Alright folks... I have 14 days until I am actually setting foot into the GORGEOUS city of Prague. I cannot wait. Only sad thing about heading to the CR (for those that don't know--CR mean Czech Republic) is that half of my friends won't be in the country when I am there (well I'll be in the country for less than 24hrs before they leave). That's the only sad part about it. I will live, but I know it will probably be years before I see them again. That REALLY sucks.
ANYWAYS!... hehehehe... I'm SO excited. I have NO IDEA which cities I want to go visit, or if I want to spend more time in Greece than Italy, but then again I don't want to spend more time in one country than in the other because then what if country two is equally or more awesome than country number one. Ahhh... lol. It's difficult planning trips when you're the only traveling. You think it would be easier to plan trips when you're the only one, but when there are more people going then it's easier to make a majority decision. But, when you're traveling by yourself it's easier to ignore the voices in your head. lol
So far (and any input would be cool if anyone in the cyber universe would like to add anything) I'm thinking... I'm going to spend about a week or a week and a half in the CR visiting friends and family and "old, familiar places" and then I'll fly from Prague to Venice. Spend a few days in Venice, then train to Rome. Spend a few days in Rome. I can't decide if I want to train to the east coast of Italy, and ferry over to Greece, or if I want to fly from Rome to Athens. I would see more via the train/ferry/train route, but time (and money) would be saved by flying from Rome to Athens. Spend a few days in Athens. Check out Santorini or any of the other islands around there for a few days. Fly from Athens back to Prague. Then on July 21st I'll fly back to Raleigh/Durham and have to head back to reality.
I have no qualms with traveling by myself, but at the same time traveling is always more fun with at least one other person. I'm going to use couchsurfing.com to save some money on places to stay (free space on someone's couch as opposed to 20 Euros at a hostel... OK)! lol... I'm SO excited. There are so many things that I would love to do and so many places that I would love to go, but NOT ENOUGH TIME! I'm sure other travellers know EXACTLY what I'm talking about.
The count down has begun... 14 days. No idea where I'm going to go or for how long. No idea what I should take. lol. GREAT job at planning things, Sarah! lol
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
First Time
This is my first time using a blog like this. When I was in high school I had a blog on xanga.com, but that was just to keep friends and family apprised of my ventures around Europe and, more specifically, the Czech Republic. I wish I used a journal more, but, eventhough I have around 700092037452893659 journals, I can't find a way to make myself write in them everyday. I figure that if I have this blog then I might be able to write more frequently (now whether anyone will read it or not is a different story).
I find myself at an interesting place in my life right now. I am finishing up the last two classes required by my University in order to graduate and FINALLY earn my Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology. I love Anthropology. I love Psychology (which is my minor). I love school for that matter, but at the moment I am so burnt out that I have to... and I mean HAVE to take some time away from school. I have been in class since July 2007. July 2007, Fall 2007, Spring 2008, Summer Sessions I and II 2008, Fall 2008, Spring 2009, and now Summer Session I 2009. Talk about enough constant schooling to last you for a while. The longest breaks that I've had during this stint of crazed academia has been about three weeks from the end of Summer Session II to the start of the Fall semester.
I love school. I love learning. I am always learning. I will never stop learning, but there comes a time in one's life when you have to take your education on the road. You can't learn solely in a classroom setting. Now, I know that there are others that will contest what I've just written, but you can study something in a book for as long as you like but when it comes to actually putting your book knowledge to use in the "real world," or the world outside of the classroom, I can almost guarantee that you will find yourself lacking some crucial knowledge.
I say this because I feel that it is my time to step out of the classroom, at least for a little while, and learn from the world. I am heading to Europe again this summer (I was an exchange student in the Czech Republic my junior year of high school, 2003-2004). I am going to visit friends that I still have in the Czech Republic, and then hopefully I will be able to travel around to Italy and Greece at least. I will only be there from June 24th to July 21st. I have SO MANY travel plans, but not nearly enough time to do them in. It has been hard so far trying to pick out which three or four places in one country I go to visit in a week before heading on to the next country. Even harder than that was trying to decide which countries to go and visit in the first place!
After this upcoming month long adventure to Europe, I will probably start the application process for the Peace Corps. If I don't do the Peace Corps (which the only hard to grasp ideas with the Peace Corps is the length of time that I would be away from friends and family--I've done it for a year, but 27 months is a just a little bit longer than that), then I am going to look into taking classes to become certified as a massage therapists. Right now I work in a massage clinic (and no, we do not offer happy endings... lol). I know that I have always loved giving people massages, and getting them for that matter. I have massaged some of the therapists shoulders when they've been on break and they all say that I should go to school so that I can become certified and so that I can really learn techniques for massaging clients and friends. I don't know where I would like to go to school for massage therapy, but I'm thinking somewhere out of the country... Costa Rica? Europe somewhere? Australia? Who knows...
Back to the Peace Corps thing for a moment. If I decide to serve with the Peace Corps there are a few places that I have researched that look like I would really love to help out. Either Costa Rica, or some other Central or South American country; Africa (who wouldn't love to help out in Africa?!); or somewhere in the Pacific Realm--more specifically Vanuatu.
Right now, one thing that I am terrified of is growing old and looking back on my life and regretting not doing things that I thought about doing (the Peace Corps, massage therapy school in Costa Rica, etc) and having regrets about what could have been in my life. I want so badly to be the cooky, old lady that all of the neighborhood kids love because she's got an awesome house, cool masks inside from all over the world (almost like a fairy tale land inside her house because of all of the amazing things), and so many stories that you'll never hear the same one twice. That's what I would LOVE to end up as (in addition to having a family and a husband that loves me--what girl doesn't want that... ;-])
............................. Wow, my first time seems to be lasting a while on here. See, I told you that I need a journal. I have so many things running through my head that keeping them there causes confusion on what is being said, what is being thought, and what is strainging to be said but isn't because it would be "uncool" (wow, saying uncool just made me uncool...lol). OK, now that you are all (whoever is reading this, you are amazing for having made it this far) completely sure of my INSANITY (lol) I will leave you with a quote...
"If you cannot teach me to fly, teach me to sing." --Sir James Barrie
(Found at: http://www.geocities.com/athens/oracle/3772/aquote1.htm)
I find myself at an interesting place in my life right now. I am finishing up the last two classes required by my University in order to graduate and FINALLY earn my Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology. I love Anthropology. I love Psychology (which is my minor). I love school for that matter, but at the moment I am so burnt out that I have to... and I mean HAVE to take some time away from school. I have been in class since July 2007. July 2007, Fall 2007, Spring 2008, Summer Sessions I and II 2008, Fall 2008, Spring 2009, and now Summer Session I 2009. Talk about enough constant schooling to last you for a while. The longest breaks that I've had during this stint of crazed academia has been about three weeks from the end of Summer Session II to the start of the Fall semester.
I love school. I love learning. I am always learning. I will never stop learning, but there comes a time in one's life when you have to take your education on the road. You can't learn solely in a classroom setting. Now, I know that there are others that will contest what I've just written, but you can study something in a book for as long as you like but when it comes to actually putting your book knowledge to use in the "real world," or the world outside of the classroom, I can almost guarantee that you will find yourself lacking some crucial knowledge.
I say this because I feel that it is my time to step out of the classroom, at least for a little while, and learn from the world. I am heading to Europe again this summer (I was an exchange student in the Czech Republic my junior year of high school, 2003-2004). I am going to visit friends that I still have in the Czech Republic, and then hopefully I will be able to travel around to Italy and Greece at least. I will only be there from June 24th to July 21st. I have SO MANY travel plans, but not nearly enough time to do them in. It has been hard so far trying to pick out which three or four places in one country I go to visit in a week before heading on to the next country. Even harder than that was trying to decide which countries to go and visit in the first place!
After this upcoming month long adventure to Europe, I will probably start the application process for the Peace Corps. If I don't do the Peace Corps (which the only hard to grasp ideas with the Peace Corps is the length of time that I would be away from friends and family--I've done it for a year, but 27 months is a just a little bit longer than that), then I am going to look into taking classes to become certified as a massage therapists. Right now I work in a massage clinic (and no, we do not offer happy endings... lol). I know that I have always loved giving people massages, and getting them for that matter. I have massaged some of the therapists shoulders when they've been on break and they all say that I should go to school so that I can become certified and so that I can really learn techniques for massaging clients and friends. I don't know where I would like to go to school for massage therapy, but I'm thinking somewhere out of the country... Costa Rica? Europe somewhere? Australia? Who knows...
Back to the Peace Corps thing for a moment. If I decide to serve with the Peace Corps there are a few places that I have researched that look like I would really love to help out. Either Costa Rica, or some other Central or South American country; Africa (who wouldn't love to help out in Africa?!); or somewhere in the Pacific Realm--more specifically Vanuatu.
Right now, one thing that I am terrified of is growing old and looking back on my life and regretting not doing things that I thought about doing (the Peace Corps, massage therapy school in Costa Rica, etc) and having regrets about what could have been in my life. I want so badly to be the cooky, old lady that all of the neighborhood kids love because she's got an awesome house, cool masks inside from all over the world (almost like a fairy tale land inside her house because of all of the amazing things), and so many stories that you'll never hear the same one twice. That's what I would LOVE to end up as (in addition to having a family and a husband that loves me--what girl doesn't want that... ;-])
............................. Wow, my first time seems to be lasting a while on here. See, I told you that I need a journal. I have so many things running through my head that keeping them there causes confusion on what is being said, what is being thought, and what is strainging to be said but isn't because it would be "uncool" (wow, saying uncool just made me uncool...lol). OK, now that you are all (whoever is reading this, you are amazing for having made it this far) completely sure of my INSANITY (lol) I will leave you with a quote...
"If you cannot teach me to fly, teach me to sing." --Sir James Barrie
(Found at: http://www.geocities.com/athens/oracle/3772/aquote1.htm)
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