I saw a Kathy Mattea concert down in Florida. Second time, after seeing her in St. Louis several years ago. I love her - especially the stuff she's done recently about the Appalaichans and coal. She doesn't write many songs, but collects and performs them really well.
Two of my favorites are You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive and L&N Don't Stop Here Anymore
In the deep dark hills of eastern Kentucky
That's the place where I trace my bloodline
And it's there I read on a hillside gravestone
'You will never leave Harlan alive'
When my granddad's dad walked down Catron's Mountain
And he asked Tillie Helton to be his bride
He said, won't you walk with me out of the mouth of this holler?
Or we'll never leave Harlan alive
Where the sun comes up about ten in the morning
And the sun goes down about three in the day
And you fill your cup with whatever bitter brew you're drinkin'
And you spend your life just thinkin' of how to get away
Well no one ever knew there was coal in them mountains
'Til a man from the Northeast arrived
Waving hundred dollar bills
He said, I'll pay you for your minerals
But he never left Harlan alive
Well granny, she sold out cheap and they moved out west of Pineville
To a farm where big Richland River winds
( From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/b/brad-paisley-lyrics/you_ll-never-leave-harlan-alive-lyrics.html )
I bet they danced them a jig and laughed and sang a new song
Who said we'd never leave Harlan alive?
But the times, they got hard and tobacco wasn't selling
And ole granddad knew what he'd do to survive
He went and dug for Harlan coal
Sent the money back to granny but he never left Harlan alive
Where the sun comes up about ten in the morning
And the sun goes down about three in the day
And you fill your cup with whatever bitter brew you're drinkin'
And you spend your life just thinkin' of how to get away
Where the sun comes up about ten in the morning
And the sun goes down about three in the day
And you fill your cup with whatever bitter brew you're drinking
And you spend your life digging coal from the bottom of your grave
In the deep dark hills of eastern Kentucky
That's the place where I trace my bloodline
And it's there I read on a hillside gravestone
'You'll never leave Harlan alive'
When I was a curly headed baby
My daddy sat me down upon his knee
He said, "Boy, you go to school and learn your letters
Don't you be a dirty miner like me"
I was born and raised in the mouth of the Hazard Hollow
Coal cars rambled past my door
Now they're standin' in a rusty row all empty
And the L & N
Don't stop here anymore
I used to think my daddy was a black man
With script enough to buy the company store
Now he goes downtown with empty pockets
And his face is white as a February snow
I was born and raised in the mouth of the Hazard Hollow
Coal cars rambled past my door
Now they're standin' in a rusty row all empty
And the L & N
Don't stop here anymore
Last night I dreamed I went down to the coal yard
To draw my pay like I always did before
But them ol' kudzu vines were comin' through the window
And the leaves and grass were growin' through the floor
I was born and raised in the mouth of the Hazard Hollow
Coal cars rambled past my door
Now they're standin' in a rusty row all empty
And the L & N
Don't stop here anymore
November 27, 2011
Bad Day
Yesterday my phone went for a quick dip in the ocean. It sorta survived, actually - I think it would have been okay if it had been fresh water. But it corroded overnight (surprise) and that's that. Luckily the phone was very cheap, unluckily, I now have to be without a phone until I can get it replaced.
Flew into Columbia this morning. After the blue gulf of Mexico and eighty-degree sunny days, the totally grey sky, the grey branches, the grey streets and the 30 degree temperatures were not very welcoming. I drove to my residence hall and it was locked up tight. No sign explaining it, but I found another building saying the campus wasn't going to be open until 1. So I had two hours to kill.
I went to Walmart and bought some hot food, then went into the back to try to buy a phone. They were sold out of all the cheap ones - apparently everyone breaks their phones during holiday season. The cheapest replacement I could buy was $40 - it should have been $15. I decided to go and try the other Walmarts.
On the way out I sat on a bench near the entrance and thought I could quickly eat the food I bought. I luckily had a fork in my backpack and right before I opened the container, people were yelling at me. Apparently I was setting off the alarm by sitting too close to it. So why was there a bench there!?!?!
I assumed the alarm was just a door-open-too-long thing, but then the greeter checked my purchases to see if they were setting it off, and asked me to walk through with just my backpack. The shoplifter alarm went off. Of course I didn't have anything, but it was hard to prove since I had my entire flight backpack on with all sorts of rubbish in it. Luckily the guy trusted me and let me go after checking the new hard drive I had bought at best buy and looking in the bag a little bit.
I went out and ate in the backseat of my car, then got back behind the wheel. My plan was to see if AT&T was open, then try the other Walmarts. I put AT&T into my GPS, but it took me to an older, defunct location and I couldn't remember where it was now, and I couldn't call anyone to ask. As I was putting Walmart in to find the other locations, a man started honking at me. When we came to the light I rolled down my window and he told me that one of my tires was really low on air!!
Embarrassing fact - In four years of having a car, I have never once put air in the tires. Did my parents do it for me when I was at home and they borrowed the car? Did the garage do it when I stopped in for oil changes, etc? Honestly I'm not sure how I've avoided that necessity. But now I was panicking. I told GPS to take me to the next auto shop. It drove me a few blocks into the bad part of town (Columbia is small enough that if you take a wrong turn, you might be in the bad part of town). There was no garage there, but there was a gas station across the street.
I went in and asked the clerk where I could go to put air in my tires, apologetically. She told me I could do it at right there at the gas station (I'd thought so, but when I pulled in and looked around, I hadn't seen the air pump right away). She made change for me so I could use the machine. The tire did look pretty bad, but I set it right again. One crisis averted. As I said, I was in a dodgy part of town, so people kept coming up to me to ask me for money, or if they could help me with the pump. I couldn't tell if they were just trying to be nice or what, so I just cheerily said "I've got it, thanks!"
I'd had enough adventure so I drove to my friend Tina's house. Most people were still gone for the holidays, but Tina had written that she'd likely return to Columbia after Thanksgiving. And, since Tina calls her car "the Impala", and I know what an impala is, her car is one of the few of my friends cars that I can recognize. It was in the driveway, so I knocked and she let me in. She was awesome and let me call my parents on her phone to let them know I'd arrived, as well as letting me stay until my dorm opened and feeding me delicious cobbler.
It hasn't been the best day. XD But Tina helped a lot!!
Flew into Columbia this morning. After the blue gulf of Mexico and eighty-degree sunny days, the totally grey sky, the grey branches, the grey streets and the 30 degree temperatures were not very welcoming. I drove to my residence hall and it was locked up tight. No sign explaining it, but I found another building saying the campus wasn't going to be open until 1. So I had two hours to kill.
I went to Walmart and bought some hot food, then went into the back to try to buy a phone. They were sold out of all the cheap ones - apparently everyone breaks their phones during holiday season. The cheapest replacement I could buy was $40 - it should have been $15. I decided to go and try the other Walmarts.
On the way out I sat on a bench near the entrance and thought I could quickly eat the food I bought. I luckily had a fork in my backpack and right before I opened the container, people were yelling at me. Apparently I was setting off the alarm by sitting too close to it. So why was there a bench there!?!?!
I assumed the alarm was just a door-open-too-long thing, but then the greeter checked my purchases to see if they were setting it off, and asked me to walk through with just my backpack. The shoplifter alarm went off. Of course I didn't have anything, but it was hard to prove since I had my entire flight backpack on with all sorts of rubbish in it. Luckily the guy trusted me and let me go after checking the new hard drive I had bought at best buy and looking in the bag a little bit.
I went out and ate in the backseat of my car, then got back behind the wheel. My plan was to see if AT&T was open, then try the other Walmarts. I put AT&T into my GPS, but it took me to an older, defunct location and I couldn't remember where it was now, and I couldn't call anyone to ask. As I was putting Walmart in to find the other locations, a man started honking at me. When we came to the light I rolled down my window and he told me that one of my tires was really low on air!!
Embarrassing fact - In four years of having a car, I have never once put air in the tires. Did my parents do it for me when I was at home and they borrowed the car? Did the garage do it when I stopped in for oil changes, etc? Honestly I'm not sure how I've avoided that necessity. But now I was panicking. I told GPS to take me to the next auto shop. It drove me a few blocks into the bad part of town (Columbia is small enough that if you take a wrong turn, you might be in the bad part of town). There was no garage there, but there was a gas station across the street.
I went in and asked the clerk where I could go to put air in my tires, apologetically. She told me I could do it at right there at the gas station (I'd thought so, but when I pulled in and looked around, I hadn't seen the air pump right away). She made change for me so I could use the machine. The tire did look pretty bad, but I set it right again. One crisis averted. As I said, I was in a dodgy part of town, so people kept coming up to me to ask me for money, or if they could help me with the pump. I couldn't tell if they were just trying to be nice or what, so I just cheerily said "I've got it, thanks!"
I'd had enough adventure so I drove to my friend Tina's house. Most people were still gone for the holidays, but Tina had written that she'd likely return to Columbia after Thanksgiving. And, since Tina calls her car "the Impala", and I know what an impala is, her car is one of the few of my friends cars that I can recognize. It was in the driveway, so I knocked and she let me in. She was awesome and let me call my parents on her phone to let them know I'd arrived, as well as letting me stay until my dorm opened and feeding me delicious cobbler.
It hasn't been the best day. XD But Tina helped a lot!!
Netbook Decision
So I kicked out the lights on my old netbook awhile ago. Bestbuy said it would cost them $200 to repair - and I only paid about $250-300 for it initially. I could get a screen online for about $60, but I wasn't sure if I could find a friend to install it for me and I didn't trust myself. If I found the screen myself, Bestbuy would repair it for $50, so I was looking at probably about $110.
This was months ago, and for months, I did nothing. My options were - A.) Repair it, B.) Not have a mobile device anymore, C.) Move to a smart phone or tablet, D.) Buy a new netbook.
The problem with A was that repairing it was a full half the value, for a device that was more than a year old. If I repaired it, and the next day the motherboard went out, I would not be happy.
The problem with B was that I didn't want to take my Macbook traveling or out on rainy days, and it was annoying to have no more convenient way to check email or take notes, especially with my lifestyle.
The problem with C was that note-taking was one of my principal needs for my netbook - mobile devices are tempting and I might still get a cheap one in the next 2-3 years as a third device (or maybe its time for a smartphone?), but the only one I could see replacing my netbook, imperfectly, is the iPad which is quite expensive.
The problem with D was that it was the most expensive of the options.
Over the weekend and during black friday I shopped tablets and netbooks. I came to the conclusion that I loved my current Toshiba netbook, the most recent version of which was on sale during black friday for $250, and the other options wouldn't really suit. I decided to repair it.
But then I went home and got on Amazon and started worrying that I would get the wrong kind of screen. Or that there would be some problem with it. Or that they would mess it up repairing it. And I looked at the current laptop and how dirty and worn it was on all the edges and wondered how much longer it would really be healthy inside. And I found a very gently used one on Amazon for $200 even.
So I ordered it and sent it to my house in Florida.
I guess I should be lucky that $200 is the most I've ever lost to sheer stupidity/clumsiness. :( But it's worth $200 to keep my Mac out of harms way!
This was months ago, and for months, I did nothing. My options were - A.) Repair it, B.) Not have a mobile device anymore, C.) Move to a smart phone or tablet, D.) Buy a new netbook.
The problem with A was that repairing it was a full half the value, for a device that was more than a year old. If I repaired it, and the next day the motherboard went out, I would not be happy.
The problem with B was that I didn't want to take my Macbook traveling or out on rainy days, and it was annoying to have no more convenient way to check email or take notes, especially with my lifestyle.
The problem with C was that note-taking was one of my principal needs for my netbook - mobile devices are tempting and I might still get a cheap one in the next 2-3 years as a third device (or maybe its time for a smartphone?), but the only one I could see replacing my netbook, imperfectly, is the iPad which is quite expensive.
The problem with D was that it was the most expensive of the options.
Over the weekend and during black friday I shopped tablets and netbooks. I came to the conclusion that I loved my current Toshiba netbook, the most recent version of which was on sale during black friday for $250, and the other options wouldn't really suit. I decided to repair it.
But then I went home and got on Amazon and started worrying that I would get the wrong kind of screen. Or that there would be some problem with it. Or that they would mess it up repairing it. And I looked at the current laptop and how dirty and worn it was on all the edges and wondered how much longer it would really be healthy inside. And I found a very gently used one on Amazon for $200 even.
So I ordered it and sent it to my house in Florida.
I guess I should be lucky that $200 is the most I've ever lost to sheer stupidity/clumsiness. :( But it's worth $200 to keep my Mac out of harms way!
November 18, 2011
Prize Money
Yesterday, I won the MU Study Abroad Photo Contest with this picture:
It was the only one of the three photos I submitted to make it to the Finalist level, in the category of Cross Cultural Moments. The other categories were Landscapes, Portraits, and Educational Moments. Educational Moments and Cross Cultural Moments were sort of tricky ones, I thought. This one for example could with some imagination go into any of the four categories. But, I threw it in Cross Cultural because I thought there might be less entries to that one or something. :) Out of roughly 150 pictures, they picked 5 finalists in each of the four categories.
At the contest I tried to prepare myself for the possibility of not winning. Sure enough they started off with the Cross Cultural winner, and it wasn't me. So I knew I had either won everything, or nothing... and I won! Yay! :D Apparently they just loved the composition, the colors, and the sense of distance and adventure.
The prize was a HUGE framed version of the picture, and $200. I've already spent the money. XD
I went down to the Alpine Shop and bought the following:
For winter:
- 4 pairs of merino wool socks
- A pair of thin, thermal glove liners
- A pair of waterproof down mittens
- A pair of long underwear bottoms
After my conversation with Liisa, I determined that a balaclava was more or less optional, that my old silk scarves and new wool hat should work fine, that my polyester long underwear would suffice and that I could have her old Nepalese gaiters. That really left only mittens as a necessary warmth item. And, indeed, the mittens were at $80 the most expensive item I bought by far. I needed both warm and waterproof, and the ones I got were actually the cheapest ones that met that requirement. But, my hand-me-down wool socks are a poor fit (enormous, actually), and I found some in my size that were being sold pretty cheaply as for kids, so I got a few pairs. And, with long underwear on sale, I rounded out my 'collection' to two tops and two bottoms, which should just suffice.
For camping/travel:
- A second waterproof compression sack for clothing
- A super absorbant pocket towel
- An ultra-light travel kettle/pot
- A very tiny camp bowl, mug, and spork
I loved the compression sack I got for my sleeping bag, so I decided to get a second one. Camping in Scandinavia, keeping my clothes dry no matter what (plus able to fit in my backpack) is going to be really important. Plus, I can use it on ordinary trips for packing. I'm thinking for example of packing my down pillow this time since there's no Ana or Esther to borrow from in Bergen - this will make that doable. The pocket towel is something I've wanted for quite awhile, and it was surprisingly cheap - $12. Meanwhile the kettle, bowl, mug, and spork came all together in a tiny, very lightweight kit, all nestled together. I had been considering getting this little pack-flat bowl, but this was only twice the price for several items. If I get a camp stove, this will set me up to make tiny meals out and about. If I don't, the kettle will still be useful for traveling, example we don't necessarily have communal cookware in Bergen, if I bring this I will be able to make soup, hot water, ramen, etc.
------------------------------------
After my previous shopping excursion to REI, where I picked up a winter sleeping bag, compression sack, sleeping pad, thermal liner, hiking backpack, and waterproof cover... plus the wool hat I got last week... I am now about 60% equipped for Norway. All that remains is the coat my mom is getting me for Christmas <3, (a good waterproof shell with fleece liner), a pair of waterproof pants, and a pair of boots. I love my hiking booties, but I need something a bit warmer with room for wool socks, and, if I can get it without paying an arm and a leg extra, mountaineering capabilities (I'd like to get something I can put crampons on). Alpine Shop had some surprisingly warm boots but nothing for mountaineering, so I'm thinking that after break, when I go to get Max from St. Louis, I'll check out REI's selection.
It was the only one of the three photos I submitted to make it to the Finalist level, in the category of Cross Cultural Moments. The other categories were Landscapes, Portraits, and Educational Moments. Educational Moments and Cross Cultural Moments were sort of tricky ones, I thought. This one for example could with some imagination go into any of the four categories. But, I threw it in Cross Cultural because I thought there might be less entries to that one or something. :) Out of roughly 150 pictures, they picked 5 finalists in each of the four categories.
At the contest I tried to prepare myself for the possibility of not winning. Sure enough they started off with the Cross Cultural winner, and it wasn't me. So I knew I had either won everything, or nothing... and I won! Yay! :D Apparently they just loved the composition, the colors, and the sense of distance and adventure.
The prize was a HUGE framed version of the picture, and $200. I've already spent the money. XD
I went down to the Alpine Shop and bought the following:
For winter:
- 4 pairs of merino wool socks
- A pair of thin, thermal glove liners
- A pair of waterproof down mittens
- A pair of long underwear bottoms
After my conversation with Liisa, I determined that a balaclava was more or less optional, that my old silk scarves and new wool hat should work fine, that my polyester long underwear would suffice and that I could have her old Nepalese gaiters. That really left only mittens as a necessary warmth item. And, indeed, the mittens were at $80 the most expensive item I bought by far. I needed both warm and waterproof, and the ones I got were actually the cheapest ones that met that requirement. But, my hand-me-down wool socks are a poor fit (enormous, actually), and I found some in my size that were being sold pretty cheaply as for kids, so I got a few pairs. And, with long underwear on sale, I rounded out my 'collection' to two tops and two bottoms, which should just suffice.
For camping/travel:
- A second waterproof compression sack for clothing
- A super absorbant pocket towel
- An ultra-light travel kettle/pot
- A very tiny camp bowl, mug, and spork
I loved the compression sack I got for my sleeping bag, so I decided to get a second one. Camping in Scandinavia, keeping my clothes dry no matter what (plus able to fit in my backpack) is going to be really important. Plus, I can use it on ordinary trips for packing. I'm thinking for example of packing my down pillow this time since there's no Ana or Esther to borrow from in Bergen - this will make that doable. The pocket towel is something I've wanted for quite awhile, and it was surprisingly cheap - $12. Meanwhile the kettle, bowl, mug, and spork came all together in a tiny, very lightweight kit, all nestled together. I had been considering getting this little pack-flat bowl, but this was only twice the price for several items. If I get a camp stove, this will set me up to make tiny meals out and about. If I don't, the kettle will still be useful for traveling, example we don't necessarily have communal cookware in Bergen, if I bring this I will be able to make soup, hot water, ramen, etc.
------------------------------------
After my previous shopping excursion to REI, where I picked up a winter sleeping bag, compression sack, sleeping pad, thermal liner, hiking backpack, and waterproof cover... plus the wool hat I got last week... I am now about 60% equipped for Norway. All that remains is the coat my mom is getting me for Christmas <3, (a good waterproof shell with fleece liner), a pair of waterproof pants, and a pair of boots. I love my hiking booties, but I need something a bit warmer with room for wool socks, and, if I can get it without paying an arm and a leg extra, mountaineering capabilities (I'd like to get something I can put crampons on). Alpine Shop had some surprisingly warm boots but nothing for mountaineering, so I'm thinking that after break, when I go to get Max from St. Louis, I'll check out REI's selection.
November 16, 2011
Norwegian Prices
How much are Norwegian prices going to eat my soul, really?
Today I found this great website, Numbeo, that lets me compare cost of living in different cities. I pulled up Kansas City, Tampa, Bergen, Pamplona, Cologne, and Helsinki (closest to Columbia/St. Louis, Tampa, Bergen, Pamplona, Bonn, and Turku as I could get.. and those are the cities I have spent the most time in, oddly enough!)
What I found pretty much confirmed my feelings, but at least it wasn't way worse than I had expected. Groceries are pretty much evenly 2x as much as in America. (Germany and Spain are roughly 1.5x, on average, except for the most basic raw staples which are usually a little bit cheaper than in the States.) Meat, though, at least pretty, processed chicken breast, is a full 4x as expensive. 1kg of chicken breast is $5 in the US, $8 in Spain, $13 in Germany and Finland, and, wait for it... $20 in Norway.
Ouch. But, I'll be okay. I've learned to shop smart, look for sales, and utilize local deals - shrimp for example is not quite as many times more expensive in Norway than in the US, plus it tastes way better in Norway!
Restaurants, now. In the US, you can get a cheap meal for $10, and that's after taxes and tips have been added on top. In Germany, Finland, and Spain, that's bumped up to about $14, which is still not terrible. In Norway, you won't get a combo meal at McDonalds for that. At every range, Norwegian restaurant prices are a full 2x the American price. Meaning that eating in, and packing lunches, will be my main strategy for dealing with hyperinflation. :)
Alcohol? Forget-about-it. Crazy nights out on the town will be my second sacrifice, this time in exchange for fun outdoorsy outings, which are also distinctly not-free.
The last problematic thing in Norway is transportation. In Germany I had free transportation, and the local busses in Columbia and Pamplona run about $1.50 each way. In Norway? Try $4.50 each way. Why do you think I put Alrek residence hall, one of the only decently priced ones within (hopefully) walking distance of the campus, as my top priority? $9 per day just to get to and from school is the kind of thing that can take you down, and fast. If the walks are getting unmanageable, I'll also seriously considering a bike. I loved doing so in Bonn, and even if I have to pay twice as much, it could pay for itself very fast with fares like that.
So, I didn't find any 'good' news, per se. But it's sort of relieving just to see some hard numbers and not just 'ungodly expensive' again and again until you start to imagine $30 peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches. And I can handle it, I'm sure. I just won't travel quite as much as in Germany, won't eat out quite as much as in Spain - I'll hunker down a bit and be glad I can cook, be glad I'm small enough not to need a lot to eat, and be glad I like to walk.
Who knows, I might even turn into the stereotypical starving student who lines her dresser drawers with oatmeal and lives exclusively on ramen noodles.
Today I found this great website, Numbeo, that lets me compare cost of living in different cities. I pulled up Kansas City, Tampa, Bergen, Pamplona, Cologne, and Helsinki (closest to Columbia/St. Louis, Tampa, Bergen, Pamplona, Bonn, and Turku as I could get.. and those are the cities I have spent the most time in, oddly enough!)
What I found pretty much confirmed my feelings, but at least it wasn't way worse than I had expected. Groceries are pretty much evenly 2x as much as in America. (Germany and Spain are roughly 1.5x, on average, except for the most basic raw staples which are usually a little bit cheaper than in the States.) Meat, though, at least pretty, processed chicken breast, is a full 4x as expensive. 1kg of chicken breast is $5 in the US, $8 in Spain, $13 in Germany and Finland, and, wait for it... $20 in Norway.
Ouch. But, I'll be okay. I've learned to shop smart, look for sales, and utilize local deals - shrimp for example is not quite as many times more expensive in Norway than in the US, plus it tastes way better in Norway!
Restaurants, now. In the US, you can get a cheap meal for $10, and that's after taxes and tips have been added on top. In Germany, Finland, and Spain, that's bumped up to about $14, which is still not terrible. In Norway, you won't get a combo meal at McDonalds for that. At every range, Norwegian restaurant prices are a full 2x the American price. Meaning that eating in, and packing lunches, will be my main strategy for dealing with hyperinflation. :)
Alcohol? Forget-about-it. Crazy nights out on the town will be my second sacrifice, this time in exchange for fun outdoorsy outings, which are also distinctly not-free.
The last problematic thing in Norway is transportation. In Germany I had free transportation, and the local busses in Columbia and Pamplona run about $1.50 each way. In Norway? Try $4.50 each way. Why do you think I put Alrek residence hall, one of the only decently priced ones within (hopefully) walking distance of the campus, as my top priority? $9 per day just to get to and from school is the kind of thing that can take you down, and fast. If the walks are getting unmanageable, I'll also seriously considering a bike. I loved doing so in Bonn, and even if I have to pay twice as much, it could pay for itself very fast with fares like that.
So, I didn't find any 'good' news, per se. But it's sort of relieving just to see some hard numbers and not just 'ungodly expensive' again and again until you start to imagine $30 peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches. And I can handle it, I'm sure. I just won't travel quite as much as in Germany, won't eat out quite as much as in Spain - I'll hunker down a bit and be glad I can cook, be glad I'm small enough not to need a lot to eat, and be glad I like to walk.
Who knows, I might even turn into the stereotypical starving student who lines her dresser drawers with oatmeal and lives exclusively on ramen noodles.
November 14, 2011
My Semi-Daily Life
Planning out the last few weeks day by day.
Getting over my phobia of calling strangers bit by bit.
Enjoying the weather on rare beautiful days.
Trying to keep all of my promises.
Missing most/all of my extracurricular meetings.
Enjoying my friends for this semester-in-between.
Looking forward to holidays at home.
Buying woolen hats and stocking and pants and jackets.
Buying waterproof bags and stuff-sacks and clothing.
Buying a good backpack and a winter sleeping bag and pad that fit inside it.
Feeling guilty that I haven't put up a Footprint Magazine post in awhile.
Alternatively volunteering at and attending study abroad orientations.
Having story after story idea turn out to be a dead end.
Shopping for hot deals on transatlantic flights.
Getting called out of a cozy movie night to report a huge fire.
Getting excited for New Years in Finland.
Trying with great futility to use up all of my meal points.
Cancelling my Reslife contract and applying for Reslife.
Preparing for a semester in Norway.
Trying to pass Communications Law, Understanding Audiences, and Reporting.
Trying to ace History of Spanish and Spanish Literature.
Watching whole weeks slip passed me in the blink of an eye.
Getting over my phobia of calling strangers bit by bit.
Enjoying the weather on rare beautiful days.
Trying to keep all of my promises.
Missing most/all of my extracurricular meetings.
Enjoying my friends for this semester-in-between.
Looking forward to holidays at home.
Buying woolen hats and stocking and pants and jackets.
Buying waterproof bags and stuff-sacks and clothing.
Buying a good backpack and a winter sleeping bag and pad that fit inside it.
Feeling guilty that I haven't put up a Footprint Magazine post in awhile.
Alternatively volunteering at and attending study abroad orientations.
Having story after story idea turn out to be a dead end.
Shopping for hot deals on transatlantic flights.
Getting called out of a cozy movie night to report a huge fire.
Getting excited for New Years in Finland.
Trying with great futility to use up all of my meal points.
Cancelling my Reslife contract and applying for Reslife.
Preparing for a semester in Norway.
Trying to pass Communications Law, Understanding Audiences, and Reporting.
Trying to ace History of Spanish and Spanish Literature.
Watching whole weeks slip passed me in the blink of an eye.
People My Height or Shorter
Mae West
Jada Pinkett Smith
Margaret Mead
Annie Oakley
Judy Garland
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Edith Piaf
Jean-Jacques-Etienne Lucas
Honorable Mention:
Edvard Grieg - 5'1''
November 13, 2011
Money for Travel
I get asked a lot where I get all my traveling money. The truth is rather complicated - a combination of luckiness, hard work, austerity at home, and a low-budget travel style. And maybe that doesn't suit you. Maybe you don't get the scholarships I get, maybe you have more expenses than I do at home, maybe you put fancy clothes at a higher priority than I do, or maybe you think hostels are icky and wouldn't touch couch class with a ten foot pole. For whatever reason, maybe you can't travel as much as I do. But you can still travel. You can still go somewhere, do something. And if you really think you can't, look at your habits. I realize the following example doesn't apply to everyone, but it applies to a lot of the people say, at my University, who always tell me how much they envy me and wish they could travel as much as I do.
Coffee.
A lot of people make Starbucks their default study location, or swing by the campus cafe on their way to early-morning lecture. I guess they see a nice, hot coffee as a luxury they can afford. But it's totally unnecessary and way overpriced. You can just drink water for free, or, for pennies, you can make the coffee at home yourself (and yes, even the fancy flavors). But, it's just pocket change, right?
A normal latte or cappuccino or whatever at a cafe where I live cost an average of about $3. A Cafe-au-lait, for example, is $2.45 for a small and $3.00 for a large, while a Cafe Caramel is $3.25 for a small, $3.80 for a large.
$3 a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks in a year, is $1,092.
Let's say you would spend the 92$ on the supplies to make your coffee at home, so that's $1000 saved, in one year, from dropping one small habit.
I'm positive I could swing a modest European trip for that amount. Certainly, it would pay for half of a grand one, since it more than covers airfare, and that's the main cost for a budget traveller.
Example: I've seen tickets to London and Paris for around $600. You could get a solid week in hostels/cheap hotels for $200-250 more, and spend the last $150-200 on decent food... or you could save money by couch-surfing, eating cheap, etc, and have PLENTY for day-trips, museums, etc.
A week in Europe or a year of brand name coffee - for me, the choice is easy. But it's one each person has to make for themselves.
Coffee.
A lot of people make Starbucks their default study location, or swing by the campus cafe on their way to early-morning lecture. I guess they see a nice, hot coffee as a luxury they can afford. But it's totally unnecessary and way overpriced. You can just drink water for free, or, for pennies, you can make the coffee at home yourself (and yes, even the fancy flavors). But, it's just pocket change, right?
A normal latte or cappuccino or whatever at a cafe where I live cost an average of about $3. A Cafe-au-lait, for example, is $2.45 for a small and $3.00 for a large, while a Cafe Caramel is $3.25 for a small, $3.80 for a large.
$3 a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks in a year, is $1,092.
Let's say you would spend the 92$ on the supplies to make your coffee at home, so that's $1000 saved, in one year, from dropping one small habit.
I'm positive I could swing a modest European trip for that amount. Certainly, it would pay for half of a grand one, since it more than covers airfare, and that's the main cost for a budget traveller.
Example: I've seen tickets to London and Paris for around $600. You could get a solid week in hostels/cheap hotels for $200-250 more, and spend the last $150-200 on decent food... or you could save money by couch-surfing, eating cheap, etc, and have PLENTY for day-trips, museums, etc.
A week in Europe or a year of brand name coffee - for me, the choice is easy. But it's one each person has to make for themselves.
November 12, 2011
Guest
It's been a year since I saw Colleen. We met in Spain, when Sara brought her along to the Basque country and I met the two of them for a U2 concert in San Sebastian. She was a really nice girl, and the three of us got along well together - first at the concert, then in Madrid for Sara's 21st birthday (a night to remember), and finally in a rain drenched but still spectacular, and genuinely spooky, Halloween weekend in Galicia.
Today she's coming to visit me in Columbia! I'm excited to have her, but not sure what I can offer. I love living in Columbia, and when, for example, my sister comes, it seems sufficient to show her all of my favorite places, have her meet my friends, etc. But a guest like this is another matter. In good weather, we can go hiking in nearby parks and enjoy the campus atmosphere. Bad weather makes it a little harder. But I'll think of something.
For now, I just need to clean my room. And feel bad that I haven't gotten around to printing many Spain pictures yet, so Colleen and my adventures together are embarrassingly undocumented on my walls....
Today she's coming to visit me in Columbia! I'm excited to have her, but not sure what I can offer. I love living in Columbia, and when, for example, my sister comes, it seems sufficient to show her all of my favorite places, have her meet my friends, etc. But a guest like this is another matter. In good weather, we can go hiking in nearby parks and enjoy the campus atmosphere. Bad weather makes it a little harder. But I'll think of something.
For now, I just need to clean my room. And feel bad that I haven't gotten around to printing many Spain pictures yet, so Colleen and my adventures together are embarrassingly undocumented on my walls....
Unclear Future
A certain photo, a certain gesture, a certain comment, and suddenly I see one of my friends in a new light, older, more mature, part of the adult world. It's beautiful, it's terrifying, it's tragic, it's natural, it's definitely disorienting. I start realizing where all the different types of people come from, starting with all the people I know well and think are unique, new, not like the archetypes that came before us.
The only one I can't see this with is myself. Despite uncertainties and margin of error, I start to get a vague feeling about the future of some of the others, but never about myself. I'm not worried about it, but I'm so uncertain about the way my own life will go. I can't see my own future and I can't see my own face changing, growing older.
How much of this, I wonder, is normal... and how much of it is my baby face, or the degree of uncertainty I've deliberately programmed into my own lifestyle?
The only one I can't see this with is myself. Despite uncertainties and margin of error, I start to get a vague feeling about the future of some of the others, but never about myself. I'm not worried about it, but I'm so uncertain about the way my own life will go. I can't see my own future and I can't see my own face changing, growing older.
How much of this, I wonder, is normal... and how much of it is my baby face, or the degree of uncertainty I've deliberately programmed into my own lifestyle?
November 11, 2011
11:11:11
Sitting in Communications Law class, the professor paused the lecture to acknowledge 11/11/11 11:11, and, 11 seconds in, told us all to make a wish.
I couldn't even think of one. I have everything I could ever ask for - great family, great friends, and great opportunities.
I'll take the time to say a big thank you to all the wonderful people in my life, and to the world itself, instead!
I couldn't even think of one. I have everything I could ever ask for - great family, great friends, and great opportunities.
I'll take the time to say a big thank you to all the wonderful people in my life, and to the world itself, instead!
November 09, 2011
Next Semester
Tentative plans for the coming semester -
I'll leave for Finland right after Christmas, see Liisa, party it up for new years, go dog-sledding (!!!), ice swimming, learn to cross-country ski, and melt tin to predict the future. :D A great way to start the year!
Then it's on to Norway, where, who knows really? I'm definitely going to join the outdoor adventures club and cross my fingers that I'm qualified to do many of their activities with them. They offer tons of glacier walking, horseback riding, rock climbing, skiing, snowshoeing, just everything you can think of... but even if I'm not good enough for all of those they even offer nice little evening jaunts like a little hike up the mountain for a bonfire. I don't need to travel nearly as much as I have in the past. I feel very little need to go to other countries (a very few possible exceptions if a great opportunity presents itself, but unlikely), I've seen Oslo, and I've seen Trondheim. So Stavanger is really the only city in Norway that I feel like I need to see, and it's not terribly far. I do really really want to see Northern Norway at some point - whether that's for a winter weekend with Erasmus students, hoping for a glimpse of the northern lights, or on the hurtiggruten without a cabin in beautiful late-spring light...
On the way home, I've promised that I'll go to the Faroe Islands at last. A week there, probably... (any less and it's not worth the journey), and, if I have it my way, I'll do another week or so in Iceland.
Then I have to hurry home for an internship.
I'll leave for Finland right after Christmas, see Liisa, party it up for new years, go dog-sledding (!!!), ice swimming, learn to cross-country ski, and melt tin to predict the future. :D A great way to start the year!
Then it's on to Norway, where, who knows really? I'm definitely going to join the outdoor adventures club and cross my fingers that I'm qualified to do many of their activities with them. They offer tons of glacier walking, horseback riding, rock climbing, skiing, snowshoeing, just everything you can think of... but even if I'm not good enough for all of those they even offer nice little evening jaunts like a little hike up the mountain for a bonfire. I don't need to travel nearly as much as I have in the past. I feel very little need to go to other countries (a very few possible exceptions if a great opportunity presents itself, but unlikely), I've seen Oslo, and I've seen Trondheim. So Stavanger is really the only city in Norway that I feel like I need to see, and it's not terribly far. I do really really want to see Northern Norway at some point - whether that's for a winter weekend with Erasmus students, hoping for a glimpse of the northern lights, or on the hurtiggruten without a cabin in beautiful late-spring light...
On the way home, I've promised that I'll go to the Faroe Islands at last. A week there, probably... (any less and it's not worth the journey), and, if I have it my way, I'll do another week or so in Iceland.
Then I have to hurry home for an internship.
November 07, 2011
Uncertainty
Sky white as milk and water droplets gathering like stubble on the statue of Thomas Jefferson in the Quad. Yep, it's November again, as always the hardest month to get through. This one's not bad so far, except for a little bit of nonsense I feel like I should be too old for by now. Not knowing what to believe or who to trust. Looking at a bunch of doors left just barely cracked, wondering which to open, which to close and which to slam shut.
November 03, 2011
Studying on the Bus
In Germany, when I had a big reading to do, I used to go outside and catch the bus. Ride it on the long circuit across the river and back again. Hahaha I wonder if I'll ever be in the position to do something like that again. Could use it about now.
Scatter
Incidentally, I remember all those times I would work hard to try to seem international and special.
Now I can't keep all the strangeness out of even the most basic of my life stories, even when I want to, unless I watch myself really close and leave a lot out.
Everywhere you look, I'm starting to scatter.
You can see it in a look at my desk, my resume, my list of Facebook friends, my bookshelf, my medicine cabinet, my spice drawer, my mailbox, my heart.
Now I can't keep all the strangeness out of even the most basic of my life stories, even when I want to, unless I watch myself really close and leave a lot out.
Everywhere you look, I'm starting to scatter.
You can see it in a look at my desk, my resume, my list of Facebook friends, my bookshelf, my medicine cabinet, my spice drawer, my mailbox, my heart.
Lack of Investment
A Totoro pillow on the bed. A framed picture of my Freshman dorm-mates. A chocolate tin from Switzerland, a Moomin tin from Finland. Some dried-out roses from Tina in an ordinary drinking cup. My Tanuki toothpick holder. A Chinese scarf-tablecloth that was a gift from one of my cultural-ambassador partners. Norwegian fridge magnets and a round, wooden one that says Ljubljana.
My beautiful old-fashioned map poster is up on the wall above my bed, but I've only bothered to pin it for the 7 places I've actually lived. I have a framed picture of Prague above my desk, matching the one In has at home in Korea. Otherwise I just have a bunch of smaller, random photos from all over pinned here and there and everywhere. And I guess you could count my row of movies and the little, standing Family Scrapbook perched on top of those.
It's really not much, for a home. Any less and it would look downright barren and unwelcoming. But I've never really given this room the chance to be a home. One semester. It's hardly enough time to bother with unpacking. And I'm not that sensitive to things like that, anyway. A small part of me yearns for the day I can put down roots and spread out and start building something - but most of me doesn't care if that day is a long, long way away.
Most of me wants to be able to put my laptop and my camera and my passport in a backpack, and run out of the door without a backwards look. Alright, so in a perfect world I also have a big enough suitcase to throw in a rice cooker, and all of my camping gear. Maybe even some basic clothing. And maybe a little, dry, safe, warm corner back 'home' to hide my books and my movies for a later date.
I'm in limbo here, for this one semester. A piece of familiarity between two semesters. Its hard to make plans. I can't run for president of any clubs or sign on for a year-long job. In fact I just cancelled my reslife contract for next year, which I was only allowed to do because studying abroad is a 'school approved activity'.
In the shower, I have one bottle of cheap shampoo, one bottle of shaving cream, and one razor. I've switched the razor out twice now and it looks like I'll have to change out the shampoo once this semester as well. Pity.
My cupboards barer than its ever been. I have a meal plan and what's the point of hoarding? This is a good thing, I think. I have two bags of rice that it looks like I won't finish. Too much Ssamjang. And mostly a tiny mountain of stuff from the lake house that was due to expire and which I was instructed to "use up or throw out." I've restricted the lot of it to one small set of shelves. Set space for three micro-curries. Can't buy another one until I eat one of the ones I've already got.
I haven't really bothered getting to know my roommates, and they haven't really bothered getting to know me. That's fine. It really is. We don't fight, that's the important thing. In fact, we barely see each other at all. Fine. From what I know of them based on their decorations and the bits of conversations that slip through the cracks under doors, I have nothing against them but they're not exactly prime bestie material. I'm sure they feel the same way about me.
My beautiful old-fashioned map poster is up on the wall above my bed, but I've only bothered to pin it for the 7 places I've actually lived. I have a framed picture of Prague above my desk, matching the one In has at home in Korea. Otherwise I just have a bunch of smaller, random photos from all over pinned here and there and everywhere. And I guess you could count my row of movies and the little, standing Family Scrapbook perched on top of those.
It's really not much, for a home. Any less and it would look downright barren and unwelcoming. But I've never really given this room the chance to be a home. One semester. It's hardly enough time to bother with unpacking. And I'm not that sensitive to things like that, anyway. A small part of me yearns for the day I can put down roots and spread out and start building something - but most of me doesn't care if that day is a long, long way away.
Most of me wants to be able to put my laptop and my camera and my passport in a backpack, and run out of the door without a backwards look. Alright, so in a perfect world I also have a big enough suitcase to throw in a rice cooker, and all of my camping gear. Maybe even some basic clothing. And maybe a little, dry, safe, warm corner back 'home' to hide my books and my movies for a later date.
I'm in limbo here, for this one semester. A piece of familiarity between two semesters. Its hard to make plans. I can't run for president of any clubs or sign on for a year-long job. In fact I just cancelled my reslife contract for next year, which I was only allowed to do because studying abroad is a 'school approved activity'.
In the shower, I have one bottle of cheap shampoo, one bottle of shaving cream, and one razor. I've switched the razor out twice now and it looks like I'll have to change out the shampoo once this semester as well. Pity.
My cupboards barer than its ever been. I have a meal plan and what's the point of hoarding? This is a good thing, I think. I have two bags of rice that it looks like I won't finish. Too much Ssamjang. And mostly a tiny mountain of stuff from the lake house that was due to expire and which I was instructed to "use up or throw out." I've restricted the lot of it to one small set of shelves. Set space for three micro-curries. Can't buy another one until I eat one of the ones I've already got.
I haven't really bothered getting to know my roommates, and they haven't really bothered getting to know me. That's fine. It really is. We don't fight, that's the important thing. In fact, we barely see each other at all. Fine. From what I know of them based on their decorations and the bits of conversations that slip through the cracks under doors, I have nothing against them but they're not exactly prime bestie material. I'm sure they feel the same way about me.
November 01, 2011
29 Credits in One Semester
My transcript finally came in. And it credits me with one hell of a semester in Germany. Other than a C- in Latin American Literature, the exam I majorly screwed up on, I got B+ or better in all of my courses. Not that it even matters, because all I had to do was clear the C- threshold in order to have all the courses listed on my Mizzou transcript as 'pass'. Pretty cool.
I'm especially shocked and secretly pleased by my 1.0 (A+/more or less 100%) in, of all things, Culture Studies Spain and Morocco. I paid attention to the first month of that class, when we were talking about Al-Andalus, but once we got into the more modern, war-torn relationship between Spain and Morocco, I started dozing off. And um, you can't do that in a class taught in a foreign language. :) The latter 2/3 of my 'notes' are mostly scribbles with an occasional reminder that something called "Rifkrieg" is important and I should look it up. I finally did so the night before the exam, and spent a few hours reading all the cross-referenced Wikipedia pages. Until 7 p.m. the night before, I wasn't even sure I wanted to take the exam, I was that sure I was going to fail. But my friends asked what I had to lose, and the truth was, nothing. And then I went in to the exam room and destroyed it. Still, a German 1? Yikes!
But the grades weren't the interesting part of the transcript. What was interesting was the credit hours. 58 ECTS. The normal semester course-load is 30. In American/Mizzou terms, it comes down to this - I received 29 transfer credits - a full academic year's worth - in one semester abroad. Good stuff, too. Two upper level Spanish classes, two upper level German classes, an upper level Humanities, an upper level Social Sciences, and three upper level miscellaneous foreign language. Everything transferred better than I'd dared hope!
But it's just funny, thinking back. I knew I was taking more courses than average - and to be fair, only 8 during the normal semester and 1 during the orientation program. But I was hardly consumed by the coursework. I had time for cooking and random parties and movie-nights, for exploring NRW inch-by-inch, for editing and sorting photographs and keeping up the MU Study Abroad Blog. I spent every Wednesday volunteering in an elementary school. And of course, I travelled almost every weekend, near and far.
It shouldn't even be possible. It helped that I took one credit-heavy class during the pre-semester orientation program, but still. The only reason I got away with it is that international students don't register like normal students. Nothing in the computer to stop me. I had 3 classes from the international office, 3 from the Romance department, and 3 from Ansgar, almost as jokes. At no time did anyone notice that I was taking all of these classes at once, apparently.
One semester. Eighteen countries. Twenty-nine credits. Dozens of new friends and uncountable memories.
Yeah, I'm pleased as punch.
I'm especially shocked and secretly pleased by my 1.0 (A+/more or less 100%) in, of all things, Culture Studies Spain and Morocco. I paid attention to the first month of that class, when we were talking about Al-Andalus, but once we got into the more modern, war-torn relationship between Spain and Morocco, I started dozing off. And um, you can't do that in a class taught in a foreign language. :) The latter 2/3 of my 'notes' are mostly scribbles with an occasional reminder that something called "Rifkrieg" is important and I should look it up. I finally did so the night before the exam, and spent a few hours reading all the cross-referenced Wikipedia pages. Until 7 p.m. the night before, I wasn't even sure I wanted to take the exam, I was that sure I was going to fail. But my friends asked what I had to lose, and the truth was, nothing. And then I went in to the exam room and destroyed it. Still, a German 1? Yikes!
But the grades weren't the interesting part of the transcript. What was interesting was the credit hours. 58 ECTS. The normal semester course-load is 30. In American/Mizzou terms, it comes down to this - I received 29 transfer credits - a full academic year's worth - in one semester abroad. Good stuff, too. Two upper level Spanish classes, two upper level German classes, an upper level Humanities, an upper level Social Sciences, and three upper level miscellaneous foreign language. Everything transferred better than I'd dared hope!
But it's just funny, thinking back. I knew I was taking more courses than average - and to be fair, only 8 during the normal semester and 1 during the orientation program. But I was hardly consumed by the coursework. I had time for cooking and random parties and movie-nights, for exploring NRW inch-by-inch, for editing and sorting photographs and keeping up the MU Study Abroad Blog. I spent every Wednesday volunteering in an elementary school. And of course, I travelled almost every weekend, near and far.
It shouldn't even be possible. It helped that I took one credit-heavy class during the pre-semester orientation program, but still. The only reason I got away with it is that international students don't register like normal students. Nothing in the computer to stop me. I had 3 classes from the international office, 3 from the Romance department, and 3 from Ansgar, almost as jokes. At no time did anyone notice that I was taking all of these classes at once, apparently.
One semester. Eighteen countries. Twenty-nine credits. Dozens of new friends and uncountable memories.
Yeah, I'm pleased as punch.
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