The Club Room: Filming Project.

I was recently asked to take part in an interview style video documentary about the differences between the US and UK.

Here is the outcome, enjoy!

Spring Break: Panama City Beach, Florida.

Named as the so-called ‘Spring Break Capital of the World’, I knew I was in for a treat as I embarked on my first, and last, spring break to Panama City Beach, Florida. It did not disappoint! In fact, despite it being voted as one of the trashiest places to go on college vacation we had one hell of a week partying in true American style – red cups included, of course.

To help all you Brits at home imagine the utter madness and explicit chaos that surfaces during spring break, think of a Greek party island…. Now times that by ten. Previously described as making ‘European destinations like Malia look as tranquil as Old Town Venice’, Panama City Beach was the picture of Zante on steroids. Thousands upon thousands of college students from all over the States gathered on the Gulf Coast to ‘let loose’ in what can only be described in the style of a social mob-scene.

Empty beer cans, keg stands and twerk contests filled the white strip of sand as girls pranced around in their Victoria Secret bikinis, luminous visors and bum bags, violently clutching onto scared alcohol induced bottles of intoxication. Guys unable to walk in straight lines donned heinous looking t-shirts with slogans such as ‘Spring Break Bitches’ and ‘What happens on Spring Break stays in Spring Break’ with Hawaiian Flower Lei necklaces and Ray Bans, shouted obscene remarks to every girl they laid their eyes on, slapping bums and staring at the bare flesh on show. Perhaps they were laughing at all those dodgy spray tans! But, then again, they probably weren’t.

As if the 9 hour drive on the other side of the road wasn’t difficult enough for us Brits, squashing multiple people into our hotel apartment every night seemed a doddle compared to the war zone we were greeted with on the beach. With my jaw dragging far behind me in the sand, words failed me as I witnessed the unthinkable and saw things I don’t think I’ll ever be able to erase from my visual memory. Twerking competitions. Yes, actual competitions on a risen stage where girls (all shapes and sizes) got down to the beat, shaking their behind to a roaring crowd. You could not pay me large amounts of love and money to do anything as degrading as that. It was basically a live, free, outdoors strip club with girls flashing, shaking, and grinding. If only their parents knew… There was certainly very little left to the imagination.

Instead of the usual sandcastles and odd looking mermaid with seaweed for hair carved into the sand that you’d expect to see on a beach holiday, sandcastle competitions were swapped with beer pong battles and huge alcohol-filled pits lined the shoreline. Alongside the sandy beer pong tables and colourful beer coolers, Fraternity flags plastered the beach – each one forced into the ground to show they survived the antics from the night before.

The night clubs were another ball game altogether, my favourite was obviously Club La Vela - billed as the largest nightclub in the United States, it had countless rooms to cater to everyone’s taste, from hip hop to country, pop to house, trance to rock – there was even a pool! Not to mention a live performance from Lil Jon himself. It’s safe to safe my liver is still feeling wounded, but we got the stereotypical Spring Break we were after. Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat = ‘Pardy in da USAY’. 

USCDM Video

No picture or video can do this weekend justice, but with that said, here are a few clips at various different stages of the 24 hours. Energy to delirious exhaustion.... 

Dance Marathon

This semester seems to be absolutely flying by at the speed of light, there’s only 6 weeks left of term! How did this happen? Hopefully I will still have some money left in my bank account so that I can do some travelling before I leave the States and wave farewell to my Year Abroad. But, I’ve been avoiding checking my bank balance for a while now, so I could be in for a shock!

I cannot recommend studying abroad enough to anyone who has the opportunity or is currently thinking about it. It really is a chance to immerse yourself in a completely different culture, meet people from all over the world and personally challenge yourself to do more and accomplish lifelong skills. I feel like I’ve been on an emotional journey of euphoria, hostility, acceptance and finally mastery (I’m just dreading the reverse culture shock!)

When friends and family told me I’d find myself doing things I thought unimaginable, I didn’t quite believe them. Before I left home in August some wise guy told me that on my Year Abroad I should say ‘Yes’ to every opportunity thrown my way. This resulted in the crazy decision to take part in a DANCE MARATHON and stay up for 24 hours straight. Dance Marathon is a very American fundraising event and was started by Pennsylvania State University in the 1970s in order to raise money to combat children’s cancer, and has since become the largest student-run philanthropy in the world! Now, Universities across the States, like South Carolina, hold their own Dance Marathon fundraiser every year. All the money raised by South Carolina goes towards a local children’s hospital, Palmetto Health Children's Hospital, and during the 24 hours we got to meet some of the miracle children who had survived their own battle against cancer and other life threatening diseases.

Fit with my pink nike ‘tennis shoes’ and DM baggy t-shirt, I felt oddly nervous the morning before the event. Noon till noon, no sitting down allowed, that weekend became the most physically and mentally demanding challenges I’ve ever undergone. Literally blood, sweat and tears were poured into this event, I cried out of exhaustion, out of pain, out of sadness and I honestly could not have done it without my gorgeous friends boogying alongside me!

I entered the event with some of my beautiful musical theatre friends, I’m still not sure how I persuaded them to put up with me for an entire 24 hours and swap their character shoes for trainers. But I did, and I’m so grateful. The weekend consisted of learning an entire 15 minute line dance mash-up of songs and genres, which we then performed on the hour, every hour. There was also a 3 hour white out rave between 11pm-2am, numerous bands and dj sets, speakers and dance troupe performers. Plus, wacky costume hours, such as; Animal theme, Mardi Gras, and of course ‘America’.  I managed to raise $300 and together South Carolina raised a whopping $318,649, I couldn’t be prouder of my friends and I, and I’m so glad I was able to take part in such a unique fundraising event.