A month from today, I will be boarding a plane.
A month from today, I will have officially been away from home for 3 months and 5 days.
A month from today, I will be jumping into the arms of my parents, who will probably cry and hug me at the same time because they missed me too much to take turns.
A month from today, I will be happy.
A month from today, I will be sad.
A month from today, I'll sit next to three more strangers, all with different stories and destinations.
***
It's so interesting to look back on the last 2 months and think about my experience. I've made so many mistakes here, some I'm too embarrassed to even publicly admit, and some that were just silly. I've met so many people from so many walks of life. I've been on TV, on the radio, in newspapers. I've travelled to places that most people can only dream about travelling to. I've taken beautiful pictures and taken everything in the best I can.
Two months ago, when I was waiting for a connecting flight in the Amsterdam airport at 6am, a gentleman took a seat next to me in a pretty sparsley populated terminal. After exchanging stories and company, we parted ways, thinking we'd never see one another again. I exercised my amazing Facebook stalking skills and found him. After exchanging numbers, we agreed to meet for coffee and have spent at least one evening a week together since. Two months ago, I met the guy who has been my closest friend and breath of fresh air here. We laugh about it all the time, watching TV together, about how we met on a plane. How cliche'. How surreal. How perfect. Of course we'll miss eachother when I go back, but we know we can't spend the next month dwelling on it. We've got 30 more days to be ourselves, being just as mean and silly to each other as we have been since we met.
Two months ago, I walked into a quiet office to meet my boss (so weird to call her that). After about 5 minutes of gossiping, we realized how much it is that we have in common and I've never looked back. We've developed a communication mechanism that is secret to anyone else and invisible to the naked eye. We've talked about the tough stuff and our love for Britney Spears. We've laughed and we've cried. And after the passing of her father, I remembered what it was like to be sympathetic and available to a friend who has just lost something so important. It feels good to know that I've made such a great friend in Rhi. I will miss her at home just like I missed my friends from home while I've been here.
Two months ago, I moved into a "flat", terrified that it would be no match for my apartment back at school. I moved in with a roommate who I really knew nothing about and who was completely different from anyone I've ever lived with before. Not only have we made it work, but we enjoy it. And let's not even talk about how much I'm going to miss the flat once I'm back in the States.
It's strange to think that I've built a life somewhere besides home. It's even stranger to think that I've built this life with a deadline on the end of it, all the while living more for the moment and not for the duration. I've adopted a sense of apathy toward certain consequences, yet have paid more attention to most consequences because I'm growing up.
This post may not make any kind of sense - mostly because I'm so overwhelmed with different emotions about the conclusion of this trip. But there is one thing to be sure of - I cannot wait to see what it is that life has in store for me next.
Friday, 14 November 2008
Friday, 7 November 2008
A sense of self
I know I'm supposed to leave this as a travel blog, but sometimes there is more emotion associated with travel than there is actual exciting happenings.
With just over a month left until I pack my bags, board a plane and dive back into the arms of my parents, I have set my mind on figuring out one thing before I leave: myself.
I had a conversation with one of my best friends back at school about the fashion here in the UK. I told her, referring to a recent purchase of "shoobs" for £6 at Primark, that she and all of my friends were going to be completely terrified of my fashion sense upon my return to the States. After 2 months here, I have transitioned into a high-heel-dress-and-tight-and-scarf-wearing kind of girl. Before I left, the thought of buying a pair of cheap and uncomfortable high heels made me cringe and actually wearing them made me even more uneasy. But I find myself creating outfits assuming that I'll be wearing heels with them.
Prior to my trip here, I very rarely wore anything besides a comfortable pair of skinny jeans, an American Apparel unisex V-neck and a pair of flip flops or TOMS to go with. Now, I find myself wearing dresses from H&M and Top Shop along with matching tights, shoes and accessories - and that's on a pretty close to daily basis.
But as I was walking to work yesterday morning - wearing a pair of black skinny dress pants, a purple turtle neck and a mint green jacket with a pair of black high heels, I thought about how strange it was of me to be wearing high heels on my walk to work. I started to feel as though I was finally stepping into the career woman light and that high heels were no longer a barrier or an obstacle. At school, the only time it is appropriate to wear high heels is for a dressy night at the bar and you would never catch me trying to manoeuvre my tipsy stumbly self around the brick streets and sidewalks of Athens - yet I was attempting to manoeuvre around the brick sidewalks and stone streets of Cardiff.
I thought to myself, 'Wow - maybe I'll be able to wear heels out back in Athens! I'm doing just fine on these bricks!' As I was thinking this, I started to cross the street and while looking around for cars, I noticed that a dapper looking young man with an Ipod in his ears had been following close behind me. I immediately flipped the switch to include a sexy strut with my heels in order to catch his attention. As I started across the road, my heel caught a stone and my ankle rolled, causing one of the loudest scuffing noises I have ever heard in my life. I cringed with embarrassment and let the young man walk past me while hiding my face. But it was at this moment that I realized I haven't changed one bit since I've been here.
I came into this situation and opportunity thinking I was going to come out of it as a completely different person with a whole new agenda and mentality. I thought I'd return to Athens with no desire to go to the bars with my friends during the week and more of a desire to stay in and read a book or watch TV or something. I thought I'd adopt a lot of the British way of life - being proper and graceful and thin (I've lost a few pounds here, by the way) and healthy.
But, much to my surprise (and relief), I still find myself belching at the most inopportune moments, tripping over non-existent hazards, drinking in excess whenever possible and skipping my workouts on a day to day basis to just sit on the sofa and eat junk food. I find comfort knowing that while the time has changed and a few months have passed since I've been in the States, I'll return and will have no trouble going back to my old ways.
Along with that, I think I have done a pretty good job of adapting to the life of an adult - going to bed at a decent hour, staying in, not spending money on stupid things on a day to day basis and having a drink with dinner and not dinner with drinks. The taste of life that I've gotten while here won't go unnoticed upon my return, but will more so be put on hold for those last 6 months of irresponsible living before I graduate and am forced to live this kind of life for the rest of my days.
I am so excited to arrive back in the States, but am sad to be leaving such a wonderful and beautiful place. I cannot wait to be back in the presence of some of the most amazing people in the entire world, but I'm so glad I've had this experience to reassure me that I have the greatest friends I could have ever asked for to occupy my college years.
***
Tomorrow, I am heading up to Lampeter to visit Katie Saylor since I haven't seen her since September. Should prove to be a great trip.
Hope all is well! XXOO
With just over a month left until I pack my bags, board a plane and dive back into the arms of my parents, I have set my mind on figuring out one thing before I leave: myself.
I had a conversation with one of my best friends back at school about the fashion here in the UK. I told her, referring to a recent purchase of "shoobs" for £6 at Primark, that she and all of my friends were going to be completely terrified of my fashion sense upon my return to the States. After 2 months here, I have transitioned into a high-heel-dress-and-tight-and-scarf-wearing kind of girl. Before I left, the thought of buying a pair of cheap and uncomfortable high heels made me cringe and actually wearing them made me even more uneasy. But I find myself creating outfits assuming that I'll be wearing heels with them.
Prior to my trip here, I very rarely wore anything besides a comfortable pair of skinny jeans, an American Apparel unisex V-neck and a pair of flip flops or TOMS to go with. Now, I find myself wearing dresses from H&M and Top Shop along with matching tights, shoes and accessories - and that's on a pretty close to daily basis.
But as I was walking to work yesterday morning - wearing a pair of black skinny dress pants, a purple turtle neck and a mint green jacket with a pair of black high heels, I thought about how strange it was of me to be wearing high heels on my walk to work. I started to feel as though I was finally stepping into the career woman light and that high heels were no longer a barrier or an obstacle. At school, the only time it is appropriate to wear high heels is for a dressy night at the bar and you would never catch me trying to manoeuvre my tipsy stumbly self around the brick streets and sidewalks of Athens - yet I was attempting to manoeuvre around the brick sidewalks and stone streets of Cardiff.
I thought to myself, 'Wow - maybe I'll be able to wear heels out back in Athens! I'm doing just fine on these bricks!' As I was thinking this, I started to cross the street and while looking around for cars, I noticed that a dapper looking young man with an Ipod in his ears had been following close behind me. I immediately flipped the switch to include a sexy strut with my heels in order to catch his attention. As I started across the road, my heel caught a stone and my ankle rolled, causing one of the loudest scuffing noises I have ever heard in my life. I cringed with embarrassment and let the young man walk past me while hiding my face. But it was at this moment that I realized I haven't changed one bit since I've been here.
I came into this situation and opportunity thinking I was going to come out of it as a completely different person with a whole new agenda and mentality. I thought I'd return to Athens with no desire to go to the bars with my friends during the week and more of a desire to stay in and read a book or watch TV or something. I thought I'd adopt a lot of the British way of life - being proper and graceful and thin (I've lost a few pounds here, by the way) and healthy.
But, much to my surprise (and relief), I still find myself belching at the most inopportune moments, tripping over non-existent hazards, drinking in excess whenever possible and skipping my workouts on a day to day basis to just sit on the sofa and eat junk food. I find comfort knowing that while the time has changed and a few months have passed since I've been in the States, I'll return and will have no trouble going back to my old ways.
Along with that, I think I have done a pretty good job of adapting to the life of an adult - going to bed at a decent hour, staying in, not spending money on stupid things on a day to day basis and having a drink with dinner and not dinner with drinks. The taste of life that I've gotten while here won't go unnoticed upon my return, but will more so be put on hold for those last 6 months of irresponsible living before I graduate and am forced to live this kind of life for the rest of my days.
I am so excited to arrive back in the States, but am sad to be leaving such a wonderful and beautiful place. I cannot wait to be back in the presence of some of the most amazing people in the entire world, but I'm so glad I've had this experience to reassure me that I have the greatest friends I could have ever asked for to occupy my college years.
***
Tomorrow, I am heading up to Lampeter to visit Katie Saylor since I haven't seen her since September. Should prove to be a great trip.
Hope all is well! XXOO
Wednesday, 5 November 2008
Yes We Did!
Congratulations, Barack Obama. You truly are an inspiration and I hope that your Presidency is quite a success. Defy each and every one of those who didn't believe you could do it. Congratulations, and as Mr. McCain said, 'God speed.'
Tuesday, 4 November 2008
The UK Press is all over this Obama Supporter!
Here is article #1 that I was interviewed for:
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/11/04/we-voted-in-us-election-from-cardiff-91466-22175870/
We voted in US election from Cardiff
Nov 4 2008 by Gerry Holt, South Wales Echo
AMERICAN citizens have been voting for the next President of the United States – more than 6,000km away from home – in Cardiff.
As America today goes to the polls to decide between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, American interns working for Wales’ own politicians in Cardiff Bay gave their views on a contest which could go right to the wire.
For many of the students, today’s election will be the first in which they have been allowed to vote.
And for Kadi McDonald, who is from the swing state of Ohio, that will only make the experience even more memorable.
“It’s the first presidential election I’ve been able to vote in and I do think maybe I should have been at home to watch it,” she said.
“But, especially with working at the Assembly, I feel more involved than I ever would have been at school back at home. I probably wouldn’t have been that concerned with it if I’d been there.
“I think that being here makes it a much more interesting experience for me.
“I’ll be able to tell my kids that I voted for the US President in Cardiff, Wales!”
Kadi, 21, is a registered Democrat and says she voted for Obama in the poll. She voted by post just weeks after arriving in Cardiff back in September.
She originally supported Hillary Clinton but, after the New York senator was dumped out of the race, she educated herself about Obama and now believes America will have its first black President.
“The one thing he has done wonderfully is that he is really connected to the younger generation,” said the Ohio University politics and journalism student, who is working with the Welsh Labour group.
“It sounds really lame but he reaches out on Facebook and 99% of college students in America have one.”
Jill Zumbach, 19, who is also from Ohio, says she too has voted for Obama in what is her first election.
Jill, a politics student, says she believes Obama represents change in America.
“I really hope that he can bring about policies in the US that benefit people my age and future generations,” said Jill, who is working for the Welsh Liberal Democrats.
Jill says she is “unbelievably excited” about the election and says she plans to stay up all night to watch it.
“It’s quite cool... it’s really beneficial to see how the rest of the world views the election,” said Jill, who hopes to study law when she returns to the US.
Meanwhile, Cardiff Devils hockey player Jay Latulippe, who is from New York and has lived in Cardiff for about two months, says he hopes McCain will be victorious.
He said jokingly: “I would vote for McCain because I like his hair better!”
This morning, I was interviewed on BBC Wales 'Good Morning Wales' radio program. I have posted the interview and the quality is a kind of crappy, but you get the idea.
I was also filmed 'casting my vote' at an American Deli in Cardiff for ITV. This is the link to the online story, which was different from the newscast. http://www.itvlocal.com/wales/politics/?player=WAL_Politics_15&void=254471
Here is the newscast version of the story - once again, I apologize for the quality.:
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/11/04/we-voted-in-us-election-from-cardiff-91466-22175870/
We voted in US election from Cardiff
Nov 4 2008 by Gerry Holt, South Wales Echo
AMERICAN citizens have been voting for the next President of the United States – more than 6,000km away from home – in Cardiff.
As America today goes to the polls to decide between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, American interns working for Wales’ own politicians in Cardiff Bay gave their views on a contest which could go right to the wire.
For many of the students, today’s election will be the first in which they have been allowed to vote.
And for Kadi McDonald, who is from the swing state of Ohio, that will only make the experience even more memorable.
“It’s the first presidential election I’ve been able to vote in and I do think maybe I should have been at home to watch it,” she said.
“But, especially with working at the Assembly, I feel more involved than I ever would have been at school back at home. I probably wouldn’t have been that concerned with it if I’d been there.
“I think that being here makes it a much more interesting experience for me.
“I’ll be able to tell my kids that I voted for the US President in Cardiff, Wales!”
Kadi, 21, is a registered Democrat and says she voted for Obama in the poll. She voted by post just weeks after arriving in Cardiff back in September.
She originally supported Hillary Clinton but, after the New York senator was dumped out of the race, she educated herself about Obama and now believes America will have its first black President.
“The one thing he has done wonderfully is that he is really connected to the younger generation,” said the Ohio University politics and journalism student, who is working with the Welsh Labour group.
“It sounds really lame but he reaches out on Facebook and 99% of college students in America have one.”
Jill Zumbach, 19, who is also from Ohio, says she too has voted for Obama in what is her first election.
Jill, a politics student, says she believes Obama represents change in America.
“I really hope that he can bring about policies in the US that benefit people my age and future generations,” said Jill, who is working for the Welsh Liberal Democrats.
Jill says she is “unbelievably excited” about the election and says she plans to stay up all night to watch it.
“It’s quite cool... it’s really beneficial to see how the rest of the world views the election,” said Jill, who hopes to study law when she returns to the US.
Meanwhile, Cardiff Devils hockey player Jay Latulippe, who is from New York and has lived in Cardiff for about two months, says he hopes McCain will be victorious.
He said jokingly: “I would vote for McCain because I like his hair better!”
This morning, I was interviewed on BBC Wales 'Good Morning Wales' radio program. I have posted the interview and the quality is a kind of crappy, but you get the idea.
I was also filmed 'casting my vote' at an American Deli in Cardiff for ITV. This is the link to the online story, which was different from the newscast. http://www.itvlocal.com/wales/politics/?player=WAL_Politics_15&void=254471
Here is the newscast version of the story - once again, I apologize for the quality.:
Monday, 3 November 2008
The Multimedia Portion of this Presentation
As I mentioned, my camera went to crap while I was in Germany. Fortunately, though, my cousin Kilee and Chelsea were able to capture moments for me with their cameras and excellent photography and videography skills. I am forever in debt to them.
Along with posting these videos, I have added pictures to my flickr page, which you conveniently have access to with the photo feed to the right of my page. If you click, you will be able to view them and enlarge them. Enjoy!
Here are a few videos of our Paris adventures:
Along with posting these videos, I have added pictures to my flickr page, which you conveniently have access to with the photo feed to the right of my page. If you click, you will be able to view them and enlarge them. Enjoy!
Here are a few videos of our Paris adventures:
High altitudes
Germany was magnificent. Aside from my camera crapping out and erasing ALL of my pictures from London, Edinburgh, Bath, Garmisch and Paris, it was probably one of the greatest trips I've ever taken.
As I mentioned before, my cousin Kilee lives just outside of the Ramstein Air Force base in a little village called Mackenbach. Her husband is stationed there and they have two kids, Caleb and Lilly. Lilly is the new baby of the family, only 5 months old, and I was the first in the family to see her!
Chelsea and I set off very early on Saturday morning to catch our plane out of London Stansted, which is a smaller airport about 45 minutes outside of London. Chelsea took a bus and I grabbed the train since I have a prepaid pass. I arrived to Paddington around 10:30am and was set to meet Chelsea at the Liverpool Street Station at 11:15. I hopped onto the Circle Line and arrived just after 11 to find Chelsea waiting for me. We walked around the station for a few minutes, grabbed some pasties for lunch and then grabbed the Stansted Express to the airport. We got to the airport and got our stuff all checked in a ready to go. Our flight didn't leave until around 3:30, but being American, we thought it a good idea to arrive early in fear of being hassled by security. Much to our surprise, security was pretty lax - we didn't even have to take our shoes off! We boarded the plane around 3 and sat back on what proved to be one of the most uncomfortable flights I've ever been on. I read a magazine article later that said the exact thing I've been thinking for a while: "It's sad that nowadays, it isn't about the speed, convenience and comfort, but how many people we can squeeze onto one plane." The seats didn't recline, not even a little bit and the obnoxious music and flight attendants selling things were just about enough to drive someone crazy. Thankfully, the flight didn't last more than an hour and we were on the ground about 75 miles outside of Frankfurt at the Frankfurt Hahn airport.
We walked through the doors that said Non-EU Passports, preparing our story for why we were in Germany. Surprisingly, their security was pretty lax as well, and after the 'You here on holiday?' speech, we got a brand new stamp on our passports. We walked to the baggage carousel only to discover that my bag had not come with the flight. We met Kilee on the other side of the doors and filed a report with the airline. We got in the car and drove (on the right side of the road) for about an hour through winding roads that took us through valleys and mountains and villages - nothing like we'd really seen in the UK. The trees had taken a bright orangish tint and the pine trees accentuated the orange with their dark green needles. It was absolutely breathtaking.
We arrived at Kilee's house just after 7pm and headed onto base to grab some dinner. Much to our surprise, there was a Taco Bell. For those who don't know, Taco Bell is not an international chain and we had just been talking about how big of a craving we had the week before. We chowed down on our Gorditas and Chalupas and American fountain soda before realizing why Taco Bell is not always a wise choice. We went back to Kilee's to settle in and get some rest. Unfortunately, I had been feeling sick the entire week prior to the trip and none of the British doctors would see me. My infection had spread to my glands and I was swollen basically everywhere. I started feeling feverish and nauseous and thought it would be a great idea to go to the emergency room.
We arrived at St. Johannes hospital just after 11pm to a security guard that spoke very broken English. We walked through the hospital to find the small emergency care unit and waited in the blinding white light until a man emerged from an equally bright white door. Just our luck, he didn't speak an ounce of English so we had to go back to the security guard and eventually down to a small flower shop at the end of the lane by the hospital where there was a doctor who spoke English. He wrote me a prescription for an antibiotic without even examining me or asking me any questions about my medical history and we left. I'm allergic to Penicillin, so I was terrified to fill the antibiotic he'd prescribed because Penicillin is typically used over there. Luckily, it was Penicillin-free and I started them on Sunday morning.
Monday, we set off for Garmisch, which is a little village very near the Austrian border and about an hour or so east of Munich. There was a really nice military holiday resort there situated in the Bavarian Alps and we had a suite booked for the night. We arrived pretty late after what we thought was a 3 hour drive turned out to be a 6 hour drive. We ate dinner, drank American beer and called it a night shortly after. The next day, we got up and decided it would be a great idea to take the cable car trip up a nearby mountain. The first car was a breeze and took us up about 2900 meters to a mountaintop cafe' and restaurant. We had some tea and warmed up, as it was just above 1 degree Celsius, before we boarded the next cable car that took us to another mountain that was about 2300 meters tall. We reached the next stop and took a 45 minute hike around the mountain to reach our final cable car journey, which descended the mountain. We were all pretty tired from our journey and decided to head back to Mackenbach a little earlier than we'd anticipated.
Wednesday, we slept in and shopped a bit in downtown Kaiserslautern, which hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2006. The stadium looked pretty sweet.
Thursday, we got up early and set off for Paris. Kilee's house is only a 3 1/2 hour drive from Paris, and we thought it to be a great opportunity to visit. We drove and drove until we reached Disneyland Paris, where we parked and caught the train into the city. En route, we had been listening to Disney showtunes and contemplated giving up our Paris journey for a day at EuroDisney. Thankfully, the front ticket gates weren't open and it started to rain, or I probably wouldn't have stories from Paris to talk about. :-)
Paris was incredible. Really, I haven't quite got the words for it. For those of you who know me well, you will know that I absolutely love New York City and that I will speak nothing but positives and have nothing but amazing stories about my trips there. But New York could never quite impress me and take my breath away the way that Paris did.
We arrived in the city just after 4pm and went straight to the Louvre Museum. Let me tell you...the Museum is unlike anything I've ever seen. It is MASSIVE. I could literally spend an entire day in there and not even care. We were pretty excited to visit because the Mona Lisa is kept there and we didn't have much time, as the museum closed at 6. We dashed through the turnstiles, purchased tickets and ran up to the first floor to catch a glimpse of one of the world's most famous paintings. How extravagant...not. The Mona Lisa, in all it's glory, is situated across the room from an absolutely massive painting that covers the entire wall almost the whole way to the ceiling. But the large group of people in the room was staring at this tiny portrait of a woman with no eyebrows. I wonder if Leonardo DaVinci ever thought that would happen when he painted this hideous woman. We moved on from the Mona Lisa and headed down to check out some statues on our way to the gift shop. We stepped inside an absolutely brilliant room with the most beautiful walls and ceilings I have ever seen - nearly brought me to tears.
We left the Louvre and began walking toward the Arc de Triomphe, stopping at a little baguette restaurant for dinner. I had a ham baguette with a raspberry tart. It was quite amazing and the smell of freshly made crepes basically took over the restaurant. We set off again for the Arc and stumbled across the premier of the 007 movie. Being the ignorant Americans that we are, we started snapping pictures while the French security guards were yelling at us in French. We thought they were telling us to keep walking, but apparently they were saying no pictures. We walked right through security and across the red carpet before realizing what we had just done. Oops.
After we made it up to the end of the street, we turned down a side street and headed for the Eiffel Tower. Now, I know how we Americans love this tower and I'm not gonna lie, I was just as giddy as anyone to take the elevator up to the top. We walked right on and started up the tower. Making it to the first level where there is a really swanky restaurant. We kept going up to the second level and then started the journey up to the top. Ears popping and my heart beating a mile a minute, we finally made it to the top of the tower. The city looked absolutely beautiful and we could see what it was these Europeans hate about Paris - the terrible traffic. The city was lit up with millions of lights and we could hear the sound of cars, buses and sirens passing below us. The rain and wind didn't stop us from going to the top deck to be in the fresh air. Absolutely amazing.
We left the Tower and headed for the train station to catch our train back to EuroDisney. We got back to the car just before 11pm and set off on our 4 hour journey back. Kilee started feeling beyond tired nearly halfway through the journey back and I took over at the wheel. Driving 130 kph, I was nervous to be stopped before realizing that it was late at night and the police don't hate 24 hours a day like they do in Ohio. We crossed over the German border and I pressed the pedal to the floor on the Autobahn, reaching speeds of nearly 110 mph. It felt really good to drive.
We got back around 3:30am and went straight to bed. Waking up on Friday, we spent most of the day hanging out and preparing for the Halloween festivities of the evening, which turned out to be a quick trick-or-treat with the kids, a couple of scary movies and going to bed early. Quite relaxing compared to what I would have been doing had I been at OU. :-)
We flew out of Frankfurt Hahn early Saturday morning, arriving back in London around 2. We took the train back from the airport and then grabbed the Tube to find a stop to get some pub food. We found a pub just down the street from the train station, had some fish and chips and some Fosters and watched some soccer. Then we grabbed the trains to start heading back to Cardiff. I got back to Cardiff around 7 and got my laundry and cleaning started. Proved to be quite a relaxing evening. Yesterday, I did more cleaning and got a run in before going grocery shopping.
I can't believe my Germany trip is over. I'm over halfway done with my stay here and I will say that I'm quite surprised at how fast it's gone.
I'm hoping to do at least one more major trip while I'm here before settling down and getting ready to leave - hopefully to Ireland, but we'll see.
I hope everyone is doing well! I'll be sure to update about work more this week. I can't believe the election is tomorrow. Absolutely unbelievable that we'll have a new president in less than 48 hours. Let's just hope we don't have another fiasco....
Until next time...
As I mentioned before, my cousin Kilee lives just outside of the Ramstein Air Force base in a little village called Mackenbach. Her husband is stationed there and they have two kids, Caleb and Lilly. Lilly is the new baby of the family, only 5 months old, and I was the first in the family to see her!
Chelsea and I set off very early on Saturday morning to catch our plane out of London Stansted, which is a smaller airport about 45 minutes outside of London. Chelsea took a bus and I grabbed the train since I have a prepaid pass. I arrived to Paddington around 10:30am and was set to meet Chelsea at the Liverpool Street Station at 11:15. I hopped onto the Circle Line and arrived just after 11 to find Chelsea waiting for me. We walked around the station for a few minutes, grabbed some pasties for lunch and then grabbed the Stansted Express to the airport. We got to the airport and got our stuff all checked in a ready to go. Our flight didn't leave until around 3:30, but being American, we thought it a good idea to arrive early in fear of being hassled by security. Much to our surprise, security was pretty lax - we didn't even have to take our shoes off! We boarded the plane around 3 and sat back on what proved to be one of the most uncomfortable flights I've ever been on. I read a magazine article later that said the exact thing I've been thinking for a while: "It's sad that nowadays, it isn't about the speed, convenience and comfort, but how many people we can squeeze onto one plane." The seats didn't recline, not even a little bit and the obnoxious music and flight attendants selling things were just about enough to drive someone crazy. Thankfully, the flight didn't last more than an hour and we were on the ground about 75 miles outside of Frankfurt at the Frankfurt Hahn airport.
We walked through the doors that said Non-EU Passports, preparing our story for why we were in Germany. Surprisingly, their security was pretty lax as well, and after the 'You here on holiday?' speech, we got a brand new stamp on our passports. We walked to the baggage carousel only to discover that my bag had not come with the flight. We met Kilee on the other side of the doors and filed a report with the airline. We got in the car and drove (on the right side of the road) for about an hour through winding roads that took us through valleys and mountains and villages - nothing like we'd really seen in the UK. The trees had taken a bright orangish tint and the pine trees accentuated the orange with their dark green needles. It was absolutely breathtaking.
We arrived at Kilee's house just after 7pm and headed onto base to grab some dinner. Much to our surprise, there was a Taco Bell. For those who don't know, Taco Bell is not an international chain and we had just been talking about how big of a craving we had the week before. We chowed down on our Gorditas and Chalupas and American fountain soda before realizing why Taco Bell is not always a wise choice. We went back to Kilee's to settle in and get some rest. Unfortunately, I had been feeling sick the entire week prior to the trip and none of the British doctors would see me. My infection had spread to my glands and I was swollen basically everywhere. I started feeling feverish and nauseous and thought it would be a great idea to go to the emergency room.
We arrived at St. Johannes hospital just after 11pm to a security guard that spoke very broken English. We walked through the hospital to find the small emergency care unit and waited in the blinding white light until a man emerged from an equally bright white door. Just our luck, he didn't speak an ounce of English so we had to go back to the security guard and eventually down to a small flower shop at the end of the lane by the hospital where there was a doctor who spoke English. He wrote me a prescription for an antibiotic without even examining me or asking me any questions about my medical history and we left. I'm allergic to Penicillin, so I was terrified to fill the antibiotic he'd prescribed because Penicillin is typically used over there. Luckily, it was Penicillin-free and I started them on Sunday morning.
Monday, we set off for Garmisch, which is a little village very near the Austrian border and about an hour or so east of Munich. There was a really nice military holiday resort there situated in the Bavarian Alps and we had a suite booked for the night. We arrived pretty late after what we thought was a 3 hour drive turned out to be a 6 hour drive. We ate dinner, drank American beer and called it a night shortly after. The next day, we got up and decided it would be a great idea to take the cable car trip up a nearby mountain. The first car was a breeze and took us up about 2900 meters to a mountaintop cafe' and restaurant. We had some tea and warmed up, as it was just above 1 degree Celsius, before we boarded the next cable car that took us to another mountain that was about 2300 meters tall. We reached the next stop and took a 45 minute hike around the mountain to reach our final cable car journey, which descended the mountain. We were all pretty tired from our journey and decided to head back to Mackenbach a little earlier than we'd anticipated.
Wednesday, we slept in and shopped a bit in downtown Kaiserslautern, which hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2006. The stadium looked pretty sweet.
Thursday, we got up early and set off for Paris. Kilee's house is only a 3 1/2 hour drive from Paris, and we thought it to be a great opportunity to visit. We drove and drove until we reached Disneyland Paris, where we parked and caught the train into the city. En route, we had been listening to Disney showtunes and contemplated giving up our Paris journey for a day at EuroDisney. Thankfully, the front ticket gates weren't open and it started to rain, or I probably wouldn't have stories from Paris to talk about. :-)
Paris was incredible. Really, I haven't quite got the words for it. For those of you who know me well, you will know that I absolutely love New York City and that I will speak nothing but positives and have nothing but amazing stories about my trips there. But New York could never quite impress me and take my breath away the way that Paris did.
We arrived in the city just after 4pm and went straight to the Louvre Museum. Let me tell you...the Museum is unlike anything I've ever seen. It is MASSIVE. I could literally spend an entire day in there and not even care. We were pretty excited to visit because the Mona Lisa is kept there and we didn't have much time, as the museum closed at 6. We dashed through the turnstiles, purchased tickets and ran up to the first floor to catch a glimpse of one of the world's most famous paintings. How extravagant...not. The Mona Lisa, in all it's glory, is situated across the room from an absolutely massive painting that covers the entire wall almost the whole way to the ceiling. But the large group of people in the room was staring at this tiny portrait of a woman with no eyebrows. I wonder if Leonardo DaVinci ever thought that would happen when he painted this hideous woman. We moved on from the Mona Lisa and headed down to check out some statues on our way to the gift shop. We stepped inside an absolutely brilliant room with the most beautiful walls and ceilings I have ever seen - nearly brought me to tears.
We left the Louvre and began walking toward the Arc de Triomphe, stopping at a little baguette restaurant for dinner. I had a ham baguette with a raspberry tart. It was quite amazing and the smell of freshly made crepes basically took over the restaurant. We set off again for the Arc and stumbled across the premier of the 007 movie. Being the ignorant Americans that we are, we started snapping pictures while the French security guards were yelling at us in French. We thought they were telling us to keep walking, but apparently they were saying no pictures. We walked right through security and across the red carpet before realizing what we had just done. Oops.
After we made it up to the end of the street, we turned down a side street and headed for the Eiffel Tower. Now, I know how we Americans love this tower and I'm not gonna lie, I was just as giddy as anyone to take the elevator up to the top. We walked right on and started up the tower. Making it to the first level where there is a really swanky restaurant. We kept going up to the second level and then started the journey up to the top. Ears popping and my heart beating a mile a minute, we finally made it to the top of the tower. The city looked absolutely beautiful and we could see what it was these Europeans hate about Paris - the terrible traffic. The city was lit up with millions of lights and we could hear the sound of cars, buses and sirens passing below us. The rain and wind didn't stop us from going to the top deck to be in the fresh air. Absolutely amazing.
We left the Tower and headed for the train station to catch our train back to EuroDisney. We got back to the car just before 11pm and set off on our 4 hour journey back. Kilee started feeling beyond tired nearly halfway through the journey back and I took over at the wheel. Driving 130 kph, I was nervous to be stopped before realizing that it was late at night and the police don't hate 24 hours a day like they do in Ohio. We crossed over the German border and I pressed the pedal to the floor on the Autobahn, reaching speeds of nearly 110 mph. It felt really good to drive.
We got back around 3:30am and went straight to bed. Waking up on Friday, we spent most of the day hanging out and preparing for the Halloween festivities of the evening, which turned out to be a quick trick-or-treat with the kids, a couple of scary movies and going to bed early. Quite relaxing compared to what I would have been doing had I been at OU. :-)
We flew out of Frankfurt Hahn early Saturday morning, arriving back in London around 2. We took the train back from the airport and then grabbed the Tube to find a stop to get some pub food. We found a pub just down the street from the train station, had some fish and chips and some Fosters and watched some soccer. Then we grabbed the trains to start heading back to Cardiff. I got back to Cardiff around 7 and got my laundry and cleaning started. Proved to be quite a relaxing evening. Yesterday, I did more cleaning and got a run in before going grocery shopping.
I can't believe my Germany trip is over. I'm over halfway done with my stay here and I will say that I'm quite surprised at how fast it's gone.
I'm hoping to do at least one more major trip while I'm here before settling down and getting ready to leave - hopefully to Ireland, but we'll see.
I hope everyone is doing well! I'll be sure to update about work more this week. I can't believe the election is tomorrow. Absolutely unbelievable that we'll have a new president in less than 48 hours. Let's just hope we don't have another fiasco....
Until next time...
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
Another update.
I can't believe it's time to do such a large update - I've been kind of lacking in the updating department as of late, due to quite a busy schedule and a less-than-normal drive to do any kind of writing.
Perhaps one reason for the lack of writing came from my lack of ability to fall asleep at night. My nights were interrupted by strange and sometimes disturbing dreams involving people I haven't had much contact with over the past 5 years. I'd wake up around 5 or 6 in the morning after falling asleep around 1 or 2 and spend the next 2 hours telling myself to go back to sleep, but subconsciously attempting to decode the dreams and nightmares I'd had. Then, after just managing to drift back off to sleep, I'd awake to my alarm at 8:00 warning me that I had exactly one hour to get myself together and get myself to the Assembly. As you can imagine, and for those of you who know me and my fondness of mornings, the mornings were absolutely tragic.
The work week wasn't too terrible - mostly just preparing for the Child Poverty event in Llanelli. Rhi and I spent much of Thursday dashing around Cardiff to find the right sized paper to accomplish what it was Alun wanted us to do. After about 3 hours, we finally managed to find everything and rushed back to the office to put everything together and get ready for the event the next day. The sun managed to hang out for most of the day on Friday and we managed to get 45 petitions signed to add to our 'Fight Against Child Poverty' database - overall a pretty successful event.
Saturday, Rhi, Chelsea and I headed to Bath for the day to do a little sightseeing. We ended up doing a lot of boutique shopping and went to the Jane Austen museum before heading back to Cardiff to spend the rest of the evening relaxing. I didn't do much of anything on Sunday, just cleaned, did laundry and relaxed from such a sleepless week.
This week, I've been doing some speech research for Alun and a few random tasks here and there. I leave for Germany on Saturday and am sooooo excited to se Kilee, Jeremiah and the kids. I'm also really pumped to get another stamp on my passport saying that I've been to another European country. Haha.
I also changed my flight last week to arrive back in the States on the 14th of December rather than the 18th. Upon our arrival here, we were told that we needed to be out of the apartments ASAP after our termination at the Assembly. Thusly, for the 4 days in between that, one of which being my birthday, I would have been forced to move my 4 or 5 suitcases around to different locations and decided that this wasn't something I wanted to do. So, GREAT NEWS, friends. I'll be back in 52 days!
It's strange to think that I've been here for so long already. I can't believe that November is just right around the corner and that my friends at OU are about to finish Week 7 of Fall quarter. I went through the calendar today and wrote everything out in my day planner. I can't believe we're approaching 2009 so quickly.
Hopefully by the next update, I'll have my camera connecter cord, so I'll be able to upload pictures from all of my different trips I've taken over the past 3 months. And hopefully I'll be able to update on the awesomeness of Germany! Hope everyone is well! XXOO
Perhaps one reason for the lack of writing came from my lack of ability to fall asleep at night. My nights were interrupted by strange and sometimes disturbing dreams involving people I haven't had much contact with over the past 5 years. I'd wake up around 5 or 6 in the morning after falling asleep around 1 or 2 and spend the next 2 hours telling myself to go back to sleep, but subconsciously attempting to decode the dreams and nightmares I'd had. Then, after just managing to drift back off to sleep, I'd awake to my alarm at 8:00 warning me that I had exactly one hour to get myself together and get myself to the Assembly. As you can imagine, and for those of you who know me and my fondness of mornings, the mornings were absolutely tragic.
The work week wasn't too terrible - mostly just preparing for the Child Poverty event in Llanelli. Rhi and I spent much of Thursday dashing around Cardiff to find the right sized paper to accomplish what it was Alun wanted us to do. After about 3 hours, we finally managed to find everything and rushed back to the office to put everything together and get ready for the event the next day. The sun managed to hang out for most of the day on Friday and we managed to get 45 petitions signed to add to our 'Fight Against Child Poverty' database - overall a pretty successful event.
Saturday, Rhi, Chelsea and I headed to Bath for the day to do a little sightseeing. We ended up doing a lot of boutique shopping and went to the Jane Austen museum before heading back to Cardiff to spend the rest of the evening relaxing. I didn't do much of anything on Sunday, just cleaned, did laundry and relaxed from such a sleepless week.
This week, I've been doing some speech research for Alun and a few random tasks here and there. I leave for Germany on Saturday and am sooooo excited to se Kilee, Jeremiah and the kids. I'm also really pumped to get another stamp on my passport saying that I've been to another European country. Haha.
I also changed my flight last week to arrive back in the States on the 14th of December rather than the 18th. Upon our arrival here, we were told that we needed to be out of the apartments ASAP after our termination at the Assembly. Thusly, for the 4 days in between that, one of which being my birthday, I would have been forced to move my 4 or 5 suitcases around to different locations and decided that this wasn't something I wanted to do. So, GREAT NEWS, friends. I'll be back in 52 days!
It's strange to think that I've been here for so long already. I can't believe that November is just right around the corner and that my friends at OU are about to finish Week 7 of Fall quarter. I went through the calendar today and wrote everything out in my day planner. I can't believe we're approaching 2009 so quickly.
Hopefully by the next update, I'll have my camera connecter cord, so I'll be able to upload pictures from all of my different trips I've taken over the past 3 months. And hopefully I'll be able to update on the awesomeness of Germany! Hope everyone is well! XXOO
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