spent a nice day of recovery from working, it involved a three hour hike up a mountain. pictures are soon to follow. couldnt help but think of ruthie and how she is missing out (buy your plane ticket now!!)
saw for the first time the irish countryside for a higher view. extreme to say the least. the irish people are so nice, one of the people i went up with is going to school in Cork, i am going to go see him on wednesday, he says he has a place for me to stay and will show me some of the night life and some castles. My hosts here have been extremely nice to me and have shown me a wonderful time. on tuesday we are going out to see a play at a local theatre. im having such a great time, missing all of you back home, but am already planning my next trip back here!
sloan (pronouned like lawn with an s in front)
jeff
Monday, September 29, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
done working for a bit
So the ploughing match is over, bunch of Irish hicks. reminded me of Rainier a bit too much. It's so weird that everyone over here drinks Coors Light and Budweiser when they arent drinking Guinness. That or a crappy fruity cider called Bulmer's (Brendan says that just teenage girls drink it).
just a reminder, all pictures are being posted on the picasa website
http://picasaweb.google.com/jeffmillerblog/
I love the people here, i was in the pub last night talking with the locals about fishing and the like. good craic (gaelic for social fun).
lots of fun learning about Rounders which is the older form of baseball. pretty much the exact thing in fact. and hurling, which before i used to confuse with curling.... two very different sports. more pictures of the beautiful countryside coming soon. tomorrow i believe im going castle hunting, they are pretty dang easy to find, the area is littered with them.
cheers.
Jeff
just a reminder, all pictures are being posted on the picasa website
http://picasaweb.google.com/jeffmillerblog/
I love the people here, i was in the pub last night talking with the locals about fishing and the like. good craic (gaelic for social fun).
lots of fun learning about Rounders which is the older form of baseball. pretty much the exact thing in fact. and hurling, which before i used to confuse with curling.... two very different sports. more pictures of the beautiful countryside coming soon. tomorrow i believe im going castle hunting, they are pretty dang easy to find, the area is littered with them.
cheers.
Jeff
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Back by popular demand.
So im at the farm. though not farming. I called them up on Sunday and asked when i should/could come out, he told me they were preparing for The Ireland National Plowing (Ploughing) Tournament going on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I offered to come out that night, so i did. 3 and a half bumpy bus ride hours later i was in Waterford. And Ruthie..... B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L. You absolutely must come here tell DB that he needs to forget about New York and come here first. He'll love the Guinness. Brendan (my host) picked me up at the bus station and pointed out his car, i went to get into the passenger seat and all of a sudden felt very weird, not because it was sketchy or anything, and it took me a while to really realize what had happened... Some prankster had put the steering wheel on the other side of the car. Brendan (my host) just laughed and said "you driving Jeff?".
I moved to the correct side and made my way out to the farm. I met Grace (his wife) and Kiya (age 14, their daughter) a family who made me feel at home pretty much as soon as i got into the passenger seat.
The next morning i got up and went out with them to set up the food stand at the fairgrounds. It is not so much a farm as it is a organic food catering service. After a long night we came back and crashed, woke up early and went back out to sell some homefries (chopped potatoes), corn on the cob, and homemade lasagna. The food was delicious though not too many customers. The whole fair was huge, reminded me of my days at the Puyallup Fair. Even had the same Octopus ride that i threw up on at Thurston Co. Fair.
The American culture has not only been introduced here but is apparent in almost every single ride. The walking thrill house called "Las Vegas", "the Superbowl" with pictures of American Football (yeah Arikka, football, soccer, hurling, whatev) and the "American Trip" to name a few. Also in one of the tents their was a stand selling NYPD and FDNY t-shirts. The owner was wearing one, i waited to hear his perhaps american accent.... Negative... I believe he was from the north ( Grace is trying to teach me to tell the difference).
I feel like i have much more to write about the things i have seen but it's 00:02 right now (midnight) and im a farmer now. The chickens are already asleep. I will have stories to tell for a long time from this trip, and more pictures as well. So many things i have learned about the history of this country and the people in it. I got to climb up in a small castle on the corner of the fairgrounds today. They are as present here as old farmhouses are in Eastern Washington.
I will try to update as much as possible (mom), though computers are not always close by here. None of you should worry though, the people i am staying with are very kind, and not as sketchy as working on a organic farm in ireland sounds.
I did get a cell phone here but only have 10 Euro credit on it (now its at 9. costs 29 cents to talk to the states for one minute ( i called to check my cell phone messages)), so i have that in case of emergencies.
Cheers!
jeff
I moved to the correct side and made my way out to the farm. I met Grace (his wife) and Kiya (age 14, their daughter) a family who made me feel at home pretty much as soon as i got into the passenger seat.
The next morning i got up and went out with them to set up the food stand at the fairgrounds. It is not so much a farm as it is a organic food catering service. After a long night we came back and crashed, woke up early and went back out to sell some homefries (chopped potatoes), corn on the cob, and homemade lasagna. The food was delicious though not too many customers. The whole fair was huge, reminded me of my days at the Puyallup Fair. Even had the same Octopus ride that i threw up on at Thurston Co. Fair.
The American culture has not only been introduced here but is apparent in almost every single ride. The walking thrill house called "Las Vegas", "the Superbowl" with pictures of American Football (yeah Arikka, football, soccer, hurling, whatev) and the "American Trip" to name a few. Also in one of the tents their was a stand selling NYPD and FDNY t-shirts. The owner was wearing one, i waited to hear his perhaps american accent.... Negative... I believe he was from the north ( Grace is trying to teach me to tell the difference).
I feel like i have much more to write about the things i have seen but it's 00:02 right now (midnight) and im a farmer now. The chickens are already asleep. I will have stories to tell for a long time from this trip, and more pictures as well. So many things i have learned about the history of this country and the people in it. I got to climb up in a small castle on the corner of the fairgrounds today. They are as present here as old farmhouses are in Eastern Washington.
I will try to update as much as possible (mom), though computers are not always close by here. None of you should worry though, the people i am staying with are very kind, and not as sketchy as working on a organic farm in ireland sounds.
I did get a cell phone here but only have 10 Euro credit on it (now its at 9. costs 29 cents to talk to the states for one minute ( i called to check my cell phone messages)), so i have that in case of emergencies.
Cheers!
jeff
Sunday, September 21, 2008
soccer hooligans!
Last night i ran into some soccer players, apparently tomorrow is their equivalent of superbowl sunday today so the streets are packed with people. its so awesome. I went out with the team and had some beer in the crowded Pub district. They said i have a good irish accent when i try.
The girl at the hostel i stayed in 2 nights ago found me a room to stay in again last night (i think she liked me) even though they were booked for the game. I just talked with the guy on the farm im going to help out on, he seems very nice and dont see any problems there. I toured the Guinness factory and had some great tasting beer.
Just about to meet up with some friends i met last night from Minnesota, they are studying in Lithuania, so that is going to be another stop for me on my journey. The cost of living here isnt too bad (especially when a Guinness can act as both a meal and a drink). I usually spent around 40-50 Euro a day which isnt too bad. These capital cities are also more expensive, when i head to eastern europe things should improve.
Last post i had said homesick was minimal, afterwards i got to thinking, im not necessarily homesick, i just am tired of never sleeping in the same bed two nights in a row. (but i do still miss you all)
Cheers
The girl at the hostel i stayed in 2 nights ago found me a room to stay in again last night (i think she liked me) even though they were booked for the game. I just talked with the guy on the farm im going to help out on, he seems very nice and dont see any problems there. I toured the Guinness factory and had some great tasting beer.
Just about to meet up with some friends i met last night from Minnesota, they are studying in Lithuania, so that is going to be another stop for me on my journey. The cost of living here isnt too bad (especially when a Guinness can act as both a meal and a drink). I usually spent around 40-50 Euro a day which isnt too bad. These capital cities are also more expensive, when i head to eastern europe things should improve.
Last post i had said homesick was minimal, afterwards i got to thinking, im not necessarily homesick, i just am tired of never sleeping in the same bed two nights in a row. (but i do still miss you all)
Cheers
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Culture night
so last night i was walking around Dublin and was surprised that all the museums were open, busy, and free. Apparently i flew in on the right day. Culture Night. Everything all over the city had people dancing and performing in the street.
I just bought a SIM card for my phone and had it unlocked, now i just need to figure out how it all works. Im going to go on some tours today and try to meet people, i also need to find another hostel or couchsurf.
Still having a blast and learning a lot but am ready to head out of the city and relax a bit. I am missing Virginia and Alexis and the laid back life in Brussels. And of course the Cheney/Fishtrap life. Homesick level is still at a minimum though. just about the time i start feeling alone i just turn to someone on the street and start talking to them. Especially if they have an American accent.
Last night at the bar an Irish girl asked me if i had a light, i said "sorry, i dont" and she freaked out
"you are an American?! I just spent two weeks in San Fran and I loved it!! i want to find an American boy to marry and move there!"
I said she would have to buy me a drink first.
Anyway, im ready to go do some more adventuring.
Cheers,
Jeff
PS.
I appreciate the comments from those of you reading the blog, it lets me know that people are out there following this and there is a purpose for me writing it.
Friday, September 19, 2008
More pics are up
More pics are up from Paris.
Still going around Dublin trying to find a nice place for a Guinness or someone to drink it with.
Sloan
Still going around Dublin trying to find a nice place for a Guinness or someone to drink it with.
Sloan
Ireland
Woke up at 6 this morning, took the metro to a bus station which was literally pulling out of the station by the time i got there. I didn't sleep a whole lot because i was worrying about not having an alarm clock (There are no Wal-Marts in France and the only ones i found here are uber-expensive), I had to rely on the drunk Aussie couple that was staying in the room with me to get me up at 6 when there alarm went off.
As far as Paris goes, i love it. People say its dirty, so is Seattle, New York, LA and every other major city anywhere. All of the streets and sidewalks are pretty cramped close together and the hostel i stayed in felt like a house from the Shire. That being said, I wouldn't have changed a thing.
The other thing i hear people say all the time is that the Parisians are rude. Not the ones i met. This morning when i couldnt find the bus and was walking about in the dark (sunrose as 7:46 (yes dad i saw the sunrise today))
And now to Ireland.
The moment i got off the plane i couldn't stop smiling. all the people with red hair and their accents were amazing. I noticed an American passport in the hands of someone in the airport. sat next to them on the plane, an American newlywed military couple and we shared info about how to get around and how we missed speaking English with people and how we want to read menus again.
I got got my backs and had a little trouble understanding the customs agent when he asked me the usual where am i coming from, what am i doing here, how long will i stay, and whats my occupation. His accent was awesome but a little hard to understand.
Once i got off in the middle of Dublin, the smile still never left my face. The streets are wide and very clean, the government here has been doing a lot to make this place really shine 150$ fine for spitting your gum on the street.
Well im going to go for now. Try to find my Cali friends from Paris and grab a pint of Guinness and something to eat. Then some light exploring and check in at the hostel to see if i have a bed.
Sloan (Irish goodbye, girl on the bus taught me that)
Jeff
PS.
Despite all of my last minute planning and general lack of direction i have not come to any bumps in the road. *knock on wood*
As far as Paris goes, i love it. People say its dirty, so is Seattle, New York, LA and every other major city anywhere. All of the streets and sidewalks are pretty cramped close together and the hostel i stayed in felt like a house from the Shire. That being said, I wouldn't have changed a thing.
The other thing i hear people say all the time is that the Parisians are rude. Not the ones i met. This morning when i couldnt find the bus and was walking about in the dark (sunrose as 7:46 (yes dad i saw the sunrise today))
And now to Ireland.
The moment i got off the plane i couldn't stop smiling. all the people with red hair and their accents were amazing. I noticed an American passport in the hands of someone in the airport. sat next to them on the plane, an American newlywed military couple and we shared info about how to get around and how we missed speaking English with people and how we want to read menus again.
I got got my backs and had a little trouble understanding the customs agent when he asked me the usual where am i coming from, what am i doing here, how long will i stay, and whats my occupation. His accent was awesome but a little hard to understand.
Once i got off in the middle of Dublin, the smile still never left my face. The streets are wide and very clean, the government here has been doing a lot to make this place really shine 150$ fine for spitting your gum on the street.
Well im going to go for now. Try to find my Cali friends from Paris and grab a pint of Guinness and something to eat. Then some light exploring and check in at the hostel to see if i have a bed.
Sloan (Irish goodbye, girl on the bus taught me that)
Jeff
PS.
Despite all of my last minute planning and general lack of direction i have not come to any bumps in the road. *knock on wood*
leaving Paris
So tommorow i leave paris. I have had an absolute blast here though. Ive met so many really nice people from all over the world, a girl from Sicily, more Aussies than you can shake a kangaroo, and aboot a metric ton of canucks, a guy from Boston (who we call Boston) and some girls from SoCal and some from Mass. All great people, we have been going off and seeing the city together in different groups.
I went to the Eifel tower twice, went to the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa and today i went and saw the Moulin Rouge, apparently its something like 150 bucks just to get in. I also went and saw Notre Dame de Paris, with its amazing flying buttresses and all of that jazz along with the spiral where the Victor Hugo's hunchback was supposed to have lived. I even got to see on the tour the Opera house where the phantom resides below. So much history happened here. Jim Morrison's grave is here in Paris as well. There is just so much!
Pictures will be up soon. i just dont have a lot of time to load them all. Tommorow i leave for Dublin, some of the people i met here will also be going so im for sure going to have friends everywhere.
When i first got into Paris i went to my hostel room and starting writing, i got a little bit of a cold and wasnt sure if i was going to make it on my own in Europe for 2 months. Then i met my roommates, two of the Aussies. It is so fun being out here being able to go out and do my own thing but also meeting random people on a metro and being able to have a friend. There are so many tourists here i think it is amazing, it does nothing but enhance this place.
The buildings here are all so old and so majestic.
caio for now
I went to the Eifel tower twice, went to the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa and today i went and saw the Moulin Rouge, apparently its something like 150 bucks just to get in. I also went and saw Notre Dame de Paris, with its amazing flying buttresses and all of that jazz along with the spiral where the Victor Hugo's hunchback was supposed to have lived. I even got to see on the tour the Opera house where the phantom resides below. So much history happened here. Jim Morrison's grave is here in Paris as well. There is just so much!
Pictures will be up soon. i just dont have a lot of time to load them all. Tommorow i leave for Dublin, some of the people i met here will also be going so im for sure going to have friends everywhere.
When i first got into Paris i went to my hostel room and starting writing, i got a little bit of a cold and wasnt sure if i was going to make it on my own in Europe for 2 months. Then i met my roommates, two of the Aussies. It is so fun being out here being able to go out and do my own thing but also meeting random people on a metro and being able to have a friend. There are so many tourists here i think it is amazing, it does nothing but enhance this place.
The buildings here are all so old and so majestic.
caio for now
Monday, September 15, 2008
Paris
Made my way to Paris. Got a ride cheap from brussuls. stayed in a hostel last night, met a bunch of really cool people. went on a walking tour of paris, eifel tower tonight. louvre is closed tommorow, that will wait till wednesday. made contact with someone who has a organic farm in Ireland. I will work there for a week or so and get compensated with room and board.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
art exhibition
I remember when I was ten or so and would build forts out of couch cushions, cardboard boxes, sheets and blankets tacked on the wall. These were all very good but would usually not last a full episode of teenage mutant ninja turtles (the older ones where April O'Neal wore that yellow track outfit to report the news).
Now imagine you are 20 or 30-something, live in Europe, and have gone to school to double major in Art and Engineering....
Last night after quite possibly the best spaghetti i've ever eaten (Virginia's dad is Italian, he taught her how to cook) we went to an underground art exhibition. The reason why it was underground was because they did not want to go through the legal paperwork and fees of having a formal exhibition. So inside this large what seems to be a wharehouse was built many different rooms, hallways, secret passages, lofts and of course many different peices of art, from paintings, sculptures, living art, music, and several others.
There was one room in particular that i enjoyed the most, very large with a piano on the stage, and many different kinds of couches and cushions on the floor, there was a pianist playing some original music and singing in english to it. The girl was a local but is somewhat of a celeb, virginia told me she owns one of her cd's. I asked Virginia why she was singing in english rather than her native french (in between sets she was speak to the audience in fluent french) to which she answered "People like singing in English because it is foreign to them".
After the exhibition we came back to Flagey (the neighborhood i am staying at) and went to the plaza down the street where there were several groups of people talking and drinking beer. We went to an all night convinience store of sorts and got some beer. the clerk in the building was watching Obama's live interview (which was odd for me to see live at 1:00 AM). In the plaza, we met a group of people from Britain, one of them had a guitar with them, so our friend with a saxophone busted it out and they started to play together for a bit.
All in all, it was a really fun experience, i also met several people from Britain and Scotland, even one from next weeks destination of Ireland. I am glad they spoke english natively, although it was still very hard for me to understand them.
I am very anxious to get going and see the rest of this country.
Now imagine you are 20 or 30-something, live in Europe, and have gone to school to double major in Art and Engineering....
Last night after quite possibly the best spaghetti i've ever eaten (Virginia's dad is Italian, he taught her how to cook) we went to an underground art exhibition. The reason why it was underground was because they did not want to go through the legal paperwork and fees of having a formal exhibition. So inside this large what seems to be a wharehouse was built many different rooms, hallways, secret passages, lofts and of course many different peices of art, from paintings, sculptures, living art, music, and several others.
There was one room in particular that i enjoyed the most, very large with a piano on the stage, and many different kinds of couches and cushions on the floor, there was a pianist playing some original music and singing in english to it. The girl was a local but is somewhat of a celeb, virginia told me she owns one of her cd's. I asked Virginia why she was singing in english rather than her native french (in between sets she was speak to the audience in fluent french) to which she answered "People like singing in English because it is foreign to them".
After the exhibition we came back to Flagey (the neighborhood i am staying at) and went to the plaza down the street where there were several groups of people talking and drinking beer. We went to an all night convinience store of sorts and got some beer. the clerk in the building was watching Obama's live interview (which was odd for me to see live at 1:00 AM). In the plaza, we met a group of people from Britain, one of them had a guitar with them, so our friend with a saxophone busted it out and they started to play together for a bit.
All in all, it was a really fun experience, i also met several people from Britain and Scotland, even one from next weeks destination of Ireland. I am glad they spoke english natively, although it was still very hard for me to understand them.
I am very anxious to get going and see the rest of this country.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
pictures
they are going up googles picasa website, also viewable from
http://picasaweb.google.com/jeffmillerblog
and keep in mind you can follow my journey
http://triptracker.net/profile/jmiller/
also, i just bought a plane ticket for dublin leaving from France for next friday. i will carpool with a guy to Paris on Sunday, spend the week there then, off to ireland.
i am going to set up a skype account today as well. if anyone has a skype account please let me know as calls to and from skype accounts are free.
tonights agenda:
going out and eating frites (french fries)
http://picasaweb.google.com/jeffmillerblog
and keep in mind you can follow my journey
http://triptracker.net/profile/jmiller/
also, i just bought a plane ticket for dublin leaving from France for next friday. i will carpool with a guy to Paris on Sunday, spend the week there then, off to ireland.
i am going to set up a skype account today as well. if anyone has a skype account please let me know as calls to and from skype accounts are free.
tonights agenda:
going out and eating frites (french fries)
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
In Bruges
two days ago i got lost in Brussels, both in the good part as well as in the bad part. suffice to say, the majority of people i meet when i am by myself are
1. very friendly
2. very willing to help
3. love the fact i am from america as they do not see many american tourists.
another interesting thing is that the majority of people over here speak english. as i was out with Florence the other day, we came across a group from Latvia who did not speak french very will but did speak english.
When i was walking through the bad parts of brussels however not many people spoke english, one person i met on the bus last night when i was trying to get home did speak spanish, and with my sorry excuse for a map and my knowledge of the big things by virginia's house i was able to find out where we were. "aqui? cuantos stops? cinco? si, muey bien. gracias" This very limited knowledge of spanish i have makes me want to go to spain now and see if i can pick up more.
So yesterday i went to Bruges, an hour train ride from Brussels. It is a very old city that has now become more of a tourist town than anything else. Filled with many shops, half a dozen old cathedrals open to the public for tour and surrounded by a moat from the 14 century. The night before we left i watched the movie In Bruges, with Collin Ferril (who the entire time hated being there because it was so touristy. I did most of the tourist things available, my favorite being a half hour boat ride through some of the moat.
I met several people from the states over here, mainly from california, but i also heard a lot of people speaking english from the UK. It makes me want to go there so much more. I may be going sometime next week, the plane tickets only cost about 15 Euro (25 bucks american or so, the exchange rate is really bad, the value of the american dollar sucks right now)
Anyway, im going to go for now. I am working on the pictures issue still, i also need to find a place with a power converter so i can charge my battery.
1. very friendly
2. very willing to help
3. love the fact i am from america as they do not see many american tourists.
another interesting thing is that the majority of people over here speak english. as i was out with Florence the other day, we came across a group from Latvia who did not speak french very will but did speak english.
When i was walking through the bad parts of brussels however not many people spoke english, one person i met on the bus last night when i was trying to get home did speak spanish, and with my sorry excuse for a map and my knowledge of the big things by virginia's house i was able to find out where we were. "aqui? cuantos stops? cinco? si, muey bien. gracias" This very limited knowledge of spanish i have makes me want to go to spain now and see if i can pick up more.
So yesterday i went to Bruges, an hour train ride from Brussels. It is a very old city that has now become more of a tourist town than anything else. Filled with many shops, half a dozen old cathedrals open to the public for tour and surrounded by a moat from the 14 century. The night before we left i watched the movie In Bruges, with Collin Ferril (who the entire time hated being there because it was so touristy. I did most of the tourist things available, my favorite being a half hour boat ride through some of the moat.
I met several people from the states over here, mainly from california, but i also heard a lot of people speaking english from the UK. It makes me want to go there so much more. I may be going sometime next week, the plane tickets only cost about 15 Euro (25 bucks american or so, the exchange rate is really bad, the value of the american dollar sucks right now)
Anyway, im going to go for now. I am working on the pictures issue still, i also need to find a place with a power converter so i can charge my battery.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Im lovin it.
well its 4:30 in the morning here. everyone is asleep and im still struggling with getting a place to post my pictures for all of you. Im giving up on that for tonight so i can update you all with what has been going on, and i think it best to start from the beggining.
After more than 24 hours on planes and in airports i got no sleep, but made several new friends, one of them being from spokane, a study abroad student who is going to Prague for the next few months. The flights went much better than i expected, especially taking into consideration i have not had the best time being in small enclosed places. No worries at all though. On the flight over the atlantic i had an aisle seat with a television minitor in the chair in front of me. I watched the new indiana jones movie, a bit of harry potter and the chamber of secrets and chronicles of narnia (the second one). during the flight the food was actually pretty good and the offered me a beer, which they did not even charge me for or even card me, and later they offered me a second (which i also took). Then we landed in Amsterdam.
This was the moment of truth... foreign soil. as soon as i got off the plane i saw a lot of advertisements in english and was somewhat put back, i thought we left america? after walking around i heard the annoucements over the PA system in several different languages i didnt speak and thought it to be alright. Then came customs, i expected to have to take off my shoes and get ready for some rubber gloves and a lot of 'how do you do's' but instead the gatekeeper asked for my passport and then said 'good morning'. being 12:30 pm, i said good afternoon to which he replied
"it's already after noon? i have to get out of this shithole`', in his foreign european accent. He stamped my card, said i couldnt take the water bottle i had and sent me on my way.
so now i waited around the airport, smelling pretty funky and being pretty tired, i met a few americans, one of them being a rock band from portland named cutless, on their way to `portugal for a show. i also talked to a guy from california who was in showbizz, working with talent agencies for bands and other performers, i was thinking about introducing him to cutless but they didnt seem his type.
then i took a small plane to `brussels. the first flight that i got a window seat and would actually be able to see some of the countryside, except that this was the time that my body decided it was ready for sleep. so when i arrived in brussels i got my back in record time (about 3 minutes) and made my way to the exit (where i was again never checked for contraband). As soon as i left the checkpoint i heard virginia call my name. I was very surprised she recognized me as quickly as she did, especially being that i had not seen her since 2002 at her graduation, nor had i spoken with her on the phone (all contact was via e-mail, and instant messaging). I made my way over to her and hugged her and did the typical meet and greet with her and her two friends she had with her, shaking their hands and introducing myself. And this is where i went wrong.
In belgium whenever you are meeting friends, and their friends, you do not shake hands, you kiss them on the cheek. A custom which i am still getting used to especially when there are 8 or so people in the room. No one really seems to shake hands unless Virginia, says "this is my friend jeff from america." and people extend their arm for a "how are ya!?"
This is also one of the most shocking things about this country, the amount of people that speak english. I had planned on coming here and getting lost, both in the culture, the area, and the language, but find myself feeling more at home here than i have felt being in spokane. Everyone i have met has been extremely nice to me. Also taking the time to talk to me and greet me in english. and if they only speak a little they still make a great effort to make me feel comfortable. They tease me a little now still for not kissing them when i see them in the morning, but still do it all in good fun. And when we are in the company of people who do not speak english, while they are all speaking french, someone always takes the time to explain what the conversation is about, and i can still laugh along with them as they joke.
And that is another amazing part about this place; Virginia and all of the people in the large 4 story house, have all been very hospitable to me, letting me stay in one of their empty rooms, we spend several meals just sitting around the large table talking with one another and having some really good conversations about anything and everything. drinking tea, and beer, both of which are the best i have ever tasted, and eating some of the best food i have ever had.
the first night i got in they all asked if i was too tired, which i was, but at the same time i was excited to see this wonderful place, so i said no, lets go out on the town. so we hopped in a van and went to a theatre where they were celebrating the beggining of play season. we stayed there till 3 drinking beer and having a great time, the belgians that i have met here have learned something that i have been trying to learn, "moderation". they do not drink hard alchohol by the buckets like people i have seen (and sometimes have done myself), instead they drink and enjoy themselves without ever getting too sloppy and foolish. the next day virginia showed me around brussels, most of the historic sites and such, then we went to a french-canadian show called 'anatomie' where they dancers were wearing tighty whities and nothing else. the show lasted an hour and took place in an old 16 century cathedral that is no longer in use by the religous sect, but has been given to the community. the show itself was very different, i am glad i went, but do not need to see another show like it for some time. after the show there was a party of sorts in the old church where people were drinking beer and dancing to techno, with strobe lights and fog machines. the experience was a bit too foreign even for virginia and our friends so we went home. I stayed up taking with virginia's boyfried Alexis (best pronounced ah-lex-e) and a true frenchman named Ben. We talked about America, politics, life, and everything else you can imagine until 6:30 AM.
we woke up today in the afternoon and i went out exploring with Florence, Virginia's sister, who has studied to be a translator and speaks english, french, italian and a few other languages. She was a very fun tour guide to be walking with around the city and we stayed out all day then came back to the house where we had another good meal and more great fun conversations about music and telling jokes with everyone. we got done watching in Bruges not too long ago, a movie that just came out not too long ago with Colin Ferril. (Bruges is a town in Belgium not too far from brussels). It was a very good movie, and the scenery in it is very similar to what i see here.
`anyway. it is a little after 5 AM and i want to get ready for a new day. i am going to try to get the pictures up asap, right now i am also working with another site.
http://triptracker.net/profile/jmiller/
here you can see the path i took to get here, i will keep updating that but look here first for most stuff.
ciao
After more than 24 hours on planes and in airports i got no sleep, but made several new friends, one of them being from spokane, a study abroad student who is going to Prague for the next few months. The flights went much better than i expected, especially taking into consideration i have not had the best time being in small enclosed places. No worries at all though. On the flight over the atlantic i had an aisle seat with a television minitor in the chair in front of me. I watched the new indiana jones movie, a bit of harry potter and the chamber of secrets and chronicles of narnia (the second one). during the flight the food was actually pretty good and the offered me a beer, which they did not even charge me for or even card me, and later they offered me a second (which i also took). Then we landed in Amsterdam.
This was the moment of truth... foreign soil. as soon as i got off the plane i saw a lot of advertisements in english and was somewhat put back, i thought we left america? after walking around i heard the annoucements over the PA system in several different languages i didnt speak and thought it to be alright. Then came customs, i expected to have to take off my shoes and get ready for some rubber gloves and a lot of 'how do you do's' but instead the gatekeeper asked for my passport and then said 'good morning'. being 12:30 pm, i said good afternoon to which he replied
"it's already after noon? i have to get out of this shithole`', in his foreign european accent. He stamped my card, said i couldnt take the water bottle i had and sent me on my way.
so now i waited around the airport, smelling pretty funky and being pretty tired, i met a few americans, one of them being a rock band from portland named cutless, on their way to `portugal for a show. i also talked to a guy from california who was in showbizz, working with talent agencies for bands and other performers, i was thinking about introducing him to cutless but they didnt seem his type.
then i took a small plane to `brussels. the first flight that i got a window seat and would actually be able to see some of the countryside, except that this was the time that my body decided it was ready for sleep. so when i arrived in brussels i got my back in record time (about 3 minutes) and made my way to the exit (where i was again never checked for contraband). As soon as i left the checkpoint i heard virginia call my name. I was very surprised she recognized me as quickly as she did, especially being that i had not seen her since 2002 at her graduation, nor had i spoken with her on the phone (all contact was via e-mail, and instant messaging). I made my way over to her and hugged her and did the typical meet and greet with her and her two friends she had with her, shaking their hands and introducing myself. And this is where i went wrong.
In belgium whenever you are meeting friends, and their friends, you do not shake hands, you kiss them on the cheek. A custom which i am still getting used to especially when there are 8 or so people in the room. No one really seems to shake hands unless Virginia, says "this is my friend jeff from america." and people extend their arm for a "how are ya!?"
This is also one of the most shocking things about this country, the amount of people that speak english. I had planned on coming here and getting lost, both in the culture, the area, and the language, but find myself feeling more at home here than i have felt being in spokane. Everyone i have met has been extremely nice to me. Also taking the time to talk to me and greet me in english. and if they only speak a little they still make a great effort to make me feel comfortable. They tease me a little now still for not kissing them when i see them in the morning, but still do it all in good fun. And when we are in the company of people who do not speak english, while they are all speaking french, someone always takes the time to explain what the conversation is about, and i can still laugh along with them as they joke.
And that is another amazing part about this place; Virginia and all of the people in the large 4 story house, have all been very hospitable to me, letting me stay in one of their empty rooms, we spend several meals just sitting around the large table talking with one another and having some really good conversations about anything and everything. drinking tea, and beer, both of which are the best i have ever tasted, and eating some of the best food i have ever had.
the first night i got in they all asked if i was too tired, which i was, but at the same time i was excited to see this wonderful place, so i said no, lets go out on the town. so we hopped in a van and went to a theatre where they were celebrating the beggining of play season. we stayed there till 3 drinking beer and having a great time, the belgians that i have met here have learned something that i have been trying to learn, "moderation". they do not drink hard alchohol by the buckets like people i have seen (and sometimes have done myself), instead they drink and enjoy themselves without ever getting too sloppy and foolish. the next day virginia showed me around brussels, most of the historic sites and such, then we went to a french-canadian show called 'anatomie' where they dancers were wearing tighty whities and nothing else. the show lasted an hour and took place in an old 16 century cathedral that is no longer in use by the religous sect, but has been given to the community. the show itself was very different, i am glad i went, but do not need to see another show like it for some time. after the show there was a party of sorts in the old church where people were drinking beer and dancing to techno, with strobe lights and fog machines. the experience was a bit too foreign even for virginia and our friends so we went home. I stayed up taking with virginia's boyfried Alexis (best pronounced ah-lex-e) and a true frenchman named Ben. We talked about America, politics, life, and everything else you can imagine until 6:30 AM.
we woke up today in the afternoon and i went out exploring with Florence, Virginia's sister, who has studied to be a translator and speaks english, french, italian and a few other languages. She was a very fun tour guide to be walking with around the city and we stayed out all day then came back to the house where we had another good meal and more great fun conversations about music and telling jokes with everyone. we got done watching in Bruges not too long ago, a movie that just came out not too long ago with Colin Ferril. (Bruges is a town in Belgium not too far from brussels). It was a very good movie, and the scenery in it is very similar to what i see here.
`anyway. it is a little after 5 AM and i want to get ready for a new day. i am going to try to get the pictures up asap, right now i am also working with another site.
http://triptracker.net/profile/jmiller/
here you can see the path i took to get here, i will keep updating that but look here first for most stuff.
ciao
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Made it
virginia was waiting for me at the airport. raining now but loving every minute of it. The city is wonderful. keyboard is in french setup though, will type more when that is better.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
very soon now...
Well, im still getting ready for the big adventure, just went out today with Alli and picked myself up a new camera, Canon Rebel XSI, with 18-55 IS USM lens, and a 75-300 MM canon. I also picked up a lonely planet guidebook to Europe.
Totally out of the Cheney apartment and now staying in Sprague and the shop, just a stone's throw away from my parents new house.
I just need to finish getting all my stuff unpacked and looking good so i can feel good about it when im gone.
I worked on my tech class today that i never finished from last spring. I am going in tommorow to speak with the professor. I just with to be done with it all!! I am very close!!
Totally out of the Cheney apartment and now staying in Sprague and the shop, just a stone's throw away from my parents new house.
I just need to finish getting all my stuff unpacked and looking good so i can feel good about it when im gone.
I worked on my tech class today that i never finished from last spring. I am going in tommorow to speak with the professor. I just with to be done with it all!! I am very close!!
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