Spring Break Day 6: Let's Kick it in Mostar

Wow! I’m wondering if I can put into words the experiences I had today. The kind of experiences that money can’t buy. The kind of experiences that you only get to have once. The kind of experiences, that, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t seem to describe them to others. I will try my best, though I’m certain I’ll forget some parts, and in the end leave out many of my” much too personal” emotions.

We started off the morning with breakfast at the hostel. Majda (yes we were on first name basis with our hosts) cooked us some delicious fried squash on top of some bread. However, it wasn’t just any fried squash. It was in some delicious garlic sauce. After our coffee, we were able to pull the crew together to “kick it!” Bata introduced us to his girlfriend, or better named as a pimped out, sometimes 25 passenger van. There are only 9 seats, but he said one time in the heat of the summer he managed to cram 25 people in using stools, and allowing wives to sit on husband’s laps.

The tour began in the van as we listened to some music to “wake us and shake us.” Then we stopped just around the corner and listened to Bata talk for about an hour about the war in Mostar, his life, and the most interesting part for me, the politics of Bosnian beer.

 I’ll summarize: During the war, Croatia and Serbia claimed that the border lines of their country were right were the river in the center of Mostar is. Though Bosnia is now a free country, the Croats still lay claim to one side of the river. If you go into a bar on that side of the river they will only serve Croatian beer. It made me feel quite bad that I enjoyed the beer I had the previous night, but I vowed to give the Bosnian beer a chance.

After some more stories about the war and Bata’s personal life (you just have to experience them yourself) we headed out. Bata showed us some various items around the city. Places of controversy, places of importance, and some places that were just completely crazy. After this brief tour of the city, we headed out for the “real tour.” He first asked, if anyone wanted to be returned to the hostel, but none of us did.

The first stop was to get lunch. We got to watch a few ladies make Bosnian Byrek, which was soooooooo much better than the Albanian version, though also very different, and thus impossible to compare. Arielle and I split the minced meat “slice” and a piece of potato.

cooking my lunch

We then headed to Blagaj to visit a very small village where Bata’s parents grew up. There was a surge of water, and Bata explained that though people have tried to find out where the water comes from it is still a complete mystery. Here there is also a mosque, which we were lucky enough to visit. It was my first time in a mosque and though the gender inequality makes me a bit mad, I’m glad I got to have the experience. Bata explained that the mosque used to be used as a house, and explained many of the traditions. We also discovered that the house is also a Dervish house, which is too complicated and weird for me to even explain. While looking at the only remaining original ceiling in the house I grew incredibly fascinated for some reason. I felt in a trance. Eventually, after several minutes Bata got up and moved to leave the mosque, and we also followed lagging a bit behind. Then Bata told us the rumor that if you make a wish, drink the water from the river, and never tell anyone that it will come true. And that is just what I did. I bent down, made a wish, and though it still hasn’t come true I’m not going to tell you what it was.

Dervish House/Mosque/Rushing River

After this experience, us North Americans were ready for a drinky drink, so we grabbed a beer and hit the road once again. This time to head to the Las Vegas of Bosnia. Apparently about 30 years ago there were a group of 4 teenagers up on a hill in this tiny village with 4 houses. The story goes that while there they saw an apparition of the virgin Mary. Ever since then, people have been coming from all over (mainly Ireland and Italy) to pilgrimage to the top of the hill. Apparently it is the 3^rd largest pilgrimage in the world. The village has grown into a place with thousands of souvenir shops, a few large shopping centers, 5 star motels, and large Beverly Hills-like houses in a matter of 30 years. Everything looks brand new. One of the teenagers still claims that she speaks with and talks to the virgin Mary everyday, and everyone has stuck with the story that was originally presented. This is crazy!

Next came the part of the trip that I was the most excited for: the waterfall. It didn’t live up to my expectations, mostly because I just had to change them. It was still a wonderful experience and one I was so glad I could have. Usually, people get to cliff jump off of a waterfall. Unfortunately we came during the wet season, so the water is much higher than normal, and it is impossible to get to the part of the secret path that Bata usually takes people to, so, we had to improvise. The sight of the large waterfall was enough to make me happy, but I also had come with the intention of cliff jumping, so I was cliff jumping. We walked up and around to a restaurant, and we climbed on top of the restaurant to jump into the large waterfall, and rushing water. Several men were fishing and looked at us in a strange way as we undressed and climbed to the roof. Robert and me decided to go together, because we love doing things together. It was cold, but not any more so than the other water we had jumped into before.

Kravice Waterfalls

I swam to the surface and out of the water to be followed in by 2 other girls. We all dried off and listened to Bata tell us about how happy we had made him. The fishermen commented on how crazy we were, and we were happy to leave.

Apparently I'm crazy. Who knew?

Next up were the shots of Rakia. I’ve tried the Albanian Raki and it sucks. This stuff still sucked, but was much better.  Usually it tastes similar to a fruity gross syrup, but this had some different spices in it and tasted much healthier, if that makes any sort of sense.

After we were warmed by the rakia we headed to a 15^th century fortress. This was quite the culture experience because the place was empty except for 3 houses that are still occupied. Not only did we get to hear the call to prayer in the middle of nowhere, but we also got to climb up a tower. Even more important is that we got to visit a quiet old lady in the village who served us Bosnian coffee, fresh and dried fruit from her garden, and delicious baked apple pancakes. We also got to partake in a syrup tasting contest including sage, elder flower, and pomegranate syrup. We offered her a little bit of money for her trouble and were finally on our way home.

Počitelj Villiage

Once home we took a quick break from our lives to regroup from the emotional and life changing experience of the tour. Then we needed some real Bosnian beer. We took the recommendation of our hosts and headed out for dinner in old town. It was delicious. I shared octopus salad, shark chops, and trout. After a good beer, followed by a bad beer we were ready to go home.

I had no idea when I left for the spring break how much I would learn about the history of Bosnia and the Balkans. Life is crazy. 

Spring Break Day 1: Ulcinj

I just went skinny dipping in the fucking Adriatic sea….in March!!! Well, mostly it was diving in and then getting the fuck out of there as fast as I could. We went in the freezing cold, and at 10:00pm at night. What?!?! Okay, so we decided a long time ago that my life was insane.

Love You!

Today started spring break 2013! I had a rough day to say the least. It began with a slight cold and progressed into a kids running around during last hour of day. We had a random assembly, which threw off the schedule, a math test, and a bake sale. They were hopped up on sugar, generally crazy kids, who needed a break as much as I did. Then I got an email from Jakarta that made me very unsure of the job, and the schedule surrounding it. I left about 20 minutes after school, completely in the need of a break to remind myself of why I chose this career and lifestyle.

After arriving at home I spent a little while emailing my mom for support and encouragement followed by taking a few sips of whiskey, and shortly afterward I got a call saying it was time leave! Woohoo!!! Spring break 2013!

I drank a beer about 5 minutes after I got into the car. Like I said it was a rough day. 6 of us in an 8 passenger van seemed perfect. We had plenty of space to stretch our legs and still were close enough that we could all talk. Ahead of the trip we were told by our principal to drive safely and by a fellow co-worker who lived in Shokoder to drive safely (her city was on our way.) We had zero issues. The road was gorgeous, even in the pouring rain. We stopped in Shokder to get a quick coffee, and then got back on the road, hoping to making to Ulcinj in time for dinner. We also grabbed a beer for the road because, well, it was spring break.

Eventually we got to the boarder, and managed to purchase international insurance for a total of 30 Euro. After a rough and beautiful road through the southern part of Montenegro (seriously wish I could see it by day) we made it to Ulcinj. The roughest part was finding our hostel. We ended up stopping in a market to ask directions. The man we asked was so nice that he insisted on hopping in the van to take us to the hostel even though it was about 10 meters away. We checked in, and headed to a well deserved dinner at a local bar.

We didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into when we asked for the mix of whatever, plus 5 Montenegrin beers. The beers were delicious (not to a Minnesotan standard) and the food was amazing. We had chicken, beef sticks(like American breakfast sausage) and a soup that tasted like beef stroganoff. I was very satisfied and ready to go when Robert and Scott suggested making a trip to see the beach.

This turned out to be a bit harder of a task than planned, due to either the high tide, or the heavy rain fall of the day, but eventually Ari found a way to get us across the small river using sticks and balancing poles. Once there, we finished off the beer we had purchased from the market, and shortly after me and Robert decided skinny dipping was a viable option.

We took off our shoes to test it, and though it was freezing we decided that we couldn’t pass up a chance to skinny dip in the Adriatic sea with the moonlight, so we went for it. And now I’m back at our hostel drinking gin and waters, getting ready for bed.

Great group for the trip.  

Have I mentioned that I love my life? 

Përmet

After being sick all week (3 day week) a 4 day weekend was just what I needed. I woke up super early on Thursday morning to head to the bus station to catch our bus to Permet.  I spent the majority of my time on the bus blowing my nose. The main goal was to get all the crap out so that I could breath in all the fresh air that any city but Tirana, Durres, and Elbasan have to offer me. After having the luxury of renting cars and going at our own pace for all of our trips I wasn't sure I'd be happy on the bus. I wouldn't go as far as to say I enjoyed the bus ride, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. For about an hour of it I had to pee like no other, even though I purposely wasn't drinking a lot of water. Luckily Adam was kind enough to ask the bus driver to stop for me and I ran into the gas station and peed. (No bathrooms on the buses here.) While in there I also happened to break the door of the stall and I thought I'd be trapped for quite some time, but I easily got out. At one point on the journey I looked out my window and noticed we were about an inch away from the ledge that was separating us from the rushing river. I closed my eyes, turned to Robert and said "That wasn't a close call at all. It's fine." He immedieatley started hysterically laughing at which point I told him, "sometimes you just have to lie to yourself and pretend everything is going to be okay." I may have to start living by this rule more often.

We stopped in the small village of Këlcyrë to do a quick hike up to the local castle. I was pretty hungry by this point (and in need of something to drink) so we went to a restaurant where, of course, Adam knew just about everyone. Adam lived in Përmet for two years and would often do work in Këlcyrë as well. After sharing 2 chickens, a salad, some bread, and some of the best fries ever, we looked outside and noticed it was pouring rain. So we ordered another drink. Halfway through, it quit raining, but by the time we had finished, it had started again, so we decided to suck it up and go for our hike in the rain. Along the way, Robert stopped to buy himself a very nice umbrella at a small local market. The hike up started fairly easy, and there were enough switchback that we were able to make it up the mountainside, and to the castle without any major issues. Along the way we pointed out all the shoes we found, and wondered to ourselves why there was so much trash on the trail to a deserted castle.

The next 20 minutes was spent exploring, climbing on, and probably ruining the castle. Part way through our explorations my camera decided to stop working (I assume due to an extreme amount of moisture) and overall there wasn't much to see, so we headed back down to continue our journey to Permet. The trip down was a bit more difficult. Firstly Mr. Robert's newly purchased umbrella was shed into pieces by the wind. Then we decided to take a "shortcut" or more better phrased as a fun slippery slide down a muddy mountain. Eventually, we made it down and after Robert showed the people at the store his umbrella they were kind enough to give him a new one for free  :)

Our next stop was just a short cab ride, on a partially finished road, away. Upon reaching Permet and Adam's in-law's apartment we were very kindly and warmly greeted by his mother in law. She quickly offered us some candied walnuts (so sweet and good) some candied oranges, some dried plums, and walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts, along with some champagne. Adam translated all of her questions and our answers about where were from, and our families. She just kept bringing out more items until we couldn't handle anymore. She agreed to meet us for dinner at her sister or brother's restaurant at 7 and we headed out for an evening coffee at one of Adams favorite places. The reason we decided to go there was because they have 50 lek (50 cent) hot chocolate. I quickly took advantage of the situation and ordered a hot chocolate and an espresso and poured one into the other. I love black coffee, but every once in awhile I enjoy a mocha. It is impossible to find a place that serves them, so you just have to make them on your own.

Mocha!

The walk to the restaurant was short, even though it was on the other side of town, and as we walked Adam pointed out important buildings in Permet. We were kindly greeted by the owners (part of Adams family) and were offered the warmest spot right next to the fire. They cooked our chicken and pork chops right over  some fresh hot coals, and served them up with some delicious veggies, bread, hot cheese dish, homemade wine, and some cinnamon and honey covered apples. All of this only cost us $5 each.

Homemade wine, which was delicious. 

Shortly after finishing our meal we began the walk back to the apartment, planning to stop to get food for our 10 mile hike the following day. Unfortunately all the markets were closed and we figured we wouldn't be able to hike ten miles if we left after the market opened the next morning  because it would get dark before we'd be safely down from the mountain. Going on trail that isn't well marked in the dark didn't seem very plausible or smart.  We also figured we couldn't hike 10 miles without food, so our super awesome plan was out.  I was a bit bummed, but realizing that the hike would be done in the cold and rain made it a bit un-appealing anyway. We planned, instead, on doing a short hike nearby, and headed home, at which point Adams mother-in-law pulled out every single blanket, towel, and pillow in the house to make sure we were comfortable. I slept like a baby for 10 hours, and was super glad I didn't have to wake up at 6am to start hiking. Vacation is about having fun, but it is also about relaxing.

Waterfall with trash.

Breakfast was a cheese and hot-dog like calzone from a Greek bakery, followed by a quick coffee nearby. The market was opened so we stopped to get some food for our lunch and headed toward the mountainside to hike to a nearby, and very old church. Along the way we had to pass over a flowing river, which led to a stop for a beer at Mr. Roberts request. Luckily for us, there was a nice unfinished concrete building for us to escape from the rain, for our 30 minute beer stop. Then we continued up the mountainside, passing another small river, and a mudslide. I'm not sure how Robert managed to get over the mudslide so easily, because after I made it across with his help, my pants, and part of my jacket were covered in mud. After this, the hike was a bit easier. We passed a gorgeous, trash filled waterfall, and eventually made our way to the courtyard of the church. Here we stopped for a delicious lunch of crackers, cheese, bake rolls, tuna, dried fruit, chips, and gin and lemonade. After all, we were on vacation.

Arches overlooking the gravestones.

Our lunching area plus some of the fresco

Adam went to go ask the key holder to let us in, while the rest of us explored the gorgeous fresco on the outside of the church. The plaster the fresco was painted on covered some very interesting stone, and I like to marvel at how old this stone probably was, considering how old the fresco on top of it was. Insane!

Door with the peeled back Fresco revealing the very old rock. 

Adam came back to inform us that they wouldn't let us inside and we were debating what to do next when the key holder came and let us in. She must have had a change of heart. The church was gorgeous. The walls were all covered in paintings and I was surprised how well I was able to see considering it was all natural light on a cloudy day. The sunlight roof was gorgeous. After 10 minutes we had explored enough and headed home. The trip down the mountain was much worse than the trip up. I basically had to ride down the mudslide and hope that I wouldn't get washed away in the mud covered rocks. Once we all arrived safely at the bottom we headed to get some pilaf, followed by some more delicious mocha to warm us up.

skylight and beautiful paintings. 

Home was met with a quick nap for a boys and a warm shower, followed by some music and reading time for myself. After our siesta we were ready for some food, so we headed out for some pasta and macaroons, followed quite quickly by us calling it another early night and heading home to pass out.

Our first furgon ride! 

After the bus ended up taking 6.5 hours (it was supposed to take 5), we opted to take the furgon home. I've heard some pretty bad things about furgons and assumed it would be fast, scary, and packed inside. The ride home was quite interesting, starting with our driver being stopped by a cop. We assumed they would want to check the van and possibly our bags, but instead the driver went and poked his head into the trunk of the cop car for about 3 minutes. He then emerged with a wrapped parcel that looked similar to the shape of a human arm. He quickly threw it in the trunk on top of my bag and after a brief examination we saw blood and felt something frozen. Our conclusion is that it was a goat's leg, but one can't really be sure. Mostly, I was just nervous it would thaw and drip all over my bag, and that the stench mixed with the crazy driving would be too much for my tummy to handle. Lucky for us, after a shaky ride through the unfinished road we dropped the parcel off in Tepelene.

The gross package on top of my bag....

Surprisingly I had no stomach issues whatsoever, thought I kept my stomach full, and my mouth chewing on gum the whole time. My biggest complaint about the furgon is that I was sitting right next to a speaker that was blasting the loudest 90's and pop music you can imagine. I tried to drown it out with my iPod, and was partially successful after Adam kindly asked the driver to turn it down. What is it about this country and terrible music? Overall Led Zeppelin, McGuinness Flint, and Ryan Adams did a fantastic job of making the ride bearable, and pass quickly. It was ironic that on the way to Permet I talked with Scott and Robert about how when I drive I always want a good song playing in case I get in an accident, die, and it is the last song I ever hear. So many songs were perfect for this particular thought on the way home. Before I knew it we were home and heading to get some Jimmy's Pizza!

You can play this song at my funeral, as you dance around me while enjoying some IPA.  The thought that came to my head while I was scared of dying in a furgon crash on the way home: "I don't want no one to mourn beside my grave."

The Amazing Couchsurfing

So this is one of those blogs I've been meaning to write, but have been putting off for some time. Why do I want to write it? Mostly to inform the confused people out there.

When I first informed my mother I was inviting a random person into my house to sleep she sounded a bit worried and asked me how I knew I'd be safe. Then I informed her a bit about couchsurfing. Since then, I have gained even more experience (still minimal) and I'd like to talk about how awesome this site it.

I was informed about couchsurfing last spring when me and my brother were trying to plan our trip around Europe. As we looked at hostels we noticed the prices were super expensive since it was around Christmas. Someone informed us of couch surfing and so I looked into it and signed up for an account. No one ever contacted me when I was in Minnesota, other than to invite me to play ultimate frisbee and out for a large group vegetarian dinner, but after arriving in Albania the site came alive for me. I talked first, to my friend Scott about his experiences and decided it was worth a shot.

I started small, by posting a discussion in the Tirana group about the film festival and inviting others to attend. To my great luck, Malwine responded saying she would like to come with and we planned a meeting place. Malwine easily adjusted to our group and became a fantastic friend. I have shared many delicious baked goods and a couple of deep discussions about my past and future with her. She also ended up moving in with my co-worker.

One night Scott invited a guy who contacted him on couch surfing out for a beer with us. And boom. Joe entered our group bringing a bit of a flare and a crazy/ silly side with him. I was beginning to miss sarcasm. I'm sad to say that he will soon be leaving our group to go back to England :(

Scott hosted quite a few people and I was lucky enough to meet them and learn about couchsurfing from them. I just loved talking to people about their travels and their countries of origin. And then, eventually with enough encouragement, I started hosting. I haven't had many experiences, but I've enjoyed them all. I've yet to have a single bad experience, and I feel as though with each couch surfer I've opened up a bit more. Over winter break I finally got to surf, both with my brother and alone. In Ghent we stayed with a very nice man who showed us out to a great bar. In Amsterdam we stayed with a guy who didn't care that my brother broke his glass (long story.) In Berlin we stayed with a guy who went out with us, offered us breakfast, helped us plan our day of sight seeing, found us a way to watch the packer game and let us stay an extra night. In Munich we ended up staying with a guy who had overbooked a bit. 11 people were crowded into his small 2 bedroom house. We slept on floors and took our turns showering. It was a new years eve party in and of itself, and it was great fun to try and listen to 4 conversations in 4 different languages. In Italy the man showed me how to get to the airport and treated me to a dinner out at a nice seafood restaurant.

The night me and my two best friends were all hosting people. 

How does couch surfing work you ask? Let me tell you: You create a profile(similar to facebook) including information about yourself, you experiences, your couch, and most importantly references. People will search for you in a database based on your location. If they want to come to the city you are in, and stay with you, they contact you with a message about why they want to stay. The more personal they make it (ie: I love bluegrass music as well! or something you can relate to) the better. I generally like the people who are very honest and open. After they message you, you can read about them on their profile. Most importantly you can read the references other people have left for them. Then you can accept or decline their request.

Out for beers in Ghent (I hadn't showered in a few days)

The major benefits of couchsurfing? Mostly meeting new people. Often they will tell you awesome stories about their lives and sometimes it seems as though your friendship was written in the stars. Some people will cook for you, or bring you gifts, and others will offer you information about their culture. There is a lot to be learned from people. My favorite guests/hosts are the ones who create or share music with me. Also, as an aside, I guess it is free. And that can be cool.

The downfalls: sometimes it can restrict your life a bit as you have to plan around it. As a woman I have also noticed that many of the men can be a bit into "just meeting for a drink" in the wrong kind of way. I've been told I'm sexy way too many times, but this is why the reference system is great. No references, no way. I can simply decline your request and move on with my life.

About half of the group we stayed with in Munich

Overall I recommend you look into it. If you are unable to host, don't fret. You can join a group in your city that will help you find ways to connect with other surfers. Usually you can find people with your same interest, or people who are want to meet up at various restaurants and bars to chat about life. It has been an amazing ride so far, and I'm looking forward to my future experiences.

Milano: Not a drop of wine

The portion of my trip with my brother came to an abrupt end, and I was suddenly on my own. As I sat at the train station waiting for my train to arrive I wondered excessively why I ever thought I'd be able to travel by myself. I just wanted to be home. And for the first time ever Tirana felt like home.

But I got on my train and successfully found my seat, next to a little girl that constantly asked her mother for money to purchase things from the trolley. It made me remember my little cute students, and I actually missed them. Luckily a few things happened on the train that made me very happy I was travelling on to Milan. The first was that it was the most gorgeous mountain view ever. The snow capped alps were insanely gorgeous and I recommend that you put a train trip through the Alps on your bucket list.  I was so tired and all I wanted to do was sleep, but I just couldn't allow myself to close my eyes with that gorgeous view in front of me. I also got to see the most beautiful sunset I have seen in my entire life. It looked as though the sky was on fire with shades of lavender intertwined within the flames. I tried to get a picture, but the train was moving too fast and so I will take it as a sign that I was meant to share that moment with my music only. I will never forget it for as long as I live.

I arrived in Milan and took out my directions to my host's house. Thankfully, he had given me some very detailed directions using the metro station. I was still completely lost. I took 2 semesters of Italian in college and so I expected to be able to adjust fairly easily, but it was harder than French. The thing about travelling is that there are always super nice people willing to help you. And so a very nice American woman who was living in Milan helped me purchase my metro ticket. As it turns out I wasn't as stupid as I originally looked. The machine I was trying to purchase my ticket from was actually broken. I transfered from the green line to the red line easily enough, but upon emerging from the underground system I was lost. There was construction everywhere and I think the language barrier set in in my paragraph of directions. "Go over the oil" actually could translate to "Go past the Petrol/Gas station." Usually I'm good with directions, but Europe has messed me up, so I was smart enough to just show someone the address and they pointed me in the right direction. After this I made it with little trouble.

My host was a very nice older man, who had 217 references. He happens to be a lawyer and his girlfriend was visiting him from Poland. He was kind enough to immediately ask me about my flight the next morning, to show me where the bus to the airport picked up (5 mins from his house) and to tell me what time I needed to leave. Then he showed me a map of Milan and pointed out a few key things to see, taking into account my interest, and keeping me far away from the fashion district. We planned a short, quick morning trip to the city and he said I could leave my pack behind because he would be there the following day to let me in, as he was planning on sleeping until the time I left (11am.) Once his girlfriend arrived home we all 3 went to dinner at a nice seafood restaurant where I indulged in some shrimp pasta dish, and the best tiramisu I have ever had. I spent the majority of dinner trying to keep up with the conversation. After only getting about 3 hours of sleep the previous night I was one very exhausted girl. When I tried to pay my portion of the bill he wouldn't allow me to and said he always treated his guest to dinner. No wonder he had 217 references!

Hello random castle

After arriving home I was required by his girlfriend to sip on some Polish vodka while we had a chat about something I don't recall because my exhaustion had set in. After one drink she tried to pour another, but I refused reminding her I had a flight at 1:30 and I needed to go see the city in the morning. I passed out quite quickly, but managed to wake up before my 6:30 alarm. I packed all of my things and headed to the city, which was easy to get to now that I understood the metro system. I had some fun wandering around, and attempting to read the map before I finally got where I wanted to get. Truth be told I didn't know it was where I wanted to be, but I knew the park looked nice in comparison to all the buildings. It led me to a castle, the "Arc of Peace" and then to more buildings, including the famous Duomo Cathedral, which was quite breathtaking. After seeing all the sights (in 2 hours mind you) I headed back to the area of his apartment. I really couldn't risk being late to the airport. I grabbed a croissant and coffee and headed out. Funny....I had not a drop of wine while in Italy.

Up and in the city early enough for the sunrise

I had surprisingly no issue getting on the bus, to the airport, or through the check in. I was a bit nervous about this after my experience in Albania, but I had zero issues. Then I indulged myself in a hot fudge sundae from McDonalds, and missed all my ice cream dates with Candice, Becky, and most of all my niece. It was so delicious. I went and sat at my gate for about 45 minutes reading some Ismail Kadare and trying to prepare myself for real life. As soon as they started boarding I knew I was at the right gate. I walked briskly to what I assumed would be a que. Unfortunately what I found was not a nice line, but I giant blob of people pushing and shoving to get to the front. My mind started chaotically wondering what would happen if I didn't make it on the plane and for a bit I was pushing. Then I realized this was a crazy thought. We were all going to get on the plane just fine. Getting on the plane was even worse. They boarded from front and back, but no one had the logical sense to check where their seats were, they all just went to the shortest line. So while I was in row 27 (near the back) the man in front of me was in row 3. What a smartie. He honestly thought it would be faster to go to the back boarding area and work his way to the front? For real?

Duomo Cathedral

I spent the whole time on the plane listening to music, because I needed it. When we landed I again got nervous about getting in line, getting through customs, and retrieving my baggage. Again, no difficulties whatsoever. I handed the driver of the Rinas Express my bag and was quite confused when he asked me a question in Albanian (I have lost everything I learned.) Luckily a very nice guy translated for me and we had a nice conversation about Albania. As it turned out he was working in the Peace Corp and knew one of the teachers at my school. He told me I was welcomed to visit him in the city he lived in anytime I needed to get out of Tirana. How nice of him :)

I found a piece of Albania in the center of Milan, and it made me want to come back. 

Overall I'd say I was a bit relieved to be back in Tirana. It felt incredible to walk down streets and know where I was going. Well, at least for the time being....

Amsterdam: the 6th food group

Agh! What a day it was. We headed out of ghent plenty early, planning to catch the 11:18 direct bus from Brussels to Amsterdam. With our early arrival we walked around, and got some lunch for on the train. However when we headed up to the platform we noticed it said you needed a reservation. As it turns out our train book (which said we didn't need one) was out of date, as was the information Daryn had looked up online only a few days before our trip.

We asked at an information desk and they informed us we should go to Antwerp, then to Rotterdam, and them to Amsterdam. We would arrive only an hour later than originally planned. However, when we got to Antwerp they told us the trains to Rotterdam were cancelled forever. We discovered we could go to Roosdale and then to Rotterdam and then to Amsterdam. The train system was exhausting. It was really a crappy way for us to begin our train portion of the trip. Lucky for us on the train to Roosdale we met a nice couple also going to Amsterdam. We ended up following them directly on a train to Amsterdam. We had learned out lesson. Once arriving at the train station we went immediately to the information desk to check the information for our next train trip. As it turned out this time the information in the book was almost exactly correct, only off by about 4 minutes. I loved the train station in Amsterdam the last time I had seen it and it was cool to get inside for a bit.

I took charge of our directions in Amsterdam, for many reasons. We stopped at a coffeeshop quickly and then headed to wander around and look at the dam system/find the Brady bar, which had been suggested by someone on couchsurfing. However when we got there we discovered it wasn't open and that you had to be 23 to get in. Therefore I wouldn't be allowed to go, so we found a different bar nearby and enjoyed 2 beers each, which was just what we needed after our stressful journey. From here we headed to find the apartment of our couchsurfing host. We found it with little trouble but had to pee pretty bad when we were almost there, so we stopped and found a nice corner to use.

Eventually we made it to our host's apartment, and he was able to point us in the direction of some delicious indian food for dinner. It was just what I wanted! We headed back and Daryn and our host headed out for a few beers. I was pretty exhausted, so I just hung on the couch, did a bit of reading, and fell asleep. I was awaken a few hours later by their return. After 30 minutes of being home it was clear me and Daryn needed to add a 6th food group to our list. We had forgotten to drink water. Daryn got extremely hot and dizzy and upon trying to drink water he lost control and broke a glass. I asked our host for a broom, but as it turned out he didn't have one. So, I cleaned up the water and glass carefully using paper towels. After Daryn had a few sips of water he was ready to help us clean up and we finished with ease. Back to bed to prepare for our time in Germany.

Getting to Madrid

It was quite the interesting journey. Well, just the first few hours. I arrived at the bus stop to rinas airport at 6 am just so I would make it on time. Unfortunately as every thing in Tirana is the bus schedule on the airport website was incorrect. I ended up splitting a taxi with 3 nice Albanian women who spoke no English. Upon arriving I checked in and went to the security check.

I got through security just fine, but Once I got to the passport check I knew something was wrong. I applied for my residency visa about 5 weeks ago, but have yet to hear anything back from them. I was told I'd have no trouble getting out of the country, just getting back in. I packed my house contract and work contract, along with a signed note from my boss saying I ha applied. They didn't accept this. The police officer called another lady who informed me i would have to pay a 100 euro fine. I asked her about getting back, and she said it'd be no problem. I'm not sure I believe her.

Emotions ran high. I allowed myself a bathroom trip to spend 5 minutes crying, reminded myself that it was just money and continued on my way. All I could honk was that I just wanted to go home. But, truth be told I have no clue where the hell that is. It certainly isn't Tirana, and it doesn't really feel like Minnesota or Wisconsin anymore either. The closest thing I have to home right now is the people that are in my life, and I was heading to see my favorite.

After this The day was pretty smooth sailing. When i left tirana i tried to think back to what my journey there was like. All i could remember was that mixed feeling of being excited and nervous.found my way through Istanbul much more easily, and made all my flights on time.

Daryn was waiting for me when I got of the plane, and he greeted me with a big hug, which is just what I wanted.

Untitled blog post number 2

November 3^rd 2012

Some days I have a lot of time to myself, and I start thinking about the things I miss. Then, there are days I have TOO much time to myself, and I get lonely and I think about you. The thing about “me time” is that I need it, just as anyone does.

But this “me time” leads to memories. And I miss you, and I miss how I felt about you, and I crave our love. And then the reality of our love sinks in. It was real. I loved you, and you loved me (at least I think you did,) but it wasn’t what it was supposed to be. We had our passion, but we also created a mess. Somewhere along the way, probably from the very beginning of us, we both got confused. And we ended up where we shouldn’t have. In love. And young. And stupid.

When I think back to all of the memories of us, and I remember the good with the bad I’m so glad for the reality of where I am today. Because, the mess we made taught me who I was and made me strong. And, of all the places in the world, I chose here. And it was really the first decision I have ever made that was completely my own. I’m so glad my present and future are mine, and not ours.

November 8^th 2012

I had a great day today. I switched my classroom layout around yesterday and I was afraid it would throw the kids off, but overall they did really good after I explained the reason to them. The students are finally into the routine of our English morning. My 4^th grade class loved talking about the oxygen cycle and the environment, and I’m starting to get them psyched about our upcoming endangered species research project. My math class was great: my students understand their number lines, they are understanding their patterns and they all love “my” math game (flipping two cards over and adding them.) During my social studies time we did a picture sort and talked about how we are all different and that is okay. On Tuesday we did Venn diagrams to compare students and they loved that too. This week was a seg-way leading into our culture studies, which will start next week. For the last 5 minutes of class we talked about culture and what it is. I was so surprised to hear them talk openly about their home lives, and they all seem excited to share.

I also taught games club today after school. The new game was different from many of the other games we have played, but toward the end the students started to get it and we had the least amount of whining yet.

Then I went to my second job of teaching English to teachers. Last week they gave me a ton of suggestions for teaching, mostly things they wanted to learn. So I came prepared tonight with a pronunciation key, American slang terms, prepositions, and a feelings chart. We spent so much time talking about these that we hardly made it to the essays I’m supposed to be using. But, either way they are learning pronunciation and vocabulary, and tonight was super enjoyable. Also, one of my students gave me an Albeni bar at the break, and translated it to mean “buy me” or “you want me.” How hilarious, since I always want to buy them.

November 12, 2012

Today I want to get on the next plane and fly home. I’m so stressed about moving and just trying to keep up with everything. If I’m packing I might as well go somewhere I love right? And I know I love Minneapolis. Plus it’s a Monday and if I hurry I can make it back in time for Roe Family Singers. Heck, if I really hurry I can make it back for $3 surlys.

November 13th 2012

How many times do I click my heels to go home?

It was a day I needed music.

It was a day I looked through my quotes.

It was a day I cried.

It was a day I wanted a hug from my mom.

It was a day I needed a stout, or 4.

It was a day I wondered, “what the hell was I thinking.”

It was a day I remembered why I got my tattoo.

It was a day I had strength to get through.

And I will get through many more like it.

November 18^th 2012

All is right in the world again. That is a lie. Things in the world are better, and as they should be. I miss home, like crazy, and for some reason I still want to go there. As I was packing to move (yes I found a new, wonderful apartment) I just kept thinking that I wish I was packing to go home. Maybe it’s because it’s getting close to the holidays, maybe I miss the cold (I wore a short sleeve shirt today), or maybe I’m still just frustrated with being lost. I got to talk to my brother last week and that was really helping. He is so good at convincing me that I’m where I need to be and I’ll find my path out here somewhere.

I find myself looking at international job posting daily. No, make that 3 times a day. I’m dreaming too much. I need to start living more. I already know I have options, but it is too early to apply to most of them. I’m considering doing some European traveling in July, moving back home in August and waiting for an immediate hire job. It is so not my style to have an unplanned future, but these are the jobs that pay more. All I want to do is pay off my loans so I can live life the way I want. I want to go everywhere. Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Columbia, India, Brazil, Ireland, Morocco, China, Poland, Spain, France, Italy, South Africa, Kenya, Venezuela, Bali, the list goes on and on. There is so much to see in this vast world. I knew this before I came here, but really had no idea. Every time I talk to someone they tell me about somewhere they have been that I want to go to.

The part of me that wants to settle down in one location is becoming more and more distant. She is there, but she knows thats if she wants to do this traveling now is the time to do it. When I settle down I want to be close to home. And by home, I mean I want to be close to my family.

I remember telling my advisor freshman year that I couldn’t do study abroad because I would miss my family too much. At this point, it was a lie. I didn’t want to leave my boyfriend for another 3 months. Long distance sucked. But now I’m realizing it really is true. I miss them all like crazy! Keeping my mind on the fact that I get to see my brother in about 36 days helps. After that, who knows. But it is time to live. Road trip(s) in the next two weeks, so I’ll have to be living.

I’m also starting to get a little nervous about what life will be like when I do move back home. I have a feeling I’m going to go through culture shock all over again. There won’t be 8 café’s on one block. I’ll have to obey traffic laws, and say thank you all the time. I’ll have to stand appropriately in lines. It won’t take me 8 stops to do my shopping for the week. What will I do with all that extra time. I’ll have to start carrying a phone with me again. Strange to think of how much my life has changed in less than 3 months. Crazy!

Travelin' Through

Part of me expected to come to Tirana and just figure out everything I needed to discover about myself.  There is no way I can deny that. But, that just isn’t the way the world works. I left America, 2 plus some months ago, not knowing what I wanted out of life. I was just a typical 20 something girl who had no idea who she wanted to be, where she would end up, or who she would meet along the way.

And I still don’t know. I think I’m finally starting to freak out about it, because I don’t know if I want to stay for another year, and I don’t know where I will go if I don’t. I just feel lost. But, truth be told I have found a bit of myself here. . I have learned 2 things:

1)    I don’t want to be alone. I want to find someone I love to be with for the rest of my life. Not yet, but eventually.

2)    I’m not ready to go home. And I won’t be ready to go home next summer. Perhaps for a visit, but not permanently. I’d be selling myself, and my dreams short if I did. There is so much I want to see, and so much I want to do. I also know that to learn about myself I need to be on my own. I hate being alone (single girl, and away from my family) but it is important that I do this to get my own perspective. I’m dreaming about things I never would have dreamed about, not because the people in my life don’t support me (they do) but because I’m seeing myself and the world through different eyes. The people I’ve met along the way have different connections, and the traveling teacher viewpoints I need. Thank you Cortney and Scott for all of the support and encouragement on this journey.

So overall, no matter where I go or what I do, I’m living my life, and figuring it out one little bit at a time. And I have options, and that is something that I should be so very thankful for. And once again music is saving my life:

Mount Dajti

Yesterday night (Saturday) I was super ill. I had no appetite, a sore throat, stuffy nose, a slight headache, and the chills. So I hopped into my bed with a sweater on, and blankets at 8:00pm. I woke up at 6:00am today, and decided it was time to climb a mountain. My nose was still quite stuffy, but for the most part my sore throat was gone.

The cable car station

The city

We took a bus from the center of the city to Dajti, and then walked about a mile to the cable car station. We paid our 700 leke for the trip to the top and back, and hopped on the first cable car up to the top. The first thing I noticed after getting off the cable car was how much air was up there. Fresh air, that I could breathe. It was like an instant heal for my lungs. I felt better already. We paid our 50 leke to get into the park, and explored the bombshelters while searching earnestly for the castle ruins that are up there, somewhere. We never found them.

Bombshelter

Horses!

Super cool tree on the way up

We finally found a trail (road) but it led us to a military zone that we couldn't go into (the man yelled angrily as Scott attempted to get a picture.) So we decided to go up to the top. Once you get off the cable car it is only about 1.5 miles to hike to the top, but the elevation change is insane. I was crawling on my hands and knees, grabbing onto tree as much as possible for support. After about 3 minutes of hiking we would be so out of breath we had to take a 5 minute break. We made it to the point where we were about .3 miles away, and gave up. I just didn't see how we would be able to climb anything steeper than we already had.

We headed back down, slipping and sliding, until we found a very deserted house to explore (the newspaper we found was from 2005). After, we decided we were finally hungry so we stopped at the restaurant for a beer and some pizza before taking the cable car back down. On the way down we heard an Albanian man talking about the forest fires that were taking place about 2 weeks ago. Apparently they were not accidental fires. Someone started them on purpose because of the price of wood somewhere else. This country is really run by organized crime. He said "nothing in Albania happens on accident. It all happens for a reason."

Where the fire burned away the forest

When we got off the cable car I could hardly breathe. I want to stay here for 2 years but the thing that makes me want to get out of here the most is the pollution. It is awful! All in all I had a great day exploring and getting out of my apartment and the pollution/noise of the city.