#airport and try to book a bus on Saturday that gets me as close to my hometown as possible so my mother can pick me up somehow) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

umichenginabroad · 2 months

Text

Stockholm Week 11-2: Marvelous Days in Barcelona!!!

Barcelona post is finally here!

Let's get started right away, starting with my flight to Barcelona.

3/27 Wed: Park Güell.ᐟ.ᐟ.ᐟ

It was my second 6 am flight and I knew the drills. Night bus, Flygbussarna, airport.

We safely landed in Barcelona and arrived at our hotel to store our luggage before the check-in.

Our neighborhood was so cute

The first event I scheduled was the guided tour at Park Güell.

On the way up the steep hills, I stopped to get the first gelato in Spain. He let me taste three different flavors before choosing - my pick was Strawberry 🍓

I didn’t know I signed up for hiking—walking up all those stairs made me go out of breath. However, the view from the top of the hill was magnificent.

Birds were greeting us when we finally arrived at the entrance. They were so cute < 3

The guide explained the meanings and purpose behind the structures and architecture. Gaudi’s use of geography and geometry was intricate to the point that it was unreal.

I walked around for another hour or so to capture everything before I leave

The guide told us that there is no official documentation of Gaudi, just assumptions formulated around his work. Therefore, the tour gave me a sneak peek into Gaudi’s alleged thoughts and life.

While we waited for our two other friends to arrive in Barcelona, we walked around La Rambla at night. I couldn’t capture it but it was so alive and attractive. I stopped by multiple shops and got postcards for 1 euro each!

After walking to the end of the road, we stopped by the port.

It would’ve been a cute fountain if a stream of water came out from its mouth

All four of us united for dinner at 10 pm. The paella we ordered was huge -- we were glad that we didn’t order two since it would've taken us hours to finish it.

Delicious chicken paella!

3/28 Thu: Casa Batlló, Picasso Museum, Shôko

In the morning, we all met up outside of Casa Batlló. As tourists, we didn’t forget to take a billion photos.

The building looked like it was flowing because of the shapes that were used

We moved on to Sagrada Familia, where my two friends had a tour scheduled. I had my guided tour booked for Saturday, so I stayed outside and took more pictures in front of Sagrada Familia.

It’s scheduled to finish construction by 2034, but that’s if EVERYTHING goes well

While my two friends were busy doing the tour, we went to the beach area and rested there for a bit before heading to try our first menu del dia at the restaurant called Granja Los Amigos. Menu del dia is a cheap Spanish course lunch where you typically get a first meal, a second meal, and a dessert of your choice with drinks on the side. The flan at this place was so good that I scraped the dish after I ate all of it -- and I don’t even like flan/puddings!

This was 12 euros for me!

Picasso Museum was our next destination. We got in for 7 euros per person (youth price!) and it was totally worth it. Observing thousands of Picasso’s authentic artworks was an experience.

I did not know but Picasso had a lot of connections with Barcelona: he studied here and met many Spanish artists during his stay. Picasso continuously donated his works to Barcelona!

Afterward, we walked around the vicinity (terrace and cathedrals everywhere) and ate nonstop. Tacos at Rosa Negra (highly recommend), authentic churros, concluding with a drink at night club Shoko. Shoko was located right next to the beach, so we didn’t miss the chance for a walk on the beach too!

I spy… Jiwoo edition

3/29 Fri: Barcelona Beach + Sunset at Carmel Bunkers, Razzmatazz

Friday morning started with a restaurant failing us for the first time -- Quimet & Quimet was a tapas place I really wanted to go to, but it was closed when we got there. I fully trusted Google Maps but Google did not know that they were closed during the Easter weekend :(

So we went straight to the beach and ate brunch there. The vibes and the food were both great!

There was a flea market going on along the beach. As a raven that likes shiny things, I could not pass without buying a bracelet and a ring :)

We sat on the beach for a while and proceeded to get drinks to relax even more.

Yum yum

Even though it was a bit chilly with the wind in late March, Playa de la Barceloneta was packed with people.

We could stare at the beach for hours and hours if it wasn’t for the wind trying to freeze us

After absorbing all the sunlight we couldn’t get in Stockholm, we moved on to Bunkers del Carmel. It is a popular spot for sunset and night views of Barcelona. Watching the graceful sunset and gradual illumination by the city lights was something I didn’t know I needed. We were so sad that we couldn’t stay past 7:30 pm (the police kicked everyone out), but we got a glimpse of Barcelona at night as we walked downhill.

Bunkers del Carmel is a must-visit place in Barcelona!!! Don’t forget to bring a jacket though! It gets cold at night

The last event of the night was visiting Razzmatazz, but it wasn’t as good as we thought it would be. But the tickets included a free drink, so we took advantage of that :)

It was so big that we got lost a couple of times - we could go into any room in the two three-story buildings

3/30 Sat: Boqueria Market and Sagrada Familia

And the morning of the highlight of my Barcelona trip has come.

For brunch, we visited Mercado de la Boqueria. They mainly sold fresh fruits, seafood, jamón, and snacks. I tried fresh mango, chocolate-covered strawberries, pastry, empanadas, and octopus (this was the best).

I can say for certain that you’ll find at least one thing you like in that market.

I had a guided tour of La Sagrada Familia at 1 pm, so I ran (took the metro) to get there on time. The guide explained everything in and out, from the meaning of the colors to the sculptures. All I can say is that Gaudi was a talented genius who even worked hard for his passions.

Please please please do the guided tours if you’re visiting La Sagrada Familia! It was definitely worth the price for me

After the tour, I stayed for an hour or so more in the church. I walked around and sat down in the church, constantly getting fascinated by its beauty.

We sat at the beach (again) until we got hungry. We walked around, got some snacks, and stopped by their Airbnb to charge our phones.

For dinner, we went to a restaurant called El Tros de la Rambla. We got two seafood paellas and GOSH it was the BEST meal I’ve had SINCE I CAME TO EUROPE. It was beyond delicious -- they must’ve done something to that cause I would eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if possible. I loved it so much that I decided to leave a review on Google Maps, but Google declined my review because it thought I got incentivized to write a fake review(...)

It was that good!

Following our successful meal, the last gelato in Spain was successful as well. We arrived at Gianduia, the 4.9-star gelato place, 10 minutes before the closing time but the worker was so nice (•̥̥̥ᴗ•̥̥̥)

Objectively best gelato place in Spain -- strawberry and yogurt mwah

We sat on the steps of the cathedral, listening to people singing in the alleys, eating our gelato, and taking our time to feel the festive atmosphere of Spain.

3/31 Sun: Barcelona to Malta~~~

I was writing this blog in Stockholm Airport, waiting to get on the plane to Malta.

I woke up early this morning to pack everything and go to the airport. If you’re using Uber in Spain, there is a mandatory 15-minute waiting time before getting assigned to a driver so beware if you’re in a hurry!

Instead of Uber, I used an app called Freenow (usually cheaper than Uber) to travel from and to the airport.

We got through the security check quite quickly: I realized that not having a line for passport checks extremely cuts down the waiting time.

For breakfast, I ate a Caesar salad with a Mango passion fruit chia smoothie at the airport. I didn’t expect them to be good but they were scrumptious!

After the 3.5-hour flight, I arrived at ARN airport in Stockholm. I booked an evening/night flight to Malta, so I just had to wait in the airport for a couple of hours. This was why I brought a backpack and a carry-on. Although my friends made fun of me for bringing so many clothes, I knew I was going to thank myself later in Malta.

I enjoyed Barcelona and speaking rusty Spanish from high school. In the airport, I could sense that I was going to fall in love with Malta as well.

Check out ups and downs of my solo travel in Malta in my next post!

Gracias,

Jiwoo Kim

Chemical Engineering

DIS Study Abroad in Stockholm, Sweden

#UmichEnginAbroad #IPEStockholm #JiwooKim #IPEWinter24 #Sweden

0 notes

rataster · 8 months

Text

07.09.2019 Tuesday

Ok so I know it's been a month and a half since I last wrote in this and I really have no excuse. I've been lazy. End of story. I want to write a lot so I don't forget it later.

For one, I've been playing a lot of awesome games. Life is Strange, Oxenfree & Danganronpa 2 (and other assorted random free indie games on steam). I started watching Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and it is a really great show. Really good. I legit can't pick a favorite part since they're all so good but probably 4?? It's much more lowkey than the others. Most of the villains become friends, plus Josuke & Okuyasu are cuties. Kristin and I have talked a lot because of JJBA, which is great!!

Started listening to Ricky Montgomery & Two Door Cinema Club's new album came out (it slaps :D). Satisfaction Guarenteed is my favorte track (and is also a great name for a stand).

And, most importantly, I'm in Australia! We stayed a week in Sydney at a three story air bnb at the Rocks. It was pretty close to the Sydney Opera House. Sydney is definitely pretty sweet, def a nice city, but you can't beat the outdoors.

Before I forget, here's a schedule of what we did:

Monday: arrived at the airport, walked around to the Opera house and ate at the underground opera restaurant. Went to the I.G.A for groceries.

Tuesday: took the ferry to the Taronga zoo. Had a delicious ham and tomato wrap. Had sandwiches for dinner. Bird show, giraffes, cassowarys, and more.

Wednesday: Bus tour and the Beautiful Bondi Beach. Souvenir.

Thursday: Seal life, pd started :( museum of austrlia (history and natural history). St Mary's tree across from Hyde park. We stopped by a four story high end mall. Very high end stuff, but there was a hobby store at the end of the fourth floor. I found a Trish and Narancia figure which is cool (ok i freaked out alot).

Friday: Museum of Contemporary Art (meh).

Saturday: Me n' youngest sister went to Macca's for another mud muffin. Then we looked around the shops. (near the visitors center) I got a nice bag for Cameron, I hope she likes it! It has a kangaroo on it. We also looked at some outdoor shops, I saw a cute purse with a cat on it. Then we went to see an opera at the opera house. It was Anne Bolyne, which was really really good. They had massive LCD screens with warped mirrors on the opposite sides, which gave nice atmosphere to all the different acts. When Anne was decapitated, she had an out of body experience. When the dancer's sword swung down, the other dancers ripped off her dress, revealing a red dress underneath. Plus all the LCD screens went white. I loved that moment. Unfortunately, I was too busy trying not to fall asleep to remember act 2.

Sunday: Went to church @ St. Patirck's. A beautiful church! I liked the passage printed on the bulletin about how hard it is to be a catholic sometimes. I saw some cool necklaces at the convenience store. I went with dad to the observatory and it was really interesting. We also went to some of the shops. Dad bought me a lovely necklace. It's got a spiral on one side and a bunch of colors on the other. Uncle V came today! Great to see him.

Monday: We left Sydney and took a train to Kotoomba (misspelled). I love travelling by train. I listened to music and started reading Warcross (great book!!!) We got to our new air bnb which is beautiful. I loved the sloped wooden ceilings. I want to live here and hang my posters on the slope, right above my bed.

And that lead to today, Tuesday. We had an amazing hike in the blue mountains. It is so beautiful, I was so happy. We also had a great lunch at the top. I absolutely loved the jewlery at the gift shop. I almost considered getting the two Ying and yang necklaces with dragons on them for Elizabeth and I. We then took the bus into town. It was funny because in a hotel courtyard up some steps, you can tell that's where teh rebel kids hung out, with their cigarettes and piercings. We stopped by a cool rock shop, and a neat purse shop.

During the hike, I was thinking of starting a jojo fic. I know I'm terrible at writing consistently. I still want to finish the JeanMarco fic, but I just don't care for sitting down and writing each day. Maybe I should set some time aside and do some short writing prompts.

I'm grateful I wrote down so much about this trip. To be honest, I had forgotten a lot. It's painful to read the parts about religion. I'm no longer Catholic, and it's just a cruel reminder. In some ways, when I was still religious, it was a simpler time.

I was so fucking naive though. The 'rebels'??? Girl

I don't remember much about Warcross but I do remember giving it 2 starts when I finished and being highly disappointed with the ending.

#diary #diary entry #online diary #digital diary #personal archive #journal entry #journal

0 notes

laura-apexart · 9 months

Text

BOGOTA DAY 1

7.8.23

I arrived late at night July 7th around 10:30pm to a hotel close to Zona G after much anticipation, a delayed flight and long immigrations lines at the Bogota airport--staying at a hotel the first night was a good way to get my bearings--a shuttle service picked me up (one of the pieces of advice on repeat--don't take cabs that cannot be tracked--and don't walk around with your phone out). Nice to have friendly hotel concierge to help me situate the next morning, especially since I speak very little Spanish!

Woke up--ventured out--began by going south to plaza de Bolívar, the historical square in the heart of the city. A cobble stone--stone slabbed? plaza surrounded by large imposing municipal and museum buildings of various architectural styles. The plaza itself was full of street vendors, a small crafts market and lots of pigeons surrounding and adorning a bronze statue of Simón Bolívar, sculpted in 1846 by the Italian Pietro Tenerani--The first public monument in the city. How to take in all the history--what is presented via the monument and plaza itself---guide books and google/wiki vs ones own subjective experience, and sensory activations.

Then to Independence Museum - Casa del Florero- Trying to buy a ticket I was confronted with the language barrier and also figuring out converting $ into pesos and got a bit flustered and overwhelmed so I left and went to the Catedral Primada de Colombia--(also on the list) --filled with paintings depicting the immaculate conception and various representations of Jesus's crucifixion--something about religious sanctuaries, I sat in one of the pews at the back of the church and had a good cathartic cry while a catholic mass was being lead at the front of the church. Gathered myself and went back to the independence museum which told the story of conflict and rebellion over a smashed vase on view--"the broken vase was heard around the world" --there were paintings and also a bronze statue inside depicting the fight over the vase--wow, the symbolism of material objects their value and weight...there was much more history presented here but I am still trying to piece it all together.

Went back to my hotel to checkout and then traveled far north to Usaquén Public Library - Servitá; for a literally arts cafe meeting discussing the different voices of narrators

I arrived an hour early and did my best to communicate to the security guard why a was there and then a group of intergenerational women who were involved in the group, and leading it realized I was there to participate and were very intrigued and curious who sent me and how I heard about it and ended up there! One of the very sweet women Louisa spoke English and helped translate the discussion for me focusing on the difference between author, creator, writer and narrator -lead by Stephanie who I could tell was s wonderful teacher -expressive, warm , open, confident and very engaging. There was also a presentation on myths from around the world and while and we listened we were given plasticine and told sculpt a figure from one of the myths, I choose Medusa.

After a morning of self directed activities, rainy weather and feeling very overwhelmed by not speaking Spanish or being able to navigate public transportation YET, the warmth and energy of the women involved in literary arts cafe (they meet every Saturday and discuss and share different ideas and presentations) was very fun to engage with and be a part of for a couple hours. I was invited for drinks after but sadly declined b/c I had to get back to check into my Airbnb and then meet a contact I had been set up with for dinner.

Took Ubers everywhere which feels crazy (but also wild because a 30 min ride is $2) but I will get a bus pass tomorrow when I figure out where to buy one.

#Laura Bernstein

1 note · View note

pinlodge · 1 year

Text

Find cheap airlines flights from Cairo to Riyadh

If I want to book a flight at the cheapest price, what time should I do it? Generally, the best time to book a flight is between 4 and 10 weeks in advance. Prices tend to start off high and then decrease as the departure date approaches. Prices also tend to be cheaper during midweek days, rather than weekends. Between Jun 4 and Jun 11, there are some of the cheapest flights available starting at $107 per person. Airlines often set their prices based on how close to the departure date the tickets are being purchased. So when you book a flight during this time frame, you can take advantage of the lower prices airlines are offering as they try to get more customers. Additionally, midweek days tend to be cheaper because there is less demand for flights during those times.

Find cheap airlines flights from Cairo to Riyadh

Photo by Mishaal Zahed - Etihad Airways From $107 - flyEgypt From $116 - Flynas From $122 - Nile Air From $132 - ProPilot From $134 - Saudia From $144 - Air Arabia Egypt From $147 - EgyptAir From $147 - Hahn Air From $165 - Royal Jordanian From $181 - Can you tell me when the cheapest flight tickets are from Cairo (CAI) to Riyadh (RUH)? According to the airline, the price of a flight from Cairo to Riyadh will vary based on the date and time you book your flight. As a result of analyzing data from all major airlines on Trip.com, you will be able to find the best flight prices for Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays based on the data analyzed. - Do you know how much a flight from Cairo to Riyadh costs? The cheapest deal that Trip.com found for flights from Cairo to Riyadh was $346, according to the website's data. - What is the average flight time from Cairo to Riyadh? To get from Cairo (CAI) to Riyadh (RUH) it takes approximately two hours and twenty-six minutes by plane. - From the main airport in Riyadh, how can one get to downtown Riyadh by way of transportation? - From King Khalid International Airport, the distance to downtown is approximately 27km, and it takes about 40 minutes by taxi to get there. - What is the earliest flight time from Cairo to Riyadh? When is the earliest flight from Cairo to Riyadh? As of 7:20 a.m., the earliest flight from Cairo (CAI) to Riyadh (RUH) is scheduled to arrive at 11:05 a.m. - What is the latest departure time for the Cairo to Riyadh flight? The latest flight departs from Cairo (CAI) at 21:50 and arrives in Riyadh (RUH) at 00:35 on the following day. - Which airlines fly from Cairo (CAI) to Riyadh (RUH) and what are their most popular routes to and from Riyadh? Flights from Cairo (CAI) to Riyadh (RUH) are operated by the following airlines: EgyptAir, Flynas, Saudia, Nile Air, Air Arabia Egypt, and Nesma Airlines. - Can you tell me which airline currently offers the most direct flights from Cairo (CAI) to Riyadh (RUH)? The Egyptian airline EgyptAir operates two direct flights between Cairo (CAI) and Riyadh (RUH) on a daily basis. - Riyadh (RUH) is a city with a large number of airports. How many are there? In Riyadh (RUH), there are 2 airports (s) within the city: King Khalid International Airport and Riyadh SAPTCO Olaya Bus Station.

Information about Cairo to Riyadh flights

Return tickets for $149 are the cheapest on the market One of the cheapest direct flights is priced at $111 each way January, the most affordable month is During the peak travel season in July, there is a lot of activity

Do you think Riyadh is a good place to live? The laws and punishments are in place to deter crime and ensure that ex-pats feel safe living in Riyadh. The security measures around compounds further ensure the safety of its inhabitants and give them peace of mind. In your opinion, what is the most famous thing about Riyadh? The most famous thing about Riyadh is probably its towering skyline, which is dotted with some of the tallest buildings in the world. The skyline is a testament to the city's rapid growth and development as it has become a major hub for business, finance, and culture in the region. As a result of its numerous cultural centers, Riyadh is often referred to as the cultural capital of Saudi Arabia. It consists of a number of museums and libraries, including the King Abd al-Azīz Historical Centre, the National Museum, and the National Library. These institutions provide access to cultural relics, artifacts, and books that provide insight into the history, culture, and traditions of Saudi Arabia and the region. They also host art exhibitions, concerts, and other events throughout the year. Read the full article

#FindcheapairlinesflightsfromCairotoRiyadh #PassengerInterestNewsletterLodge.TravelAccessoriesThatWillMakeYourTripEasier.#pinlodge

0 notes

tinytourist · 4 years

Text

Plan B4 you Party

Porter and Evan stayed for the week and worked out of the Auckland office so they could maximize their time up North. Al, Evan’s partner, joined us on Wednesday night. Our plan was to take Friday off, hike the Pinnacles, stay in the hut, and see the sunrise on Saturday morning from the top. On Thursday morning on my way to work, I got a text from the Department of Conservation stating that the weather was so nice that weekend, that they were closing the entire Coromandel Forest to perform aerial spray for pests. Plans: cancelled.

When we got to work we had to scramble to piece together last minute plans and find new accomodation for the weekend. I put in a request to for a dope Airbnb in Pauanui from Thurs-Sun and then had to leave for a site visit at the tallest residential building in Auckland. I spent most of the site visit in the stair core with very poor reception. I was lucky to have service when I got a message from the hosts asking why I was making such a last minute booking. I told them the Pinnacles sob story and they accepted my request! Things were looking up.

We got dinner in Ponsonby, grabbed some groceries at Countdown, and then hit the road. When we arrived in the Coromandel, Evan made us some quality G&Ts and then we played a few rounds of spicy uno before crashing.

In the morning we made brekkie and ate it out on the deck. We were all very impressed with the cute fish-themed dishware and fancy bread holder. Our first destination of the trip was Hot Water Beach, where mineral water that is deep in the ground is naturally heated and bubbles up through the sand. You can only experience these natural hot pools 2 hours before or after low tide.

We arrived towards the end of the window to see lots of abandoned pre-dug pools, so we were able to shop around before settling in. It was quite a weird experience and pretty hard to get comfortable as the pool water was generally too cold or boiling hot. We had to be careful not to burn ourselves! I’d still recommend going to witness the phenomenon, but if you want to comfortably relax in some warm water, go to an established hot pool or spa.

Next up was the famous Cathedral Cove. We drove up to the top to find that they had closed off all the parking, and we would need to park 10 minutes away and wait for a bus to shuttle us there. We didn’t have enough time for that, and Greg and I had already been to the Cove, so we dropped Evan, Al, and Porter off so they could experience it. In the meantime, Greg and I took a little walk through Te Pare Reserve where we got 360 degree views of Hahei beach. I was not dissaponted.

After scooping the gang from the Cove, we rushed to the SuperValue in Pauanui to get supplies for dinner. All I can say is that the store name is quite misleading; however, it did allow us to cook up a delicious Mexican spread. We had tortillas, creamy queso, guac, slaw, kumara, portobellos, chicken, and more. There was nothing else I could’ve wanted with that meal. We ended the night with a few rounds of Quiplash and a little Trivia Murder Party.

In the morning we had another nice brekkie out on the deck before heading out to Whangamata where we hired kayaks out the back of a small corner shop. The kayaks were half the price of all the other shops and the only catch is that you have drag them out to the estuary. From there we kayaked out to Whenuakura, or Donut Island, which is a wildlife sanctuary island just off the coast of Whangamata. It’s called donut island because it has a small cove you can kayak through to get to the center.

The center is composed of a small beach and a rocky coast. We explored for a while before heading back out on the water and seeing the other side of the island. On the route back we caught some waves with the yaks and had a great time doing it. Before we left Whangamata we had to take everyone to our favorite playground. Porter really enjoyed his time in the round swing.

We hit the grocery store on our way back to build up our supplies. Greg started a pasta sauce at the house before we wandered to the beach in Pauanui where we slung the frisbee and some of us took dips in the ocean. We made sure to snap a few pics during golden hour and capture our best plan b4 you party poses.

Once we built up a proper appetite, we walked back to the house and cooked the pasta to go with Greg’s veggie tomato sauce. It was another good night of quality home-cooked food. The meal was so good in-fact, that I got urged into betting that I could eat a whole 500 g bag of pasta. I stand by that bet. I’m sure there will be updates on this in the future.

After we cleaned up and had a few bevvies, we went back to the beach to watch the stars. This time we came prepared with blankets, sweaters, and a blow-up couch. We were able to see some galaxies, a few planets, and several shooting stars. It was so relaxing that a few of us fell asleep for a bit.

The next morning we made our last brekkie together composed of all the leftovers from the weekend before rushing out to the beach. I have always been a little afraid of waves so Al took me out and tried to coach me through dealing with them. This was the perfect learning beach as the waves weren’t too aggressive and you could walk deep into the ocean and still stand. Next, Greg taught me how to boogie board and I got to catch a few waves! It was awesome. I can’t wait to try it again.

Before we knew it we were headed to the airport to drop off our American pals. It would’ve been harder to say goodbye if we weren’t all meeting up in Wellington a few weeks later.

#new zealand #coromandel #hot water beach #cathedral cove #pauanui

3 notes · View notes

bangtanscenariosblog · 5 years

Text

Masterlist (March 11th 2019)

Request me all the scenarios you want! :) ♥

Scenarios:

Fireworks - Rap Monster fluff.

I will color your sky - J-hope angst.

Let me love you - J-hope angst-fluffy-philosophical

Lose control - Jimin smut.

Love you to death - Jungkook fluff

Rewind - SUGA angst and philosophical.

Speak it up - Rap Monster angst and fluff

Stuck in his hurricane - Jimin hot and fluff.

This is what I wanted to tell you - V fluff.

You’re a work of art - Rap Monster angst and fluff.

You only love once - Jungkook fluff

Sequel scenarios:

Jin fluffy one: Follow me.

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

Jin historical-cultural-angst-fluff: Only one - Only one (sequel)

J-Hope and Jimin angst and fluff: Foolish Feelings. Part 1 - Part 2 coming soon

Requested scenarios:

A smile like his father’s - J-Hope angst- fluff

Braid your hair - V fluff

Can you smile - V angst and philosophical with Jimin as a second character.

Can you smile (alternative version) - V angst-philosophical-fluff (still with Jimin.)

Childish fights - Jungkook fluff

Did you know I meant it? - J-hope angt-fluff

Don’t change - Jimin angst-fluff-philosophical

Fake lies - Jin angst-super fluff-a bit philosophical

First - V fluffy smut

How much did you miss me? - SUGA fluff

I’ll be standing by your side - SUGA angst

I’ll protect you - Jimin angst

Imperfect life - Jin angst- super fluff

Insane driver - Jimin fluffi

Insecurities - SUGA angst- fluff

Jealousy consumes you - Jungkook angst-philosophical-fluff

Just once - SUGA fluff

Kid’s like love - V fluff

Light; take me away - V fluff- angst- philosophical

Morning kiss - V fluff

Mute - V smut

Not that lovable - SUGA angst - fluff - philosophical

Our passionate weakness - V fluff - angt -philosophical

Photographs - V angst-fluff

Rainy day - V fluff

Recall - Jin angst and fluffy in the end

Rude - Jimin angst- smut

Someday seems impossible - Jungkook fluff

Warm hugs - Jimin angst-fluff

Warm whispers - SUGA fluff-angst-philosophical-smut

You’re beautiful - V philosophical-angst-fluff

Song Requested scenarios:

How you got the girl - V angst (based on How you get the girl by Taylor Swift).

Slave to our hormones - V fluff (based on War Of Hormones by BTS).

So close yet so far - Jungkook angst- fluff (based on the For You mv by BTS).

Special scenarios:

I mean the opposite (Jimin’s 21st birthday)

Not ready yet (Jungkook’s 19th birthday)

New love (Rap Monster’s 22nd birthday)

Pray for humanity

Spiritualism (Halloween scenario)

Christmas Day (For Christmas)

Imatexts and quotes

Basically for the imatexts I have made, since they are pictures posts, you gotta “search on the blog”. Just search “imatexts” or “imatext” and if you scroll down, you’ll find all of them!

Their type of…

Kisses

Hugs

Reactions

Dating a gender fluid (without gifs)

Hurt during sex (NSFW)

You don’t want to marry them

You being feminine

You being ill

You’re a drummer and can do V’s voice

You’re more attractive than before

You’re drunk and cry at a party

Someone’s flirting with you

You being scared after seeing a scary movie

You don’t want him to meet your parents

You being dominant (NSFW)

Your hair being fluffy

Starting a dance battle between the members for you to judge

You sleeping with a plushie

You being embarrassed after two members had some skinship

You sneaking into their dorm

You both being horny (NSFW)

You being insecure about your weight

You doing too much sports

You cooking with their moms

A stranger kissing you

You accidentally facing their intimate part

You trying some clothes on in the fitting rooms

You singing for the first time

BTS asking you out to prom

Staying late at school (written)

You dodging their kisses

You having an origami collection

Other requests

Rap Monster’s type of girl

Which BTS member would date a black girl

Which BTS member would date a non-asian girl

Which BTS member would date a 00 or 01 liner

Which BTS member would date a 98 liner

Which BTS member would date a 97 liner

How would Jungkook date a short and loud girl

Here, you can find every single daily preference I have made from now on. I upload a preference everyday and I also take requests for them. If you wanna request me one, please tell me the member you’d like and the plot.

Here they are, enjoy reading!~♥

#1 Falling asleep in front of a movie

#2 Napping after work

#3 Playfully making your bed

#4 Ice cream date

#5 Woke up by a kiss

#6 Jealous Jin

#7 Babysitting help

#8 Midnight snacks

#9 Hot hugs

#10 Brain Dots

#11 After school surprise

# Cheering you up

#12 Periods cramps

#13 Stare game

#14 Hot chocolate kiss

#15 Jealous of your male best friend

#16 Scared of storms

#17 Scared of spiders

#18 Kiss cam

#19 Playing video games

#20 Horror movie

#21 Unexpected kiss

#22 Ordering pizze

#23 Study support

#24 Lunch date

#25 Introducing you to his friends

#26 Nail polish kisses

#27 Cinema date

#28 Chocolate bar

#29 Studying kisses

#30 Bowling date

#31 Vacation ride

#32 Cuddling day off

#33 Push ups

#34 Forbidden diet

#35 Changed homescreen

#36 Nap on his knees

#37 Waiting room

#38 Taking the underground

#39 Home after a tiring day

#40 Accidental skype confession

#41 Bless you

#42 After-shower routine

#43 Water bottle

#44 New hair cut

#45 Waking up on a Sunday morning

#46 Just dance

#47 Surprise visit after your shower

#48 Late night Skype

#49 Receiving your scholar books

#50 Changing contact name

#51 Going back home at night

#52 Music festival date

#53 Kisses; stress reliever

#54 Spending your birthday (and Jungkook’s birthday together) (Requested)

#55 Protecting you from the rain

#56 He randomly knows your name at school

#57 Exchanging glances in class

#58 Parrot

#59 Note into your locker

#60 No longer your seatmate

#61 Taking the bus after a long day

#62 Missing him to sleep

#63 Snapbacks

#64 Struggling to stay awake

#65 Basketball game with your boyfriend

#66 Falling asleep on a rainy night with your boyfriend

#67 Feeling low because of your look

#68 Staying up late to study

#69 Being cold so he warms you up

#70 Too lazy to get up to go to work so he gently wakes you up

#71 Missed the bus

#72 Having a good time with your boyfriend while watching a basketball match

#73 Shy bathing time

#74 Playfihting because of your wet hands

#75 Learning to us chopsticks

#76 Ill

#77 Restaurant date

#78 Running motivation

#79 Carry you to bed

#80 Finishing your homework earlier

#81 Can’t find your glasses

#82 Schoolmate staring at you

#83 Attempt to make you smile

#84 Sporty date

#85 “Perfect date”

#86 Studying pause

#87 Bike riding

#88 Legs tickling

#89 Airport meeting (Requested)

#90 “I don’t need make up” (Requested)

#91 Come over on a Saturday night (Requested)

#92 Bubble gums

#93 Lazy day in bed (Requested)

#94 Dancing with Namjoon

#95 Your best friend helping you to go through your heart break

#96 Surprise picking up (Requested)

#97 Late phone call and silly conversations

#98 Cheerful text

#99 Pregnant announce (Requested)

#100 Wedding propose (Requested)

#101 Cheating rumors (Requested)

#102 Taking a pic of you but you feel insecure

#103 Tying up his ties

#104 Jealous and protective when you leave the house

#105 Cold

#106 Mental breakdown

#107 Twisted ankle

#108 Cute when…

#109 Men in the street

#110 Drunk in love

#111 Jealous crush

#112 Emperor

#113 First date

#114 Craving for kisses

#115 Cheesy halloween

#116 Comforting boyfriend

#117 Drunk with stranger

#118 Break up

#119 We could (based on Do I wanna know by Arctic Monkeys).

#120 Master (NSFW).

#121 Shattered

#122 Just a lifetime

#123 Ditch class

#124 Confidence

#125 Meet again

#126 Pretty hot though

#127 Even more tomorrow

#128 What would you do?

#129 You like me, don’t you?

#130 Possessivity

#131 Your most prescious dream

#132 Be your last

#133 Not born to fight

#134 Feel the same

#135 Close enough

#136 Unexpected kiss

#137 Stress relieving session

#138 Run

#139 “You’re the one that’s annoying!”

#140 “I will think about it.”

#141 Cheater

#142 “I am not sick!”

#143 Uninspired

#144 Bakeries

#145 Christmas ice skating

#146 Sky is the limit

#147 Protective brother

#148 Torture

#149 Psychotic boyfriend

#150 Supportive father

#151 Routine

#152 Garlands

#153 Holidays

#154 Art teacher

#155 Revelation

#156 Awkward firt kiss

#157 Shamefuly attracted

#158 Hard to concentrate

#159 Serious when it comes to you

#160 Have a nice day

#161 Still can’t get enough

#162 Steamy atmosphere

#163 Plushie gift

#164 How much do you love me?

#165 Sexy teasing

#166 You so love hate him

#167 I don’t care what you think about your beauty

#168 Not as a friend anymore

#169 seems like I forgot this one, oops! Sorry x

#170 Couple silliness

#171 Surprise meeting

#172 Art project

#173 Play fighting

#174 Scared of love

#175 The little surprise

#176 Meeting family

#177 Love is a cycle…

#178 Garden of Eden

#179 Massage session

#180 Cart race

#181 Touch our dreams

#182 What’s your wish?

#bts #BTS request #bts scenarios #bts imagine #BTS drabbles #bts oneshot #bts fanfiction #bts reactions #bts preferences #bts master lists #bts masterpost #BTS Blog #bts writing

486 notes · View notes

rayj-drash · 4 years

Text

Berlin Sketches pt 1

by T. Frank

My grandmother cannot fathom entering Germany. She was a child of the Great Depression and lived through the war safely from the Catskill Mountains of New York while her husband fixed radios on home turf. However, Germany represents a taboo in history for my grandparents as Jews. They would no sooner visit the Brandenberg Gate than they would try scuba diving without an oxygen tank.

I constantly reflect on the trusted feeling of Home since I lived in Berlin for six weeks in fall of 2018. Previously, the longest trip I took was a ten-day tour of Israel through the organization Birthright: from the peak of a mountain overlooking three desert countries, to the crowded rush of the Jerusalem shuk, and my aversion to a display of American-Israeli nationalism on a military campus. The scenes and feelings form a whirlwind of hazy memories, much like any experience on new land.

A few days after I arrived back in the Bay Area, I sat in Strawberry Creek Park watching the sun go down and the light blue sky grow faint as night approached, seeking those moments of "awe" that came so suddenly in Berlin. This bright green park reminded me of the open recreational space I loved over there, even though the grass was literally greener on this side of the pond! I distinctly remember the moment when I scarcely had to look up at the street signs and felt like whichever path I took, I would find my way. Nevertheless, five months ago, I had sent in an application for an unusual art residency, an immersion into the study of grief. I reflected on those periods of my life that had led to some of my deepest creations. Drawings of cancer cells and lungs, struggles to breathe and heal in the midst of choking emotion, flowers and vines winding through the dark themes. I yearned to express my observations of the world through whatever moved me, again.

~~~~~

The journey to Berlin was a three-legged trip with two layovers, leaving Friday evening and arriving at 10:00PM on Saturday. A huge, crowded economy flight, cheap and minimal. I tried to rest as the crew turned off all lights on board. No sooner did I close my eyes than it seemed like the sun was creeping over the horizon, and we touched down to a windy, barren tarmac. It was 9:00AM, as all the passengers disembarked in Reykjavik, Iceland, we felt the chill burrowing through our thin layers and shivered.

On the second leg, as the plane glided to the lowlands, I appreciated the bucolic farmland. I was alone in the Copenhagen airport. The crowds in Reykjavik were more diverse, like a burgeoning metropolis. By contrast, everyone arriving in this Danish terminal looked alike: tall, blond, and, permit me, Aryan. They traveled in clusters of family groups, chatting, gesturing, smiling. I dragged my suitcase past designer boutiques to a desolate, unfinished terminal, where passengers awaited their flights without customary notice; but learned to say, Takk, Danish for "Thank you". When I finally reached Germany, I connected to the U-bahn, the underground subway. The ride was over an hour long, and I gazed at the subterranean signage, lost once more. Until I arrived at Rathaus Neukölln, and my new roommate Shimon met me outside in the rain.

The next day, I left the mattress that our hostess Amelia had set up on the floor, staggering about with jet lag. Luckily there's oatmeal, my favorite companion. Shimon and his friend Devorah from Tel Aviv are home. We discuss the neighborhood. ‘What if I get terribly lost, not only physically, but mentally, too?’ I thought. ‘Is this a dream? Why am I so far from anyplace I know?’ Devorah suggested a walk to the canal, with a Sunday flea market. Late afternoon, I ventured outdoors and discovered a slice of paradise.

At the end of the block, a large mosaic mural adorned a staircase which I took to have the impression of a rooftop. A large concrete lot surrounded a beautiful community garden. Raised flower beds were home to a bounty of colorful flowers, tall green vegetables grew under the sunshine and painted poles flanked handmade structures. I spotted a concrete ping-pong table, and mustered up the courage to join two men playing. One of them wore a baseball cap with "Cal" emblazoned in blue and yellow; by chance, he attended law school at UC Berkeley, and lived several blocks away from me! After a few rounds of ping-pong, the Germans drank beer and suggested that I check out a nearby landmark before sunset.

Cheered, I walked along and found an "I Love SF" sweatshirt at a pop-up flea market. More surprises awaited. I heard music, and pushed aside brambles to emerge in Hasenheide Park, where a large circle of guitarists and drummers jammed for casual onlookers. I saw an ornate mosque with blue and gold trim, a wide courtyard, and an outdoor faucet for washing hands or drinking cool, crisp water. Next door was Tempelhof Field. A former airport utilized during World War Two to fly-in supplies from the West, the unused tarmac was reinvented as an open recreational wonderland. I entered the gates and was met with flocks of activity: bicyclists, joggers, even a pair doing synchronized roller-skating. Dry, dull grass covered the fields, but a victory garden shined under the setting sun, and the barista of an on-site cafe recommended finding a good perch.

I joined two boys from Afghanistan, Hasan and Muhamed, watching the sky from tall ladder-seats. Muhamed and I grinned, struggling to hold a conversation between the lack of a common language. Google helped, but broken English got us farther. "Do you know there are still American police in my country?,” he exclaimed. My conscience bristling, I say that most people do not speak of the Afghan-American war anymore. The sun set in deep purple and vivid pink hues. Hasan saw my eyes light up at the sight of his bicycle, and offered me a ride--so, I sat sideways on the frame, clutching his black leather jacket, and answering "Ya" when asked, "Alles Gut?"until I grimaced from discomfort and Hasan laughed--"Kaput!" The two friends saw me off at a bus stop, and I stumbled on board as the passengers stared.

~~~~~

The following Monday, I walked twenty minutes from the apartment to arrive in front of a white-painted gallery, and no one around. Feeling nervous that the entire program was a hoax (just like my parents thought when they read the acceptance letter from the dubious-sounding organization), I noticed a middle-aged man at a computer in the corner. I knocked on the window, and he let me inside. Here was a room devoid of decoration, save for a long rectangular table and six chairs, three of which were filled by women. Soon, another man entered the room and offered tea, introducing himself as our "mentor". We never referred to him by any name other than his own, even when I suggested “Alek”. He's over six feet tall, shaved head, and wore all black from his long-sleeved turtleneck to his sturdy dress shoes.

The participants introduced themselves. Sarah researched environmental grief, such as the devastation left behind from man-made disasters. Gwen studied grief theories in graduate school. Jasmine hoped to connect to refugees of war. And Sara--no error, there are two--prepared to make an installation honoring a departed friend. Linda would join us the following afternoon and plunge into an exploration of feeling othered through found objects. After we went over studio policies, we shared a bit on why we study grief, bringing several girls to tears. It felt like a group therapy session--and it wouldn't be the last.

~~~~~

Dear Talya, Gone to synagogue. It's a short walk from the canal. I forget the street name-'Pflug'-something. Come join me for Yom Kippur services. Love, Devorah. Without consulting a map, I asked for directions from three different shopkeepers to find the synagogue. Luckily, they understood English and didn’t express unsavory reactions to my Jewish-ness. Once I found the path parallel to the Canal, the temple came into view: a large building curving around a tranquil block, with stained glass windows and a grand façade. Security officers were stationed outside, and I was screened before entering. "Are you Jewish?" they ask.. "Yes." Unmoved, they question, "Do you pray?"

In August, I went to Washington, DC for my cousin’s wedding. Her family and friends are modern orthodox, or, religious. The day before the wedding, we were in shul for Shabbat services. During the long morning prayers, I read the English version of the Torah portion. The text alluded to the treatment of rape by virtue of marriage or the punishment of execution. By coincidence, this was the same chapter I studied for my Bat Mitzvah twelve years ago, but I must have been too young to grasp such explicit content. I left the room and spent the rest of services out in the hallway, tending to the potted plants as a distraction.

Did I pray? Not willfully on that day in the synagogue. Internally, yes, throughout my life: the inner dialogue between my spirit and the spirit of a G-d. But in practice, only with family over Shabbat blessings. So I answered, "No. But my Israeli friend is in there, can I go in?"

Yom Kippur services were surprisingly welcoming in Germany. Although the congregation was divided amongst the men and women, the dress code was more relaxed (jeans, white t-shirts), and several of the men held babies on their shoulders as the rabbi sang in Hebrew. I found Devorah and stood beside her. I recognized the somber prayer, "Avinu Malkeinu", and it felt no different than my family's congregation. The prayer books here were German on one side, and Hebrew on the other.

After the ceremony, we passed by plenty of people enjoying the balmy weather at dusk. Devorah was reminded of holidays in her country, riding her bike freely while everyone took time off to relax. Shimon met us to break the fast with noodle phơ. I was lucky to connect with "my people", thousands of miles away from home. As a child, I remember feeling like my relatives’ religious differences divided us. However, my cultural upbringing is something I've retained and appreciate. Joining Israelis in Germany for Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, was akin to sharing a secret amongst friends.

~~~~~

As the weeks went by, I developed a habit of visiting the community garden, mornings before heading to the studio and nights on my way home. One weekend, I felt antsy as I read a book called The Truth Will Set You Free by Alice Miller. There was a campfire at the garden as they observed summer changing to chilly Autumn. I surveyed the party scene before resting into a corner of a homemade wooden bench under the dim glow from industrial lights around the lot. Although the setting was not condusive to reading, I was shy to join the group. But, when I repositioned myself next to the fire, it was apparent that these young, hip, multinational guests preferred to speak in English. Rosa asked what I’m doing in Berlin. When I told her I’m studying grief, her voice got excited and she invited her friends into the conversation.

Annika was vivacious and full of life. I noticed her wisps of fuzzy blonde hair, bright in the glow of the fire. She was working on a memoir, and was also the subject of a photoshoot documenting her journey with cancer. As she spoke, I folded a paper crane and gave it to her, provoking a sense of delight. My idea for the residency then was to make a handmade book for participants to share their experiences of grief, and to make origami together. Annika agreed to be interviewed the following week.

~~~~~

I took the S-bahn, the above-ground trolley, several miles northwest where the buildings are close to the city center. Annika told her story: how, at age 26, she discovered the cancer in her breast and rushed into several months of intensive treatment including antibody therapy, anti-hormone medicine, and chemotherapy. She ultimately received a double mastectomy and chose breast implants. For a month after surgery, Annika couldn't lift her arms over her head. It was painful, but her energy was focused on how to function normally again. Now, she was in recovery, undergoing radiation and daily physical therapy. She wholeheartedly embraced her body, and I felt a mixture of awe and love for her resilience and positive attitude.

I encouraged Annika to leave her mark in a communal scrapbook of stories. She drew a breast in pastel colors with words circling the nipple, such as "soft"-, "round"-, "hope"-, and "loss".- After I left the apartment, I boarded the train and closed my eyes. In the dark, I envisioned a bare, cream-colored orb, shiny and wet, like a peeled lychee fruit. Perhaps, I reasoned, this represented Annika's true self.

Back in the studio, I was at a loss to contribute during our group discussion. I almost broke down, overcome with emotions that arose from the interview. So I took a break from the sterile white walls, and sat under the chestnut tree in the courtyard. I picked up a spiny shell, cracked it open to reveal a creamy-brown belly. I wrote a meditation on the seed of the tree. I reflected on impermanence, on patience, on Annika taking her time to heal yet reveling in every healthy moment. I like taking my time.

"Hey Aleksander," I remarked in the midst of studio time, "Since the interview with Annika, I’ve been feeling down.” My mentor was sitting at a desk, drinking tea and writing in one of his many small notebooks. "Do you feel your own grief surface?," he replied. "No, more like I put myself in her shoes, and feel compassion." He advised, "Keep a journal--one just for yourself, your thoughts and daily experiences. And one for your work in the residency; write down everything you're thinking. It'll help, trust me."

----- Talia Frank lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She contributes to the Donut Club, an East Bay writer’s group. Visiting Berlin in 2018 inspired a love of community gardens and allowed her to re-examine Judiasm within a global context.

Reach the author: [email protected]

Visual art: www.cargocollective.com/taliafrank

Blog: https://wanderlustblumen.wordpress.com

3 notes · View notes

aurealisborealis-blog · 4 years

Text

DAY XIV

It’s been two weeks since I left NYC for Cartagena, and the pandemic hit the United States like nothing I have ever experienced in my lifetime. We enjoyed the first few days in Cartagena, albeit COVID-19 occupied most of our conversations. I hadn’t had a panic attack since New Year’s in Miami 2019, and it hit me like a bus. I managed that one really well though and have found my mind control to be much stronger.

As curfew was put in place, bars and clubs were temporarily closing, reality started to sink in. Then, when the Colombian Prime Minister announced that “all borders will be closed effective midnight for 60 days” (which was in a couple hours) complete pandemonium within our friend group ensued. We were frantically trying to book flights back to the United States, as to not be stuck in a foreign country until May 30th. Nicolette and Shiloh ended up going to the airport to check on this, and we had slightly exaggerated as it was “physical borders only” - but still really good that we were getting out of there ASAP as flights were being cancelled left and right.

We decided on Fort Lauderdale and spent a couple days there. It was nice - all I knew was that I wanted to be around this group. Jack is incredibly smart, Pat and Ben are the most tolerable guys that I know. There was a river behind the house, and Ben and I had fun exploring and kayaking.

I’m not sure exactly when I started to think about Ben differently, I think it was around the second day in Cartagena. I remember this vaguely because I remember trying to look pretty for him, trying to dress pretty for him. It’s strange, it’s a different feeling I’ve had before, because I was completely fine with exactly how we acted and how we’ve always been - friendly. I’ve never been attracted to this man in my life and always just loved him as a friend. I was really confused about that energy changing and not sure why. I will assume it’s because we have spent an inordinately long period of time together and I never grow tired of him, I just want to be around him more. Not in a loving way, his energy just really complements mine. I started to have dreams and thoughts about it quite a bit.

We left for Palm Coast on Saturday and we have been here since. It was his 34th birthday on Saturday. We had a nice dinner and celebrated all together. Our group was Jack, Andrea Ben,Pat,Lauren,German,Shiloh,Aaron,Paige,and I. Most importantly, Daisy - Lauren’s pug, who is the best thing to happen to this quarantine house! She lifts spirits and is just the cutest dog ever. The past couple nights, ben pat and I just get really high and have a ton of fun together just laughing. Was really happy when Andrea left because Jack was so much cooler and more himself when she did. She was a girl he met in Vegas once and it was her time to leave, she didn’t really fit in well with the group.

Jack tried shrooms for the first time and this night was epic. It was Jack,Ben,Pat and I just laughing and saying stupid shit. Nights like this are my absolute favorite. I was their drug shaman, guiding them through their trip, making them laugh and easing their stress through energy exercises and good music! Jack was like “You guys, Nat’s the best” Ben: “Nat is the fucking best. You are so similar to me it’s’ crazy” Yeah. He makes comments like that quite a bit but it’s just in a friendly way. Either way, don’t really mind, it’s sweet. At this point I do wonder if he thinks about it at all, or if the thought has crossed his mind now that we’re with each other all the time and it’s pretty obvious that we have so much in common, as well as our general direction and goals in life, including our family backgrounds (Christian). Last night I made pasta for everyone, and Lauren goes “you are wife material” and Ben says “Yeah wife material!!!” and she says “You guys would make the most beautiful babies” and we look at each other and he says “You ready Nat??”

We’ve been growing closer and more comfortable with one and other, and I still don’t really know if he’s even attracted to me, but I don’t really mind for now. I just really love him as a person so I’m letting go of all of it and kind of going with the flow, seeing how things will go. No matter what, this experience will change all of us forever and has brought us so close. All I know for sure is that we both value each other’s opinions a lot, he listens to me - I listen to him. He notices the things I do around the house. My energy lifts when he’s around. I wonder if it’s the same with him? He’s softer in a sweet way, and thoughtful about things. Perhaps he has always been like this and I never saw before.

I’ve been doing a daily routine for the past 3 days of running on the beach. It’s really helping me, I feel better all around. Staying as healthy as I can and having a sense of purpose has kept me going. All my job applications have been cancelled/frozen - was so close to being hired again at L’Oreal..trusting that God has a plan.

1 note · View note

kawuli · 5 years

Text

contemplatingchicken mentioned you on a post “Ask me my “TOP 5/TOP 10” anything!”

@kawuli : TOP FIVE GRAINS, TOP FIVE SLIGHTLY UNUSUAL BOOKS, TOP FIVE DESSERTS, TOP FIVE BIZARRE TRAVEL STORIES

5 travel stories that aren’t necessarily bizarre but are memorable:

[ETA: this is basically just “Why Not To Fly Through O’Hare In Winter” as it turns out]

1. I was 3 hours late to my Peace Corps orientation because I was flying through Chicago O’Hare in February (really, that’s all you need to know), and it was “too cold for the de-icing machines to work”

quick question: what the fuck? It was around 0F (idk -20C? i’m better at the hot end conversions) which is cold but not abnormally so for Chicago in winter and you only need de-icing machines when it’s cold so ?????

2. I was ONE ENTIRE DAY late to start my PhD because I was flying out of Chicago O’Hare (just...don’t fly out of O’Hare, it’s--okay no, Washington-Dulles is the worst airport, O’Hare is second)...

Anyway, my flight was CANCELED because a bird flew into the engine and broke enough stuff that they couldn’t get it fixed.

Don’t fly with me when I’m starting new things, apparently.

3. The most surreal culture-shock-y trip I’ve had was when my grandfather died: my mom called me in my ~500-person mountain village on a Wednesday, I took a 6h bus ride to Quito on Thursday, flew Quito->Miami->O’Hare on Friday, then drove to Kansas with my parents on Saturday. I ordered breakfast in Miami in Spanish because at least half of everyone around me was speaking Spanish so I hadn’t switched languages yet. I didn’t realize why the cashier gave me a slightly confused look until later (I am Extremely White). And then it was my mom’s giant loud family and lots of questions and at some point I was like “I...am leaving now” and went for a very long walk in very flat wheatfields.

SAME TRIP, when I flew out of O’Hare it was snowing, (it was the end of November) so my plane was 1.5 hrs late, so I had to spend the night in Houston, and even in 2008, trying to make a long-distance phone call without a cell phone was a nightmare, I couldn’t call my parents to tell them what was up until I got to the hotel and bought a phone card.

Don’t fly out of O’Hare in winter.

4. I was home for Christmas 2013 and got caught up in the January 2014 Polar Vortex Snopocalypse. The day I was supposed to fly out, there was an emergency “DO NOT DRIVE” order on all the roads from my parents’ house to Chicago. O’Hare had been closed for 24h the day before, but now it was open, so I had to pay to rebook my flight (still annoyed by this). The airline was like “well, we can get you from Washington to Bamako in 2 days but we can’t get you out of O’Hare for at least a week” because O’Hare had been closed for 24 hours and everything was a giant clusterfuck.

I ended up flying out of Detroit, which I would do more often because my parents’ place is equidistant between Chicago and Detroit, except that there is literally no way to get to the Detroit airport other than “someone driving there and back” and it’s a 3 hour drive. There’s busses and a train to Chicago.

That time it was so cold that salt wouldn’t work on the roads and everything was super icy so it was a FOUR hour drive to Detroit, which was experiencing residual clusterfuck from O’Hare, but it was fine, because Detroit airport is fucking amazing comparatively.

No really, don’t fly through O’Hare in winter.

5. Ethiopian Airlines LOST MY BAG on a DIRECT FLIGHT from Addis Ababa to Bamako -- the flight continued to Dakar and they forgot to offload my suitcase first.

OH AND bonus 6. One time I flew from Bamako to Accra via ....Togo I think?... went through airport security twice on the way there and twice on the way back, and when I got home I realized I’d had my Leatherman with its 3 big knives IN MY CARRYON the entire time and nobody noticed.

Honestly, while African airports are often dingy, crowded and unpleasant, the worst I’ve gotten is “annoying inconvenience.” US airports are superficially “nicer” but actually much more likely to be catastrophically terrible.

And I’m pretty sure Crowley got a very big trophy for the creation of Washington Dulles International Airport because it’s just awful in the banal, annoying, death-by-a-thousand-papercuts way that isn’t even interesting.

#answers #glamorous expat life #this is an ORD hate blog #and an IAD hate blog #detroit can stay #amsterdam is great #everywhere else is meh

8 notes · View notes

lindoig4 · 5 years

Text

The Last Post for this time.

I have just posted lots of photos and a few videos through to the end of our adventure so this will probably be my last post to this blog.

On Friday the 13th (Black Friday), we took a streetcar to the ferry terminal and a ferry to Larkspur, a town across the Bay in Marin County. I love larkspurs (but we didn’t see any there) and I am not sure what other attractions are around the town of Larkspur, but that is where San Quentin prison is - a big forbidding fortress of a place. Pretty horrible really, not at all larkspur-ish, but so was Alcatraz in its day. A good place to avoid, I think!!

It was not much more than filling in a day, but we had a slow lunch in a pub out there and returned to San Fran 2 or 3 ferries later. When we got back to SF, we decided to take the Castro streetcar to the end of the line just for a look and then stay on it until it brought us back to our hotel. We had (good) vague memories of Castro in 1995 and thought a visit might be nice. Alas, our streetcar driver had completed her shift and was returning streetcar vehicle to the depot, so tipped everyone off a few stops early. We decided to just catch the next streetcar back to downtown which she assures us would be along shortly. ‘Shortly’ turned out to be just over 55 minutes with us and a few others standing around the bus-stop in the blazing sun - not at all the sort of thing we expected.

Saturday, we had booked to go on a 9am whale-watching tour and we were up early and out at the Pier 39 meeting place almost an hour early. We wandered around the precinct and watched the sea-lions and birds for a while until it was time for the tour. We saw a few harbour seals and glimpsed some small porpoises, but the anticipated dolphins eluded us. And as soon as we reached the Golden Gate Bridge, the fog rolled in and we were enveloped in it for the rest of the tour. Visibility ranged from about 50 to 150 metres and although those on the bridge reckoned they sighted one (or maybe 3) whales, they quickly got lost in the fog so none of the tourists saw anything. Having said that, I enjoyed it greatly, not for the whale-watching, but as a pelagic birding excursion and added nine more birds to our trip list. I suspect I was the happiest person on board by a mile!

Back at Pier 39, we had fish and chips and a cold drink for lunch, then sat and watched the world go by for an hour or so before catching the trolley back. We broke the journey halfway to visit the Friday market that sets up not far from the ferry terminal but it was generally disappointing - a lot of junk jewellery, some artwork and not a lot else. There was some sort of parade or military drive-through that delayed traffic and the streetcars for quite a while. Not quite sure what it was, but there were lots of military vehicles, historical and more modern, with lots of personnel waving to the crowd and a dozen police bikes having a great time hooning up and back in some sort of escort but whatever the occasion, it remained a mystery to us.

Needless to say, the parade delayed the streetcars so we had another wait of well over half an hour, thankfully in the shade, until we got our ride the rest of the way home.

We went out a bit later to get some food to-go and ate in the room again with a bottle of local fermented grape juice of the cab sav variety.

Then Sunday was our last day in San Francisco! We fly out tonight and it will be a long uncomfortable trip so we decided to go easy on ourselves.

We caught a trolley bus (by far the best form of urban mass transport) out to the beach, just for the ride. It took us out along McAllister, a long road with all those wonderfully quaint colourful Haight-Ashbury houses - just love them - and along the full length of the Golden Gate Park (North America’s largest urban park) to Ocean Beach.

We watched the crows and gulls for a while, then decided to walk up to Cliff House, a bit over a kilometre along the beach. We visited it back in 1995 and didn’t remember a lot about it other than that they had a big Camera Obscura set up just below Cliff House itself - and I do have vague memories of doing that tour then.

Cliff House has featured in a number of movies, usually as a desolate hideaway miles from anywhere, usually with a gale blowing, thunder and lightning, a storm raging and the baddies on the brink of some dastardly deed that will pour treasure at their feet - until the hero turns up, rescues the maiden and captures the evildoers just before their wicked plan succeeds. The truth is somewhat different with at least two upmarket bars and three restaurants. We had a wonderful lunch in the bistro. They even had a version of a Caesar so we both had one of them - each a meal in themselves and pretty healthy at that. We shared half a dozen deep-fried dumplings (gyozas by another name) and the most delicious baked meatballs I have ever enjoyed. The gyozas were also tastier and more substantial than those we have had before. We sat over the meal for an hour or so then strolled back to the trolley bus and thence back to our hotel. It was a really delightful day, warm and sunny, great for a visit to the beach, to enjoy a superb lunch and we loved every minute of it. As they say, somebody has to do it.......

We sat in the foyer of the hotel for an hour, writing and identifying a couple more birds and suddenly, the shuttle was there and we were on our way to the airport. We got through reasonably easily, although Heather lost a few utensils out of our picnic bag because we forgot to move it into our checked baggage before sending it on its way along the great conveyor belt that will hopefully deliver it to Melbourne tomorrow - whatever day that is (Monday here, Tuesday in Melbourne).

We stocked up on the makings for quite a number of homemade Caesars as we went through the Duty Free clip joint and sat in the lounge for an hour and a half until they called our flight. I intended doing a lot of stuff on my PC - but once again, the beast wouldn’t boot when I turned it on. Fortunately, I backed up most stuff a couple of days ago, but it would still be nice to wake it up and strip the hard drive before tying a brick to it and throwing it into the ocean.

One cute thing that happened as we sat there waiting for the very last episode of our Arctic Odyssey to conclude was that we both got emails starting the formal part of our next adventure to the Antarctic in February - what could be more appropriate?

The long flight home was predictably as dreadful as we imagined. I just don’t know how people endure such flights on a regular basis – I am in awe of them! But obviously, we made it through the very long night – we left SF (30 minutes late) in darkness and we arrived in Melbourne (an hour early) shortly before dawn. Our wonderful driver (Nick) who our more wonderful travel agent (Bev) provided as a freebie for us gathered up our bags and delivered us home in style, quick and comfortable after our overnight ordeal. The rest of the day was a bit of a blur, starting the elongated unpacking process, wading through the mountain of mail Nath had collected for us, making a few urgent appointments and planning the schedule for attending to the 30-odd tasks that had accumulated on our to-do list while we were away. After no sleep the night before, we were in bed before 10pm and asleep about 15 seconds later.

Some statistics…… Our trip took us to 6 countries (depending on how we count them) with 9 border crossings, including 13 US States (a quarter of all of them) and all Canadian Provinces except Prince Edward Island. In total, I calculate we travelled close about 80000km.

And perhaps more important (for me) was our bird count. I identified 148 discrete species, but some were seen in more than one country – so my country stats were as follows:

USA 55 Canada 64 Norway 30 Iceland 30 Greenland 20 Denmark 10 (Total 209)

We had previously seen some of these before, either in Australia or our other trips, but of the 148 species we saw this trip, were 78 species we had never seen anywhere before.

So what were the highlights of the trip? Very hard to say, but perhaps some narrative would help me to get a clearer picture in my own head.

It is hard to rank my experiences on this trip, but some of the highlights so far are as follows:

* In the US, the Zephyr train, specifically the romance of the buttes, mesas and arroyos of the Cowboy Country, mainly in Colorado, took me right back into so many hundred Westerns and cowboy books I read when I was just a young buck trying to emulate John Wayne. Then it was the Canyons - truly majestic scenery in the Cascades and particularly the Rockies.

* In Svalbard, the close wildlife encounters with Arctic Foxes, Reindeer and Walruses - and to a lesser extent, the Polar Bears. My favourite birds have been the beautiful white Ivory Gulls and dainty Arctic Terns. I was also delighted with the miniature flora in the tundra.

* Being in the Arctic Circle, right up to 83 degrees, only about 1000-odd clicks from the North Pole, was an experience I only ever dreamed about. Seeing so many dozen glaciers, watching them calve icebergs, and navigating through the resultant ice fields was wonderful. Even more so, being in the pack ice, leaning over the bow and watching our mini-icebreaker crunching through a metre of ice was mind-boggling. But actually standing on and walking on a glacier topped even that - simply thrilling! (Not sure why that was such a big deal, but it was unforgettable for both of us!)

* The Polar Plunge – insane but absolutely an experience of a lifetime.

* Then the extreme challenge of climbing the moraine and finding a fossil for myself was an achievement of which I am quite proud. The fossil is less than spectacular but getting there and back alive was no mean feat.

* In magical Greenland, the splendour of the mountains, cruising up close and personal with the magnificence of the mighty icebergs, the dramatic scenery in stark contrast with Svalbard, the dearth of birds that barely outnumbered the musk ox, were all issues that made us think about so many things in a new way.

* Iceland was simply gorgeous with the waterfall, the geyser and spectacular coastline. I want to go back and explore a lot more widely. Standing with one foot on each of two of the world’s great techtonic plates was another ex\perience of a lifetime.

* Newfoundland was beautiful and Cape Spear a tick to mark the start of our cross-Canada journey.

* Niagara – not something I would do again, but like Uluru, the Pyramids, the Eiffel Tower or the Grand Canyon, an iconic tourist destination that one has to endure if one is passing.

* The birds and other uncommon (for us) wildlife and flora – especially the tiny Arctic trees and other plants.

I could probably replace several of these with other wonderful sights and experiences, but that is at least a sample of the things that will stay in my mind for the rest of my life.

I think that is it for this time but we are already well into the planning for our next trip – already booked and paid – so roll on February and the Antarctic!!!

1 note · View note

glasskaleidoscopes · 5 years

Text

Chapter 10 - Saturday, December 19th, 2009

Carolyn woke up at the sound of violent retching. She got up quickly and went into the hallway to see who was vomiting. She turned and saw Sallie standing in Vera’s doorway in her pajamas, with a severe case of bed head.

“Who’s in there?” Carolyn asked emphatically.

“Vera. She got up about 10 minutes ago and ran to the bathroom. It’s weird, you don’t remember her feeling sick or complaining about anything last night, do you?” Sallie responded.

“No, she didn’t say anything. Weird how it came up all of the sudden. I wonder if she ate something bad?” Carolyn responded.

“Hmm, maybe. Although we ate most of the stuff she ate. But she definitely eats food when it’s borderline-expired, probably as a product of having so many brothers.” Sallie pondered.

“Yeah that is so true. Let me go get Janet.” Carolyn said, then headed downstairs and knocked on Janet’s door. Janet emerged from her bedroom, already dressed for the day, as usual.

“What’s wrong honey?” Janet asked. Carolyn explained what was going on with Vera. “Oh yeah, I think there was something bad on the pizza we ordered last night. Brad, Andrew, and Jaret are all doubled over as well. Poor guys.” Janet explained, then Carolyn heard retching coming from Janet and Brad’s bathroom. Carolyn nodded, then headed back upstairs to check on Sam. Thankfully he was still sleeping and did not seem sick.

Sallie got changed and then her dad picked her up a little later. Carolyn changed, saving the shower for later, as naturally all of the bathrooms were occupied. She then went into the kitchen and grabbed a bowl of cereal. Carolyn then walked into the dining room and was surprised to see Adrian sitting at the dining room table on his phone, sitting with an empty bowl. Adrian looked up and smiled.

“Good morning. Took you long enough to get down here.” He said as he set his phone down.

“What do you mean?” Carolyn said, slightly confused.

“I figured all of the puking would have woken you up earlier.” Adrian explained.

“Oh, yeah I woke up when I heard Vera run to the bathroom. I guess I just didn’t hear what was going on on the boy’s end.”

“Yeah I guess so...lucky. There were sounds I could’ve gone my whole life without hearing again.” Adrian joked. “Anyways, where’s Sallie?”

“Her dad picked her up about 10 minutes ago.”

“Oh, cool. I mean, not actually cool, I like Sallie. She’s fun.” Adrian tried to cover for himself. “I like you better though.”

Carolyn felt her face heating up, “Thanks.” She said bashfully.

“No need to thank me.” Adrian smiled. “Anyways, what are you doing today?”

“Mmm I don’t know. Maybe play some Sims, maybe read some of my book.” Carolyn said nonchalantly.

“Oh I think that we could do better than that.” Adrian smiled, then he said, “Join me in the basement?” Carolyn got a little nervous and felt beads of sweat at what she thought Adrian was implying.

“Uh, I don’t know. I mean, everyone is still here in the house…” Carolyn explained.

“Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t mean any of that. I mean, of course I would love to spend time with you, that way. But no, I meant we could pull out the PlayStation and maybe I could help you get better at Spyro.” Adrian explained.

“Oh great! That sounds like a ton of fun!” Carolyn smiled excitedly.

“Awesome. I’ll meet you downstairs then.” Adrian said. Carolyn watched as Adrian put his bowl away, then turned the wrong way. Carolyn was perplexed, then she realized that he was heading upstairs rather than downstairs. Her stomach flopped in her chest as she thought of why he would go upstairs. She only hoped that he didn’t put a shirt on, but then again he probably should. Carolyn finished her cereal, put her bowl away, then went downstairs. She looked at the couch and thought about where she should sit. She decided to sit at the edge of the couch, where she could stretch her feet out, and also where Adrian could decide how far or close he wanted to sit to her.

About five minutes later, Carolyn heard Adrian coming down the stairs and into the basement. Carolyn turned her head; he had put a shirt on. Adrian got the PlayStation set up and handed Carolyn a controller, then he sat next to her on the couch. Then, Adrian turned to Carolyn and asked, “What kind of music do you like?”

A little caught off guard at the relatively platonic question, Carolyn took a moment to answer the question, then said, “Well, I love the Beatles, but I also really like Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, that kind of thing. I know it’s pretty girly stuff.”

“Well I’m not really into Katy Perry, but the Beatles are awesome.” Adrian explained.

“Really? I mean, how could you not? The Beatles are the best band ever.” Carolyn agreed.

“Yeah they really are. Here, give me a second before we start playing.” Adrian grabbed his phone and connected it to a speaker. Soon afterwards, Dig a Pony started floating through the room.

“Ooh great song.” Carolyn said enthusiastically. Soon enough, they were playing Spyro and Adrian was gently teaching her how to play. They spent the next hour or so playing Spyro, and Carolyn was finally starting to get the hang of it.

“Yes! Finally! Gah, I have never been able to get past that level!” Carolyn cheered at the accomplishment. Adrian laughed along with Carolyn’s cheering. Adrian sat his controller down and then turned towards Carolyn.

“Hey, can I ask you a question?” Adrian abruptly got serious.

“Umm, yeah, sure.” Carolyn said, caught off guard again.

“What happened with your mom?” Adrian asked cautiously.

“Oh, umm.” Carolyn paused, unsure what to say.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up something sensitive. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” Adrian reassured Carolyn, then he grabbed her hand and held it in his.

“Oh, no. It’s okay, I can talk about it.” Carolyn said, then she took a deep breath and continued, “Umm. So I’ll start at the beginning, it’ll be easier that way... Ever since I could remember, my mom would just randomly disappear. I remember riding in the backseat of the car countless times while my dad drove us through the neighborhood trying to find her. Eventually he’d find her, usually barefoot, running through the park or climbing on the ledge of a bridge. He would get her back and then I’d just start counting the days until she would do something else crazy. One time she went to the airport, bought a ticket to Vegas, and maxed 14 credit cards at a casino. Another time I remember her climbing onto the roof and threatening that she would jump.” Carolyn paused and looked at Adrian to see how freaked out he was. He was looking back at Carolyn, with his full attention focused on her, but didn’t look anything but caring.

“When she home she would hole up in her bedroom and stay in bed for days. I remember walking into her bedroom, and I saw her laying in bed completely still. I would try to talk to her, shake her to try and arouse her, but she would just sit there. It didn’t matter what we would do, she just wouldn’t move. It was like my mom had two speeds: either 100% go, or just completely shut down. My dad never knew how to handle it. He spent his whole life trying to make sure she was okay. When he wasn’t at work, he was taking care of her.

“So that left Sam and I to fend for ourselves for the most part. We learned pretty quickly how to handle things on our own. We would walk to the bus stop and go to the grocery store to get food, because there would be nothing in the house. We had to steal cash from my dad’s wallet to get the money to do so. Then, about 2 and a half years ago, my mom left for good.

“I knew something was up when she left because my dad didn’t go after her. After she left, he totally broke down. He would say nothing for weeks on end. He would just go to work, then come home and go straight to his room. And you pretty much know the story from there. I haven’t heard from my mom since she left; I have no idea where she is, no idea how to even contact her, and honestly, I don’t even know if she’s alive.” Carolyn hadn’t even realized the tears that were streaming down her face. She had never told anyone details about her mom.

Adrian bent over and wrapped his arms around Carolyn, pulling her close. She buried her head in Adrian’s chest and sobbed. She felt so safe in his arms. Adrian tucked his head on Carolyn’s shoulder, then he placed his large hand on her back. A few minutes later, Carolyn sniffled and slowly pulled her head up to look up at Adrian. Her eyes were puffy and red. Adrian reached his hand to Carolyn’s face and tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Thank you for telling me. I can’t imagine what you’ve been through, and I am so sorry.” Adrian looked deep into Carolyn’s eyes and Carolyn noticed that Adrian’s eyes were glassy with tears.

“Thank you for listening. I’ve never told anyone any of that. It feels so good to have told someone.” Carolyn meant it, it was like there was a heaviness inside her that had lifted. The Beatles were still playing in the background, but much softer than before. Soon, the song ‘Julia’ came on.

When the chorus started, Adrian started softly singing along, “Julia, Julia, ocean child, calls me/ So I sing a song of love, Julia.” Carolyn smiled and rested her head on Adrian’s shoulder, listening to him sing the song John Lennon wrote for his mother. They spent the next hour or so listening to the Beatles with Carolyn’s head on Adrian’s shoulder, holding hands.

Carolyn heard footsteps coming down the staircase and she basically jumped out of her skin. She pushed Adrian off of her and turned around to see Sam coming down the stairs. Adrian scooted over on the couch and pulled his phone out quickly.

“Hey Sam! How’s it going? Are you still feeling okay?” Carolyn asked quickly.

“It’s good, I feel fine. I was just wondering where you were. Trixie, Brittany, and I were going to play a game of Monopoly and I didn’t know if you wanted to play too.” Sam asked.

“I’m in.” Carolyn quipped.

“Yay! Adrian, do you want to play?” Sam asked.

“Sure, I’ll play.” Adrian said coolly.

“Awesome!” Sam turned and ran upstairs. Carolyn exhaled deeply.

“Oh my god. That was too close. What if that had been your mom or Vera?” Carolyn said, shocked. Ever since last night, she was thinking that maybe this could actually work. Now she remembered why she was so hesitant.

“It wasn’t too bad. You can hear someone coming down the stairs with enough notice.” Adrian explained.

“You say this like you’ve had experience with this.” Carolyn said, with a little jealousy.

“Well, yeah, a little. All I can say is that the safest place in this house is the basement.” Adrian explained, trying to change the subject.

“I gotcha. Let’s go upstairs.” Carolyn said, feeling Adrian’s resistance. The two of them went upstairs and played Monopoly with the younger kids at the dining room table. They played for hours and had a ton of fun. There was one near-incident where Brittany didn’t want to foreclose a property to pay rent, so she started getting upset, but Adrian was able to calm her down. They came up with an idea that if you went bankrupt, you could be the banker. The game ended up being a battle between Trixie and Carolyn, with Adrian staying along to play banker. Sam and Brittany had retired to bed when they both became bankrupt.

Around midnight Trixie was declared the winner and the trio went upstairs to go to bed. Trixie closed her door, and Carolyn was just about to open her door when Adrian pulled her hand. He pulled her into his room and brought Carolyn near him. He gave her a quick kiss, then said “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” Carolyn said breathlessly. She walked out of Adrian’s room and into her own, then quickly drifted to sleep with a smile on her face.

Tag list: @the-mockingbird-of-neverland

#writeblr #original writing #young adult #fluff #WIP #new adult #writing #writblr #writers of tumblr #writeblr community #writers #glass kaleidoscopes

1 note · View note

maddie-nanjingsemester · 5 years

Text

欢迎光临南京！Welcome to Nanjing!

你们好！Wow. Okay. How do I even start this blog post off? There’s so much that has happened within this past week since I’ve arrived that I almost don’t even know where to start – although I guess it makes sense to start at the beginning. So I’m assuming that if you’re reading this blog, you’re aware that I’m studying abroad in Nanjing, China for this whole semester. If so, great! If not, where have you been?? (Just kidding.) This first post is also probably going to be quite long because there’s a lot to talk about, but stay with me! Also, apologies for not posting this sooner – when our program advisors told us this semester was going to be busy, they weren’t lying!

What a whirlwind this first week was. (Oh and yes, technically I have been here for close to two weeks now, but I’m only going to be talking my impressions of Nanjing from the first week in this blog post, so we’ll stick with that.) I left Chicago on February 13 (Wednesday) around midnight, taking a direct flight to Incheon Airport in South Korea. I flew on Asiana Airlines, which, FYI, has great food. They served bibimbap for dinner and the meals came with little instructions on how to prepare it. 真可爱！So cute! Also super tasty.

After a 14-hour flight, during which I basically alternated sleeping and watching Netflix, we landed around 5am on Friday (Feb 15), so I pretty much lost all of Thursday (Valentine’s Day lol). Such a weird feeling to jump so far ahead in time without even really feeling like I lost any time at all. Then I had about an 8-hour layover in the airport, which normally would have been enough time to get out of the airport and see a bit of Seoul, but since we landed so early, hardly anything was even open inside the airport, let alone outside. On top of that, it was snowing and still dark out, so I elected to stay in and wander around for a while. I was also joined by my airplane seatmate, who was on her way to Thailand but wasn’t leaving until the evening. It was so nice having someone to chat with and explore the airport with.

Finally, following a slight delay, my plane to Nanjing took off a little after 1pm. By this point I was so ready to be done with plane rides that I had a bit of a hard time relaxing, but since we still had a 2.5-hour flight ahead of us, I tried to settle in and read my book nonetheless (The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling, if you’re interested). There was another girl from the program on my flight, and we found each other by the baggage claim after going through security/customs. Speaking of security, I didn’t know that you had to get fingerprinted when you went through customs in China! So I guess the government has my prints on file now. The guard was also definitely suspicious of me and kept looking at my passport photo to confirm that it was actually me (I don’t know, I guess my hair looks different now or something?), and even asked for my admission papers from Nanjing University (which, fortunately, I had with me).

After all this, thankfully there were Chinese students from the program waiting at the airport to meet us and help us get to the dorm. We got in a taxi and then had about an hour-long ride to our dorm, during which I had the chance to just sit and absorb the fact that I was actually in China for the very first time! After so much planning and worrying and traveling, I was finally here. Exhausted and ready to sleep, but here. However, because it was only around 5 or 6pm when we arrived, I didn’t want to go to bed right away because I wanted my body to start adjusting to the time difference right away. Another girl from the program who had already been here for a week offered to go walk around the neighborhood with me so I could stretch my legs some and get a first glimpse of the city. It was chilly and drizzling (it’s been raining quite a bit here), but I didn’t mind because I was just so excited to be in Nanjing! It was cool to get to see some of the nightlife on the very first night and get a feel for the neighborhood. It’s definitely a very walkable city.

The organization that I’m studying abroad with is called CIEE, partnered with Nanjing University (one of China’s top universities), and our program is called Intensive Language and Culture in Nanjing. Because it’s really focused on increase our language ability, we signed a language contract on the first day of classes saying that we would aim to speak only Chinese from Sunday-Friday 8am-8pm. In our Chinese classes, we’re basically covering two semesters-worth of material in just one semester. If you choose to live in the dorms, you also get to room with a Chinese student, which I was definitely nervous about, but so far it’s been wonderful! My roommate’s name is 源苑 (Yuányuàn) and she’s a fourth-year majoring in teaching Chinese to speakers of other languages, with plans to go on to graduate school.

The dorm we’re staying in is Nanjing University’s international students' dorm, so it’s been really cool to see all of the other foreign students here and hear a number of different languages being spoken in the elevators and hallways. The CIEE offices and classrooms are also in this building, so going to class in the mornings is incredibly convenient. (I’ve definitely almost been late to class a few times because I don’t have to leave the building, so I’ve cut it pretty close with leaving my room, taking the elevator, and getting to class with about a minute to spare.) I had originally been thinking about doing a homestay, which is the other housing option offered with this program, but ultimately I decided that I wanted to have a bit more freedom in making spontaneous plans and to be able to live more like a real Nanjing University student (体验学生的生活 – learn through the experience of living like a student). Most of the homestays are also about 30-40 minutes away by train or bus, and I was definitely worried about being late for class in the mornings. The trains and buses don’t run 24/7 either so I wouldn’t be able to stay out late with friends if I wanted to be able to get home without paying a lot of money for a taxi. Homecooked meals and getting to experience Chinese family life would be nice, but I do love the convenience of our dorm and its proximity to lots of great restaurants, as well as getting to hang out with my friends from the program whenever I want. Our dorm rooms are definitely pretty bare, but we do have our own private bathrooms! We’re also on the 10th floor, so the view ain’t half bad.

On Saturday at 9am, the day after we arrived, we started orientation, where we got to learn about Nanjing, Nanjing University, and our program. We also had the chance to go downtown, to get our metro cards and new SIM cards, and to get to know each other a little better. There are 14 of us American students in the program, mostly all from different colleges and different states. Then on Sunday, our roommates moved in! I didn’t know who my roommate was going to be until she moved in, so like I said before, I was definitely nervous, but also like I said before, 源苑 is so great. She’s very easygoing and funny, and even though we’re both busy students, we still get meals together a lot and love to chat about random things! We’ve already had some great conversations about the differences between Chinese and American schooling, culture, etc.

Here are some of my favorite things about being here so far:

The convenience store that’s literally right around the corner from our dorm

It’s the perfect place for school supplies, snacks, and basic school supplies or bathroom items, and I probably go there about once a day to pick up a snack or a notebook or something.

Learning more conversational/colloquial words and phrases

In school, we always learned the formal ways of saying things, and while these are all technically correct, they’re not how most people talk in normal conversation!

For example, I grew up learning that 对不起 (duìbuqǐ) was the best way to say “I’m sorry.” While 对不起 is correct, my roommate told me that this is actually a very formal way of saying sorry, so most Chinese say 不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi), which is more casual. (The appropriate response, then, is 没事 – meí shì, “it’s nothing.”)

How helpful the Chinese professors and roommates are

I’m going to talk more about classes in another post, but my professors are fantastic and I’ve already learned so much. 源苑 is also so good at explaining things to me, from words or phrases that I don’t understand to items on a menu. Everyone in this program is just so willing to help us out with our Chinese!

The food, obviously!!

I’ve had a number of people ask me about all the dishes I’ve eaten, and honestly I can’t even tell you the names of everything I’ve eaten so far, but I can tell you that I’ve enjoyed every bit of it. I’ve never been a picky eater and I’ve always been somewhat adventurous when it comes to food, so I’ve pretty much been trying everything people give me.

How many trees there are everywhere!

I honestly did not expect a big Chinese city like Nanjing to be so full of trees and plants and other greenery! I’m definitely excited for it to start getting warmer out so that plants will be able to start blooming again because right now most are pretty bare. But it’s so cool to see trees basically everywhere you look, even lining the main streets.

Here are some of my not-so-favorite things:

Waiting forever for my VPN to connect so I can use the internet

I use Express VPN pretty much all the time now and overall it’s great! So far I’ve mostly been connecting to US locations (although Hong Kong works great for Netflix) and it’s nice to be able to use social media to keep up-to-date with things happening back home. But at certain times during the day, especially in the evening, I have a hard time getting a quick connection, and then websites take a long time to load. I also sometimes have a problem where my VPN is working fine on my computer but not at all on my phone, or vice versa. And then sometimes the servers just won’t connect at all.

Not having a kitchen!!

I love making my own food, and last semester I went down to a very small meal plan so I could make a lot of my own food. Senior year I’m also planning on going off meal plan completely. Here though, I either have to go out for every meal or make instant food in the microwave/with hot water. This can be hard when it’s cold out, or when I’m busy with homework, or when I don’t feel like spending another 30-40元 on a meal. Fortunately, the cafeteria is now open (even though it’s about a 20-minute walk away), and supposedly it’s pretty cheap, so that’ll definitely help.

Having to wait nearly an hour for water to heat up enough to take a shower

In our dorm, we don’t have instantaneous hot water like we do back in the US, so if we want to take a hot shower, we have to turn on the water heater at least an hour before we want to shower in order for it to heat up sufficiently. I don’t like showering at night because going to sleep when my hair is still damp does not do good things for my hair (I showered in the evening last week and then woke up in the morning with all of my hair standing up). If I want to shower before class, I have to wake up at 6 to turn the water on so then I can shower a little after 7. And for someone who takes 5-minute showers, 这是很不方便 (this is not very convenient)!

Not being able to use an American credit card at most stores and restaurants

This one has been quite surprising. I got a travel credit card before I came here for the perk of not having transaction fees, and I assumed that I’d probably be able to use it at most stores and restaurants. However, every place that I’ve been to so far (from Walmart to the convenience store) has only taken Chinese cards. I’m going to delve into this issue in a later post, but it’s for sure not the most convenient to use cash everywhere I go.

However, while these things are inconvenient, I’ve always been one to go with the flow, so I’m making adjustments in my expectations/normal ways of living in accordance with these (mostly) minor hassles. This whole trip is supposed to be a learning experience after all!

In my next post, I’ll go into more detail about my weekly schedule and what my classes are like, and I’ll talk more about what it’s like to have to speak Chinese nearly all the time, so stay tuned!

xoxo 梅迪~

#nanjing #china #semester abroad #study abroad

6 notes · View notes

ginasneesby · 5 years

Text

August - Rarotonga

So I have been meaning to write this for months now, given I went there last August. But, life, the universe and Game of Thrones has meant that I just haven’t sat down to write about my paradise island get away. As my grandma had generously left me some money, most of which was to be saved for travelling when I had visitors, I thought I’d book a holiday somewhere beautiful and warm that I would never think to go from the UK. There are lots of Pacific islands that all look amazing, but which one to choose.

I was inspired by someone I knew who had gone there only a few months previously and so I booked some flights to Raratonga in the Cook Islands. I decided to not spend all my money at once and so reserved a double room (I didn’t wanna be too cheap) in a hostel by way of balancing out the activities I was bound to do.

I took off on Saturday evening, a short 4 hour flight later and it was Friday night again, only this time on a small, warm island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean! I was picked up from the airport by the woman who ran the hostel, who was very kind and advised us to grab beers and a phone card if we needed as nowhere outside of the airport would be open, but I was planning to be pretty cut off/use the hostel wifi when needed. 15 minute car ride and we arrived at the hostel, which was about a quarter of the way around the island (it is not a big island). Although it was midnight, it was warm, which boded well for a beach holiday, and there were dogs and chickens roaming all over. The hostel had a nice outdoor area with hammocks and a decent sized kitchen, so we wouldn’t be crawling round each other to cook. However, the room was pretty plain, there were loads of bugs and lizards on the walls and round the lights and a trail of ants in my room; but ya know, that’s what you get for about £10 a day.

The first day I decided to have a leisurely morning and then get the bus towards the town centre, I had thought about hiring a moped, as I have it on my license although have never driven one myself, but they were all booked up that day. The bus, needless to say, did not run on time, not even close. Basically they were supposed to go clockwise and anticlockwise every hour and looking at the timetable, that was in about 15 minutes. 30 minutes later it arrived, but it was cheap and took me where I wanted to go. I headed up into town and took a wander around, thinking what I fancied booking, there were Polynesian food and entertainment evenings, boat trips, water sports and spas. However, given how little money had been put into the infrastructure and local villages they were all quite expensive. I guess if you have a bunch of tourists staying at posh resorts, they’ll eat up these activities with ‘meals included’ and ‘transport to and from your hotel’, however I wasn’t on that sort of budget. I went to a local restaurant near the beach, and thought I can at least have a nice lunch and a beer on my first day, but when the bill for that came I was swiftly put off doing anything. I guess they have to import everything even more so than NZ!

There was also no free wifi, it was something that needed to be paid for so I didn’t bother, which is a shame, coz part of the reason you go on lovely island holidays is to take obligatory white sand pictures and spam everyone’s Instagram! I did go to a supermarket and buy some bulk items that would feed me breakfast, snacks and dinners and made my way towards the bus stop. Again the buses screwed me, and the stop wasn’t where I thought it would be and when I did find it, it was in front of a big supermarket that had lots of deals in the window, typical. I did however give up on the ‘not gonna spend any money’ and bought some beer.

I was hoping that most people in the hostel would be friendly and up for a bit of a drink, no one was really around in the afternoon but I thought ‘Fuck it I’m on holiday’ and had a few beers by myself. Others arrived in dribs and drabs a bit later, a couple from Germany, a guy from Australia and a couple of kiwis. Mostly friendly, but not very inclusive. A few of them had been there for a while and there was a particular couple who basically decided who they were going to include in their little group, and who they weren’t; I was not on their list. Unsure why, the girl just took agin me and so I was out, and so started a holiday where I spent most of my time on my own (not so bad) while most others at the hostel hung out together, ate together and planned things together (not so fun).

Making the best of it, everyday was spent having a lie in, then making my way to the beach and lying in the sun for most of the day, I was beautifully sunny and warm but not boiling or burny as it was the middle of winter, so I could lie out for ages without worrying. I did manage to hire a moped for a few days, which meant I could easily get around the island, I did one whole lap one day just to see how long it would take me. On my way round I went past a boat tour operator and decided to book it for later in the week, it wasn’t too expensive and it included entertainment, a meal on the beach and snorkelling if you’re that way inclined (I am not). It was also a glass bottomed boat and the water was super clear, so I didn’t feel the need to get in until right at the end and just for a dip to say I have swum there. The lads running it were great, they played instruments, made jokes and were generally quite loud (think my brother but Polynesian). They fed us fish, potatoes and kumara freshly from the fire and then gave us a coconut shucking workshop and a many-ways-to-wear-a-sarong fashion show. We then had some time to chill and explore as we were on a small spit just off the main island, but annoyingly the sun had gone behind some clouds and it was a little bit chilly by that point.

One of the days I joined a group of people doing a giant puzzle; it was pissing it down and didn’t appear to be letting up any time soon, so when I came downstairs and people were all doing a puzzle, I joined in. It was quite a fun day, although I suffered later (warm weather + humidity+ bush + rain = mosquito-palooza) I was absolutely eaten alive, like worse than ever before, my skin was burning and I looked like I have measles and chicken pox and I dunno the plague! Luckily I had a supply of salt water to ease my prickly legs every day (you always forget about these parts when you go on a lovely hot holiday)

Every other day I pretty much did the same thing, I would find a different part of the coast I hadn’t been to yet and sit on the beach reading for a few hours, I made friends with the dogs (although not too close as they all had fleas) and in the evening would have some beers and try to make chat with the other people staying. I managed to become fairly friendly with a couple of people and by that I mean we added each other on Instagram, but it seemed to be, once you were not picked by the couple (or rather the girl) you weren’t really included in stuff. In fairness, she was horrifyingly aggressive about her and her partner’s family and told a story about holding her pregnant sister against the wall by her throat, whether true or not, not really what I’m looking for in a friend!

Managed a couple of fun nights, going down to the beach to look at the stars was awesome, it was super dark and so you could see everything including the milky way. The last night, we all went down to the bars next to the airport, they were well known for being cheap and large drinks so although I had to fly home at like midnight, I did allow myself a couple of drinks to celebrate just being invited along! The bus driver did try to charge me extra for my little suitcase as I was ‘clearly’ going to the airport, I just sat down and refused to pay, I mean. You’re the only bus, there isn’t an airport bus, and this is carry on luggage, hardly takes up loads of space. My flight was late Saturday night, and I landed early Monday morning, completely losing that Sunday, time zones are weird.

The only other thing of note that happened was the day I was exploring with my moped, after booking my boat tour, I went to turn back onto the road and my handles either didn’t turn, or locked or something and I went shooting across the road into a parked car! I managed to turn enough to not actually connect bike and car (thank fuck) but I did hit the car with myself, and took off the wing mirror with by boob. Ouch. 2 hours and a $500 hold on my credit card (the mirror was intact so can’t have been that expensive but the woman couldn’t give me an exact quote) later, I was back on my way, a little bruised and a little bit red in the face.

In conclusion, I could totally go to somewhere similar again (although not here as their laws about imprisoning gay people is horrifying) but if I did go, I would book somewhere lush and go with money so I can spend my days in luxury and share it all on insta to make people jealous!

#pacific islands #cook islands #rarotonga #holiday #beach #beer #sun sea sand #doggo friends #moped #glass bottom boat

1 note · View note

outhereperusing · 5 years

Text

LIMA TAKE A SELFIE: WE ARE YOUNG

Let me just start off by saying that Lima is a real city. What I mean by this is that Lima is always awake and people are constantly on the move. My two weeks in Lima were full of bus rides, beaches, museums, good food, and nightlife. It was nice being in a big city and feeling like my California self before returning back to Cusco and Andahuaylillas. The quick flight from Cusco to Lima brought me closer to the Pacific coast and feeling at home. I remember being in the taxi from the Lima airport to the Colegio de la Inmaculada, which is the Jesuit high school we were staying at, and freaking out because I could see the ocean. In addition to the seeing the oceanview, we drove through Miraflores and Barranco, two districts known for their nightlife, shopping, restaurants, and beaches. Driving through the different districts reminded me of San Francisco and the variety of districts a city could have. Being back in a city for two weeks excited me for the possibility of trying new things and feeling a sense of normalcy.

Lima take a selfie

Tonight

We are young

So let's set the world on fire

We can burn brighter

Than the sun

(Fun.)

After picking up our keys at the Inmaculada one of the first things we did was check out their zoo. The second year volunteers had told us about the zoo, but I was not expecting the diversity of animals on this high school campus. The first animal I saw when walking on their campus were deer, and I mean a whole herd of deer. The deer were so friendly that they would come up to the fence, sniff us, and let us pet them before moving onto something else. When it felt like the deer had enough of my excitement we settled into our rooms and refueled with some aji de atun, which is a Peruvian dish made from an aji pepper cream sauce with tuna and served over rice, before checking out the rest of the zoo. The high school’s zoo has chickens, goats, an emu, macaws, parrots that talk, a llama, bears, jaguars, panthers, a monkey, and capybaras.

All the animals

In addition to the zoo, the high school had orchards of pecans, avocados, chirimoya, and oranges. Driving through the orchards was one of my favorite things because it led to a panoramic view of Lima. At the top of the orchard, I saw the juxtaposition of desert, ocean, and mountains. I also saw how socioeconomic status’ differ between the Inmaculada and the communities surrounding it. The Inmaculada is a upper-middle class Jesuit high school surrounded by a gate and has security around the clock, while the community behind it is on the come up. Seeing this difference in status in the community I was staying at was just the beginning of noticing socioeconomic status and privilege in Lima.

Views of Lima

Our main purpose of going to Lima was to begin the process of changing our visa status. On New Year’s Eve, my fellow first year volunteer and I went to Interpol to ask what we would need to start the process. Finding out that we would need some paperwork from two different banks, we walked from Interpol to the banks and back. When we returned to Interpol, we got in line, but when we said that we were Americans they took us out of the line and brought us to a room to fill out paperwork, get fingerprinted, and receive a dental exam. We were at Interpol for a total of two hours, when it seemed that other people were going to be there all day. Our American citizenship bumped us up to the top of Interpol’s priority. While this is something that I enjoyed because Interpol reminded me a lot of the DMV and airport security screenings, I did not appreciate the looks other people were giving us when we were pulled to the front. After we finished our paperwork we were given an envelope to be mailed back to the US for a FBI background search and allowed to leave. Finishing the morning at Interpol, we made the walk home with pit stops at starbucks for some wifi, the US Embassy, and a mall. With our work at Interpol done in one day, we had the rest of our two weeks to have fun and explore Lima. I knew I wanted to go to as many beaches as possible and check out the club scene in Lima. When planning the rest of our two weeks we prioritized one activity per day to cross off things on both of our bucket lists. After consulting travel books about Peru, our second year JV’s, the Jesuits, and people we knew who have visited Peru we had a jam-packed schedule of things we wanted to see and do.

Tonight

We are young

So let's set the world on fire

We can burn brighter

Than the sun

(Fun.)

The following day we went into Miraflores to start crossing things off our bucket lists. We walked through Kennedy Park, which has cats roaming freely. I was living my dream in this park because of how many cats there were! These cats were the most photogenic cats I have seen in Peru, and because they are so accustomed to people, they did not mind me getting close to them to get the perfect picture. This park quickly became one of my favorite places and was an easy landmark to orient ourselves in Lima. Cats quickly became a highlight of my trip in Lima. Everytime I would see one I would be instantly happy because they reminded me of my cats at home. One cat in particular takes the honor of being Peruvian Harry. Harry is my Brother’s fluffy one year old black and white cat that I love so much. In college, I would FaceTime my Brother so my roomates and I could see Harry as a kitten. Now in Peru, I Snap-Video-Chat Harry and get pictures of him from my Mom. When we went to the Museo Larco, which is Peru’s premier museum for Andean art, I saw Peruvian Harry and I was in love! We went to this museum for the art, but after seeing Peruvian Harry I only wanted to be there for the cat. This cat looked exactly like Harry except for his nose, American Harry has a pink nose, while Peruvian Harry has a black nose. Seeing a cat that looks so similar to Harry makes my Peru experience easier. It reminds me that there are things here that remind me of home.

Peruvian Harry

One of the things that really made me feel at home was the nightlife. During college I would go out with my friends on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights just to dance around, sing, and overall have a good time. The clubs were places that I felt most like myself and totally free. In Lima I automatically felt like myself because I was back in a city, but I wanted that extra feeling of over-the-top freedom. We went to the club on our second Friday night in Lima, and bounced from two different clubs before finding the best one. What made our final club the best was that it was a smaller venue, had a centralized dance floor, played really good music, had a ton of young people, and there was no cover charge. That night I danced like nobody was watching and sang to all of the songs! That’s how I knew that this club was the best–every song was a sing-a-long. Going to the clubs felt like all of the times I went out with my friends. It felt like they could have been there even though they are a continent away. Feeling like my friends, family, and home are close to me is all that I want while in Peru.

Pre-clubbing photoshoot

Another home that I got to visit was the beach. I was lucky enough to go to the beach a bunch of times while in Lima! I remember walking through Miraflores to get to the beach and feeling a sense of bliss because it was something familiar. The mix of the salty air with the sound of the waves brought me back to San Francisco and being home. I was content to sit and watch the waves roll by, surfers do their thing, and the paragliders soar for hours. When sitting on the sand and getting into the ocean all I could think was that these are the same waters that I have back home. Being on the Pacific Ocean made me feel close to everyone in the states. Because of this, I started to collect sand from the beaches I have been to in Peru. In my room in Anda, I have three different jars of sand and a pile of rocks from Peruvian beaches to remind me that home is not as far away as I think it is. Looking at them on my windowsill reminds me that I am slowly creating a new home here in Peru, while my home a half a world away is still within reach. My heart may be in the United States, but with my feet in Peru I am establishing a new normal that is both exciting and challenging. I can only imagine what I will be feeling about my new home in the many months that are to come.

Home

#peru #lima

2 notes · View notes

this-is-hunting · 5 years

Text

Driven boar hunt. Novska, Croatia

15-16 December 2018

When I got the invite from my good friend Max from Austria I was very excited and started planning my trip immediately.

The advert in waffengebraucht.at posted by Walter from Klagenfurt was inspiring, showing the picture of a mighty Keiler (male boar with big tusks). The promise was a rustic 3-star Hotel with big rooms, breakfast and a swimmingpool. The advert stated that many beaters would be there and 30-40 dogs and last year‘s bag was 35 boar for 25 guns.

The reality was sobering.

I didn’t see more than 6 beaters and 10 dogs. The accommodation was a 2-star hostel without breakfast, the transport from and to the hunting lodge and breakfast was dangerous in a borderline legal mini-bus.

The preparation

Because this was my first driven boar hunt, the choice of clothes and weapon were essential for me for this hunt. It is the first time for me and I wanted to make sure I’ll get it right. 2 days in the forest at any weather conditions can be challenging and I didn’t want to get caught out. I already have the Harkila Pro Hunter X jacket and added the hunting trousers and cap to it. This completed my outfit and waterproofed me. For shoes I decided to take the Meindl Winter boots. I didn’t want to take my Le Chameau wellies because of their bulkiness.

An important aspect of a hunt is the gun. I decided to take my Benelli Super Black Eagle II semi-automatic shotgun with Aimpoint S1 using Rothweil Exact 32g Cal.12 slugs, an excellent combination for a driven hunt in Croatia. All Croatian hunting videos I watched and the areal map of the hunt suggested short distance, dynamic, fast shots, ideal for a shogun hunter. This turned out to be absolutely true for each and every drive. No successful shot further away than 15 m.

Travelling with a gun requires an European Weapons pass, which is easily available from your firearms department, they simply print one off and post it to you free of charge. I booked KLM from Leeds that take guns. The flight included a transfer in Amsterdam and the second leg of the journey from Amsterdam to Zagreb by Croatian Airlines, which also takes guns. A great solution and I rang each airline to make sure the gun is booked for each leg of the flight. Full of optimism, I checked-in my gun in Leeds, which went smoothly and after filling in a form and having someone check over the gun’s serial number, all was done. Arriving in Zagreb was less joyful because the gun didn’t make it into the flight to Zagreb. It stayed in Amsterdam and was booked onto the next flight, arriving in Saturday at 13.00, while the hunt was already in full flow. I was disappointed because of all the effort and training that went into my preparation with my gun and I knew that I had to borrow an unfamiliar gun for the hunt. According to Miljenko, the Croatian hunting owner and organiser, and my mate Max, it happens a lot that the gun arrives with the next flight. None of them were under the illusion that the transfer would be smoothly. Looking back, I should have factored in an extra day for arrival.

Max picked me up from the airport and the adventure was set to start. Our first stop was CineLov, a shooting cinema near the airport in Zagreb, where we put 60 training shoots through Max’s Steyr Mannlicher .30-06 with Swarovski 3-12x42 scope. Even though the gun was completely unfamiliar to me, I hit very well. Max struggled a bit and had some flyers that were well off the target. This was shot standing onto a cinema screen with the gun in position, looking through the scope at 3x magnification. As a shotgun shooter the balance is very odd and the weight of the heavy scope is weird.

My high shooting score was encouraging and I felt ready for the hunt.

We then drove to Novska while it was lightly snowing. About 5cm snow was had already fallen, with more snow predicted for the next 24h. We arrived at the hunting lodge with the rest of the shooting party of 30 hunters, mainly from Germany and Austria. After a drink and general Hallo we were shown our accommodation, Restoran Babić in Novska, a 10min drive from the hunting lodge. This BnB had been given 2-Star and was clean but very basic and old. Not more than a bed for the night and by no means better than the most basic hostel. The info sheet in the room said that it cost 200 kr (£24) per night for 2 twin room which can only be considered too expensive for this place.

After a change of clothes we drove back to the shooting lodge for dinner, which was marinated chicken, pork and Cevapcici with cabbage salad, Ajvar and beer. Heavy, archery clogging grub for real hunters. Many hunters in our party were very overweight and drinking beer and brandy at every opportunity. I had serious doubt about their ability to shoot dynamically, or even last the day in the forest. I was later reassured, when I saw hat they all had their comfy fishing-chairs and got chauffeured to their peg.

Our excitement for the next morning lead Max and me straight to bed, leaving the shooting party behind, drinking and telling each-other their favourite hunting stories. The hunting experiences and shared interests brings many people from different walks of life together and onto common ground.

I had a wonderful night sleep because I brought my sleep ear plugs with me, but everyone else was woken up at 4am by the neighbour's noisy cockerel. I’m surprised no one opened the window and took care of the shouty bugger, giving everyone was heavily armed.

Day 1

We met at 6.45 to drive to Breakfast which was organised in a different restaurant in Novska, called Pivnica, but shifting 30 hungover hunters can take time and there was a lot of waiting around. We got picked up in a very old and borderline legal people carrier van, squeezing 15 people and equipment into a very small space. The breakfast was entirely protein based, consisting of ham and eggs, chipolatas and boiled eggs. The 6 litres of juice also didn’t go very far and the bartender struggled to make espressos and put the food out at the same time. Though unhealthy it was tasty and set me up for the day. One of the hunter there had been to the hunt before and brought his own breakfast, wise man. The obesity-crew loved it and got their fill.

It was still snowing in the morning and more snow had fallen over night. By now about 15 cm were already on the ground. It looked very picturesque but everyone knew that it would be a challenging day for everyone.

After the shooting party had been shifted to the hunting lodge here was unfortunately more admin to be done. Croatian hunting licences were issued and Miljenko started the payment procedure, something that could have been done the day or weeks before. Some hunters were on the spirits again and toasted to a good day's shooting.

Pic 1: The hunting lodge on the first morning.

At around 9am we got a move on and drove into the forest. Excitement was in the air. There was no apparent structure on who was positioned where, as no numbers were pulled. Some people were assigned based on their ability to walk or sit, others were driven to their stand by Miljenko himself, not that anyone shot anything anyway, but there was some apparent favouritism with pushy and long standing hunting clients. I really didn't like it and would have hoped for a more transparent process.

Pic 2: the road into the forest

First drive

Under snowy conditions we made to our pegs in the east end of the forest. Each hunter was stood about 50m apart along roads or paths, pointing into the forest where the beaters came from. Because of the snow it was easy to see the contrasts on the floor and any animal would have been easily visible.

My peg was quite a walk from the car at the east end of the hunt. I was on a slight hill looking down into the shrubs. My visibility was about 5 to 10 meters. I was gutted that I didn’t have my shotgun with Aimpoint, but instead a heavy rifle for long distance shooting. Max was to my right but I couldn’t see him as he was behind a big tree. I saw the hunter to my left who brought his seat which was very smart. It was a very long drive and totally quiet for over 1 h. Then we heard the dogs coming closer. I never heard working pig dogs but it was obvious to me that they were on the trail of a boar. I heard 3 different barks, between high pitch yells to deep barks. I could hear them coming closer and they couldn’t have been further away than 20 meters in the thick shrubs. I had my run in position, waiting, any second anticipating to see anything appear in my vision. Then boom. The hunter to the left fired a shot straight in front of him. The dogs went totally quiet. It was eerie. Had he shot a dog? If he shot a pig, the dogs would have kept on it. He kept looking into the shrubs to where he shot but I had no indication if he had shot anything. The dogs kept running back and forth but had lost their trail. They were quiet and trying to pick up scent again, but without success.

After 2.5 h the drive was over and I was eager to talk to my neighbour and find out what happened, so close to me. He explained that he saw a boar being chased by dogs and fired at it though the branches. The boar run off and he didn’t think he hit it. Exciting for me that a pig got so close and it could have easily been my chance to shoot.

For the first drive I counted 6 shots, but only one small pig got shot, by Miljenko himself. Most people hadn’t seen anything and there were long faces all-round.

We went to the hunting lodge for tea and brandy, then off to the next drive at 13.00.

Second drive

The second drive went to the north of the hunting ground and we were positioned in a line on a road at the starting line of the drive where the beaters set off. The drive was over quickly and I didn’t hear a shot. The faces of the frozen hunters got longer.

Third drive

At 14.30 we got into position for the next drive and I had a peg on a small forest track near a feeding place for the pigs.

Pic 3: walking to the pegs at the 3rd drive.

The dogs came closer and the excitement was big but I didn’t see anything.

A few hunters saw a jackal, a slender long-legged wild dog, and one got shot.

At this point you could tell that the hunters were really pissed off. Many had expected to have a bag of 15+ boar by this point.

First day evening

After a change and hot shower we had dinner in the hunting lodge, which was pork, cooked on the bone with paprika sauce and cabbage salad, washed down with 2 frustration-beers.

The hunt organiser’s excuse was that because this was the first snow of the year, the pigs have dug themselves into the undergrowth and stayed put until the are hungry. The dogs can’t pick up their scent and flush them because the snow has covered all tracks and scent.

The hope was that the boar would come out at night to feed and the dogs could pick up the scent better the following day. Max and many other hunters wondered if it was worth going out again the following day or just go home. Max mentioned that I hadn't been there, he would have left.

Many hunter washed down their sorrows with beer and brandy and I wondered how they would get up for the next morning.

Day 2

I had an amazing sleep after all that fresh air and the 4am cockerel didn’t disturb me at all.

The same breakfast routine and menu was presented but there was more sense of urgency to get the hunt started. At 8.45 we were all in position for the first drive. To my surprise all hunters looked fresh and keen with little signs of a hangover.

4th drive

Pic 4: my view to the right down the line of fellow hunters. The beaters were coming from the direction of the forest (left) towards us.

We were positioned along a forest road looking into the woods with little undergrowth. The visibility into the woods was about 15 m. There were plenty of wild boar tracks from the night before. I was at a peg where a big boar had gone into the forest in front of me and I saw a patch of dug-up snow behind me. I was excited and hopeful that something would happen at my stand. Wild boar had clearly been here during the night.

To my left was a very overweight hunter on a raised hide, who just about managed to make it up the ladder. He had the best spot and he was clearly put there by the hunting guide as a special favour, which I found annoying and felt uneasy about. I stood on the ground and because he was on a raised stand, it also meant that I had a wider range to shoot safely, should anything bolt out of the forest and across the path to my left.

Pic 5: my view to the left with the high stand at a distance of about 50m.

About 1 h in and with no dogs or shooting noises, I looked to my right, where Max had his peg, 2 down from me, about 100 m away. He must have been cold and started to do push-ups which amused me. As I looked into his direction I saw about 500m down the path 3 pigs bolting across the path at an area where no hunters were lined up. An amazing sight that got me excited and hopefully that something would come at our stands soon. A short while afterwards I looked to my neighbour who was crouched into his comfy 4-leg camping seat. I thought he was one of the piss-heads from the night before and had fallen asleep when I suddenly heard “boom” …a single shot fired. He shot a boar right in front of him, maybe 10 m. It came without dogs or any noise and because of the snow it was perfectly visible. It collapsed in the shot.

Only a few moments later Max fired a shot, right in front of him and shot a Jackal at close range.

Looking down the line of hunters after all the shenanigans and 300m down the path, where the 3 boar crossed earlier, 2 red deer crossed calmly and gracefully, then stopped and looked at us, well knowing that there were save today.

5th and last drive

After some lunch we went out for the last drive at 12.30 to the south end of the hunt. By now several hunters had left the shoot because they were pissed off and didn’t think this hunting trip could be saved. They cut their losses and at least got home sooner.

I was on my first raised hide overlooking some 2 meter tall growth with the back to the forest. Max was next to me along the road, also on a raised hide. The sun had just come out and although a blistery wind blew us in our necks it was the setting I was hoping for when I dreamed about this hunting trip (see the panorama picture at the top of the page).

I was stood up again and my shoulders were aching from holding the heavy gun all weekend.

The drive started quite far away from our peg and it was a while before we heard the first shots and dogs barking. Some dogs were barking from the same spots for ages without moving which indicated that the boar were dug in and couldn't be moved from their hiding places. A great sight were the white-tailed eagle circling above our heads during the drive.

After about 2 hours when the beaters and dogs came closer I had a sense that I could hear something in the undergrowth in front of me. I gripped my gun with both hands and my senses were in high alert. Then, a boar ran out of the shrubs on the left. I turned, raised the gun and had the boar in my scope and squeezed the trigger. Immediately did I realise that I had missed, but you don't get a second chance. The boar run off into the forest and was gone for good. An exciting split second experience that got my juices flowing. I was grateful that I had a chance, much better than most in our hunting party, and annoyed that I missed. The distance was no more than 40m.

Pic 6: The position where the boar crossed the path and in the red circle is where I later found the signs of the bullet hitting the ground. (The beater in the picture was not there when I fired the shot, however the car was still parked there).

Could I have hit it with my own gun? Could I have placed a second shot with my semi-automatic? We'll never know, but the excitement of the experience and the chance of a shot was amazing. The what if, is that keeps you going and makes you go back, again and again. More luck next time, more training for next time, better gun next time. The thoughts and mind games don't stop.

Pic 7: The disappointing bag. Not much to show for 30 hunters and 10 beaters with dogs.

The final bag of 6 boar and 4 jackal was embarrassing and Miljenko felt very uncomfortable, trying to explain what went wrong and they tried their best to make this a good a hunt as possible.

He offered to give a free hunt to me and Max for that night and we took him up on the opportunity. If was free to go out but we would have to pay a discounted list price for anything we shot. I wanted to see if I could get a jackal or fox and Max wanted to shoot a boar. We were driven to different areas of the hunt and too our place on one of the fully enclosed raised hides, with silently openable windows. I had the Blaser R8 again, but this time with thermal vision scope. A great set-up but I saw nothing at my spot in the 2.5 hours that I waited there.

Max had his normal scope and because of the half-moon and snow a night-vision or thermal scope was not necessary. After about 1 hour I heard a shot and Max shot a 100 kg young male boar, which cost him €250. A great finish to an otherwise disappointing hunting trip.

Pic 8: 100 kg male wild boar (Keiler) shot under moonlight.

Pic 9: The hunting ground and the positions of my pegs.

On the way back to the airport we dreamed about our next hunting adventure and hunting trip we'll do together, ranging from Islandic goose hunting to UK rabbit shooting.

Good hunting and waidmanns heil

#wild boar #driven hunt #novska #aimpoint s1 #keiler #treibjagd

1 note · View note