Thursday, May 15, 2008
Sara (Greece) - Epomenh Stash - United States
So this is it. I've come to the last day of my study abroad experience in Greece. I sort of can't believe that it's over already, as it seems like just last week I first arrived in Athens. And, even though there's been some absolutely hellish experiences, overall, my time here has been amazing. I've met people and done things I would never have fathomed four months ago, and have changed so much in so little time. I have absolutely no regrets and would come again in a heartbeat. Studying in Athens has been one of the most terrifying, gratifying and liberating experiences of my life; one that I will never forget. I think my friend Danielle said it best before leaving "Greece will always be a part of us, and we will always be a part of it." So, on that note, and in true Greek metro fashion, I say Epomenh Stash (Next Stop) - United States. See you all there!
Monday, May 12, 2008
John (Poland) Taking a Dip in a Little Water
Well folks, it looks like it's been a while for me and everyone else on the blog. Hope all the Beloit folks had a good end to the semester and that everyone else's programs are wrapping up well.
Here in Poland, I've had a good but busy last month or so. The weather continues to be beautiful and I've taken to reading on the shady park that surrounds the Old Town. There are flowers everywhere and lots of people with enough time to just sit and appreciate the weather for hours and hours, it's a nice feeling. It's also wonderful how the whole city comes out for nice weather on weekends. The parks are literally packed and there's a communal vibe where people's kids will wander over to play with each other while the grownups talk and the teens make out energetically and unabashedly on benches and in the grass.
My program's work has been heavy, but now, nearly almost finished so that I've been able to have a nice couple of weeks to end the semester. It started last weekend when Kate came to visit. It was a huge holiday weekend in Poland, starting on May Day, which was Thursday, and also including Constitution Day on May 3rd, which celebrates Poland 1795 democratic constitution, which was the second in the world after America's (doesn't Robert have the lucky birthday).
After having a difficult time finding the train from the airport, I finally met up with Kate late Thursday night and the next morning we hit the town. It was great seeing a Beloit peep and to be able to actually show off the city. I think she really liked Cracow, but I'm pretty sure that a lot of that was just because the weather was so nice. At one point we stumbled on a carnival when we were walking by the Wisla, which was way more intense than any I'd seen in the US. The images painted on the rides were generally either inappropriately sexual or just odd non-sequitors and each ride was blasting terrible music at far to high a volume. We ended up going on a ride that invovled being strapped into the bottom of a large pendulum which rotated laterally while simultaneously swinging you well over 50 degrees in each direction. I think it's safe to say it was one of the best 12 zl I've spent in Poland.
Later on Friday night, we decided to hit up a Woody Allen film festival, but to pregame before we did so. To honor Kate's program we started with carbombs at one of the Irish pubs. We were a little surprised when we had to describe to the bar woman how to make a carbomb, but we figured it'd be fine. When she asked us what kind of whiskey we wanted we saw a bottle of Jameson's and decided to also pay tribute to J-Man by choosing that. We were startled, however, when she informed us that our two drinks would be 63 zl (about $30). Apparently, the Jameson's was 12 year old aged whiskey, which, though smooth, was a little much for the drink. After talking her down on the price a little, we downed our drinks (which were delicious), we drowned our sorrows in a quick round of Zubrowka (delicious bison grass Vodka) before hitting up the movie. Unfortunately, it was at this point that Kate found out that despite a semester of Irish beer, she still wasn't quite ready for Zubrowka's kick and we had to head home early. It was worth it however, as she kept freaking out that cars would hit us (apparently the Irish aren't the safest drivers) and telling me stories that she didn't remember.
Overall, it was a great trip, which we ended on a real high note when we found a place that had American breakfast on her last morning in. We enjoyed our pancakes and bagel with lox, respectively, which we had been without for far too long while watching the Cracow marathon go by our window in the cold and rain. It was a good feeling.
After Kate left, my fun just kept rolling along as last week was Juvenalia, a weeklong student festival where Polish students get off of classes, and spend the week grilling, going to concerts and clubs, and, of course, getting very, very drunk. The high point was the parade, which was on Friday morning. For the parade, most people dress up in ridiculous costumes such as Magic Mushrooms, a giant rabbit, sexy killer bees and pretty much anything else they can think of (for illustration see my facebook pictures, I got some pretty good ones). Then they get very drunk by 10 when they go to the parade area and divide up by schools and start yelling chants for their institutions while disparaging others. I ended up by the Jageillonian crowd, which was both enthusiastic and VERY loud. The parade ends with a concert in the old town square, which was quite fun, however I had to duck out early and sober up, since my program had cruelly scheduled classes for that afternoon.
Friday evening was also the height of the student partying and I ended up in my friend Mike's room where there was quite a party going on. When I got there I was far behind everyone else who had been partying all day, so I immediately grabbed a beer and some "little water" (the literal meaning of wodka in Polish) and began trying to catch up in earnest. Several hours later, I had just completed this task, when one of Mike's suitemates, walks in with an unopened bottle of vodka. In the tradition of Polish students he starts pouring rounds for everyone in the room (about five or six people). After the first two I respectfully asked for a brief reprieve, however he would have none of it. His arguments included "What? You won't drink with me? Please, don't insult me that way!", "You're fine, you are big and that isn't even a big glass." (For the record, I was using a shot and a half glass). And finally, after hearing my last name, "You must have it, you are Polish, it is the drink of your people!" Of course, after such an onslaught, I could do nothing but offer him my glass. Finally, four rounds later, he left to get another bottle. Hoping for respite, I started talking to a cool Australian girl named Kaja, who invited me to chill with some friends in her room. Eager to sit down, I agreed, to which she replied, "Great! Let's just finish this absinthe I brought and we can go!." I'll spare you further details, but let's just say that the night was one to remember.
And that's mostly it for the last few weeks. Saturday night, the last real night of Juvenalia was also the night when Wisla, one of the local soccer teams won their league, so plans of drinking were stymied somewhat by hordes of soccer rowdies, riot police everywhere, oceans of broken glass and bars that closed down in self-defense, ah, Europe. Now I'm trying to figure out how to send all my winter clothes home as well as my souvenirs without bankrupting myself as well as looking forward to two incredible weeks in Europe with KO starting on Thursday.
Inspired by Robert, I've been making two lists, one of things I'm looking forward to in America and one of things I'll miss, I'll end with a summary of these lists.
Things I'm looking forward to in the US
- drinks with ice, free refills and sizes that actually quench your thirst
- strangers and making idle small talk with you
- black people (both specific ones and in general)
- not hearing shitty Eurodance songs in bars
- baseball
- IPAs and other snooty micro-brews
- Chicago-style pizza, Greek diners, Harold's Chicken and gyros (not kebabs!)
- salads that aren't just sauerkraut and/or red cabbage
- drying my clothes
- driving with the windows down and the music up
- you all (awww...)
Things I'll miss
- the Poles' relentless devotion to feeding pigeons
- the Planty (the park that surrounds Cracow)
- living in a medieval city where everything is within walking distance
- having a bar in my dorm
- 5 zl meals that leave your stomach distended
- having a bar in my dorm
- Europeans' far healthier and more relaxed attitudes towards sex, drinking and life in general
- not being harassed and hurried by waiters
- the cheap deliciousness that is Jawo brand frozen meat pierogie
- being able to say "zloty" (pronounced z-wat-ay) on a daily basis
- Zubrowka, Zapikanki and Obwarzanki
Here in Poland, I've had a good but busy last month or so. The weather continues to be beautiful and I've taken to reading on the shady park that surrounds the Old Town. There are flowers everywhere and lots of people with enough time to just sit and appreciate the weather for hours and hours, it's a nice feeling. It's also wonderful how the whole city comes out for nice weather on weekends. The parks are literally packed and there's a communal vibe where people's kids will wander over to play with each other while the grownups talk and the teens make out energetically and unabashedly on benches and in the grass.
My program's work has been heavy, but now, nearly almost finished so that I've been able to have a nice couple of weeks to end the semester. It started last weekend when Kate came to visit. It was a huge holiday weekend in Poland, starting on May Day, which was Thursday, and also including Constitution Day on May 3rd, which celebrates Poland 1795 democratic constitution, which was the second in the world after America's (doesn't Robert have the lucky birthday).
After having a difficult time finding the train from the airport, I finally met up with Kate late Thursday night and the next morning we hit the town. It was great seeing a Beloit peep and to be able to actually show off the city. I think she really liked Cracow, but I'm pretty sure that a lot of that was just because the weather was so nice. At one point we stumbled on a carnival when we were walking by the Wisla, which was way more intense than any I'd seen in the US. The images painted on the rides were generally either inappropriately sexual or just odd non-sequitors and each ride was blasting terrible music at far to high a volume. We ended up going on a ride that invovled being strapped into the bottom of a large pendulum which rotated laterally while simultaneously swinging you well over 50 degrees in each direction. I think it's safe to say it was one of the best 12 zl I've spent in Poland.
Later on Friday night, we decided to hit up a Woody Allen film festival, but to pregame before we did so. To honor Kate's program we started with carbombs at one of the Irish pubs. We were a little surprised when we had to describe to the bar woman how to make a carbomb, but we figured it'd be fine. When she asked us what kind of whiskey we wanted we saw a bottle of Jameson's and decided to also pay tribute to J-Man by choosing that. We were startled, however, when she informed us that our two drinks would be 63 zl (about $30). Apparently, the Jameson's was 12 year old aged whiskey, which, though smooth, was a little much for the drink. After talking her down on the price a little, we downed our drinks (which were delicious), we drowned our sorrows in a quick round of Zubrowka (delicious bison grass Vodka) before hitting up the movie. Unfortunately, it was at this point that Kate found out that despite a semester of Irish beer, she still wasn't quite ready for Zubrowka's kick and we had to head home early. It was worth it however, as she kept freaking out that cars would hit us (apparently the Irish aren't the safest drivers) and telling me stories that she didn't remember.
Overall, it was a great trip, which we ended on a real high note when we found a place that had American breakfast on her last morning in. We enjoyed our pancakes and bagel with lox, respectively, which we had been without for far too long while watching the Cracow marathon go by our window in the cold and rain. It was a good feeling.
After Kate left, my fun just kept rolling along as last week was Juvenalia, a weeklong student festival where Polish students get off of classes, and spend the week grilling, going to concerts and clubs, and, of course, getting very, very drunk. The high point was the parade, which was on Friday morning. For the parade, most people dress up in ridiculous costumes such as Magic Mushrooms, a giant rabbit, sexy killer bees and pretty much anything else they can think of (for illustration see my facebook pictures, I got some pretty good ones). Then they get very drunk by 10 when they go to the parade area and divide up by schools and start yelling chants for their institutions while disparaging others. I ended up by the Jageillonian crowd, which was both enthusiastic and VERY loud. The parade ends with a concert in the old town square, which was quite fun, however I had to duck out early and sober up, since my program had cruelly scheduled classes for that afternoon.
Friday evening was also the height of the student partying and I ended up in my friend Mike's room where there was quite a party going on. When I got there I was far behind everyone else who had been partying all day, so I immediately grabbed a beer and some "little water" (the literal meaning of wodka in Polish) and began trying to catch up in earnest. Several hours later, I had just completed this task, when one of Mike's suitemates, walks in with an unopened bottle of vodka. In the tradition of Polish students he starts pouring rounds for everyone in the room (about five or six people). After the first two I respectfully asked for a brief reprieve, however he would have none of it. His arguments included "What? You won't drink with me? Please, don't insult me that way!", "You're fine, you are big and that isn't even a big glass." (For the record, I was using a shot and a half glass). And finally, after hearing my last name, "You must have it, you are Polish, it is the drink of your people!" Of course, after such an onslaught, I could do nothing but offer him my glass. Finally, four rounds later, he left to get another bottle. Hoping for respite, I started talking to a cool Australian girl named Kaja, who invited me to chill with some friends in her room. Eager to sit down, I agreed, to which she replied, "Great! Let's just finish this absinthe I brought and we can go!." I'll spare you further details, but let's just say that the night was one to remember.
And that's mostly it for the last few weeks. Saturday night, the last real night of Juvenalia was also the night when Wisla, one of the local soccer teams won their league, so plans of drinking were stymied somewhat by hordes of soccer rowdies, riot police everywhere, oceans of broken glass and bars that closed down in self-defense, ah, Europe. Now I'm trying to figure out how to send all my winter clothes home as well as my souvenirs without bankrupting myself as well as looking forward to two incredible weeks in Europe with KO starting on Thursday.
Inspired by Robert, I've been making two lists, one of things I'm looking forward to in America and one of things I'll miss, I'll end with a summary of these lists.
Things I'm looking forward to in the US
- drinks with ice, free refills and sizes that actually quench your thirst
- strangers and making idle small talk with you
- black people (both specific ones and in general)
- not hearing shitty Eurodance songs in bars
- baseball
- IPAs and other snooty micro-brews
- Chicago-style pizza, Greek diners, Harold's Chicken and gyros (not kebabs!)
- salads that aren't just sauerkraut and/or red cabbage
- drying my clothes
- driving with the windows down and the music up
- you all (awww...)
Things I'll miss
- the Poles' relentless devotion to feeding pigeons
- the Planty (the park that surrounds Cracow)
- living in a medieval city where everything is within walking distance
- having a bar in my dorm
- 5 zl meals that leave your stomach distended
- having a bar in my dorm
- Europeans' far healthier and more relaxed attitudes towards sex, drinking and life in general
- not being harassed and hurried by waiters
- the cheap deliciousness that is Jawo brand frozen meat pierogie
- being able to say "zloty" (pronounced z-wat-ay) on a daily basis
- Zubrowka, Zapikanki and Obwarzanki
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Robert (New Zealand) - The Blessings of Our Fathers
The trip down to Dunedin and the Catlins was cold, but good. We made our way south slowly, stopping at various boulder fields, and eating lunch at a nice seafood place which was a bit more expensive than we had bargained for. Near Dunedin we hit a rain storm which turned to sleet then snow, unfortunately the snow had stopped by the time we got to the city. In Dunedin we stayed at a backpacker hostel just south of the city center for the first couple days. The place was cool and drafty and laid out in a kind of awkward way, but it was cheap and had free internet. On my birthday Susan and I got up early and bought breakfast pastries at a bakery. We spent the day driving and walking around the Otago Peninsula. We tried to get in to New Zealand's only castle, but they charged $10 just to go to a place where you could see it. Being touristy with no money is a sad sad thing. We did get to see some amazing skies though. Dinner was at a little hole-in-the-wall place, and then out for a few pints at the bars.
We drove two hours south the next day to spend a night in The Catlins, a coastal region on the south of the South Island. We set up in a remote campsite, visited a few waterfalls, and made toasted tuna and cheese sandwiches as the sun set. It was a cold night so we huddled in the tent, drinking wine, talking about how we admired our parents, and having dance parties to keep warm. The stars were amazing though. The Milky Way stretched from one horizon to the other.
In the morning we hurried back to Dunedin so Bryan, Susan, and Liz could go an a tour of the Cadbury Chocolate factory and I could start hitching back to Christchurch. Sunrise over the frost and mist covered hills was beautiful. The others dropped me off on the side of the highway north of Dunedin and we said our goodbyes. Hitching was far more successful this time around than when I tried in Manapouri. Busy highway+backpack+"ChCh" sign=much better situation. I got picked up within two minutes of being dropped off by a great Scottish immigrant not much older than me who was great conversation and gave me a tour of Omaru before dropping me off to visit his parents in town. I then got picked up by a CRAZY woman who ranted to me for an hour about various conspiracy theories including the New Zealand Department of Conservation poisoning people, Marijuana casing paranoid schizophrenia, and 7/11 (I believe she meant 9/11) being a US government action. After she dropped me off in Timaru I caught a ride the rest of the way with a gangster/bro looking fellow. We didn't really talk much, just sat in awkward silence listening to Eminem and bad rock music for an hour and a half.
Back in Christchurch I crashed on Sophie's floor for a night and watched Howel's Moving Castle and Run Fatboy Run. In the morning I went to pick up my father from the airport. We spent the morning walking around the hills on the coast east of Christchurch. In the afternoon he met with Jay to start getting his feet on the ground for next year's New Zealand program. Dinner was at a nice pizza place called "The Ruptured Duck" with the program leaders and their kids.
My father and I then started making our way up north. We stayed two nights in Kaikoura, ate good Thai food, went on Albatross Encounter, and visited the seal colony. Albatross Encounter is run by the same people who did the swimming with dolphins tours. On the albatross trip they take you out in a small boat and chum the water. Wandering albatross will come up and land in the water just a few feet away from you. Very cool experience. We got up early in the dark and drove up to Picton to catch the Interislander ferry up to Wellington. The highway runs along the coast and sunrise over the ocean was amazing.
Right now we're in Wellington, staying in the same hostel the group stayed in when we were here, just a couple doors down from our old rooms actually (it's a really big hostel). Wellington is actually a really nice city. I wish the program had been able to spend more time here. It's been strange sort of retracing the programs travels backwards as we head back up to Auckland for me to fly back to the states. It's kind of a nice way to end my time here. Tomorrow we keep heading north. We have two days to get to Auckland for my flight. We haven't really decided what we'll do or where we'll go on the way yet. It will be nice to wander.
I guess this is my last post from New Zealand. I hope the rest of you are having pleasant ends to your programs as well.
Slan
Things I have been appreciating:
-Bryan beat-boxing in time with Liz's snoring.
-Watching waves roll in when the surf is rough.
-Snow on the mountains.
-Arden (just turned two) who Liz always said acts like she's drunk, sitting at the bar at The Ruptured Duck.
-Sunrises.
-The nightly routine my father and I have developed of having a nice meal out and then going to a bar for a pint.
-Leaving a cool experience and still looking forward to what's ahead.
We drove two hours south the next day to spend a night in The Catlins, a coastal region on the south of the South Island. We set up in a remote campsite, visited a few waterfalls, and made toasted tuna and cheese sandwiches as the sun set. It was a cold night so we huddled in the tent, drinking wine, talking about how we admired our parents, and having dance parties to keep warm. The stars were amazing though. The Milky Way stretched from one horizon to the other.
In the morning we hurried back to Dunedin so Bryan, Susan, and Liz could go an a tour of the Cadbury Chocolate factory and I could start hitching back to Christchurch. Sunrise over the frost and mist covered hills was beautiful. The others dropped me off on the side of the highway north of Dunedin and we said our goodbyes. Hitching was far more successful this time around than when I tried in Manapouri. Busy highway+backpack+"ChCh" sign=much better situation. I got picked up within two minutes of being dropped off by a great Scottish immigrant not much older than me who was great conversation and gave me a tour of Omaru before dropping me off to visit his parents in town. I then got picked up by a CRAZY woman who ranted to me for an hour about various conspiracy theories including the New Zealand Department of Conservation poisoning people, Marijuana casing paranoid schizophrenia, and 7/11 (I believe she meant 9/11) being a US government action. After she dropped me off in Timaru I caught a ride the rest of the way with a gangster/bro looking fellow. We didn't really talk much, just sat in awkward silence listening to Eminem and bad rock music for an hour and a half.
Back in Christchurch I crashed on Sophie's floor for a night and watched Howel's Moving Castle and Run Fatboy Run. In the morning I went to pick up my father from the airport. We spent the morning walking around the hills on the coast east of Christchurch. In the afternoon he met with Jay to start getting his feet on the ground for next year's New Zealand program. Dinner was at a nice pizza place called "The Ruptured Duck" with the program leaders and their kids.
My father and I then started making our way up north. We stayed two nights in Kaikoura, ate good Thai food, went on Albatross Encounter, and visited the seal colony. Albatross Encounter is run by the same people who did the swimming with dolphins tours. On the albatross trip they take you out in a small boat and chum the water. Wandering albatross will come up and land in the water just a few feet away from you. Very cool experience. We got up early in the dark and drove up to Picton to catch the Interislander ferry up to Wellington. The highway runs along the coast and sunrise over the ocean was amazing.
Right now we're in Wellington, staying in the same hostel the group stayed in when we were here, just a couple doors down from our old rooms actually (it's a really big hostel). Wellington is actually a really nice city. I wish the program had been able to spend more time here. It's been strange sort of retracing the programs travels backwards as we head back up to Auckland for me to fly back to the states. It's kind of a nice way to end my time here. Tomorrow we keep heading north. We have two days to get to Auckland for my flight. We haven't really decided what we'll do or where we'll go on the way yet. It will be nice to wander.
I guess this is my last post from New Zealand. I hope the rest of you are having pleasant ends to your programs as well.
Slan
Things I have been appreciating:
-Bryan beat-boxing in time with Liz's snoring.
-Watching waves roll in when the surf is rough.
-Snow on the mountains.
-Arden (just turned two) who Liz always said acts like she's drunk, sitting at the bar at The Ruptured Duck.
-Sunrises.
-The nightly routine my father and I have developed of having a nice meal out and then going to a bar for a pint.
-Leaving a cool experience and still looking forward to what's ahead.
Monday, May 5, 2008
KO (Senegal) The end is near...
Classes are winding down, although they didn't finish nearly as early as they were supposed to, which is disappointing and stressful because it means that now we have to write final papers and keep going to class, which is a little much.
Last weekend I went to an island off the coast of Dakar saturday with a bunch of people on my program who had rented a house on the island for the night. I was planning on leaving later in the day to go home, but I ended up spending the night as well and having a lot of fun. The house even had a pool, which I thought was a little unneccessary since we were on an island surrounded by beach, but it was still a lot of fun. Then Sunday we did actually sit on the beach for a while before heading home in time for lunch and then going to a Senegalese wrestling match with one of our classes. That was a lot of fun to see in person ,we watch it on tv a lot. I didn't bring my camera because my host mom warned me about pick pockets, but this ended up being a smaller match than most of the other ones, so it probably would have been fine. There is a lot of preperation for each match, we saw for, with lots of different little ceremony type things that they do before hand to ensure good luck and that they win the match etc, but then each match actually only lasts for about a minute, but it is still a lot of fun. The crowd gets really into it.
Friday after my class I left for my rural visit, which was a lot of fun, but not all that rural. I went to a village called Diouffior, which is about 3 hours south of Dakar and stayed with a peace corps volunteer who works with small business enterprise, or more tries to work with small business enterprise, with fairly limited success. She was really nice though and from North Central IL and when she is done with her service in November will probably be moving to Chicago with her Senegalese fiance. We walked around the village Saturday and then met up with my friend Margaret, who was actually staying with another peace corps volunteer in the next village. Margaret spent the rest of the weekend with us, Saturday we watched a movie with Elizabeth's host siblings and just hung around and then Sunday we went to this larger town nearby that has a lot of tourists and hotels and went to the beach. The town isn't really on the ocean, but it is in the delta so the river has beach like things. We went to one of the hotels for a soda and stayed for a few hours in their pool, which was a lot of fun, but again, not very rural. Then Margaret and I left at 3am Monday morning to head back to Dakar since we knew a bus would come through then and if we waited until later we would have to stand on the side of the road and hope that some vehicle came by going to Dakar.
Last weekend I went to an island off the coast of Dakar saturday with a bunch of people on my program who had rented a house on the island for the night. I was planning on leaving later in the day to go home, but I ended up spending the night as well and having a lot of fun. The house even had a pool, which I thought was a little unneccessary since we were on an island surrounded by beach, but it was still a lot of fun. Then Sunday we did actually sit on the beach for a while before heading home in time for lunch and then going to a Senegalese wrestling match with one of our classes. That was a lot of fun to see in person ,we watch it on tv a lot. I didn't bring my camera because my host mom warned me about pick pockets, but this ended up being a smaller match than most of the other ones, so it probably would have been fine. There is a lot of preperation for each match, we saw for, with lots of different little ceremony type things that they do before hand to ensure good luck and that they win the match etc, but then each match actually only lasts for about a minute, but it is still a lot of fun. The crowd gets really into it.
Friday after my class I left for my rural visit, which was a lot of fun, but not all that rural. I went to a village called Diouffior, which is about 3 hours south of Dakar and stayed with a peace corps volunteer who works with small business enterprise, or more tries to work with small business enterprise, with fairly limited success. She was really nice though and from North Central IL and when she is done with her service in November will probably be moving to Chicago with her Senegalese fiance. We walked around the village Saturday and then met up with my friend Margaret, who was actually staying with another peace corps volunteer in the next village. Margaret spent the rest of the weekend with us, Saturday we watched a movie with Elizabeth's host siblings and just hung around and then Sunday we went to this larger town nearby that has a lot of tourists and hotels and went to the beach. The town isn't really on the ocean, but it is in the delta so the river has beach like things. We went to one of the hotels for a soda and stayed for a few hours in their pool, which was a lot of fun, but again, not very rural. Then Margaret and I left at 3am Monday morning to head back to Dakar since we knew a bus would come through then and if we waited until later we would have to stand on the side of the road and hope that some vehicle came by going to Dakar.
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