All soul and no shoes

So today was really amazing.. nothing Ii had expected and beyond unique. We headed out in the morning... all I knew was that we were going into some poor village, I should wear sturdy shoes and that some of hte village people would be receiving awards while we were there

My first surprise was to not only find out that the village we were visiting is supported by an NGO led by an outstanding and inspirational Indian woman but I got the opportunity to ride for an hour in the car with her next to me. Given my passion for women's rights, women's empowerment and self-sufficiency including financial freedom, I can't put into words

how amazing it felt to sit next to her.

This woman who is pretty old still has this intense presence - you don't get a sense of fragility but rather of strength. Very very inspiring.

When we got off the car (the bus with my classmates following us) we had arrived at this elementary & middle school in a small village in the outskirts of Bengalore. The village had a little over 1000 people and was very poor.

After arriving and being greeted by the teachers and students we were LITTERALLY showered with marygold flowers as a welcoming.This was a very poor school and area - less than half of the children had shoes and when we entered their classrooms many were sharing books. It was hard to notice much of those things however given every classroom we entered we were welcomed with the children singing in perfect unison different songs in Hindi or English. Of course we took many pictures and it was fun to take the pictures because the kids felt so special when we did.

Later we were told that most of these kids probably have never had a photograph of them in their hands. So we intend to print some of our pictures and send to them. At one particular classroom, one of the girls tugged at my dress to ask my name... "Pree" I said and she told me her name. I tried to pronounce it and was laughed at by her classmates. That didnt stop all of them from telling me their name, shaking my hand and wishing me happy new year.

I took many pictures but was swarmed by kids so also missed some of the happiest faces I have seen as far as I can remember. At the school the kids had different sports competitions which they held in front of us (all open air, courtyard). After a few games had passed I asked if me and my MBA classmates could also compete in the musical chair competition.

There will be video uploaded of this but suffices to say I was the top winner - after falling on my ass multiple multiple multiple times. The kids obviously loved that I didnt seem to know how to keep my ass on the chair but instead seemed to like to drag the chair and my ass to the ground. They also performed multiple cultural activities for us... several dances, some singing and even a coordinated march/song/dance. It was all very touching... their happiness and excitement to see us, how much effort they put into preparing for our visit, how genuine and heartfelt all of their actions were. Most impressive I think were the 5 or 6 teachers that ran this school - taught all classes, disciplined (in manners and in books) and clearly gave all of themselves for kids who otherwise wouldnt have much at all.

This was certainly my only experience today being this close to NGOs and poor children. I was definitely inspired and touched. These kids just seemed very resilent... and it is such a stark contrast to kids I've seen in other places who take education for granted. We walked through the village where these kids lived ( more on that in a minute) and I can tell you by US standards (or by most educated people's standards) these kids had nothing - barely even necessities and so I was happy to see their effort towards school. it seems they - or their parents - knew that an education is the only thing that is yours forever, no matter what or who it cannot be taken from you. It is the biggest weapon you can have, and these children just seemed thirsty for it. Thankfully actually because it will be them that ensure their village situation improves. These kids are the ones that really represent the future of India and many countries and our world. The highly educated, well fed and clothed children (like me) will certainly play a part but if we are to solve the worlds problems we need these children to help us do it. They know how to do everything with nearly nothing, their frugalness and resourcefulness are what our business world and research labs need; their optimism is what every community needs.

It was certainly very inspiring.

In stark contrast to their attitude however was the village we walked through. Their parents, siblings and grandparents lived very close the school. But in no way would we consider what they did "live". Their houses often didnt have doors, or floors. There was animal feces all over the streets, yards and even in some people's homes. The furniture was minimal - honestly I think it was a bed made with ropes. The kitchen had no food or refrigerator that I saw but did have a stove. The bedroom seemed like it slept 3 to a bed. But certainly in the main room there was a colorful wall with images of their Hindi Gods.

I have certainly never been this close to poverty. It is an experience I dont think I will ever forget, but it is also one that I know I will have to do again. I can't live my life sheltered from the reality that so many people in the world live in. I am excited about the opportunity to work in "developing" countries with P&G in the future. Let's keep our fingers crossed. But you can be certain that for my 3-month sabbatical I will try really hard to somehow include volunteering or visiting lower income areas.

I uploaded some pictures to give you a flavor of my day… these people are beautiful. The children have the biggest smiles, but most touching to me are everyone’s eyes… these Indians connect with you in their gaze…

Hope you enjoy...

Link to Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/107210338601390178868/20110104Village?feat=directlink

2011-01-04 Village

India Bound

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." ~ Mark Twain

December 15, 2010 – Newark International Airport, terminal C

So I kicked off the decade and the year in Turkey… now, just shy of a year later, I am on my way to another fantastic, full of history, spice and fervor place... across the globe from home. Oh India! For a whole month! One month is certainly a long time. I am excited and scared. This time for some reason I think I am more anxious than I usually am… I barely prepared but then again everyone says no matter how much you prepare you are never ready for India. It hits you like no other place… we’ll see… I hope to keep you posted on how it goes.

Thousands of dollars spent and now the time is here… across the world for Christmas, New Years, 27^th Birthday… beaches, canyoning, sightseeing, safaris, volunteering, competitions, shopping… it is just now hitting me. I think it’s fair to say I am about to rediscover and redefine myself by experiencing with all my senses a world that is is truly foreign to me.

15 hour flight… bring it on!

throdding where the sun rises

Alright, its weird. Its about to be dawn where I am... and its not even nighet *yesterday* yet where you are reading this (in case u read my blog, that is). So here I am awake at sleeping hours and for the first time ever in China (Beijing or Peking). WOW. What a different world and yet not.

This is the most different place I have ever been in... I obviously dont look like I fit - and everyone can spot me out as a tourist even without the camera and map. I sure dont stand a chance of understanding ANY of the language. It is so modern and yet so ancient. This place has a LOT of history.

I am here for a whole week of work but had a chance to go sightseeing yesterday for a little while. It was an experience which I have mixed feelings about. To get the basics down first... I visited:

• the Forbidden City which was the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing Chinese dynasties and called that because as my Lonely Planet guidebook puts it "Entrace without an invitation was priced at your life, today its only $$". It took hours to go through it all as it really is a whole city within those walls... really neat though! And beautiful buildings named things like "Hall of Supreme Harmony" and "Palace of Tranquil Longevity". Pictures are on facebook.
• Tiananmen square, is an enourmous square in the heart of Beijing. Here is where several important historic moments took place (such as the proclamation of the establishment of the People's Republic of China). The square has its name bcuz of the Tiananmen Gate (Gate of Heavenly Peace) at the north of it. There are monuments and museums around the square. Oh, they say the square is nice to just sit out... yeah, not in the winter.
• the Temple of Heaven Park which was the place where the emperors who lived in the Forbidden City would go to make their sacrificial offerings in other to bring good harvest. The architecture is outstanding - and much of it is an engineering marvel as some of the structures have no supporting pillars. The place is breathtaking.

Now the architecture was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. There is attention to every single detail, and symbolism beyond comprehension. Really neat! I loved seeing all these places and learning more about the history and culture of China - bcuz if there is one thing I know for sure is that I am so ignorant about it. I just never had real curiosity about the world over here until about a year ago when I read 'Snow flower and the Secret Fan' and 'Peony in Love'... I had always been facinated with the Roman Empire and Greece so when I visited there a couple of years ago I knew what it meant to be standing where I was. Here in Beijing its a little different, I have to do more research and only after do I start to comprehend the significance of things. It is amazing to discover a new world.

Now, the not as great stuff... yesterday was hard and I almost just wanted to go back to the hotel and watch movies. How embarassing! How ignorant! How terribly wrong of me! I have the opportunity of a lifetime and the thought of wasting it is just repugnant. Not that I should make excuses but I think I felt that way because of the utter bitter cold (windy, the 16F/-9 C for most of the day) that burned my skin and left my fingers immobile and in pain all day. It may have been that I was constantly accosted by people ("Art Students") trying to scam me, and by constantly I mean every 20 minutes no joke. It may have been that I understood absolutely nothing (the language, the signs) and it felt that noone was trying to help me. It may have been that I got TOTALLY lost within less than 5 minutes of leaving the hotel. It may have been the jetlag...

As long as it wasnt that Im getting old, boring and not liking change/new-ness. As long as its not that I am ok not learning more. Because THAT is NOT the person I ever want to be.

Anyways.. the sun is about to rise over here. Its time to get ready for work... and dont uknow it, Im tired and want to take a nap. Oh life!

Off I go

living in color

As I said a while back, I dont want to live a G-rated life in black and white. Instead I want to feel alive with everything that comoes with it. Today I get to check something off from my bucket list... 'whitewater rafting'.


I came to visit Sasquash for the weekend in upstate NY and we took a day trip out to Black River for our first Whitewater rafting trip ever! It was amazing :o) We rafted 8 miles and it took just a couple of hours - not that we were going that slow, its just that we took breaks in between. Everything went well, noone from our raft fell out or got hurt, the sun was shining beautifully all day (not one cloud int he sky!), and to make things even better... although the river is only a level III in the summer, its been raining a lot and parts of it were a IV and IV+ !!! It was all graet - though Im sure my arms will be nothing by sore tomorrow. There was one time that I defitinely freaked out and was sure I was going to end up in a hospital... see, our guide was great and for the most part had us all feeling really confident except for this one section where before we went into the rapid, we eddied out and she had me and Sasquash (who were sitting in the front of the raft) move up near her... she told us to look into her eyes as she gave us instructions and prepped us for the rapid/drop. She told us what to do, what we were trying to avoid and what would happen if we fell into the water. She looked TOTALLY freaked out, and so I got freaked out too... and then to make matters worse, she put on her MOUTHGUARD! At which point I wondered... "shit, where is my mouthguard?" But we headed on... I nearly went flying out of our raft, time slowed down somehw and all I could do was paddle like she told us to and looked into the water that kept of smacking against us... but we all made it okay. Here is a picture of the raft getting ready to go into that rapid (UPDATED WITH MY NEW PICTURE - IM THE ONE ON FRONT RIGHT)

anyways... after all it was an amazing experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat! But for now, Im passing out...

pree

across the pond

I feel like an impostor, no I feel like I sell out. Just a year ago I was travelling the ‘rugged’ way – backpack up and down, sharing rooms and bathrooms, saving every penny to make the days last… now today I arrived in the UK in a business class flight retrieved my big luggage on wheels, took a cab to my hotel and now am sitting on my laptop at a starbucks in the center of town. Yup, a total sell out.

Not that there isn’t merit to this kind of travel… I'm sure there is and I'm just being judgemental (of myself and of others who travel this way). Perhaps I'm a little disenchanted because I am here for work after all. Maybe the disenchantment comes from this whole globalization thing… see I am sitting in a different continent and still see Subway sandwich bags on the floor, BP gas stations, McDonalds, Burger King, posters of American artists… maybe the language is part of the story. I can read all the signs, I can understand what people say easily… maybe it’s the not feeling like a total fish out of the water thing. I don’t know but I wont discard the trip just… after all I've just been here for a few hours. See I'm waiting for the shops and museums to open, so I can get a city map and figure out what this city has to offer – after all it must offer something. Every city somehow always has those random things that it clings to as its ‘claim to face’ be it a statue carved by someone who knew someone who carved a famous statue or the birthplace of a civilization.

Anyway… off to sit at Picaddilly Gardens and hopefully take a good nap under the warm sun. After all the sun hasn’t even risen at home just yet.

Pree

PS: After I typed this up I ended up peoople watching in the middle of a plaza, picnicking on this big garden and taking a good 45 minute nap under the sun alongside a bunch of Brits... starting to feel a little better :)

Au revoir Paris!

Tonight is my last night in Paris. Not to my surprise, it is raining and cold and ugly today... it is all too fitting. Versailles was a dissapointment which the gloomy day just made worse but Paris has been nice. The weather was quite nice these past few days. Being by myself was, as I had supected, weird but refreshing at the same time. Meals are always teh hardest but its been nice. Ive had lots of time to think about these past 8 weeks and of the many more to come once Im back. Some of the conclusions Ive made and things I discovered are still too fresh to even say "outloud"... some are just too personal. But deep inside Im still good old Pree. Maybe Ill write on my journal about it... and if I can put it in words decently I might transcribe it here.

Tomorrow, I will arrive at a new destination for the last time - London Waterloo. Its funny because I dont know how to feel about the next 5 days... I dont know if Im happy its almost done, or if Im sad. I dont know if Im anxious to leave or if Im anxious to wat is still to come. One thing I know for sure... my bank account is about to happy the spending is over - well after it is raped by London. All in all Ive spent too much money but every euro has been worth it. About how I feel... I think Im anxious. Not nervous, not scared but anxious.

You know, Ive kinda gotten used to this travelling business... wake up, get a map, walk the world - I know how priviledged I am that Ive been able to do it, and as much as it gets a little tiring church after church and painting after painting it all really is amazing!!!! So there will be a BIG change in routine... Im also anxious because as home-sick as I have been at times, I have no home to go to. Im going back to the US to a world that until now I dont begin to understand. Gainesville is obviously history. But its not just that... I dont have a place. I dont have a car. Im pretty damn broke. I dont have my bed, my clothes, my things.... which means that I will still be living off of a suitcase, searching for things( house, car, bank, DMV) and scrambling for coins everyday... I guess life wont be that different after all.

But you know... Im a bit tired of all this travelling. I sometimes have to stop myself from daydreaming about what I wish things would be like. I daydream about everything... my bed, my scents, my friends... old memories... i dream about all those things that make you feel confortable and at home... and those familiar things that you always value so much more after youve missed for a while. There are many things I wish I could have once I got back but you dont always get wat u want... didnt we all learn that many Christmases ago?

I guess ill just have to do wat I do best... pull out that old familiar thick skin, put on my narrow vision and march towards teh finish line... without stopping for anything or anyone, without turning back or letting any doubt come my way...
You know...Ive been reading this new book and a quote from it jsut seems fitting...

"The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven" - John Milton, Paradise Lost

Au revoir!!!
Priscila

Hello Loner World

So Ive used Lonely Planet almost like a bible for the past 2 months. After all, it kinda is the bible for travellers... I never really put much thought into its name - Lonely Planet. But tomorrow, for the first time since I left the US I will be... well, alone. First my mom left and it was a little weird just being me and Berto. But we got used to it and it was actually kinda nice. Its easier to keep pace with just one person instead of two. We developed this neat routine where we'd sightsee like crazy and then sit down for dinner everynight over a few beers and just chat away. We talked about everything... old times, new times, the future, bf/gf, random ppl, just about anything. We have seriously spent every waking (and sleeping since we are always int he same dorm) moment together. Its been neat bcuz we got to know each other really well... I thought I knew him pretty well, but travelling together makes you know someone very differently. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and sharing it with someone was really great. But as of tomorrow we go separate ways... we will leave Interlaken on the same train but I will get off on a different stop. He will go to Geneva (and then to Spain) while Im off to Paris and then London. Its weird to think that today will be the last time I'll see him for a long time... Its weird that I will now have to watch my own back in the metro and in the train station. Its weird that I will be one of those ppl who sit at cafes by themselves or goes down to the pub in the hostel so that I dont have to sit in the room in silence by myself. Now I will have to be more careful bcuz its me taking care of me.
Im sure it will be great... getting to know myself better, getting a little bit of "air" and personal space... in a certain way Im looking forward to it, but it might just be bcuz I should just embrace it instead of fight it. I dont know what its going to be like to walk around the streets and metros and not have someone to share the funny moments with. It sucks bcuz I wont even have a phone (not that anyone ever cares to call anyways). Maybe I will just pour it all into my journal and be satisfied with that.
It will be different. Very different. Hopefully the positives will outweight the negatives. But I guess Ill find out soon enough.
much love
Pree

catchin up on some travels...

YOu know how it is when you dont call a friend for a really long time.. and then although you think of calling them, you dont just because there is so much to update them with and you are afraid they might call you out on your absence? Well... it partially explains why I havent blogged in a while. If you are actually following any of this, my "apologies".

So since I blogged we have been to Krakow where we visited Aschwitz I and II - the largest Nazi concentration camps. In Aschwitz II was where all Jews from all over Europe were sent to be exterminated. It is estimated that over 1 million jews were killed in Ascwitz II / Birkenau. It was a sobering experience. I reacted a lot "better"than I thought I was going to but it was still pretty shocking. It was horrible what a "scientific"approach they took to death. I dont really want to blog about any of this but I do think its something that everyone who can should do. We can never forget our past, even if it happened over 60 years ago.

Then we went to Berlin... beautiful, modern, reborn Berlin. We saw where the wall stood and learned a LOT - well, I did. I didnt know too much about the wall other than the basics from 11th grade History class but now I am much more informed.

We detoured then to Copenhagen in Danmark and that is a whole story of itself!

Pictures will come when it coincides that I have good internet, decent computer and facebook is up (seeing that its down right now). Lots of stories about Berlin, the train travels and Copenhagen... but I gotta get ready. We are going to Anne Frank's house and then off to the Red Light District here in Amsterdam.

Much love,
Pree

death rings the bell...

In Prague there is this famous clock.. it is all intricate, beautiful really... but it has a funny story. I guess the guy who had ordered it for the church loved it so much he blinded the clock maker so that he could never reproduce it. Its a beautiful clock... with a dark side to it! I guess its not that surprising.. every hour the "apostles"come out and almost wave hello at you, while a skeletonr ings a bell. Hence my corny title...

The weather was "great"..... it was really hot, but we had no rain which helps sightseeing a lot. We basically strolled around some new places and hung out at some nice spots we saw yesterday. I had reallyyy bad cramps for a big chunck of the day so it was hard to do much more than sight on park benches or lay on the grass. THis one place we went to visit today had really interesting history. It was the National Museum in Praha/Prague. We didnt go into the museum itself, but the museum is on this square that has for many years been a main gathering place for rallies, protests and demonstrations. We saw this memorial cross for these 2 students who put themselves on fire as a form of political protest ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Palach).

Other than that, Prague is gorgeous. Every corner you turn,you see another beautiful street wether it is lined with gorgeous trees, amazing buildings or cute little shops. I put some pictures on facebook but I couldnt put all and no matter what they will never do it justice.

ANywyas... we are headed to Krakow tomorrow and that will be a whole different story...

Pree

Gutten Tag!

Instead of booking our hostels for Budapest and Praga, instead I decided to use my last 12 minutes and 26 seconds to give you a quick update on how the trip is going.

We arrived here in Wien (Vienna) this morning, the hostel we are staying in is A M A Z I N G! Even though I havent actually seen the room yet... we got there too early before check out so we just hit the town (yes, I havent showered in 2 days...i know, but i dont think i smell that bad yet). We went sightseeing some gorgeous churches including St. Peters tiny but austentious church. http://www.buergertum.com/images/Menzel_bilder/menzel.jpg

Then we visited a few more places and after delicious snitzel chicken in a place called WienerWald (wiener world? or Vienna world? you decide...j/k) we headed off to the Parliament and the city haul. Again... gorgeous. We took a one hour guided tour of the Parliament and it was great. So beautiful, the best part is that the place was built being modeled after the Parthenon and the Acropolis in Athens because democracy started tehre and the parliament is a symbol of democracy now. As I was saying... the cool thing is that as the tour guide made all her references I remembered everything... it was so perfectly fitting. And I thought it was really neat from the architects perspective.

(starting with typos as I speed along... 5mins and 22 seconds....)
Now we are waiting until 6.30pm so that we can go buy tickets for Macbeth the opera here in Vienna. Tickets are going to be 3 Euros if we wait until an hour before the show... so as good budget treavellers we decided to stick around, no shower, little food, and "student attire" to get this great deal at the opera.

I´ll take pictures of Lady Macbeth and the moving forest for you... will post them later.

Auf wirdazen (sp???),
Pree

One last bacio

Ciao!

So much has happened since I last wrote... but those will be left for stories hopefully around groups of friends and maybe a bottle of wine, some Sciacchetrà (delicious wine from Cinque Terre).

Tomorrow is our last day in Italy - im kinda happy and kinda sad. For 3 days we snuck out of Italy and visited the lovely and beautiful Bavaria region of Germany. Munich was amazing! Clean streets, the nicest people you could EVER imagine, beautiful weather, amazingly good food. While here in Italy... well, its pretty opposite. We are always hungry, people smoke like its their job, im constantly afraid of being pickpocketed and showers suck! But this is just me being tired, dont get me wrong there are great things about Italy... the history that noone can beat, the unique cities with art in every corner and every street, the amazing views. But so is life, and tomorrow we have a train to catch. Nighttrain again... lets hope for no sketchy dudes this time.

The trip has been good, I cant believe it has been a month already. I was slightly home sick a few days ago but now things are better again. I think Roberto and my mom have been more homesick than me, but then again.. I have no home to go to. Kinda exciting for a backpacking traveller but Im sure Ill be ready for a nice bed and good sleep once July 13th rolls around...

Well, I gotta go... my time is up and my wallet skinnier again. Im dreading walking back to Venice's "Best B&B" to have the 2nd worst shower of my life. The worst one was yesterday but this time im trying to be mentally prepared...

Un bacio!
Pree

A "paparazzi" picture...

Although I am trying to upload the pictures onto facebook as frequently as possible, I did promise to put one up here. So here it goes...
This is the famous guy from Spider-Man. I forgot his name...

When in Rome...

When in Rome.... shower like the greeks, fake being stupid, and cross the street like a maniac.

So the bed and breakfast that we are in is more like some dudes apartment where our "bedroom" is a living room with 2 beds but the place is clean, the bathroom smells nice and the entire area has no real tourists so its pretty good overall. However, the shower is just like in Greece super small! So I take greek showers everyday still.. turn on water, wet myself, turn off water, lather up, turn on water, rinse, turn off water repeat for hair and face. Also the whole b athroom gets wet but hey its fun.
Yesterday I went to the Vatican to see St. Peters Basilica and the Vatican Museum (including the Sistine Chapel). The lines were huge but way worth the trip. The key to get in quick is to just fake being stupid... walk around as if you are lost and when you see the entrance just slip in as if you didnt know you missed teh 2 hour line. The nuns did it, right in front of us! Dont they know that God is watching... seriously, using the nun "outfit" as a way of justifying cutting in line has to be a cardinal sin. Im no judge of anyone but hey, they are going down!!! lol, j/k.
The views were beautiful though, make sure to check out the pictures on facebook.
Last interesting thing... so crossing the street. Here is the "how-to" guide: 1. fight the urge to look both ways, it will just make you scared. 2. Put a firm step onto the road 3. Look at the drivers as they approach with a face that says "do you really want me to dent your car?" 4. Walk on.. they will stop. They have everytime. Just watch out because here in Rome the law says that scooters and bikes dont have to stop for redlights so just watch out and make sure they see you. Wearing bright colors could work but Ive stuck to the ugly stare and its worked for me.
OH!!! One more thing... today we had some breakfast and went to do groceries. We actually found a real grocery store! But the neat thing is that as we were in the check out line my mom pointed out a "famous person" who she didnt know the name. Turns out that by Piazza Dante on a small supermarket we saw our "green goblet". I tried not to make a big scene (though roberto got pissed i didnt scream to point him out) but I did sneak one picture... （damn it！ I left the camera upstairs。 Picture will come sometime in a few days。 Sorry！）


Anyways, I gotta go and see if I can find a place for us to stay in Florence, Cinque Terre and Milano. If you are actually reading this, I hope you are having a good time wherever you are! Im having a blast trying to find my way around this beautiful city =)

Ciao!
Pree

italia!

Pictures are up... http://ufl.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2310199&l=02ad9&id=2003754
No tags, no captions.. sorry!

This is not travel... its adventure!

Ciao!

Before we startwith the Italian let me just tell you that I never thought that going from Greece to Napoli(Italy) could be harder than actually leaving the US! Roberto might blog about it so if you read his blogit might be more detailed but to make a long story short...
We woke up at 6AM, got ready walked for 20 minutes to the metro station. Waited for a metro. Changed metros in a different station. Then it turned out the metro we took wasnt quite how we thought it would be so we sat around and waited some more.. we got to the freaking airport at 8.40 for our 9am flight. After much fighting and too much money wasted, we got tickets for a flight to Rome at 6.15PM! We stayed in this small and crowded airport all freaking day! I paid 12 euros for a lame pizza and salad. There was this nasty drunk man who was spitting around and downing whole pints of whiskey while screaming into a dead cellphone... once we arrived in Rome, we missed the train into the city by less than 1 minute. After we waited another 30 minutes we took the train, transfered (running) to a train to Napoli just to end up getting there at 11.50PM when metros stoppedrunning. We didnt know where the hostel actually was and it was crazy.. a true adventure!
The hostel we are in has an ok view... and we have nice roommates but that doesnt even begin to make up for the fact that "breakfast"(rock hard bread and fake coffee) isnt the best and that if you wash your hair in the shower the entire bedroom floor will be flooded. The toilet is kinda clean so that helps. The hostel is in this shady street (scary stuff) and it is plagged with OLD ppl... i mean on their50s at least. I dont mind old ppl but its just sketchy to have all these ppl in a YOUTH hostel you know. Oh and did I mention... internet is 5 euros an hour (that is like 7 dollars!!!) Thats why we are in this shaddy neighbourhood with crappy internet and even worse keyboard!!! (sorry for the typos)
Anyways... yesterday heading to Pompeii was crazy. We got on the wrong train (again) and a 30 minutes ride took about 1hour and 45 minutes instead. It rained, and I didnt bring my jacket (duh!!!). But the ruins and stuff were amazing! Well worth the trip. We then visited some museums and stuff. Took tons of pictures, once we use an internet place that has decent computers ill upload.
Today was another adventure. We woke up early and headed to Capri to TRY and see the island. After thecraziest 90 minutes on a boat EVER we got off, made this huge line just to get right back on the boat and return! The weather was horrible and so that was teh last boat back for the day. The main things we were gonna see like the grotto were closed so we just headed back. The ride back wasnt as terrible but ppl still were throwing up everywhere. Kinda nasty! We made it like amazing troopers. As confort we had chinese food and went to the hostel to just hang out.
Tomorrow we head to Roma... as much as I love adventures Im ready foir travel.
Ciao!
Anwyays... 1 minute left! I gotta log off.. story to be continued!
Sorry!

odd-ities

yasis (thats hello in greek)

In the last 10 days that I have been in Greece I have learned to not go into anything with expectations. As much as I expected things to be different all the way over here, I still cant help but be surprised at how some basic things are completely different. Everything... from going to the bathroom to recycling!

Finding the bathroom is never hard.. there are a million signs with WC and simple arrows. The problem comes after you find it... I either cant close the door, lock myself in, am scared off with threatening signs or the most adventurous: I cant figure out how to flush!! I have tried to document all these "WCs" through pictures because honestly you wouldnt believe me otherwise. Some interesting pictures will follow sometime during the next few days (i left my camera in my room and if I get up from the computer i gotta get back in line).

Other interesting things that dont really have cool pictures to go along with are just some of their processes...
1. Learn the word "logari esmoh parakalo" - that means "The bill please". You can sit at a restaurant for endless hours once you are done and noone will bring you a check. We have always had to ask for it.
2. Payment - plastic apparently is an american thing. Restaurants, stores, hostels and even hotels... so many places dont take plastic. This morning we were told to fork over 185euros cash. No plastic, so never mind playing it "safe" and not carrying green ones on you.
3. Water Conservation - the showers are crazy! Apparently Greeks either have more than 2 hands or they really dont mind turning the water on and off. The shower "head" is really just a hose. You gotta hold it when you shower so if you need to wash your hair or anything else you gotta put that thing down... "turn off" the water and then turn it back on when you are ready to rinse. not to mention the fact that the showers are miniscule! There can be no fat ppl here bcuz they seriously just wouldnt fit! (picture to come)
4. Recycling - there are soooo many recycling bins everywhere and always pretty signs telling you to recycle. There are smart cars everywhere also. Water conservation is pretty big too... see number 3 above. HOWEVER, you should see the luxury buses that take us around (again.. pictures soon). These gigantic gas guzzlers polluting the environment.. I just dont get it!

There are so many things.. but my 30 minutes are up. So I'll write some more later!
Heading to Italy tomorrow (Sunday may 27) but hopefully Ill get the pictures up before then!

for now..
andio! (goodbye in greek)
<3 Pree

Europe Trip

So here I am... after 16 months of planning, finally on my europe trip. Im done with school, way not ready to start work and now Im making Europe my playground!

So for about 8 weeks (May 16-July 13)I shall see so much of Europe... My itinerary goes something like this...
Start off in Greece (Athens, Santorini, Mykonos, Delos, Nafplion, Epidaurus, Mycenae)
Fly off to Italy and start from the South... stay in Napoli and see Capri, Pompeii, the Almafi Coast, Sorrento. Then go to Roma and Vatican City. Go my way up... Firenze, Siena, Pisa, Cinque Terra, Milano... detour to Insbruck in Germany (to see the castles in Bavaria), go to Munich, jump over to Austria for Wien then head back to Venezia for some huge art show on June 10th.
From there head to beautiful Praha, back to Germany for Berlin then fly to Budapest (and back to Berlin). Then see... Amsterdam, Black Forest / Romantic Road, Alsace Region in France, Provence, Barcelona, Madrid, Paris and then finish it all in England. WOW! I need to take a breath now...
Anyways, I will try as much as I can to update the blog, putting pictures, stories and funny memories.

If you like some postcards from here and you still havent emailed me your address just send it over and I will do my best to send you some gorgeous pictures of places that remind me of you...

Alright.. time to go back to the playground!
Talk to you soon!
Pree