So i was in paris right, walked around a lot, saw some stuff. the family i stayed with told me that they loved wall-mart, that's not something im used to hearing.
i was supposed to fly out on the 29th and have a connection in chicago before flying to la guardia and arriving at 7:45pm. this was gonna be fine until my first fly was gonna be delayed inexplicably by 3 hrs causing me to miss my connection. so waiting in line at the airport i get to talking to this older gentleman behind me and he suggests that i try to get onto his flight which was leaving to new york in like 2 hours. so basically i got on the standby list and after a lot anxious waiting i got on the flight.
so i arrived at JFK instead of 1:15 instead of 7. i ended up sitting next to the same dude on the plane, hes lived all over the world and works as a rock and roll producer... or baiscally just music producer, but thats not how he described it to me.
now im here with my new fangled cousins. im staying with marc who i met at the wedding in budapest a couple months ago. he lives like my friend ralph. also his first cousin linda is here. she really awesome and from montreal. yay for family all over the world!!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Le jour de trop beaucoup chocolate
(the day of too much chocolate)
yes im blogging on christmas. what of it?
im in victorine (my french exchange student)'s house with her lovely family. they picked me up from the brussels airport on tuesday, and we drove to bruges which is called the venice of the north. it was here that chocolate was ruined for me forever, or hopefully just for a while.
we walked around, ate lunch, its so adorable, then her mom bought us all chocolate lolli's and nutella covered waffels and hot chocolate. sounds lovely right? well it mostly was but the thing is im a super slow eater, and french people are pretty fast eaters, so i kinda had to choke down the nutella waffel concoction, not an easy task.
so i get a little nervous everytime im staying with an unfamiliar family, or just when im traveling in genreal, and kinda tend to loose my appetite. so that night i tried to finish my dinner so as not to offend and not keep them waiting while i tried to keep up. everything seemed fine and dandy until i woke up in the middle of night with a stomache ache that would not subside. i threw up, and the next morning had a slight fever and had to sleep the entire day. i dont exactly know what caused it, but im pretty sure it had something to do with not sleeping well for weeks, what with leaving prague and packing and finals and going to venice and staying in cheap hostels and hauling my luggage up and down flights of stairs. i guess it was bound to catch up with me eventually.
christmas in the family was basically last night, it was vraiment formidable. we dressed up a little and drank lots of champagne, opened presents, and then ate dinner of raw meats which u cooked for yourself on your own little skillet. a good way to catch salminella if you ask me, also quite dangerous after everyone has been drinking. it was very nice nevertheless. i tried frog legs, not bad actually.
then we had chocolate ice cream and i got another stomache ache (this just simple cannot be) and we watched love actually in french, just as i suspected i dont even need to understand the language to love that movie.
yes im blogging on christmas. what of it?
im in victorine (my french exchange student)'s house with her lovely family. they picked me up from the brussels airport on tuesday, and we drove to bruges which is called the venice of the north. it was here that chocolate was ruined for me forever, or hopefully just for a while.
we walked around, ate lunch, its so adorable, then her mom bought us all chocolate lolli's and nutella covered waffels and hot chocolate. sounds lovely right? well it mostly was but the thing is im a super slow eater, and french people are pretty fast eaters, so i kinda had to choke down the nutella waffel concoction, not an easy task.
so i get a little nervous everytime im staying with an unfamiliar family, or just when im traveling in genreal, and kinda tend to loose my appetite. so that night i tried to finish my dinner so as not to offend and not keep them waiting while i tried to keep up. everything seemed fine and dandy until i woke up in the middle of night with a stomache ache that would not subside. i threw up, and the next morning had a slight fever and had to sleep the entire day. i dont exactly know what caused it, but im pretty sure it had something to do with not sleeping well for weeks, what with leaving prague and packing and finals and going to venice and staying in cheap hostels and hauling my luggage up and down flights of stairs. i guess it was bound to catch up with me eventually.
christmas in the family was basically last night, it was vraiment formidable. we dressed up a little and drank lots of champagne, opened presents, and then ate dinner of raw meats which u cooked for yourself on your own little skillet. a good way to catch salminella if you ask me, also quite dangerous after everyone has been drinking. it was very nice nevertheless. i tried frog legs, not bad actually.
then we had chocolate ice cream and i got another stomache ache (this just simple cannot be) and we watched love actually in french, just as i suspected i dont even need to understand the language to love that movie.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Continued
Ok rested now. Feel like I'm starting to get sick but my vitamin c is in my luggage in the other hostel.
So basically here's what happened: leaving Prague was a lot harder than expected I was mopey and stressed for about a week and a half before and then I may or maynot have cried the whole way to venice but we can blame that in hormones if were looking for an excuse.
Arrive in Venice and it'd beautiful and sunny and there's a bit of snow on the ground. Trag myself and my luggage to my first hostel, the Venice fish. I met some nice people, specifically a kiwi named Danielle. We went to a bar that night and three other girls and I got to ride in a motor boat with two itailians who worked for the hostel. That was amazing.
The next day Danielle and I walked all around an went to the Guggenheim. That evening I was suppose to transplant to a different hostel where Martha would meet me. I get there an it's terrifying, well at least to me... U know.
I have to push my stuff up 3 flights of stairs which wouldve been bad enough but there were sone areas where the light switches dint work. In my efforts I accedentally rang some sort if doorbell that was on the wall. There was this big open room I had to walk threw to which I couldn't find the switch at all. I had to use my cell phone to open my door and the room to no suprise was very nice either. But at least Martha will b with me. So I go back to the fish cause I told Danielle I'd meet her and then I find out that marthas flight is cancelled. No way in he'll am I staying at that abandoned boarding school alone! So I go with the hostel people to another hostel, the Venice museaum. For dinner and just resolve to stay there. There ceilings are really cool but there is hardly anyone staying there. After I get my stuff from the scary place back to the museum everyone walks back to the fish. As soon as I get here exhautiob strikes and I can't do anything least of all find my way back to the museum. So I slept there in my clothes come toujour. I probably should say this but I've been wearing the same shirt nonstop since I left sat morn and I just now realized that it's on inside out because I was so tired when u got dressed for the airport.
Anywho! Martha should b flying in today and then well have one more night here and then tomorrow I leave at 5 30 to ge a bus to treviso to take a plane to Brussels where victorine(former French exchange student) and her mom are picking me up. Let's hope my flight doesn't get cancelled
So basically here's what happened: leaving Prague was a lot harder than expected I was mopey and stressed for about a week and a half before and then I may or maynot have cried the whole way to venice but we can blame that in hormones if were looking for an excuse.
Arrive in Venice and it'd beautiful and sunny and there's a bit of snow on the ground. Trag myself and my luggage to my first hostel, the Venice fish. I met some nice people, specifically a kiwi named Danielle. We went to a bar that night and three other girls and I got to ride in a motor boat with two itailians who worked for the hostel. That was amazing.
The next day Danielle and I walked all around an went to the Guggenheim. That evening I was suppose to transplant to a different hostel where Martha would meet me. I get there an it's terrifying, well at least to me... U know.
I have to push my stuff up 3 flights of stairs which wouldve been bad enough but there were sone areas where the light switches dint work. In my efforts I accedentally rang some sort if doorbell that was on the wall. There was this big open room I had to walk threw to which I couldn't find the switch at all. I had to use my cell phone to open my door and the room to no suprise was very nice either. But at least Martha will b with me. So I go back to the fish cause I told Danielle I'd meet her and then I find out that marthas flight is cancelled. No way in he'll am I staying at that abandoned boarding school alone! So I go with the hostel people to another hostel, the Venice museaum. For dinner and just resolve to stay there. There ceilings are really cool but there is hardly anyone staying there. After I get my stuff from the scary place back to the museum everyone walks back to the fish. As soon as I get here exhautiob strikes and I can't do anything least of all find my way back to the museum. So I slept there in my clothes come toujour. I probably should say this but I've been wearing the same shirt nonstop since I left sat morn and I just now realized that it's on inside out because I was so tired when u got dressed for the airport.
Anywho! Martha should b flying in today and then well have one more night here and then tomorrow I leave at 5 30 to ge a bus to treviso to take a plane to Brussels where victorine(former French exchange student) and her mom are picking me up. Let's hope my flight doesn't get cancelled
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Venezia
I'm soooo tired all of a sudden. I ended up hostel hopping again, it's ok just exhausting.
Tooo tired to type. but also too tired to give up and try and hoof it back to the hostel from wenst I came. It's a bit of a story, I'll have to get to it tomorrow.
Tooo tired to type. but also too tired to give up and try and hoof it back to the hostel from wenst I came. It's a bit of a story, I'll have to get to it tomorrow.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
finals
you may be surprised to hear that i actually was taking classes here. aside from the occasional mention of my favorite teacher , maria homerlova (or homegirlova as my friend andy affectionately calls her). naturally i am now in the middle of finals and also my last weekend in prague. i am also currently procrastinating going to the library. ok, i'm off.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Cinema Dance
I signed up for this class called Cinema Dance while I was registering simply because I liked both of those words, and i wanted to take as many classes at the film school as possible. the contents of the class where kept under wraps even until we got there. it was a three day getaway in a camp in the woods of the czech republic, a place called Poněšice. We were put into groups with other american and international film students and then assigned rolls to make a film. i was put into a group with a film student from croatia (who was assigned director) an animation student from israel (assigned screenwriter), a choreography student from slovania...i think (also screenwriter) and an american girl from my program (assigned cinematographer) and then i was assigned producer and editor. what basically happened is we all got really frustrated on friday trying to agree on a story, also struggling with the fact that most of us weren't native english speakers, and then on saturday we just gave complete freedom to the director who knew what he wanted and also knew how to use a camera and edit sorta kinda. i got to chose the ending song though! once i get it off my friends computer i will to you present but until then, enjoy this film made my another group in which i make a brief but adorable cameo:
all of the angst was worth it thought because our location was soooo beautiful! as you could probably tell by the short. the camp was next to a river which was completly frozen over, i took many a photo but of course i'll have to show you later.
Where to go? from Anya Gibian on Vimeo.
all of the angst was worth it thought because our location was soooo beautiful! as you could probably tell by the short. the camp was next to a river which was completly frozen over, i took many a photo but of course i'll have to show you later.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
nuuuuvous
my history of art and architecture teacher is so cute, we are all obsessed with doing impressions of her. shes czech but speaks in a sort of british accent. i am so nuuuvous can you undeustand please? because i have been talking since morning.
but the point is that i am getting so nervous, and sort of stressed out. there are only two weeks left in the program and i keep having these anxiety dreams where i am rushing to the airport or its the next day and i have forgotten to go to the airport all togeather but i dont really care because i dont want to leave or miss anything!
i wish i had planned my trip differnetly so that i could stay at least one extra day, but i really dont have the time. i dont even want to start about my fears of getting to venice with my inconvinient airport and all my luggage. whose up for some more learning expiriences???
last night i went to see faust at the estates theater, the theater where mozart premeired don giovani. it was so good, ive been falling asleep at operas and wishing that i could go to ballets.
i wish i could show u pictures of the snow in prague. its just as beautiful as u could imagine. apparently im very lucky because it doesnt usually snow like this until januarý or february.
this thursday im going to an unknown location for a class called cinema dance. we go make short film and then come back on sunday. should be pretty cool except that i just wanna stay in prague for once. i dont think ive been here for a weekend in over a month.
there is no doubt in my mind that prague was the perfect place for me to come, im gonna miss czech and trying to speak it, i can almost understand every 10th word, and im really good at exlaining to people that i dont speak czech.
im already getting nastalgic.
but the point is that i am getting so nervous, and sort of stressed out. there are only two weeks left in the program and i keep having these anxiety dreams where i am rushing to the airport or its the next day and i have forgotten to go to the airport all togeather but i dont really care because i dont want to leave or miss anything!
i wish i had planned my trip differnetly so that i could stay at least one extra day, but i really dont have the time. i dont even want to start about my fears of getting to venice with my inconvinient airport and all my luggage. whose up for some more learning expiriences???
last night i went to see faust at the estates theater, the theater where mozart premeired don giovani. it was so good, ive been falling asleep at operas and wishing that i could go to ballets.
i wish i could show u pictures of the snow in prague. its just as beautiful as u could imagine. apparently im very lucky because it doesnt usually snow like this until januarý or february.
this thursday im going to an unknown location for a class called cinema dance. we go make short film and then come back on sunday. should be pretty cool except that i just wanna stay in prague for once. i dont think ive been here for a weekend in over a month.
there is no doubt in my mind that prague was the perfect place for me to come, im gonna miss czech and trying to speak it, i can almost understand every 10th word, and im really good at exlaining to people that i dont speak czech.
im already getting nastalgic.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Technical difficulty
My computer charger broke and it's too expensive to buy a new one here. So that means it's back to the old itouch. And that means that my spelling and punctuation will be even worse! So no more pictures or lengthy entries unless I'm at the school computer lab.
Just got back from Vienna. It was really pretty, about the same size as Prague. Easy metro system, Christmas markets, coffee shops (the American bar by Adolf loos), hottie architecture students. One night a group of us ordered the 5 liter tank of beer and I dinner shmorgesborg for 6 served on a sword. It was epic people in the bar were staring and taking pictures. Too bad Austria is so expensive.
Just got back from Vienna. It was really pretty, about the same size as Prague. Easy metro system, Christmas markets, coffee shops (the American bar by Adolf loos), hottie architecture students. One night a group of us ordered the 5 liter tank of beer and I dinner shmorgesborg for 6 served on a sword. It was epic people in the bar were staring and taking pictures. Too bad Austria is so expensive.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Berlin.
Well the weekends just keep getting more an more exciting, but simultaneously i'm longing for just one more quite weekend in Prague to do Pragey things, which i fear i may never have the chance to do.
Last Thursday I went to a Ratatat concert at this place called the Meetfactory. I mostly really just wanted to go there because it's in this old warehouse which was taken over by artists, namely david cerney who is famous here. he's the one who did the giant broze babies climbing up the tv tower. i don't really get it, or particularly like it, but its big and important. i thought the venue could've been more interesting the the band was AMAZING!!!!
so thennnn then next morning at 7:30 i got on a bus with maybe 30 of my classmates to go to Berlin. Berlin was cool, but intimidating. it's the most american seeming city i've been to so far. the reason being because its so big and spread out and also most of the buildings are from the 50's or newer. it was exhausting trying to find our way around but when we did get to a bar or anything it was worth it. The graffiti tour we went on was my favorite part. that and the toilet seat at this bar called zimmer..something which was see-threw with dried roses in it. adorable.
Next weekend I'm going to Vienna, again with the school. I'm excited to go to a smaller city (than Berlin) and also about the CHRISTMAS MARKETS and the MULLED WINE and the ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL which Andrei (my old professor) works at alongside Zaha Hadid and Greg Lynn. He told me he won't be around this weekend but I still really wanna stalk around his haunting grounds. I hope I can find them.
Last Thursday I went to a Ratatat concert at this place called the Meetfactory. I mostly really just wanted to go there because it's in this old warehouse which was taken over by artists, namely david cerney who is famous here. he's the one who did the giant broze babies climbing up the tv tower. i don't really get it, or particularly like it, but its big and important. i thought the venue could've been more interesting the the band was AMAZING!!!!
so thennnn then next morning at 7:30 i got on a bus with maybe 30 of my classmates to go to Berlin. Berlin was cool, but intimidating. it's the most american seeming city i've been to so far. the reason being because its so big and spread out and also most of the buildings are from the 50's or newer. it was exhausting trying to find our way around but when we did get to a bar or anything it was worth it. The graffiti tour we went on was my favorite part. that and the toilet seat at this bar called zimmer..something which was see-threw with dried roses in it. adorable.
Next weekend I'm going to Vienna, again with the school. I'm excited to go to a smaller city (than Berlin) and also about the CHRISTMAS MARKETS and the MULLED WINE and the ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL which Andrei (my old professor) works at alongside Zaha Hadid and Greg Lynn. He told me he won't be around this weekend but I still really wanna stalk around his haunting grounds. I hope I can find them.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Salzburg and life
damnit if my internet is so unreliable. were it not for this maybe i would blog more. or maybe i'm just making more excuses.
I'm listening to passion pit alone in my room with ipod headphones in. i'm soooooo meytal right now ; )
I just ate most of a milka: alpine milk chocolate and yogurt bar. this is great...and a bit sickening.
i got back from salzburg on sunday. we were there for two nights, and get this, we stayed at the SAME hostel for BOTH nights! it was lovely. not to mention the awesome ausie woman (named francie) in our room, who is my new guru; and the amazing views; and the hilarious sound of music tour. and the weather! it was sunny and practically 70 the whole time.
now im back in prague contemplating the rest of my time here. I've gotten busy, this weekend im going to berlin, next to vienna, next to some unknown location for a cinema class. then a weekend in prague, and then off to my after-travels (venice, lille, paris, and new york).this week in between classes im volunteering like usual and also helping some friends with their student films. i'm a busy (and pretending to be important) woman!
I'm excited to come home though, but i've started to get concerned that maybe counter culture shock could be a reality, but then again. why can't everything be perfect? i certainly don't see why not, it seems as though i've got about a 50 50 chance. they's ain't bad odds.
maybe if i don't get sleepy i'll try to battle the internet to upload some pictures of salzburg. you'll like those : )
the rest of that chocolate bar is dangerously close to my peripheral vision...
I'm listening to passion pit alone in my room with ipod headphones in. i'm soooooo meytal right now ; )
I just ate most of a milka: alpine milk chocolate and yogurt bar. this is great...and a bit sickening.
i got back from salzburg on sunday. we were there for two nights, and get this, we stayed at the SAME hostel for BOTH nights! it was lovely. not to mention the awesome ausie woman (named francie) in our room, who is my new guru; and the amazing views; and the hilarious sound of music tour. and the weather! it was sunny and practically 70 the whole time.
now im back in prague contemplating the rest of my time here. I've gotten busy, this weekend im going to berlin, next to vienna, next to some unknown location for a cinema class. then a weekend in prague, and then off to my after-travels (venice, lille, paris, and new york).this week in between classes im volunteering like usual and also helping some friends with their student films. i'm a busy (and pretending to be important) woman!
I'm excited to come home though, but i've started to get concerned that maybe counter culture shock could be a reality, but then again. why can't everything be perfect? i certainly don't see why not, it seems as though i've got about a 50 50 chance. they's ain't bad odds.
maybe if i don't get sleepy i'll try to battle the internet to upload some pictures of salzburg. you'll like those : )
the rest of that chocolate bar is dangerously close to my peripheral vision...
Thursday, November 11, 2010
woops
so i know i've been absolutley wretched about blogging. the problem is that the more time i spend here, the more regular life seems and the less inspired i am to muse/brag about it. so a couple interesting things have happened: a haloween party last thursday in which i dressed up as coco chanel. it was a big hit and i felt pretty good about it. the shiney red leggings unfortuntley didn't make it to this halloween celebration, who knows how things wouldn've turned out.
and then a couple groups of students asked me to do art direction in there student films which are shooting in about a week. they're really short and low budget and i can't be there all shooting days so i don't know how much help i'll actually get to be but i'm still pretty excited about it. "everything is happening for me here" jk
i got to accompany them to this giant wardrobe and prop house which was really amazing.
so tomorrow i'm going to salzburg for the weekend with my friend's colleen and andy and we're going on the sound of music tour, pretty pumped about that. more on that to come.
and then a couple groups of students asked me to do art direction in there student films which are shooting in about a week. they're really short and low budget and i can't be there all shooting days so i don't know how much help i'll actually get to be but i'm still pretty excited about it. "everything is happening for me here" jk
i got to accompany them to this giant wardrobe and prop house which was really amazing.
so tomorrow i'm going to salzburg for the weekend with my friend's colleen and andy and we're going on the sound of music tour, pretty pumped about that. more on that to come.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Nederland
Yesterday I returned from Amsterdam. My friends Kate and Katie and I went to Holland for our fall break (which was just thursday and friday). I kind of broke the trend with my name, it was funny introducing ourselves to strangers in the hostel, "this is kate, katie, and aurelia..." Holland was unexpectedly beautiful especially Utrecht. We flew from Prague to Einhoven because it was cheaper than flying to Amsterdam, but this way we got to have lunch with a friend of katie's. His name was Arian and he made us a delicious french onion soup and some sort of turkish pizza wrap thing, and i'm just now realizing how hungry i am. Then he went with us to Utrecht and helped us find our hostel (thank god). Utrecht is like being in a postcard, it's like wee britian from arrested development, it's the cutest place imaginable. and EVERYONE was soooo nice, but this may have been amplified by the fact that pragers are so unfriendly. I got a new dress and a belt and a fried dough ball and i drooled over all the amazing boots, meanwhile my new boots are giving me a bruise on the back of my heal.. but i'm not gonna think about that too much. grump.
the next day we took the train 20 minutes to amsterdam. amsterdam is amazing because everything is designed, nothing is ugly or neglected, even the metro stations have cool neon lights on the escalators. the problem with amsterdam was that all the hostels were booked up leaving us sleeping in a different hostel every night, which is fine cause we're scrappy like that, but it really took a lot out of us and we didn't end up doing much but walking around the city and eating at restaurants. nevertheless amsterdam is a beautiful city, the little buildings on the canal amaze me, they look like site models that were sometimes poorly cut. but in the most adorable way. we had classic "awkward girl" time trying to get back to einhoven from amsterdam on monday morning, we just barely caught our flight. we were the last people to board and they almost didn't want to let us threw the gate.
but i'm definatley planning to move to holland and living in barbie's dream world where everyone is nice and rides their classic bikes around and sips lattes and wears glasses and classy boots. ahhh
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Budapest
sooooo....sorry it's been a while since i've written last. inspiration hasn't struck. i went to budapest last weekend and it was vundabar! it was weird arriving in a city which i had no previous preconceptions about. it was like completely fabricated, it could've looked like anything! it was really interesting, like a bigger more eclectic prague, with more bullet holes and modern buildings. one of my favorite things we did was visit this art gallery (called bumbum), the paintings there were the strangest i have ever seen but when i looked around the corner there was this huge scene of big dark evil dogs perched around a gothic conference table. i was afraid to approach it initially but when i did i couldn't pull myself away (see photo). unfortunately i neglected to take a photo of the plaque behind the piece because it appeared that each dog had a biography, all in Hungarian of course. i want to study it for the paper i'm going to write in psychoanalysis and art. something about contemporary art...something...something.
so my internship/volunteering thing. i'm going to this graphic design firm called ArtD (they have a pretty snazzy website) but it turns out the dude guy mostly just wants me to teach him english, which is fine with me cause he's really nice but i also wanted to be able to use this for my resume so now every tuesday i spend an hour talking to him in english and two hours doing some meaningless task in photoshop. two hours is really all i can take, doing things like extending the pages of some bible so that it fits into a perfect rectangle, in complete silence mind you. it's good practice but it's just a little frustrating at the end of the day when i ask if i should save me work and he tell me "it's ok, i have to redo it tonight anyways". not to mention that the whole program is in czech, i had to google translate "similar" and "inverse". AND it's a mac. it's all got to be worth it at least a little. next week i'm excited though because Cerny says i'm going to help him translate an artist's calendar into english. i can do that!
tomorrow i'm going to see swan lake. this weekend will be the first weekend this month that i'm spending in prague. i'm looking forward to it.
Monday, October 11, 2010
oloumoc
just got back from oloumoc, we were learning about psychology and witch trails and stuff. terrible thing that. the countryside in the czech republic is BEAUTIFUL and i can't believe how lucky i am to have chosen to come here. it's pretty much exactly what i was hoping for.
on the bus back to prague we watched this absurd czech comedy called skritek. it's pretty great, i recommend you find it.
this was my favorite scene, it reminds me of my days working at godiva:
on the bus back to prague we watched this absurd czech comedy called skritek. it's pretty great, i recommend you find it.
this was my favorite scene, it reminds me of my days working at godiva:
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Pisek
Last weekend I went to a little town called Pisek with my school for a film festival. It was really nice, we watched a bunch of student films and also Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, which was really good. We went to a lecture of this great animator whose work I had just seen in my history of animation class. She's amazing. We saw her the next day after the film award ceremony at this concert of a beatboxing master (also super awesome) in a bar. She had on a tanktop and long gloves and I think she was there by herself. I'm going to try and attach a link to my favorite short piece of her's.
The next day we went on this amazing hike and it was all foggy, I guess the czech's call it being in milk or something like that. And then it cleared up and we walked to a beautiful old castle in the hills. Pictures to come. The hike was like 10 miles though, which was kind of rough.
let's see if this works:
The next day we went on this amazing hike and it was all foggy, I guess the czech's call it being in milk or something like that. And then it cleared up and we walked to a beautiful old castle in the hills. Pictures to come. The hike was like 10 miles though, which was kind of rough.
let's see if this works:
Thursday, September 30, 2010
czech hospitality
so yesterday was a national holiday, something about st. wenseslas, they're all about him here. so i was taking my friends kate and katie to find this soup shop that was amazing. i discovered it at the flea market last weekend, you know the chicken soup which tasted like pho. so we go to this sorta sketchy part of town, praha 8, and the place was closed : ( so we get back on the train bound for svichova (a traditional czech meal with pieces of pork covered in pumpkin soup tasting stuff with some whip cream and cranberries and sweet dumplings on the side. so we were sitting on the tram just talking amongst ourselves and there were two preteen girls behind up staring and giggling. and then out of no where the woman who was sitting on the other side of the isle gets up and spits in between us at our feet and then sits back down like 4 ft away. it was so shocking we just stopped talking and stared mouth agape at each other. that turned into confused and nervous laughter and then at the next stop we got off. i looked at her as we left and she stuck her foot out almost as if to kick me but her foot just sort of grazed my leg. the two girls who were sitting behind us flipped us the finger as the tram pulled away. we were shocked and confused and it was the only thing we could talk about for the whole rest of the day. it must of been some combination of us talking and laughing and being american which was not well received on that particular tram. but at least we still have our sense of humor.
katie: "she's just mad cause we're having the time of our lives and she has cataracts."
katie: "she's just mad cause we're having the time of our lives and she has cataracts."
Sunday, September 26, 2010
best sick day ever.
It's been perfectly dreary here the last couple of days. Not cold but constantly sort of drizzling. Yesterday we went over to some girls' huuuuge apartment and one of them wasn't feeling well so she was gonna lay in her queen sized bed with her wrinkled comforter and tall double hinged window and watch gone with the wind. Deep down I was a little bit jealous, and so low and behold! On account-a taking a bite of my sick friend's hamburger and having nothing but a sleeve of chips and beer for dinner (while watching riff tracks for Twilight btw, hilarious you should see it!)the other night, today I am not feeling so hot.
I've done nothing but what I want to do which was lay on the couch and watch TV, admittedly I would prefer the watch something in English, it's actually very frustrating 'cause I can't get anything to stream on my computer, not even Spongebob! How am I suppose to keep current with all his antics?!
Anyways fortunately I live in an awesome neighborhood and today's big outing consisted of walking across the roundabout to Zanzibar cafe for some "honey drink" which is hot water lemon and honey and some sort of cake deely (see attached map and picture). Yesterday there was a flee market at Namesti Miru and the surrounding streets. It was so perfectly Portland, like a European equivalent to the farmer's market in the park blocks. It was raining but warm like and there was some folk band, and swing dancers, and brownies, and oatmeal cookies, and this DELICIOUS chicken soup with cilantro in it which made it taste like pho. I got some earrings (also see attached doodle) and then we went shoe shopping. Always searching, ever alert for the perfect pair of boots. Boots found! But out of my price range (see vagabond.com for everything my heart could desire).
I've been wandering by myself a lot lately, one of my favorite wanders brought me to Frank Gehry's "Dancing House" at sunset. So I bought a margarita so that I could go to the roof terrace. It was awesome. Giant ball of mesh to top off your building? Why not?
I also went to an exhibit at the contemporary art museum of Czech architect Jan Kaplicky which was amazing. Being there made me realize how imaginative I used to be and how strongly I want to resurrect that. I'm pretty certain that I'm a lot more passionate about architecture than film, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop pursuing film. It just might mean I'm taking the easy way out...
Anyways enjoy the pictures.
I apologize for the extra long entry this time, but I made it up to you with actual correct capitalization and spelling. You're welcome.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
potato pancakes
so i love the food here. everything is deep fried=heaven! and beer is usually cheaper or the same price as water, they don't ever serve tap water.
the other night we went to a bar for fried food and beer and i ended up getting a plate of fried cheese which was crazy cause i was just eating it with a fork and then i pictured it without the batter and i was essentially just digging into a slice of brie and there were two other pieces of some other cheese which were roughly the size of my hand.
we went to the "opera" yesterday which wasn't really an opera but just a really bad musical theater piece which was all in czech but the building was cool.
and i met with my one-one guy who i volunteered to speak english with. i was super nervous as i am about anything i'm unfamiliar with but it was really cool. he's a 30 year old professional dancer who now manages a dance group (called dance to excess). he had just gotten back from holiday in spain with his boyfriend and he's totally normal and not freaky at all and he bought me coffee and cake=bffl
so after that i was really relieved and happy and i wandered around the wine festival which was now being held in the square by my house (see picture of cathedral below, the square is called Namesti Miru which means peace square). and i bought a bunch of earings there...and i like them alot.
********
i left halfway threw this and i found myself at another wine festival, also near my house which is in this park! which is also sort of a vineyard! i'm so glad i found this place, i'm gonna go there all the time. there's an awesome view and lots of grass and tress ah. unfortunately i left my camera here since i was uploading pictures but you can use your imagination.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
ruminating
walking to school yesterday it struck me how easy and familiar life here seems already, but in a bizarre sort of surreal way. it's almost as if i just changed the channel and everything about my life changed without me really trying. all i had to do was get on a plane, and poof here's your new apartment and friends and classes and classmates and roommates and streets...
it's all different but i still feel the same sense comfort, excitement and anxiety.
this is a bad thing because a large part of why i decided to come here was to shake up my life so i wouldn't feel so...like this.
this just proves that a change of location doesn't necessarily mean a lifestyle change. so i'm going to start volunteering at this graphic design firm off in the boonies (prague 10) and having conversations with this czech fellow that the program set me up with, he's in his 30's and is a professional actor/model/dancer.
on top of all this i'm really starting to miss people and places such as nw 23rd, and that section of 13th by weiden and kennedy. i even went into a bathroom the other day which smelled soapy and reminded my of caty's cabin. i miss that too.
it's all different but i still feel the same sense comfort, excitement and anxiety.
this is a bad thing because a large part of why i decided to come here was to shake up my life so i wouldn't feel so...like this.
this just proves that a change of location doesn't necessarily mean a lifestyle change. so i'm going to start volunteering at this graphic design firm off in the boonies (prague 10) and having conversations with this czech fellow that the program set me up with, he's in his 30's and is a professional actor/model/dancer.
on top of all this i'm really starting to miss people and places such as nw 23rd, and that section of 13th by weiden and kennedy. i even went into a bathroom the other day which smelled soapy and reminded my of caty's cabin. i miss that too.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
perspective is a bitch
last night i went over some other girls from the program's apartment. It was basically a loft apartment right out of an ikea magazine, and i was all wtf. they had slanted ceilings in the living room with sunroofs which you could open and look out over the buildings and see that weird baby crawling sculpture. you'll notice that i didn't put up any pictures of the interior of my apartment cause it's just not that cool. apparently some other girls live in a penthouse, but thats cool. at least i have a comfortable bed and a room to myself, unless my drunk friends sleep over, which is most of the time so far.
today we went to some castle and there was a wine festival going on concurrently so afterwards i bought a jug of barcek which is like freshly fermented wine which is sweet and kind of carbonated, and i sat in the garden and sketched. it was pretty cool.
tonight martha and i are going to see delicatesen (a french movie) with an interest group from school. we've been so busy, there are always activities going on and its a lot of fun but it's getting a little grating. i'm also starting to feel a little bit claustrophobic in this city, its a lot bigger and tighter than portland. i miss nature.
today we went to some castle and there was a wine festival going on concurrently so afterwards i bought a jug of barcek which is like freshly fermented wine which is sweet and kind of carbonated, and i sat in the garden and sketched. it was pretty cool.
tonight martha and i are going to see delicatesen (a french movie) with an interest group from school. we've been so busy, there are always activities going on and its a lot of fun but it's getting a little grating. i'm also starting to feel a little bit claustrophobic in this city, its a lot bigger and tighter than portland. i miss nature.
Friday, September 10, 2010
meh
tonight was meh, but last night was cool. we went to karaoke and i tried to sing bad romance but the dj must of hated me cause he never played it.
tonight i drank chardonnay out of a tea cup cause it was the only clean cup in my kitchen. then we played find katie wherein we went around the city trying to track down my friend katie.
anywho, i now present pictures of my residence:
tonight i drank chardonnay out of a tea cup cause it was the only clean cup in my kitchen. then we played find katie wherein we went around the city trying to track down my friend katie.
anywho, i now present pictures of my residence:
Monday, September 6, 2010
Czech is hard
Had a good day. Started Czech intensive school today which SUCKS! I forgot how much I hated language classes. I just want to know it already.
But thennnnn, I went to a pub with my new friends and then we went and got food and made said food at my friend's homestay home and met her "mother" (Andrea) and "little brother"/Justin Beiber look alike (Simon, pronounced Shimon).
All together it was pretty awesome.
I'm in my apt. and we're stealing internet from the cafe Zanzibar across the way, it's pretty spotty though.
It 1am and I need to wake up at 8.
Good night.
But thennnnn, I went to a pub with my new friends and then we went and got food and made said food at my friend's homestay home and met her "mother" (Andrea) and "little brother"/Justin Beiber look alike (Simon, pronounced Shimon).
All together it was pretty awesome.
I'm in my apt. and we're stealing internet from the cafe Zanzibar across the way, it's pretty spotty though.
It 1am and I need to wake up at 8.
Good night.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
"lucky" again
Just like my mother I always end up in situations living by myself accidentally. The girl in my room moved out a couple days ago, she we to live with her friends from Georgetown in the dorms. There are so many kids here from Georgetown. There's a lot of American's in Prague but in different programs. There's one for NYU and something else too.
The last couple nights I stayed out till around 4am and then slept 'til noon the next day but tomorrow we start our intensive czech course so i'm a little concerned that I won't be able to get to sleep tonight.
We went back to the place called Cross Club which is so cool, but impossible to navigate. There's all these moving mechanical things inside and all these different rooms that look vaguely similar and there is a central staircase which is literally like a labyrinth. The night before we went to Lucenrna which was having an 80's 90's night. I forgot how much I missed 90's music. All of the CIEE kids who were there took up the whole stage.
Prague castle is soooo coool. Went there yesterday for a wine tasting. I think we'll get a tour later this week.
We went on a boat tour on Friday, it was like a "welcome dinner" or some such.
Still no internet in apartment. But hey, at least now I can leave my clothes all over the place.
The last couple nights I stayed out till around 4am and then slept 'til noon the next day but tomorrow we start our intensive czech course so i'm a little concerned that I won't be able to get to sleep tonight.
We went back to the place called Cross Club which is so cool, but impossible to navigate. There's all these moving mechanical things inside and all these different rooms that look vaguely similar and there is a central staircase which is literally like a labyrinth. The night before we went to Lucenrna which was having an 80's 90's night. I forgot how much I missed 90's music. All of the CIEE kids who were there took up the whole stage.
Prague castle is soooo coool. Went there yesterday for a wine tasting. I think we'll get a tour later this week.
We went on a boat tour on Friday, it was like a "welcome dinner" or some such.
Still no internet in apartment. But hey, at least now I can leave my clothes all over the place.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
No battery power!!!
oh dear, i am at the internet cafe with my czech flat buddie, Simona, and i just realized that i didn't bring the converter for my charger and i also probably have to buy a power converter....
anywho i'll make this fast, which i shame cause i actually have good things to say finally. and picture to boot!
you'll just have to use your imagination.
so i'm here, but you got that. first day was weird. very much like birthright. i took a cab to the hotel where everyone met. it was a sweet hotel but it was weird being mixed up with a bunch of strangers my age along with czech strangers my age (like the israeli soldiers) who feel kinda like camp couselars cause they're helping us so much.
so then we went to our appartments, which are pretty cute, like my appartment last term but bigger, taller ceilings and big doors but kinda run down. it's in a cool part of town though. right by a big old church.
prague looks like a campier version of paris.
so then we went to school, which is cool, just like an old building with only classes for american kids in this program.
oh my roomates are simona and emily (from new jersey goes to colorado u, and andrea lee who goes to georgetown and is from maryland). i feel more of a culture shock from the east coast kids than i do from czech people.
east coast kids wear silly bands (weird plastic bracelets that make shapes when you take them off), and all the kids in the program are rich! which i guess makes sense concidering. it's hard for me not to judge them for it, but i'm trying.
ok well ii'm afraid my computer will die soon, so i'll post this just in cases and then try to show you some pictures
anywho i'll make this fast, which i shame cause i actually have good things to say finally. and picture to boot!
you'll just have to use your imagination.
so i'm here, but you got that. first day was weird. very much like birthright. i took a cab to the hotel where everyone met. it was a sweet hotel but it was weird being mixed up with a bunch of strangers my age along with czech strangers my age (like the israeli soldiers) who feel kinda like camp couselars cause they're helping us so much.
so then we went to our appartments, which are pretty cute, like my appartment last term but bigger, taller ceilings and big doors but kinda run down. it's in a cool part of town though. right by a big old church.
prague looks like a campier version of paris.
so then we went to school, which is cool, just like an old building with only classes for american kids in this program.
oh my roomates are simona and emily (from new jersey goes to colorado u, and andrea lee who goes to georgetown and is from maryland). i feel more of a culture shock from the east coast kids than i do from czech people.
east coast kids wear silly bands (weird plastic bracelets that make shapes when you take them off), and all the kids in the program are rich! which i guess makes sense concidering. it's hard for me not to judge them for it, but i'm trying.
ok well ii'm afraid my computer will die soon, so i'll post this just in cases and then try to show you some pictures
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
intermission
so i've been back home now for about a week. enjoying having a french exchange student (victorine) to gallivant around with.
the last part of my israel/ new york adventure was the best, i spent it in tivoli (northern town in new york) with my estranged friend kesslie who i've known since kindergarden. it was so great not only hanging out with someone my own age but someone who i really enjoy and missed. plus i looooooooove cute little towns! unfortunately (or fotunatley depending on how you look at it) we had a little too much fun the first night which resulted in a wicked hangover which lasted the entire next day.
i fell asleep watching twilight and woke up on a loveseat with my feet and neck propped up on the giant arm rests. i was so uncomfortable but too sick to move. later i did end up throwing up while kesslie discovered that the dog, she was watching for her friend, has pooped all over the floor and tracked it up onto the couches. it was a very unfortunate morning indeed.
but the trip was great and i was so happy i got to spend that time with kesslie.
so now i will take a breif intermission for the summer. i have about a month until i leave for prague to study for fall term. i still can't believe i'm doing this but it's happening!
for now i'm going to laze around, adventure downtown, go to caty's cabin, try not to get anymore sunburn, and attend my childhood friend leanna's wedding. i'll worry about finding a job later i guess.
the last part of my israel/ new york adventure was the best, i spent it in tivoli (northern town in new york) with my estranged friend kesslie who i've known since kindergarden. it was so great not only hanging out with someone my own age but someone who i really enjoy and missed. plus i looooooooove cute little towns! unfortunately (or fotunatley depending on how you look at it) we had a little too much fun the first night which resulted in a wicked hangover which lasted the entire next day.
i fell asleep watching twilight and woke up on a loveseat with my feet and neck propped up on the giant arm rests. i was so uncomfortable but too sick to move. later i did end up throwing up while kesslie discovered that the dog, she was watching for her friend, has pooped all over the floor and tracked it up onto the couches. it was a very unfortunate morning indeed.
but the trip was great and i was so happy i got to spend that time with kesslie.
so now i will take a breif intermission for the summer. i have about a month until i leave for prague to study for fall term. i still can't believe i'm doing this but it's happening!
for now i'm going to laze around, adventure downtown, go to caty's cabin, try not to get anymore sunburn, and attend my childhood friend leanna's wedding. i'll worry about finding a job later i guess.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
New York
hey look at me, blogging in new york just like carry or the younger julia, or ugly betty (although i think that i was the only one watching that show there towards the end).
anywho, so yea, new york. i'm staying here with my 1st cousin once removed, david. yesturday i went to visit my grandpa joe's long term girlfriend, pearl. she's 92 and really sweet and a cinical way. when a large man appears behind her in line or in the bread isle she looks up and says "wanna fight?"
she stares unabashedly at children and babies in strollers explaining that shes "just watching the show"
when i point out that she's trying to park in a space marked 'for poilce vehicles only' she says "oh so you think you're literate huh?"
she's decided that she's going to help me get a boyfriend, some of her advice includes joining a club or cause, and paying lots of compliments.
today, after taking the train to the city from pearl's house in merrick, david and i went to the high line and then to the chelsea market and then to some squares and then on a twilight cruise on a sailboat around the hudson, it was pretty sweet. tomorrow i think im going to go shopping around on broadway. i'm so sick of wear my crappy "i don't care what happens to them" clothes.
anywho, so yea, new york. i'm staying here with my 1st cousin once removed, david. yesturday i went to visit my grandpa joe's long term girlfriend, pearl. she's 92 and really sweet and a cinical way. when a large man appears behind her in line or in the bread isle she looks up and says "wanna fight?"
she stares unabashedly at children and babies in strollers explaining that shes "just watching the show"
when i point out that she's trying to park in a space marked 'for poilce vehicles only' she says "oh so you think you're literate huh?"
she's decided that she's going to help me get a boyfriend, some of her advice includes joining a club or cause, and paying lots of compliments.
today, after taking the train to the city from pearl's house in merrick, david and i went to the high line and then to the chelsea market and then to some squares and then on a twilight cruise on a sailboat around the hudson, it was pretty sweet. tomorrow i think im going to go shopping around on broadway. i'm so sick of wear my crappy "i don't care what happens to them" clothes.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
camping...
right now meytal and i are watching "you dont mess with the zohan", kinda topical.
two days ago we spent the day at the beach and drank Israeli beer and ate happy hippos (the best little chocolate things, i would bring some home but they would get smashed). we finally did go in the water, but i was being a weenus (meytal's words) about the jellyfish and waves. it was really nice though. i used strategic sunscreen placement to try and remedy my horrible tan line, but to no avail.
yesterday we went "camping" with meytal's sister aviv and her boyfriend tal. aviv is in medical school so i assumed i could trust her judgment but it turns out even though they are older than us, aviv and her boyfriend are not very good at decision making. we drove 2 hours north to camp by the jordan river but when we got to the location there were signs saying "no fire making, no tent setting" etc. We couldn't go anyplace else because it was already 8 and the sun was setting so we stayed there and hoped for the best.
20 minutes later we see a flashlight pointed towards us so we shut up and sit there swearing under our breath. inexplicably the flashlight person walks all around us and then leaves without approaching us.
we drank arak and ate the best barbecue ever (hummus has never tasted so right) all the while we were being manged to death by mosquitoes.
i've given up on learning hebrew and have reverted back to practicing my french. the bus drivers aren't gonna understand me anyways, at least this way i feel somewhat accomplished.
tonight going out with meytal's friend orel, tomorrow going to haifa?
two days ago we spent the day at the beach and drank Israeli beer and ate happy hippos (the best little chocolate things, i would bring some home but they would get smashed). we finally did go in the water, but i was being a weenus (meytal's words) about the jellyfish and waves. it was really nice though. i used strategic sunscreen placement to try and remedy my horrible tan line, but to no avail.
yesterday we went "camping" with meytal's sister aviv and her boyfriend tal. aviv is in medical school so i assumed i could trust her judgment but it turns out even though they are older than us, aviv and her boyfriend are not very good at decision making. we drove 2 hours north to camp by the jordan river but when we got to the location there were signs saying "no fire making, no tent setting" etc. We couldn't go anyplace else because it was already 8 and the sun was setting so we stayed there and hoped for the best.
20 minutes later we see a flashlight pointed towards us so we shut up and sit there swearing under our breath. inexplicably the flashlight person walks all around us and then leaves without approaching us.
we drank arak and ate the best barbecue ever (hummus has never tasted so right) all the while we were being manged to death by mosquitoes.
i've given up on learning hebrew and have reverted back to practicing my french. the bus drivers aren't gonna understand me anyways, at least this way i feel somewhat accomplished.
tonight going out with meytal's friend orel, tomorrow going to haifa?
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
back in meytal's loving embrace
ha ha!! it worked!
all that strife finally panned out and i am here in meytal's parent's palatial apartment.
Her family is really cool. When her parents walked in yesterday I was watching the biggest loser and meytal was passed out on the comfy chair. her mom asked "how are you?" and then a couple minutes later hands me a slice of chocolate cake.
the woman knows the way to my heart.
they live in Rishon Letzyion which is like a 5 minute walk from the sea, which i WILL go into eventually, jellyfish be damned!!!!
anywho, i'm really excited to be here and on the last leg of my israeli adventure.
as predicted i had some massive public transportation issues the other day trying to get to and from the city of david. i wont bore you with the details but the highlights were, no one speaking english on the way there and me having to call my cousin and force the phone on a stranger to translate. on the way back, being misinformed by the bus drive as to whether or not i missed my stop, getting off the bus with another misinformed fellow and having to hitchhike and sit in a car seat.
today i think we're heading into tel aviv...
all that strife finally panned out and i am here in meytal's parent's palatial apartment.
Her family is really cool. When her parents walked in yesterday I was watching the biggest loser and meytal was passed out on the comfy chair. her mom asked "how are you?" and then a couple minutes later hands me a slice of chocolate cake.
the woman knows the way to my heart.
they live in Rishon Letzyion which is like a 5 minute walk from the sea, which i WILL go into eventually, jellyfish be damned!!!!
anywho, i'm really excited to be here and on the last leg of my israeli adventure.
as predicted i had some massive public transportation issues the other day trying to get to and from the city of david. i wont bore you with the details but the highlights were, no one speaking english on the way there and me having to call my cousin and force the phone on a stranger to translate. on the way back, being misinformed by the bus drive as to whether or not i missed my stop, getting off the bus with another misinformed fellow and having to hitchhike and sit in a car seat.
today i think we're heading into tel aviv...
Sunday, July 4, 2010
shabbos
i have survived a berkowitz family shabbos.
its so weird to hear people with the last name 'berkowitz' since i'm hardley ever around my mom's side of the family.
my cousins live a a "settlement" which is basically like a suburban neighborhood which is gated off, where everyone is basically the same level of religiousness. its called Allon Sheveut and it's on the otherside of the greenline so whenever we drive to or from Jerusalem we have to go through a security check.
so from sundown on friday to sundown on saturday there is no touching of electricity and no driving. some of the lights stay on and somethings are on a "shabbos timer" so that they automatically turn on and off. it was really no problem except that i did trip going up the stairs to bed one time.
yesturday around 6 i took a walk around the neighborhood. i'm the only one wearing jeans and a tee-shirt every other female is wearing a skirt to her knees and a shirt covering her elbows (this isnt just a shabbos thing btw, it's an all the time thing, at least in this neighborhood). the sunset was soooo pretty! i walked to the edge of the gate and then started walking back, then i turned around and it was even prettier so i uncontrollably started speedwalking back towards it until i got even closer to the edge. i think my fixation with sunsets is getting a little out of hand.
today im going on a tour of the city of david. the tour starts at the dung gate and goes through water tunnels and what not. i'm pretty excited i just hope i can get there on time because the public transportation out here is a little unreliable. everybody here hitchhikes i just dont think i should seeing as i dont speak hebrew at all.
its so weird to hear people with the last name 'berkowitz' since i'm hardley ever around my mom's side of the family.
my cousins live a a "settlement" which is basically like a suburban neighborhood which is gated off, where everyone is basically the same level of religiousness. its called Allon Sheveut and it's on the otherside of the greenline so whenever we drive to or from Jerusalem we have to go through a security check.
so from sundown on friday to sundown on saturday there is no touching of electricity and no driving. some of the lights stay on and somethings are on a "shabbos timer" so that they automatically turn on and off. it was really no problem except that i did trip going up the stairs to bed one time.
yesturday around 6 i took a walk around the neighborhood. i'm the only one wearing jeans and a tee-shirt every other female is wearing a skirt to her knees and a shirt covering her elbows (this isnt just a shabbos thing btw, it's an all the time thing, at least in this neighborhood). the sunset was soooo pretty! i walked to the edge of the gate and then started walking back, then i turned around and it was even prettier so i uncontrollably started speedwalking back towards it until i got even closer to the edge. i think my fixation with sunsets is getting a little out of hand.
today im going on a tour of the city of david. the tour starts at the dung gate and goes through water tunnels and what not. i'm pretty excited i just hope i can get there on time because the public transportation out here is a little unreliable. everybody here hitchhikes i just dont think i should seeing as i dont speak hebrew at all.
Friday, July 2, 2010
sand in my lungs
so here's an adventure for you caty:
went back to tel aviv yesturday for layla lavan (white night, some nightime event with free concerts and the like). it took forever to get there what with the bus never showing up and then missing the train by a couple minutes. im getting pretty good at navigating the central bus malls, trains i still have some problems with.
but the point is that layla lavan was super fun. i went back to jaffa to meet up with the girls, it felt like coming home, that place is the best. then we went to an arab rock concert which some of us really weren't feeling so we caught a cab and met up some of the kids and soldiers from birthright. that was a more fun concert, it was in the middle of the street and things were being projected onto the adjacent buildings. then we walked for a while to another concert on the beach.
we may or may not have ended up sleeping on the beach.
ok we did, but didn't actually sleep as much as i did at the bus stop and at the hostel and then on the bus back to jerusalem.
in the morning the streets were littered with litter and roudy, sleep deprived, probably still drunk young adults. it was quite the sight.
on another note, i'm starting to get more and more oregon sick. i cant wait to come home and am sort of bemoaning the fact that i'm staying in new york for a week after this. my clothes are gonna be sooooo dirty
went back to tel aviv yesturday for layla lavan (white night, some nightime event with free concerts and the like). it took forever to get there what with the bus never showing up and then missing the train by a couple minutes. im getting pretty good at navigating the central bus malls, trains i still have some problems with.
but the point is that layla lavan was super fun. i went back to jaffa to meet up with the girls, it felt like coming home, that place is the best. then we went to an arab rock concert which some of us really weren't feeling so we caught a cab and met up some of the kids and soldiers from birthright. that was a more fun concert, it was in the middle of the street and things were being projected onto the adjacent buildings. then we walked for a while to another concert on the beach.
we may or may not have ended up sleeping on the beach.
ok we did, but didn't actually sleep as much as i did at the bus stop and at the hostel and then on the bus back to jerusalem.
in the morning the streets were littered with litter and roudy, sleep deprived, probably still drunk young adults. it was quite the sight.
on another note, i'm starting to get more and more oregon sick. i cant wait to come home and am sort of bemoaning the fact that i'm staying in new york for a week after this. my clothes are gonna be sooooo dirty
Thursday, July 1, 2010
YAYAYAY!
I got my ticket changeddddd!
so i'm staying in israel until july 13th and i get to see meytal and do meytalilamma things : )
thats all
so i'm staying in israel until july 13th and i get to see meytal and do meytalilamma things : )
thats all
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
i all of a sudden want a glazed donut sooooooo bad.
anyways, today was one of those days where i don't actually talk to anybody (except to ask for directions, which i hate doing but is more than neccessary here).
i got myself to the jeruselum bus mall looking for a market that meytal told me about which im pretty sure is not the market i found since it was way too practical. just a bunch of vegtables and linens and kitchen things.
i was still really sleepy from the bus ride, and from getting more than enough sleep the night before, so i set out looking for a shaded bench to pass out on. i eventually found this really long park with lots of trees and i spent like two hours there doing alot of nothing. can't remeber the last time i had so much time to waste in a park. it was nice though
trying to decide if i should go back to tel aviv tomorrow (cause this place is kind of boring and awkward) or the next day (to save money on a hostle), but then the problem is i would be spending about 13 hours in the airport.
all of this is no consequence to all of you. this is just what happens when i have something on my mind and i start to right.
i'm sure you're biting your nails waiting to find out which i decide so i'll let you know as soon i know!
anyways, today was one of those days where i don't actually talk to anybody (except to ask for directions, which i hate doing but is more than neccessary here).
i got myself to the jeruselum bus mall looking for a market that meytal told me about which im pretty sure is not the market i found since it was way too practical. just a bunch of vegtables and linens and kitchen things.
i was still really sleepy from the bus ride, and from getting more than enough sleep the night before, so i set out looking for a shaded bench to pass out on. i eventually found this really long park with lots of trees and i spent like two hours there doing alot of nothing. can't remeber the last time i had so much time to waste in a park. it was nice though
trying to decide if i should go back to tel aviv tomorrow (cause this place is kind of boring and awkward) or the next day (to save money on a hostle), but then the problem is i would be spending about 13 hours in the airport.
all of this is no consequence to all of you. this is just what happens when i have something on my mind and i start to right.
i'm sure you're biting your nails waiting to find out which i decide so i'll let you know as soon i know!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
i made an oopsie
t'was my first major traveling error.
i was getting myself to Jeruselum from Jaffa. Took the bus to the Train station. Got a ticket to Jeruselum, got to the correct platform. A train pulls up and we all get on it, I turn to the woman next to me and say "Yarusheliem? is this going to Jeruselum?" She was smiling and nodding, but i should've realized that she was smiling and nodding even before i posed the question.
I sat down and think, 'ok if this train leaves at 1 then it's the right train'. a couple minutes later it starts pulling away from the platform and i ask the girl across from me who had just gotten off the phone "this train is going to Jeruselum yes?"
she looks up with wide eyes, smiling and shaking her head "lo"
"noOO? fuck!"
the couple across from us are very helpful and speak perfect english. They tell me to get off at the last stop in Modine and then take the bus to Jerusleum from there.
When I get off the train I can't get out of the station because it requires you to resubmit your ticket into the machine things and it keeps rejecting my ticket becuase it's for Jerulsum and not Modine. I pace back a forth a bit and finally get a coffee shop girl to let me out threw her store (really bad planning on the israeli train station). so i cross the street to the mall because the man on the train told me that the bus mall is on the other side. i'm approaching the security check and i step in gum (not even lying, this is just when i have to laugh). Security checks are a bitch with all of my luggage and this is just the first of 3 i had to go threw today.
get on the weird little bus to Jerulsem and try really hard not to fall asleep. Get off at the bus mall and get on a bus to the Malha mall which is right by the train station where my cousin Michael is meeting me.
I've stopped trying to be frugal, it's just not a possibility. I keep leaving things unzipped and dropping coins, probably lost at least 20 sheckle that way.
so now i'm in Michaels office, killing time until he gets off. it's airconditioned and the sweat is drying (TMI?). Michael is really nice and so are two of his sons that i've met so far. one is an architecture major here.
i'm suprisingly comfortable with them concidering i've never met any of them before.
now to finish my bagel and call delta (7th time today)
i was getting myself to Jeruselum from Jaffa. Took the bus to the Train station. Got a ticket to Jeruselum, got to the correct platform. A train pulls up and we all get on it, I turn to the woman next to me and say "Yarusheliem? is this going to Jeruselum?" She was smiling and nodding, but i should've realized that she was smiling and nodding even before i posed the question.
I sat down and think, 'ok if this train leaves at 1 then it's the right train'. a couple minutes later it starts pulling away from the platform and i ask the girl across from me who had just gotten off the phone "this train is going to Jeruselum yes?"
she looks up with wide eyes, smiling and shaking her head "lo"
"noOO? fuck!"
the couple across from us are very helpful and speak perfect english. They tell me to get off at the last stop in Modine and then take the bus to Jerusleum from there.
When I get off the train I can't get out of the station because it requires you to resubmit your ticket into the machine things and it keeps rejecting my ticket becuase it's for Jerulsum and not Modine. I pace back a forth a bit and finally get a coffee shop girl to let me out threw her store (really bad planning on the israeli train station). so i cross the street to the mall because the man on the train told me that the bus mall is on the other side. i'm approaching the security check and i step in gum (not even lying, this is just when i have to laugh). Security checks are a bitch with all of my luggage and this is just the first of 3 i had to go threw today.
get on the weird little bus to Jerulsem and try really hard not to fall asleep. Get off at the bus mall and get on a bus to the Malha mall which is right by the train station where my cousin Michael is meeting me.
I've stopped trying to be frugal, it's just not a possibility. I keep leaving things unzipped and dropping coins, probably lost at least 20 sheckle that way.
so now i'm in Michaels office, killing time until he gets off. it's airconditioned and the sweat is drying (TMI?). Michael is really nice and so are two of his sons that i've met so far. one is an architecture major here.
i'm suprisingly comfortable with them concidering i've never met any of them before.
now to finish my bagel and call delta (7th time today)
Monday, June 28, 2010
ToDay bea And I walked along the mediterranean. The water was sooo nice but it was infested with jellyfish so we couldn't really go in. Saw a couple jelly fish which was neat. We had falaffle and I finished mine on the roof of our hostle whilst reading eat pray love. That book is so whiney. It's like something I could write.
that gives me an idea
anyways then I noticed that was sun was setting and so I grabbed bea and sped walked to the edge off the old town looking over the sea. U know I'm a sucker for sunsets.
Tomorrow I'm getting myself back to jerusalem to stay with my cousins who I've never met. They seem nice and accomodating so I'm pretty sure I'm excited. I feel like I'm goin to meet my host family or something.
Now I'm going to go wander with my new friend Zoe, and bea most likely.
Laila tov!
that gives me an idea
anyways then I noticed that was sun was setting and so I grabbed bea and sped walked to the edge off the old town looking over the sea. U know I'm a sucker for sunsets.
Tomorrow I'm getting myself back to jerusalem to stay with my cousins who I've never met. They seem nice and accomodating so I'm pretty sure I'm excited. I feel like I'm goin to meet my host family or something.
Now I'm going to go wander with my new friend Zoe, and bea most likely.
Laila tov!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Loose in the homeland
Ok so birthright is officially over now. I managed to extend my ticket until the 3rd of July and will be calling delta like mad to try and get a latter ticket. (I'm sooooo sry meytal!!!!)
so last night I stayed over at the staffers inlaws house with six other girls who were extending. Today we took the train and a cab to get to old Jaffa to arrive here in our beautiful hostel! I was pretty uneasy about the situation until we opened the doors to the hostel. It's so cool, old and European. Right now bea and I are sitting out on the balcony I wish I could show u a picture.
So the only downfall to this sitution is the girls we're with. I've never felt such high school bitchyness is all my life. The leader of the pack is Becky and she has frizzy red hair which is always in a bun and she's very high strung. She's developed a twitch in both her eyes. Also there's Kayla who is a tan valley girl (actually from the valley) who works at american apperal. The other two are nice enough and I'm sure everything will be fine. It's just a funny situation.
K well I'm happy to be away from birthright and seeing things on my own. We're gonna go get dinner now. But free wi fi! So I'll be back
so last night I stayed over at the staffers inlaws house with six other girls who were extending. Today we took the train and a cab to get to old Jaffa to arrive here in our beautiful hostel! I was pretty uneasy about the situation until we opened the doors to the hostel. It's so cool, old and European. Right now bea and I are sitting out on the balcony I wish I could show u a picture.
So the only downfall to this sitution is the girls we're with. I've never felt such high school bitchyness is all my life. The leader of the pack is Becky and she has frizzy red hair which is always in a bun and she's very high strung. She's developed a twitch in both her eyes. Also there's Kayla who is a tan valley girl (actually from the valley) who works at american apperal. The other two are nice enough and I'm sure everything will be fine. It's just a funny situation.
K well I'm happy to be away from birthright and seeing things on my own. We're gonna go get dinner now. But free wi fi! So I'll be back
Thursday, June 24, 2010
So I have a ticket out of Israel on July 3rd. I'll hang around with bea and then stay with family for a couple of days. I'm just doing wahtever I can at this point to be here when meytal comes. If anyone knows someone who works for delta I need all the help I can get! But I'm trying to make lemonaide out of lemons over here. I've never been so good at that as u know.
Today we in tiberias again, went on a hike in an orchard went rafting on the Jordan river and then had a dancing hookah party outside with a couple other groups. It was pretty sweet, it was very oregony today. Rafting was a comedy of errors I was paddling in the back and we kept running into trees and were the last people to finish by like 15 minutes. Got a nice shoulder and thigh tan going, so I got that going for me. Erica and I saw a ghost inthe hotel (maybe probably) it's to hard to explain. Remind me to tell u later.
Today we in tiberias again, went on a hike in an orchard went rafting on the Jordan river and then had a dancing hookah party outside with a couple other groups. It was pretty sweet, it was very oregony today. Rafting was a comedy of errors I was paddling in the back and we kept running into trees and were the last people to finish by like 15 minutes. Got a nice shoulder and thigh tan going, so I got that going for me. Erica and I saw a ghost inthe hotel (maybe probably) it's to hard to explain. Remind me to tell u later.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
The dead sea
Today we woke up in the bedouin camps at 3 35 and hiked up Masada . Then we went to the dead sea, kindof a horrible expirience. Not so much the sea itself (although it did burn like he'll) but the reosrt was hot and smelled of sulfur and was filled with big old Israeli ladies who harrased us for not eatig kosher. So now were in tiberius not really sure what's going on especially with be extended travel plans but yea. We are sitting Around in the lobby of our hotel watching MTV and talking with some of our Israeli soldier friends.Typing on the itouch is hard
Monday, June 21, 2010
oh vey!
i'm in israel!!
sorry, i know travel blogs are only fun when people actually update them, but internet here is soooo expensive. 18 sheckles a minute! ($3.50)
i wanted to come write with new of plans but now i'm in a tizzy because i still dont know when i'm returning and i'm just really trying to fight the urge not to complain.
so anywaaaaayyyys,
tomorrow i ride a camel! we're going into the dessert and then hiking and lying in the dead sea, it's gettin pretty exciting.
my miserly ways are not working out so well here, with the expensive internet and the food is not very cheap (getting pretty sick of fallafel) and i had to barter for a necklace that i can't quite figure out if it was a good buy or not...
but today we went to the holocaust museum, it was beautiful, your architects should look it up (the one in jeruselum)
yea i know lots of spelling mistakes, i'm too anxious to figure out the right click on this this so you'll all just have to deal,
well i must away!
sorry, i know travel blogs are only fun when people actually update them, but internet here is soooo expensive. 18 sheckles a minute! ($3.50)
i wanted to come write with new of plans but now i'm in a tizzy because i still dont know when i'm returning and i'm just really trying to fight the urge not to complain.
so anywaaaaayyyys,
tomorrow i ride a camel! we're going into the dessert and then hiking and lying in the dead sea, it's gettin pretty exciting.
my miserly ways are not working out so well here, with the expensive internet and the food is not very cheap (getting pretty sick of fallafel) and i had to barter for a necklace that i can't quite figure out if it was a good buy or not...
but today we went to the holocaust museum, it was beautiful, your architects should look it up (the one in jeruselum)
yea i know lots of spelling mistakes, i'm too anxious to figure out the right click on this this so you'll all just have to deal,
well i must away!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
So I'm writing this on my itouch so please excuse the (more than usual) spelling and grammar mistakes.
Today we had plans to go to grenich village, china town and little Italy. We unfortunatley only made it as far as the village cause we met leahs boyfriend and his friend at a bar to have a drink and watch the soccer game. They had had quite a few and when we got back to the friends appatment the bf was too drunk to move so we basically sat around for a while while he slept it off. No harm done though. We walked around soho, I drank some burbon when no one was watching so I wasn't hard to please.
This morning we went to that really huge cathedral (the one u told me about mom...and also mom, while I've got u here, disregard the burbon part)
typing on this thing is making my forearms hurt. I leave for Israel at 7 pm tomorrow so this may ne the last of Internet for a while
love u all!!!!!
Today we had plans to go to grenich village, china town and little Italy. We unfortunatley only made it as far as the village cause we met leahs boyfriend and his friend at a bar to have a drink and watch the soccer game. They had had quite a few and when we got back to the friends appatment the bf was too drunk to move so we basically sat around for a while while he slept it off. No harm done though. We walked around soho, I drank some burbon when no one was watching so I wasn't hard to please.
This morning we went to that really huge cathedral (the one u told me about mom...and also mom, while I've got u here, disregard the burbon part)
typing on this thing is making my forearms hurt. I leave for Israel at 7 pm tomorrow so this may ne the last of Internet for a while
love u all!!!!!
Ok so...
I am starting a travel blog so I can be super cool.
No really it's so that I can update you about my experiences and not have to share it with everyone on facebook who may or may not be interested.
I'm sort of in a hurry now though. Bea just got out of the shower and I don't know how long she's gonna take getting ready. I harassed her to get up so it wouldn't be fair of me to keep her waiting.
Yesterday we went to Times Square and from there we were trying to get to Central Park. We wandered into Toy r Us to escape the beggars and hustlers and we tried to ask an employee which way to Central Park. The first guy didn't know, which seemed really strange since we knew it was only about a 1/4 mile away. So then we simply asked him which way was north. He didn't know that either! So then we asked another employee, a 40 year old blonde woman. "You know.. i've lived here all my life and I can't tell ya" She didn't know which way was north either! She then asked her manager and he pointed us in the right direction.
So yea. I'm gonna try and keep this as honest as possible, as if it were my my journal. I just don't want to offend anyone.
Namely my travel partner.
: )
No really it's so that I can update you about my experiences and not have to share it with everyone on facebook who may or may not be interested.
I'm sort of in a hurry now though. Bea just got out of the shower and I don't know how long she's gonna take getting ready. I harassed her to get up so it wouldn't be fair of me to keep her waiting.
Yesterday we went to Times Square and from there we were trying to get to Central Park. We wandered into Toy r Us to escape the beggars and hustlers and we tried to ask an employee which way to Central Park. The first guy didn't know, which seemed really strange since we knew it was only about a 1/4 mile away. So then we simply asked him which way was north. He didn't know that either! So then we asked another employee, a 40 year old blonde woman. "You know.. i've lived here all my life and I can't tell ya" She didn't know which way was north either! She then asked her manager and he pointed us in the right direction.
So yea. I'm gonna try and keep this as honest as possible, as if it were my my journal. I just don't want to offend anyone.
Namely my travel partner.
: )
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