Work is boring.
Discuss!
Friday, November 30, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Much-delayed Update
Wow, it's been a really long time. I'm really sorry for anyone who got annoyed with the lack of updates. I've been really busy with school and travel and everything.
So when I left off I was about to go to Ireland.
Ireland was really really great. I went to Dublin, Galway, Sligo, Derry, and Belfast. The theme of the trip was Irish Literature, so many of the places we visited were related to some Irish author or another. Dublin was by far my favorite of all the places we went. It's such a lively, young city that it's hard to not fall in love with it. We began and ended our trip there, so I got to visit it twice, in a way. While there we visited the Book of Kells (at Trinity College) and the Dublin Writer's Museum, the James Joyce Tower/Museum, as well as the Guinness factory. My favorite day, however, was the free day we had. During that day I visited both major churches as well as the national museum and this small museum called "Dublinia" (I think), which was a rip-off (unless you have kids, who may enjoy it more than I did). I also go the chance to walk along the canal (which was amazingly beautiful with all of the fall colors, etc) and eat Chinese food (it's been a while, I miss it a TON). Another place that stood out on the trip was the Northern Coast, with the Giant's Causeway. The scenery is so beautiful, if you have a chance to rent a car and drive along it I think that would be a very interesting and enjoyable trip. I also had a unique experience in that our class got to meet Ivan Cooper. If any of you don't know who he is (I have to admit I was not familiar with him before preparing for this trip), he is a politician/activist from Northern Ireland. He planned the peaceful protest that turned into Bloody Sunday. It was incredible to see him talk about how that day got out of hand and how he still greatly believes in the powers of peaceful resistance. After the official talk, I and several other classmates (as well as our professor) got the chance to speak with him over drinks in the hotel bar. It was really interesting to get so many different perspectives in various current social issues. Our table had two Irishmen, one American, one Ecuadorian, one Slovenian and one Indian. This was the kind of experience that seems to be typical of the Academic Travel program here.
After this amazing trip, there were a few hectic weeks of various projects, papers, tests and readings to be done. I guess that isn't the greatest excuse, but you'll have to bear with me, as it's all I have...
Then along came Thanksgiving break. I went to Romania! Specifically, I flew into Bucharest, stayed overnight there, took a train the following day to Brasov where I stayed the night and returned to Bucharest for the next day/night, leaving the following morning. Romania is quite different from anything I've ever experienced before. This is not to say that it was a bad experience. It was actually really great and interesting. It's just hard to get used to at first. Bucharest feels very much like a soviet city still (I think it's mostly because of the architecture, but also it was very gray and foggy the days we were there). There are lots and lots of stray dogs, but they were harmless (at least to us); one even "lead" us to the bus station when we were a bit unsure of where we were going. The second time we were there we visited the Palace of Parliament which was insanely huge (it's the second biggest building in the world after the Pentagon). I wish I knew more Romanian history, it would have made the trip much more interesting/informative. The last night in Romania we went to the opera (and payed about $3.50 for the tickets, I might add). The show was "Samson and Delila", and it was quite good. Brasov is amazing and quite pretty. While in Brasov we took the bus to Bran Castle (supposedly "Dracula's Castle"). It was a pretty little castle, but kind of a waste of time. Unfortunately Peles Castle (another palace located near to Brasov that is supposedly very pretty and worth a visit) is closed the month of November, so we didn't get to go there. The city itself was interesting because it is a medieval city, with walls, gates, towers and all. It's a nice place to walk around and our hostel was really great. If anyone were to ask me about what to do in Romania, I would tell them to focus more on Brasov and that area; Bucharest is nice for a day or two, but no more.
So that's what I've been up to! Pictures will be posted on Flickr at some point, I'll keep you posted...
So when I left off I was about to go to Ireland.
Ireland was really really great. I went to Dublin, Galway, Sligo, Derry, and Belfast. The theme of the trip was Irish Literature, so many of the places we visited were related to some Irish author or another. Dublin was by far my favorite of all the places we went. It's such a lively, young city that it's hard to not fall in love with it. We began and ended our trip there, so I got to visit it twice, in a way. While there we visited the Book of Kells (at Trinity College) and the Dublin Writer's Museum, the James Joyce Tower/Museum, as well as the Guinness factory. My favorite day, however, was the free day we had. During that day I visited both major churches as well as the national museum and this small museum called "Dublinia" (I think), which was a rip-off (unless you have kids, who may enjoy it more than I did). I also go the chance to walk along the canal (which was amazingly beautiful with all of the fall colors, etc) and eat Chinese food (it's been a while, I miss it a TON). Another place that stood out on the trip was the Northern Coast, with the Giant's Causeway. The scenery is so beautiful, if you have a chance to rent a car and drive along it I think that would be a very interesting and enjoyable trip. I also had a unique experience in that our class got to meet Ivan Cooper. If any of you don't know who he is (I have to admit I was not familiar with him before preparing for this trip), he is a politician/activist from Northern Ireland. He planned the peaceful protest that turned into Bloody Sunday. It was incredible to see him talk about how that day got out of hand and how he still greatly believes in the powers of peaceful resistance. After the official talk, I and several other classmates (as well as our professor) got the chance to speak with him over drinks in the hotel bar. It was really interesting to get so many different perspectives in various current social issues. Our table had two Irishmen, one American, one Ecuadorian, one Slovenian and one Indian. This was the kind of experience that seems to be typical of the Academic Travel program here.
After this amazing trip, there were a few hectic weeks of various projects, papers, tests and readings to be done. I guess that isn't the greatest excuse, but you'll have to bear with me, as it's all I have...
Then along came Thanksgiving break. I went to Romania! Specifically, I flew into Bucharest, stayed overnight there, took a train the following day to Brasov where I stayed the night and returned to Bucharest for the next day/night, leaving the following morning. Romania is quite different from anything I've ever experienced before. This is not to say that it was a bad experience. It was actually really great and interesting. It's just hard to get used to at first. Bucharest feels very much like a soviet city still (I think it's mostly because of the architecture, but also it was very gray and foggy the days we were there). There are lots and lots of stray dogs, but they were harmless (at least to us); one even "lead" us to the bus station when we were a bit unsure of where we were going. The second time we were there we visited the Palace of Parliament which was insanely huge (it's the second biggest building in the world after the Pentagon). I wish I knew more Romanian history, it would have made the trip much more interesting/informative. The last night in Romania we went to the opera (and payed about $3.50 for the tickets, I might add). The show was "Samson and Delila", and it was quite good. Brasov is amazing and quite pretty. While in Brasov we took the bus to Bran Castle (supposedly "Dracula's Castle"). It was a pretty little castle, but kind of a waste of time. Unfortunately Peles Castle (another palace located near to Brasov that is supposedly very pretty and worth a visit) is closed the month of November, so we didn't get to go there. The city itself was interesting because it is a medieval city, with walls, gates, towers and all. It's a nice place to walk around and our hostel was really great. If anyone were to ask me about what to do in Romania, I would tell them to focus more on Brasov and that area; Bucharest is nice for a day or two, but no more.
So that's what I've been up to! Pictures will be posted on Flickr at some point, I'll keep you posted...
Monday, October 15, 2007
Pictures!
Here is the link to my Flickr account (which I will also put in the links list, but I'm just highlighting it here so you are aware of it existence). I will try to post as many pictures as I can, but I'm waiting until Ireland to post any more because I don't want to go over my limit. Enjoy!
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Ireland
Soooooo....a much delayed update.
I leave for Ireland for about 10-ish days on Monday. This should be interesting. We're going all around the country, both Ireland and Northern Ireland. I'm really excited, as I've always wanted to go to Ireland.
It's midterms week here so that's stressful. I really want the midterm I took on Monday back but I haven't gotten it yet so I'm really nervous about that. Overall school is going pretty well, though the transition from high school to college is a lot bigger than they tell you in high school. Mostly it's my fault, as I never studied in high school and you can't not study in college. You just can't.
The last couple of weekends have been spent in the area, going to various festivals (in Lugano and Mendrisio) and making/editing a movie for my seminar class about going to Italy (about 20 minutes away). Nothing super exciting, but interesting and fun all the same. This weekend should be much the same, plus more cleaning and packing for Ireland.
That's all I have to say at the moment.
I leave for Ireland for about 10-ish days on Monday. This should be interesting. We're going all around the country, both Ireland and Northern Ireland. I'm really excited, as I've always wanted to go to Ireland.
It's midterms week here so that's stressful. I really want the midterm I took on Monday back but I haven't gotten it yet so I'm really nervous about that. Overall school is going pretty well, though the transition from high school to college is a lot bigger than they tell you in high school. Mostly it's my fault, as I never studied in high school and you can't not study in college. You just can't.
The last couple of weekends have been spent in the area, going to various festivals (in Lugano and Mendrisio) and making/editing a movie for my seminar class about going to Italy (about 20 minutes away). Nothing super exciting, but interesting and fun all the same. This weekend should be much the same, plus more cleaning and packing for Ireland.
That's all I have to say at the moment.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Video Post # 1
Instead of reading my writing, I present to you several videos with my explanation/commentary.
Protests
Many of you are probably aware of the protests in Myanmar (Burma), where monks (and other citizens) are protesting their military government. In searching for videos to portray this, I stumbled upon this, hopefully it will shed some insight onto the concept of protests around the world in general. It's kind of old (September 10), so I thought I would also include a short video of what the protests are like now, as there are many more than 30 people protesting at the moment:
Romania
Thanksgiving is right around the corner (kind of, but not really...) and plans are being made for the three days we have off. Right now it's looking like Romania might be a good option. Therefore I post this kind of creepy, government-produced seven minute video on Romania.
Trigger Happy TV
I have to give the credit for finding this to a friend, however this is one of the best "prank" TV shows I have ever seen. It's from the UK, and apparently they do all sorts of weird things, many involving animal costumes. This, however, is one of my favorites:
And that's your video post for the day.
Protests
Many of you are probably aware of the protests in Myanmar (Burma), where monks (and other citizens) are protesting their military government. In searching for videos to portray this, I stumbled upon this, hopefully it will shed some insight onto the concept of protests around the world in general. It's kind of old (September 10), so I thought I would also include a short video of what the protests are like now, as there are many more than 30 people protesting at the moment:
Romania
Thanksgiving is right around the corner (kind of, but not really...) and plans are being made for the three days we have off. Right now it's looking like Romania might be a good option. Therefore I post this kind of creepy, government-produced seven minute video on Romania.
Trigger Happy TV
I have to give the credit for finding this to a friend, however this is one of the best "prank" TV shows I have ever seen. It's from the UK, and apparently they do all sorts of weird things, many involving animal costumes. This, however, is one of my favorites:
And that's your video post for the day.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Zurich
A couple of weekends ago two friends and I went to Zurich for the weekend. It was our first self-planned and solo trip, but we made surprisingly few mistakes. We left really early on Saturday morning (our train left Lugano at 6:30am) and the train ride took about three hours. The scenery was quite amazing.
Arriving in the Zurich train station was a bit overwhelming because we (or at least I) had no sense of direction about the place. Upon finding our (rather bad but cheap) hotel, we wandered around and explored our area of Zurich (stopping by a Starbucks along the way - lame I know but whatever). We saw the flea market and took a boat tour of the lake. We saw the big churches (Grossmunster and Fraumunster) and did various other tourist-y things.
Pictures!
(I'm having trouble posting pictures directly on the blog, so my Facebook album will have to suffice for now, hopefully I can work things out soon...)
Arriving in the Zurich train station was a bit overwhelming because we (or at least I) had no sense of direction about the place. Upon finding our (rather bad but cheap) hotel, we wandered around and explored our area of Zurich (stopping by a Starbucks along the way - lame I know but whatever). We saw the flea market and took a boat tour of the lake. We saw the big churches (Grossmunster and Fraumunster) and did various other tourist-y things.
Pictures!
(I'm having trouble posting pictures directly on the blog, so my Facebook album will have to suffice for now, hopefully I can work things out soon...)
Monday, September 10, 2007
Adjusting
It's the little things that get me here.
School is in English, and I speak in English with my friends, so when we go out in Lugano it's strange to be struggling so hard to get what we need. Yet my Italian is improving day by day (even though it is extremely limited, but whatever). I'm really glad I took that continuing ed course this summer, it's come in quite handy since I got here. I find myself asking almost everyone I meet if they understand English or French. It's a struggle.
Last weekend we went to Bellinzona for the wine festival, but we ended up spending most of our time on the castles, which were incredible. Again, everything is such a hike here. I feel like I've lost some weight since getting here just because of the crazy hills that need to be scaled on an almost daily basis (though I live "up the hill", meaning that I don't have a really difficult walk ahead of me every morning, like those that live "down the hill").
Next weekend we're going to Zurich, which should be really exciting. If any of you have been there, any ideas for things to see would be nice, though we already have some ideas....
I also solved my phone issues and just bought a cheap but nice Swiss phone (I have Swisscom, if anyone is interested). I can receive calls from the US for free (for me, at least), so if you don't mind spending a bit of money, you can call me!
The best things that have happened to me since I've arrived here have been spontaneous.
School is in English, and I speak in English with my friends, so when we go out in Lugano it's strange to be struggling so hard to get what we need. Yet my Italian is improving day by day (even though it is extremely limited, but whatever). I'm really glad I took that continuing ed course this summer, it's come in quite handy since I got here. I find myself asking almost everyone I meet if they understand English or French. It's a struggle.
Last weekend we went to Bellinzona for the wine festival, but we ended up spending most of our time on the castles, which were incredible. Again, everything is such a hike here. I feel like I've lost some weight since getting here just because of the crazy hills that need to be scaled on an almost daily basis (though I live "up the hill", meaning that I don't have a really difficult walk ahead of me every morning, like those that live "down the hill").
Next weekend we're going to Zurich, which should be really exciting. If any of you have been there, any ideas for things to see would be nice, though we already have some ideas....
I also solved my phone issues and just bought a cheap but nice Swiss phone (I have Swisscom, if anyone is interested). I can receive calls from the US for free (for me, at least), so if you don't mind spending a bit of money, you can call me!
The best things that have happened to me since I've arrived here have been spontaneous.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Blues to Bop and other musings...
So. Blues to Bop is this weekend. This reminds me of the last four years of my life, playing jazz. I never thought I'd say it (or write it, as the case may be) but i really do miss playing my trombone. Well, it's not so much the trombone itself, but the feeling I would get when playing jazz. I was never that great at it, but it was so much fun to just be there and play with all the other people who were happy to be there. Hopefully I'll be able to regain just a little bit of that feeling at Blues to Bop, though it's not the same to just watch it as opposed to actually participate in it.
In other news, cellphone shopping tomorrow! So excited. Also, IKEA for the first time yesterday. I bought a cute little plant (along with stuff I actually need). I think I'm finally realizing how much money is actually worth. Wow.
In other news, cellphone shopping tomorrow! So excited. Also, IKEA for the first time yesterday. I bought a cute little plant (along with stuff I actually need). I think I'm finally realizing how much money is actually worth. Wow.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Hello from Switzerland!
Hello all!
Sorry for the delay in updates, but life has been quite a bit more busy than previously anticipated. Being introduced to a different country PLUS starting college involves quite a bit of work.
Anyway, everything is going quite smoothly, considering. When we arrived in Lugano it was raining, and it continued to rain for the next day and a half, which was disappointing. But when the sun finally came out, the view was amazing. I will post pictures soon (I'm in a computer lab without my camera at the moment), but let's just say that the view from my balcony is more than the average college student could even dream of seeing outside their window every morning.
I have done many things since arriving, some more interesting than others. The most interesting were hiking Mt. San Salvatore and the tour of Lugano. I was told that the hike was pretty easy, but trust me: it isn't. I was dying by the end of it, but the view was incredible. Unless you're a big hiker, just stick to taking the Funi up and maybe hiking down (if you have fairly strong knees, as the stairs are quite large).
Lugano is quite beautiful, and it's nice to be somewhere where "the lake" is a direction (like in Milwaukee). I haven't had time to really explore it further, nor have I been able to take any pictures, but I will, I'm sure.
Something to keep in mind if you ever plan a trip: Lugano and, I think, Switzerland in general, are very outdoors-y places. Plan to spend a lot of time walking up lots of hills (I mean real hills, not the sad Wisconsin version of a hill).
Sorry for the delay in updates, but life has been quite a bit more busy than previously anticipated. Being introduced to a different country PLUS starting college involves quite a bit of work.
Anyway, everything is going quite smoothly, considering. When we arrived in Lugano it was raining, and it continued to rain for the next day and a half, which was disappointing. But when the sun finally came out, the view was amazing. I will post pictures soon (I'm in a computer lab without my camera at the moment), but let's just say that the view from my balcony is more than the average college student could even dream of seeing outside their window every morning.
I have done many things since arriving, some more interesting than others. The most interesting were hiking Mt. San Salvatore and the tour of Lugano. I was told that the hike was pretty easy, but trust me: it isn't. I was dying by the end of it, but the view was incredible. Unless you're a big hiker, just stick to taking the Funi up and maybe hiking down (if you have fairly strong knees, as the stairs are quite large).
Lugano is quite beautiful, and it's nice to be somewhere where "the lake" is a direction (like in Milwaukee). I haven't had time to really explore it further, nor have I been able to take any pictures, but I will, I'm sure.
Something to keep in mind if you ever plan a trip: Lugano and, I think, Switzerland in general, are very outdoors-y places. Plan to spend a lot of time walking up lots of hills (I mean real hills, not the sad Wisconsin version of a hill).
Monday, August 20, 2007
This is it
This is it: my last post from Tosa before I begin my "great adventure".
I will post details of how everything went when I next get the chance (Tuesday or Wednesday, probably).
I will miss everybody terribly (and I already do), but hopefully this will help people to miss me less and give me a place to vent whatever homesickness I will feel.
Wish me luck!
I will post details of how everything went when I next get the chance (Tuesday or Wednesday, probably).
I will miss everybody terribly (and I already do), but hopefully this will help people to miss me less and give me a place to vent whatever homesickness I will feel.
Wish me luck!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
