Friday, September 28, 2007
I hadn’t realised I could be so happy returning to something familiar (that’s not where my family is) until this morning. Coming into Palma de Majorca airport, looking at the signs, I realised I was back in Catalan territory. Although I’d never visited Majorca whilst living in Barcelona, seeing Catalan signs was a dose of happiness. Despite not really having slept the previous night, and the morning fiasco at the airport (involving arriving a month early for my flight, a name change and change in marital status) I suddenly found myself grinning at all the passers by and humming to myself.
And now, I’m sitting outside a café on a little square near a hospital (I’ve deduced my location from the nurses sitting inside the café) licking my lips after a very satisfying pan con tomate, tapa de champiñones and café americano. Yes - I’m happy to be back in Spain again! The sun is shining, but it’s windy and a little chilly, but hey – no pasa res (that’s Catalan, not Spanish). I’m happy, and I’d like to share that little bit of joy with everyone! I’m glad I have this (what would otherwise be tedious) seven hours stopover in Majorca. And I’m glad I decided to venture out of the airport (even though I’m already lost and I’m not sure where the bus going back departs from).
Mercedes Sosa (an Argentinian singer) comes to mind:
“Gracias a la vida, que me a dado tanto”
[more updates when I get to Bilbao!]
*** *** ***
I’m in BILBAO!
And I’m loving it!
(Thanks Sunra for getting me from the airport and letting me stay at your place :) Much appreciated!)
Pics:
http://monashedu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=24431&l=d6575&id=533997463
http://monashedu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=24433&l=eeda4&id=533997463
fon @ 3:20 PM link to post * *
Monday, September 24, 2007
Les Feuilles Mortes...
I don't want to elaborate on the title of this post too much, other than to state that I've spent today watching those leaves from my window, and finally realise that autumn is here...
And that in a few days, I'll be terribly off-season, and starting something new again, instead of shedding my summer leaves! Cheers to a beautiful summer, and all the people who've made it gorgeous, in Finland, in the Netherlands, in Germany, and soon, in Spain, too! To a never-ending summer (and I don't mean weather-wise - it is currently 13 degrees and raining in Bilbao)!
All I'm missing is the champagne... ah, well... back to packing...
fon @ 9:04 PM link to post * *
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Tragedy of the past
So here I am, having a bottle of wine with Petre... and I discovered an old music video I appeared in almost ten years ago. It's hilarious. I speak no more. And I won't try to defend it, either.
Bwahahahaha!!!
fon @ 12:57 AM link to post * *
Friday, September 21, 2007
Ping-pong!
You know that mysterious way that ping-pong balls just kinda bounce in every possible direction once they are off the table? Well, I feel a little like that right now. So... this year has been a bit crazy - my route, since July, has been Australia -> Thailand -> Finland -> Sweden -> Denmark -> Germany -> Netherlands -> Germany -> Netherlands, and now to Spain. That isn't really that odd, considering that many people backpack these days and travel, etc. Only, I wasn't traveling! I was moving. Ok, so really ->Australia -> Finland -> Holland -> Spain. I still say that moving countries (not traveling, but lugging around my whole life) three times in the space of three months is a little excessive.
But that's not the only reason I feel like a little featherweight white ball. As you may know, I was meant to study in Groningen. But due to some shifting demographics (namely, an Italian person in Spain hopping off to Uppsala in Sweden), it just so happened that I managed to get a little foot in a little door in Spain. And initially, I got my foot stomped on and the door slammed in my face after some deliberation as to whether I should be let in ("We're sorry, but that's not possible"). Then, after reconsidering their position, vis-a-vis the disappearing Italian, they after all felt that perhaps I should be let through ("We had another meeting and thought, why not?"), and held the door open for me with a smile.
So, between having my hopes entirely crushed on one day and jumping up and down for joy the next, I'm now almost certainly going to Spain. I've gone through all the crappy bureaucratic formalities and bought a ticket, gotten myself somewhere to stay when I get there (and even someone to greet me at the airport!). Heh. Even though I'm not such a huge fan of Paulo Coelho's universalist thesis, I do have to agree that right now it feels as though I wanted something and the universe conspired to make it happen.
¡Hola Deusto!
Now I just have to figure out a way to eat as much food as I can before flying to Bilbao (with a seven hour stop-over in Palma de Mallorca - better hope for good weather so I can sleep in the sun for a while) because my cupboard is STILL absolutely stuffed with food that my parents helped me bring over, and I hear EU regulations on flying food can be pretty stringent. And Sam's getting my blue inflatable chair (random comment).
Hmmm.... and a big big big thanks to Begonia, Isabelle and Olga for helping me iron out the kinks in my terrible written Spanish in my correspondence with the Deusto gatekeepers! *MWAH* I owe all these girls a drink of their choice!
fon @ 3:17 AM link to post * *
Sunday, September 16, 2007
To pack or unpack?
First things first: HAPPY BIRTHDAY ISÄ (aka DAD)!!!
My dad doesn't need an excuse to have a party, and the last time I checked, he was busy having a party with a whole bunch of friends and relatives at the house! (and my parents wonder where I get it from??!)
Right now I'm in a sort of a limbo between settling in and decorating my room, or packing up and heading off to Spain. It's frustrating and I don't know what to do with myself. I keep thinking: "Now I'm going to go to the store and buy... oh, wait, shit... no... I should wait until Tuesday or Wednesday .... aaargh!" I really want to go, too, and I've gotten my hopes really high (and I'm trying not to get them any higher by checking out prices for flights, etc)... but at the same time I'm practically paralysed in front of the computer screen (other than the random going-outs I've been doing)... good thing the NOHA crew is around. I think I'll go and sit in Petre's room for a while and bug him, so that I'm not just listlessly staring at a pile of laundry waiting to be folded and hanging underwear.
Pictures from last night: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=22969&l=2d6c2&id=533997463
fon @ 9:51 PM link to post * *
Saturday, September 15, 2007
¡No puedo mas!
Home, relax, unpack... yes? No... How mistaken I was! Instead of waking up refreshed and ready for a new day, I feel like a raccoon (re: smudged eye make-up) with a decidedly strong craving for tortilla chips. And it was none other than the post-lady ringing my doorbell - "I have a delivery for 101!" Despite my insistence that I'm not 101, I'm 102, she adamantly insisted that I come down immediately and pick up the parcel, because she didn't care what room I am from and that she wants to go home. Is this normal for the Netherlands?
So I live in an international student house for postgraduates. You know, us quiet masters, doctors, research fellows, etc. I mean, how much more dull can you get?
Well, apparently not so when a bunch of Latinos are around and the student manager is an undergrad who doesn't impose rules! Yesterday, I met Carlos and Carlos (how convenient that they both have the same name), this German guy called Dirk ('Dee-eck'), Shaun ("Soy Americano, yo hablou espanyoul"). Well, the good thing is that I got to practice my Spanish. The bad thing is that I probably came across as rather strange when I was begging people to go home at 2 a.m. after having been out for about an hour and a half. All after they had to wait half an hour for me to get ready"Es que ya he salido por la noche 12 dias conseguidos…. ¡Por favor! En serio, ¡hombre! no puedo mas. ¡Ya tengo muchas ganas de dormir!" And despite my insisting that really, I can take a cab home, no... the whole group had to bike home together. What a party pooper I am.
This bike thing in Groningen is quite worrying, though... I had the first ride of my life on the back of a bicycle, veering through Dutch canal roads with a somewhat intoxicated Carlos as the driver on the way out. On the way back, I opted for German safety and went with the somewhat more responsible Dirk. Good thing for that, as I kept hearing the sounds of man falling off bike and "¡JODER!" from increasingly mystifying directions as I was struggling to stay on the bike.
Sido - our student manager - must be having a blast watching us internationals navigating our way through Dutch nightlife.
But on another note... IP Bochum is over. Now I'm worlds away and glad to have had a few confronting experiences - both in terms of learning, and personally. I've perhaps gained the base to consider my motivations for doing the work I plan to do, but also, have *winks* gotten to know some people very intimately without ever having a real conversation with them, as well as developed a certain fondness for gibberish.
IP Bochum photos:
http://monashedu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=22825&l=bc168&id=533997463
fon @ 4:39 PM link to post * *
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Bochum stories and Mr. Chicken!
Two and a half days left of this conference/IP and we are still living it up... we students are going out every night (almost) - I'm staying in tonight though, and bonding with the Groningen girls and with my beautiful laptop... And I have internet, all thanks to the wonderful restaurant next door to my hotel that goes by the name of "Mr Chicken"... and has the 'creative' network name of "MrChickenHaveFun".
"MrChickenHaveFun" had a realisation earlier today that I wanted to talk to my mother, and as a result, instead of cutting off every 3 minutes, decided to allow me a completely undisturbed conversation with my mother and my brother until a huge contingency of IP participants who didn't skip the activities of the day (as I did - needed a rest after celebrating Isabelle's birthday last night) came trooping back in from the day's field trip. I later heard from some French participants (who were arrested for not carrying ID) that we didn't miss anything.
We? I spent a very nice day simply relaxing with a fellow 'escapee' - had Turkish food for lunch, Shisha and Lebanese coffee for tea and SUSHI (made by Koreans) for dinner. I went back to my room to find that Isabelle was STILL celebrating her birthday with a bunch of Groningen girls in our room. We were sharing stories of past romances (awww.... how sweet). Two of the stories had happy endings (or rather, work in progress), whilst me and Isabelle only had the sad (?) reality of the present single condition to share. But then again, the end of a love affair is not necessarily a sad thing, is it? I rather enjoy my newfound freedom, but perhaps resent the hints of cynicism that are creeping in.
Although I've been moaning about the boredom, slowness and confusion of this week, now that these days are drawing to a close, I have started to feel that I will be missing all the amazing people that I've met. One thing is particularly striking to me - whilst in the past, I have felt the need to justify my ethical grounds for my actions and decisions in life, here I am meeting many like-minded people who may disagree with me on small details, but in general, are in agreement in principle. This is a huge difference. Where I'm used to preaching my ideology, here I am happy to sit back and listen, simply because I've found that when I start defending my ideas - people simply respond with "I agree with you 100%". So it's good to listen.
Last notes: Congratulations, Väiski, for becoming a dad, and Isabelle - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
fon @ 4:24 AM link to post * *
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Bochum Blues...
I'm sleepy, tired, and pissed off at the Germans for deliberately swapping the place of the y and z one the keyboard just to make me type slower. And for not having anyone in the country that knows how to configure an apple computer.
But besides that, I'm having a rocking time in Bochum. I've recently elected myself the head of delegation for USA at a red cross and crescent (simulation) conference, and of course, nobody wants to talk to me cos we are the US team. That means I get to take a lot of verbal abuse and a few nuclear attack threats, but otherwise don't do very much for a couple hours in the afternoon. My idea of a great time.
We are highly welcome in Bochum, it appears. We've had a welcome session every single day, and two today! We've heard at least 10 times that the weather in Bochum isn't really that horrible, (so we should come here for semester 2), and that NOHA is really the greatest Erasmus Mundus programme in existence. We are very proud, yes, thank-you.
But cynicism aside, I am, of course apologising to all for not responding to e-mails. And I am having a good time. Naturally. I think I'm going to enjoy this course thoroughly and meet some very fascinating people (well, I've already met quite a few). And I'm now not quite certain whether I would rather go to Ireland for my second semester, or to Bilbao.
For all those interested, Niklas is returning to Helsinki from DR Congo on Sunday, so you guys can call him on his old number yourselves...
Girls, ... I mean, Lay-des! - I miss you. Mimo, thanks for that sweet post about me. Summer was perfect, despite the bruised eyebrow and almost missing wedding ring (I think that actually made things even more fun!
This post is uber-boring. It ends here.
fon @ 1:52 AM link to post * *
Sunday, September 02, 2007
On the road
Yesterday (Wednesday), the first thing I did when my computer found an internet connection on the road was…. to blog. Well, other than frantically tell my dad to “Stop the car! There’s internet here!”, yes. I blogged first. I quickly copied and pasted the scathing review I wrote yesterday into my browser and posted it, then only checked my e-mail.
I can see where my priorities clearly are. lol.
I’m currently in Otterndorf, a charming little town near Cuxhaven (another little town), and finally had a good night of rest. For half the price of the crappy farmhouse in Denmark, we now have a two-story suite that’s big enough to accommodate 4. And is clean. And has good facilities. And most importantly, doesn’t have floorboards that start thumping in the middle of the night!
Our sightseeing today was slightly inhibited by the heavy rain, but we did find a nice museum to walk around in. Bremerhaven, where we were, was the first emigration port of Germany, but otherwise, there is really no claim to fame as such. There were a grand total of two old buildings (the rest must have been destroyed during the second world war).
Here’s a couple funny quotes from this trip:
Dad: “This is the most uninhibited part of Sweden.”
Me: “Uninhabited, isä, uninhibited means like there are naked people running around and stuff.”
Mom: “Naked people?? Where? Where?”
Mom [to Dad]: “Valisa is so stubborn, she wouldn’t follow!”
Dad: “She’s right behind you…”
And why do all German townnames have to be so similar? Less than 100 kms away from each other are the towns of Wremen and Bremen. Both are voiced bilabials, so you can imagine the amount of confusion that caused when both were somehow signposted on the way to Bremerhaven today.
Me: “Yes, we are going right to Wremen”
Dad: “No, Bremen is not on the way – we agreed not to go there.”
Me: “But Wremen is on the coast and you said you want to go the coastal way!”
Dad: “Bremen is not on the coast!”
Me: “DOUBLE-U, Isä, Wah-remen! Not Bah-remen”
Dad: “Ah…”
Well, road-trip aside, we are now back in Otterndorf, and my parents have left me in our nice room (Dad: “Can we leave her without a babysitter?”). I’ve had one strawberry and a beer in their absence, and a little bit of tofu. Definitely need a babysitter.
So, Groningen tomorrow. Or rather, by the time I actually post this – it’ll be today. I started writing this post in the morning before heading off on the road-trip, and now we are back home. Tomorrow I shall update more, I suppose. Unless I’m out having a jolly good time somewhere.
**update**
So now I’m spending Sunday afternoon in my dorm. Alone. I feel kinda weird with it being so quiet here. I mean, isn’t it a student dorm? But then, it’s the postgrad and researcher dorm. It’s kinda spooky, really… the average age here seems to be around 30+ I’m one of the youngest inhabitants! My parents have left me with a mountain of food… and I just kinda feel like stuffing myself at the moment. Stress-eating, I guess…
fon @ 5:16 PM link to post * *