Saturday, May 23, 2009
GOLDEN MAN!
The team arrives in Astana. I slept the whole way. It is 5am here. This city is amazing. All the major buildings, actually all the buildings, have been put up in the last 10 years. Before that the city was just a potato farming community. Now it has sky scrapers and Golden Man.
The first day we visit some museums and take a look around the city. Nothing to funny happened.
I am put to work on Monday. Once work starts there is not really any excitement. We go out to eat. I am tricked into thinking I ate horse meat. Thank goodness I didn't.
The funniest thing that occurred was on Tuesday. We all go bowling. J sees it as a good group building exercise. One of my teammates, we will call him R, says he has never bowled before. No big deal. I am up first. I get all nervous and roll two gutter balls. Dang it. R is after me. He finds the heaviest bowling ball the place has. Picks it up and raises it above his head. R then proceeds to move the bowling ball in giant circles above his head and runs full speed at the lane. He more or less shot puts the ball down the alley. I can't remember how many pins he hit because I was doubled over from laughing so hard. R turns around laughing and gives me the thumbs up and we high five. R's next time up he dances with the ball before hurling it down the lane. Every time he gets up he has a new move. During one of his performances he is so into it that as he lets go of the ball he slips and fall face first on to the ground! It didn't bother him at all because that throw got him his first strike! I do not think I have ever had so much fun or laughed so hard.
The funniest thing that occurred was on Tuesday. We all go bowling. J sees it as a good group building exercise. One of my teammates, we will call him R, says he has never bowled before. No big deal. I am up first. I get all nervous and roll two gutter balls. Dang it. R is after me. He finds the heaviest bowling ball the place has. Picks it up and raises it above his head. R then proceeds to move the bowling ball in giant circles above his head and runs full speed at the lane. He more or less shot puts the ball down the alley. I can't remember how many pins he hit because I was doubled over from laughing so hard. R turns around laughing and gives me the thumbs up and we high five. R's next time up he dances with the ball before hurling it down the lane. Every time he gets up he has a new move. During one of his performances he is so into it that as he lets go of the ball he slips and fall face first on to the ground! It didn't bother him at all because that throw got him his first strike! I do not think I have ever had so much fun or laughed so hard.
Golden Man is some guy that died in Kazakhstan a long time ago. The picture above shows what he was buried in. He has no ties to Kazakhstan other than being buried here, but he is everywhere. There are tons of statues of him all over the city standing on a tiger. I don’t get it.
Someone On Our Team Almost Goes To Jail
We arrive in Vienna. I am on no sleep. We have a twelve hour layover. I am excited about grabbing some shut eye. Instead the group decides to go for a walk about and grab some lunch. Then we would come back to the airport and have a nap with a full belly. Sounds good to me.
We take the train into the city. J says that he has been to Vienna tons of times and takes the lead. We walk around and look at some buildings and statues. After about an hour the group realizes that J has no idea where we are or where we are going. We are lost. We ask for directions and I think that the people in that city were screwing with us because they would always tell us different ways. The map we had did not have individual street names. It was a subway map. After walking for, no joke, 3 hours we arrive at the area in Vienna that J wanted us to see. We walked all that way to see a church. Are you kidding me! We came here for this!? I put on a good face and go inside and prayed that the group would want to go back to the airport soon. We visit 3 or 4 more churches. If I wasn't so tired I am sure I would have appreciated them more. For lunch we stop for at a cafe for some coffee. I wolf down some small sandwich they had on the menu.
J says that we really should go see the rose garden. Vienna is famous for it. I am starting to think this guy is crazy. We head off in the direction J thinks is the rose garden. Along the way we come across the Vienna Spanish Riding School. This place looks cool. If we had stayed the weekend here I would have made someone come with me to see it. We keep walking around the building. Out of the corner of my eye I spot the stables where they keep some of the horses. There were giant windows for people to look into the main area of the stables. There was also two giant french doors. One of the doors were open. I was not sure if this was on purpose of if someone had just forgotten to shut the door. B walks straight through the doors and starts getting close to the horses and checking them out. I am not sure he is suppose to be in there. The rest of the group, including myself, stay on the outside and watch B walk around the stables. All of the sudden we hear a bunch of noise behind us. There are 6 men coming our way with horses. It looks as though they just finished practicing with them. Oh no. B is about to get in trouble. The first two guys enter the stable with their horses and don’t notice B. The third guy sees him right away. He starts scream at B! B is totally shock. I can barely stand from laughing so hard.
We find the rose garden. There are hardly any roses in bloom. It is still too early. I sit on a bench to rest my feet while J goes around and smells the roses that are in bloom. The thing I did notice is that all of the birds in Vienna are freaking huge! The pigeons look like little piglets. The crows are so massive I am astonish they can even make it off the ground.
We convince J to take us back to the airport. The whole group has seen enough of Vienna. We get lost on our way back to the train. J says "Put me in the woods and I can find anything. Put me in a city and I get lost in two seconds." He is not joking. We find a police officer and ask him where the train to the airport. He informs us that we are on the totally opposite side of Vienna. We tar and feather J.
We arrive back at the airport with 4 hours to spare. I decide to stay away and just sleep on the plane.
We take the train into the city. J says that he has been to Vienna tons of times and takes the lead. We walk around and look at some buildings and statues. After about an hour the group realizes that J has no idea where we are or where we are going. We are lost. We ask for directions and I think that the people in that city were screwing with us because they would always tell us different ways. The map we had did not have individual street names. It was a subway map. After walking for, no joke, 3 hours we arrive at the area in Vienna that J wanted us to see. We walked all that way to see a church. Are you kidding me! We came here for this!? I put on a good face and go inside and prayed that the group would want to go back to the airport soon. We visit 3 or 4 more churches. If I wasn't so tired I am sure I would have appreciated them more. For lunch we stop for at a cafe for some coffee. I wolf down some small sandwich they had on the menu.
J says that we really should go see the rose garden. Vienna is famous for it. I am starting to think this guy is crazy. We head off in the direction J thinks is the rose garden. Along the way we come across the Vienna Spanish Riding School. This place looks cool. If we had stayed the weekend here I would have made someone come with me to see it. We keep walking around the building. Out of the corner of my eye I spot the stables where they keep some of the horses. There were giant windows for people to look into the main area of the stables. There was also two giant french doors. One of the doors were open. I was not sure if this was on purpose of if someone had just forgotten to shut the door. B walks straight through the doors and starts getting close to the horses and checking them out. I am not sure he is suppose to be in there. The rest of the group, including myself, stay on the outside and watch B walk around the stables. All of the sudden we hear a bunch of noise behind us. There are 6 men coming our way with horses. It looks as though they just finished practicing with them. Oh no. B is about to get in trouble. The first two guys enter the stable with their horses and don’t notice B. The third guy sees him right away. He starts scream at B! B is totally shock. I can barely stand from laughing so hard.
We find the rose garden. There are hardly any roses in bloom. It is still too early. I sit on a bench to rest my feet while J goes around and smells the roses that are in bloom. The thing I did notice is that all of the birds in Vienna are freaking huge! The pigeons look like little piglets. The crows are so massive I am astonish they can even make it off the ground.
We convince J to take us back to the airport. The whole group has seen enough of Vienna. We get lost on our way back to the train. J says "Put me in the woods and I can find anything. Put me in a city and I get lost in two seconds." He is not joking. We find a police officer and ask him where the train to the airport. He informs us that we are on the totally opposite side of Vienna. We tar and feather J.
We arrive back at the airport with 4 hours to spare. I decide to stay away and just sleep on the plane.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Why does no one wear shoes on a plane?
I get to the airport and go to get my tickets and check my luggage. The lady at the counter says that we have a full flight and she will have to weigh my carry on. It is 3lbs to heavy. I have to check my carry on. I tried to plan my luggage so that if my checked bag gets lost I will still have back up clothes in my carry on that can last me one or two days. Now I am screwed. All I take on the plane is my cell phone and a laptop.
I am kind of excited to see if both pieces of luggage make it. If they lose both I will be shopping for a new suit in Kazakhstan.
The plane is huge, three rows. Two seats on the sides and three seats in the middle. I get an aisle seat in the middle and it is in the emergency row. I have no seats in front of me just a wall. Tons of leg room. This flight is going to be a cake walk. Then I see her, and her baby. They plop down right beside me. We have not even shut the door to the plane before the baby starts to cry. The mom, a German woman in her early twenties who speaks no English, tries to console the baby. It is not working. So she goes ahead and starts to breast feed the child! Really. I am sitting right here!
We take off. It is just me and the German mom in our row so she moves to the other isle seat. Once the seat belt sign has been turned off a flight attendant appears with a crib that attaches to the wall in front of us. Goodbye leg room. The German mom gets up and tries to arrange the crib comfortably for the baby but she doesn't have enough hands. She hands the baby to me. Awesome. I am holding this baby at arm’s reach hoping that she doesn't get sick at that exact moment. The baby and I stare at each other while the mom works on the crib. I try to make the baby smile by making funny faces but I don't think she got my English humor. She just kept staring at me and gives me weird looks. Once the crib is set up to the mother's liking she put the little baby in it. The baby hates it. It won’t stop crying while in the crib. The total amount of time that baby spent in the crib was about 30 minutes.
For the rest of the flight all the other little kids on the plane, there must have been about 20, stopped by to see and touch the baby. For the majority of them this meant that they had to crawl over me. Where are these kid’s parents? Why are they letting their children run up and down the aisle and why do they think it is okay to let their children crawl all over me?
As it gets later in the flight the hooligans come by less and less. I finally am able to lye back and close my eyes. Only 3 more hours to go. Right as I am drifting off to sleep the baby wakes up and starts to cry.
This is pretty much how I spent my nine hour flight. Holding a little German baby while her mom ate or went to the bathroom, had little kids crawling all over me, and when I wasn't doing either of these I was listen to the baby whale or staring the other direction while his mother feed him. I got no sleep.
I took a picture of the mom and her baby but I have it on my phone. I am not going to be able to post it until I get back into the states. Sorry.
I am kind of excited to see if both pieces of luggage make it. If they lose both I will be shopping for a new suit in Kazakhstan.
The plane is huge, three rows. Two seats on the sides and three seats in the middle. I get an aisle seat in the middle and it is in the emergency row. I have no seats in front of me just a wall. Tons of leg room. This flight is going to be a cake walk. Then I see her, and her baby. They plop down right beside me. We have not even shut the door to the plane before the baby starts to cry. The mom, a German woman in her early twenties who speaks no English, tries to console the baby. It is not working. So she goes ahead and starts to breast feed the child! Really. I am sitting right here!
We take off. It is just me and the German mom in our row so she moves to the other isle seat. Once the seat belt sign has been turned off a flight attendant appears with a crib that attaches to the wall in front of us. Goodbye leg room. The German mom gets up and tries to arrange the crib comfortably for the baby but she doesn't have enough hands. She hands the baby to me. Awesome. I am holding this baby at arm’s reach hoping that she doesn't get sick at that exact moment. The baby and I stare at each other while the mom works on the crib. I try to make the baby smile by making funny faces but I don't think she got my English humor. She just kept staring at me and gives me weird looks. Once the crib is set up to the mother's liking she put the little baby in it. The baby hates it. It won’t stop crying while in the crib. The total amount of time that baby spent in the crib was about 30 minutes.
For the rest of the flight all the other little kids on the plane, there must have been about 20, stopped by to see and touch the baby. For the majority of them this meant that they had to crawl over me. Where are these kid’s parents? Why are they letting their children run up and down the aisle and why do they think it is okay to let their children crawl all over me?
As it gets later in the flight the hooligans come by less and less. I finally am able to lye back and close my eyes. Only 3 more hours to go. Right as I am drifting off to sleep the baby wakes up and starts to cry.
This is pretty much how I spent my nine hour flight. Holding a little German baby while her mom ate or went to the bathroom, had little kids crawling all over me, and when I wasn't doing either of these I was listen to the baby whale or staring the other direction while his mother feed him. I got no sleep.
I took a picture of the mom and her baby but I have it on my phone. I am not going to be able to post it until I get back into the states. Sorry.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Drugs
After talking with many co-worker I decided that it might be a good idea to go see a doctor and ask for some medication in case I get sick. I go to my doctor and tell him my travel plans. He suggest I take three different medications. One to help me sleep, one to stop the hershey squirts, and one to help me if I can't stop throwing up. I leave the doctor's office thinking I am in good shape.
I call my mother on the way to the pharmacy to pick up my medication. I let her know what the doctor prescribed for me. She said I should probably only take half of a sleeping pill. She then asked me about the medication he gave me for if I start throwing up. I tell her and she says, "You should read the label carefully on the bottle because I don't think those are meant to be swallowed." WHAT! He wants me to do WHAT! No freaking way am I going to do that!
Those 30 minutes it took for the pharmacist to fill my order were the longest minutes ever. He finally calls my name. I grab the pill bottles and read all of them. They all read take by mouth. What a relief.
I call my mother on the way to the pharmacy to pick up my medication. I let her know what the doctor prescribed for me. She said I should probably only take half of a sleeping pill. She then asked me about the medication he gave me for if I start throwing up. I tell her and she says, "You should read the label carefully on the bottle because I don't think those are meant to be swallowed." WHAT! He wants me to do WHAT! No freaking way am I going to do that!
Those 30 minutes it took for the pharmacist to fill my order were the longest minutes ever. He finally calls my name. I grab the pill bottles and read all of them. They all read take by mouth. What a relief.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
I really did run away and join a traveling circus!
All in all there are 14 of us, including myself and my BFF. Yea, it’s awesome! And I am not being sarcastic either. It’s truly amazing. I am meeting some of the most interesting, intelligent people I will ever have an opportunity to meet. And they are a riot too!
So let’s see. You already know about Baby Ruthe, JJ, Mr. –italy, and me. So let’s see if I can briefly describe the other 10 folks. You might want to check out a copy of the schedule for this course so you can figure out the initials and titles I’m using. (I am going down the list alphabetically…type A personality at its best.)
Scottsman #1: AD a.k.a. Angela’s BFF (although I am trying my hardest to win him over!!) He is a trip! He and I have gotten along pretty fantastically. He has quite a sweet tooth , loves late 70’s/ early 80’s music, and has worn a pink shirt I think almost everyday! His sense of humor is top notch.
BoSox fan: BF. We all know him and saw him two weeks ago with all the other part-timers who were in town. He is very well-known by many of the Croatians and other instructors even though he is new to our crew. Nicknamed him my Uncle.
Italian princessa: CF. Very talented Doctor/Professor from Milan. Young, chic, speaks a myriad of languages and has traveled with some of these guys before.
Obama: KK. Get this! He is a younger, very handsome replica of our president. For real! Works where Freddy used to work. Funny and down to earth guy who I took the tour of Diocletian’s palace with. I tried to steal his encrypted flash drive, in the end I just let him borrow my puny little boring flash drive so he could present some videos to the participants.
My resident David Otto: RL. I told him before the end of the trip I was going to shove him into the pool, or perhaps even the Adriatic. He keeps messing with my stinkin’ badges and everything else! He works for JJ’s old organization. Super funny, could definitely hang with our crowd, recently back from his honeymoon in Barbados. He also toured the palace and city of Split with me.
AP. This is sad, but I have no idea where he is from. From his title, I’m deducing that he is from the UK--Ireland, perhaps? He sort of looks like a leprechaun with the pointy features and that strawberry blonde hair. In my defense, we have only spoken about the course material and other work-related things AND he lacks an accent (or it’s so slight in comparison to AD, JW, -Italy, PS, DY and all the Croatians’ that I hardly even notice it). He is very polite and personable, and really knows his stuff!
The Admiral: PS. I was incredibly intimidated by him at first, but he is a sweetheart! Very polite, courteous, and thoughtful. Once you crack the tough exterior, he is a very kind-natured man. He often comes up to Schmitaly and me and offers suggestions on things, but we have already done the things he has suggested. I hope to get to know him better before the trip ends!
The Judge: RS. I wish I had a title like his! Could you imagine: Honorable Valerie? Nah, me neither. He is quite the wine aficionado. And he reminds me so much of someone but I can’t quite put my finger on it. I hope speak with him more in depth before the course is over.
Scottsman #2: JW. T-R-O-U-B-L-E! A retired Colonel from the UK (used to be AD's boss' boss) who dabbles in bee-keeping, judging my choice in footwear, a genealogy expert on his last name, and teaching me history, chemistry, biology, and random factoids. I love this man. He is fantastic; if he really could adopt me I would willingly let him. Gives great bear hugs too!
DY. Not only is he a retired General from Israel, but he can also practice the art of Chinese medicine! He knows all about pressure points and how to cure just about any ailment you may have by simply listening to your symptoms and applying the appropriate amount of pressure to the specific location to treat your illness! It’s awesome! He’s fixed the Doctori and RK! No joke!
So let’s see. You already know about Baby Ruthe, JJ, Mr. –italy, and me. So let’s see if I can briefly describe the other 10 folks. You might want to check out a copy of the schedule for this course so you can figure out the initials and titles I’m using. (I am going down the list alphabetically…type A personality at its best.)
Scottsman #1: AD a.k.a. Angela’s BFF (although I am trying my hardest to win him over!!) He is a trip! He and I have gotten along pretty fantastically. He has quite a sweet tooth , loves late 70’s/ early 80’s music, and has worn a pink shirt I think almost everyday! His sense of humor is top notch.
BoSox fan: BF. We all know him and saw him two weeks ago with all the other part-timers who were in town. He is very well-known by many of the Croatians and other instructors even though he is new to our crew. Nicknamed him my Uncle.
Italian princessa: CF. Very talented Doctor/Professor from Milan. Young, chic, speaks a myriad of languages and has traveled with some of these guys before.
Obama: KK. Get this! He is a younger, very handsome replica of our president. For real! Works where Freddy used to work. Funny and down to earth guy who I took the tour of Diocletian’s palace with. I tried to steal his encrypted flash drive, in the end I just let him borrow my puny little boring flash drive so he could present some videos to the participants.
My resident David Otto: RL. I told him before the end of the trip I was going to shove him into the pool, or perhaps even the Adriatic. He keeps messing with my stinkin’ badges and everything else! He works for JJ’s old organization. Super funny, could definitely hang with our crowd, recently back from his honeymoon in Barbados. He also toured the palace and city of Split with me.
AP. This is sad, but I have no idea where he is from. From his title, I’m deducing that he is from the UK--Ireland, perhaps? He sort of looks like a leprechaun with the pointy features and that strawberry blonde hair. In my defense, we have only spoken about the course material and other work-related things AND he lacks an accent (or it’s so slight in comparison to AD, JW, -Italy, PS, DY and all the Croatians’ that I hardly even notice it). He is very polite and personable, and really knows his stuff!
The Admiral: PS. I was incredibly intimidated by him at first, but he is a sweetheart! Very polite, courteous, and thoughtful. Once you crack the tough exterior, he is a very kind-natured man. He often comes up to Schmitaly and me and offers suggestions on things, but we have already done the things he has suggested. I hope to get to know him better before the trip ends!
The Judge: RS. I wish I had a title like his! Could you imagine: Honorable Valerie? Nah, me neither. He is quite the wine aficionado. And he reminds me so much of someone but I can’t quite put my finger on it. I hope speak with him more in depth before the course is over.
Scottsman #2: JW. T-R-O-U-B-L-E! A retired Colonel from the UK (used to be AD's boss' boss) who dabbles in bee-keeping, judging my choice in footwear, a genealogy expert on his last name, and teaching me history, chemistry, biology, and random factoids. I love this man. He is fantastic; if he really could adopt me I would willingly let him. Gives great bear hugs too!
DY. Not only is he a retired General from Israel, but he can also practice the art of Chinese medicine! He knows all about pressure points and how to cure just about any ailment you may have by simply listening to your symptoms and applying the appropriate amount of pressure to the specific location to treat your illness! It’s awesome! He’s fixed the Doctori and RK! No joke!
Please don't tease me when I come home and pronounce all my C's as "ch"
Now where did I leave off?
Ahh, yes. Saturday morning. I met JJ for breakfast and had an amazing omelette, fruit, and bread. We chatted about his life when he lived undercover, how each of his boys have been born in different states, and his time abroad with his agency. He is a pretty funny guy and I enjoy my time with him outside of work and work-related events. We met RK and my BFF, -italy, downstairs in the conference rooms to start setting up the classrooms. There was clucking and bickering about pens, patches, books, pads of paper, tables not having linens on them, turning on the projector BEFORE the laptop. You name it, we discussed it! But all in all, I think everything was essentially taken care of by our logistics support and the hotel staff. Everything was running smoothly.
After our morning prep session, our fabulous multi-lingual superhero Schmitaly ran off to the airport to begin shuttling the other 10 team members in. JJ, Baby Ruthe, and I spent early afternoon exploring the beach and searching for watering holes. The 2 ladies in our trio were the only ones brave enough to venture into the Adriatic. And when I say venture in, I mean, wade in up to our knees. That mother was COLD! RK was ready to dive in, but we kept her on a short leash. We didn’t want her swept away before the course even began!!
We had our own private X –rated show on the beach, as a very confident woman sunbathed on the warm shore much to someone’s liking. I would assume that no name dropping is needed here. I entertained myself by collecting pebbles, climbing on rocks, and kidnapping tiny sea snails. I know what you’re thinking, “Grow up, Booberries!” But I just couldn’t help myself.
We ambled on down the shore and saw my future house on top of a cliff overlooking
the sea, found a little pier to hang out on, a cool set of stairs that walk down into the water, and a little café with lizards that I wanted to chase but was afraid to touch. Of course we stopped in and had some local pivo (beer in Croatian).
And after a few hours of exploring in the sun, we decided we should prep some course material and get ready for our arriving team members.
Next I will try to give you a little intro on our team. Sorry for the huge lapse since my last post. After everyone arrived, time just disappeared and since the beginning of the course it’s been a whirlwind.
Ahh, yes. Saturday morning. I met JJ for breakfast and had an amazing omelette, fruit, and bread. We chatted about his life when he lived undercover, how each of his boys have been born in different states, and his time abroad with his agency. He is a pretty funny guy and I enjoy my time with him outside of work and work-related events. We met RK and my BFF, -italy, downstairs in the conference rooms to start setting up the classrooms. There was clucking and bickering about pens, patches, books, pads of paper, tables not having linens on them, turning on the projector BEFORE the laptop. You name it, we discussed it! But all in all, I think everything was essentially taken care of by our logistics support and the hotel staff. Everything was running smoothly.
After our morning prep session, our fabulous multi-lingual superhero Schmitaly ran off to the airport to begin shuttling the other 10 team members in. JJ, Baby Ruthe, and I spent early afternoon exploring the beach and searching for watering holes. The 2 ladies in our trio were the only ones brave enough to venture into the Adriatic. And when I say venture in, I mean, wade in up to our knees. That mother was COLD! RK was ready to dive in, but we kept her on a short leash. We didn’t want her swept away before the course even began!!
We had our own private X –rated show on the beach, as a very confident woman sunbathed on the warm shore much to someone’s liking. I would assume that no name dropping is needed here. I entertained myself by collecting pebbles, climbing on rocks, and kidnapping tiny sea snails. I know what you’re thinking, “Grow up, Booberries!” But I just couldn’t help myself.
We ambled on down the shore and saw my future house on top of a cliff overlooking
the sea, found a little pier to hang out on, a cool set of stairs that walk down into the water, and a little café with lizards that I wanted to chase but was afraid to touch. Of course we stopped in and had some local pivo (beer in Croatian).And after a few hours of exploring in the sun, we decided we should prep some course material and get ready for our arriving team members.
Next I will try to give you a little intro on our team. Sorry for the huge lapse since my last post. After everyone arrived, time just disappeared and since the beginning of the course it’s been a whirlwind.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Water, Water Everywhere
The water in both Kazakhstan and Tajikistan has a very high risk of giving me travelers' diarrhea. All water that I drink will need to either come from a sealed bottle or be purified with the SetriPEN. When I shower I will need to not let any water into my mouth.
The SertiPEN is actually pretty awesome. You put this sort of light bulb thing into the water you want to drink. It emits a light and kills all the bacteria in the water making it safe to drink. I asked Amanda Bear to drink an unknow liquid to see if she would get sick. For some reason she didn't trust me to drink the liquid. What I asked Amanda Bear to drink was tea that had be diluted. And yes it might have been warm water to make it feel like it was at body temperature.
I already know what is going to happen. I am going to get out of the shower, having paid close attention not to open my mouth, and brush my teeth with water from the tap. Or do something even more stupid, like put ice in my glass.
The question is not if I will get sick but rather how long will I be there before I get sick.
The SertiPEN is actually pretty awesome. You put this sort of light bulb thing into the water you want to drink. It emits a light and kills all the bacteria in the water making it safe to drink. I asked Amanda Bear to drink an unknow liquid to see if she would get sick. For some reason she didn't trust me to drink the liquid. What I asked Amanda Bear to drink was tea that had be diluted. And yes it might have been warm water to make it feel like it was at body temperature.
I already know what is going to happen. I am going to get out of the shower, having paid close attention not to open my mouth, and brush my teeth with water from the tap. Or do something even more stupid, like put ice in my glass.
The question is not if I will get sick but rather how long will I be there before I get sick.
so much to do, so little time!
Lots to say, no time to write. I have to get to bed for for class tomorrow, but I just wanted to post this for Smang.
I will update on our tour of Old Towne Split, the VIP par-tay, and other shenanigans soon.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Hey Mickey!
Today has been pretty low-key. I met with the fellas, typed up some drafts, ironed my clothes (which seems easy enough, but you should have seen me trying to work this damn iron), sorted through emails, took a few pictures, and updated key personnel on my status.
This evening we went back to the same restaurant for dinner as we did last night. Something about "expensive" cab fare to get over to the city?? I'm not really sure. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow when BoSox fan, AD (Ang's BFF), and the Admiral get here among other folks. I think does not rhyme with Italy is too. Anywho, today's dinner was pretty uneventful but still delish.
Two pizzas. One for RK an JJ with fresh tomatoes and mushrooms. One for me and my spanish-speaking friend Schmitaly with tomates frescos, ongos, y jamon. We all had a good time shooting the breeze and talked about the most random things. I got a picture of Schmitaly shoving a whole slice of pie in his mouth. JJ wouldnt let me get one of him though!
After dinner, JJ and I had a nice walk along the beach and marina and talked about our futures...together...syke. We did, however, comment on all the stunning yachts we saw and how they all appeared out of nowhere! Seriously, this marina had maybe 3 boats there this morning and tonight there are at least 30 45+feet long yachts out there. He dared me to hop on one so he could take my picture. I was tempted...and if it had been one of you guys, I might have done it, but I chickened out. By the time we got to the end of the marina we saw this sign that said "NO PICTURES" and I sheepishly put my camera away. I'm an idiot. I know.
Tomorrow we are setting up the classroom and picking up the rest of the team from the airport! Maybe I'll sneak down to the casino for karoake tonight? Do you think you'll hear me singing if I belt out the tunes at the top of my lungs?
This evening we went back to the same restaurant for dinner as we did last night. Something about "expensive" cab fare to get over to the city?? I'm not really sure. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow when BoSox fan, AD (Ang's BFF), and the Admiral get here among other folks. I think does not rhyme with Italy is too. Anywho, today's dinner was pretty uneventful but still delish.
Two pizzas. One for RK an JJ with fresh tomatoes and mushrooms. One for me and my spanish-speaking friend Schmitaly with tomates frescos, ongos, y jamon. We all had a good time shooting the breeze and talked about the most random things. I got a picture of Schmitaly shoving a whole slice of pie in his mouth. JJ wouldnt let me get one of him though!
After dinner, JJ and I had a nice walk along the beach and marina and talked about our futures...together...syke. We did, however, comment on all the stunning yachts we saw and how they all appeared out of nowhere! Seriously, this marina had maybe 3 boats there this morning and tonight there are at least 30 45+feet long yachts out there. He dared me to hop on one so he could take my picture. I was tempted...and if it had been one of you guys, I might have done it, but I chickened out. By the time we got to the end of the marina we saw this sign that said "NO PICTURES" and I sheepishly put my camera away. I'm an idiot. I know.
Tomorrow we are setting up the classroom and picking up the rest of the team from the airport! Maybe I'll sneak down to the casino for karoake tonight? Do you think you'll hear me singing if I belt out the tunes at the top of my lungs?
Just call me Cruella DeVil
So you guys know that I am not really an animal lover...but did you ever think I would stoop so low as to eating DALMATION!?
I did. Only it was Dalmatian prosciutto...on JJ's pizza. So after our aimless wandering through the city, or maybe town, of Podstrana. Where we actually did walk into people's homes accidentally. Well, not all the way in, just into the hallway of the apartment, but I feel like that is enough of an intrusion! Back to the point, we ended up at that restaurant next to the hotel that was a pizza place and JJ was the only one to actually order a pizza. Pepperoni to be exact, but it was actually Dalmatian prosciutto and it was delicious. I could eat that everyday. Perhaps everyday for the rest of my life. The Sultan and I ordered Ivanka salads which consisted of spinach, tuna, shrimp and goat cheese. We asked if the salads were appetizer sized and the waitor said yes....but boy, was he wrong. Thank goodness I had JJ, my human garbage disposal, otherwise I would've been SOL. Schmitaly ordered a caprese salad and garlic bread to start with and he forced me to have some of that as well. I was stuffed before my main course, but wait til you hear what Schmitaly and I ordered. If you have high cholesterol, I suggest you take your meds now. As I mentioned before, JJ got a pizza. RK ordered a sesame-crusted seared tuna, and Schmitaly and I split a Mixed Grill. Oh, a mixed grill? Sounds simple enough, right? Don't roll your eyes just yet!!
Chicken, pork chops, pork loin, ćevapćići (Croatian sausage), another type of sausage, french fries, with ajvar (a type of Croatian red relish). Enough food to feed all four of us...and I ate almost all of my half. JJ helped a little, but only after making me eat a slice of his pizza. So in the end, it wasn't really helping me, it was just a trade off! I thought I was going to die, but it was going to be a good death. It was fantastic! Every painful bite of it! Did I forget to mention the 2 steins---is that appropriate terminology?--of Ozujsko we each had? Aye de mi!
Jenny Craig, here I come!
I did. Only it was Dalmatian prosciutto...on JJ's pizza. So after our aimless wandering through the city, or maybe town, of Podstrana. Where we actually did walk into people's homes accidentally. Well, not all the way in, just into the hallway of the apartment, but I feel like that is enough of an intrusion! Back to the point, we ended up at that restaurant next to the hotel that was a pizza place and JJ was the only one to actually order a pizza. Pepperoni to be exact, but it was actually Dalmatian prosciutto and it was delicious. I could eat that everyday. Perhaps everyday for the rest of my life. The Sultan and I ordered Ivanka salads which consisted of spinach, tuna, shrimp and goat cheese. We asked if the salads were appetizer sized and the waitor said yes....but boy, was he wrong. Thank goodness I had JJ, my human garbage disposal, otherwise I would've been SOL. Schmitaly ordered a caprese salad and garlic bread to start with and he forced me to have some of that as well. I was stuffed before my main course, but wait til you hear what Schmitaly and I ordered. If you have high cholesterol, I suggest you take your meds now. As I mentioned before, JJ got a pizza. RK ordered a sesame-crusted seared tuna, and Schmitaly and I split a Mixed Grill. Oh, a mixed grill? Sounds simple enough, right? Don't roll your eyes just yet!!
Chicken, pork chops, pork loin, ćevapćići (Croatian sausage), another type of sausage, french fries, with ajvar (a type of Croatian red relish). Enough food to feed all four of us...and I ate almost all of my half. JJ helped a little, but only after making me eat a slice of his pizza. So in the end, it wasn't really helping me, it was just a trade off! I thought I was going to die, but it was going to be a good death. It was fantastic! Every painful bite of it! Did I forget to mention the 2 steins---is that appropriate terminology?--of Ozujsko we each had? Aye de mi!
Jenny Craig, here I come!
Zdravo!
No, I'm not drunk. That is how you say hello in hrvatski (Croatian). So...where do I begin?
Let's begin with the airport where I was supposed to meet JJ at the business lounge but that didn't really work out so well. And apparently RK didn't get that memo either, because we didn't meet up with her until we were in line to board the plane! Talk about seeing JJ wound up! But, alas, we all boarded and found our seats. I was wayyyy in the back of the plane and they were seated up towards the front. When do my Frequent Flyer miles kick in? Oh wait, this is my first trip.
HO-kay, so. I was quietly sitting in my aisle seat, 36B, minding my own business, reading the last book of the Golden Compass trilogy because most of the mini tv screens were malfunctioning on our flight, including mine. Before I knew it, Lyra was being woken up and saved from ms. Coulter and theUnited crew started serving drinks and dinner. Chicken and pasta were on the menu but by the time they got to my row, pasta was the only choice. This was fine with me as I prefer pasta over chicken anyday. This was about the time that my neighbor introduced himself to me. Chris, a pilot in the navy from Norfolk (small world, huh?!) on his way to Bahrain for his first mission. Chris just happened to stop in one of the duty free stores prior to his flight and purchased a liter of Maker's Mark. (OttoBock take notes.) We quickly became friends in spite of the fact that he was a UVA alum and discussed politics, sports, and world peace. I'm not sure if the flight attendants noticed that we didn't eat any of our meals or how quickly we were going through cans of seltzer water and cran-apple juice. Oh well. All I know is that when I landed in Frankfurt, I immediately regreted ever meeting this fellow. I didn't sleep at all during my 8 hour trans-Atlantic flight and the time change and dehydration probably didn't help.
Frankfurt: Local time 915am. My body think it's 315am. The Lufthansa business lounge is pretty nice. Croissants, pretzels, streudel, cheese, beeer, wine....what more could a girl want? SLEEP! So, I did. After chit-chatting a bit with the Sultan of Swat and JJ about our game plan, since we didn't get a chance to talk before departing IAD, and eating an amazing croissant, I curled up in a ball and snoozed until it was time to catch our Croatian Air flight.
Croatian air flight: I slept more. I'm not gonna lie. I think they served us food on this flight but I have no idea. It was a little over an hour long and I slept from take off to landing. ZZZzzzZZZ!!
CROATIA:Maybe I am a dork, but I think it's the coolest, yet strangest thing to get off a plane on a runway and walk to a shuttle or building. I have only had to do this maybe once or twice before in my life before, so it always make me really excited. I stepped of the plane and it was a little bit chilly, but it was still awesome to be here! It's beautiful here! Honestly. It reminds me of Puerto Rico. The way the mountains and hills give way to the Adriatic...it's breathtaking! I love it! Everything from the architecture of the little houses to the layout of the gardens with vegetables and trees is so quaint and unique but seems so familiar to me. There are grape vines, olive trees, figs, and then gardens with rows and rows of veggies! It's awesome!
It's been a little bit chilly and drizzling on and off, but the water is still clear and this pretty aqua-teal-blue-green color. Our hotel...oh man. I don't know where to start! Swanky. I'm not coming home. Check out the view from my balcony!!! (that very first photo...I suck at this blog. So take what you can get.) :) More about the hotel later.
Wednesday after we arrived to the hotel around 3ish local time, we went to our rooms, unpacked a bit and met up with the person who's name is spelled like Italy, but doesn't really rhyme with Italy. We walked along the marina and the seashore looking for a restaurant to eat dinner, doing some recon for the participants and VIPs. This was a very interesting walk, as I was starving, the adults were very giddy, and it was very chilly. We walked up several hills, into some apartments, and almost got hit by speeding cars multiple times. But it was all for the sake of finding a good place to eat. In the end, we dined at a restaurant adjacent to the hotel. Go figure!
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