Lessons Learned

Hello to you and you and you and you!

I've been home for over a week now, putting this off, but I think it's time that I sit and reflect on everything that happened in the past four months.

There is a quote that says, "the traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see." Now, while I did spend plenty of time as a tourist, I also spent much of my time as a traveler and this is what I "saw"...

Lesson 1: Just because someone is technically an adult, doesn't mean that they are grown up.
This may sound harsh, but some of the people that I encountered on my journey really should not have been on their own. Just because someone is 18 and a legal adult does not mean that they are capable of taking care of themselves and navigating their way around foreign countries. It's really sad how little common sense or street skills some people have…

Lesson 2: Don't always listen to others; sometimes you need to make your own opinions.
If you've kept up with my blog, you might have noticed a trend. Many of my stories started with "people told me that ___ was overrated, boring, or simply shouldn't waste my time there". However, you might have also noticed that that statement was often followed by "I'm glad that I didn't listen to them". While listening to others and taking people's advice can be a good thing, sometimes you need to make opinions for yourself. Some of my favorite memories from this whole experience were the times when I ignored the nay-sayers and decided to do something despite others' negativity. For example, if I would have listened to others, I would have never gone to Paris or Lucca - two of my favorite trips of the semester! What I'm trying to say is that everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but sometimes you need to make an opinion for yourself rather than just going with the crowd.

Lesson 3: Everyone has a story to share, if only you take the time to listen.
I have always been a firm believer in that everyone has their own story to tell. I love hearing everyone's stories and learning about people's lives. Oftentimes it is easy to get caught up in our own lives that we forget that everyone else has lives of their own. However, my friend Erin reminded me that there is always time to take a moment and listen to others. Anytime we traveled together, we would make new friends with the randomest of strangers. For instance, one time in Krakow, we went to get a Kebab and ended up talking with the shop owner for at least an hour, listening to his life story. During our time with the man, it was easy to see that he was so happy that someone was interested in his life. People really like it when someone takes interest in their life and you never know what you can learn from others.

Lesson 4: People don't hate all Americans.
Before I went abroad, everyone told me to be wary because "everyone hates Americans". During my time abroad, I realized that this statement was very true but also very false - "everyone hates certain types of Americans". I had no problem getting along with locals and no one seemed to care that I was American. I was always very gracious and eager to learn about the culture of where I was. I tried as best I could to learn a few words of the language and communicate in a way that made sense in the host's culture. However, I did run into Americans that people did roll their eyes at. There are plenty of people - especially Americans - who act very entitled when they travel. They expect people to know their language and cater to their every need. Many American tourists are very rude and hostile towards other cultures and give all other Americans a bad name. As long as you go in with the right attitude, people will be kind to you.

Lesson 5: Love is universal.
I got the unique opportunity to attend an Italian elementary school musical (thanks to my roommate, Sam). While Sam and I did not understand a single thing that was going on, that didn't stop us from feeling so incredibly joyful watching these kids stumble over their lines, trip over their costumes, and forget their dance moves. However, the joy that we felt was so minuscule compared to the pride of the parents in the crowd. Just like in America, parents all had their video cameras out, recording their kids. They gave a standing ovation at the end and congratulated their stars with flowers. It was just really cool to see how even in other cultures, love, pride, and joy is very present and something that everyone can relate to.

Lesson 6: People can really make or break an experience.
This one is kind of self-explanatory. All I can really say is that you can be in the coolest place, but if you aren't with good company, it can really be a bad time. On the other hand, you can be in a really boring place, stuck in the rain, or lost on a subway but as long as you have good company, it can be a fun experience. Some of my favorite memories are the random times where nothing seemed to be going right, but I was in good company so it ended up being a wonderful adventure.

Lesson 7: Getting lost can be fun.

I know that this may sound weird coming from me - the girl that likes order and planning - but I've learned to really enjoy just wandering and seeing where getting lost can take you. It is really cool to just start walking without any plans or sense of where you are going and see where life leads you. By wandering around, you will often find random hidden gems that aren't necessarily tourist attractions but still pretty cool. Some great stories come from getting lost, let me tell you... If you are open to see what the world has to offer, you will encounter some pretty incredible things.

Lesson 8: Plans change. Life happens. Just go with it.

If you followed my journey, you'll know that not everything went according to plan. My first day in Italy, my luggage was lost and I ended up going to Rome without a change of clothes. My first big trip to Paris was postponed due to air traffic controller strike. The list goes on. As easy as it would have been to let all of that discourage me, I decided to just go with it and not let it get me down. In the end, life happens and all we can do is just go with it; it's really amazing how everything seems to work itself out on the end. 

Moral of the story: Life happens whether you want it to or not. All we can really do is embrace the crazy twists and unexpected turns thrown our way and take what we can from each experience. Beauty and joy can be found anywhere, it's just a matter of opening up your eyes and seeing it. 

And with that, this boondoggle has come to an end. If you would like to vicariously relive my experience, I have made a little video to commemorate my time abroad.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=X0jobD5pO6I

Thanks for coming along on this crazy journey with me! Stick around for more thoughts, travels, truths, and tales from the life of Just Another Orignal.

Sincerely yours,

Just Another Original

Amster-DAYUMM

Ciao ragazzi!

This weekend in Amsterdam was my last weekend getaway of the semester. Next weekend I will be making my trek back to the states after four months of gallivanting around Europe.

My first day in the city was spent wandering around the Red Light District by myself trying to find my hostel. Once I managed to find it, check in, and get settled, I decided to wander around the city considering it was still only five o'clock. This event proved to be a bit more overwhelming then I expected because of the massive hoards of tourists, bikers, and stoners stumbling around the streets. I made myself stay out until it was at least dark enough to see the city lit up by all of the different colored lights before I decided that it was acceptable to go back and get ready for bed.

Let me tell you, wandering around the Red Light District - especially at night - is quite an experience. Seeing all of the girls in the windows, the people gawking at them, and the guys going inside just makes me so sad for humanity. I am well aware that these girls' line of work makes them good money - and I also learned that it is legal - but I just think that everyone deserves to be treated better than they are treated. No one should have to degrade or demoralize themselves in that way just to get by in life. I don't know, I guess some people choose that life and are okay with it but I just can't imagine anyone being very happy with that life. Everyone deserves a better life than that.

The next day, I woke up bright and early because I had to be checked out of my hostel by nine. Before going on yet another free walking tour, I went to a little cafe to try Holland's famous Dutch pancakes. Let me tell you, those things were absolutely delicious! Dutch pancakes are kind of like crepes but they have stuff cooked into them and they are just so good! I wasn't quite ready to try the typical apple-raisin pancake so I stuck with a bacon pancake but it was still great.

After breakfast, I met up in the center of the city for the tour. I didn't make any friends on this tour like I did in Prague, but I did learn a lot about the city - things besides the obvious stuff about pot and prostitution. For example, I learned why the buildings are called the dancing houses of Amsterdam, lots of information about their liberal history, etc. Also, did you know that it rains 340 days of the year in Amsterdam?! I thought Oregon was bad, but I guess not…

Once the tour was over, I spent the afternoon wandering around the city by myself all day until I finally met up with Erin and her friend Leah that night. We spent about an hour getting settled and catching up in Leah's apartment before we headed out to a local pub for dinner. For dinner, we decided to try some more local Dutch cuisine and ordered ourselves some Bitterballen. These are kind of like hollow meatballs coated in breadcrumbs. Besides the fact that these balls were scalding hot, they were delicious! I would absolutely recommend them to anyone that went to Holland.

Our last day in Amsterdam was spent doing all of the touristy things. Part one of our day consisted of making the hour and a half trek to Keukenhof for Amsterdam's famous tulip festival. Now, usually I hate going to flower festivals and things like that, but Erin was dead set on going to this festival and I didn't want to spend another day alone so I figured I might as well go. Let me tell you, I'm glad that I did go! This place was like Disneyland but for adults. The grounds were stunning and the flowers were just so pretty that it was hard not to enjoy your time there.

After having a little picnic and wandering around the grounds for a few hours, Erin, Leah, and I were set on finding ourselves a tulip field. Don't get me wrong, the park had a ton of tulips, but they were all pruned and posed - there weren't any fields full of tulips anywhere in the park. So, we left the park, walked down the street, and stumbled upon this massive field full of all kinds of tulips. We were determined to go play in the tulips, but that proved to be more difficult than we expected… We ended up having to walk through rows of flowers, hop a fence, and jump over a little moat/stream in order to get to our flowers. Once we finally got to our red tulips, we had a blast frolicking in the flowers and just appreciating their pure beauty.

Once we had enough of the flowers, we headed back into the city and made our way to the Rijksmuseum - home of the famous I Amsterdam sign. Now, none of us really know what the sign is for but we all knew that it was a popular tourist destination that we couldn't leave without seeing. The museum grounds were stunning. There was a pond/fountain in front with trees lining the walkway up to the sign and museum entrance. The whole place was packed with tourists trying to get their perfect picture with their favorite letter in the sign and kids climbing around the sign like it was their own personal playground. It was utter chaos but so much fun.

By the time we finally got our perfect picture, it was about dinner time so we decided to stop and get pancakes. The place we went claimed to have the best pancakes in Amsterdam. Now, I realize that that was probably the biggest tourist trap, but Leah (our personal Amsterdam tour guide) said they were her favorite and they were actually really good! This time, instead of getting a typical pancake, I decided to try yet another Dutch staple - poffertjes! These are little mini Dutch pancakes coated in butter and sugar. They were sooooo good. I could eat those for the rest of my life and be perfectly content.

When we were done eating, Erin and I made our way to the Anne Frank House. After waiting in line for about forty-five minutes, we finally made it inside. This was probably the coolest museum I've ever seen. We got to walk around their actual house and see where the Frank family spent years hiding. The house was empty except for mini-replicas of what the rooms would have looked like furnished and quotes by Anne decorating the walls. It was unreal to see what so many people had to deal with during the Nazi-regime. I really have no words to explain it. All I can say is that if you ever find yourself in Amsterdam, make sure that you go to the Anne Frank House - it is definitely a must see.

And with that, our time in Amsterdam was over! Overall, I loved Amsterdam as a city. Everyone says that the city has something for everyone - whether you want the pot and prostitution or simply want to explore the parks and canals - and they were right. While I wouldn't necessarily want to live there because of the excessive rain and lingering smell of weed wherever you go, it is a really cool place to visit.

Now it's back to reality! Time to study for finals and stuff my face with as much pasta, gelato, and carbs as I can before I go home!

Ciao for now!

Sincerely yours,
Just Another Original

Perfectly Prague-matic

Hello helloooo!

This weekend was definitely one for the books. On Thursday afternoon, I made my way to Rome alone in order to catch my flight to Prague, Czech Republic. I was supposed to meet up with my friend, Erin, when we both got to Prague but life decided to throw us a curve ball. Before I even got to the Rome airport, I got a text from Erin saying that her flight was changed without her knowledge and had left four hours before she got to the airport and the next flight that she could get on wouldn't arrive in Prague until Saturday afternoon… Now, most people I know would probably have freaked out at that point and turned around and just gave up on the trip. However, for some reason, Erin's text didn't even phase me. I kept on track and made my way over to Prague by myself, ready to see what was in store for my weekend alone. Sorry Mom and Dad…

After finally making it to the hostel and getting a few hours of sleep, I woke up at eight and made my way into Old Town Square to go on a free walking tour. Now, anyone who travels by themselves knows that this is the first thing that you should do. Besides being a free way to get an idea of where you are and what all the city has to offer, these tours are also a great way to meet people without having to go up to random people in restaurants or on the streets begging them to befriend you.

Anyways, on this walking tour, I managed to make myself not one, not two, but three new friends (one being the tour guide, but hey that counts too). Turns out two of the girls who were actually staying in my room at the hostel were on the same tour so we got to hang out and get to know each other. Turns out these two Russian girls were best friends when they were younger but moved apart. They hadn't talked for ten years but met up in Prague and were just as close as they were when they were younger. They reminded me a lot of me and some of my friends. I think the best kind of friends are the ones where you don't necessarily need to talk everyday, but when you are together, it's like no time has passed.

After the tour, I parted ways with my new friends and spent the afternoon frolicking around the city on my own. My favorite thing that I saw was the Jubilee Synagogue. This synagogue was jaw-droppingly beautiful. It reminded me a lot of Disneyland's It's a Small World ride. Prague itself is a very vibrant, colorful city, but this building took that to the extreme. I honestly spent at least half an hour just standing on the sidewalk staring at the building in awe. If you ever go to Prague, this place is absolutely a must see.

Later that night, I met up with my friends from the hostel to go out to dinner for some typical Prague food. I wanted to go to a local, hole in the wall restaurant, but one of the girls that I was with was set on going to one of the restaurants that she had gotten a flyer from - aka a tourist trap. I wasn't about to argue with these people that I hardly knew, so we ended up at her restaurant against my will. When we got there, I ordered some schnitzel while everyone else got dumplings. After picking off each others' plates, we all agreed that the restaurant was no great shakes and I had to bite my tongue and hold myself back from saying, "I told you so".

After dinner, we meandered around town trying to find somewhere to get a drink and go dancing. After getting the input of some locals, we found ourselves at James Dean Bar & Club. This place was a local favorite - partially because there was no cover charge to get in but also because of its cool 60s like diner atmosphere. The drinks were a little overpriced, but it was fun dancing to the old music, while simultaneously avoiding the creepy older men preying on the young drunk girls.

The next morning, I went out with the intention of making my way to Prague Castle. However, somehow I winded up getting a little off the beaten path and ended up in the middle of some grassy hills with a beautiful view of the city. After about an hour of frolicking around the grassy fields and reflecting on the humor of my situation, I realized that I was closer to Petrin Tower than I was to the castle, so I changed my plans and made my way to the tower. I ran up the hill, climbed up the tower, and finally got to take in the view of Prague that everyone had been raving about. Seeing the whole town from that perspective was really cool and I'm glad that my path led me there.

After getting my exercise for the day, Erin and I were finally reunited! Once she landed in Prague, we had less than 36 hours to make sure that she saw everything that Prague had to offer. We spent the day running around town from the Old Town Square to the John Lennon Wall and everywhere in between. On our way across the Charles Bridge, Erin and I asked these guys to take a picture of us and we ended up befriending them. At one point in the conversation, one of the guys whips out a bag with a bottle of some type of typical Prague alcohol in it from inside his jacket and asked if we wanted some. Now, study abroad lesson number one states that you should never take alcohol from a stranger - especially in a foreign country when there is a language barrier. So, realistically, we should have said no immediately, but these guys seemed harmless and we wanted to see what Prague had to offer so we said to hell with our intuitions and took a swig. As my mom would say, yolo - right?

After about eight hours of running around like chickens with our heads cut off, Erin and I passed by a little Thai spa that was offering massages and fish pedicures for a fairly decent price. After a minute or two of deliberation, the two of us decided that we deserved to treat ourselves to something relaxing and fun. I had always wanted to try the famous fish pedicure but never found anywhere that offered the service, so that is how I ended up with my feet in a tank full of flesh eating fish. It was quite an experience - to say the least - especially considering they put me in a display case in the front of the shop where passerby's would stop and stare at me - and take pictures! - as I sat on a bench with little fish attacking my feet. I guess now I know what it's like to live in the public eye?

The next day, Erin and I hit up some of the last major tourist attractions including the Dancing Building, the National Museum, and Jubilee Synagogue before ending our trip with some typical Prague food and drink of brats and brews. Just kidding, I got a hot dog and some cider, but close enough, right? However, since Prague is accredited to inventing beer and beer is legitimately cheaper than water, I did try their Pilsner beer. Now, usually I can manage to choke down a beer, but this beer was absolutely vile. I was quite disappointed that the place that invented beer didn't have anything better to offer.

All in all, this trip was definitely one of my favorites. First of all, I learned that if I were to pick up and move to a random country, Prague would probably be that country. The vibrant colors and friendly people made it impossible not to be happy - and I mean, the sunshine helped a bit too. It would be really easy to get immersed in the culture and feel at home even in the foreign place. Maybe later in life I will end up wandering off the beaten path into Prague's beauty again…

I also learned that traveling by yourself is really something. I don't think that it is for everyone, but it is a really cool experience if you can handle it. I really liked the freedom of being able to do whatever I want at whatever pace I wanted, but it was also a bit lonely at times. There is something about being able to turn to someone and share in admiring the beauty of something or laugh through the inevitable miscommunications that come with language barriers that you just don't get when you are by yourself. I am glad that I got to experience traveling all by myself, but I think I prefer traveling with someone else better.

With that being said, I have one last trip (where I will be on my own for a few days again) before it's back to the states for me! Here's to one last adventure in Amsterdam!

Ciao for now!

Sincerely yours,
Just Another Original