A lot of people are looking for their chance to travel the world and experience the things they’ve only read about in books. I am fortunate enough to have been able to study here In Prague for three and a half months while also traveling around different places in Europe and soaking in all that is the world as we know it.
During my stay, I’ve made a lot of good friends, had a lot of laughs, a few tears, a lot of memorable nights, nights I can’t remember, trips to places I loved and trips to places I thought were okay and wiped out my entire bank account. Throughout all of this, I learned something that cannot be taught, purchased or traveled to. I learned that there is no trip that you can go on that makes you forget about the ones who have been there for you even when you’re thousands of miles away.
I’m lucky to have a little dysfunctional family here that can momentarily distract me from the nagging feeling of sadness that comes along with missing birthdays, holidays and moments when friends and family needed me the most, but the feeling is still there. At the same time, I am so happy to have the kind of people in my life who are worth missing.
Countless times I found myself picking up my phone to call my mom about something I deemed important or wanting to text my friends or siblings to see what they’re doing later. It’s times like these when I look back and think of the things I take for granted. Hugs from mom and dad are so readily available at home; grandma and grandpa live 10 minutes away and my aunts and uncle are always more than willing to let me come over.
This has been one of the greatest experiences of my life so far. I will cherish the friendships and the memories I’ve made and also appreciate the friends, family and memories I already had.
I would like to thank you all for traveling around with me via my blog. It’s been a pleasure.
Europe has my money, but home has my heart.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Europe on a budget?
After a semester of chipping teeth, losing iPods, getting tickets, volcanoes erupting, breaking phones, traveling every weekend and eating like a horse, it only makes sense that I give you future and/or current travelers some pointers on how to make your trip a success without breaking the bank.
As I approach the end of my trip there are several things going through my mind. One of the things I'm thinking about is my lack of funds. I am going to Barcelona for the last five days of my trip and I'm trying to figure out ways I can afford to eat while I'm there. With this thought, I am taken back to my first month here in Europe and I wonder what I could have done differently to save some pennies or Benjamin's...
Here is my advice in no particular order:
Unlike me, you should actually set a budget before you leave. I decided to leave with enough money in my account to last me for what I thought would be forever and not check it for almost a month after I got here. Bad move. It’s better to actually check your bank statements online about once a week so you don’t literally shit your pants when you see $1,000 gone. There went another $26 for laundry….
It might be helpful to research online how much money (on average) people spend in the country or town you’ll be traveling in and try to stick to that as best as you can. Any money left over can be used for souvenirs or another trip!
Don’t be stupid. A mistake I am all too familiar with over here (and back home). Ice is slippery (broken tooth $250), cheap phones aren’t very durable ($25), validate your tram tickets ($40 violation if you don’t), random strangers are not trustworthy so don’t leave your valuables in your coat pockets (RIPiPod $200), weekend excursions are expensive and they add up, when your stomach tells your brain that it’s hungry, stop and think if two snicker bars before dinner is REALLY worth it or if you can wait.
Never trust the weather man. Sunny skies and 65 degrees? Sounds great! The chances of that actually happening are not 100% so keep that in mind. It’s always a good idea to bring an umbrella with you and don’t go on trips if you don’t have extra money for unpredictable problems (i.e. volcanoes erupting).
It’s a good idea to plan your trip on a budget so you don’t come home broke but don’t be unrealistic. Try to give yourself enough money to be comfortable. It’s no fun to be pinching pennies when you’re in a foreign country while you’re trying to make the most of it.
Most importantly, soak it in. Don’t’ try to pack too many things into your trip because you’ll be rushed and annoyed. Fun stories can come out of losing things, getting your plans changed by a natural disaster or wandering around with your friends.
School: $3,300
Trips: $2,500
Lost/stolen/damaged/fined: $600
Souvenirs: $500
Making friends and having a time you’ll never forget: Priceless
As I approach the end of my trip there are several things going through my mind. One of the things I'm thinking about is my lack of funds. I am going to Barcelona for the last five days of my trip and I'm trying to figure out ways I can afford to eat while I'm there. With this thought, I am taken back to my first month here in Europe and I wonder what I could have done differently to save some pennies or Benjamin's...
Here is my advice in no particular order:
Unlike me, you should actually set a budget before you leave. I decided to leave with enough money in my account to last me for what I thought would be forever and not check it for almost a month after I got here. Bad move. It’s better to actually check your bank statements online about once a week so you don’t literally shit your pants when you see $1,000 gone. There went another $26 for laundry….
It might be helpful to research online how much money (on average) people spend in the country or town you’ll be traveling in and try to stick to that as best as you can. Any money left over can be used for souvenirs or another trip!
Don’t be stupid. A mistake I am all too familiar with over here (and back home). Ice is slippery (broken tooth $250), cheap phones aren’t very durable ($25), validate your tram tickets ($40 violation if you don’t), random strangers are not trustworthy so don’t leave your valuables in your coat pockets (RIPiPod $200), weekend excursions are expensive and they add up, when your stomach tells your brain that it’s hungry, stop and think if two snicker bars before dinner is REALLY worth it or if you can wait.
Never trust the weather man. Sunny skies and 65 degrees? Sounds great! The chances of that actually happening are not 100% so keep that in mind. It’s always a good idea to bring an umbrella with you and don’t go on trips if you don’t have extra money for unpredictable problems (i.e. volcanoes erupting).
It’s a good idea to plan your trip on a budget so you don’t come home broke but don’t be unrealistic. Try to give yourself enough money to be comfortable. It’s no fun to be pinching pennies when you’re in a foreign country while you’re trying to make the most of it.
Most importantly, soak it in. Don’t’ try to pack too many things into your trip because you’ll be rushed and annoyed. Fun stories can come out of losing things, getting your plans changed by a natural disaster or wandering around with your friends.
School: $3,300
Trips: $2,500
Lost/stolen/damaged/fined: $600
Souvenirs: $500
Making friends and having a time you’ll never forget: Priceless
Monday, April 26, 2010
Volcanic ash and trailer trash
Most importantly – can anyone update me on the Jolie-Pitts? What about Taylor Swift? Miley Cyrus? I don’t even know the names of any other celebrities I’m that far out of the loop. I’d even settle for Billy Mays but he died…. Too soon?
I haven’t read a tabloid since the last Bush was in office and it’s just been too long! All of this grown up news is getting to me. Sure the War in Iraq is worth mentioning but what about Britney? Somebody’s got to look out for her.
Something that I do know about is volcanoes. The Eyjafjallajokull (yes that’s a word and don’t even bother trying to pronounce it) volcano to be exact. Except I don’t really know anything about it. Just that it erupted stuff called lava and lava is really hot and you can’t touch it even though it looks soft. Ash also came out of this volcano and don’t you dare think you can fly a plane through the ash because I already asked and they said no.
The most traumatizing part of this whole volcano situation isn’t that our flight was canceled or that we had to pay hundreds of dollars in unwanted train tickets and hostel stays or that we missed a few days of our spring break trip. It’s the part about my Icelandic friend, Raven, that really breaks my heart.
We can’t be friends. It’s as simple as that. As soon as I saw that our flight was canceled and that we had already taken a four hour bus ride into Slovakia to catch our plane I didn’t think about anything else except for “It’s over for Raven and I.”
Sure we weren’t that close. In fact, I don’t even think she knows my name and I sure as hell can’t pronounce her real name. She just told us her name was Raven because our tiny American minds couldn’t even understand she was saying a word when she told us her name. It actually might have been Eyjafjallajokull now that I think about it…. I’m just upset that I lost a friend.
Maybe I’m a little bitter but I’m a boy on a budget and all of these set backs in Slovakia and Austria weren’t cheap!
Let me just tell you that Bratislava, Slovakia is pretty… But not pretty enough for me to want to spend any extended amount of time there. Austria is gorgeous but I had already been to Vienna and that’s where we ended up staying for two nights.
I’m at the point in my trip where if my friends make me take another walking tour I’ll scream. I might even have a mental breakdown but that might be pushing it. I’m just over it. Three and a half hours of history lessons is what it comes down to and don’t get me wrong I LOVE hearing about history and statues and all that cra—stuff, but not all at once… I’m not a voice recorder! I can’t remember all of this information!
Moving on.
Bratislava and Vienna were nice. Chad and Michelle were frantically trying to figure out how and when we would get to our final destination of Italy for most of the time while I just sat there uselessly (Michelle’s words) and pretended to be interested in train times and hostel options.
We finally got to Florence after a 12.5 hour train/bus trip. It was beautiful. I just love Italy I think. Florence is smaller than Rome and there was more country surrounding it so that was gorgeous as well.
After Florence we went to Cinque Terre which is an area on the coast of Italy consisting of five small towns on these cliffs which are SO cool! If you’re ever in Italy you should definitely make your way there. It’s worth the cheap and short train ride. Pictures didn’t do it much justice but I’ll see if I can do it with words. It’s pretty…. Did that help?
We stayed in the first town called Riomaggiore. Since these towns are all on cliffs you can imagine the hiking we had to do. Side note: sweaty flip flops are not helpful while climbing up hills. Just a warning.
There are hiking trails you can go on that scale the sides of the cliffs and go through each city which we went on. The first trail is really easy but they get more difficult as you go on. I was prepared with my hiking shoes, jacket and umbrella because it was raining. My friends were not so lucky.
I had a great time though. Even with the rain and the clouds, the towns and the hills were breathtaking. I’d definitely go back.
On our way to Pisa we stopped in this small town called Lucca. It’s surrounded by a wall so that’s what makes it a tourist destination. That’s all there is to Lucca.
On to Pisa!
I let Chad and Michelle borrow one of the rolly suitcases I brought with on this trip so they could check it on our flight. Well as you know we didn’t have a flight but we still had the rolly suitcase. Fun fact: rolly suitcases don’t roll so well when their wheels break. Oh yeah, rolly suitcase don’t roll no mo. This became a problem immediately. Chad and I took turns carrying that *#&#* #%$%@ suitcase all around Pisa and 30 pounds isn’t light. It’s actually kind of heavy.
We made it to our hostel which was actually a TRAILER PARK! Yayyyyy! Trailers kill me! Especially when they’re in parks. This was just a stepping stone on my quest to becoming actual trailer trash. The trailer was nice though. As nice as a trailer can get I suppose.
There wasn’t much to Pisa either except for that leaning tower. Apparently it leans an extra 1 meter each year because of tourists. I wonder if they’ll ever fix it or just let it topple over. I guess we’ll see? In an attempt to correct this problem, I took a picture of me holding UP the tower instead of pushing it over. You’re welcome, Pisa.
Why are mountains snowy on top if they’re closer to the sun?
I haven’t read a tabloid since the last Bush was in office and it’s just been too long! All of this grown up news is getting to me. Sure the War in Iraq is worth mentioning but what about Britney? Somebody’s got to look out for her.
Something that I do know about is volcanoes. The Eyjafjallajokull (yes that’s a word and don’t even bother trying to pronounce it) volcano to be exact. Except I don’t really know anything about it. Just that it erupted stuff called lava and lava is really hot and you can’t touch it even though it looks soft. Ash also came out of this volcano and don’t you dare think you can fly a plane through the ash because I already asked and they said no.
The most traumatizing part of this whole volcano situation isn’t that our flight was canceled or that we had to pay hundreds of dollars in unwanted train tickets and hostel stays or that we missed a few days of our spring break trip. It’s the part about my Icelandic friend, Raven, that really breaks my heart.
We can’t be friends. It’s as simple as that. As soon as I saw that our flight was canceled and that we had already taken a four hour bus ride into Slovakia to catch our plane I didn’t think about anything else except for “It’s over for Raven and I.”
Sure we weren’t that close. In fact, I don’t even think she knows my name and I sure as hell can’t pronounce her real name. She just told us her name was Raven because our tiny American minds couldn’t even understand she was saying a word when she told us her name. It actually might have been Eyjafjallajokull now that I think about it…. I’m just upset that I lost a friend.
Maybe I’m a little bitter but I’m a boy on a budget and all of these set backs in Slovakia and Austria weren’t cheap!
Let me just tell you that Bratislava, Slovakia is pretty… But not pretty enough for me to want to spend any extended amount of time there. Austria is gorgeous but I had already been to Vienna and that’s where we ended up staying for two nights.
I’m at the point in my trip where if my friends make me take another walking tour I’ll scream. I might even have a mental breakdown but that might be pushing it. I’m just over it. Three and a half hours of history lessons is what it comes down to and don’t get me wrong I LOVE hearing about history and statues and all that cra—stuff, but not all at once… I’m not a voice recorder! I can’t remember all of this information!
Moving on.
Bratislava and Vienna were nice. Chad and Michelle were frantically trying to figure out how and when we would get to our final destination of Italy for most of the time while I just sat there uselessly (Michelle’s words) and pretended to be interested in train times and hostel options.
We finally got to Florence after a 12.5 hour train/bus trip. It was beautiful. I just love Italy I think. Florence is smaller than Rome and there was more country surrounding it so that was gorgeous as well.
After Florence we went to Cinque Terre which is an area on the coast of Italy consisting of five small towns on these cliffs which are SO cool! If you’re ever in Italy you should definitely make your way there. It’s worth the cheap and short train ride. Pictures didn’t do it much justice but I’ll see if I can do it with words. It’s pretty…. Did that help?
We stayed in the first town called Riomaggiore. Since these towns are all on cliffs you can imagine the hiking we had to do. Side note: sweaty flip flops are not helpful while climbing up hills. Just a warning.
There are hiking trails you can go on that scale the sides of the cliffs and go through each city which we went on. The first trail is really easy but they get more difficult as you go on. I was prepared with my hiking shoes, jacket and umbrella because it was raining. My friends were not so lucky.
I had a great time though. Even with the rain and the clouds, the towns and the hills were breathtaking. I’d definitely go back.
On our way to Pisa we stopped in this small town called Lucca. It’s surrounded by a wall so that’s what makes it a tourist destination. That’s all there is to Lucca.
On to Pisa!
I let Chad and Michelle borrow one of the rolly suitcases I brought with on this trip so they could check it on our flight. Well as you know we didn’t have a flight but we still had the rolly suitcase. Fun fact: rolly suitcases don’t roll so well when their wheels break. Oh yeah, rolly suitcase don’t roll no mo. This became a problem immediately. Chad and I took turns carrying that *#&#* #%$%@ suitcase all around Pisa and 30 pounds isn’t light. It’s actually kind of heavy.
We made it to our hostel which was actually a TRAILER PARK! Yayyyyy! Trailers kill me! Especially when they’re in parks. This was just a stepping stone on my quest to becoming actual trailer trash. The trailer was nice though. As nice as a trailer can get I suppose.
There wasn’t much to Pisa either except for that leaning tower. Apparently it leans an extra 1 meter each year because of tourists. I wonder if they’ll ever fix it or just let it topple over. I guess we’ll see? In an attempt to correct this problem, I took a picture of me holding UP the tower instead of pushing it over. You’re welcome, Pisa.
Why are mountains snowy on top if they’re closer to the sun?
Thursday, April 15, 2010
The Secret
So today in my marketing class we watched a movie called "The Secret." I don't know if you've ever heard of it but it's a movie about how you control your happiness and everything that happens to you by your attitude and outlook on life because the universe can sense it and blah, blah, blah. Well it's a load of bull because I was all set for happiness while watching that movie. I was telling myself "Yeah, you know what they're right! I can control this!"
The movie ended and so did class which made me even happier. And then.... I lost in solitare. Not ideal but I wasn't going to let it ruin my day. After losing 123 times in solitare, I decided to stop/quit. A little quitting here and there never hurt anybody, right?
My next class had began and it bored me to tears but it was over before I could say, "Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän." (that's the longest word in German, ps). Michelle and I went back to the dorms and tried to print off our itineraries but they treat the computer labs like FBI headquarters and you can't get in without passing a background check and a physical fitness test. I didn't have time for either of those so we didn't get anything printed off.
I started to walk back to my room when I realized I didn't have my key. My teacher said that the movie we watched could change my life if I let it. I thought he meant for the better! Damn... That's the last time I ever pay attention in class!
I thought it would just be easier to kick my door down instead of playing translator downstairs at the front desk but I LUCKILY got the only man who speaks English to help me! My luck doesn't make sense since I was being negative the entire time... Clue number 436 that the movie I watched is a hoax. We opened my door and I was all set. I only had to promise to give him my first born (sucks for him).
I had to do laundry today so once I got back into my room I packed all of my nasty clothes into my suitcase and since ALL of the washers at my dorm are broken and since there are no dryers there at all, I decided to go to the laundromat with Michelle. I had a lot of laundry. I figured I'd use 2 washers and 2 dryers because people had told me how the dryers don't always get their clothes dry at this place. What I didn't realize was that there are 2 different sizes of washers and dryers. I, of course, asked for 2 large washers and 2 large dryers. I guess I thought I had a family of 15 that had just spent the day outside in the mud... $26.00 later, here I am. Broke and ashamed that I paid that much for clean laundry. I don't even like half of my clothes! I could have bought a whole new wardrobe for $26.00. Ah, the perks of being a foreigner (cizinec).
I'll keep you posted on how the rest of my day goes. At least this laundromat has wireless and I haven't been mugged even a little bit so that's nice. I should have asked for a medium washer and dryer. Do you think they have those? It doesn't make sense that they go from small to large like that. Why's the universe so secretive?
The movie ended and so did class which made me even happier. And then.... I lost in solitare. Not ideal but I wasn't going to let it ruin my day. After losing 123 times in solitare, I decided to stop/quit. A little quitting here and there never hurt anybody, right?
My next class had began and it bored me to tears but it was over before I could say, "Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän." (that's the longest word in German, ps). Michelle and I went back to the dorms and tried to print off our itineraries but they treat the computer labs like FBI headquarters and you can't get in without passing a background check and a physical fitness test. I didn't have time for either of those so we didn't get anything printed off.
I started to walk back to my room when I realized I didn't have my key. My teacher said that the movie we watched could change my life if I let it. I thought he meant for the better! Damn... That's the last time I ever pay attention in class!
I thought it would just be easier to kick my door down instead of playing translator downstairs at the front desk but I LUCKILY got the only man who speaks English to help me! My luck doesn't make sense since I was being negative the entire time... Clue number 436 that the movie I watched is a hoax. We opened my door and I was all set. I only had to promise to give him my first born (sucks for him).
I had to do laundry today so once I got back into my room I packed all of my nasty clothes into my suitcase and since ALL of the washers at my dorm are broken and since there are no dryers there at all, I decided to go to the laundromat with Michelle. I had a lot of laundry. I figured I'd use 2 washers and 2 dryers because people had told me how the dryers don't always get their clothes dry at this place. What I didn't realize was that there are 2 different sizes of washers and dryers. I, of course, asked for 2 large washers and 2 large dryers. I guess I thought I had a family of 15 that had just spent the day outside in the mud... $26.00 later, here I am. Broke and ashamed that I paid that much for clean laundry. I don't even like half of my clothes! I could have bought a whole new wardrobe for $26.00. Ah, the perks of being a foreigner (cizinec).
I'll keep you posted on how the rest of my day goes. At least this laundromat has wireless and I haven't been mugged even a little bit so that's nice. I should have asked for a medium washer and dryer. Do you think they have those? It doesn't make sense that they go from small to large like that. Why's the universe so secretive?
Monday, March 29, 2010
Burning bridges and taking names... Right?
Wow, it's been a while... How've you been? I know, I know. You feel ignored don't you? Well I'm sorry and I feel just horrible about it. I have a shi.... a lot to update you on. I honestly don't even know where to begin but I'll just pick something.
Fedor deleted me off of facebook. Can you believe that? Obviously I feel like he didn't give me a chance. I mean come on... I was the one who called him all the time, I was the one who searched him out at nation to nation parties and asked him to meet my friends, I was the one who invited him over to my house to spend the night and I was the one who sent him messages on facebook begging him to be my friend. Did I do something wrong? Was I too clingy? I guess I'll never know...
I should let you all know that I get deleted off of facebook all the time. It's almost sad that I know when I've been deleted but I do. I'll be creepin' on facebook when I try to creep on someone who I know I was friends with when I realize that I am unable to view their profile because we are no longer "friends"... Hmmm... Why you gotta delete our friendship like that huh? Did those months of imaginary friendship mean nothing to you? Some people are so inconsiderate!
I can only hope I see Fedor everywhere now. Oh yeah, I will, without a doubt, smother him with kindness. I might start carrying around freshly baked muffins with me just in case I run into him.
Moving on... Sort of..... Eventually..
I just got back from Berlin yesterday. I had a good time! The weather on Friday was great... Just gweat! It was sunny and 60 something degrees which is perfect weather for getting lost... Too bad we didn't really get lost.
We had made reservations at the Golden Heart Hostel or something like that... I can't really remember but it had the word "golden" in it and it was a hostel so I think that word was in it too.. We ran into a minor problem.
We went inside to check in when the lady behind the counter directed us to another hostel down the street because they were overbooked and could not hold us. Of course I had no idea what was going on because Michelle and I were straggling behind everyone like small children who needed to be leashed. When I got a vague overview of what was going on I still didn't understand so I continued to listen to Michelle's iPod with her.
We get to the other hostel and it's....... A shitbox. It's times like this when I wondered if I could catch an STD by breathing the air. My previous pleasant demeanor did a 180 and I was Pissy Mchateshislife and I made sure everyone knew it. After hiking up Mount Everest aka the 5 or 6 or 7 (I lost count) flights of steps up to the office of the "Helter Skelter Hostel" (Yeah, I remembered THAT name... It's pretty memorable) where the man behind the counter was wearing a sleeveless t-shirt with sleeve tattoos on each arm and he was smoking a cigarette laced with crack.
We, and by we I mean Ann, talked to the man and figured out that the Golden Liar Hostel owns this dump too and they send over their overbooked suckers to... Helter Skelter. Great! We paid and gave them enough information for them to have all of our identities stolen and then went out to eat lunch because our room wasn't ready yet. I assumed the 2 day old dead body had not been thrown out yet but I wasn't being fair.
They had told Ann that we would be getting an apartment since we got screwed over by our original hostel. I didn't really care. I was sitting with everyone in silence thinking about how mad I was and what was going to happen to us in that hostel. In an attempt to be positive, I shared with them the worst possible scenarios that could happen to us. 1: we get bed bugs. A couple of bites never hurt anyone that badly. 2: We catch crabs. No biggie. They have those small little combs in Europe, I'm sure of it. 3: Our identities get stolen. I'm broke anyway so the joke is on them. 4: ...... we get sold to the highest bidder. Not ideal but Liam Neeson happens to be a good friend of mine. 5: We die. Worst case scenario. I was so sure of myself that I offered to do anything anyone asked me if our apartment was magically not a shit hole. Well....
We hike up Everest again (I'm telling everyone I climbed it), got our key, walked down Everest, went outside (just like in the olden days), climbed K2 and opened the door to our apartment which opened to..... drum roll..... another door! We opened that one AND!!!! It killed me.... The nicest hostel we've stayed in so far. I'm such a baby. There were 9 beds, a full kitchen, a tv, a balcony, 2 bathrooms and nice wood floors. I learned my lesson OKAY!
I'm going to Rome on Thursday. I hope the nuns overbooked me there and I get to sleep in the Vatican. I'm sure I'd have a blast! I hope they don't find out I'm not Catholic among other things. I think we all know I am going to need to update my blog while I'm sweating my ass off staying with those nuns... God be with me.
Fedor deleted me off of facebook. Can you believe that? Obviously I feel like he didn't give me a chance. I mean come on... I was the one who called him all the time, I was the one who searched him out at nation to nation parties and asked him to meet my friends, I was the one who invited him over to my house to spend the night and I was the one who sent him messages on facebook begging him to be my friend. Did I do something wrong? Was I too clingy? I guess I'll never know...
I should let you all know that I get deleted off of facebook all the time. It's almost sad that I know when I've been deleted but I do. I'll be creepin' on facebook when I try to creep on someone who I know I was friends with when I realize that I am unable to view their profile because we are no longer "friends"... Hmmm... Why you gotta delete our friendship like that huh? Did those months of imaginary friendship mean nothing to you? Some people are so inconsiderate!
I can only hope I see Fedor everywhere now. Oh yeah, I will, without a doubt, smother him with kindness. I might start carrying around freshly baked muffins with me just in case I run into him.
Moving on... Sort of..... Eventually..
I just got back from Berlin yesterday. I had a good time! The weather on Friday was great... Just gweat! It was sunny and 60 something degrees which is perfect weather for getting lost... Too bad we didn't really get lost.
We had made reservations at the Golden Heart Hostel or something like that... I can't really remember but it had the word "golden" in it and it was a hostel so I think that word was in it too.. We ran into a minor problem.
We went inside to check in when the lady behind the counter directed us to another hostel down the street because they were overbooked and could not hold us. Of course I had no idea what was going on because Michelle and I were straggling behind everyone like small children who needed to be leashed. When I got a vague overview of what was going on I still didn't understand so I continued to listen to Michelle's iPod with her.
We get to the other hostel and it's....... A shitbox. It's times like this when I wondered if I could catch an STD by breathing the air. My previous pleasant demeanor did a 180 and I was Pissy Mchateshislife and I made sure everyone knew it. After hiking up Mount Everest aka the 5 or 6 or 7 (I lost count) flights of steps up to the office of the "Helter Skelter Hostel" (Yeah, I remembered THAT name... It's pretty memorable) where the man behind the counter was wearing a sleeveless t-shirt with sleeve tattoos on each arm and he was smoking a cigarette laced with crack.
We, and by we I mean Ann, talked to the man and figured out that the Golden Liar Hostel owns this dump too and they send over their overbooked suckers to... Helter Skelter. Great! We paid and gave them enough information for them to have all of our identities stolen and then went out to eat lunch because our room wasn't ready yet. I assumed the 2 day old dead body had not been thrown out yet but I wasn't being fair.
They had told Ann that we would be getting an apartment since we got screwed over by our original hostel. I didn't really care. I was sitting with everyone in silence thinking about how mad I was and what was going to happen to us in that hostel. In an attempt to be positive, I shared with them the worst possible scenarios that could happen to us. 1: we get bed bugs. A couple of bites never hurt anyone that badly. 2: We catch crabs. No biggie. They have those small little combs in Europe, I'm sure of it. 3: Our identities get stolen. I'm broke anyway so the joke is on them. 4: ...... we get sold to the highest bidder. Not ideal but Liam Neeson happens to be a good friend of mine. 5: We die. Worst case scenario. I was so sure of myself that I offered to do anything anyone asked me if our apartment was magically not a shit hole. Well....
We hike up Everest again (I'm telling everyone I climbed it), got our key, walked down Everest, went outside (just like in the olden days), climbed K2 and opened the door to our apartment which opened to..... drum roll..... another door! We opened that one AND!!!! It killed me.... The nicest hostel we've stayed in so far. I'm such a baby. There were 9 beds, a full kitchen, a tv, a balcony, 2 bathrooms and nice wood floors. I learned my lesson OKAY!
I'm going to Rome on Thursday. I hope the nuns overbooked me there and I get to sleep in the Vatican. I'm sure I'd have a blast! I hope they don't find out I'm not Catholic among other things. I think we all know I am going to need to update my blog while I'm sweating my ass off staying with those nuns... God be with me.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Did you eat a sandwich earlier?
Last weekend I went on a.... We'll call it a juice crawl, for the sake of my future, with my friends. We thought it would be a fun little touristy night out in Prague so we did it. At the first juice stand, we were all sitting there having a good time when I was bombarded with...... You'll never guess... Puke. Yep, I was puked on. The person was actually one of my good friends here who I will refer to as "Sly Eagle."
I don't know if you have ever experienced such a feeling or such a smell but it was definitely one for the books... Or for the blogs. Whichever.
Once I figured out what the liquid that was covering the entire right side of my head, including my face was, I ran to the bathroom. I probably looked like how Carrie from the movie "Carrie" looked when she got pig's blood thrown on her only I wasn't going to kill everyone.
Sly Eagle felt horrible. She apologized a million times after I got back from washing my head with hand soap and scrubbing the vomit out of my jeans. I asked her if she ate a sandwich earlier, she said, "Yeah." It didn't smell bad. I was sort of hungry after. When the waiter at the juice stand came over and asked where the girl who threw up went, Sly Eagle told them that she left. Good move, Sly Eagle. Man, you ARE sly!
Being thrown up on kind of ruined my juice crawl mood so Michelle and I decided to leave early. Michelle and I are an interesting duo. We take almost nothing seriously which can be good and bad at the same time. It also makes for good stories.
We all bought cheap prepaid cellphones for our stay here. They came with a little light that you could switch on and it's called a torchlight. We think they're hilarious and use them at really random, unnecessary times. So Michelle and I are waiting for the tram when the sketchy young man who helped us earlier asks us if we have a light. Meaning cigarette lighter. Michelle says, "I have a torchlight!" and immediately whips out her cellphone and turns on her torchlight while flashing the light onto the young man. Sketchy young man says, "Oh... but that won't light a cigarette though." Michelle says, "Oh, absolutely not."
The sketchy young man started to ask us about why we're in Prague and I immediately think, "He's going to steal us and sell us to the highest bidder. Shit." I guess that wasn't a scary enough thought for me to make Michelle stop telling him our life stories. She told him about how we go to the University of Economics, Prague, she told him how we just have to take the tram to Strazni (where our dorms are), she told him the name of our dorms, she just kept going. When she told him where our dorms were he said, "Seriously?! That's right by my house!" At that point, I was sure I was going to die or at least have a Dateline special dedicated to my sex slavery survival. He got on the tram with us and thankfully got off a few stops before us. Close call.
I mentioned earlier that Michelle and I contribute nothing to our group of friends in the way of transportation or trip planning. So one night Michelle and I were sitting there while our two other friends planned what we are going to do while we're in Dublin. We came up with the brilliant idea that we would plan our next trip! Yeah, and we would do a damn good job. Where are we going? "IRAQ!" Michelle proclaimed. "GREAT IDEA!" I said. Who wouldn't want to go there? I hear it's beautiful in the spring. We then started to think of how long we would last in Iraq. I guessed maybe 45 seconds if we played our cards right. We'd make it about 3 steps off the plane labeled "Al Qaeda Air" (Michelle's words) and be picked off like deer in a meadow. I started to research flights and there are absolutely no flights in April. No idea why. But in May, I could go to Baghdad for $1,564.67, indirect. I'll have to see if it's in my budget.
"Pack your bags! The group is goin' to Iraq!" - Michelle
I don't know if you have ever experienced such a feeling or such a smell but it was definitely one for the books... Or for the blogs. Whichever.
Once I figured out what the liquid that was covering the entire right side of my head, including my face was, I ran to the bathroom. I probably looked like how Carrie from the movie "Carrie" looked when she got pig's blood thrown on her only I wasn't going to kill everyone.
Sly Eagle felt horrible. She apologized a million times after I got back from washing my head with hand soap and scrubbing the vomit out of my jeans. I asked her if she ate a sandwich earlier, she said, "Yeah." It didn't smell bad. I was sort of hungry after. When the waiter at the juice stand came over and asked where the girl who threw up went, Sly Eagle told them that she left. Good move, Sly Eagle. Man, you ARE sly!
Being thrown up on kind of ruined my juice crawl mood so Michelle and I decided to leave early. Michelle and I are an interesting duo. We take almost nothing seriously which can be good and bad at the same time. It also makes for good stories.
We all bought cheap prepaid cellphones for our stay here. They came with a little light that you could switch on and it's called a torchlight. We think they're hilarious and use them at really random, unnecessary times. So Michelle and I are waiting for the tram when the sketchy young man who helped us earlier asks us if we have a light. Meaning cigarette lighter. Michelle says, "I have a torchlight!" and immediately whips out her cellphone and turns on her torchlight while flashing the light onto the young man. Sketchy young man says, "Oh... but that won't light a cigarette though." Michelle says, "Oh, absolutely not."
The sketchy young man started to ask us about why we're in Prague and I immediately think, "He's going to steal us and sell us to the highest bidder. Shit." I guess that wasn't a scary enough thought for me to make Michelle stop telling him our life stories. She told him about how we go to the University of Economics, Prague, she told him how we just have to take the tram to Strazni (where our dorms are), she told him the name of our dorms, she just kept going. When she told him where our dorms were he said, "Seriously?! That's right by my house!" At that point, I was sure I was going to die or at least have a Dateline special dedicated to my sex slavery survival. He got on the tram with us and thankfully got off a few stops before us. Close call.
I mentioned earlier that Michelle and I contribute nothing to our group of friends in the way of transportation or trip planning. So one night Michelle and I were sitting there while our two other friends planned what we are going to do while we're in Dublin. We came up with the brilliant idea that we would plan our next trip! Yeah, and we would do a damn good job. Where are we going? "IRAQ!" Michelle proclaimed. "GREAT IDEA!" I said. Who wouldn't want to go there? I hear it's beautiful in the spring. We then started to think of how long we would last in Iraq. I guessed maybe 45 seconds if we played our cards right. We'd make it about 3 steps off the plane labeled "Al Qaeda Air" (Michelle's words) and be picked off like deer in a meadow. I started to research flights and there are absolutely no flights in April. No idea why. But in May, I could go to Baghdad for $1,564.67, indirect. I'll have to see if it's in my budget.
"Pack your bags! The group is goin' to Iraq!" - Michelle
Luck of the Irish
I am going to Dublin, Ireland this weekend. My plane leaves at 10:25 am Friday morning. I am EXCITED!
Assuming my plane doesn't go down into the Celtic Sea, I am sure I'll have a blast!
You and I both know that I don't have the best luck. So I'm taking bets as to what bad things will happen to me. As always, sex slavery is at the top of my fear list. I have a camera that can be lost/stolen/broken. I also have a passport which is pretty easy to lose. Place your bets.
As for Dublin stuff though, I'm probably most excited to speak English. I am going to speak so much English with a goofy accent attached, they won't know what hit them. Obviously my conversations will be peppered with random Czech words that I know... Just to prove I'm cultured.. My friend Michelle and I find ourselves doing that quite often. "Zub," "Ano," "jsem Sam," "jsem cizinka," etc. I just said, "tooth," "yes," "I am Sam," and "I am a foreigner." If that's not an intellectual conversation then I don't know what is!
Last weekend my friends and I all went out. Michelle and I decided to leave together and of course we got lost. We contribute absolutely nothing in the way of getting our group of friends places. Meaning, we never know where we're going or how to get there. It only makes sense that we left together.
We managed to stalk an American couple and ask them for directions to the tram stop. Yes, we couldn't even get to the correct tram stop on our own. This was after we were waiting for the #14 tram for about 15 minutes only to find out the #14 tram had stopped running for the night 2 hours before we got there. Whoopsies. We got to the tram stop we needed and with the help of a sketchy young man we figured out which tram to take.
While waiting for the tram, Michelle and I decided we were in desperate need for a fried cheese sandwich. Heaven on earth. If I gain 50lbs while I'm here, I can solely blame fried cheese sandwiches... And my lack of self-control. In line for our sammies, we overheard a group of Irish people talking! We could not believe our luck. Irish luck that is. Of course Michelle turns around and tells them about how we're going to Dublin in a week and how we heard their accents and how she would love to hear some insider details. Irish drunk girl #1 response: "Dublin is stupid! Don't go!" Michelle: "Oh awesome! We already bought our tickets sooo too late." Irish drunk girl #2 response: "Unless you have a stack of fifties, Dublin is not fun!" Michelle: "Well I'm broke so I can't wait!" This entire conversation made me giggle. Mainly because the Irish girls were so obnoxious! It made me happy to know that we would be going to a place where their entire population was like that! Oh the joys of not being the most obnoxious people at any given time!
The other thing I am most excited about in Dublin is corned beef and cabbage. Since I will not be eating my grandma's delicious corned beef and cabbage on St. Patty's day this year, I will have to try some authentic Irish food. It better be as good as grammie makes it!
I also have to see a leprechaun and it better have a pot of gold. A leprechaun without a pot of gold is just another little person ginger and those are a dime a dozen. I'm not havin it.
Dublin, watch out. Hurricane Sam is comin' to town!
Assuming my plane doesn't go down into the Celtic Sea, I am sure I'll have a blast!
You and I both know that I don't have the best luck. So I'm taking bets as to what bad things will happen to me. As always, sex slavery is at the top of my fear list. I have a camera that can be lost/stolen/broken. I also have a passport which is pretty easy to lose. Place your bets.
As for Dublin stuff though, I'm probably most excited to speak English. I am going to speak so much English with a goofy accent attached, they won't know what hit them. Obviously my conversations will be peppered with random Czech words that I know... Just to prove I'm cultured.. My friend Michelle and I find ourselves doing that quite often. "Zub," "Ano," "jsem Sam," "jsem cizinka," etc. I just said, "tooth," "yes," "I am Sam," and "I am a foreigner." If that's not an intellectual conversation then I don't know what is!
Last weekend my friends and I all went out. Michelle and I decided to leave together and of course we got lost. We contribute absolutely nothing in the way of getting our group of friends places. Meaning, we never know where we're going or how to get there. It only makes sense that we left together.
We managed to stalk an American couple and ask them for directions to the tram stop. Yes, we couldn't even get to the correct tram stop on our own. This was after we were waiting for the #14 tram for about 15 minutes only to find out the #14 tram had stopped running for the night 2 hours before we got there. Whoopsies. We got to the tram stop we needed and with the help of a sketchy young man we figured out which tram to take.
While waiting for the tram, Michelle and I decided we were in desperate need for a fried cheese sandwich. Heaven on earth. If I gain 50lbs while I'm here, I can solely blame fried cheese sandwiches... And my lack of self-control. In line for our sammies, we overheard a group of Irish people talking! We could not believe our luck. Irish luck that is. Of course Michelle turns around and tells them about how we're going to Dublin in a week and how we heard their accents and how she would love to hear some insider details. Irish drunk girl #1 response: "Dublin is stupid! Don't go!" Michelle: "Oh awesome! We already bought our tickets sooo too late." Irish drunk girl #2 response: "Unless you have a stack of fifties, Dublin is not fun!" Michelle: "Well I'm broke so I can't wait!" This entire conversation made me giggle. Mainly because the Irish girls were so obnoxious! It made me happy to know that we would be going to a place where their entire population was like that! Oh the joys of not being the most obnoxious people at any given time!
The other thing I am most excited about in Dublin is corned beef and cabbage. Since I will not be eating my grandma's delicious corned beef and cabbage on St. Patty's day this year, I will have to try some authentic Irish food. It better be as good as grammie makes it!
I also have to see a leprechaun and it better have a pot of gold. A leprechaun without a pot of gold is just another little person ginger and those are a dime a dozen. I'm not havin it.
Dublin, watch out. Hurricane Sam is comin' to town!
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