Wild Thing, I Don't Think I Love You

So tonight I saw "Where the Wild Things Are," and I was not a huge fan. The whole time I was pretty much like, please let this movie be over soon. And it may have been because I was in a hot car with 4 kids with runny noses and stinky feet. And one that would not sit still or stop talking. I really did try to get into it, because I love books, especially childrens books. However, I just wasn't feeling it. The whole thing was just boring and dark and kind of depressing.

It was pretty cool to go to a drive-in though. It was my first one and I would someday like to attend another, perhaps on a date and not with 4 young children. But we did take this super cute picture in the dream:

I know not everyone looks like they are having a good time, but trust me, a good time was had by all.

Also, I would like to mention that I am all about Jimmy Fallon these days. He is on way late and I usually can't stay up late enough to watch him. However, today I didn't get out of bed until 1:00 pm...I know, WHAT?! Lazy! But in my defense, I didn't go to sleep until 4:00 am (I was reading). And I don't have a job, so what else do I have to do? AND-I still managed to have a pretty productive day that included exercising, laundry, packing, job searching and a drive-in movie. So I don't feel totally useless. ANYWAYS-he is such a goober and his show is completely ridiculous, I love it. He plays all these crazy games, like having box-scooting races and is just really funny in general. And so cute. And married :(. Too bad for him.

Well that's it. Ellen still reigns supreme, but watch The Late Show with Jimmy Fallon if you too can stay up super late because you have no job or obligations to be up for the next day.

Night night :)

At Last

I FINALLY figured out the song that has been stuck in my head for like, a year. I never knew who it was by or even the words, really. I just knew how one line kind of went and by some miracle, I actually managed to figure it out. It's "You Give Me Something" by James Morrison. And it was all thanks to the Sirius Radio in the Dream....where dreams really do come true. And as an added bonus, James Morrison has tons of other fabulous songs, so I downloaded some of those as well and my life has been better because of it. I went on a walk today and had to stop to do a little dance because I was so moved. I almost started running. But I was not that inspired. I don't know what it's going to take for that to start happening, but for now, I'm going to pretend my foot is still holding me back.

I digress. That is really the only exciting thing going on right now. I am going to start making my way back to SC in the next few weeks, so that is kind of exciting, I guess. And I started formulating a tentative life plan, but it's gotten mixed reviews so far, so I'm going to keep it to myself for right now. I just checked my bank account as well and it is suffering, which makes me very sad. So that needs to change. If anyone needs a part time worker, let me know because I am ready and willing.

In other news, I found an AMAZING Halloween costume. You'll have to wait to see pictures because describing it doesn't do it justice. Patience, my friends. I also found out tonight that Dutch people don't do Halloween. Sad, huh? I thought so too.

I also had a revelation. I figured out that I only know how to talk to/flirt with boys I have no romantic interest in. Which is how I've managed to get some very non-interesting, slightly douchey boys interested in me in the last few weeks. So I'm going to work on that and get back to you.

And lastly, I got a free salad from McDonalds today just by filling out a survey. So that was pretty sweet. Thanks McDonalds!

That's it. Going to my first drive-in movie tomorrow...with 5 young children (second cousins) so it should be fun. Or interesting at least.

Ciao people :)

I do, I do, I do-ooooo

Wedding week!!!

Is over :( But it was so super fun! I'm just sad now because everyone left me and now I don't have anything to look forward to. But let's focus on the positive for now.

So JC got here last Monday and the party got started. Only not really because there is not much to do here as far as bars and clubs go, but it was still fun hanging out. Then Aus and Luke (the bride and groom) and Luke's brother came Tuesday and the Villa got really happening. The rest of the week was spent with me following around Austin, trying to be helpful and remain calm while she spazzed out over various situations. Wednesday and Thursday were mainly spent shopping and trying to tie up some loose ends. We had the bachelorette party on Thursday night and that was super fun. There were a really interesting mix of people there, including my grandmother and a blow up doll, Rico. And lots of booze. And a list of things for Austin to do that included doing the Macarena onstage by herself, wearing a bra over her eyes, collecting 10 pairs of underwear...with her teeth, and lots of other completely ridiculous and hilarious activities. And somehow she managed to do it all. It was really fun, but apparently Thursday night is not the big night to go out in Tampa, because there were very few people out with us. We were pretty much the only in the piano bar we went to and the club we went to was empty until a fraternity showed up with their dates and it turned into a frat party, which made me feel really old.

Friday was more partying, as well as Saturday at the rehearsal dinner. And Sunday was the BIG DAY! And sadly, it was really windy and really cold...no good for a beach wedding. Liz and I hung out with the bride all day, starting things off in the hot tub. Then we laid around for a while and around noon, we were like, oh, Aus is getting married...maybe we should shower or something. So we did and then some serious spazzing started. But, everything worked out and Aus looked absolutely beautfiul. Seriously. Gorgeous. We had the wedding on the beach and other than it being freezing (I was afraid my tears would freeze on my face), nothing went wrong. And then came the reception. And that shit was crazy. And soooo much fun. We ate and then just danced our asses off. Luke's family is Polish so they had this crazy Polish wedding dance where the bride dances in the middle and people pay to dance with her, as well as get a shot. And later, when we were counting the money, I found out it's tradition to tie the money up in knots or some other crazy crumply thing. That turned out to be somewhat annoying as money is kind of difficult to untie. Anyways, after everyone dances with the bride, the groom tries to bust through all the people dancing around her to get to her. It was really really fun and funny to watch.

However, the best part was definitely when they played Thriller and everyone had their own moves to show off. And Luke's dad, who the call the Hammer, did the monster and it was freaking hysterical. Especially since I think I had heard him speak maybe two times the entire week. It was super fabulous.

So then it was all over and I spent Monday trying to recover, spent Tuesday playing taxi and cab and today being sad because everyone is really gone.

But, I think I am going to do some traveling in the next two weeks and then head back to Charleston. After that I need to figure out what I'm doing, but I've got some ideas and things are looking up. I'll keep you posted.

Check out the wedding pics on facebook, they are awesome! Later dudes :)

I'm Dumb

Soooo....the song I was trying to quote and look cool...it actually says, "look outside at the raincoats coming, say OH." So yeah, I'm a moron. Not that anyone cares, but I wanted to clarify in case anyone was actually concerned. I have no idea what the lyric means. Also, I think my lyrics make more sense. Maybe I'll take up songwriting since my real life isn't going anywhere.

Look outside, the rainbow's gone

I'm grouchy, yet optimistic. Grouchy news first.

First off, I cannot understand how people spell my name wrong in emails. I mean, I try not to get too worked up because my name can be difficult, but seriously, it is RIGHT THERE. I sign the email with the correct spelling, my name is in the byline of the email and yet, people manage to spell it incorrectly in the salutation. What gives people?

There are also these commercials here for some lawyer you need to hire if you get in a car accident and here's my beef: the commercials are of people DRIVING. They are driving and looking at the camera and having a "conversation" with you, the viewer. What the hell?! Seems to me that would be the way you get in accidents in the first place...by being distracted and not doing what you are supposed to be doing while driving, which is watching the road. And one of them is this horrible woman and she does this laugh at the end and it is sooo annoying. These commercials run constantly and I just watched one, so there you go.

I HATE being bored and having no friends down here. And I am really mad in general at the few people I did meet here because they turned out to suck. Grrr.

And for the good news, my brother is flying down here TODAY! Hooray! My sister comes Thursday and the whooollleee family (moms side) will be here this weekend for my cousin's BIG WEDDING!! EXCITING! I am ready for some drinking, dancing and I do's. My dress has some mysterious stain on it, but I'm going to pretend I get it the day of the wedding so no one freaks out on me. Don't tell anyone.

So I have something to look forward to. Leaving the grouchiness behind. I'm going to try and keep it at bay next week when everyone leaves me. Oh and I finally got around to downloading new music my Dutch friend recommended and I really like the bands...The Whitest Boy Alive, Vampire Weekend, The Airborne Toxic Event and The Smiths. My Dutch friends also got my package this week and this is what I got in return:


Kind of hard to explain, but it totally made my life. And made me miss those goobers something awful.

Alrighty Then

Well here we are again. Sitting at home on a Saturday night. Not having any friends within a 200 mile radius kind of blows. It kind of blows a lot. However, looking on the positive side, I once again get to watch SNL. I am so in love with Andy Samburg right now. He is so darn funny. And, as an added bonus, Ryan Reynolds is hosting and he is so fine. I got super excited because he wasn't wearing his wedding ring while he was doing the monologue and was like, oh hey, maybe he got a divorce and maybe we'll meet sometime and get married. But then his stupid wife made a cameo on the show, so I'm thinking they are probably still together. So that's too bad for me.

Anyways, now that I'm back to not really having a life, I am back to watching a lot of TV. Which I hate because I feel like watching TV makes me get dumber but that's life. With the TV comes lots of questions. Mainly about companies and their advertising tactics. Also celebrities and why people are interested in them. And other random things...

1. Why does the Nasonex bee have a Spanish accent and sound like Antonio Banderas?

2. Why is the lady in the phone commercial for some new touch phone so freaking creepy? I am never going to buy that phone mainly because I don't want to end up like her.

3. Who told Ryan Reynolds cardigans were a good idea?

4. WHY IS LADY GAGA SO FREAKING WEIRD? How does she get away with this shit? Ugh, I so wish I were famous and being weird was cool and trendy. Also, I think she's kind of ugly, but I can't really tell. Oh wait, she kind of redeemed herself at the end of the show.

5. Do events like the ones in the Smirnoff commercials really happen? If so, I want to go there.

I have more, but I keep forgetting to write them down.

In other news, I recently discovered the liquor cabinet at my grandmother's villa contains Southern Comfort, which I think is pretty funny.

And that's about it. Hoping something interesting will happen next week.

Taking Care of Business

Helllloooo people!

Things are still going well down here in sunny Florida. Surprisingly enough, I have been staying pretty busy. No complaints though, I like being busy and the more things I have to do, the more I feel like I have an actual life. That is also less time to be sad about not being in Europe anymore. Moving right along.

In addition to being chauffeur to Germaine, I also started an internship at a local paper down here. It has four separate editions that are published monthly and it's called the Osprey Observer. I got an official name tag today and everything, so I mean business. I've only been in the office two days, but I have already been given assignments and have something due by Thursday. I am pretty excited about the whole thing because I'll get published and this will look awesome on my resume. Especially because otherwise I would have a big hole for these months and it never does anyone any good to have holes in the resume. However, I do need to find some paying work because today I spent $80 a the post office. I need some cash flow for real.

In other news, I also made some friends! Hooray friends! My aunt works at a high school and she introduced me to some of the younger teachers that work there and we had a grand ole time last Friday. The people I met were really nice and friendly and hopefully I didn't scare them away when I showed up to Happy Hour with Germaine in tow. I think it'll be ok though...she seemed to be a big hit, per usual.

So between cruising around in the Town Car (aka "the dream"), the internship and my cousins and their six kids, I have a pretty full schedule. On top of that, the weather is still pretty nice down here so I get some outside time in as well. And, the best part of all, I pretty much have my grandmother's villa all to myself, so I pretend it's mine and life is good. I love living by myself, even if it is in some one's house and with slightly outdated decor. I'll take what I can get.

I still need to figure out what I'm going to do with myself after this is all over, but I'm not feeling very motivated. I realllllyyyyy want to go somewhere else (out of the country) and try teaching again, but I have been lazy pants lately when it comes to that. Words of encouragement are helpful, so feel free to send some.

So that is my life. More to come, don't worry. I'm sure things will only get more exciting from here. Ciao friends :)

The Sunshine State

I'm sure everyone has just been dying to know what is going on with me. Yeah right. Now that I'm back in the states, things have once again gotten a little on the boring side. But you, my fabulously loyal reader, are still interested to hear about life and it's happenings, I just know it.

I spent about a week in Charleston, mainly sleeping and venturing out of the house every now and then. I drove around, ran some errands and tried to get my stuff in order. I didn't do a very good job, but I managed and got myself down to Florida with way to much stuff. Many thanks to my great friends and family that drove me and all my stuff around. But now I'm down here and the tables have turned. I am now the one driving and am pretty much a chauffeur for my Grandmother. I am not complaining, because I get to ride in total style in her Lincoln Town Car. I know, you're jealous. It actually drives really smooth and has a Sirius radio system, so basically I'm a baller. I've only been here a few days, but I have a couple job leads, have been helpful and am enjoying the fabulous weather. So far, so good. In fact, I'm heading to the pool after this to soak up some sun.


Ok, so that's my current life. I wanted to share this picture from my past life though, because I think it's hilarious. When I was in Greece, I was in a of secluded area and was not meeting any hot Greek gods like I had hoped for. I also wasn't really allowed to go anywhere to meet Greek gods and I was getting a little frustrated. So when my family told me we were going to go up to the tennis courts so Pana could take tennis lessons, I had extremely high hopes that the instructor was going to be beautiful. Now, no one had mentioned anything about him being good looking or young or available or anything, but I built it up in head and was going on some extreme wishful thinking. So we go up there and I'm all ready and hopeful and excited about having a summer fling with this Greek god and this is who it turns out to be:

And I don't know if you can really tell from the photo, but he is about 80 and has on some super thick glasses that are taped together in the middle. And even though he was apparently a looker in his day (I found out he has like, 9 kids from a few different women) and was still rockin on the tennis courts, he was a little too old for me and my summer romance dreams were shattered. So that was sad.

And that is the end of that story. Nothing else going on. More to come, I'm sure. Later dudes!

A List

Oh people. Here I am. Back at home. Watching 'America's Got Talent' with Ray and Mom, both loving and hating everything about being back in the USA. I know it's cheesy and cliche, but I seriously feel like I have a little hole in my heart. I know.

I know.

I'll move on. I'm trying to focus on the positive, so let's first recap the end of Europe and then we'll talk about the good things about being back home.

So, before the long journey back home began, we (Christin and I) were in Amsterdam for the weekend and we had a SUPER good time. Our hosts were extremely nice and gracious and really showed us a good time. We did a walking tour of the city, which was a little long. Not that I minded, but my foot was a little upset with me. It stopped whining later in the evening, after a bottle and a half of wine. Haha, it took wine to make the wHining stop. Jesus, am I really talking about my foot like it can talk and making bad puns? America makes me write bad. Stupid America.

Anyways, we also went to a club and it was AWESOME. They played really bad music and the floor was uncomfortably sticky. I was literally stuck to the floor. It hurt my foot to try and pry it off the ground, so I gave up and pretty much stayed in one place the entire night. Or morning rather because we got there around 2 and left around 5. AM. And we went to bed around 6:30. In the morning. Which was cracking me up just a few days later, when I went to bed at 9:30. At night. Oh, how quickly things change. We also went on a lovely boat tour and were serenaded by the greatest rendition of 'Hallelujah' I have ever heard. Seriously, it was fantastic. The next day, I was treated to bike tour by a local, so I felt super cool. Definitely cooler than the touristy goobers on Mike's Bikes. Or whatever. It was a little scary though, as I had to ride on the bike with my foot just dangling out there, for any passerby to hit or a car to rip off. Fortunately, that did not happen and it was a really nice day to end my visit to Amsterdam. It ended rather abruptly that evening so I can make it to the airport the next day, which is a different story that I don't feel like reliving. But I got to dance and I was SO happy.

SO, on to the positive things. Because being back in the US does have it's advantages. Let's do this list style. I'll try to get to 10:

1. I got lots of hugs. I love hugs. There are hugs in Europe, but they're a little on the weak side. They do more of that cheek kiss business, which I like, but hugs trump it for sure.

2. I get to DRIVE. And I LOVE driving. Ain't nothing better than windows down, music up.

3. The weather. It was getting a little chilly in Germany/The Netherlands but the weather here is fan-freakin-tastic. And that means I get to go to the beach. Which leads me to...

4. The beach! Love it. The Greek beach was awesome, but I missed sand between my toes.

5. I can make phone calls without worrying about my credit running out on me.

6. TV. This is a positive and a negative. I have a love/hate relationship with TV. I love it until I get sucked in, end up watching the SOAP network and am forced to watch the news...or the VMAs. Thank you Joe Wilson for making look SC look stupid AGAIN. And Kanye West. Vomit.

7. The pool. Went today, it was awesome. Until little kids showed up, then I had to peace out.

8. Nice, big, fluffy pillows. For whatever reason, all the pillows I encountered over there were TOTAL weaksauce. They were really sad.

9. Crispix and Chic-Fil-A. I missed them.

10. AIR CONDITIONING. Omg, love it.

So there you go. There are a lot of things I miss, no doubt. But let's think positive. I watched 'Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay' the other night and would like everyone else to do so as well. Not ONLY does it have my FAVORITE song EVER in it, but it also has them in Amsterdam at the end. Now, I don't know if I consider Amsterdam my Heaven on Earth, but it was definitely hella fun.

PA

My Pa died on Monday morning, surrounded by his family, in Florida and in peace, at 90 years young. After an excessive amount of phone calls, pleading, handing out credit card numbers, crying, train rides and extremely long and cold plane rides, I made it back for the funeral. It was also made possible by some extremely nice and patient people in the Netherlands and Germany and I am so extremely grateful to them. It was well worth all the effort to properly say goodbye to one of the most amazing people I have ever known and be surrounded by my family.

But enough about me. Let’s talk about Pa. Because, seriously, he was one awesome person. He was an award-winning painter, a writer, a traveler, a veteran, a gardener, a wine maker, a story teller, a generally nice person and overall, one fabulous grandfather. I really don’t even know how I can do him justice on a blog, but I know he read it to keep up with my travels and I want to honor him in my own little way, because I couldn’t be there to say goodbye to his face.Of course with death (especially a grandparent) comes the old clichés about how you wish you had more time with them, had talked to them more, said I love you more, and gotten a chance to properly say goodbye. It's weird for me to think about the 66 years Pa had before I was even around and how I didn't and won't ever really get to hear about all the amazing things he got to do and see. Luckily, though, he kept a record of his long and eventful life. I haven't gotten a chance to read everything, but he went to a lot of cool places and got to see and do a lot of really interesting and fun things. And, lucky for me, I did do a lot of listening while he was still here and got to spend a lot of quality time with him. I have so many great memories of times spent at my grandparents house and other visits with them. I'm going to try and share some, but they're all random and scattered, so bear with me.

He made his own wine in his basement, in the wine cellar and whenever he took me down there with him, it was my special duty to pull the string that turned on the light and he always made sure I performed it to my maximum potential. After our visit to the wine cellar, we would spend time in his greenhouse, watering the plants and making sure all was growing like it was supposed to. He also grew mint right outside the porch steps and when we would go pick it, he would talk to his friend Mr. Bee that lived in the plants. I was convinced that it was the same bee that lived there for at least four years and that Pa really was friends with him because he never got stung. And he had another friend, Moley, a stuffed mole who would crawl up his arm and had been with him around the world. My brother was completely convinced Moley was real and took him to show and tell in elementary school, positive Moley was just sleeping while on display. I remember him up in his beloved office, at first painting and going through his collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts and then later, after he lost his sight, at his computer, with everything enlarged five times so he could read or look at things. And he was always so nicely dressed. He had a hat for every occasion and a suit to match. He was an extremely stylish man and would often out dress everyone he was with. He loved to drink a nice cold beer or a nice glass of wine and was always cracking jokes and making everyone laugh, even when he was sick or in pain. Being Irish, he loved St. Patrick's Day and knew how to celebrate it right.

Whenever I think about Pa, I always picture him laughing. Everytime his face materializes in my mind, there is always a smile on it and I can think of very few times in my entire life that I see Pa in a less than cheerful mood. Going to his funeral, reading his stories, listening to his friends and family and going through old pictures made me realize just want an awesome person he really was and how lucky I am to say he was MY Pa. And even though it makes me unbelievably sad that I couldn't be there with him when he passed, I have no doubt he knew how much I loved him and I that am the lucky one that inherited his traveling bug. I hope to keep making him proud with my travels and want to make it Egypt one day so I can understand his fascination with the country.

And just in case you needed proof of how awesome he was, let me tell you about his last wishes. It was his first choice to be buried completely naked, with only his Army dog tags on. But because he knew my grandma wouldn't go for that, he opted instead to be buried in his Guinness pajama pants and Carney's Pub t-shirt, with Moley in his hand. Seriously. Awesome. Apparently it was genetic.

I miss you Pa. I know you're looking down on us, laughing, drinking and living it up in your pjs.

Pray for Pa

P-A, PA.

Pa is my awesome grandpa and he is not doing so well at the moment. Prayers, finger crossings, thumbs in, sacrifices, whatever you do for people that need help is welcome. And a little extra for me too because I'm a sad, all the way over in Germany and not with the rest of the family in Florida.

Nice People Are Awesome

It's true. Nice people are 1000 times cooler than non-nice people. I have been doing some studies and it's proven.

Ok, sorry for being dumb. But, since I got to Germany, everyone has been SO nice to me! Maybe it's because I'm crippled, but seriously...I almost feel bad sometimes. I mean, what did I do to deserve this niceness? I really hope one day all of these nice people come to visit me in the US so I can return the favor. Maybe not all at one time, but I want them to all eventually get there.

Anyways, some quick stories about nice people. When I hung out with Sven and his friends in Wolfsburg, it was someones birthday so we went had a cookout and people played soccer. I, obviously, did not participate in the soccer, but had a lovely time watching. Anyways, every single person that came to the party came over and introduced themselves, made a little conversation and I even got a few hugs. I felt so special, these people didn't even know me! And everyone was very concerned about my foot, made sure I was comfortable and well fed. One guy even took it upon himself to hand feed me...that got a little awkward, but it was funny. We also went over to people's houses and I was again fed and warmly welcomed.

And Sven and his family have been beyond nice. I am so not fun and useless with the broken foot, but they are super patient and always trying to help. I feel kind of bad, actually, but they just keep on being nice.

My favorite though: last night we went to a bbq for Sven because he is leaving the company he has been working at. It was in a nearby park and everyone brought food and such. And again, everyone introduced themselves and expressed concern over my foot. The girls even included me in their bathroom trek even though I made the journey about 15 extra minutes than necessary. Anyways, I was talking to one guy about my Greek family and I told him how I had bought them Prosecco in Italy as a gift and that they told me we would drink it on my birthday. Of course, we didn't do that and I never got opened at all and I was joking about how I should have taken it back and brought it with me to Germany. Well, later, the guy leaves to buy more beer and he brought back a bottle of Prosecco! I mean, really, how special is that? And he even made a toast for my belated birthday. It was so great. After that it started raining and we continued to sit there (I was slightly confused as to why we didn't just leave, but whatev) and overall, had a lovely evening.

So those are my nice people stories. Sorry they are kind of boring, I just wanted to share. In other news, my foot is killing me and it's making me very angry. I'm trying to stay positive, but it's really annoying. Getting a brace and all that is a little more difficult here, but we are going to the doctor tomorrow and hopefully he'll have something to give me. What I really need is some Madame Pomfrey. If you know what I'm talking about, you're awesome.

The Book of Love

So I was going to make this post a little "book of love" by putting up my favorite pictures so far...things I love, basically. But then I got lazy and decided to just put up my most recent favorite. The above picture cracks me up because Sven is just so dang happy. We were at this tiny little club that played reggae music in Wolfsburg (where he lives) with a bunch of his friends and it was the funniest thing I have seen in a long time. They were sooo into dancing and it was cracking me up! And it was good I was entertained because I had to just sit and watch because I still had the cast on. Speaking of, it came off today! Hooray! My leg was super gross, dry and hairy, but it is extremely happy to be free of its plaster confines. We are on the road to recovery and it feels good.

In other news, I have been doing a lot of internet surfing since I can't do a lot of walking, and came upon this amazing song I wanted to share with everyone:



The video is really stupid and I can't find it on iTunes, only as part of an album, but the song is SO good. It was on the finale of Scrubs. Another good one, "Even If It Breaks Your Heart," by Will Hoge. And, "I Know There's Something Going On," by Frida if you need an 80s fix.

And lastly, this is really funny:


I looked at other Panda videos (because I'm awesome) and decided that Pandas aren't real, they are all just people in Panda suits. Go look at some videos if you don't believe me.

So I'm in Berlin for a few days, then its back to Wolfsburg and Amsterdam this weekend. Not sure what happens after that, but we'll be in touch.

Ciao!

True Story

How awesome are those shoes? Too bad I can't wear both of them at the same time. I borrowed the one from Christin for our big night on the town and I was feeling pretty awesome. I might have to get my own pair.

So the big night was ok...I felt bad because I was grouchy and no fun, but walking is seriously such a bitch. It puts me in the worst mood! And, I feel like everyone is looking at me. Who knew I was so self-conscious? Damn.

But last night I learned boys are stupid in every country, big surprise. We were sitting in a bar, at these couch things and I had my leg up on the coffee table and this guy (a very not cute guy) comes running in (literally, running) and tries to pinch my toes. WTF?? Then I'm like, go away loser (I was already very grumpy at this point) and he continues to try and touch them. Now, I don't have a problem with people touching my foot, but seriously, what are you doing? Just because they are out on display does not mean you can touch them. Also, they haven't been washed in a week and a half, so it's not in anyone's best interest to touch them. Then, he acts like he is going to pour his beer in my cast. Um, really? You really think I am going to let you pour BEER into my CAST? No thank you sir. Then he starts talking because I pulled my leg away and I like, scream at him: I DON'T SPEAK DUTCH. Then he says something else and I scream it again and he says he was speaking English. Which I think is a lie because it didn't sound like any English I had ever heard, so I just said it again. And he finally left. True story.

Here's to hoping once the cast comes off, I will attract the attention of more normal boys. Or at least cute ones that don't think pouring beer on someone is cute...or even acceptable.

The Little Things

Not much has been happening lately. This stupid cast is seriously holding me back. I was all, oh, it won't be a big deal, I can walk around, loo-de-doo. Nah. That is not what is happening. After my excursions in Berlin, my foot was killing me! And the other day we walked to the grocery store, which would normally take about two minutes and it took at least twenty. The crutches are a huge pain and it was a little warm, so I was sweating in my cast and that was gross. I was mad too because I felt so lame and frustrated for taking so long and not being able to help carry groceries. So for now, I'm keeping outings to a minimum and have been watching a lot of "How I Met Your Mother," which is freaking hysterical! So all is not lost. I never watched it at home, but it's really really funny.

Oh, but yesterday, we did venture out and went to IKEA. And OH MAN, that place is AWESOME! It was my first time and I LOVED it. I am kind of glad there isn't one anywhere near Charleston because I think I would have spent all of my money there. They have fake apartments and rooms set up with how you can decorate and there is just so much cool stuff. And they have a restaurant! What??? They don't serve very much and the soda tastes like cough syrup, but they give you a little swedish flag when you order meatballs (I don't like meatballs, my friends got them. Just FYI) and they have lots of good desserts. And, as you can see above, they have chairs for losers like me and my awesome friends pushed me around. It was both hilarious and pathetic. Most of the time I was laughing but I did feel rather sad when they would walk off and I had to just sit there and not move because the chair would lock. I also had lots of little kids staring at me and I waved my crutch at one, and that made me feel like a crazy person. I also felt somewhat special ed because they would push me around and say things like, "look at all the colors, jacky!" But mainly it was funny and things only got better when I found masks in the clearance bin.

So there you go. Christin and Manja are awesome for putting up with my lame self and these are some of my favorite H.I.M.Y.M moments:



Damn. I can't find my absolute favorite parts. Go to Blockbuster (and appreciate it because they don't have it here!) and see them all for yourself.

Shits and Giggles

Not much has changed, but I wanted to share something I read in my journal and it made me laugh. A couple weeks ago, while still at the House of Bitch, I made a little list and it's titled "You Know Things are Bad When:"
-You are wishing bodily harm upon six year olds
-You're jealous of the dogs
-You're looking back fondly on the pee farm days
-The towels are getting ironed, but you're laundry is not even getting done
-You're sizing up high schoolers
-You are wishing for an illness or injury

Eesh, so that last one was a little too forewarning for my taste. I wanted like a minor cold or something WHILE I was there, so I would have an excuse not to be around the family. Broken foot the day I was leaving was not what I intended. Oh well.

And then after that I have an entire page under the title "Ridiculous nonsense." Haha! I was SUPER bored at the House of Bitch. Again, SO happy to be in Germany!

Also, I added a bunch of books to my list that I have read since I got to Europe. All of them are good, so check them out if you need something to read. Also, suggestions are welcome because I have lots of time on my hands now!

Headed back to the Netherlands tonight! Hopefully Amsterdam sometime soon and then who knows. Auf Wiedersehen!

Better

The title: How my life is. Also, a song by Regina Spektor. It's good.

Well here is how cool I am: 3 countries in 3 days. All in a cast. I got to Germany safe and sound Tuesday morning and teared on during the landing because I was just soo freakin happy to be out of Greece and away from the House of Bitch. There, Christin and her friend Manja picked me up from the airport and had crutches waiting for me. Pretty exciting, right? They are interesting looking crutches though, I call them polio crutches...I have yet to take a picture, but I'm working on it. We went to see the new Harry Potter movie and I was sooooo happy! It was, of course, wonderful, even if it wasn't exactly on par with the book. Now I'm just waiting for the next one, which unfortunately won't be for a while. Anyways, then I got to hang out with Sven and his super cute girlfriend Inka and we had a really great time reminiscing and wandering around Berlin. Well, actually, the wandering part wasn't exactly great. I'm not going to lie, this cast business is a big fat pain in my ass. I know I'm extremely lucky for a lot of reasons, but walking with a cast is seriously un-fun. I have a whole new set of problems because of them. My broken foot doesn't actually hurt anymore...my other foot is the one that hurts now from having all the pressure on it. And my upper body hurts from the stupid crutches. Also, it's costing me a lot of money and that is annoying.

Done complaining. After Berlin we drove back to the Netherlands, where Christin goes to school and hung out in her cool old Dutch house. It's crazy because I felt like I could be in anywhere, USA when we were driving. Other than the signs being in German and then Dutch, it looked like the US. McDonalds and gas stations on the side of the interstate, all that jazz. Anyways, now we are back in Germany at her parents house and everything is good. We have just been hanging out, eating ice cream. It's so lovely to have internet, not be hot as shit, eat whatever I want, and be able to speak English with people.

Right now we are watching a movie and I'm super distracted, so I'm going to get back to that. Just wanted to let everyone know all is well. More updates later. Feel free to check out the pictures.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026795&id=49500152&l=c6d3678fe5
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026714&id=49500152&l=6168ea0d8d

And Scene

Ok, so I took a nap, a shower and had some food and am feeling better. My hostel is a little on the chilly side, but I am still 1000 times happier here than Strava. I'm sure you are all probably wondering what on earth made the experience so horrible, so I'll try to explain.

First off, let me say that I had REALLY high hopes for this place. As you all know, I was really pumped about the whole thing and thought it was going to be so great. And, the thing that is most frustrating, is that it really had potential to be super fun. The house was beautiful, the kid was manageable, and Greece, in general, is fabulous. But the family just made me feel soooo uncomfortable! It is hard to explain, really. I'll try. It's long.

First off, they never had a conversation with me about what exactly I was supposed to do and what they expected of me. I got a schedule, but that was it. And then we left for the beach and I was on my own, so I never got to have the conversation. Which I think is kind of strange because usually at jobs, you get some sort of training or at least an outline of what is expected of you. Also, they knew I had never been an Au Pair before, so you think they would help me out some and tell me what worked with previous Au Pairs, what didn't, etc. Nope, nothing.

At first, it was just me, the kid (kid) and the housekeeper and the dad (asshole) would come at night. Things were good during the day, but when asshole would come, it was awkward because I didn't know who was in charge. Also, asshole was kind of a jerk. He was always telling kid to speak in English, yet he would continue to have conversations with him in Greek. He also took every opportunity possible to make me feel stupid. He was always asking me these ridiculous questions that I didn't know the answer to, or just didn't understand because he had different words for stuff or was pronouncing it wrong. He was wrong a lot, but would insist that he wasn't, so we had a lot of pointless arguments. I just quit talking to him because it wasn't worth it. He also made me feel fat when he told me I looked "a lot slimmer in the pictures I sent." So that was nice of him. Later down the line, he apparently thought I wasn't talking enough and told me that I needed to be speaking English with kid "every minute of the day," which I thought was a little on the extreme side. And, like I said, he was constantly speaking to him in Greek, so of course I didn't know what they were talking about and couldn't really add anything to the conversation! This was a problem a lot, actually. The family would NEVER speak in English at meals or anything, even though they could all speak it. No one would ever translate for me or tell me at least what was so funny. So I just sat there and occasionally made comments about the scenery and got blank stares back. It was quite frustrating. And just super rude, I thought. But the whole family was like that. The grandmother didn't even acknowledge my existence and the older brother and his friends that came never even introduced themselves. They also ate meals with their shirts off and asshole dad smoked at the table, which is gross, especially because he had man boobs.

So that was asshole. Kid, was generally not a problem. When it was just me and him, we got along fine. We would have conversations, read, play, whatever. However, when his friends were around, he was sooo rude to me! I would ask him questions and he would either straight up ignore me or make some rude comment and make fun of me in Greek with his friends. His friends were these three other Greek kids that had a German Au Pair (Christin). They were ok, except for the youngest, who was seriously the devil. At first I felt bad for him because he has diabetes and the other kids are mean to him sometimes but then I figured out that he deserved it and I didn't feel bad anymore. In fact, I was constantly wishing bodily harm upon him. One night he fell while running and I laughed for ten minutes. He was sooo bad. And he's bad because his parent didn't discipline him AT ALL. He took my water bottle while we were on the beach and dumped out all of it, right in front of them and they did not say a word. He didn't have to apologize, get me new water, nothing. I hated this child. ANYWAYS, kid was rude to me with his friends and when his parents were around. And again, with the no discipline thing, he was just allowed to be rude and nothing would be said. And he was rude to me and treated me like dirt because that is pretty much how the parents treated me. Like I was the "help" and therefore didn't really matter. I was told to "fetch" water, had to set and clear the table, etc.

And then there was the mom (bitchface).Bitchface was seriously one of the absolute bitchiest people I have ever encountered in my life. I don't know what her deal was, but she took every opportunity to say something rude and/or she would just ignore me completely. Which I was confused about because she was nice at first. That all changed about two weeks in. She would never tell me what was going on or if I had to be around or what the deal was. And there were times kid was playing with his friends (and the devil) and she would get mad because I wasn't playing with them. Which was stupid because 1. the friends couldn't speak English 2. They didn't want me to play with them. I asked. and 3. if they are playing and happy, why do I need to get involved?? Ugh, there were just soo many things. One day she got mad because I called a wasp a bee by accident and she's like, "Don't you know the difference? Don't they have wasps where you come from?" I mean damn. Oh, and she asked me to not sit on her bed. Like I'm going to get it dirty or something. I was sitting, watching TV and talking with the kid and she comes in and tells me to get off her bed. Ouch. Sucks for her though, because before bitchface got there, kid and I would lay in the bed and read together. HAHA! Oh, and she got super drunk one day at this beach bar we went to and had to be carried home because she was incoherent. Meanwhile, I have to take care of kid and his two friends while she throws up all over the bathroom. And this was after I got yelled at for not putting the bathmat down in the shower. "I don't want to have to spend my entire vacation cleaning up after you," is what I was told. Hm.

Ugh, there was seriously so much more. I was rarely given time off. I got four days total, I think and three of them were because they just left me there while they went back to Athens for one thing or another (including the wedding I was uninvited to). I had to watch the kid every waking hour and I had "curfew." The house had two gates, one you needed a controller to get in and the other just had a lock. I asked if I could go out one night, after kid went to bed and they wouldn't let me! They said they gate was locked when they went to bed and that was that. Which was such bullshit because I could have easily locked it behind me OR they could have given me one of the three controllers to the front. But no, I wasn't allowed.

And then there was the whole food nonsense. I was never asked if I liked the food, if I had enough, anything. And it wasn't that I didn't like any of the food, I just wanted smaller portions. Those people at SO much food, it was crazy! One day bitchface was like, "I'm beginning to think all you like is hamburgers." At first I thought she was joking but then I realized she was mad because I asked for one stuffed tomato instead of two like she was giving everyone else. I mean, I'm 24, which is plenty old to decide how much food I want to eat. I think she was trying to insuate that I was fat as well, I guess to establish comradarie with asshole. But it pissed me off because I NEVER complained about the food, nor did I ever mention anything about hamburgers. They thought I was weird because I don't like watermelon and wouldn't buy me apples or bananas because they weren't in season. Oh, and that whole relationship (between bitchface and asshole) was awkward too because they were constantly yelling at each other and/or kid and I was just sitting there, uncomfortable. I even told her I was uncomfortable and wanted to leave two weeks ago and she told me I had to stay until the 17th. No conversation about why I was uncomfortable or if it could be fixed, nothing.

To sum up, here's how my last day went. I stepped wrong on the stairs and have a feeling something is not right with my foot. Bitchface tells me to just sit awhile. Asshole finally comes and gives me some ice and wraps up my foot. Kid sees me with the ice and goes on about his business.. Bitchface gives me my money, all awkward and it's much less than what I deserve. The family leaves to go to dinner and leave me there on my own. I hobble around, make myself dinner and crawl up the stairs to go to bed, without saying goodbye to kid because we were leaving at 6 the next morning. Six comes around. Asshole sees me carry 3/4 of my luggage down the stairs before he offers to help. We ride to Athens in silence. We go to the hospital, where I get an X-Ray and a cast and asshole is annoyed everything is taking so long (we were there maybe 45 minutes). He insists I don't need crutches, even though the doctor said I did and my cast is not a walking cast. We get medicine at the pharmacy, but they don't have enough of it, so I'm told to just get more in Germany because asshole has things to do. We go to the house to get the rest of my stuff, I sit for an hour, he takes me downtown to my hostel. And this is what really set me off (and it's my mom's favorite part), I get out of the car and he just sits there on his phone. He doesn't offer to help even get my stuff out of the car. I struggle to get it out, cast on and everything and start to go inside. Then he yells out the window at me that I owe him 20 euro for the medicine. I mean really. Couldn't even help me with my luggage. Greek men are not known for the chivalry, but seriously people. I had a cast.

Whatever. I am SOOO happy to be gone from there, I don't even care. I honestly think the whole cast situation is kind of funny. I mean, really. Of course this would happen the day I get to leave. Stupid foot. But after that last car incident, I lost it. So I'm sitting in the hostel looking like an idiot because I'm crying and I have this gross cast and all this stupid luggage and life sucks. But the reception lady was really nice to me, someone carried my bags and things are better now and I am really excited about Germany.

The weird thing, to me, is that everyone else I've met so far has been SO incredibly nice. Like, beyond nice. I even questioned it sometimes. Why are they being so nice to me? I didn't do anything? But I guess that is the good in all of this. I have so many nice people to think about and remind myself that it's not me...it's that family. I didn't do anything wrong...people generally like me and I have new friends to prove it. My Italian families were so far beyond fabulous and accommodating. Christin, the other Au Pair, has been so helpful and wonderful in helping me get my flight and is picking me up in Berlin and offered to get me crutches and everything. And I met this Dutch family at the beach and they invited me to spend the entire day with them when I got left there by myself, even though it was their last day of vacation, and took me to the grocery store so I could buy some fruit. They also invited me to come visit and were just all around so fun and nice. Christin and I are going to try and visit them in Amsterdam. So, I have things and people to look forward too. Fuck those Greek people. There's more, but I'm moving on bitches.

Also, here are some photos. Facebook won't let me upload them all right now, but here are some to tide you over. It was at least pretty there. And I got a glorious tan, even though I'm worried the cast is going to ruin it. Sorry for the rant. Had to get it off my chest.

Where I sunbathed, by the church

The beach

The nice Dutch boys

Christin and I by the sea

The view from my room

View from the hill

Sunrise

The driveway

The house

Another sunrise. Taken after I took Midol (with caffeine in it) and couldn't sleep the entire night.

Damn

Jeez, there is SO much to write about but I'm tired as shit right now. So a quick update and more later.

1. I FINALLY got to leave my stupid Greek house. Those people were beyond horrible and I am SOOOOOOO SO so so SO happy to be gone finally! I got dropped off at my hostel this morning.

2. I am leaving for Berlin, Germany tomorrow morning at a ridiculously early hour. Don't care, just can't wait to leave.

3. I broke my foot yesterday walking down the stairs. That's right, just walking. The stupid family has a stupid slick marble staircase and I just stepped wrong and crack, foot is broken. It hurt so bad and it sucks even more today to be wandering around, with all my luggage and a cast. I got a cast at the super speedy and sketchy Greek hospital and even got to take home my X-Ray. I don't have crutches (the dad insisted I didn't need them) and my cast is already filthy and disgusting. I'm hoping to change this when I get to Germany because it's gross and embarrassing. I'm super pissed, but that is kind of being overridden by my joy of leaving Strava.

So there you go. More later when I can keep my eyes open. Pictures too. Because it was very beautiful there. even though the family sucked.

Changes

OOOOHHH PEOPLE.

People.

So MUCH has happened in the past couple of weeks. I don't have time to write about it now, but Greece is not working out quite as expected. It is super beautiful here, but the family is not exactly what I thought they were going to be. And I think the feeling is mutual, because I'm quite certain they hate me. But whatever. Just to update everyone, I am leaving Greece on the 18th and am flying to Germany. There was another au pair here for another family that is friends with my family and she offered to let me stay there until I figure out what I'm going to do. So I"m going to fly to Berlin, see Sven (YAY YAY!) and then go to her house and figure out my life. I'll keep you posted and will also fill you in on the details of the last weeks. Some highlights: I was uninvited to the Greek wedding (sooo sad!) and my birthday was not even mentioned. GOOD TIMES!

Ok, but whatever...good things are in my near future and I am excited!

Ciao friends!