the first few meetings of the quarter and meet the firms and then decided to run for tech officer midway thru fall quarter 2010.  I was elected to the position and started my role the following january.  I spent 3 quarters going to every weekly Wednesday meeting, assisting with the spring banquet and meet the firms, updating our website, starting a Facebook page, and helping the other officers with random things.

Being the only sophomore officer, last year, I was able to run again for another officer position.  Due to the experience and knowledge I gained the previous year, I ran for and was elected to President.  The past 2 quarters I have overseen all club operations, directed the other officers, and maintained relationships with the firms as well as campus faculty.  This fall marks my last quarter and since I have been so involved with the Accounting Association and program at UCSB it will be hard to let it go.  I am trying to go out with a bang as I have maintained a structure with the officers and developed some procedures to make future officers run smoothly.  Each officer is writing an addendum to their job descriptions on specific tasks and we are becoming more sustainable by using a constant office (Career Connection) to hold information.  We started a new website this year and are becoming more connected with professors and students.  I personally made announcements in 7 out of 10 accounting courses this quarter giving them info on meet the firms and what’s going on with the Accounting Association.  I am hoping to have a record turn-out at meet the firms this year as well as prepare UCSB students for recruiting.  I have worked hard to be a role model on campus and I have enjoyed getting to represent the accounting association this past year.  

I honestly have no idea what I will do with my free Wednesday nights for winter and spring quarter, but I will probably miss dressing business casual, answering student questions,  talking with the other officers, and attending every weekly meeting.

To my current officers: you have helped me succeed in this role because of the effort you all put in. This is a volunteer position and everything we do is outside of academics and other jobs.  Thank you for responding to last-minute texts and emails and always working together to make things happen.

To my faculty advisor and support staff: thank you for always being available for questions and allowing me the opportunity to create things and improve the Accounting Association. I hope to share as much knowledge so that we can sustain all the great practices and procedures we currently have. It has been a pleasure working with you and I will probably still come up with reasons to come by your offices to say hi.

To my successor: I wish you the best and I hope you realize the impact you can make on students while in this role…But I still have 7 meetings in this role and these last 7 meetings are going to be AWESOME!

The UCSB Accounting Program has provided so many opportunities for me and I am really thankful of all they have to offer. I am happy to leave such a great program in June and yet be excited to come back for recruiting events and see the continued progress.

lovin’ life- kelsey.

Hawaii Vacation

This summer, my boyfriend, Scott and I decided to take a vacation away together.  We debated a few options and when the opportunity came to go to Hawaii and stay in his family’s new condo, we booked the flight that night.

We left Thursday afternoon from LAX. When we arrived in Hawaii, we dropped our luggage off at the condo and when out to eat some local cuisine at Big Island Grill.

On Friday, we headed out to Kahalu’u Beach Park for my first try at snorkeling.  Scott taught me everything from snorkeling prep to what to look for when underwater.  After our snorkel adventure we grabbed some shaved ice at a landmark Food Truck and then walked down Alli drive to do some exploring of downtown Kona.  We then decided to spend the rest of the day swimming in the pool and relaxing before making dinner, watching a movie, and heading to bed.

Saturday we decided to do some exploring so we drove to the Hamakua macadamia nut factory to try some free samples and walk through the factory.  On our drive back to Kona, we walked around Hapuna State Beach. In the afternoon we headed off to “the best snorkeling on this island” at Kealakekua Bay.  It was beautiful under the water and we even saw an octopus, which is apparently a pretty rare site.

View of Hapuna State Beach

On Sunday we decided to have a lazy day relaxing at the pool. At night we grabbed drinks at Starbucks, and snuck them into a nearby theater to watch The Campaign.

Monday we drove to the Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park to hike/walk around and see the various parts of the volcano.  On our drive back we stopped at Donkey Balls for some chocolate covered macadamia nuts, and then went off to the Kona Brewery for dinner, where I did have some amazing pizza!

The volcano giving off smoke

On Tuesday we went snorkeling at Kona’s 4 Mile Marker, a nice sandy beach with a cool cove to check out.  In the afternoon we signed up for Kona’s brewery tour, and enjoyed walking through the brewery and the 4 free tastings at the end.  Since we enjoyed the beer and food from the night before we decided to stay for dinner.

Inside the Kona Brewery

Wednesday we went back to the 4 Mile Marker beach to lay in the sand and play a little in the water. We did see a couple of large turtles hanging near the people in the water and one even knocked into my leg! For dinner we decided to try Don’s Mai Tai bar for appetizers and drinks and then got shaved ice for desert while we watched the sunset.

Scott and I with the beautiful ocean view behind us

Thursday was our last day on the island so we spent some time relaxing at the pool before going out to see the new movie, Lawless before we had to head off to the airport for our flight back to California.

Overall, it was an amazing vacation and I am so glad I had the opportunity to get away and relax with Scott. We then spent Labor Day weekend in San Diego with his family helping his mom prepare her classroom for students and working on Scott’s truck. It was the best vacation I’ve ever had but now I am back in SB until school starts at the end of September.

lovin’ life- kelsey.

BDO Internship Last Thoughts

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my internship experience. I was able to try out my future career and I felt like I was learning the entire time.  The internship experience was great to learn about the firm, public accounting as well as network with countless professionals. It was a fun 8 weeks and I am happy to begin full time with BDO next fall.  8 internship applications, 7 first round interviews, 4 second round interviews, 1 internship, 1 job offer.  Through the process I obtained countless business cards, sent so many networking emails, attended socials and dinners all to lead me to here.  It takes a ton of work to go through the public accounting recruiting process but the reward of starting senior year already knowing you have a job for after graduation is awesome.

lovin’ life- kelsey.

BDO Internship Wk 8: Last 2 days

On Thursday, the senior on the job came out so the team started early at 8am.  I was working all day on cash, prepaids, and more revenue testing. For lunch we went to House of Chicken for some Mediterranean food and then I returned to work investigating and searching for answers to complete my revenue testing.  After work Thursday there was a social event planned as a farewell to the interns at Santa Monica Pier.  The firm catered food while we relaxed on the beach listening to a concert.  It was a fun event to see people from the firm that I was not currently working with but the timing was hard for everyone to make it since people were close to deadlines.  We stayed at the event till almost 10 and then I had a short drive back to my place.

Friday was my last day of work and I started nice at early at 8am.  I was trying to get to good stopping points on my tasks and relay information to other before I left.  I had more work with prepaids and expenses in the morning and then had an exit-interview phone call with HR to discuss my thoughts about the internship experience. After my call the team decided to take me out to lunch at Islands for some yummy chicken tenders! In the afternoon, I helped with a AP testing procedure and then packed up to return to the office to turn in my laptop and equipment.  After work, BDO planned a happy hour at BJ’s Brewery, so me and the other intern joined for some appetizers and dessert before ending our day.

lovin’ life- kelsey.