Pop Songs Music Sheets for Piano

Pop Songs Music Sheets for Piano


I have been wanting to learn how to play the piano/ keyboard for a while. And as a welcome home present from my year away, my parents were so amazing and got me a second-hand, very nice Yamaha (weighted keys and pedal) keyboard.
This semester was pretty hectic, but I finally purchased a Basic Adult Self-Instruction piano book.
Once I am able to perfect my skills a bit more, I'm really hoping to start playing some known songs (ones that I can listen to and see if they sound remotely correct) smiles, and this blog with linked sheet music will definitely come in handy!
Sheet music is insanely expensive, as most of you who play already know. So this might be nice to help you out too!

It is what it is.

In the last 3.5 months, my struggles have altered completely from wondering where in the world I'm going to go next, how I'm going to get there, how long it will take me to get there, how much will it cost, and where will I stay? Ultimately the only serious questions I had were relating to travel plans, missing important dates and times (like when my flight was taking off), security, and the weight of my pack. 

In a matter of 3.5 months, I've switched from a non-chalant ease of life, to sleep deprivation from doing too much school work (and no longer the "living it up" lifestyle) and the stressful nature of having to figure out if I'm going to get everything finished on time, trying to focus, and wondering how the future is going to play out. I absolutely hate feeling that anxious state like something isn't going to go right.. and yet I keep procrastinating, avoiding essentials.

My mind drifts from one idea to another, from one wall to the other, from one song to another. I almost feel like my mind is in a daze, searching for something that it's completely incapable of finding. Yet, I'm still waiting.. searching.. hoping.

And then I see the aspects of the two things I want more than anything at the moment seem to be the furthest out of reach than anything else in my life. It's almost like this desire that eats at my understanding to things. 

It doesn't matter if I see a shooting star, I could wish a thousand wishes, but none of that means anything if you're not wishing the same thing too.

Still FALLing back into the American Life

It's been a bitter-sweet transition back into the American lifestyle. I made some amazing friends over the last year that I miss terribly, but very happy to be with the ones whom I missed while abroad.
I think about Grenoble, the friends, the memories everyday - along with my travels, discoveries, and carefree nature, the spontaneity, cultures and adventure. I miss life there and yearn to get back the fulfilled happiness I felt while over there.

Lastly- While the ultimate desire to return burns as it runs through my veins, I know that I can't live in the past, no matter how much I want to, and that even though this constituted the best year of my life.. it is only to assume "thus far." Life is full of unexpected turns. It's in my soul to turn as sharp as the curve whenever presented with extraordinary blessings in life.

Let's hope it's right!

It's nothing like a little winter weather to get you in the Christmas spirit!

In most cases, I would probably head home to enjoy being snowed in to enjoy riding 4-wheelers or something of that sort, but there's not much waiting for me in Suffolk anymore, and RVA has taken over my social scene.

Who's up for some city snowboard grinding!? And even if you don't want to participate, it's always nice to have a photographer! There's already snow on the ground today, so we know that with any snowfall we will definitely see accumulation. LET IT SNOW!!!

Amplify’d from www.wxrisk.com

NORTH AMERICA WEATHER -      FROST  FREEZE  FEARS  FOR  CITURS  IN FLORIDA   MORNING OF DEC 14   and DEC 15 !!!—   Massive  Blocking  feature  over  Greenland   in the Jet stream  will set up  pattern over  N. America  next 10  days…. as the Midwest  Low this past  weekend  of DEC 1-12  gets   ” trapped” over    eastern  Great Lakes and  SE Canada—  1st snow  and Ice  of the season    coming   for    eastern  KY    WVA  northern NC    VA    DEC  16-17   as weak Low  moves  from  ARK to NC     European Model   has been showing MASSIVE     EAST COAST SNOWSTORM   from  North   NC  to  Boston  DEC 19-20 …      Lower Plains    look    Mild and dry    with NO rains in sight for the HRWW  crop Read more at www.wxrisk.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/ibkn

My Review of Morrow Lotus Snowboard - Women's 2009

Originally submitted at evo

Morrow Lotus Snowboard - Women's 2009: The Morrow Women’s Lotus Snowboard is the perfect board for women that charge hard. It offers unrivaled performance whether you want to slide a rail or explore the backcountry.

Morrow Lotus Snowboard - Women's 2009

Good Beginner/Intermediate Board

By L'americaine from Grenoble, France/ Richmond, Virginia on 12/4/2010

 

3out of 5

Pros: Good Flexibility, Smooth Stability, Well Balanced, Lightweight

Cons: Dings Easily

Best Uses: All Mountain, Park, Tricks

Describe Yourself: Anytime

Was this a gift?: No

I bought this board once I cracked my old one. I've been boarding for about 9 years now, so I'm pretty experienced, but when I needed a board last minute that was good quality and inexpensive- I grabbed this one. It's definitely not for someone of the intermediate/advanced level but more for a beginner or someone picking the sport back up or just trying to improve to that intermediate level.
Although it handles well on groomed surface, the ride isn't the best for free-ride or powder. However, it's flex is great when working on new tricks in the park and hitting rails, which is the main reason I purchased it. It did turn out a downfall when I ended up shredding powder off-piste the majority of the time after purchasing it. Did tend to get nicks easily, but that could also be from my rough riding habits. Overall- good performance, but keep it on the slopes or in the park!

(legalese)

Finally back in Production: Updates on Vietnam

Unfortunately, I have not had the best luck at timing since I've been back in the United States. 3 months later, I'm finally getting to write about my amazing times in Vietnam, China and my journey back home.
Because there is so much to cover, I'm going to try and do this in the best way possible. I won't get to go into too much detail describing things like I normally do, but I'm going to tell you about all the exciting things I got to do!

So let's start with our travels from Laos.
The last you heard about was our tubing experiences in Vang Vieng, the blue lagoons, the "buckets," the friends (whom I still keep in touch with!) and the epic caving!
From there, we made it to the capital of Laos and stayed a night before catching our flight to Vietnam. I'm not sure if you remember, but we didn't get to Cambodia due to lack of time and our random decision to make our way to Laos instead, but we can say that we actually did step foot there during out layover to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

To be honest, Ho Chi Minh City was probably one of my least favorite places I visited on all my travels. It was crowded, industrial, too many scooters/motor bike and I wasn't a huge fan of the food (rice and soup was pretty much all I ate). However, the best part and most amazing experience was our trip to the Chu Chi Tunnels (the ones dug during the Vietnam War). But it wasn't only that, we took an entire day to explore outside the city, and if we had been able to stay around those areas, it would have felt more like a discovery of Vietnam and its true culture..
Brief Overview:

How we made it to our destination: canoes, canals and canopy hats!

Food:
Bizzare?

Yes.. I actually drink what was in that! Hint: those are snakes.

Bike tour around the villages:

How we made it to our destination: canoes, canals and canopy hats!

Boat rides with yummy coconut drinks :)

It's such a shame that we didn't get to make our way up Vietnam like we had initially planned, because I really think we didn't get to experience Vietnam like we wanted to. By this point it was towards the end of our trip and we began to get in that mentality that we would be going home soon, and being in a city made it feel like it wasn't the discovery we wanted. But we made the most of the time we got to spend there, exploring around Ho Chin Minh and outside the city. Our next stop - China!

I'm on Top of the World.. but not on top of my blogs

It's about time that I updated my blog! Unfortunately I haven't had the time to write anything since before Vietnam.
Today is Aug. the 25th and tomorrow I will officially be stateside again. It blows my mind how fast this year has gone, but a new chapter of my life is opening up.. and I hope this read is as exciting as the last.
I will be writing blogs for Vietnam and China and posting them as soon as possible. And then you will hear all about my return to the United States after my wonderful year abroad.

I hope everyone continues to read, but more than anything, I hope I can continue to provide exciting stories and adventures about my life!

To A New Chapter!

Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng is a small town in the middle of nowhere, known solely for its famous bar lined tubing river, crazy nightlife and blue lagoons, catering to the average backpacker. It's a backpacker's drunken haven to explain it in layman's terms. Our sole purpose for going there was tubing and we met a really awesome couple (Jenna and Rob) who showed us the ropes, literally! There were rope swings everywhere lining the river, huge water slides and once again, too many buckets. I pulled a back flip off the highest rope swing and got quite a few cheers (probably for being one of the only girls doing anything, and even more, a back flip!). Tubing was good fun and we barely finished in time to get our entire deposit back. The fierce tube swimming and run to get there wasn't easy though. This involved Sarah's lack of motivation to aide our mission and my attempts to drag her along faster.
Sarah and I were stayed in Vang Vieng 4 nights but we only went tubing once. We rented a motor bike and went exploring. We found caves and more rope swinging in the blue lagoons and played until the sun went down. I still couldn't get enough of the scenery and wished we had more time in Laos to explore. The only downfall of traveling in some parts of Southeast Asia are the bus systems. To explain in more detail, there was the 13 hour overnight bus ride to get to Vang Vieng, where our luggage was piled up in the aisle, people were sitting on plastic benches (aka tubs) in between the luggage and the A/C unit, when it worked.. Overall, it was definitely an experience I will never forget. We spent one night in Vientiane catching up on sleep before flying out to Vietnam!

On to Laos

Sarah-Jane and I added Laos into our trip when we heard amazing stories of how great the tubing adventures were supposed to be in Vientiane. Suffering from lack of sleep due to the previous nights charade out with our new friends and stressing over the 24 hours of bus ride from Chiang Mai, we settled comfortably into the seats that would become our bed for the next few hours. Although we were nowhere near a body of water, the mountain ranges glowed with green and I couldn’t help but sense a tropically Mediterranean feeling of the area. Palm trees towered, bright red flowers gave accent to every shade of green you could imagine, and the skies were covered in blue with white clouds. Yellow and pink occasionally dashed by the moving bus and beautiful homes lined the road. I sat trying to find imagines in the clouds that lingered around, not a care in the world. Life was good.
On our way to the border, we stopped at the White Temple. Words cannot begin to describe what this temple entailed. It's outside beauty displayed the traditional Thai Temple theme with its detail and design, but the inside was nothing I imagined a traditional Buddhist temple would resemble. Other than the grand painting of a Buddha on the far wall as I walked in, a smaller Buddha statue placed in front and a monk sitting peacefully, dressed in his orange robe, in the same stance and just as motionless as the statue he mocked (I didn't even notice he was there until I had already been there for 5 minutes)- the artwork on the opposing wall was intricately abstract with everything from a snake-like dragon that burned through the Twin Towers, to a fetus inside a womb- attached to a scorpion-like Transformer. The world revolved inside the mouth of an evil Zeus-like creature and blood dripped from an unknown object. The colors were exquisite. The peachy colored background of the walls flourished as it made way for the vibrant lavender and violate swirls that could take anyone’s mind on a whirl-wind. Monks were placed in a large hand following the beautiful twirling clouds of purple and fish swam at the bottom, chasing each other with razor sharp teeth.
I watched as the painters continued their artwork around the room. A little Thai boy was sitting by, what I would assume his mentor, sketching detailed work in his book. I could have stayed there for days, observing. I thought of what it would be like to be that monk sitting legs and arms crossed, trying to distract all things from his mind. I believed only the most profound of them all could be in a Temple as this and not have their mind wander through the abstract dancing around him.
Maybe I'll try meditation one day.
Laos has to be one of the most beautiful places I've seen on earth. The breath-taking beauty of the mountains, the relaxing air, and the casual atmosphere are just a few things to point out. The clouds rolled over the mountains, leaving scattered shaded areas that accented every color of green, the sun burned my skin through the window as we twisted around the curves at a speed that made me need to hold on so I didn't end up on Sera's lap, and I couldn't help getting over how extraordinary this place really is. It's nothing like I've ever seen before, and living in the Alps with the snow-topped mountains just couldn't compare to the everlasting greenery that overtook every piece of soil. I thought about what it would be like to snowboard through the palm trees down a steep run, jumping creeks as they approached, maybe even trying to swing on a low branch or vine while I was at it. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t snow here though... so I lost all hope.

We’ll see how tubing through this beautiful scene turns out!

In the Jungle the Mighty Jungle

In the jungle the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight…. Well I didn’t actually see any lions, tigers, or bears, enormous snakes named (insert name of snake from The Jungle Book) and come to think of it, the closest thing to “wildlife” I actually saw was a lizard. I searched long and hard for the tree rat they said was in the trees but my eyes didn’t manage to find anything. It’s a good thing I’m not longing for a new home in the jungle. The elephants were as close to jungle animal life as I managed during the 3 day trek, and I’m not sure I could consider them jungle animals since they were tamed. Apart from glorious views, the thrilling feeling of being in a Jurassic Park setting and getting to experience the real rainforest way of life, the trek wasn’t just a walk through the woods. It’s rainy season, the paths were wet, slick with mud, and the inclines were steep.
The first day was fairly easy starting off. We were driven 3 hours outside of Chiang Mai to where we would begin our trek. It was nice having all meals provided and having a place to sleep each night without worrying about lugging our huge bags stuffed with food, tents and sleeping bags. It’s strange the relationships you build with people over short periods of time, because during the lunch provided before we set off for our first day, there were 4 groups. Sarah and myself, Dave and Henry (whom we had met on the bus from Bangkok to Chiang Mai), -Linda, Rich and John,- and -Nick, Matt and Spence- (the English boys). We all were separate, embarking on this 3 day jungle hike together, and I automatically knew those I would enjoy being around. It was the last day when we got back from the trek that the entire group, apart from the English boys went out for dinner and drinks to enjoy the last night we had in Chiang Mai and I knew I would keep in touch with this group.
Day one was short, we hiked about and 1 and ½ hours before reaching the first village we were to spend the night. By this point it was already close to dusk, we settled in our bungalow with makeshift “beds” (raised planks of bamboo floor with mattress pads possibly made of some wool type substance placed on top of them). All of the guys went with Tom Cruise (our Thai guide who was obsessed with the word “chicken”) to play soccer, while Linda, Sarah and I chilled out in the bungalow until dinner time rolled around. It’s a good thing I ate a lot of rice for lunch because the ginger chicken curry was disappointing, even though all the ingredients were fresh from the garden (and cage). After dinner we celebrated the evening with the local village people performing their traditional music and dance. I was the first picked to stand up and learn the dance with them as they performed. They passed around a guitar for some musical fun, but my skills weren't up for a crowd.
The night ended with a old Thai man and opium. We had joked the whole night through that one of the rooms in the little bungalow was the “opium room” but when he stepped out to lay down right beside where I was sitting, I realized that it really was the opium room and he was offering it to all of us. I politely declined the offer, but watched as the old Thai man enjoyed his pastime to my right. We learned the history of transit, trekking 3 days to Burma to buy their goods and hoping to make it back without problems. It was probably one of the most insightful days of the trek.
Day two was long and hard. They don’t call it the Rainforest for nothing. We trekked for a good 7 hours up and down the mountains while the cool rain poured down. It felt nice compared to the hot humid temperature that engrossed us. During lunch we made our way over a river and through the woods to a waterfall that exceeded my expectations. I was still shy to think that the waterfalls in Thailand could be anything more than the “streams” we experienced in Koh Phangan until I buried my head under the pounding water to relieve the heat and rid the sweat. The rest of the day was filled with more hiking, too much sliding and falling in the mud and a lot of laughing.
Our final day was Elephant and Bamboo rafting day! I felt so small compared to these giant, delicate creatures who carried me effortlessly on their backs. There was even a baby elephant that seemed so tiny compared to the others, only to find out it was already 4 years old. The bamboo rafting was considerably more entertaining because I was stuck on a raft with Dave and Henry. Dave who somehow claimed the roll of captain not only was the worst captain of all bamboo rafts, EVER, but he drug us under 4 trees and crashed us into a bridge (the only obstacle of the entire river!). I fell jumping onto another raft, Dave managed to cling onto the bridge, and Henry who was at the very back, started sinking slowly to death.
Tom Cruise savaged the ship but turned out to be more of a hindrance on the rest of the way down the river. Turns out the Thai meaning for help means sitting on your ass at the back of the boat while the rest of us paddle down the river on a still sinking raft. Thanks Tom Cruise.
It was nice to shower after 3 days of hiking in the rain, riding elephants and falling into muddy water, but I was sad to leave our new friends. The following day, we set off for Laos.

Thailand- Koh Phangan

6am came way too early. I still hadn't recovered from the jet lag and when the time rolled around to get the bus that would take us to Koh Phangan, I almost said screw it. But I couldn't miss the thought of staying on an island in Thailand, the Full Moon Party or anything else exciting that might come my way. With all of the traveling we're doing, reading has become my favorite "past-time." It's strange to think that I have barely read in the last year, and within the last 2 weeks, I've read 4 books. It makes the travel time go quite fast and sleeping of course. So when we finally made it to Koh Phangan, I felt like it had only taken 2 hours compared to the 9 that it actually did. It was a surprise when we found out the place we had booked the previous day was well off the beaten path. It was about an hour drive from the main town area and most "taxi's" wouldn't go there. We discovered why when we kept bumping our heads on the cover that was attached to the bed of the truck. The roads were uneven, unpaved and run-off water had made trenches in the loose red clay. We were in the middle of nowhere and wondered if we were really being taken into the jungle to be dropped off to fend for ourselves more than being taken to our bungalow. By the time we made it, it was dusk, and the beauty of the moon lit sky shown onto the calm water of the cove. Light music played in the background and peace overwhelmed me. The room was more than expected, spacious and welcoming. Coral stones covered the bathroom floor, the back deck meeting the edge of the river a few feet away and fluffy, clean towels laid on the huge bed that I eagerly jumped on as soon as my bag hit the floor.
A hammock hung in between two trees not far from our door facing the cove. I took my book and laid there as the sky grew darker. I could have stayed there for ages hanging in between two trees, swaying with the light breeze, looking up at the star filled sky, not a care in the world. We were there for 4 days, but it was not long enough. After the adventurous days using the 4-wheelers we rented to take us from place to place, exploring the (not-so-much waterfalls as small streams), racing through monsoon rain, going mudding, hitting up the town, and being your average traveler, the relaxing nights were just the right touch. Fortunately I was still having trouble with the time difference by the time the Full Moon Party rolled around, so staying up late wasn't much of an issue. To sum it up- the party was intense, 1000's of people, tons of buckets flying around, music everywhere, waterslides (which of course I did!), fire shows, and did I mention the people!? I had a blast, but we didn't pull the all-nighter like half the crowd, most of the people from our bungalow headed back on the 3am boat. We spent the rest of our days relaxing and enjoying the Thai food and culture, exploring the island and getting ready for our next adventure to Chaing Mai (which was a last minute decision change from Phuket, and what an amazing decision it was!).

The Beginnings of South East Asia- Thailand!

As the adventures continue in my not-so-ordinary life, traveling the world and grasping every bit of something extraordinary I can.. the flight to Bangkok, Thailand didn't seem that long. Normally I would be anxious for a trip so fulfilling, I mean, after all, I was heading to a continent so completely different than the western world. However, the fatigue from traveling the last two and a half months non-stop was catching up to me. I sat in the Cairo airport, waiting patiently for the time to roll around that I could relax and sleep on the plane. When the plane landed hours later, the middle seat where I was sat seemed more like a small closet that had way too many clothes in it for me to comfortably enjoy. I still felt un-rested and the extra 6 hour time change didn't help any. My days and nights were once again mixed up. I stayed awake the rest of the day, trying to readjust myself to Thai time. When we landed in Bangkok, we decided to do some exploring and met a really nice guy whose Thai name means "Happy," (so that's what I called him the rest of the time we hung out). He took us to a movie and showed us around the 7 story shopping mall not terribly far from our hostel. We got tickets to the VIP showing of The Sorcerer's Apprentice where the seats were more like sofa's and blankets were provided, all for the low cost of $8. It was even in English! The first movie I'd seen in ages in English, theatre style. We hadn't planned to stay long in Bangkok having heard it was dirty and the rest of Thailand was worth more exploration, so we decided to see has much as we could in the 24 hours we were in the city and then head to the south. The best part about this trip is that we didn't have any set plans and everything was on a whim. We knew we wanted to head down to some of the islands and we set off to find a bus company that would get us there. Bangkok is full of tourism agencies that all offer their own deals. We just needed a bus ride and found an agency that was taking off the next morning for the long haul down south to Koh Pangan. So we bought our tickets and retired the evening early to caught up on some sleep. That was Bangkok and it was enough for me. 

Italy (Rome and Florence)

So I've been to Italy before. A few times I think now. Too many to Milan, as it's a main area to fly out of, and to Genoa. Nothing is like Rome and Florence though. After leaving Mykonos, that turned out to be a very relaxing, enjoyable place, Sarah-Jane and I caught the ferry back to Athens and then a flight to Rome. We were only there for about a day, but saw as much as we could in the time we had. The first night we wandered around, aimlessly searching for somewhere to stay the night. And after a few attempts to find somewhere, we managed to find this all-girls hostel one stop away from the train station. Perfect, as we were getting a train the next evening to Florence to meet Chris, Sarah's boyfriend. So we crashed and got up early to explore the city. We hit up the Trevi Fountain, threw coins in and made wishes and immediately headed to the Coliseum. We ran into a few other neat monuments and architecture on the walk there. Sarah grabbed some gelato while I settled for a frozen drink to cool off the blistering hot day. Ice cream isn't really my thing, even when it's supposed to be the best in Europe. The Coliseum was spectacular, still standing half-deteriorated, but nothing like I imagined it to be. The floor that the gladiators fought on was gone, exposing the underground tunnels that weaved their way around the middle circle. The stairs and seats were almost non-existent and it was physically and mentally hard to picture how it used to look so long ago. It's too bad we didn't come just a bit later. Supposedly the tunnels were going to be opened up to the public soon allowing a guided tour through the maze that seemed to stretch another two stories below ground. I'm jealous. Maybe it would have made me feel a little more sensation… however, after a nice light and cool lunch, we checked out this Virtual Museum just down the road from where the Coliseum stands. It was quite informative and I wished I had (like in Athens) gone to the museum first. The effects were super cool and I would definitely recommend someone to go there, even if it is just for the air-conditioning and cheesy virtual effects that lead you through Rome B.C.

We got our bags from the hostel, headed for the train station and moved on to Florence.
The campground we stayed in was very nice, with a beautiful overlook of the city. The atmosphere designed for backpackers, but more chill than wild since families stayed there too. Since we didn't get there till late, we called it an early night so we would have a good amount of the day to spend checking out the city. I didn't really feel like I was in Tuscany until I looked past the city to see the Olive Trees and Grape vines filling the landscape.. I would have loved to go to a wine tasting and exploration of the country side, but just not enough time. We walked around the next day, just enjoying the beautiful city it was. The next morning we headed back to Rome to catch our flight to Thailand. It went as fast as it came… Europe was now behind me and I set out on a new adventure- known as South East Asia.

Athens, Greece

So I realized I skipped a blog over one significant part of my trip. I'll have to make it short to catch you up a bit. This was before Mykonos.

I was so thankful that my friend John got back to me, allowing me to crash and hang out with him at his place while I stayed in Athens for the few days I was there. I arrived from Zante alone, Sarah heading home to prepare for the upcoming trip. She would meet me the next day (we thought) in Athens- which turned out to be the following day. The first night, I hung out with John, poor crippled John. He had a leg injury about a month ago plus surgery. So he was still hobbling around on crutches. It didn't stop him though, we enjoyed a long night out, with his friends and a cool little bar/club out of the immediate night life part of town. I wanted to wait for Sarah to get there so we could do the Acropolis together and see all of the ruins, so I didn't do anything the following day but chill out with John and enjoy familiar company once more. But when we found out that Sarah got the days mixed up, I decided I would walk about by myself the following day. Meaning to get up early but slept through my alarm, probably because we had stayed out late again the previous night, I finally managed to get out of the house around 1pm, starting immediately my "sight-seeing." I bought the cheap student pass that let me in all of the main attractions of Athens, and I walked around ruins for quite a bit before heading up the hill to the Acropolis. It was HOT. But I managed to fill my bottle up a few times in the water fountains and walked around the entire mountain, seeing the 2 Theatre ruins, and all of the columned temples. My next stop was the new Acropolis museum. On the way down I ran into people drinking these delicious looking frozen drinks. I was so hot at this point that I didn't care what I had to do to get one of these things… not much of the normal backpacker's splurge, when water would have been about 3 euro less, but the 4,50 euro was worth every drop of it. I downed my strawberry/lemonade frozen drink by the time I had made it to the museum and I was ultimately satisfied. I wish I had gone to the museum before heading to the Acropolis. And then of course, I watched the informative video after exploring the museum bottom to top that gave me all the details about what I was seeing. Why do I do everything backwards? I figured I'd had seen enough by that point, or either it was because the museum was closing and I knew I would have to leave soon anyway, but I took John's advice and set off towards the Old City. I had no idea where I was going, but I just circled my way through the old very narrow streets, lined by homes, all white with red roof tops and plants hanging around outside of the gates. It was crest in its own type of ancient beauty. I knew I was hungry and thought it a good idea to eat somewhere nearby. As I was walking through the small passageways, I ran into this quaint little restraint offering a "menu" of all the traditional Greek foods. I figured I might as well when he threw in a free glass of wine. The perks of being alone and female. ;)

The dinner was nice. I met a very pleasant Australian woman, and we had a wonderful chat over dinner. She was traveling alone too on a conference, and has traveled much of the world, so we had that in common. I was full of the delicious Greek food but had to hurry to meet Sera from the airport. We decided that night to go to Mykonos!

Mykonos, Greece

Minus the loud music from the campground we're staying at: Mykanos Beach, and the combination of mixed music from Paradise Beach just around the bend, this is a place you could definitely find yourself doing some soul searching. The water is blue, the skies crystal clear, the northern winds blowing and knowing the night has already started, I can only think about one thing (maybe that will be disclosed later ;)) This place is a bunch of dirt and rock that almost reminds me of the mountains in Egypt, but it has a relaxing vibe to it even over the 1000's of people I hear from the distance. The sun is just setting and I'm thinking once again how blessed I am to be able to do the things I'm doing. I forget about how hard it was to pitch our tents in the crazy wind, the repulsive Italian couple sucking face at the pool when they should have "gotten a room," and the little obnoxious girl in the pool splashing around. I once was that little girl. All of that is gone as I'm looking at this beautiful view of the Mediterranean with "Tonight's gonna be a good night" ringing through my ears. That song will be legend no matter how much people get sick of it.

 

Relating to my last blog:
Sometimes I think that I'm taking it all for granted, sometimes wishing I was home instead. How could I think that!? After all of the amazing things I'm getting to do, why the hell would I want to be home!? And then I realize.. it's not that I want to be home.. it's that I want the special people in my life from back home to be here with me. It's all so selfish isn't it? I get these amazing opportunities and I keep wanting more. When I was in Estonia, there were these rare snails, big, huge to the size of snails I'm used to, living all around the side of Rene's country house. He told me they used to be farmed for food and got to the point they were almost extinct. Now they are protected by the state and although I did think of how tasty they would be if we cooked them in some lemon butter sauce, I realized that most people's lives are like those snails, but not in a good way. They live their life "protected" by all of societal standards, living to the way they feel they must. Whether it's by one thing or another. And I look back and I have friends married with children and they aren't even 22. They haven't been protected, but they've been captured. They haven't been able to experience the world; half of them haven't even been to another continent. And here I am, globetrotting, seeing some of the most beautiful places in the world, and I still want more.

It doesn't always feel like that, however. Other times I couldn't imagine myself back home, hoping that somewhere along the way, I will be captured by the beauty, the culture, the surroundings of a particular place, give everything up, and stay there living my life with the ultimate happiness I seek in My Tree of Life. As farfetched as it seems, I long for that Under the Tuscan Sun type of life story. But we all know that movies are movies for a reason. Either way, my goal is to never let things get in my way from doing what I love. Traveling is definitely the trunk of my tree.

The sun is now behind the mountains, the air still warm, the music getting louder. This is my time, I'm not going to let it pass me by!

Zante!

There are some parts of Zaknythos (Zante) that remind me of the dunes covered with srubbery of OBX. I noticed them on my way from Laganas to the Central Bus Station all while thinking about how fast these last 6 days went by. I had expected Zante to be a little different, and it just so happened the place we were staying was right on the main strip of Laganas (one of the many areas of Zante) which was dedicated as Party Central. A little too much for me at some points when I wanted to relax and enjoy the sun or have a early night in and all I could hear were the 1000 Brits outside yelling and carrying on. It was fun when we were out enjoying the scene, but I definitely didn't feel like I was on a Greek Island, especially when the entire island was a tourist trap for the british and aussies. It was the first time in months that I felt like I could walk down the street and constantly understand everyone else's conversation. To be honest, I actually enjoy being in environments where I can't understand what other people are saying. The things you hear sometimes you just don’t care to. I didn't get in until late last Saturday night (July 10th). Sera-Jane and Rachel came to meet and we figured out how we were going to sneak me into their room the rest of the week. Mission Successful (btw). The week consisted of a lot of sun, the beach, too much heat, Insomnia (if it interests you- google it) and (I think) 3 nights of karaokee! Ultimately making me super happy ;) We took a pretty sweet boat tour, which we heard was pretty boring, but I thouroughly enjoyed it (after the first 3 hours of course- relating back to Insomnia), that took us to the Blue Caves, the Ship Wreck island (amazing!), the Kari Caves, and a few other swimming points where the water is so blue you can see straight to the bottom. Of course I would decide it's a good idea to go cliff jumping, thinking my ear was well enough for the- not as high as I normally jump off of- cliff I was jumping from and I wouldn't go too deep. WRONG. Immediately I feel the water sucking in as I emerge myself in the water. At this point, I don't really care anymore. I know that I won't be able to dive the rest of the summer, but it shouldn't stop me from having fun. I'm like a fish, water is part of my life. So after the initial pain goes away, I suck it up and keep swimming.. But now, I have somehow caught a cough- not too happy about that- that I pray doesn't turn into a full fledged cold. It looks like we are going be in Athens way longer than it takes to explore and are looking for some 2 day adventure options outside the city.
Recently I've been thinking about when I get home. Since it's exactly 6 weeks until I return, my mind is getting in "home" mode. At some points I get to where I miss home. It's been 10.5 months since I've been in the United States, 9 months in France, 2.5 months I've been traveling and I still have another 1.5 to go. An entire year will have passed by the time I step foot back in America. I guess at certain points you start to miss things being tangible, but then again, as the days get closer to my return, the more nervous I am to go back and I want to continue my travels. I know when I get back, real life sets back in. The last year I've been in a dream and I don't want to wake up. Things will have changed, and I will be going back to what I remember it to be before I left. I think that's where reverse culture shock comes in. I didn't have any culture shock when I got to France, maybe because I was so open to something new and exciting and having this new culture transform me. But returning to the place I've lived my entire life, everything I've known it to be, and especially after having explored parts of the world, I think it will be more difficult returning than it was leaving. I guess I'll have to take it with stride and remember that things won't be the same, but hopefully they will have changed for the better!
This is me. The girl that travels the world to learn a little more about everything; the girl that travels the world to learn a little more about herself.
I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. I've finally found out who I am. No more hiding who I want to be. I will keep searching to find more of myself and more of the world. That's all I need.<3

Estonia and Philosophy

Quoting the words of Rene (Laura's friend and Kati's boyfriend), "I never knew Estonia could be this fun!" I didn't really know what to expect going to Estonia. I heard it was a beautiful place, small but with lots of interesting things to see and nice beaches, but I have to admit, what really made this trip was the great friends I was with. After the amazing greeting from Kati, Laura and Amandine, and the three amazing days at Laura's house, celebrating 4th of July, the beach and Andy's arrival, we headed to Rene's summer house, in the middle of nowhere, which reminded me of Suffolk. There were fields with hay bails, the nearest neighbor a mile away, delicious home grown fruit and beautiful scenery. We ventured out at night into mosquito world, protected by layers of clothing, hats and ski goggles. Did I mention that Estonia is Mosquito Haven. We killed at least 50 mosquito's last night just in one hour. I'm currently in the airport and keep feeling like I'm being attacked! There's this beautiful baby sitting beside me. He and his mom are from Russia, and I haven't seen him without a smile on his face and not giggling the whole time I've been sitting here. He's such a happy baby!
After the summer house we headed up to Tallin, the capital of Estonia, where we stayed with Kati's brother and girlfriend for 2 nights. We explored the city and the midevil town a bit, enjoyed the nightlife of Tallin, went to the beach and spent time hanging out and having fun! It didn't occur to us how fast this week was going until last night when we grilled out at Kati's parents house and realized tomorrow we all had to wake up and go our separate ways. Who knows when we will all see each other again. But I think we'll find some way to have another adventure together!
There is a guy with a Red Sox jersey on the plane.. I totally wanted to give him a high five but I thought it might be weird if I started saying "YEAHHH. Go Boston!" and stuck my hand in the air. Ah.. I should have done it anyway! And of course I would have be sat in front of two little obnoxious kids who I swear keep hocking luggies and their parents aren't doing anything....I'm about to slap a little kid... WHY ME!?!?!
I can't wait to be back in hot weather where I don't have to worry about a jacket at night or mosquitos biting me and I can lay on the beach and watch the stars. It will be great to see Serajane again and I still can't believe it's less than 7 weeks before I go home. I still have an entire continent to explore before that happens though!
Who knows where I will be living when I get back though. We still haven't found a place yet, and I'm getting really nervous about it. I'll probably be homeless. Oh well, I've been fine traveling around with just a backpack this summer, I'm sure I could do it in Richmond too lol.
My tummy is rumbling for food, I only had 3 hours of sleep last night and I still have a 5 hour bus/ferry ride to Zante when I get to Athens.
I want to explore an idea Laura had when we were talking yesterday. Anyone who really knows me, knows that I have a philosophy. It's called Kristi's Tree of Life. It's based for me and anyone else who wants to explore it but it pulls in ideas of the world with my touch on life. I really should write the philosophy out so I don't have to explain it each time someone asks me. But on a side note, Laura and I were talking about this Russian writer who explained a tree. He wasn't only writing about this tree being present, but he took 10 pages to detail this one particular tree. Its smells, appearence, etc. I started to think about this a little as the conversation went on, and as we were looking at the tree that was standing beside us.
I mentioned to Laura that it would be easy to explain a tree in very few words, for example the tree I was looking at was fairly tall with two main branches, a trunk, and lots of green leaves. I went on to say that if I had to go into more detail I would comment on the flower pot hanging from it and the hammock attached around its base. But what really got me thinking was when Laura said it could be described even more simply, just by saying there was a tree. I guess it doesn't have to be explained what kind of tree it is, what it looks like, how tall it is or any more details, it can be up to the imagination of the reader. But is it really just a tree, or does a tree have more to it than simply being "a tree?"
What if this tree had some purpose, maybe not to your life but to someone elses. Does that tree become worthy of describing? Maybe the tree reminds you of something, in that case, it has a story behind it. Would it be then you went on to describe the tree in order to relate it to the background story? In any case, I guess I conclude a tree is not just a tree as long as it has some purpose to someone, but we may never know if it does or not, so we should look at every tree in detail, just as we should with people.
This particular tree reminded me of my old house (I never thought I would have to say that). I pictured my family in that house for the rest of our lives. Although I would grow up and move out and move on, I always saw myself coming back "home," swinging on my tree swing my daddy had made me years before, randomly walking through the same woods I used to play in as a little girl, looking at my old play house, the tree fort I attempted to build and taking a dip in the pool. I wanted to bring my furture husband "home" to see all of these things, to see where I grew up, to see my childhood and experience it with me again. I wanted always to be able to feel that humbling feeling of walking through the door to memories, my bedroom walls painted pink and a hole in the door from when I was angry and kicked it in so long ago.
But things change and sometimes we don't have control over them.
This tree reminded me of all these things, all because it had a hammock attached to its base. As I lay there swinging, I thought about the times I used to go out on a breezy summer day and fall asleep in the hammock as the squirrels climbed up the trees beside me and the birds flew from branch to branch. I lived in the middle of nowhere it felt like when I was young, but my heart became fond of it. Now I drive by almost heartbroken as that swing I used to swing on everyday was the first thing they cut down, my playhouse is gone and even if it still stood, I could no long jump from the second story into my pool. I know I will never be able to shoot my bb gun to the birdfeeder pole target, roller blade on the front porch or head to the back yard to walk over the graves of my animals I had growing up. I can't spray paint the old clothes line whenever I want or ride the lawnmower down the road to Kortni's because I'm too lazy to walk. I still remember the old tile floor before we changed it, the burn I put on the new one and the snake that got caught in the mouse trap while I was sitting at the bar. It would never be the same.
I'm now a wanderer and I soar with the wind. I have no base.
This tree stood there, letting me admire all of its details, and I found in that tree something more than just a tree. I found a story.

The End of Croatia... and beginning of Estonia!

After I left Korcula, I headed to Dubrovnik. I had met some really cool people from Norway and some girls from Canada, and we all enjoyed a close to perfect ferry ride, with a gorgeous sunset, nice meal and lots of laughs! I don't think I've laughed that hard in a long time. I didn't know where I was going to stay when I got to Durbrovnik, but thankfully there are always people right outside of the bus/ferry that are offering accommodation, and since it was already 10pm at night, I figured that would be my best option. The view from the apartment was amazing, I could see all of Dubrovnik and the Old Town, and it was only a 10-12 min walk down to get there.
As you know, I'm traveling solo at the moment, but meeting people has been easier than I thought. I walked around Old Town a bit, exploring a little, looking at the architecture, etc., and after I got bored, I went back to all the places I had heard tons of people gathering. Of course Dubrovnik is a tourist area, so hundreds of college students were traveling around. I went to this place called Sky Bar, met some more travelers, the music sucked (all techno- no words) so I left and headed to a more local setting. There I met some Brazilians, Spanish, Americans and well, I guess that's not "local" but the setting felt more local- annnd the Spanish guy was living there. So I hung out with them until about 2am when we went dancing. Fortunately the Spanish guy and I started talking about music or something and I mentioned I sing, so at the dance club, he introduced me to some members of a jazz band that plays every night in Dubrovnik. They told me to come out the next night and I could sing with them. I didn't really think anything of it, but I headed to the jazz bar the following night, and just as they had promised, brought me up there for the final song and we sang, "I love you baby." It was a pretty interesting experience since I had never even heard their version, I didn't know all the words and on top of it, I had never practiced with them before. Got to love being spontaneous! Lillie and Grant (two more American's I had met at the dance club the night before and had hung out with all day) were there to support! I also was told by two people sitting near us that they would be my "supportive parents" for the evening! I love great people.
The following day I got coffee with one of the jazz band members to talk about music and whatnot, and just so happened to run into the Canadian girls from Korcula again and we all spent the day exploring a little until it was time for me to catch my bus to Plitvica Lakes. If you haven't already, look it up. It's absolutely amazing! It wasn't until the long bus ride from Dubrovnik to Split that I really got to see the country side of Croatia. I knew the coast was beautiful, but the entirety of Croatia is covered in beautiful green mountains even cruising along the coast. I had a stopover in Split and then ventured to Plitvica. Unfortunately I didn't arrive there until 3:30ish am, and although the driver knew I didn't speak Croatian, he continued to have an entire conversation in Croatian, which I later found out he was asking me where I needed to get off the bus. A camp ground I said, was thankfully dropped off right in front. By the time I had finished with a nice hot shower and pitching my tent, it was already getting light outside and I only had 2.5 hours before I had to get back up for a long day of hiking around the lakes. It was worth every bit of it though. It was probably one of the most beautiful places I have seen and it wasn't until being there did I realize I think I could actually live in Croatia. Before I had seen it only as a travel country, but when I found out that there is massive amounts of snow in the winter with resorts all around and the beauty and the lakes and the coast in the summer, it is an all around great settling country.
I had loved Croatia up until the time I was supposed to leave for Zagreb to catch my flight to Riga. As the story goes, the hotel I had kept my backpack at all day was so night to let me stay in their lobby until my 3:35am bus came the next morning and even got the night guard to take me to the bus station (which was actually a shack on the side of the road). I left about 30 min ahead of the scheduled bus arrival, just to make sure I didn't miss it. It was about 3am at this time, I was cold and have literally NO warm clothes, so I wrapped up in my sleeping back and laid against my pack on the bench. I had heard a few cars go by.. but nothing special. All of a sudden I hear a different sound, more like a huge vehicle, something like a bus. But I look at my watch- it was only 3:10am.. it couldn’t be my bus I thought to myself. 25 min early- "No Way, Not Once, Not Never." Little did I know.. it was a bus and it was my bus. As it came around the corner I jumped up frantically knowing that I couldn’t miss this bus to Zagreb. It gets closer and I leap forward, with the sleeping back cocooning me trying to get the bus to stop waving my hands in the air as I hop like I’m in a potato sack race... well I lost. I think I actually fell at one point trying to get the sleeping back from around me, picked up all my things and started running towards the sign on the back of the bus that says Zagreb. I hear the engine slow down, and I see two people exit the bus. I yell “Do you speak English!? Is that the bus to Zagreb,” to get a very unfortunate reply.. “Yes, it is.” As the bus pulls away and I’m halfway out of breathe, I can’t believe this is happening, still running towards the bus hoping by some chance it will stop. As you guessed, it didn’t, and I was left stranded there figuring out how in the world I was going to get to Zagreb by the time my flight left later that morning. The two girls walked on and did their thing and I’m contemplating all of my options. I decide to wait until 3:40am just to make sure that there wasn’t another but, and when nothing came I started walking back towards the hotel with my flashlight, trying to flag down the one or two only cars that would came by at 3:00 something am by frantically waving my hands in the air and moving my flashlight around.. hitchhiking in the middle of the night doesn’t really work too well... and my plan for walking until daylight didn’t seem like a good option either, so I headed back to the hotel where earlier I had met another really nice traveler from Mexico who had offered me the extra bed in his room to take a nap if I needed it. Thankfully when I knocked on his door when I made it back to the hotel, he gladly left me crash on the extra bed until the next morning. I got up in enough time to call the airlines to figure out how I could change/cancel/ refund my tickets, and after 3 hours of about 15 phone calls I finally was able to add an additional $100 to change my flight.
I headed off to Zagreb, knowing that was the better option. At least I would be in the city I was leaving from this time, although I had to prolong it another two days for the new flight. The first night I was just so tired after only 6 hours of sleep in the two previous nights, I didn’t find a couchsurfer in time, so I took a bed in a hostel, chilled out and slept. I did pretty much the same thing yesterday, but thankfully one of the people I had asked to couchsurf with, replied saying I could stay there last night. So after meeting Marko, who is an awesome guy, new to couchsurfing but all the same very supportive of the couchsurfing community, we went to a grocery store and got some food to make dinner. I actually suggested doing this. I was so tired of eating out, so I offered my excellent cooking skills. HA. Anyone who knows me knows I don’t cook. I hate to cook and I’m not very good at it. But surprisingly, my sautéed vegetables, spices, meat with tomato sauce and rice turned out to be very good. Don’t expect this often, but I was longing for a home cooked meal. The last time I had something similar was when Grant, Lillie and I cooked some pasta and made salad in Dubrovnik.
After dinner, I played with Marko’s brother’s new IPAD. It was the first time I had seen one in person, and it was pretty cool, but seemed more like an oversized IPOD with a few more applications and still no webcam. I figured it’s because they will have some “new” feature to add to the next generation one.
After my shower, we went to meet with Marko’s sister and her friend in the center. I was already exhausted, but tried to keep awake and enjoy what was my “4th of July” night. We went to a Zagreb couchsurfing party after we left the bar, which was a regular house party in a small space and mixing that will our tiredness, we didn’t stay too long. Once again, I only got about 3.5 hours of sleep, and Marko woke up early to take me to the bus station to make sure I got to the airport early enough. I had about an hour to wait to board, so I thought taking a nap would be a good idea. Wrong! BAD, BAD idea.
I woke up to my IPOD playing, “You can’t always get what you want,” as I looked at my watch. It was 8:32! Shit! I run to the boarding gate which was a mere 10 steps max away from where I was sitting. Instead of getting hell for being the last person, they all smiled and said, “It happens,” and called an entire bus just to take me to the plane. They had seen me sleeping there and probably found it more funny than anything else. I knew then if I didn't make it on the plane, it just wasn't meant to be for me to go to Estonia.
I made it though, and while I was waiting about 25 min for my baggage to arrive in Riga, I went to see if the girls were there! As I waited for the sliding doors to open fully, I see the girls there waiting for me on the other side! They start screaming and my eyes light up and a smile comes immediately on my face! I was so happy at that moment to be with friends and people who I care about again. The last 2 weeks I had really missed that.
Yesterday was 4th of July. I never knew 4th of July in Estonia could be so amazing. I knew at that moment it was all relative to the people I was with. It always is and always will be.
It was amazing to see the sun still sitting on the edge of the sea at 1am while I was admiring the beautiful colors, swimming in the Baltic. We celebrated American style with a BBQ and watermelon, music and friends. It was the best 4th away ever.
We woke up around 12pm, ate a wonderful brunch and headed to the beach for the afternoon. Everything you hope for on vacation with friends. But it got even better when Andy arrived tonight! We made him a sign, a welcome drink and sang him songs. Right now I'm enjoying some African music and the company of wonderful friends. Couldn't ask for anything more at the moment, except for 1 thing. ;)

Until next times my friends :)

The Little things in life amuse me

As I just sat there watching the sugar fall through the foam of my latte, counting how long it took, telling it to hold on and then...plunk, it was over like that and I stirred in the sugar. I'm in Dubrovnik, Croatia now. I feel like I've been in Croatia for a long time now, but it's been just over a week, I think? I've lost track of time and days, and yesterday I thought was Sunday or Tuesday (for some reason I skipped Monday) and all along it was Monday. After Hvar, I took a boat ride over to another Croatian island, Korcula. The night life wasn't as intensive as Hvar, and I only stayed there for 2 nights, but it was peaceful and relaxing and I met some really awesome people.

Croatia- Split and Hvar

Apart from stepping on a sea urchin and getting some stings from jelly’s, today has been quite relaxing. I’m now in Hvar, a small island off Croatia, with only about 4000 inhabitants. It’s been great the last two days I’ve been here, and the night life is pretty epic. I’m finally traveling solo for the first time since I left Grenoble, and surprisingly it’s not that hard meeting new people. As long as I’m willing to randomly go up to a group or head into a bar for a drink by myself, I’ve seemed to be able to find great company the entire time. I started off in Split, Croatia as my last minute decision from Prague, and surprisingly found a fellow couchsurfer who was willing to host me last minute. And as I walked around the main area of Split during the day waiting for him to get off work, exploring the Palace, the old underground city ruins and meeting two cool Irish girls, if it weren’t for Davor, I wouldn’t have seen much more of the area. After the long Prague weekend, I was dead and didn’t care much for trying to figure out the bus system or walk further than into town, but thankfully he drove me around, took me to the most beautiful places in Split, and we even took a 50km ride out to a small port town for his work and then to do some exploring. I got the 8 hours of sleep that I desperately needed as I don’t think my body ever fully got that much since the food poisoning. And the following day, I was ready to venture around with him. Davor invited some of his friends over that night and it was great to be around a group of musicians again; we sang, danced and had a good time conversing. I had heard great things about Hvar, so I decided I might as well check it out. These two Aussie guys I had met when I first arrived to Split and the Irish girls mentioned they were heading over, so I figured it might be worth checking out, and it sure has paid off. I’ve had a great time here. My first night consisted of me eating a nice solo dinner, being served 2 “traditional Hvar drinks” already after my glass of wine, free of charge, and then heading to a sports bar to check out the Cup. I figured there would be as good a place as any to meet someone to hang out with, and being in Europe during the World Cup helps a lot too. Everyone is sooo into “football.” Turns out I meet these Aussie girls (there are so many of them here) who were planning to go out to some bar after the game finished, so I asked if I could tag along. This was crazy night #1. I somehow got tangled in this circle of guys who are circumnavigating the world and had just docked in, ended up hanging out with them the rest of the night because they were freakin’ awesome. I don’t remember any of their names and I’ll probably never see any of them again, but they made my first night here an adventure- I now go by “Virginia.” Coincidentally I just so happened to run into the two Aussie guys (from Split) the next day on the beach I went to, so yesterday I spent hanging out with them, enjoying the beach and going out = crazy night #2 (I’ve only been here two days- just for a reminder lol) Somehow, like always, I ended up with a group of 9 guys partying the night away, bar hopping and just like the night before, ended up in the only dance club of the island with only 2 of the guys that I had started the night with, and 4 British girls. You have to long how people get lost during the night. BUUUUT.. I did get to speak a lot of french- which was amazing. We met a group of students who came over after graduating to spend a week. It felt so weird speaking a different language again, it had been about a month.

The view here is amazing from where I’m staying. I can see the other mountain islands in the background, hanging over the sea, purple flowers everywhere, green ivy on every building, birds chirping. It’s so peaceful. I realized today one of the reasons I love Europe. Today was my first day tanning topless. I was reluctant at first, but when the other 5 girls around me stripped down, I figured, heck with it, we’re all the same anyway. Quite a refreshing experience. Tonight is my last night here (maybe) , and I need to figure out where I’m heading after….

I am missing home a little, but that seems to happen more now that I’m traveling alone. I’m sure it will end soon.

I heard something yesterday… Happy is what happens when your dreams come true.

Last thought of the day… should I make it crazy night #3?

Prague

So the end of Egypt went a lot better than expected. After the horrible night with my head in the toilet, wanting to die, and the decent recovery, Kelsey and I left for Cairo at 1am the following night. Thankfully we had a friend helping us out, organizing how we were going to get from Dahab there, and we even managed to swing hitting up the Pyramids before going to the airport. I was feeling much better by then, but still couldn't eat. I hate not having an appetite. I love food too much.
The pyramids were amazing. Everything I had wanted them to be. I climbed through and even decided to get in the empty tomb. I'm not really sure if that's appropriate or not, but you know me, it seemed exciting.. so who cares!
Kelsey and I went separate ways.. and I made my way to Prague for my friend Kaysey's birthday. I was still recovering from the food poisoning and such, but don't get that wrong, we lived up Prague. 2 pub crawls and not enough sleep later, I've made it to Croatia. I didn't know where I was going after Prague, I figured I would decide when the time came, and that's exactly what I did. I had wanted to go to Croatia since last year when I was planning my first backpacking around Europe, but because of the situation, I never made it there. So I figured, why the heck not this time around!? Spontaneous Traveling is what I call it, and I'm growing more fond of it every time I do it.
I'm sitting on a bench, looking out onto a harbor, enjoying the weather, beautiful Old City with ancient ruins and wondering where I will head for dinner. I found a last minute couchsurfing host and will be meeting up with him later in the evening. Hopefully he'll be able to tell me some interesting places to explore around here. I'm ready for the gorgeous beaches and sun! Also thinking about heading over to one of the islands off the coast. Met some nice Aussie's who were heading over there.
Dinner time. I think seafood is on the menu tonight!

Until next time :)

Dear Egypt

Dahab is one of the most amazing places.. relaxing, chill more than anything, and beautiful. Bob Marley playing in the background sets the mood. The Red Sea is vast with endless beauty and the town itself is quaint with a good ambiance. It's magnificent how much one can pack into a week of being here, and we didn't even get to do everything we wanted. The first two days involved a lot of laying out in the sun, meeting new people, snorkeling and relaxing. We planned most of our excursions for the rest of the week, and because of expenses, we decided not to go to Israel and Jordan. I'll have to hit them up another time! However, we did get a whole bunch packed in and had an amazing time doing it all. The first trip was up to Mount Sinai. Leaving from our hotel at 11pm, we took an hour and 45 mini-bus ride to the starting point at the bottom of the mountain. I was pretty pumped, and had more energy that I thought I would for doing a night hike. The total climb was about 3.5 hours, with an intense walk up, plus 700+ stairs at the very top. Whoever tells you that this excursion is easy, they aren't telling you the truth. I'm pretty in shape, and at some points, I could feel my heart beating through my chest. I was however in front of everyone else in our group and was walking pretty fast with some English guy. As much as I wanted Mt. Sinai to be an awakening experience, it lacked. Who knows.. maybe it was because I was up there with 1000 other tourists, I was tired, and I didn't see God in a burning bush (lol)... but mainly I experienced the feel of ancient buildings and beautiful sights. It was gorgeous up there. It's a shame that my internet connection isn't good enough to load photos on facebook yet.

One love.. one heart.. Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right- Bob is still playing.

The hike down was something else.. the beauty I got to see was extraordinary, and thinking about how old those mountains are.. the erosion has eaten through them.

Later that day, we went horseback riding along the Blue Lagoon, and thankfully there was someone else who rides, so we got to race the horses. Just a little 411: Egyptian sattles are no where near as comfortable as what we're used to. Which didn't help the next day when we took an hour and 1/2 camel ride to Ras Abu Galum.
This village is out in the middle of no where. I don't think there was any electricity and the only water they probably had was from the Red Sea.
I forgot to mention that our shower water, isn't even fresh. It's filtered salt water. It's so interesting to experience how others live, because they use this every day. When in Ras Abu Galum, we got to snorkel and see the beautiful reef, all while being harrassed by these little girls. It's horrible how much they beg, asking for anything I was wearing, even my nose stud. I guess that's what you have to do when you don't have much. Supposedly these are the people who own Dahabian land, and are actually rich from renting it out. Why you would live in those conditions, I'm still not sure.
Cheri, Kelsey and I were already so exhausted by the time Monday rolled around, but we had already booked the excursion to the desert. So 8am rolls around and we head off. It was quite an awesome experience. I have ridden a camel in the Sahara before, but hiking through two beautiful canyons (The Red Canyon and White Canyon) was something different. It was HOT. But the over hangs from the rocks helped cool us down and the beauty kind of took our mind off the heat. We got to visit some ancient tombs, over 6000 years old, older than the Pharaohs, and of course I climbed inside... they must have been a lot smaller than we are today, because my butt barely made it through some of the entrances. After, we visited another small village, except this time it was worse than the other one. They had no electricity, no running water, and there were flies everywhere. I asked what they did throughout the day and was told they take care of the children, the few animals they have and cook meals. That was pretty much the extent of it. I guess when you live so far out in the desert, there's not a lot of option. The best part about that day was visiting the Oasis. I had always wanted to see one and found it so interesting how vegetation can spring up in the middle or nowhere! We were in the middle of a desert and all of a sudden, we come around a corner and BAM! Trees so green, flowers so colorful, and what felt like all the water you would need to survive a lifetime, and that's exactly what they do. The village was big, bigger than all the other ones I had seen thus far. The flies were killer however, but the food delicious for being vegetarian. They didn't have enough electricity or space to store meat, and the people were nice, respectful and hassle free! I think it would be a very interesting experience to try to live there (even if it was just for a week). My goal would have been to kill all of the flies, since there's not much else to do during the day in a desert.

On another note, the World Cup has started and everyone is going crazy over it. I guess the way I love other sports, a lot of people love "football." I don't think I've ever watched an entire game straight...

The end of this vacation in Egypt hasn't been the best. I was super excited to dive the Red Sea, I mean, really, I didn't get my certification for nothing. And not being able to dive in Malta had already bummed me out. So I decided to try again here in Dahab. It started off when I sliced my hand on a wooden bench and then.. with some of the best diving in the world, what happens, I once again, hardly get to see any of it. A few days ago, I headed to a dive center to test out my ear under 2 meters, and with a little pressure, it was okay, so I figured it would hold up for the two dives I wanted to do that coming Tuesday. So yesterday comes along, I'm exhausted from everything we've been doing the last few days, not having slept for over 36 hours straight and only 5 or 6 hours the nights since then... but I was amped to go diving. We did some refresher drills before heading in the water, and just took it real easy going down. Wanting to test my buoyancy, we headed away from the reef to the area called the Trash (because there are some old car tires sitting on the bottom, and no reef) Little did I know, that was going to be my first and last dive of the day. My ear was really not doing well. We got down to about 18 meters, which was pushing it hard, and I sucked it up until it was time to get out, but man was it painful at some points. I let it dry out a little bit and an hour or so later, we headed down for the second dive (the Lighthouse- reef). I got down about 15ft. max and I just couldn't handle it anymore.. I had to go back up and dive number two was a no-go. At least I had seen some great things snorkeling in the Blue Hold the other day (huge fish, beautiful coral, and even a big sea turtle!) otherwise, I would have been extremely upset. Anyway, it just so happened that I was sitting next to this really nice man who saw me in a lot of pain and trying to get water out of my ear and called up his brother who is a doctor. He suggested I go to see this dive specialist doctor in Dahab to check out what was wrong. So the random man (the Monk of Dahab) I had just met, gets a taxi and takes me all the way to see this specialist. Come to find out, after going to see the doctor, I have a nice hole in my ear. He thinks I had ruptured it in Malta, and it was almost healed until I went down again. FML. No diving for at least 3 months, unless I get it checked out and everything is all healed up. There goes diving in S.East Asia. But it goes to show that there are nice people in this world, wherever you are, there will always be someone to help. The Monk didn't let me pay for the taxi there or back, and if I hadn't strongly insisted, he would have paid for me to see the specialist too.

So now, as I'm sitting here, still in Dahab, trying to recover from the (no, I can't win) food poisoning that hit both myself and Kelsey hard yesterday afternoon, I'm scoping out the beautiful Red Sea, I'm thinking about one of the most important parts of Egypt I am missing today.. the Pyramids. There was no way we could have made it on the bus to Cairo last night, our heads were in the toilet pretty much the entire night. So we stayed here, hoping that today we would feel better. After getting everything out of our systems.. I can vouch that I feel as if I have been hit by a bus.. going full speed. My body is exhausted, it takes so much out of me to even walk, and I'm depressed knowing I won't be able to visit Cairo, the Egyptian Museum, the pyramids, or the sphinx. I guess I'll just have to figure out a way to come back..

Next stop.. Prague. Let's hope my body is up for it by the time I get there. I need to get rid of some things from my bag. I have too much and it's too heavy. I don't have enough energy to do this however, nor the energy to carry my backpack. I'm screwed.

More to come.. please pray for my quick recovery, with all the problems I've been facing.

Sending love from Egypt.

Kristi

Malta baby! Reflections...

I'm sitting on a rooftop cafe, watching the stars, listening to the kind of music that sets the mood.. there are only two things that could make life better right now. I'm in Egypt, looking out onto the Red Sea.. the warm air rolls over me, palm trees swaying, and the smell of amazing food enters my lungs. I can see flickering lights from Saudi Arabia in the distance and I feel so alive!
This place is absolutely magical... but so was Malta.
I have a hard time comparing the places I've been. Malta was more than extraordinary.
After a rocky start (like most adventures that I've done abroad), it was only Lukasz and I who made it on the island at the right time. The girls flight got canceled and will all the effort they put into getting there, they arrived the next day, completely exhausted. Lukasz and I met Ian the first day and instantly knew how awesome this week was going to be after talking with him that night. And he really did make my trip amazing! I don't think I could have couchsurfed with anyone better. After the first night, it was Kelsey, Cheri and myself who stayed with him and he made us feel so welcomed. By the end of the week, we felt like we had known him for so much longer and he was no long just our host, but a friend too.
A very brief overview of some of the amazing things I got to do and see in Malta:
Ian is a big rock climber and offered to take us whenever he went, Lukasz and I went 3 times with him, climbing some of the most awesome rocks in Malta, and even did some deep water solo climbing at the end (which is climbing with no equipment over water- so if you slip or fall, you land safely) It was pretty exhilarating, especially the two times that I fell because of rocks breaking on me. Unfortunately, the two groups didn't get to see each other as much as we had hoped. Being at one side of the island and them couchsurfing with someone else on the other side kind of limited things. But when we did get to be together we had a great time. We went snorkeling (which wasn't the best area of Malta to snorkel- and on top of it, I was STUPID and forgot to take out my nose stud, so when I went down to do some shallow diving, I couldn't equalize and my ear popped so badly that I had tears rolling down my face)- meaning I didn't get to go scuba diving in Malta. It's still not all there but I'm going tomorrow to get it looked at to make sure I didn't do any serious damage. I will be SO disappointed if I don't get to dive the Red Sea. Other than that, we had a fun night in with everyone at Ian's, went to Karaoke, camped out on the beach, hit up the Blue Lagoon (where we went deep water solo climbing). The water was so blue that I couldn't imagine any water ever being bluer, laid out on the beach and just enjoyed being in the beautiful weather.
There is so much more to describe about this amazing place.. but it's a must experience yourself kind of thing. It was hard saying goodbye to Ian and his precious dogs, the Island and Lukasz and Fabiola (it will be the last time I will see them for a long while).
Overall- Malta was AMAZING and I wouldn't have changed anything.
Now on to Egypt.. where my first day in this country has been just... super.
After the over night van ride here, we (Kelsey, Cheri and I) were all pretty exhausted but decided not to miss out on what the day offers, so we checked into our beautiful hotel right on the Red Sea, grabbed some food in the sun and signed up for our excursions that we'll be taking over the next week. I checked out some diving centers, and then we headed to the Lagoon, took a swim and a nice nap before heading back to the hotel. We got stopped on the way and decided a massage was a great way to start our vacation here in Egypt. The best thing about this place is that everything is oober cheap and the conversion rate it amazing!
I can't wait to tell more about the rest of this trip here!

Thanking God everyday for blessing me with such great opportunities! I'll talk to him more on Mt. Sinai in a few days.

And we're off!

Tomorrow.. I set sail (or fly) to MALTA!
It's strange to think that I really do miss my family. It was great having my aunt Faye and mom here for the 2 weeks. And as much as they do drive me nuts sometimes, I love them very much and enjoyed getting to spend time with them. Family really is the only thing you'll have when everything else is gone. The only thing that was missing was Daddy! I was just looking over the next 3 months, thinking about all the places I'm going and the awesome experiences I will have.. and realized.. it's going to go by SO fast. Before I know it, this year abroad will be over, and I will be back in my old life. But will it really be "my old life?" I think I'll come back a new person, maybe somewhat more wise, not by knowledge, but by experience. I believe I have a new outlook of the world, of life, of myself... so maybe I'll be coming back to a different life... not a new beginning, but a new branch on my tree. But I can't think about that.. I have to focus on the time I do have, the endless possibilities, the unforgettable summer. I have to remember things while they're happening... not after they've happened. Life is too short. Time goes by too fast, and one day blends into another. It's taking it one moment at a time, discovering every second as its own, rejoicing in life and making it worth while.
My ultimate goal is life is to feel everlasting happiness, a constant rush, and intimate joy. I come to realize more and more each day how to make that happen. Trust in Him, let myself go, never worry, and try to live my life unselfishly, for I feel the happiest when I help others be happy, I've discovered. I feel like I've been given something when I give to others. I never want to lose the smile off my face and I always want to let others see this peace in my life.

A toast to the summer.
A toast to Life.
A toast to Happiness.
And never let there be Vice.

Travels with Mom and Aunt Faye

I was so sad to leave Grenoble for the second to last time (hopefully not ever) but for a while. I knew I would be coming back for 2 days to pick up my things and take care of some necessities, but it was like leaving home. Others were leaving, my friends, all the wonderful people I have met this year, and when I come back, I know they won't be there anymore. Thank God for Facebook!
Anywho, I've had a good time with my mom and aunt coming to visit.
Lyon was pretty much just the meeting point. Didn't get to see or do much. But Nice.. like always is amazing. And this time I actually got to go to Monaco- Monte Carlo baby!! Where... I had my first Casino experience! Wooot! It was pretty exciting, minus the "losing money" part. I got a few free drinks, however, because the guy that was serving me loves Grenoble! lol And After having lost the money I was willing to spend, I finally learned how to play the roulette tables. Next time= VEGAS!
On to Italy, where Genoa was pretty and we went on a city tour, drank some good wine and I got to become captain of my new Pirate ship! (it's not letting me add the photo- so I'll have to update that later).
We just so happened to be in Milan during the Milan "football" championship game for the World Cup. The only upside was seeing 1000's of very good looking guys shirtless. Otherwise, none of us got much sleep because of the constant horn blowing and screaming people. However, everyone was super excited about anything and everything and by the 4th or 5th time I ran around the old fortress, people started blowing their horns and yelling for ME. lol I guess they were keeping count!?
I've been to Geneva, Switzerland a few times now, but mainly to catch a flight, and the most I had seen was the floor of the train station as that was my bed for the night. I never did get to see a lot of the city, other than riding through a bit in a car, or passing through by train going snowboarding. But this city is absolutely beautiful. We took another City Tour today, but got a chance to explore the country side and take an hour and 1/2 boat ride on Geneva Lake.
We haven't really had much night life, I guess going hard throughout the day has worn out my mom and aunt, so they crash pretty early. I'm used to doing the day life now and then having night life too.. But hey, I'm young and can get away with it right!?
We're heading back to Grenoble tomorrow. I have so much to do, so much to still pack up and/or get rid of, blah blah blah, etc etc. But I am really glad my mom and aunt will get to meet some of my friends that are still there and I'll get to have a night life again, at least for 2 days.
After is off to Paris for 3 days and then they head home.
I'm still trying to figure out this whole China visa. I'll be going to the US Embassy in Paris while I'm there and hopefully get it sorted out. I'm very much looking forward to this journey I'll be on the next 3 months.
Next stop after Paris= MALTA!!!!!
6 Friends, 7 Days, on an Island = Oh Yeahhhh Baby!!!!

Until next time my friends!

"It's not Goodbye... it's Hopefully I'll see you soon"

Apart from the crappy weather and the lack of BBQ, last night was an AMAZING Goodbye Party! I again want to thank all of my friends who came out to wish me farewell and safe travels this summer! Ya'll have no idea how much I'm going to miss you!
This has been one hell of a fantastic year!
I've met so many wonderful people, done so many exciting things, and if I continue on, I'm going to run out of adjectives to describe how "epic" my year in Grenoble has been!
But it's coming to an end.. 2 more days until I meet my mom and aunt in Lyon... doing our travels, 2 more days in Grenoble to take care of some things... then Goodbye.
The worst part about it, is that it's never the same once you leave. You'll always have those memories, but when you come back, the people, the town, your life, will have changed.
It's come and gone so fast.. and I don't think I can keep up with it. Life.. just slow down a little for me, please.
My life is a beautiful rainbow.. and I want to explore every color in and out.

I would...

Instead of taking this precious time to study.. what do I do? Write a blog! I've also spent most of the afternoon looking up interesting places to volunteer during the 3 weeks I have "free travel" during the summer. I figured I've been taking the last year for "me time" I might as well give some of that back.. whether it is just something small, something I enjoy (i.e. working with horses) and isn't for a long period of time. Speaking of which, "me time" this weekend has been amazing. After celebrating 2 birthday's, going into town 2 out of 3 nights, intensely living up Berlioz, and staying up dancing a night away, yet again, I'm exhausted! I can't wait to see what this summer is going to be like! Can a body really run on 4 hours of sleep a night? It can't be healthy, but it sure is fun!
Last full week here in Grenoble. The current crap weather is making me ready to start my travels... yet the continual snow-topped mountains keep my mind complacent and content.
Just a side note: I found out that Cafe Berlioz- (the little cafeteria outside of my residence) sells beer! I'm going to miss the lack of alcoholic obedience when I get back to the States. It's a shame when you find an alcoholic restrictive country (US) has more problems with alcohol than a country where you can have table wine at whatever age your parents decide to give it to you, and you can purchase legally at the age of 16. Maybe the U.S. should think this through a little. It doesn't help that the lack of public transportation plays a big role into it. But when a majority of the population already drinks under-age and can seriously be penalized for having even the smallest amount consumed, I hate to say it, but "Vive la France!"
People here respect it here, drink wine with almost every meal. It's not until you're restricted from doing something that you truly want to rebel.... Or you could just be a college student. I'm rambling thoughts from my head.

Wishing the sun would come out, my exams would be over, or I had at least some motivation to study in the first place, and mainly that time would slow down!

Must.Live.Up.Live!

Science Politique - Grenoble

Just a little reflection of studying political science in Grenoble...
Maybe it was the fact that I wasn't french, I came in half way through the year, or that I didn't speak much french while in class in order to join in the conversation (when you're trying to just keep up with what's going on, it's a little more difficult to say what you're thinking), but I never once felt like I belonged there. In regards to the fact that it's extremely difficult to get into (in France), everyone seems like they have a stigma about them that makes them just a little above the rest, which may be the case, but I found it was flaunted. And to be honest, I don't think they would survive if they came to an American University to try and study political science. As I mentioned to Diana, who was also studying there, if this semester would have been in English, I think it would have been a fairly easy one. Apart from the +10 exposes I wrote this semester (which caused a lot of difficulties because they were all in french - and not all of them were for poli sci) the classes seemed fairly simple and I wouldn't have stressed too much, but did because of the language barrier and that there is only one exam at the end that determines everything (this is the case for all studies in France). Overall my experience at Science Po Grenoble wasn't as interesting as hoped and for others (foreign students) who are interested in taking classes there, I would suggest preparing for the fact that it won't be like anything from your home university.
Or maybe this was just my case and I'm the outlier? I never felt welcomed at events that were going on inside the building, and never even thought of going to night events for the fear that I would be looked down on. I would rather stick to the awesome friends I have outside of science po.
The professors, however, were reasonable with the fact I was "ERASMUS" and helped me out as much as possible, which was reassuring. And on a side note- there were a few students who showed some sympathy to my "foreigness" and alienation in the Science Po Grenoble community. Maybe it was because they were stuck with me doing projects and it was the only way to make sure we did a good job? Otherwise, I don't think I would want to go back for another year there. I would prefer the history department, where I took a very interesting class and students were a lot more friendly and I might even stretch to say that my french literature classes were better than science po, but again, that's a stretch.
I can't wait to get back to structure, blackboard, and having professors let you know what the crap is going on, books to read for additional understanding, and as much as I can't believe I'm saying it, more than one "Final Exam." At least that way I know how I'm doing throughout the class, what I need to work on, and I don't feel like such a slack the whole semester. I also learn so much more back home (but that again, could be because of the language).

Hey! At least my french is better! ;-)

Why live if you're not living?

As tired as I am, I always find someway to procrastinate, no matter what it is I'm trying to do, in this case, sleep. I think it's one of my worst qualities, but I do discover some pretty interesting things with my procrastination habits. Trying to avoid the thought that I may have failed my exam I took today, avoiding all the necessary things that I need to be doing, I decided to catch up on some reading. But this isn't your typical reading.. I wanted to read about the lives of other people, so I searched Blogger. Although I didn't always come across the most interesting lives, stories, or whatever you want to call them, I found myself scrolling down the page, entertaining myself with what other people had to say. I could only imagine if my entire life was documented for people to watch.. would it be entertaining and exciting? I love my life, but I've found it important to remember that it's Your life and what others think about it doesn't make any difference. My life is entertaining to me and that's all that matters. I will admit the lack of audience response as I was singing "Don't Rain on My Parade" in the finals at the Condorde de Chant this past weekend, really bummed me out. I thought singing an upbeat, musically difficult song would be entertaining, but it didn't seem to appeal to the audience or the judges *as I later found out*- it was a bad song choice I was told. I guess you live and you learn. I had fun doing it and that's all that counts anyway.
The boring aspects are coming into play with the 2 exams I have to start studying for on Tuesday next week. I'm praying for at least a 10 out of 20 on these *that's all I need to pass*, and being as they are all in french, it poses more difficulties.
Going to continue to think positive, keep a smile on my face and shoot for the stars! That's all I can do!
Time's running out.. I don't know how to make it slow down.. make my life boring *that always seems to make time go by slower* but then what's the point of having it slow down if it's not going to be interesting. My philosophy "why live if you're not living!"

Kristi for GLEE

Hey yall! Like the other 28,000 people, I auditioned for GLEE! But I'm going to need your help! Click on the link below and Leave me a GOLD STAR and/or Comment (if you like it of course!) I think that's how it works?
Thank you so much.

checked out Kristi @Glee

The Countdown Begins and a year's reflection

Days have turned into beautiful spring! We haven't seen a drop of rain here in Grenoble for the last two weeks, just sunny, warm, beautiful days. I already have a pretty good tan just from hanging out in the field next to my dorm. I think that field has become my room more than my actually one. BBQ's have begun, the snow on the mountains are gradually melting, and friends are beginning to pack up their things to head away from Grenoble. It's the end of the year. I swear it was just September, I was moving in, didn't really know anyone, and my french was so bad I couldn't understand anything... now, almost 8 months later, I'm moving out, have so many wonderful friends here from all over the world, and I can hold a decent conversation with french people. I've had the best time of my life and wouldn't give away this year abroad for anything! It's really shaped me and changed me back into the person I love and want to be. As much as I love home, I wish home would come here to me.

In less than 20 days, my mom and aunt will be here, my room will be empty, and my epic summer will be beginning! As the french say, this summer for me will be "la chance!" and it's definitely true! I will be backpacking 3 months and traveling in 3 different continents, Europe, Africa and Asia, will being spending my summer in some of the most beautiful places on earth and experiencing things most people can only imagine. How God has blessed me! and I thank Him everyday for it!
And although I'm not traveling Europe as much as I had previously planned, I'm getting to do so many other amazing things.
A brief itinerary:

-- Traveling with mom and aunt for 2 weeks (roughly) (Nice, Milan, Geneva, Paris) until June 1st.
-- Malta until June 8th.
-- Egypt until June 17th.
-- Free Travel for 21 days. Currently undecided: Wherever the wind takes me: maybe (Ireland, Scotland, Germany?, Poland?, Estonia?, Austria? Italy?) until the 8th of July.
-- Zante, Greece until July 16th.
-- Athens, Greece until July 21st.
-- Rome, Italy until July 24th.
-- Thailand until August 5th.
-- Cambodia until August 9th.
-- Vietnam until August 16th.
-- China until August 22nd.
-- India until August 25th.
-- London for one night.
-- Flight back to the United States on August 26, 2010.


So although my initial plans for not having an itinerary didn't work out (I guess I still have 21 days for that, or the world tour I plan on doing in the near future) I'm sooooo freakin' excited about this summer! This year will be unforgettable!