I thought that was an interesting phrasing… but isn’t it true?

Alas, my six weeks have come to a close and I am packing up shop tomorrow. I have changed my itinerary and added time in London, now I’m spending the most time in London. The Art History class I was taking inspired me to visit galleries to actually see the works we have discussed, but more on that later. I’m looking forward to my time in London; I actually like the British accent. Unlike in Australia, I haven’t gotten sick of it.

My travels are finally coming to a close. It feels like everything has changed. Thankfully, my friendships haven’t. My mom’s house burned down a couple of days ago. My sister and brother-in-law lived there and everybody lost everything, including our dear dog, Bobby. Such a tragedy. Who has fires anymore? It feels like such a prehistoric thing, but these things happen; however, you never expect them to happen to you. I’m so sad for my family. The only thing I lost was my iMac, my dear editing computer. Fortunately fire insurance should cover it. That house was the house I grew up in. Now it’s just gone. So bizarre. I didn’t really say goodbye, I just thought it would be there when I got back. Just like 750 in Boston, I expected to be back in May… things change.

Here is the schedule:

Cambridge > London > Cardiff > London > Edinburgh > Belfast > Dublin > USA

I’m ferrying over to Belfast from the south of Scotland. I’m excited about doing that; seems like a titanic adventure.

I asked someone for their e-mail address today and they told me that they didn’t have one. I was shocked; they are from France. The woman gave me her mailing address though, so I’m going to write her a letter. I like writing letters, but I don’t know how anyone can get by without an e-mail in modern society.

How can we tell who is getting by anyway?

Bye for now.

I am contently sitting in my Lagos bachelorette pad. At 15 euros a night, this place is a great deal. For its supreme location, compared to other cities, this price is really unheard of – it’s even good for Lagos. Wow, what a great deal. I was telling Allan that I did the math and living in some of the hostels I’ve been in would equate to around 400-500 euros a month-, which is great considering that it includes everything. I think if I went to school in Europe I might be tempted to live in a hostel, I’m half joking.

Lagos, thus far, has proved itself to be much more to my liking than Lisbon. It has beautiful weather during the day, and then cools down at night. Also, there are all sorts of great food deals- for example tonight for dinner I had fish, soup, salad, a beer, a water, and a scoop of ice cream, all for 7.50 euros. It was the best deal I found, and it actually tasted good too. The other night I had sardines, boiled potatoes and salad for 7 euros. The restaurant food is a great deal, but wait, it gets better. I went to the grocery store, where, I was able to buy 6 1.5 liters of water for 25 cents – and 5 apples for 75 cents. Can you believe that? I’ve never seen such brilliant prices, even in Mexico.

In addition to all of the great deals, I am very happy about the beautiful scenery. After this Euro-trip, I think, although I appreciate human made beauty, I most enjoy the wonders of nature. What it comes down to is that I just really love the beach. I can spend all day there, and be totally content. I’ve been spending my time at Praia de Dona Ana. It’s very beautiful, but the water is pretty chilly. It is not unbearable, but the water at Cascais near Lisbon was unbearable. It is just so cold, I swear after laying out and then hoping in the water, I saw steam rise from me. I am not the only one that found the water quite chilly, otherwise I would have thought that maybe I had been spoiled from the 4 months of warm Pacific waters I had grown accustom to this past “winter.”

Here are a some pictures from my day-time adventures:

Currently sitting in my hostel, with a sleeping French guy diagonally on top of me (I mean he’s on the top bunk next to me). Everyone else is downstairs hanging out in the lobby, I’ve done my share of that this week, and now I am here. Exploring the slue of websites I have accumulated over the years, I have come to realize that I really miss making videos; in any context. I wish I had brought stuff to edit, or my camera didn’t die, or my external hard drive wasn’t stolen. I guess my creative film odds were against me, like they were in Australia. Every camera I had broke while I was there, except for my most loyal techno-companion: the iphone. So it remains my most loyal techno-companion, I am knocking on every piece of wood I see, and I urge you to too (if anyone reads this??). I don’t really believe in the whole knocking on wood thing, but hell anything is better than nothing.

Tomorrow I am bussing south to Lagos. I am excited about it, for I plan on getting my tan on. I also want to bike around, and I have this vision of reading in the shade of gigantic ocean rocks on the beach; we’ll see if my vision comes true.

It is hard to believe that in exactly two weeks, I will be moved into Cambridge. Wow. Anxiously discussing these plans with my family and friends seems like it was just yesterday, but at the time the plans felt like they were years away. Time sneaks up on you and the predictions become the present almost faster than you had the ideas to begin with.

Traveling is not always easy. Right now I am having a weak moment. I am worried about the future, haunted by my past and thus having problems focusing on the present. A friend of mine had said some unsettling things to me the other day, and I have yet to be able to shake their sting from my soul. What is it they say, “sticks and stones…” such utter nonsense that is, I’d take the stones any day. Sometimes I find it difficult to realize all that I am, or try to be, while in a foreign country. It can get a little lonely on the road, and when these moments happen it can get difficult to remember that somewhere, not too far away, I belong to a community, a family, friends, a school; even though not many people know it here, but somewhere someone does know my name. When I feel lonely during a long train ride, I try to keep as many pictures as I can on my iPhone and I start paging through them. Seeing the smiling faces, the times that have passed, brings sunshine to the chill that loneliness can bring. I think about what my friend are doing now, and I think about the USA and how it is starting to become summer and how that always had meant something to me. It doesn’t really mean anything to me now, because I feel so far away from it all.

OK, so I’m not really surrounded by sombreros, and no nachos in these luggage worn hands. However, the combo of the blasting 80′s music and every waiter speaking perfect English. makes me think that I am at some kind of American ChiChis (although I think those waiters had accents) restaurant, in an American camping ground such as Mohican National Park.

It is all very funny, because I am not sitting at an American camp ground. No, no. I am also not sitting in an American restaurant. Actually, really, I am sitting in just 20 minutes outside of Rome, ITALY. Sometimes I feel like there are more “Americans” in foreign countries than there are “Americans” in America.

Sarah and I have decided to be economical on this trip to Rome and are staying at a cabin in a camping ground outside of Rome. Needless to say, it’s our first night here and it’s already a memorable experience. Just another “hostel” to add to my hostel resume. No complaints- after all- they say when in Rome do as the Romans do. I guess you can say we are doing just that.

The night of our goodbye party, I mentioned in conversation that it is a sad realization that “this is the closest we will all ever be again.” My friends and I from this trip will probably never be in such close proximity at the same time, and as close again emotionally. There are always exceptions to the rule, but it is unlikely and that is a sad realization. For, there are not many times in life where you grow close with people and know for a fact that this will be as close as you will ever be, I guess when certain friends are moving or you are leaving you always assume that you’ll have the chance to be close again because you’ve had them part of your life for so long. With study abroad it is a bit different than that.

I guess that is what makes studying abroad such a highly regarded experience: for a short while you experience what it is like to live and create a world in another country, with different friends, different foods and life-altering experiences. For the most part, all of these experiences and ways of life are temporary-, which in a sense romanticizes the whole thing. Already, I have a tendency with nostalgia only remembering the good and forgetting the bad—oh sweet memory. As I think about the times from Australia, I remember them with fondness and appreciation more and more.

My friends and I at our goodbye party

Maybe it was the high expectations that I had for this trip, or maybe it was just because I didn’t research all of my options before I arrived – Sydney was not my cup of tea.

When did I go?

Thursday, February 25, 2010.  Through Monday, March 1, 2010.

Who did I go with?

Steph and My. They have been mentioned in previous posts. They stayed with me there from February 25 through the 29^th.

How did we get there?

We flew Tiger Airlines and we booked about 3 weeks in advance. It cost $75 roundtrip, without checking a bag. Unfortunately, I needed to pay $50 each way at the airport to check a bag and thus ruined the initial good deal. Well, this was a lesson for me for the rest of my travels.

I had found the good deal using, webjet.com.au but if you book through webjet they charge you a $20 fee. So it is best to take the deal and book on the airline website. An elderly couple recommended this site as the go-to place to find the best flight deals in Australia. It has worked to be the best place to check first, and then go accordingly to avoid the fee. I don’t understand why webjet does add in that extra $20, maybe not all travelers notice the extra fee!

Although I have heard a lot of complaints about Tiger, my experiences with them have always been great. Definitely the best cheap airline I have flown in Australia.

Where did we stay?

Base Backpackers Sydney.

I’ve only stayed at Base in Sydney and in Brisbane. I loved the hostel in Brisbane, but the one in Sydney did not live up to speed. Although it is not the worst hostel I have stayed at, the receptionists were not very friendly and a bit uptight.

We stayed in their highly regarded Sanctuary rooms.

I quoted Base earlier in the semester, for they described this is how they described their sanctuary rooms:

“The Female only SANCTUARY DORM is for ladies who like to be pampered! 4 to 8 bed dorm, clean, modern and comfortable non smoking room comprising a luggage security locker for each person, wireless internet access (surcharge applies), security swipe card access with a 24 hour reception, heating and air-conditioning. The beds have feather pillows and doona and made up with fresh linen. The rooms are featured with full-length mirrors. Hairdryers, hair strengtheners and beauty kits are available for your use on request at reception. Rate is for 1 person in a single bunk bed in the dorm. Fantastic price for that extra bit of luxury in a fantastic location, close to all the action in the heart of Sydney.”

Well, the sanctuary was not like that. They did have some random shampoos and conditioners, but it didn’t even appear to be ours because they were just stacked on the desk as if they belonged to one of the other backpackers in our room.

The room had a comfy bed and nice sheets, but the AC didn’t work that well. The floor looked like it could use a good vacuum. Their description really is a bit outrageous for what it is, but what can you expect for a hostel.

It WAS, however, in the best location possible. It is located right around the corner from St. George ST. where all of the action is.

Overall I’d give this hostel a C+. I did have one particularly bad incident with them while I was leaving, which knocked them from getting a B.

A day before my departure I decided to go ahead and book the shuttle to the airport for $15. When I booked it, the women at the counter wrote down my name and had a receipt of my purchase and a copy of my ticket number. When I checked out, I must have left the paper in the room and it got thrown out. I went back upstairs in an attempt to try and find it. I go back downstairs to explain to the receptionists about the dilemma and they replied coolly, “Oh yes, you’ll just have to buy another ticket.” I didn’t understand why that would be the case since they had written down my information, and asked, “Why would I have to do that if you have it written down in your book?” They told me that because the ticket is not tied to me, I could have sold it to somebody else. I told them that that wasn’t the case and that I didn’t understand their policy. Then they proceed to tell me that it is like buying a shirt a store, if you lose the shirt then it’s your own fault for losing the shirt. Well, really it isn’t the same as losing a shirt. This is a ticket for a seat on a bus. The bus fills up, they wrote down my name in regard to the ticket. They were very rude and handled the situation very poorly. I left the hostel with a very bad taste in my mouth.

Frustrated, I decided to go to a café nearby and call the people who actually drive the shuttle. They told me that it was not a problem, that they did have me down on their list and that I could get on the shuttle without the ticket. This just goes to show you that Base simply was being non-negotiable without a reason.

What did we do?

Thursday night:

It was late so we decided to check out the bar at the hostel. It was called The Scary Canary. A lively place, a lot of fellow backpackers were there

Friday:

My insisted upon going to a Vietnamese restaurant in Star City (the Sydney casino), but before we left she did not know exactly where it was so we spent a good 45 minutes wandering around for it. At the time it was not a lot of fun, but in hindsight it wasn’t that bad. We ended up getting to the restaurant, the name of which escapes me, and of course it was not open yet. So we just sat around the casino waiting for the place to open. It was a bit pricey but the meal I ordered was quiet delicious.

Afterward we met up with Stephanie and we made our way to the Opera House. We did not go for a tour, but just took pictures outside of it. They were too lazy to walk inside with me, but I went in and checked it out. It was beautiful. I wish I would have taken a tour, but I plan on being back someday.  Visiting the Opera House was one of my favorite parts of the trip; it was really cool to see such a monumental sight in real life.

We then took pictures in front of the Sydney Bridge.

Leigh and Kim traveled with the school to Sydney, and because they were on a guided tour they were not able to hang out with us at their leisure. I did meet up with them later in the night; we went to a bar called scubar.

Saturday:

We went shopping and I found a great shirt and pair of shoes for a total of $25. I also bought some souvenirs for my friends and myself. We each bought an Australia jacket for $13 each.

That night we made it our way to a place to indulge in our first experience with eating kangaroo. It was delicious, like steak but more tender.

After dinner it was time to go check out Sydney’s huge GLBT mardi gras celebration. It was a lot of fun and reminded me of Boston Pride. I could not believe how many people were there.

Sunday:

I made my way to Bondi Beach. I really was un-impressed by Australia’s most recognized beach. I guess the beautiful beaches of the Gold Coast have spoiled me, for as far as looks were concerned, it was not very beautiful. There were a lot of cameras on the beach and a good amount of people, I could not figure out what was going on.

After I was done taking pictures, I decided to walk along the shore and finally settle to sit down for a bit under the overcast skies. I could not have been sitting for more than about 5 minutes when my day dreams were suddenly interrupted by the intercom, “Everybody please evacuate the beach, a tsunami will be hitting the shore in about 12 minutes.” I could not believe my ears, and my heart started to beat wildly as my mind was racing. As an American, tsunamis have never been much of a worry for me. Thus, when I heard the intercom I thought I was done for. People did start scurrying off, muttering to each other and looking around. I started to get nervous. I meandered through the crowds to what I decided would be a good altitude to watch and be safe. Along the way I met a woman who had been in the Thailand tsunami, and she summed up her experience as being pure hell. Well, I decided to get my video camera out and said a brief goodbye to mom and dad and my other relatives and friends. Then, I decided to go ahead and film it – I mean CNN would buy this tape afterwards… If I survived, right??   Well, I waited a good hour and nothing happened. So, I shrugged off my CNN debut and made my way through the various beach shops and restaurants. A personal favorite that I crossed was, “Gabby’s Café.” I didn’t remember opening a café in Sydney, but I guess other people do have my name.

Monday:

That was when I had my lovely argument with Base Backpackers. I decided to have breakfast at a café nearby. I spent the day working on the homework I had due on Tuesday and caught my flight at around 3:30 PM.

I don’t understand why Internet is so hard to come by in Australia. The only airport I’ve been to with free Internet was incidentally in Darwin. The rest try to charge you an insane amount like $25 for the hour. Crickey, let’s get a technology update mates!