Two weeks of silence! Wow!
In the past two weeks, I traveled some more (Vienna and Budapest), and I'm now happily in my second week of my study program.
I've been studying, practicing, learning, practicing my language and musical skills ... connecting with people from many other countries ....
This has been a fabulous time of growth ... a wonderful experience.
Some more plans to travel this weekend (to a local tourist destination) ... and more classes ...
I'm due to come home two weeks from tomorrow ... the halfway point of my trip was earlier this week ... It's hard for me to believe I've been abroad for THREE weeks today ... and I love it! :-)
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Blogger in German
Salzburg has been gorgeous! The tourist scene is mad about Mozart (who was born here, and who lived here for many years) ... and The Sound of Music (which was filmed here in the 1960's).
I befriended a cute British boy and we explored much of the city together. (I also developed a crush on him which I'm pretty sure was reciprocated :-) ... and ... I was very sad when he left earlier today.)
I haven't even had time to write in my paper journal all of the things I've done and all of the stories I don't want to forget.
This is the only computer at the hostel and someone else is in line to use it after me ... so ... gotta go. Will hopefully write from Vienna soon!
I befriended a cute British boy and we explored much of the city together. (I also developed a crush on him which I'm pretty sure was reciprocated :-) ... and ... I was very sad when he left earlier today.)
I haven't even had time to write in my paper journal all of the things I've done and all of the stories I don't want to forget.
This is the only computer at the hostel and someone else is in line to use it after me ... so ... gotta go. Will hopefully write from Vienna soon!
Sunday, July 08, 2007
So ... I just had to navigate Blogger in Hungarian! That was different ... and I'm still adjusting to the keyboard too!
I got in on Friday ... and I've been seeing the sights of Budapest alone and with people from my hostel. I've taken a bus tour of the city, walked quite a bit, visited various big tourist sites (churches, shopping markets, etc.), but I've also given myself plenty of time to rest.
Attended a free outdoor concert last night on one of the bridges ... broke my flip-flops this morning (in the shower stall! I had brought my cheap pair to leave behind at the end of my trip ... but I did actually need this pair for the next few weeks!) ...
Beautiful sights, lovely river ... and leaving to get dinner soon as I haven't eaten since my large breakfast! :-)
I got in on Friday ... and I've been seeing the sights of Budapest alone and with people from my hostel. I've taken a bus tour of the city, walked quite a bit, visited various big tourist sites (churches, shopping markets, etc.), but I've also given myself plenty of time to rest.
Attended a free outdoor concert last night on one of the bridges ... broke my flip-flops this morning (in the shower stall! I had brought my cheap pair to leave behind at the end of my trip ... but I did actually need this pair for the next few weeks!) ...
Beautiful sights, lovely river ... and leaving to get dinner soon as I haven't eaten since my large breakfast! :-)
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Fireworks
Happy 4th of July!
I went with my family to a lovely (and yummy!) picnic earlier this afternoon. Afterwards, I was rather tired and I took a nap ~ effectively cutting my packing time in half ...
So instead of going to see fireworks this evening with my parents, I'm watching them on TV. Right now, the orchestra on TV is playing a Leonard Bernstein medley ... and I haven't started packing yet! After my nap this afternoon, I received a special delivery birthday present from a friend ... with all sorts of traveling goodies (Shout wipes, a 10-Euro bill, snacks, compact packing bags, etc.).
If the weather is fine (although weather websites indicate it may be otherwise), I'll be in the air this time tomorrow. I finally booked the hostel where I'll be staying for my first 3 nights.
So I better go figure out exactly what I'm wearing tomorrow ... and ... pack!
~*~*~*~
First, however, I wanted to share an update about a certain guy who made an appearance in this blog about a month ago:
When I had to head up to RuralSchool for another class earlier this week, I called this guy because he lives in the area ... and because he and I hit it off last time (mini-golfing, walk along the river, getting caught in the rain, etc.). :-) I asked if I could stay at his house and sleep on the couch so that I wouldn't have to make the long commute twice in one day. He said that was no problem ... so we did just that.
I arrived at the school to meet him, but before we hung out, I practiced for about an hour. (Much-needed practice!) Then we went back to his house where we proceeded to make dinner (actually ~ he made dinner and I washed the dishes- my favorite chore) ... yummy dinner. Then he asked if I wanted to go on an adventure, and I agreed. He let me borrow some sweatpants and a sweatshirt to put on over my shirt and capris because it had gotten chilly outside.
We drove back to RuralSchool campus, and we parked on the empty street. He guided me toward the soccer field, empty, no lights ... to stargaze. He lay out a sweater for us to sit on, and we both plopped down on the ground. The moon was incredibly brilliant that evening. He pointed out one of the planets, and I showed him two constellations I recognized. Then he produced his iPod and handed me an earpiece. We continued to talk as we listened to 80s ballads. After a few songs, he asked me to dance.
Incredibly romantic ~ this stargazing, the music, the dancing ...
After the second song, I pulled away and sat down again.
"I'm not ready for this," I told him.
He wasn't sure what I meant at first.
"The romantic overtones, all this, just ..." I stumbled over my words.
"I do like you," I asserted, "but I'm not ready for ... this just ... This is too fast. I'm interested ... if we take this a lot slower."
He thanked me for being honest and said he was willing to give me that time. Very sweet, caring, intelligent, thoughtful guy. Before dinner, he had asked if I prayed before meals, and if I did so silently or aloud. I told him it depended on the company, and he asked if I wanted to pray for both of us because he didn't know any "standard" prayers in English.
Later that night, he offered to sleep on the couch in the living room so that I could sleep more comfortably in a bed. We stayed up late just talking. I do like him. It's quite obvious to me that he's interested too. However, I don't know where things will go because he's trying to find a job somewhere and he's not going to find the type of job he's looking for anywhere near RuralSchool. So ... we'll see what happens ...
I read a book a few weeks ago when I stayed at a friend's house. I think the title is something like I Kissed Dating Goodbye. While a few of the ideas presented in the book are rather extreme (i.e. not kissing until the wedding day), many of the concepts are things I'd like to try in how I interact with guys. I've made many of the mistakes discussed in the book (even with how I approached CGFC earlier this spring), and the solutions make sense to me.
For the first time in a long time, I'm not looking for a relationship. While I like this guy, I don't want to rush things. I don't want to complicate getting to know him as a person with having extra expectations (on either side) for something more. Even a kiss would have complicated that.
~*~*~*~
So I'm sitting here, watching the fireworks on TV, listening to the orchestra play, remembering all the various places I've celebrated this holiday ~ DisneyWorld, Canada, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Arizona, D.C. (on the mall!), the beach, Ireland ... and wondering where else I'll get to celebrate this holiday in the years to come.
Now that the display is reaching its spectacular ending, it's about time that I start packing! I'll be gone for over a month (which I absolutely cannot fathom) ... but I do intend to.
If you would like a postcard from me, you can email me through this blog or leave a comment! :-)
I went with my family to a lovely (and yummy!) picnic earlier this afternoon. Afterwards, I was rather tired and I took a nap ~ effectively cutting my packing time in half ...
So instead of going to see fireworks this evening with my parents, I'm watching them on TV. Right now, the orchestra on TV is playing a Leonard Bernstein medley ... and I haven't started packing yet! After my nap this afternoon, I received a special delivery birthday present from a friend ... with all sorts of traveling goodies (Shout wipes, a 10-Euro bill, snacks, compact packing bags, etc.).
If the weather is fine (although weather websites indicate it may be otherwise), I'll be in the air this time tomorrow. I finally booked the hostel where I'll be staying for my first 3 nights.
So I better go figure out exactly what I'm wearing tomorrow ... and ... pack!
~*~*~*~
First, however, I wanted to share an update about a certain guy who made an appearance in this blog about a month ago:
When I had to head up to RuralSchool for another class earlier this week, I called this guy because he lives in the area ... and because he and I hit it off last time (mini-golfing, walk along the river, getting caught in the rain, etc.). :-) I asked if I could stay at his house and sleep on the couch so that I wouldn't have to make the long commute twice in one day. He said that was no problem ... so we did just that.
I arrived at the school to meet him, but before we hung out, I practiced for about an hour. (Much-needed practice!) Then we went back to his house where we proceeded to make dinner (actually ~ he made dinner and I washed the dishes- my favorite chore) ... yummy dinner. Then he asked if I wanted to go on an adventure, and I agreed. He let me borrow some sweatpants and a sweatshirt to put on over my shirt and capris because it had gotten chilly outside.
We drove back to RuralSchool campus, and we parked on the empty street. He guided me toward the soccer field, empty, no lights ... to stargaze. He lay out a sweater for us to sit on, and we both plopped down on the ground. The moon was incredibly brilliant that evening. He pointed out one of the planets, and I showed him two constellations I recognized. Then he produced his iPod and handed me an earpiece. We continued to talk as we listened to 80s ballads. After a few songs, he asked me to dance.
Incredibly romantic ~ this stargazing, the music, the dancing ...
After the second song, I pulled away and sat down again.
"I'm not ready for this," I told him.
He wasn't sure what I meant at first.
"The romantic overtones, all this, just ..." I stumbled over my words.
"I do like you," I asserted, "but I'm not ready for ... this just ... This is too fast. I'm interested ... if we take this a lot slower."
He thanked me for being honest and said he was willing to give me that time. Very sweet, caring, intelligent, thoughtful guy. Before dinner, he had asked if I prayed before meals, and if I did so silently or aloud. I told him it depended on the company, and he asked if I wanted to pray for both of us because he didn't know any "standard" prayers in English.
Later that night, he offered to sleep on the couch in the living room so that I could sleep more comfortably in a bed. We stayed up late just talking. I do like him. It's quite obvious to me that he's interested too. However, I don't know where things will go because he's trying to find a job somewhere and he's not going to find the type of job he's looking for anywhere near RuralSchool. So ... we'll see what happens ...
I read a book a few weeks ago when I stayed at a friend's house. I think the title is something like I Kissed Dating Goodbye. While a few of the ideas presented in the book are rather extreme (i.e. not kissing until the wedding day), many of the concepts are things I'd like to try in how I interact with guys. I've made many of the mistakes discussed in the book (even with how I approached CGFC earlier this spring), and the solutions make sense to me.
For the first time in a long time, I'm not looking for a relationship. While I like this guy, I don't want to rush things. I don't want to complicate getting to know him as a person with having extra expectations (on either side) for something more. Even a kiss would have complicated that.
~*~*~*~
So I'm sitting here, watching the fireworks on TV, listening to the orchestra play, remembering all the various places I've celebrated this holiday ~ DisneyWorld, Canada, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Arizona, D.C. (on the mall!), the beach, Ireland ... and wondering where else I'll get to celebrate this holiday in the years to come.
Now that the display is reaching its spectacular ending, it's about time that I start packing! I'll be gone for over a month (which I absolutely cannot fathom) ... but I do intend to.
If you would like a postcard from me, you can email me through this blog or leave a comment! :-)
Sunday, July 01, 2007
(small) epiphany
My birthday is in less than 2 weeks.
How did I not realize this until today? :-)
I'll still be traveling by myself on my birthday ... but I'm hoping I'll be able to make some friends on my trip (maybe through the hostels?) so that I won't be alone.
A great celebration is held on my birthday in France. When I learned about this as a little girl, it became my dream to be in France for the festivities someday.
In fact, right now, I'm sitting in my childhood bedroom. On the bulletin board next to my bed, a short essay I wrote in school on August 25, 1995 is still hanging up. (Why it's still there, and why I still have pictures from 1994 and high school and random key chains on there- I'm not sure.)
Anyway, the essay reads: Someday I'd like to travel to France. My biggest reason to want to go is because I want to see their July 14 (my birthday, their independence day) celebration. I also have always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower. (It looks so neat in photographs!) I've also thought the French language was pretty interesting. If I learned that language, I'd really love to go to France.
The year in school after I wrote this, I was given the opportunity to sign up for a language in my class schedule. I signed up for French.
Unfortunately, the school had a minimum course enrollment requirement of 15 students. A mere dozen students signed up, so the course was dropped. I have not had the opportunity to study it since that time. I loved the language I took ... but I hope that I will have the chance to learn French someday ~ partly because I'm terrible at singing repertoire in that language, and partly so that I can fulfill that childhood dream!
(I will be in France for part of my adventure ~ but only for my two layovers between home and my destination, neither of which takes place on my birthday!)
How did I not realize this until today? :-)
I'll still be traveling by myself on my birthday ... but I'm hoping I'll be able to make some friends on my trip (maybe through the hostels?) so that I won't be alone.
A great celebration is held on my birthday in France. When I learned about this as a little girl, it became my dream to be in France for the festivities someday.
In fact, right now, I'm sitting in my childhood bedroom. On the bulletin board next to my bed, a short essay I wrote in school on August 25, 1995 is still hanging up. (Why it's still there, and why I still have pictures from 1994 and high school and random key chains on there- I'm not sure.)
Anyway, the essay reads: Someday I'd like to travel to France. My biggest reason to want to go is because I want to see their July 14 (my birthday, their independence day) celebration. I also have always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower. (It looks so neat in photographs!) I've also thought the French language was pretty interesting. If I learned that language, I'd really love to go to France.
The year in school after I wrote this, I was given the opportunity to sign up for a language in my class schedule. I signed up for French.
Unfortunately, the school had a minimum course enrollment requirement of 15 students. A mere dozen students signed up, so the course was dropped. I have not had the opportunity to study it since that time. I loved the language I took ... but I hope that I will have the chance to learn French someday ~ partly because I'm terrible at singing repertoire in that language, and partly so that I can fulfill that childhood dream!
(I will be in France for part of my adventure ~ but only for my two layovers between home and my destination, neither of which takes place on my birthday!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
