tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29676220428296981852024-02-19T16:56:36.598-08:00Curry Me AwayJulia's adventure in southern India. Fall 2010.
AND Julia and Esack's post-graduation travel extravaganza!Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18323552686083378046noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967622042829698185.post-75610804409944212632012-07-03T07:24:00.000-07:002012-07-03T07:24:02.297-07:00Baaaarthelona!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<!--StartFragment--><span></span><o:p></o:p>So, here I am in Rome, blogging about Barcelona.<span> </span><span></span>Don’t worry, I’m not taking up precious
sight-seeing time to blog.<span> </span>Believe
me, we’ve done more than our share of sight-seeing today, in fact, I’m rather
sick of sights, plus certain readers seem to be getting awfully testy about
infrequent blog posts.<span> </span>I’m trying
to have a life-changing trip here people.
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No but seriously, I need to blog while it’s fresh.<span> </span>In a nutshell, Barcelona was
amazing!<span> </span>A beautiful city.<span> </span>I loved it.<span> </span>Ok, here’s why…</div>
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First of all, it took us over 24 hours on like, seven
different trains to get from Amsterdam to Barcelona.<span> </span>I believe Esack and I may have forgotten to mention that
from Berlin to Amsterdam, I lost my phone.<span> </span>Bummer.<span> </span>We had
an overnight train to Am*dam (I’m very trendy, try to keep up) and we slept the
night away on our top bunks, assuming that we would easily wake up when we
arrived since Amsterdam was the last stop.<span> </span>Apparently we missed all that because at about 8 am our
cabin door slammed open with a hearty, Dutch accented “AHMstahDAHM?!<span> </span>You have two minutes!”<span> </span>Ughhhh the worst way to wake up.<span> </span>Somewhere between making sure I didn’t
leave a shoe behind I must have forgotten my phone in the tangle of
sheets.<span> </span>At least it wasn’t my
passport.<span> </span>And now that it’s gone,
I don’t have to worry about losing it anymore!<span> </span>Sick logic, I know.<span>
</span>Anyway, I started telling this long winded story because one shift
you’ll notice from our trip from Berlin to Amsterdam is that all of a sudden,
I’m in a lot more photos!<span> </span>I was the
more prolific photographer before my phone flew the coop.</div>
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So, 24 hours, seven trains, Barcelona, where was I?<span> </span>Finally, when we got to Spain we had a
little bit of summer!<span> </span>Up until
then it was cold in almost every location we’d stayed in.<span> </span>Well, Singapore was disgustingly humid,
and China was slightly less disgustingly humid, but those weather conditions
alone don’t usually equal summer.<span>
</span>Anyway, we finally had some heat and sunshine!<span> </span>Together!<span>
</span>Perfect Fanta drinking weather.<span>
</span>Oh yes, in Amsterdam Esack and I also discovered the fine art of
European Fanta, made with real sugar, it’s what I imagine spouts from the
fountains in heaven.<span> </span>It’s what
oompas loompas probably drink with breakfast, it’s… it’s… delightful.<span> </span>It’s orange soda.<span> </span>Ok I’m done.<span> </span>In Barcelona we bought an orange Fanta almost every morning
from the hostel.<span> </span>One day we tried
the lemon and immediately regretted it.<span>
</span>Esack will deny this, but seriously orange is the way to go.<span> </span></div>
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We made friends with the lovely woman who worked the front desk
at the hostel.<span> </span>She was adorably
scatter brained and she LOVED Esack’s (very respectable) attempts at
Spanish.<span> </span>She was able to point us
to a great restaurant called La Fonda where we tried paella and sangria for the
first time.<span> </span>Along with gazpacho and
Iberico ham with asparagus.<span> </span>The
paella was very tasty but not exactly brimming with fruits of the sea.<span> </span>There were exactly two of everything.<span> </span>Still, it was great.</div>
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We walked along a very famous street in Barcelona called
Passeig de Gracia (I am pretty sure that’s what it was called).<span> </span>It’s a great shopping street and it has
some famous architectural spots designed by Antonio Gaudi.<span> </span>He designed two houses on the street,
and I believe some lampposts.<span> </span>The
lampposts weren’t being as avidly photographed by the hordes of tourists, but
as an art history major, I can appreciate boring stuff like that.<span> </span>The houses were amazing!<span> </span>One in particular is designed to mimic
skeletal structures and it is really beautiful in person.<span> </span>We also visited Gaudi’s infamous, unfinished
cathedral Sagrada Familia.<span> </span>It’s
the melting wax church.<span> </span>It was
immense in real life and totally breath taking, although it is and seems
forever will be under construction.<span>
</span>I never really understood how you can finish architecture that someone else
started, especially when it looks like melting wax.<span> </span>I think the best part of Sagrada Familia was the pinnacles
that seemed to be topped with bowls of tropical fruit.<span> </span>I mean, that’s religious architecture I
can get down with.<span> </span>We ALSO visited
Gaudi’s famous park, Park de Guell.<span>
</span>It’s high up above Barcelona so you can see the whole sprawling enormity
of it all.<span> </span>There is a sitting area
with beautiful tiled benches, a small church and baptistery that are very
gingerbread house-ish.<span> </span>From the
park you could see the low-lying landscape of Barcelona, all orange and dusty,
and then to one side up sprang Sagrada Familia, like an evil melting lair of
some demon.<span> </span>Very cool.<span> </span>While we were in the park we also found
a little feral cat, a busker covering Coldplay songs, and some American study
abroad students smoking pot!<span> </span>Wowz!</div>
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So, while we were in Barcelona we didn’t JUST track down
Gaudi architecture we also… went to the beach!</div>
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Huzzah!</div>
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Even though I’m the whitest white girl ever, I love the
beach, and I’d been whining to Esack to go forEVER.<span> </span>We decided to get up really early one day and hit the beach
before it got too crowded and the sun got too hot.<span> </span>There is a huge beach right next to downtown called
Barceloneta.<span> </span>The sand is lovely
and the water looks beautiful, although it’s allegedly very dirty and was too
cold to go in past my knees.<span> </span>It
was a very European beach, aka topless, and at first that was kind of strange
but then we got used to it.<span>
</span>Really, everyone minds their own business and most people were just
there to get a tan or read a book.<span>
</span>It was so much more relaxed than any beach I’d been to anywhere else.<span> </span>I did get one beach souvenir, a
horrible sunburn!<span> </span>I’m still
peeling, two weeks later.<span> </span>Oh to be
a fair-skinned princess!<span> </span>And
luckily it was only on the backside of my body.<span> </span>Hooray!<span> </span>And to
top it all off, the sunscreen I did apply did make some attractive streaks on
the backs of my legs.<span> </span>I submitted
to Esack’s jokes as long as he agreed to help me apply the aloe.<span> </span>A fair trade in my opinion.<span> </span></div>
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Our last night in Barcelona Esack and I decided to try
paella again.<span> </span>We got a
recommendation from a Colorado bro who gave Barcelona tours to go to a
restaurant called La Rei de la Gamba.<span>
</span>It lies admidst the touristy beachfront restaurants we try to avoid but
we decided to give it a shot anyway.<span>
</span>The paella was exactly what we wanted!<span> </span>Tons of seafood, yummy flavor, and perfectly cooked rice.<span> </span>We cleaned the pan easily.<span> </span>Actually, and we happened to see a
“friend” of ours from our hostel there.<span>
</span>Ok, well not really a friend, but a guy who was staying in our hostel
who happened to be from Pittsburgh!<span>
</span>Weird huh?<span> </span>There are
Pittsburghers everywhere…</div>
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Some other food highlights were a tapas meal we had.<span> </span>There were these little fried fish,
potatoes with curry sauce, roasted peppers and other yummy things.<span> </span>We also went to a delicious bocadillo
restaurant called Bo de B.<span> </span>There
is always a huge line and it’s essentially meat in a baguette, with sauce, and
then all these crazy toppings like peppers, lentils, cucumbers, corn,
cabbage.<span> </span>Esack ordered chicken,
with every sauce, and every topping.<span>
</span>I ordered steak, repeat, repeat.<span>
</span>We didn’t want to miss anything!</div>
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A final note on Barcelona.<span> </span>I always imagined that there S’s were distinct lisps.<span> </span>But not really… Also, Spain Spanish is
so beautiful.<span> </span>It sounds different
than Mexican Spanish.<span> </span>I think so
far, it’s the most beautiful language that I’ve heard.<span> </span>It bubbles and rises and falls like
music.<span> </span>I had to stop myself from
just staring at locals when they spoke.<span>
</span>It’s a good thing you don’t have to stare to listen.<span> </span>But so their S’s.<span> </span>It’s really more like a soft T.<span> </span>That’s the best way I can explain
it.<span> </span>And so, with that, I will no
longer make fun of Barcelonans (Barcelonitos?) with a lisp.<span> </span>I guess I was wrong about that.<span> </span>And to think!<span> </span>I thought Americans were right about everything!<span> </span>This trip is doing strange things to my
head….</div>
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On to France!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skeletal Gaudi house</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fruit bowls on Sagrada Familia</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tapas!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQrwEriNyI9WgDK0uQ6L3HlHRWEARGJhxSDvADDdpWlKtrVTSNVYv451OM-sl-4wvYZMof4QsSzhww0bmyGlVgGvgTHBszd-91PAsr-fGlq1MOLX__qNirLZRqpzTwUjQolISFPVG9FQZK/s1600/IMG_0466.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQrwEriNyI9WgDK0uQ6L3HlHRWEARGJhxSDvADDdpWlKtrVTSNVYv451OM-sl-4wvYZMof4QsSzhww0bmyGlVgGvgTHBszd-91PAsr-fGlq1MOLX__qNirLZRqpzTwUjQolISFPVG9FQZK/s320/IMG_0466.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sagrada Familia from Park Guell</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnjwntJRWWeGOoBidO_JHVSrD_FAShFdbaCqn5qRB33uSxUhBUEZvHtHcSNlTojrtvh61v9CHt-Bk4AZDBLyv7xEToWii1f3Grc9S0AsBHh4gJE2e3FOZlxDCOPDv5xwzloJ9Wyai4h0ug/s1600/IMG_0468.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnjwntJRWWeGOoBidO_JHVSrD_FAShFdbaCqn5qRB33uSxUhBUEZvHtHcSNlTojrtvh61v9CHt-Bk4AZDBLyv7xEToWii1f3Grc9S0AsBHh4gJE2e3FOZlxDCOPDv5xwzloJ9Wyai4h0ug/s320/IMG_0468.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mean mugging tourist</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPiw05sDwNN1HRx7_IbDxglZYZe_4_XgP64x257COed-LUkGetpBJDYFWE6jvZHuwdAts0qwVmdbMhFGeEFU-FTpv7YzRjyBPfrRC4vNlDYP9_MokXddNjquaPC2jHxos33_p3vqXdw1Ke/s1600/IMG_0469.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPiw05sDwNN1HRx7_IbDxglZYZe_4_XgP64x257COed-LUkGetpBJDYFWE6jvZHuwdAts0qwVmdbMhFGeEFU-FTpv7YzRjyBPfrRC4vNlDYP9_MokXddNjquaPC2jHxos33_p3vqXdw1Ke/s320/IMG_0469.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Esack's tourist shot</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6HjZXGmdkZ0mJBzo7hY6d4QcFCK9YfjmROnUGc_82liJC34NW33Lvk7YyDhPIpSPUDhlguomcGv7m9UCSxx8IbZB0FknjYytTdCBfTmN5Uh7Yh8ulpnqA6tsted15-_8yvPyql3kCrmlN/s1600/IMG_0472.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6HjZXGmdkZ0mJBzo7hY6d4QcFCK9YfjmROnUGc_82liJC34NW33Lvk7YyDhPIpSPUDhlguomcGv7m9UCSxx8IbZB0FknjYytTdCBfTmN5Uh7Yh8ulpnqA6tsted15-_8yvPyql3kCrmlN/s320/IMG_0472.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bunburn</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gaudi's chapel and baptistery aka gift shop. Nice!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95tX_P7AJ3SHNiHeOUYSIyxOdJ1V-yhFbGvxvUjxsKobCQtE8lK_YTM4NIMnV9tcGgg9SYqCdbfUPznsCTnJ2PIE0VIXbL6oe86FkdSdwHm1DC6JaC9Y_m0PIh86bFyN5Pu_GOoNmO0e8/s1600/IMG_0485.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95tX_P7AJ3SHNiHeOUYSIyxOdJ1V-yhFbGvxvUjxsKobCQtE8lK_YTM4NIMnV9tcGgg9SYqCdbfUPznsCTnJ2PIE0VIXbL6oe86FkdSdwHm1DC6JaC9Y_m0PIh86bFyN5Pu_GOoNmO0e8/s400/IMG_0485.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sangria man!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVPaWinwPP8dyW027WfwKaRfqNIKr3SjHGyw-Kv7-toub2OvxDh1qXLyE9NKv1rgWHWsREMOMpubrvZmZu3Z0Beyga8xhxKsrSB_cWlt2efp3JXEh9sFEpVaQ0JmjBf0sjxcPm7cMZrQx/s1600/IMG_0493.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVPaWinwPP8dyW027WfwKaRfqNIKr3SjHGyw-Kv7-toub2OvxDh1qXLyE9NKv1rgWHWsREMOMpubrvZmZu3Z0Beyga8xhxKsrSB_cWlt2efp3JXEh9sFEpVaQ0JmjBf0sjxcPm7cMZrQx/s320/IMG_0493.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The roosting pigeon that won our hearts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQTlLQ82mL-b6bgFT9j_Ea8gkBeETY3gDh22rsVL3eJdqsUqxJm5Ibs6WqHCuPiOIxhy0OEB03DZq17mLa1osQZKUyAwYChPvmsqjjHm2zWxU1DMVNSep25qnKGPB8MhX8WrAyNBbqOaGM/s1600/IMG_0504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQTlLQ82mL-b6bgFT9j_Ea8gkBeETY3gDh22rsVL3eJdqsUqxJm5Ibs6WqHCuPiOIxhy0OEB03DZq17mLa1osQZKUyAwYChPvmsqjjHm2zWxU1DMVNSep25qnKGPB8MhX8WrAyNBbqOaGM/s320/IMG_0504.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can I do it?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6cxSz-jrhihRjGLmrYiB7adh5zF6l3Ew8g1C9DkxtSC5b7JEv9pyEoT3uXDV8KN-NK_j2lwsnn4A61qJFgZpjnRzfKA3_IxBKHYAHCvNGTOIFsDvrJuM7Z1pE6UUJ9yER1lhsCMUW04zG/s1600/IMG_0505.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6cxSz-jrhihRjGLmrYiB7adh5zF6l3Ew8g1C9DkxtSC5b7JEv9pyEoT3uXDV8KN-NK_j2lwsnn4A61qJFgZpjnRzfKA3_IxBKHYAHCvNGTOIFsDvrJuM7Z1pE6UUJ9yER1lhsCMUW04zG/s320/IMG_0505.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can, with a touch of lemon!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18323552686083378046noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967622042829698185.post-90570431911764298782012-06-27T15:31:00.001-07:002012-06-27T15:31:04.491-07:00European Vegas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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by Esack</div>
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My plans for a feast and a triumphant return to Berlin were
almost cut short just days later, when I was nearly killed by a bicycle in
Amsterdam. And again in Leiden (30 minute train ride from Amsterdam), and then
again and again in Amsterdam. Bicycles rule the streets of the Netherlands. Anthony
Bourdain says, even cars fear them, and he’s right. This was one thing I loved
about Amsterdam, and Leiden. The bike lanes are neither on the street, nor on
the sidewalk. They are their own thing. The street design of Amsterdam in
particular looks like something out of a video game like Mario Kart or Frogger.
Gameplay would be most similar to Frogger, though. If the bikes don’t get you,
a passing trolley probably will, or at the very least a car, lest you forget
that some DO drive there. Julia correctly described it as “an obstacle course
for stoners.” [Note from J: I also consider the layout of the city as Dutch
revenge for hosting so many annoying tourists. Ha!] And there were stoners
aplenty, of course. If you spot a stoned person in Amsterdam, you are also
spotting a tourist. Despite the relaxed attitude in the Netherlands toward
marijuana (though it is NOT legal, important distinction), the rate of use for
citizens of Holland is vastly lower than that of the citizens of The United
States. I will resist the urge to make any statement regarding current US drug
policy or the money we spend on said policy. </div>
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The marijuana, stoners and coffee shops aren’t what I will
remember about Amsterdam. I will remember how ridiculously touristy it is. Now,
as tourist, I realize that I’m not really qualified to complain about something
being touristy. So, I will anyway. It’s too much. The city center area, at
least. Our host in Leiden, Berry, told me that the concentric circle layout of
the Amsterdam city center is designed to keep people walking in… circles. Let
me tell you, it’s effective. Just minutes after leaving the train station we
wandered straight into the Red Light District. You literally cannot help but
discover the most stereotypically-tourist things in this city. Hence, they will
always be the touristy things. We wandered past H&M clothing store probably
20 times unintentionally. H&M, by the way, is the business we have seen the
most, after McDonalds, in all our travels. Maybe equal to McDonalds, in fact.
I’ve never shopped there. H&M that is, I’ve shopped at McDonalds. On this
trip, in fact. Out of sick curiosity Julia and I went the Big Mac route in a
couple of different countries. I was pleasantly surprised that there are, in
fact, differences in both the menu and the quality. Australia had my favorite
Big Mac, if anyone is as sickly curious as I was.</div>
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We did NOT go to McDonalds in the Netherlands, however. We didn’t have to, they had FEBO! I’m
not putting FEBO in all caps out of excitement. I’m not sure if it’s an acronym,
or they just liked the block letters for the logo. Either way, it’s a
delightfully bizarre eating experience. The food is prepared by cooks, I guess.
You can sort of see them through the little windows in the wall where they put
the food. By “windows” I actually mean little see-through doors. Sort of like
the wall is lined with microwaves, and you put a few coins into the microwave
that looks like it contains the tastiest something-or-other, open the door and
there you have it! It’s crazy cheap, and something you have to try in
Amsterdam. I tried something that was like a deep-fried
peanut-satay-mashed-potato croquette. It was weird, but somehow delicious. The
eating habits of the Dutch can tend to be strange. Something I fell in love
with was the herring sandwiches. Usually you think of herring as something
pickled and in a jar, that you’ve probably only seen your grandpa eat. My love
affair with herring started in Russia, made it through Finland, and culminated
in Amsterdam. I tried pickled, salt-cured, and fresh. Poor Julia. The fresh
herring sandwich in Amsterdam, served on a hot-dog bun with raw onions and
pickles, was the best.</div>
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Everything I wanted Amsterdam to be, Leiden was. It had the
canals, the beautiful and old architecture, and the bicycle madness. All
without the touristy brand name shopping, crowds of people, and the
you-WILL-stay-here-forever street designs. We were hosted, as I mentioned, by
an amazing young man named Barry. He was a squatter, meaning he occupied a
property with a bunch of other people. Squatters don’t own the property, but
whoever does either can’t or won’t do anything about the people living there.
If I had an extra property I wouldn’t mind having squatters, provided they were
the kind of people Barry and his housemates were. Artists, musicians,
wanderers, it was a modern-day bohemian paradise. I suppose the situation made
Julia and I squatters, as well. I feel good about that, if it puts me in
company with the people we met there. We found Barry through an online service
called Couch Surfing. A lot of backpackers use it, as well as older
non-backpackers. I was really surprised how many people used the service,
considering I hadn’t heard of it until the last year. You set up a profile,
sort of like Facebook, and send out requests to people living in cities you’re
going to visit. If they can host you and they want to, they can put you up,
free of charge. I don’t think we would have met someone like Berry otherwise,
and that would have been a shame. A very gentle soul, very giving, loving, and
accepting [note from Julia: he also taught how to correctly pronounce
gouda! “how-da” who knew? I had an
epic tourist moment in a cheese shop asking for the best goooda they had]. One
night in Leiden his friends threw a big party to celebrate the shutdown of his
old squatter pad. Live music, a bar, great friendly people everywhere. And it
was a party, no cover charge, cheap drinks, and a fantastic atmosphere made it
one of the best parties I’ve ever attended. Thank you Berry, I won’t soon
forget you or your unique lifestyle, if I ever forget at all.</div>
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Berry wasn’t the only person I knew in Leiden. A few years
ago my family in Iowa City took a foreign-exchange student named Nienke. She
was Dutch, and luckily we were able to meet up again in Leiden! She currently
attends the University of Leiden. It’s great to catch up with old friends.
Nienke took us to her favorite café, her favorite Dutch pancake place (tease
yourself and see the picture), and took us to her student house to meet her
friends. We wound up watching the Netherlands-Denmark football (soccer to you
yanks) match. Although the match ended in heartbreak for the Dutch, we met some
fantastic people. Not being completely privy to Dutch eating habits, Julia and
I brought a bag of apples… yeah I know, if I brought a bag of apples to a Super
Bowl party no one would have touched it, either. I should have known better. Ah
well. I was invited to play a drinking game with Nienke’s friends. I knew a
similar game from back home called a “power hour.” The idea is you take one
shot of beer every minute for an hour. This was a football version, played over
the 90 minutes of the game. It’s a LOT of beer. By the end of the first half it
was already down to myself and a Dutch girl named Marta. We both seemed fine,
and ten minutes into the second half we were both still doing great. She was
studying English, so she wound up talking to Julia quite a bit. It was because
of this that the beginning of the end was so noticeable. In the span of about
three minutes, the English started to trail off, and all of a sudden BAM! She
threw her glass on the ground and shattered it. I was glad she did, earlier in
the game I had knocked an empty beer bottle over and broken it as well. The
drinking game was over, and I was happy to call it a draw to avoid drinking a
shot-a-minute for another half hour by myself. But I could have, no problem, so
be warned, Europe, Americans CAN drink! It must have been the training I did in
Australia. The Aussies can drink, oi oi oi! Thank you again Nienke for spending
time with us and showing us a bit of Leiden, we loved it. And we avoided
getting killed by bikers the entire time!<br />
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivsCO6UffbOPGWLiGy5rnwdt7tt_q3-MRQKmGyXHLYTboL1RWEhM42h74kOtpt08qxxz2xFIt0_YKQsoJuQF1qrJV0VX8XM3fc17DqIO6_xYRJs8HeZzx89ongMypx331Jd5jg56RmxDNO/s1600/IMG_0355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivsCO6UffbOPGWLiGy5rnwdt7tt_q3-MRQKmGyXHLYTboL1RWEhM42h74kOtpt08qxxz2xFIt0_YKQsoJuQF1qrJV0VX8XM3fc17DqIO6_xYRJs8HeZzx89ongMypx331Jd5jg56RmxDNO/s320/IMG_0355.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love at first bite</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIwFNizSeT8QCAOuV3tQz1ymx3dTtTG_Nt6kY7XlxaXHI3UxPxA1s-WWDcS2vI2xHYuDbTHbnZQhgZOkMHU5B2rJaG6Mqmec1MZ4qXyCBcY0YBaJ-w40hvM2jpAY5bhVSOMHYUE_qBb0Lt/s1600/IMG_0371.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIwFNizSeT8QCAOuV3tQz1ymx3dTtTG_Nt6kY7XlxaXHI3UxPxA1s-WWDcS2vI2xHYuDbTHbnZQhgZOkMHU5B2rJaG6Mqmec1MZ4qXyCBcY0YBaJ-w40hvM2jpAY5bhVSOMHYUE_qBb0Lt/s320/IMG_0371.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leiden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTa3L0iGRKsCeBdZ8NYmcyxmnMOAMaIi6pmh8Wh56oIWBauPLq06Jtp17iz1M-RjLJR8Vj6d898DQYMoTQgNGbGkQCJ5HQnyCHColeaGmZ-f9yMn-uxnNe8dyzEklvALRrP23QCm2I55Ha/s1600/IMG_0374.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTa3L0iGRKsCeBdZ8NYmcyxmnMOAMaIi6pmh8Wh56oIWBauPLq06Jtp17iz1M-RjLJR8Vj6d898DQYMoTQgNGbGkQCJ5HQnyCHColeaGmZ-f9yMn-uxnNe8dyzEklvALRrP23QCm2I55Ha/s320/IMG_0374.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pancakes for dinner with Nienke!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPbMYdH_wOjyoQfD9tZurA0P0i0iI82pn_3cG6r1yWnZ2J9P0AgmouW5s1vw-B1Yx9kNpCEzHD3_ZPwP0ZK0FiWBoV99Y0HHXAzIFGbWuREnyoQ9AqfbEzAmsTsFeYwiBcjwsIgCs11giu/s1600/IMG_0389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPbMYdH_wOjyoQfD9tZurA0P0i0iI82pn_3cG6r1yWnZ2J9P0AgmouW5s1vw-B1Yx9kNpCEzHD3_ZPwP0ZK0FiWBoV99Y0HHXAzIFGbWuREnyoQ9AqfbEzAmsTsFeYwiBcjwsIgCs11giu/s320/IMG_0389.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cone of fries with mayo and onions, our favorite low-cal snack</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXoHWZkQLZghgy_vNDBJwwT-QbkpAgHTugC7GPkKlUkthNYg9pSOgrcMZ5cWMuVcBViuXY8Dd6YfLC5pRN1a2EUVcZRnUklPt_qsjF02UmeClAAkCT2SBxJlLsiNJAdNa7jWry8pXmW5nC/s1600/IMG_0393.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXoHWZkQLZghgy_vNDBJwwT-QbkpAgHTugC7GPkKlUkthNYg9pSOgrcMZ5cWMuVcBViuXY8Dd6YfLC5pRN1a2EUVcZRnUklPt_qsjF02UmeClAAkCT2SBxJlLsiNJAdNa7jWry8pXmW5nC/s320/IMG_0393.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making friends with the cat who lived on one chair in the courtyard</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjsgKyh9bdcmr9tA_2OIpMY7j3H3HSyVE3pwlyvpF9AAsIC5dpMtuTDc0umucD_D7OxuS24eXPgVFIrJiFFtIAaR8ueJL5VqMxdqVhGKDxCy0J7MwRV9TR7MKLI87O5nWmeHd30OMtzxL/s1600/IMG_0402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjsgKyh9bdcmr9tA_2OIpMY7j3H3HSyVE3pwlyvpF9AAsIC5dpMtuTDc0umucD_D7OxuS24eXPgVFIrJiFFtIAaR8ueJL5VqMxdqVhGKDxCy0J7MwRV9TR7MKLI87O5nWmeHd30OMtzxL/s320/IMG_0402.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Being touristical</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxHt-GpJFJ9jTsD1MutdXyn2Hst5INIrzl8Jm8UbhggdO_V2z6_KMI6A2J5mQeN1x6UPj27FivNUv5vojC4ddtoWGP1A7G91mEvM18IYElsz3QJcvTuANHlampnxNpM8WqCwd3Acd-x7p/s1600/IMG_0408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxHt-GpJFJ9jTsD1MutdXyn2Hst5INIrzl8Jm8UbhggdO_V2z6_KMI6A2J5mQeN1x6UPj27FivNUv5vojC4ddtoWGP1A7G91mEvM18IYElsz3QJcvTuANHlampnxNpM8WqCwd3Acd-x7p/s320/IMG_0408.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The streets of Amsterdam, dangerous to stoners everywhere, and the closest thing to a real live video game in the world (I bet...)</td></tr>
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</div>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18323552686083378046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967622042829698185.post-65799940421792219262012-06-27T14:21:00.001-07:002012-06-27T14:24:15.507-07:00Berlin! My Favorite Thing!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
by Esack<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m reminded of a fake diary entry I read recently. The
entry was “written” by a dog, detailing its daily routine. Example: Food! My
favorite thing! A walk! My favorite thing! (a <a href="http://wilk4.com/humor/humorm380.htm">link</a>, my favorite thing!) I could easily write this post
regarding Berlin in a similar fashion:</div>
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<br /></div>
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Cheap hostel in a great location! My favorite thing! Easy
metro system! My favorite thing! Cheap amazing beer! My favorite thing!</div>
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Aaaaand you get it, I loved Berlin. Ever since the first day
in Australia, I found that most travelers I met were from Germany. Knowing I
would soon be in their home country, I always asked for their advice on which
city would be the best to visit. I’d estimate 90% of them answered Berlin
immediately. From my point of view as a young person, I understand why. It’s a great
feeling to be able to go into a grocery store, pick any random beer off the
shelf (because every German beer is great), and open the bottle up AS YOU PAY
FOR IT, take it outside and drink! They often provide bottle openers in
checkout lines. But I DID get to cut my hand several times trying to use my
hostel key to MacGyver the bottles open. I used to think I understood why
drinking wasn’t tolerated on the street back home, but now I have no idea. It
wouldn’t work because we have different drinking cultures, blah blah blah. It’s
an awesome idea! You don’t see drunken idiots wandering everywhere, discarding
empty bottles and cans here and there. It happens more at home where it ISN’T
legal on the street. Go figure. Germans can drink on the street, Americans can
buy 30 cans of beer for ten bucks. Both have their advantages.</div>
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I reject the notion that enjoying oneself in Europe needs to
be an expensive affair. Hostels are key. Street food is key. I don’t think we
spent more than 5 euros on any single dish while we were in Berlin, and oh
goodness was it delicious. Famous for currywurst (a German sausage covered in
curried ketchup sauce, usually served with fries [get mayo on the fries]), the
street-gastronomy of Berlin has much more to offer. BUT, currywurst IS
incredible. To avoid turning this into a food blog, I’ll just give honorable
mention to Mustafa’s. It’s a little food stall serving up what Europeans call
the doner kebab. It would probably be called a gyro or something like that back
home, because it’s a similar idea. Meat and toppings inside a flatbread or a
tortilla [note from Julia: but these were not your typical veggies, it was
peppers and eggplant that was amaaaazing, cooked perfectly, and the whole thing
topped off with fresh lemon juice… I could eat Mustafa’s every day]. You see
doner kebab places quite literally everywhere in Europe. In my limited
experience, Mustafa’s gets my vote for number one. If you go to Berlin, you
must try this. Oh, they have a vegetarian option too for you veggie people out
there (like you Mom). </div>
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We received great advice on a few must-visit areas of town
from Jeanette, the partner of Julia’s father. Her advice led us to many things,
but for some reason my favorite was called a Turkish pizza. It was only 1 euro,
and so tasty that Julia and I hunted them down in the Netherlands. We found it
in one of these areas of town Jeanette recommended, actually while we were
looking for a taco truck I looked up online. We didn’t find the tacos, but the
Turkish pizza was an excellent consolation prize.</div>
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We did a bit of sightseeing: the Berlin wall, and the Jewish
museum. I give Julia credit for the Jewish museum, apparently she had heard of
it in an architecture class [note from J: it’s the Daniel Libeskind one, the
museum itself is better than the exhibits]. Not surprisingly, the design of the
building made me feel like I should study it in an architecture class. A very
interesting and informative museum about the holocaust and the history of
Jewish people in Germany, as well. We also saw Checkpoint Charlie, but didn’t
visit the museum. Our hostel was just a few blocks away, but we never got
around to the museum. I did get some pictures of the area, and I also grabbed
some perspective. In high school I though the West side of town was hostile,
because they were the “other” high school. Silly high school me. But still, go
Little Hawks, you know who you are.</div>
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The hostel itself was nice. Great location, but otherwise
unspectacular. The most notable experience came in the form of our four
Lithuanian roommates. They were two couples traveling together, and I’d be
hard-pressed to think of nicer people we’ve met so far. Equally nice people,
yes. I hadn’t hardly put my bags down when one of the men introduced himself in
what I considered very passable English. He humbly insisted his English was not
so good. On that subject many Europeans are embarrassingly humble. Not
embarrassing for them, but embarrassing for myself. Man, if they think their
English isn’t so good, what did the Germans and Italians think of my attempts
at “I would like the… [word in English]… Uh… that one? No, uh… [points and
smiles] yes, thank you.” Ugh. I digress, the point is that I now plan to visit
Lithuania someday. Thanks to these
fantastically nice people. </div>
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I will return to Berlin someday soon, to eat my bodyweight
in currywurst and Mustafa’s. Oh, and this roasted chicken place we found, also
on the street, also for 5 euros. Okay… must remember this isn’t a food blog.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju5-qP5iLggGhHGo2OT6ivQJ5H9wdILrxqedZBnhtkfa8Gx-4X-qO2wuA95TY1kFEEsE15gpCo_UwwYeYY6dR2kFAmDe-MiC3erS0sn2OeHy136dNvex24vnNQMSWYWwWX1Qbxxx2yUt8V/s1600/IMG_0341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju5-qP5iLggGhHGo2OT6ivQJ5H9wdILrxqedZBnhtkfa8Gx-4X-qO2wuA95TY1kFEEsE15gpCo_UwwYeYY6dR2kFAmDe-MiC3erS0sn2OeHy136dNvex24vnNQMSWYWwWX1Qbxxx2yUt8V/s400/IMG_0341.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A very effective and haunting installation at the Jewish Museum to commemorate victims of violence</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXkhPxLx_Ehb8tfneBL83XIu0p4l5SA2rp-yofuUkowL8ITxyTEdDlMRm6ckabZVmyp26b_TarW4jFjvbJsN1bETPpmENZ4iJHGUS6y1Z7RCRK_Xw2GQkj7DWq2_JXT3E44bval9wgS-q/s1600/IMG_0346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXkhPxLx_Ehb8tfneBL83XIu0p4l5SA2rp-yofuUkowL8ITxyTEdDlMRm6ckabZVmyp26b_TarW4jFjvbJsN1bETPpmENZ4iJHGUS6y1Z7RCRK_Xw2GQkj7DWq2_JXT3E44bval9wgS-q/s400/IMG_0346.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Checkpoint Charlie, just down the street from our hostel. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMH2ld2cF1qqyRdHL9hj1jMmXcF9fsNQorlF9o905X-bLll8Lc8IzdL0xbLG43ddH8KtaPCgU6dx5XPIEj8c2x5Tas0feSLh_Yt1TMSnniK6XXyk4yz2UyxFfFgZsWuKON63ZSmGu7klSq/s1600/IMG_0348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMH2ld2cF1qqyRdHL9hj1jMmXcF9fsNQorlF9o905X-bLll8Lc8IzdL0xbLG43ddH8KtaPCgU6dx5XPIEj8c2x5Tas0feSLh_Yt1TMSnniK6XXyk4yz2UyxFfFgZsWuKON63ZSmGu7klSq/s400/IMG_0348.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Attacking my Mustafa's with gusto!</td></tr>
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</div>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18323552686083378046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967622042829698185.post-62188575632157226312012-06-03T06:06:00.004-07:002012-06-04T08:21:06.976-07:00Mockba, St. Pete's and Finlandia! Ja!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I (Julia) am writing from a train headed to Helsinki, Finland at the moment.<br />
<br />
Two weeks ago exactly Esack and I flew from shanghai to Moscow. And let me tell you, the way I felt about Russia from then until now has COMPLETELY changed!
I was absolutely terrified to get to Russia when we first arrived. To be fair, while we were in china Esack and I talked to a friend of Trevor's named Peter, who has spent a lot of time in Russia, and after hearing of our plans to spend ten days in Russia his response was: "oh, you're definitely going to get robbed."<br />
<br />
Nice.<br />
<br />
So with my base knowledge of Russia from American movies, I figured that 80% of Russia's population is made up of KGB assassins, and the other twenty of babushkas who look like life size nesting dolls. Well I was wrong, apparently, the other twenty are there to rob us.<br />
<br />
As you can imagine, I really was wrong. About everything. Our first interaction with a Russian was our taxi driver, hired to take us to the Moscow hostel for 1700 rubles. I'll let you figure out how many dollars that is. Fine, 35. He was a large man named George who expressed his love of American music very enthusiastically by cranking up the billy Joel, Celine dion, aretha franklin, and Barbara Streisand for the ride home. He gave me a giant bottle of iced green tea to keep me occupied while he and Esack grunted to each other in the front seat. It's really lucky Esack speaks fluent Male.<br />
<br />
The hostel was homey and had free tea. We met some friendly Kazakhs and Nepalese guys. Then the next day we were scheduled to be picked up by a driver to take us to an apartment owned by my friend Varya, who I know through my dad. She and her husband live in st. Petersburg but offered to let us stay in their apartment in Moscow that they use when in town for business. It was a luxury having a place to ourselves even for just 36 hours or so! We cooked, watched Police Academy dubbed in Russian, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We hit the major tourist attractions of Moscow: st. Basils, red square, and of course, saw lenin's embalmed body. Creepy.<br />
<br />
Then we took an overnight train to st. Petersburg. We slept well and awoke to watch the obese Russian man across from us eat half a chicken and guzzle vodka. Like it was water. But he was nice and helped us order tea, which is some word like "cha" which is how you say tea in Chinese. Wow. Cultures colliding!<br />
<br />
Varya picked us up on the platform and drove us back to her home in st. Petersburg. Esack and I both liked her right away and really she's wonderful! Friendly and intelligent and so welcoming... Really we could not have been luckier to know someone like her in Russia.
We stayed with Varya for a week. Her children were at their summer home in Finland with their nanny, so we stayed in their room. She encouraged us to spend our time sightseeing while she worked during the day and then she cooked us amazing meals in the evening. Varya's husband Kirill came home a few days after we arrived because he was in finland as well. Both understand English very well but he didn't seem as comfortable speaking as Varya was. Esack and kirill really seemed to connect though.<br />
<br />
So we did see the sights in st. Pete's. We went to pieterhof (the Russian Versailles sort of), Peter and Paul's cathedral, church of Christ on spilled blood, Nievsky prospekt (main st), artillery museum, and spent a whole day at the hermitage. We also walked around on the city's birthday, so there was a celebration with music and dancing and food. We saw two adorable kids doing traditional Russian dancing, and this really strange contemporary dance where this guy wearing a beige sheet and a helmet danced with a giant gold ball to a Tool song. The fair was a great place to people watch too... We noticed that Russian women really love to dress glamorously. They wear high heels always! It doesn't surprise me that a lot of models come from Russia. We also saw a lot of women pose really dramatically when having their photos taken. We started doing it for our own photos :) Varya told us a Russian saying that basically says, even in the morning, Russian women are dressed for the night. Oh and apparently it's very stylish to be taller than your man in your heels.<br />
<br />
Our friend Peter also kindly sent us a huge list of Russian food that we had to try. We showed it to Varya and she took it on to help us try everything! She made incredible homemade borscht, which we drank with frozen vodka. We had several kinds of pickled fishes, including sturgeon which only comes from st. Petersburg area. We had two kinds of blini, sweet and savory with salmon caviar, piroshkee or dumplings, shashlik (meat cooked over open fire), buckwheat, Russian black bread, kvass which is bread soda and kind of tastes like sweet nonalcoholic beer and so many more things! If you are reading this Peter, thank you for the list, and I think we did you proud! I didn't really understand Russian food before, or at least had heard it was nothing special, but that's totally untrue! It's earthy and wholesome and so delicious.<br />
<br />
So then, towards the end of our stay with Varya, the four of us were sitting around their dining room table drinking wine. Varya and kirill were leaving for Finland the next day and we had a train scheduled for Helsinki, where we were going to spend a few days then take a ferry to Rostock and then Berlin. Working through the logistics we realized it was going to be a little complicated, and Varya suggested we just trade in our rail tickets and spend the weekend with them in Finland and then go to Helsinki and fly to Berlin from there!<br />
<br />
So that was that and we drove to Finland the next day. They have a beautiful wooden cabin on a lake. It's next to their friends who also have a cabin. The two cabins are secluded among a forest of beautiful birch trees. One of the best things about staying the weekend was getting to spend some time with varya's children, Tima and Gregory, ages ten and two. Tima is smart and well mannered, and totally relished his time with Esack. They played chess and soccer together. Tima loves to eat and one night he agreed to workout in order to have extra scoops of ice cream for dessert and so he and Esack did push ups together! Tima speaks excellent English and we had a lot of fun with him. Gregory, who everyone calls greisha, is funny and loud and very energetic. For some reason he really took a liking to me... Varya often told me he would ask "where is Julia?" in Russian when i wasn't around. He was shy around me, but Warmed up slowly. He would climb up on the couch between Esack and I and get cozy. It was really nice to be around kids for awhile.<br />
<br />
Our first night in Finland kirill made salmon that was grilled on a cedar plank so it partially smoked, and was the most amazing fish I've ever eaten! It was so moist and juicy and had tons of flavor! Kirill was also very generous with his extensive liquor collection. I tried port for the first time, we had lots of different whiskeys brewed different ways, and good Cointreau drizzled over ice cream! It was so luxurious to spend a weekend this way, especially since Esack and I have been trying to be conservative with money since we are traveling.<br />
<br />
But possibly the MOST amazing part of Finland was the sauna. Both Varya and her neighbors have their own sauna houses. So Esack went with kirill, Tima, and misha (the nanny's husband) and I went with Varya's friend anya, her friend Alissa, and a girl named Olga who is my age. The saunas were about 80 degrees Celsius and the process was basically: go in the sauna as long as you can stand it, then run and jump in the lake, Get out and drink some water, spend a few minutes outside, then back in the sauna. I think I went four or five times. They also do a special practice where they dry birch branches and do and combination of fanning someone and hitting them with the leaves. Anja did it to me and it was intense but felt good! Esack said kirill did it to him too. The best part was the smell the dried birch emitted... Like the best pine tree in the world! Doing the sauna was the most relaxed I've felt in months. It felt so nourishing too... To go from super hot to super cold. Anja said they even do it in winter, cutting a hole in the ice which can be up to a meter thick. Yikes.<br />
<br />
And so here we are. On the train to Helsinki. Esack and I have a busy six weeks in front of us but we are so excited and ready for an adventure. We sent a bunch of stuff home while we were in china, so our packs are light, and we are well rested. We are over halfway through our trip now and plan on moving every five days or so in Europe.
Our plan is helsinki, Berlin, Amsterdam, Leiden, Barcelona, Italy (cinque terre, Florence, parma, maybe Siena), Switzerland, maybe austria, trier, and finally Paris!
<br />
<br />
Europe, bring it on!<br />
<br />
Love,<br />
<br />
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Julia & Esack<br />
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<br />
<br /></div>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18323552686083378046noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967622042829698185.post-88188845901090938912012-05-26T08:00:00.001-07:002012-05-26T08:00:21.628-07:00This. Is. CHINA. (contributed lovingly by Esack)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Shanghai was a different experience entirely. My great
ally-in-the-Orient, Lord Vor (note from Julia: that's our friend Trevor Smith who we know from Iowa), met us at the airport, so there was no “where the
hell are we?” period. This was a good thing. In the other cities we’ve seen so
far there was definitely a feeling out process, a sort of wandering around
time. It was necessary to cut this out in China, as any sort of aimless
strolling would see us mostly pretending to look at signs (not in English) and
hiding our fear of the unknown (note from Julia: though we blended in very
well). Thankfully, Lord Vor had our backs. That isn’t to say “where the hell
are we?” wasn’t one of the first questions out of my mouth. </div>
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Vor had set us up with a hotel room for most of our stay.
The most notable things about the hotel were the view, and the mattress. There
was a lovely, large window which looked out directly onto a concrete wall. Not
as in, we could see across the parking lot to a concrete wall, but as in: we
could see a concrete wall less than a foot outside the window. I have suspicions
that the mattress was also made out of some sort of concrete. I was told that
in general, the Chinese prefer firm surfaces for sitting and lying down. I was
skeptical about this only until our first night of sleep. I slept straight
through the night and awoke feeling refreshed. The concrete wall gave the room
a constant 7-in-the-morning vibe, even at our usual waking hour of noon (note
from Julia: If we set an alarm…) Come to think of it maybe getting up at the
crack of noon led to the feeling of refreshment… </div>
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We stayed up late and got up late. Honestly it felt like the
right schedule to be on for Shanghai. By the time we got up Lord Vor was
usually about ready to shuttle us around town. I wouldn’t recommend anyone go
to China without someone who speaks Mandarin. You can definitely survive by
smiling, pointing, and either nodding or shaking your head, but you would
definitely miss a LOT of fantastic stuff heading around town without a proper
guide. We got up earlier a couple of times to experience the Shanghai morning,
but mostly we stayed out late. Probably never made it to bed earlier than 2 or
3 am. More than once it was 4-5 am. So, I think we can be forgiven for sleeping
in a little.</div>
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If I had to summarize what we did in Shanghai, I would say
that we ate. We ate all day, we ate everything we came across, and we ate
oh-so-affordably. I mean, really affordably, most of the things we tried cost
7-30 yuan ($1-5). Noodles, noodles, dumplings and noodles. So many different
kinds of noodles. I won’t tease all of you who don’t get to try the goodness
with detailed descriptions of everything we ate. I DO need to mention a tasty
little dish called chow see fun. No promises on the spelling (cut me some
slack, they’re characters not words), but I can promise chow see fun is $1
you’ll never want back. Very simple, vermicelli noodles fried up in a wok with
cabbage and fried eggs. It’s advisable to eat it with plenty of the hot chili
and the vinegar sauce, condiments you can find at just about any of the
eateries we tried. Also bearing mention, thanks to a learned friend of Vor’s we
went to a little hidden restaurant with a chef serving the best unagi (Japanese
BBQ eel) outside of Tokyo (according to Japanese folks, I haven’t been to
Japan, YET). Seriously, truly and unbelievably delicious. (Note from Julia:
also home to an amazing beef appetizer that had broth made by angels and what
tasted like bread soaked in it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Although for all I know I was eating duck brains).</div>
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I almost hesitate to mention the wang bars. Wang bar. The
very name conjures images of scatological humor and a certain 80’s one-hit
wonder. What do you do at a wang bar? You play computer games. “Who’s down for
wanging it?” or, “let’s go wang it” were phrases frequently thrown around that
hid the benign and undeniably nerdy intentions of the group. The game of choice
was Warcraft 3. For those of you losers who have never spent 6-10 hours
straight playing this game, it’s of the RTS family of games. Or, to the layman,
you build an army and go attack the opponent’s army. I’m sure many of you
readers will laugh, assuming that 6-10 hours is some sort of hyperbole. Not so
beloved followers of this blog, not so. Seeing as I spent much of my childhood
playing games like Warcraft 3 (including Warcraft 3), I wasn’t surprised (but
“maybe” a little disappointed) with my capacity to drop that amount of time in
a computer bar. What DID surprise me (any members of the Gouge family may want
to skip this next part) was Julia’s capacity to do the same. Julia not only
went along with the Warcrafting, she ate it up. Never in my wildest, lamest
dreams did I dream of a girl who would spend 7 hours in a computer bar playing
Warcraft with me. But spend the 7 hours she did, and I fell in love. Julia,
Lord Vor and I wanged it hard.</div>
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This is where Esack’s contribution ends… mostly because he
is napping.</div>
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Now, I, Julia must explain that wang bars are certainly
gross, but I think anyone can admit there’s a certain appeal to hanging out in
a place where you can veg out totally uninterrupted. Plus we always had
supplies (milk tea, candy bars, seaweed crackers, and “Ethnican” flavored Inca
chips).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The game is like the Sims,
except you get to battle!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why would
I ever not like that?!</div>
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So anyway, Esack did a great job describing Shanghai.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My favorite thing we ate were called
xiao long bao.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are small
steamed dumplings filled with pork and this absolutely amazing broth!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A friend of Trevor’s named Michaela
told us that they put an ice cube of the broth in the dumplings before they
steam, and voila!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Broth
dumplings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> (pictured below)</span></div>
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What was interesting for me about Shanghai is that although
we stuck out like sore thumbs, sore white thumbs to be exact, I came to really
love China.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got plenty of
stares, and heard murmurs of “lao wai…” (foreigners…) everywhere we went, the
Chinese people we met were always put up with us and did their best to
communicate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt safe 100% of
the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now that Esack and I are
in Russia I notice that I feel nostalgic whenever I hear Chinese.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a beautiful language and one that
I’ve never understood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I never
thought I’d be interested in learning Chinese but I am!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s an entirely different way of
communicating and it totally changed the way I think about language.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More to come on this as I work it out
in my head.</div>
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Look forward to a Russia post coming soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Thanks for reading!</div>
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Love,</div>
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Julia&Esack</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFwTbTXIubqJ7zAugsjv8PldotbnbIsuyCmjJUwPnXcCzXWk9y_C85s9-vWK4CM2MUgw1yUAN-7ibtoG1htxDk8g2nLEeqsqhlfD4PRIg8t54GqAZw7ZHqMYNr3Amd-V9SMPqnJ-PgZ_P/s1600/photo-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFwTbTXIubqJ7zAugsjv8PldotbnbIsuyCmjJUwPnXcCzXWk9y_C85s9-vWK4CM2MUgw1yUAN-7ibtoG1htxDk8g2nLEeqsqhlfD4PRIg8t54GqAZw7ZHqMYNr3Amd-V9SMPqnJ-PgZ_P/s320/photo-7.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Esack and Trevor in Hangzhou</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDUZOI_wc5fPLnZMfwZNFXoqnswXjy_WKxm0R-6gtP997p54foR2_8bY9rTCDZic9NVypgIWkIQsQwv1wxla30LcD5QoJvTNdyDotWSW-73Mad0RDBzLwzEZua0pP8Nbxn-a1evVrHzrlf/s1600/photo-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDUZOI_wc5fPLnZMfwZNFXoqnswXjy_WKxm0R-6gtP997p54foR2_8bY9rTCDZic9NVypgIWkIQsQwv1wxla30LcD5QoJvTNdyDotWSW-73Mad0RDBzLwzEZua0pP8Nbxn-a1evVrHzrlf/s320/photo-6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Wanging it hard in the Wang bar</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Q5r7A_uNqrqj7JLm3h0wKwebsQ1Wn9uNctzZDUrJGCJcyB00Iy73_hK7mZ42Um8E7yZmLwJcXVq36SquuWmVafF26uteQdhEsXhqDN3bsxMDmLhILy2FEX4zbSGsQ8cKxZzw-oQgNIF-/s1600/photo-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Q5r7A_uNqrqj7JLm3h0wKwebsQ1Wn9uNctzZDUrJGCJcyB00Iy73_hK7mZ42Um8E7yZmLwJcXVq36SquuWmVafF26uteQdhEsXhqDN3bsxMDmLhILy2FEX4zbSGsQ8cKxZzw-oQgNIF-/s320/photo-8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A boat on Hangzhou lake</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFZ1vhXvQCcBJjs1VPJdf6DUsB2aZT0mDoM0OwKhhhL_XtIeUo7D6s05hrwVA_zg7H0xu-Ddcrvmt8tgikdYBsh9e96cK65bDneNz35p31KITXb_vig9N50JK0NKwtFItqxT5SC-r2jdBv/s1600/photo-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFZ1vhXvQCcBJjs1VPJdf6DUsB2aZT0mDoM0OwKhhhL_XtIeUo7D6s05hrwVA_zg7H0xu-Ddcrvmt8tgikdYBsh9e96cK65bDneNz35p31KITXb_vig9N50JK0NKwtFItqxT5SC-r2jdBv/s320/photo-9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A catfish from the collection of them swimming in a container just outside the window on the left</div>
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Xiao long bao. Food from Chinese heaven.</div>
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</div>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18323552686083378046noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967622042829698185.post-64869530106709840632012-05-05T06:52:00.000-07:002012-05-26T08:04:31.675-07:00Singa...rich<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello!
My goal is to do at least one post for each location of my travels. Tonight is only my second night in Singapore, although it happens to be my last as well. Esack and I arrived late from Auckland and we leave early tomorrow for shanghai so that left only two full days here.
My first impressions of Singapore were very positive. It's hot and tropical, really close to the equator. It's clean and easy to navigate. Everyone speaks English and is helpful. It's safe and everything is cheap! I titled my post Singarich not because it's particularly over the top or anything, but really, it seems like most of the people here are wealthy. Im sure it doesn't help that one of the first things Esack and I did was go see art at the ritz-Carlton hotel. But anyway, the nice cars, well dressed people, plethora of banks, and sparkling streets all lend to an atmosphere of wealth. Unfortunately, it also lends itself to a resort-like, touristy vibe. Singapore in itself doesn't really have much local history, and it comes through. There doesn't seem to be much in terms of localness anyway. The whole city is representations of other cultures: Malay, Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, and European. I'm sure Esack and I still stick out as tourists, but there are just as many white people here as everyone else. Everyone sort of looks like a tourist! I read online that the best place to get authentic Singaporean food is at the Chinese heritage center in Chinatown. Ok...
I feel like Singapore has taken bits of other cultures, polished them up a bit, and then sewed them on to other cultures. It hasn't all quite blended together. I told Esack that this is what I imagine Dubai to be like.
All this said, I really have enjoyed my two days here. I'm excited to go to shanghai and get a little terrified though. And Russia too. Scary. Will I miss the ease of Singapore in about a week? Most definitely.<br />
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Esack and I are staying in an adorable hostel called pillows and toast, which has really comfy beds, free toast in the morning, friendly staff, air cnditioning, and a no shoe policy. I really like it here! We are staying just down the street for a street food center where we have eaten just about every meal. They have over a hundred stands and we've tried tons of new foods, like Rojak, fried bananas, popiah, sardine curry puffs, kachanga, and laksa. The most bizarre thing for sure was the kachanga, strawberry kachanga to be exact, which is a Chinese dessert. It cost about a dollar and twenty cents and is a huge bowl of shaved ice, with three different kinds of syrup on it, like an American snow cone, and then strawberry syrup over top. At first we were like ok, kinda sweet, not too bad. Then we dug down under the ice, and lo and behold, we discover spoonfuls of red beans and corn. Then we come up with three different kinds of gelatin treats, these white gelatin balls, red cubes, and black strips. It was SO bizarre. Haha Esack definitely liked it better than I did, but I think i was just psychologically confused. Taste wise, it really was pretty good. My strangest dessert experience to date.<br />
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So the other way we have been spending our time and money is on the fresh juice! It's amahhhhhzing. There are the standards: orange, pineapple, mango. Apple, lime, mint, ginger, blah blah yum yum but then more unusual things like bitter gourd and honey, balonglong and sour plum. I wish I could try everything!<br />
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We checked out the nightlife last night at a place called Clarke quay by the water and it was unbelievable! Full blown concerts going on next to each other, what seemed like hundreds of bars. So much live music, restaurants, everything. We ended up at a live blues bar and watched a pretty good band with a great guitarist cover al green, bb king, and lynyrd skynyrd. People watching was especially fun, particularly these two drunk guys who were just a hair away from moshing.<br />
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Then today, Esack and I spent most of our time at the botanic gardens where we walked around all afternoon and I took about 200 hundred pictures of orchids. For dinner we tried a new street food market which wasn't very good. I got very mediocre chicken biryani and Esack got decent nasi lemak. Disappointing, but then I got some good Indian tea, so no harm done! Ive also turned Esack on to the wonders of fresh coconuts, so we got those twice today. They're more expensive than in India, but sometimes tastier :)
I have lots of pictures to upload and show you all, but unfortunately I can't do it from my iPad, somill wait until I can use esacks computer. Im sure I'll have plenty of time to do it during my two week stay in china. But look out for those soon!<br />
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Love,
Julia</div>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18323552686083378046noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967622042829698185.post-32571464143865204282012-04-29T01:19:00.001-07:002012-04-29T01:19:48.483-07:00Out of the Mountains<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So let's see... Lots has happened since I last wrote. Esack and I are back in Auckland, at a different hostel this time around. We are in a room with 8 other people or so. One of whom is an unbelievably loud snorer, and one who is an unbelievably sleazy Italian. The other six don't really speak. So anyway, we are happy and enjoying some down time before we move onto Singapore on May 3 (happy bday L).<br />
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We loved our time in Queenstown. It was much colder there, but the leaves were turning colors and it's situated on Lake Wakitipu, which is absolutely gorgeous and you can see it in The Two Towers! I seriously considered doing an LOTR tour but it was waaay too expensive and plus they really just take you to the top of a leafy hill. I don't really know but I'm telling myself that. Anyway, this one bus driver did point out a hill where they filmed the epic battle in the woods (the one where Boromir gets shot... sorry if that's a spoiler, but it's been like 7 years so...). If you watch the scene (which Esack and I did, along with the rest of the movie and the first and third movies #timewellspent) you can see the lake in the background. So long story short, Queenstown is pretty.</div>
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Esack and I did the Caples and Greenstone tracks from there. It's essentially a big loop with a saddle about halfway between. The Caples was beautiful, all different kinds of landscapes, flatlands, hills, mountains, forests, plains. At one point we felt we were in Rohan. And I'm officially done with the LOTR references. Oh, except we were also in the Shire once too. Ok now done! We got eaten alive by sandflies the first night but then we figured out them out a bit and struck a deal. It got COLD at night. I think we were out there for 7 nights. The very last night we stayed in a hut, but every other night we camped. </div>
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On the second day we came across this unbelievable little campsite. It was small and right next to a really rocky part of the river. We found the perfect little square of red moss where we layed our tent and it was sooo comfortable. We slept for 14 hours that night! There was a giant rock dividing the river and sort of worked as a dam, so there was this crystal clear water pool right next to us. I wanted to swim so badly, and Esack frequently egged me on, but in the end it was just too cold. It might've been fun at first, but then I would've just been cold for like five days and so I just got into my sleeping bag and pretended to swim in that. "I wish it was summer!" was probably the most frequently said thing at that camp site. Or maybe "this place is so beautiful." One of the two. We decided to stay there for a second night, partially cause we loved it, and partially cause we woke up really late after our 14 hour nap. We made chocolate chip pancakes and tea that day. Plus we really didn't need so many days to do the trek. The day after that we hiked up the saddle, which is a just a crossable area between two mountains. We went down the other side and camped in the plains-ey area. Then we took another day off the next day and did a day hike up to the beginning of the Routeburn track. On the map it's a place called the Divide. We thought it was going to be some epic crater in the earth or something. But... it was a parking lot. Haha so we had lunch in a parking lot and enjoyed semi-civilization for an hour or so. Then we hiked back in. We walked the Greenstone pretty quickly. It was relatively easy and mostly on the flatlands by the river. There were lots of cows and sheep, but it wasn't easy to make friends. We did make some bird friends though. Esack got one to eat a noodle out of his hand. I got one to mimic my singing voice perfectly and carry small objects for me. Ok I didn't, I'm just jealous of Esack. But I left a few sunflower seeds for them :)</div>
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After we came down from the formidable hills of lower NZ we had a couple days to kill in Queenstown. We did a soak in the Onsen hot pools, which were a major highlight. It felt great on our very tired leg muscles. Now, back in Auckland.</div>
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Yesterday Esack and I saw the Avengers, cause apparently movies come out earlier here. It was 20 bucks to see it in 3D but we figured why not? It was a lot of fun and a rainy day so it was a good way to spend it. We went back to Food Alley for lunch and I tried Korean this time. </div>
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Today we got together with Maggie Grueskin's (Esack's stepmother) friend John who lives in Auckland with his family. He took us out on his boat and it was amazing to see a whole other side of Auckland! We circled Rangitoto, a volcano island in the bay, and then went out to Waiheke, an island with lots of vineyards we plan to visit again. We have just a few more days here, but honestly, I'm getting ready to go. I love the scenery of NZ and the people are great. But everything is so expensive and it's exhausting trying to balance having fun versus counting coins. </div>
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So anyway, onto Singapore next and then China for a whole two weeks to visit Trevor! Both Esack and I are very excited for China. It's gonna make a huge difference having a guide who speaks Mandarin and just another friend to talk to. Esack and I haven't gotten sick of each other or anything. But we are literally together 24 hours a day and it will be nice to have another friend. It's a good thing we make each other laugh so much. Lately Esack has been particularly entertaining by singing death metal versions of musical theater numbers, or really any non-death metal song. </div>
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I hope you enjoy reading this post and if any of you ever have questions about our trip or something specific you want me to write about, I'd love it! Sometimes I feel like this is Live Journal or something, so I have to at least try to make it entertaining. </div>
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Esack and I already had an early dinner of Bento boxes, so tonight the menu is: read, hang out, and most importantly... track down ear plugs! </div>
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Peace love and meows xoxoxo</div>
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A note about the pics: for now I can't easily upload pics from my phone, only Esack's. I'll upload more when I can, and check my facebook for a few more. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first memorable bite of a Ferg Burger. The best burger I've probably ever eaten. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Wakitipu from Queenstown</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 1 of our hike!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making friends. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Caples river</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There is fungus among us!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On top of McKellar saddle</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the Greenstone River valley. The tent is our bedroom and there is Esack in the kitchen, making something scrumptious!</td></tr>
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</div>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18323552686083378046noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967622042829698185.post-29114066403603584592012-04-15T17:10:00.000-07:002012-04-15T17:10:00.350-07:00BeginningsHello family friends and followers! <br />
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I am blogging from the Nomads Fat Camel hostel in Auckland, New Zealand. Esack and I arrived yesterday, me from San Francisco, and Esack from Perth. Our flights went smoothly and we found each other relatively easily in the airport, although we each described moments of panic when we frantically searched for each other, looking wildly suspicious in an airport I'm sure. But we found each other, hugged for a solid 15 minutes, then hopped on a bus for downtown Auckland. It was only 7:30 am when we arrived and unfortunately check in wasnt til one. So we walked around downtown, got breakfast and coffee at two different cafes, and still had two hours to kill before check in. We napped in the hostel common room for awhile and then finally it became one o clock. <br />
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The hostel is interesting. We have a tiny, windowless room on the sixth floor for 50 dollars a night. We splurged. There are people from all over the world. We haven't really made any friends yet. But that's ok. We are only here for one more night. Today, we are going to check out this Asian food hall place, where apparently you can get any kind of Asian food on the cheaps. <br />
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Tomorrow morning we leave for queenstown, on the south island. From there, we'll be doing a 5-6 day trek called the greenstone trek, same one my dad did several years ago (shout out!). I've heard great things about QT and we're really excited. Bungee jumping and other things that make me nervous are alo in discussion. <br />
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Most of you know that Esack and I are doing this trip for fun after spending way too much time getting our degrees from the university of Iowa. Here is what we have planned so far:<br />
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April 17-27 queenstown <br />
April 28-may 3 Auckland again, didn't have a choice about it. But we're thinking of checking out a hostel away from downtown, in a more relaxed suburb. And maybe some day trips to volcanos!<br />
May 3- may6 Singapore <br />
May 6- may 22 shanghai, china to visit the famous Trevor smith. You should read his blog. Www.gristlehedgeunderground.wordpress.com. I think. <br />
May22- may25 Moscow<br />
May 25- June 1 st. Petersburg<br />
June 1 - July 22 Europe! <br />
Finland, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, spain, France, etc etc maybe maybe it's all up in the air! But we will figure it out. <br />
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So, after only one day of travel, I already feel like I've been gone forever. But my lack of jet lag is great! I feel energized and excited. Esack and I have a huge adventure before us and this blog is a way for you to come along with us. We wouldn't have been able to put it together without everyone's support, and at times, financial help :) <br />
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It's about time we start our day but thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the blog. I'll update as often as possible. Feel free to email anytime at gougejk@yahoo.com but if you call or text I can't respond. <br />
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I love you all!!!Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18323552686083378046noreply@blogger.com5Auckland, New Zealand-36.8484597 174.76333150000005-37.0509117 174.34166400000004 -36.6460077 175.18499900000006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967622042829698185.post-71703907226841639632010-11-23T03:59:00.001-08:002010-11-23T03:59:20.556-08:00Farm Life<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The title to this blog post is kind of ironic given that yesterday was day 10 out of 16 of being on the farm, and was the first day that I did any kind of actual farm work. But here I am! I arrived on November 12 to Melkote, Karnataka, India, and I'm here for about a month to work for Janapada Seva Trust (janapada.net). Their website describes the NGO and what they do and is actually a great website if you feel like checking it out! </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I am sorry it has been so many weeks since my last blog post. I went on my 3-week vacation which was wonderful! I traveled with my friend Justin and though our plans changed a LOT, it ended up being great. We went to three beaches in Goa, then to Mumbai, Amritsar, Shimla, and Manali. We were also in Delhi for about a day. I will write more about that at another time, and post pics eventually!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">So, my intention in coming to Melkote was to learn about organic farming. My organic guru is named Santhosh Kaulagi, and he runs Janapada, which his parents started some 50 years ago. Most of his family lives together in Melkote, and I am staying in an empty family member's house just a five minute walk from their house. Santhosh and his wife and three children live a few kms away on their own farm. As I said, the first ten days I did no farm work. Santhosh seemed more intent on teaching me more about holistic, sustainable living. At least that's what he said. This translated into over a week of me doing rather menial chores: sweeping out rooms, learning to spin thread on a hand loom, and chopping vegetables. This wasn't really a problem for me, but I am paying HIM $200 plus other expenses to do work on his farm. I don't know whether it's because I am a woman, or what, but he didn't seem to want to give me physical labor to do. Finally I started to yesterday. To be fair, it seems there isn't all that much physical labor to do. Plus, he has field hands who do it, he doesn't do it at all. Yesterday, me and two other guys named Naga and Gopalla weeded onion fields, and today we cleared land. Overall, I am much slower than them, but they are so patient with me, and as long as I'm not getting in their way I'm happy. It feels so good to be out in the sun doing work! I have been stuck in a classroom for too long.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I would say the biggest challenge here is communication. Santhosh speaks good English, and some of his family knows enough to make simple sentences with me, and then most people know a few words. My Kannada has gotten a lot better just in 10 days! I know a lot of important phrases now and can usually come up with a word or two to get what I want. For example, I got a sari today! I am really excited because a lot of women here asked me why I don't wear one. I didn't have a good reason besides the fact that I've been with Americans up until now. Coming to Melkote has sort of been like been thrown into shark-infested waters. I'm definitely the only non-Indian in the whole village. And it's been reiterated several times that Melkote is very traditional. It's a beautiful little temple town though, with the temple overlooking the village from a huge rocky hill. There are several sacred ponds scattered around, and it's not very busy. Most people are always barefoot and there are always baby goats in the streets, which are also my new favorite animal cause they are so adorable!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I try to challenge myself by asking people questions and things like that, but honestly, I am silent probably 80% of my day. In a way, it makes the days drag on, but in another way, it's really peaceful. It's good that I don't mind being quiet... but sometimes I feel a little bit like a bump on a log. I hate when I feel like a burden to Santhosh and his family, which is sometimes a lot. But I have tried to make myself clear that I want to be put to work, and that's becoming more frequent. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Another challenge is the food. Indian food is and always will be fantastic. But traditional South Indian food is an entirely different being.. a being which I have called: white rice. Generally, I am served rice three meals a day. And the amount that I eat is about half of what other Indians eat. It's served with a soup/sauce called sambar which usually has some vegetables in it. It has been so hard on my system though. The second night I was here I got really sick, and I have no idea what from, maybe the water. I was up all night throwing up for 8 hours straight. That was a blow to my positive attitude for sure. I recovered pretty quickly though, and I think the family has learned that I can't eat quite as much as them. I go out and buy my own cucumbers, tomatos, apples, and bananas too. Eating raw fruits and veggies, even just one thing a day has helped me so much!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I could probably write for another hour, there is so much to describe. I wish you all could be here with me. It's amazing the prolific cow poop, blaring horns, pushing to get on the bus, trash on the street, chattering Kannada, and tiny cups of tea have all become like characteristics of home to me. I'm sure that I'm going to think America is remarkably clean, quiet, and empty. You'd be surprised at the assumptions made about America here: that everyone is extremely rich, fat, and happy; and in some cases, that it is the same place as England! I cleared up that last one though. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Anyway, I miss you all so much. I can't wait to be home... only three weeks! Oh, and happy Thanksgiving!!!!!! Save me some turkey.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Love,</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Julia </div>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18323552686083378046noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967622042829698185.post-71276525141531607082010-10-18T06:19:00.000-07:002010-10-18T06:19:06.801-07:00Happy Journey!It's about that time... I'm strappin on my boot straps and getting ready to leave for a three week long vacation in India! I am traveling with Alex, my room mate, and the five boys in my group to Goa for 6 days, then my friend Justin and I are heading north to visit Jaipur, then we're skipping over to Delhi where we'll meet our other friend, Jackson, and then the three of us are heading to Kathmandu in Nepal to see a few mountains and hit the club scene...... crickets.....<br />
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Anyway! I am so excited for all of it. Beaches in Goa, pink sand in Jaipur, a billion people in Delhi, and the Himalayas in Nepal, what more could I ask for? Before I return I want to ride a camel AND an elephant. Other than that I don't have many trip goals. I suppose avoiding kidnappers and wherever those people in the movie Hostel went are on my list. Mainly I'm excited to get out of Mysore, away from annoying chaperones and get to see some more of India!<br />
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I won't be taking my laptop with me on my vacation, so this might be my last blog post for a few weeks. I'm sure I'll be stopping at an internet cafe sometime, so that might be a good opportunity to let you, dear fans, know that I'm still alive. <br />
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Love,<br />
JuliaJuliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18323552686083378046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967622042829698185.post-10816283811143871072010-10-18T06:03:00.000-07:002010-10-18T06:03:33.669-07:00Highlights from our tour of North KarnatakaMy group and I got back Friday morning from an 8 day excursion through the state of Karnataka. We visited Badami which has Buddhist and Jain cave temples (and lots of monkeys), Bijapur which is known for its Muslim architecture, and Hampi which is an ancient city. Here are some photo highlights!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here I am showing off my mad skillz at the Badami caves. I forget who the statue is of sowwy!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Bijapur at Gol Gumbaz which means "round dome".........heh.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On top of Gol Gumbaz at around 7 am.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Makin' friends in Hampi!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After a sunrise hike to the top of a rock hill to visit a shrine or pretend to contemplate life if you're Sara.</td></tr>
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2jMmu6zQsuX-xBHDDHSYMqNrtElk9wIN1UUL-VQU3CGPAVvLkQVg0C9qPah1zApDnV5uHu5pZTpXT87rvJTYSWJWV_2mM6OVL8MgH11TVM0jLlodHvhHwXpW2HWllxAohgG-EHBCKLdY/s1600/IMG_5289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Makin' MORE friends in Hampi!</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwhilQsDzQ_zLNMjDwkUnPOoRSHIdrra7RiZOAiQfYPNa1kkM8HMf22eIK91pv7_0fAO5uSRLdlrXXaFtTq1q9bRKX7lEJ9bG4qv5geZPmmw1a1rzgALX-Rx9KNhbb48bhRrTOTKgxMYXZ/s1600/IMG_5316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise hike deux to an ancient natural land bridge in Badami.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Justin and Matt (I'll let you attempt to pick them out) swimming in the sacred pool at Aihole, pronounced a-hole. Fine, it's actually ai-ho-lay. The pool is naturally fed through springs which flow through up through the sandy bottom!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFiYlKzS66LvsWCrAjGZ2TLNGOBjOjoVCaDUA9_Jjmd1rNA1LxBAalvrHOqg1SpD1j37KHvpJct-T7SoFdn1Zj6jRgcB4H0cspQzTcJKUuMkcJyILuIl7D69wmZAkHeLSjFFXtllDz5vaY/s320/IMG_5008.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sara being a superstar on top of a temple in Aihole. </td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmf-ReP4sHEHXaE05gSjtFEzigKDtZ2M7KAyc6JJcCij3pMVh2s19aGK6cKi61IWNlQeIQ5Nq9E_6f9HfS_oJJ5Pj64CzPH4EXP1GEl43NNM0xcPTWK6f1PIeOt9-fkyIliaqZVEbilx_/s1600/IMG_4943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFiYlKzS66LvsWCrAjGZ2TLNGOBjOjoVCaDUA9_Jjmd1rNA1LxBAalvrHOqg1SpD1j37KHvpJct-T7SoFdn1Zj6jRgcB4H0cspQzTcJKUuMkcJyILuIl7D69wmZAkHeLSjFFXtllDz5vaY/s1600/IMG_5008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18323552686083378046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967622042829698185.post-83084178461893457472010-10-06T08:00:00.000-07:002010-10-06T08:22:31.920-07:00Great Day with my Dad!Man... today has been a great day for so many reasons! Partially because it started off kind of crappy...but let's skip that part! It's boring anyway. So today was my dad's first full day in Mysore. We had breakfast with my group mates at the hostel, and then we got ready and went shopping. We went to my favorite clothing store- Parampare- where we stocked up on gifts and clothes and fun stuff for ourselves. After a tea break we headed back to the hostel so I could attend a meeting about my upcoming trip to Northern Karnataka. While I was there I got a wonderful piece of news-- the due date for the term papers that I have been stressing about has been pushed back to Dec 2nd from Oct 20th. THANK GOD. So I get to actually relax and enjoy my trip to Northern Karnataka and just BREATHE for a second. I feel like I haven't taken a real breath in like three weeks... and that's hard to do in yoga.<br />
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So anyway, then we went downtown and got some street food-- samosas, pani puri, and juice. Well... I forgot that they don't use filtered water in the juice, and in my valiant attempt to keep my dad from getting sick before his Himalayan trek, I chugged (literally) both glasses myself. I am such a good daughter, plus the juice is really good, whatever. But anyways, then we headed to Karanji Lake and walked around for awhile, saw some sweet birds and let our food coma settle in. It turns out Karanji Lake seemed like kind of a hot spot for young couples to go and make out. OK, hold hands. But still, clearly not the best father-daughter excursion in the city.... moving on.<br />
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So then, like the old men that we are, Dad and I were totally beat so we bussed it back to the hostel in Hebbal and took naps before dinner. We ended up being too tired to even go out for dinner so we just ate dinner with Sara, Justin, and Alex at the hostel. It turned out to be a lot of fun and laughing. I'm so glad that some of my friends here got to know my appa (not a typo) a little bit better. He even got to meet a few of the Indian girls I am friends with. Tomorrow I think we'll probably take it easy, and I'll show him my school and maybe have him sit in on some of my classes. <br />
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But overall, even though his visit is so short, it's wonderful to see my dad! I was worried that since I've been feeling homesick that seeing him would just bust the cap off that simmering pot and I'd break down into tears like the adult that I am. But I'm ok. I'm great actually. And I can't wait to get out of Mysore!<br />
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Oh, another good thing from today. My friends and I finalized our travel plans for our three-week long independent vacation. The plan is to go Mysore to Goa to Jaipur to Delhi to Kathmandu and back to Mysore. Preeeeeeeeeeetty exciting eh?<br />
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Love,<br />
JuliaJuliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18323552686083378046noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967622042829698185.post-15488805551027712932010-10-04T22:12:00.000-07:002010-10-04T22:12:46.456-07:00Cue the Camera CrewIn a few short hours my noble father, Doug Gouge, will arrive in Mysore! We will be gallavanting around the city for three whole days! Expect situations similar to those of Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie in The Simple Life. (Since we'll be conducting a car wash in our bikinis and driving a pink truck across the country). Fun fotos and blog updates to come :)Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18323552686083378046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967622042829698185.post-69444946112360252162010-10-03T21:07:00.000-07:002010-10-03T21:07:09.793-07:00Ayodhya Verdict Follow-Up PostSo... to make a long story short. Nothing happened with the Ayodhya verdict. I am definitely happy that everyone in the area was safe and that there wasn't any violence in a potentially sensitive case ruling, but at the same time... THAT was anti-climactic!<br />
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So the way the court ruled is that they split the land into three parts. To give a little bit of background, the three judges who ruled the case were two Hindu and one Muslim, and all were very old dudes. They gave one part of the land to the followers of Ram Lalla (Hindu), one part to the Nirmohi Akhara (Hindu), and one part to the Sunni Waqf Board (Muslim). How ironic that the judges who are two-thirds Hindu and one-third Muslim divided the land into two-thirds Hindu and one-third Muslim. The judges gave a ruling that was over 8,000 pages long. I think that's really just excessive! I mean... Sometimes I feel like courts and the government makes complicated issues overly-complicated so that the public can't sit down and read the decisions themselves and interpret them on their own! Who has time to read an 8,000 page case ruling? Besides me, I mean! I'm sure it's a real page-turner. So the judges also decided that the Babri Mosque that is still on the land is in fact a mosque... that must have been hard to decide... but that the Hindus have a right to build a temple there. <br />
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It seems that most Indians have taken the side of peace in the issue. It may have been a good thing that the case was being judged for so many years. The fire seems to have mostly burned out, and it seems that this case ruling may have extinguished the tension once and for all. For any of you that were worried... I am definitely safe! Except from the wrath of these term papers I have to write.......<br />
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Love,<br />
JuliaJuliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18323552686083378046noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967622042829698185.post-13047505937277936592010-09-29T09:15:00.003-07:002010-09-29T09:15:30.219-07:00History Shall Be Witnessed by the Ignorant---> ME!It’s Wednesday evening here in India, and tomorrow is an exciting day.<span> </span>For a few weeks now, we’ve been hearing rumors about “curfews”.<span> </span>Now… hear me out.<span> </span>One thing you must take into account is that when we hear things here, they are usually in broken English, we don’t watch the news, and it seems like none of the staff really feels like informing us about things…ever.<span> </span>So anyway, the idea of a curfew sounded like it meant several possibilities: it could mean simply that classes are cancelled and we have the day off <span style="font-family: Wingdings;"><span>:)</span></span>, or it could mean that if we go outside we’ll be shot by the police :(<span style="font-family: Wingdings;"><span></span></span>.<span> </span>That was a literal rumor, but not true.<span> </span>Anyway, there was a possibility of one of these curfews last Friday, and when Friday finally rolled around…nothing happened.<span> </span> <br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Today, we heard more news of a curfew tomorrow, but finally…FINALLY…we found out why.<span> </span>And it’s a good reason too!<span> </span>So I found out only today, that for the past 60 years, Hindus and Muslims in India have been fighting over a small area of land, called Ayodhya, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.<span> </span>This land was where Rama, a Hindu god and hero of the Ramayana, was allegedly born.<span> </span>Later, Muslims built the Babri Mosque on this land and then in 1992 it was attacked and destroyed by a group of Hindus.<span> </span>The debate has lasted for decades over who the rightful owner of the land is.<span> </span>It seems that Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and Jains all have religious connections to the land.<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Tomorrow, September 30, the Allahabad High Court will decide who owns the land.<span> </span>It’s an exciting time to be in India!<span> </span>People have predicted violence no matter what the outcome.<span> </span>My afternoon classes have been cancelled, and we’ve been advised not to leave the building after the verdict is announced, which is at 3 o’clock I believe.<span> </span>I am excited to hear the verdict, and see what the effect is.<span> </span>There may not be much commotion in Mysore, given we’re so far south, but you never know!<span> </span>I’ll do a follow-up post soon.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Love,</div><div class="MsoNormal">Julia</div>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18323552686083378046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967622042829698185.post-9962969622232136482010-09-23T04:49:00.000-07:002010-09-23T04:56:42.421-07:00A Sad Day for my Beauty RoutineToday, in my Science and Technology class, we watched The Corporation. Scratch that... we are currently watching The Corporation while I am writing this blog post. It's a three hour long movie about the evils of corporations. While I am appalled my most of the information I am getting, this blog post is not about that, per se. <br />
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An hour or so into the film, my friend Sara whispered to me, "Did you know Naked juice is owned by Pepsi?" WAAAHHH??? There go my do-gooder feelings when I pop open one of those 4 dollar, pre-bottled concoctions. So that spurred us to whip out our computers and look up other "organic" companies that are in fact owned by corporations. We found some great info here:<br />
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http://simplifymyfoodchoices.com/organic-natural-brands.html.<br />
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Here are the highlights of what I found:<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">Naked juice and Quaker Oats are owned by Pepsi</div><div class="MsoNormal">Odwalla juice and Glaceau bottled water are owned by Coca Cola</div><div class="MsoNormal">Burt’s Bees is owned by Clorox (whhhyyyyyy)</div><div class="MsoNormal">Tom’s of Maine is owned by Colgate</div><div class="MsoNormal">Stonyfield Farms is owned by Dannon</div><div class="MsoNormal">Horizon is owned by Dean’s Milk (kill me now)</div><div class="MsoNormal">Kashi and Morningstar Farms are owned by Kellogg’s</div><div class="MsoNormal">Back to Nature and Boca are owned by Kraft</div><div class="MsoNormal">Cascadian Farms and Larabar are owned by General Mills</div><div class="MsoNormal">Green and Black’s is owned by Schweppes </div><div class="MsoNormal">Dagoba is owned by Hershey</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Body Shop is owned by L’Oreal/Nestle (seriously, what am I going to buy now?)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This information makes me feel several things, including: deceived, dumb, misinformed, and naive. My parents instilled in me an appreciation for wholesome foods and products, and they specifically (and graciously) give me extra money so that I can have enough money to buy organic foods and shop at co-ops and other stores that supposedly support healthful food and have the same ideals that I do. This extra money was seen as a preventative investment in my health, as I will always look at healthy food choices. Along with trying to make conscious decisions regarding nutrition, I also try to support businesses that are fair-trade, local, and make products with quality ingredients and without chemicals. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As much as I can say I wanted to do these things, the truth of the matter is that I have been paying higher prices to buy products that support Clorox, Colgate, Kraft, and L'Oreal. That makes me feel sick. I make myself feel special for trying to make conscious decisions, but I feel like the corporate market manipulates people into supporting what they don't believe in. I admit, when I need pizza rolls at 3 am, I make the trek to Wal-mart. I am a college student, not God. I feel small twinges of guilt for these purchases, but I also have certain beliefs that I stick to, and I am passionate about. I will not buy Clorox products because of the chemicals they use. In fact, two years ago I got in a fight with my friend about her use of Clorox wipes (shout out to Katie D. xoxo). And yet when I go shopping, I feel good about myself and my choices when I buy Burt's Bees products. I encourage people to use them. I am pleased when I look at the ingredients in their lip balm. Not only do I feel deceived, I feel like a fool for any positive feelings I might have had for buying what I thought were wholesome products. I believe Clorox does not want people to know that they own Burt's Bees because so many people love to use their products! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Today has been a personal lesson that people need to continuously educated themselves about what they are putting on and in their body. There is no end to this education. You can't eventually know all the good products and all the bad, because corporations are constantly changing, evolving, and educating themselves on what I want, and how to get me to buy it. The market is always changing. Corporations are born, consolidated, and dispersed all the time. I want to make educated purchases, and I want to directly and indirectly support companies that make quality products and do positive things in our communities. I think I need to officially re-commit to that. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Unfortunately, it genuinely seems like any product that is popular, or mass-produced, is most likely owned by a big corporation. I don't think all corporations are bad. For example, it seems like Newman's Own, which is relatively main stream, still does positive things for charities. Please tell me if you've heard otherwise! And just because, for example, Burt's Bees is owned by Clorox, it doesn't mean that all of a sudden there is bleach in our chapstick. But for me, it means that spending the $1.99 on my chapstick is donating that money to a corporation that produces other products with dangerous chemicals that put people and the environment in danger. Thus, that's what I'm supporting. Even if Horizon dairy farms don't use hormones in their cows, buying their milk invests in Dean's Dairy Company, which does use hormones in their cows. If I buy Horizon, I support Dean. And that's wrong. People should know who they are supporting. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I need to remind myself that every purchase is like a small donation to a cause. And there are many causes that I do not, and will not support. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">To end, I want to use this blog post to reach out to my friends and family and ask you all to please tell me and anyone else who might be interested if there are any other "natural" companies owned by corporations! Also, given that I now have nowhere to shop and can officially buy none of the products that I loved, please tell me about brands that sell quality beauty products and wholesome snacks. Help me out!!!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Love,<br />
Julia</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
PS Does anyone have any information about Hain Celestial? It's a corporation that owns a lot of beauty product companies that I like: Alba, Jason, Avalon, etc...<br />
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</div>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18323552686083378046noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967622042829698185.post-63237272939217443152010-09-15T05:08:00.000-07:002010-09-15T21:31:50.618-07:00Lissen to How Smart I Am (Peeple With Big Branes are Smart)<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6by1uF5Yh5JbSf3EhsuC4dhc3yZfqAckPp_lm5dhIC7_1cyqaEMqAVZB0H34PAuh3t45ZoEK2dTyBJ05t34kK54VaH966teQECF2Hox7JhencHPrGCWY2Fb12DVo__KxktN0b4EZ113Uz/s1600/Photo+77.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6by1uF5Yh5JbSf3EhsuC4dhc3yZfqAckPp_lm5dhIC7_1cyqaEMqAVZB0H34PAuh3t45ZoEK2dTyBJ05t34kK54VaH966teQECF2Hox7JhencHPrGCWY2Fb12DVo__KxktN0b4EZ113Uz/s320/Photo+77.jpg" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">Lately I have been feeling sick of my classes. Every day from 9-1:30, I sit in the same classroom with some combination of the same ten people, and I am reiterated that the social, political, and economic climates of the United States, India, and the world is, in general, dismal. Besides feeling antsy and like I need to stretch, I start feeling like I want to scream. My classmates and I have exhausted our minds and our voices complaining that we are tired of hearing about problems and ready to hear about solutions. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">Today we had an unexpectedly refreshing answer to our complaints. During our normal class time for Science and Technology, our professor, Dr. Vombatkere and another man, Mr. U.N. Ravikumar held a panel discussion about the social effects of global climate change. Our discussion began with the idea of small countries paying for the environmental neglect of countries like the US and the idea of taking responsibility for climate change. From the beginning, the discussion was one of the most exciting I have ever had regarding the environment. We briefly listed some effects: rising sea levels, lower food production, population migration, changing health patterns and diseases, fresh water availability, and loss of biodiversity. But quickly we moved onto larger social ideas and the mindsets of, particularly US, citizens. My friend Sara made a strong point about the interconnectivity between all life forms, and how humans are unaware of being just another species on the planet. I always love Sara’s comments because she is never afraid to show the heart and emotions she has invested in environmental issues. You can hear the emotional impact that environmental discussions have on her, and I have no doubt in my mind that she practices what she preaches, and recognizes how connected she is to her environment. This type of connection is missing from so many people. I brought up a point in the discussion that one main difference I notice between India and the United States (I think I brought this up in a previous blog post) is that in India there isn’t such a thing as an “environmentalist” really. In the US, we designate the responsibility of saving Earth to a certain sub-sect of people, that many people also make fun of and love to stereotype. But in India, a computer software programmer is as much an environmentalist as a farmer. Each person here feels the effects of human environmental impact with the constant reminders of saving water and food. The innate scarcity of survival tools like food and water in India makes its citizens much more aware of human impact. This is missing in the US.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">I believe there has been so little global progress on environmental change because the US has refused to take responsibility for its own pollution. As a country, we have established weak policies that put off changing our consumption habits for as long as possible. The resources that we are scraping up are going to run out, absolutely 100% inevitably. Probably in my lifetime. I don’t need to worry about my children having to deal with these problems, because these problems are such that my generation won’t be alive to have children. My professors asked us, “Are we on a sinking ship?” My answer to that was yes, it is a sinking ship for now. The U.N. and other organizations are tripping over their own policies and trying to avoid changes. Huge nations are afraid of economic and social impacts of environmental change. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">To go back to Sara’s point for a minute, she was even more correct than she intended. As much as she or I, or Lady Gaga, is connected to each ant, bee, and flower; the same holds true on a larger, theoretical scale. The US economy, lifestyle, foreign and domestic policy, and reputation MUST change if we want to make any changes to our environmental degradation. And we are terrified of this change! The US needs to point the finger at itself finally, and take some responsibility for the damage it has done, and ideally it could once again be a nation that other nations would want to emulate. Right now, we are an embarrassment. To quote George W. Bush: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">"Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter!" --punching the air as he left his final G-8 Summit. Rusutsu, Japan, July 10, 2008</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">…A true American hero.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">My friend Justin also brought up a great point. He thought that the basis of the environmental crisis might lie in the American mindset of constant dissatisfaction. Perhaps consumerism on such a massive scale is the result of Americans placing high value on material objects and having no sense of value for nature. This idea goes in hand with Sara’s previous connectivity theory, but proves that Americans feel little or no connection to nature. We do not know where our food comes from, what seeds look like, or sometimes, even what the animal looks like whose meat is sustaining us. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">I agree wholeheartedly with Justin that Americans are dissatisfied with themselves, thus striving to find peace by consuming massive amounts of goods, and in the process using frightening amounts of resources. The constant strive for something better sounds remarkably like, dare I say it: The American Dream. We have chosen for 200 years to look at the good ole AD as something positive: it teaches us not to settle, that no matter who are you or where you are born, you can be anything and do anything that you want. Empowering...in theory. In reality, the American Dream is an ideal that can never be achieved, thus leaving America’s citizens dissatisfied and working themselves to the point of exhaustion…for what? Probably because they feel guilty or lazy if they aren’t, since everyone else is. The American Dream has caused citizens to neglect issues like personal health and the health of our environment in order to achieve “success”. This brings me back to the fisherman story that I told in my New Perspectives post. I would be ashamed of myself if I defined success as monetary wealth. I’d be ashamed of myself if I defined it as anything but personal happiness and internal satisfaction. I’d rather not live in the shadow of the American Dream, but thanks. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">I know Americans can change. I know eventually, they will be forced to. If I recall correctly, a few years ago gas prices were about $5 per gallon. Never before in my lifetime had I seen such a national shift to use less gas. People walked, biked, and use public transportation as if cars were suddenly not cool anymore. Everyone, not just my mom (<3), gave Hummers condescending glances. Anyway, what this proves to me, is that Americans can quickly adapt when their money is threatened. Without money they’d have nothing with which to buy the goods that help them achieve “satisfaction”. I think this same reverence that Americans have for money needs to be shifted onto natural resources. If Americans put monetary value on nature, no one would dare threaten it. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">Here’s my proposal. Let’s do a little Michael Jackson-ing, take a look at ourselves and start the changes there. Taking a cue from Sara, I am going to attempt to reconnect to the Earth in a way that I never have before. There may be no better place in the world to do that than India. Here, they say <i>bhoomi</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> instead of soil, which can be translated to earth, but it also implies a respect for the rich life that grows from it; and sometimes they say </span><i>bhoomi deva</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, Mother Earth. Already, I see changes in myself. Being here, I am not as concerned with my art history degree or how I will translate that into a viable job because that's only a small part of who I am. I'm becoming much more aware of the choices people make and how those define them as human beings in relation to the Earth and to one another. I'm becoming aware that I want the choices I make to represent my love and respect for the environment and that I have no interest in being defined by the social constructs people have created for themselves. A job, marriage, children, or money all may or may not be a part of my life, but these will never define me. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">I can’t change that I am American but if I can change my goals and work on my own internal happiness, then I can say for a fact that not every American is living in the cycle of dissatisfaction known as the American Dream. I’d rather quit dreaming, wake up, and live in reality. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">“We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." <br />
-Barack Obama</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18323552686083378046noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967622042829698185.post-24187855563585281512010-09-08T22:29:00.000-07:002010-09-08T22:35:05.315-07:00India: In Numbers and Lists<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2KX52oMD82Nm3-ifbb9TqXwD4hSph22X5FaT2m4UqJin2yKO0unrg_ApEHKhjYYrK5iExPj8xDzBlZL4HRKCbWZ2Rel9OKQaGEP-JRakJXa2Glarm5CHLjOYzF-pnqVmkVtzoOEIqDnP/s1600/IMG_4208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2KX52oMD82Nm3-ifbb9TqXwD4hSph22X5FaT2m4UqJin2yKO0unrg_ApEHKhjYYrK5iExPj8xDzBlZL4HRKCbWZ2Rel9OKQaGEP-JRakJXa2Glarm5CHLjOYzF-pnqVmkVtzoOEIqDnP/s320/IMG_4208.JPG" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Me and my roommate, Alex. At a sweet shop for a wild Thursday night.</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</style> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here are some "statistics"...if you will... of my experiences in India since I arrived, which was exactly one month and one day ago! By the way, to celebrate the one month anniversary, I shaved my legs for the first time. Here we go:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Most people seen riding one motorcycle: 6</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hard-boiled eggs I’ve eaten since I’ve been here: 24</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Number of times I have slept past 8 am: 1</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Number of times I’ve worn make-up: 2</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Number of times I’ve tried meat: 2 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hours of TV I’ve watched: 0 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Books read for pleasure: 1 (it was long!)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Number of children I’ve seriously considered taking home: 2</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A few Indian traditions that I’ve grown to love:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">-Not wearing shoes in the classroom…Not sure how well my Iowa professors will accept this practice should I adapt it</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">-TEA TIME (which I have in 10 minutes, best part of the school day)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">-Eating with my hands…I do it in America anyway, but here, no one gives me the side eye</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">-Wearing clothes as comfortable as pajamas 24/7. Wearing the same clothes literally as pajamas, but they are pretty. Katie D understands.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">-Waving, hugging, giggling, and saying hello to all the other female students EVERY time you see one another</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">-Going to bed at 9 pm. Ok, Indians don’t really do this, just me cause I’m so damn sleepy!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></div>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18323552686083378046noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967622042829698185.post-46239484203479914912010-09-01T20:21:00.000-07:002010-09-01T20:21:28.061-07:00Time for BreakfastI think it's about time I do a post specifically designated to food! Don't you think? For once in my life, breakfast is my favorite meal. Sure, I can go for bacon and omelettes at 3 am, who can't? And let's be real, Village Inn breakfast is always the best option. But here in India, against all of my willpower, I am forced to eat breakfast every day at 7:30. Honestly, I really like it. Given yoga from 6-7 am Mon-Thurs, by 7:30 I am ready to EAT!<br />
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Breakfast is my favorite meal for many reasons. First, it is the only breakfast that serves us coffee and tea. Second, there are always lots of options. Third, lunch and dinner are typically really similar. So, I like breakfast. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnKFcMkucHr3V6I2jMt0a_byMBbZ1IDfhDkT-vDx0FPWej-PHWI0RPQmOoA2Zy7p-XXw14sGOeGe7HlXQM21lHkLI995qemjT9Au0s7ExMYz1P299duWCjmYNpYgCeiGZOi1DxuAkfBbeP/s1600/IMG_4180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnKFcMkucHr3V6I2jMt0a_byMBbZ1IDfhDkT-vDx0FPWej-PHWI0RPQmOoA2Zy7p-XXw14sGOeGe7HlXQM21lHkLI995qemjT9Au0s7ExMYz1P299duWCjmYNpYgCeiGZOi1DxuAkfBbeP/s400/IMG_4180.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Here is my breakfast from Thursday morning (Sept. 2). So, starting at the bottom we have toast, and going left, we have coconut chutney, a rice dosa with local honey (harvested last week!), a hard-boiled egg, and fresh papaya. Oh and you can see my teeny cup o' coffee in the upper right hand corner.<br />
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We get hard-boiled eggs, toast, papaya, and cereal every morning. And then the main course changes. Sometimes it is upme, which is kind of a like cous-cous; rice noodles; masala dosa (one of my favorites); potatos; or any other number of things. A man named Manu brings us breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. All of the food comes from his farm, he is the one who harvested the honey for us. And he told us that in November and December there will be even more honey, but the bees pollinate different flowers, so the flavor will change. Manu's wife, Lalita, cooks all of the food, and sometimes she comes in to help serve it. He works so hard for us, and sometimes I think my group members forget it, like when they sleep through meals. <br />
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I love cooking for myself, and sometimes I miss it. But I figure that I'm here in Mysore for 8 weeks, and I have access to three healthy, vegetarian, local, Indian meals everyday, why not take advantage? I mean... how lucky am I???<br />
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Love,<br />
Julia<br />
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P.S. I fully intend to learn to make most of these dishes at home!Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18323552686083378046noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967622042829698185.post-74159902766782516702010-08-26T05:16:00.000-07:002010-08-26T05:16:45.395-07:00Learning Kannada<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjobG2Y0odPozcFFnLGTKtcSRakCflr7OSIZwYje2innQGemCYPs5Zj4gKSx8hGoTHw-NK3d4nCKgxMVsfLhPvU_T9pDh2Nm_-mB3yq2cTijdRS9eWHRFjlFGQUXutc4Y1Ke2Y5mSWJJXiE/s1600/IMG_3966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjobG2Y0odPozcFFnLGTKtcSRakCflr7OSIZwYje2innQGemCYPs5Zj4gKSx8hGoTHw-NK3d4nCKgxMVsfLhPvU_T9pDh2Nm_-mB3yq2cTijdRS9eWHRFjlFGQUXutc4Y1Ke2Y5mSWJJXiE/s320/IMG_3966.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of my homework... not fun.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18323552686083378046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967622042829698185.post-37555650098960220242010-08-26T04:52:00.000-07:002010-08-26T04:52:41.763-07:00Learning Kannada<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkIw5cRx6bnRfP5YkhIB1EgqhwsQZlZB25gBIQZH8ZKFU1JSocFDDsIJhesrnvC45O_VxQS0zklI2WbPXwhGpd6J6h1_aWsOggWh5Df6rLgoxPYry3z_fwWz_44f-MMUFALrgeyG3ablGg/s1600/IMG_3970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkIw5cRx6bnRfP5YkhIB1EgqhwsQZlZB25gBIQZH8ZKFU1JSocFDDsIJhesrnvC45O_VxQS0zklI2WbPXwhGpd6J6h1_aWsOggWh5Df6rLgoxPYry3z_fwWz_44f-MMUFALrgeyG3ablGg/s320/IMG_3970.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My name in Kannada I think!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18323552686083378046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967622042829698185.post-6524123764789534932010-08-25T02:56:00.001-07:002010-08-25T02:56:31.632-07:00New PerspectivesPossibly the most interesting aspect of my classes, thus far, is learning about issues that I’ve previously learned about in America, like environmentalism, women’s issues, social structures, religion, etc., but from the Indian perspective. In terms of environmentalism, a big difference that I’ve noticed is that everyone here, no matter what job they have, is an environmentalist. They all talk about it, and everyone makes it an issue that affects them, which I think is pretty amazing. I think in America, being environmentally conscious creates divides in society. In America being environmentally conscious is not a habit one adopts, but instead it seems like it’s a lifestyle one adopts, bringing along other stereotypes. <br />
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Anyway, another huge difference that has become apparent is that in America, it seems social structures are largely based on race, class, and gender. These three things come up constantly in my art history and women’s studies classes. I’m sure Kate Krohn has no idea what I’m talking about. But what is fascinating here, is that in academia, they base their social structures on caste, class, and gender. I’m still working out the differences between caste and class. I know there are some but I do not know enough to articulate them. Like race in America, social discrimination based on caste is illegal here, but it still largely exists. One of my professors, Dr. S.G. Vombatkere wrote an article about Hinduism and included a passage that I found interesting: <br />
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I am brahmin because I use my knowledge and intelligence to earn a living. I am also kshatriya because I served long years in the army to earn a living. I have saved some money and invest it so that it will multiply, and that makes me vaisya too. I personally clean my house toilets used by visitors who may be from any “caste”. I, not a servant, carry household garbage to the dustbin; I dig and plant in the garden; do “menial” work around the house; perform odd jobs for friends, and that makes me sudra also. I am content if my fellow citizens recognize me as a Hindu without ascribing caste, since I am a mix of all castes. Hence, I do not believe in “caste”, and yet I am a Hindu.<br />
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Hinduism and caste relate because the system was created by Hindus. This system of Hinduism relating to caste reminds me so much of the issues in America and how people have come to relate the upper to middle-class with conservatism and sometimes Christianity. And it’s still surprising to me internally when my professors mention minority groups in India and mention Christians. It’s definitely not something I’m used to hearing. <br />
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Today, in my Science and Technology class, Dr. Vombatkere told us a hypothetical story about a man who fished for leisure and brought the few fish he caught home for his family. Eventually, another man came along and told him how he could catch more, sell them, hire people, and create a business from it. The fisherman asked why he should create a business and make money, and the other man replied that he should so that he could have leisure time. Anyway, the point my professor was making was that the differences between the ultra rich and the ultra poor are in fact very small. Physically, the ultra rich have more material goods, but mentally, more dissatisfaction. <br />
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What I found so amazing about this story, was that a man who is intending to teach us about Indian science, technology, and development told it to us. His views on social structures, economics, how to truly measure a person or a nation’s wealth, and what true development is, are absolutely fascinating. I’m beginning to see the Western values that have been ingrained in me that I didn’t even know about. With each new idea he brings up and plants into my head, it’s like he’s drawing out a small impurity that plagued my mind. He’s slowly unscrewing each tiny bolt that might actually open a door. <br />
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And this is only week 2! <br />
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I hope you’re all enjoying my blog!!!!<br />
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Love,<br />
JuliaJuliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18323552686083378046noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967622042829698185.post-76073752147002229852010-08-24T08:49:00.001-07:002010-08-26T04:36:26.052-07:00Two Weeks<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><meta content="" name="Title"></meta> <meta content="" name="Keywords"></meta> <meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type"></meta> <meta content="Word.Document" name="ProgId"></meta> <meta content="Microsoft Word 11" name="Generator"></meta> <meta content="Microsoft Word 11" name="Originator"></meta> <link href="file://localhost/Users/juliagouge/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link> <style>
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</style> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ahhhh the sweet sweet taste of two weeks. I wasn’t planning on updating just weekly, but it seems like it’s the way it may work out! This past week has marked a lot of decisions and even some breakthroughs for me. Well I guess I also realized some good things.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">First, I have had absolutely zero stomach issues since I’ve been here. I’m a little obsessive about my probiotics, but overall I think the food is so good for me. I feel so much better just cutting out meat, as of now I have decided to try to keep it up when I get home too. I find it really remarkable how many people advocate vegetarianism here. It’s so common because of Hinduism, but so many people are vegetarians regardless. Frankly the meat kind of grosses me out, so it’s easy! But honestly, it’s been a long time since I’ve felt this healthy. I sleep well, I eat well, I’m drinking tons of water, and I do yoga 4 days a week. How lucky am I??? The only bad thing is that my skin has taken awhile to get used to the change in humidity and everything and has been irritated and stuff, but hopefully that’ll just work itself out. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Second, I am enjoying my classes so much. I am starting to feel what I’d like to dub the Triple I: Intense Indian Immersion. I just feel the desire to soak up all things Indian. I just checked out Ghandi’s autobiography from the library, and I’m going to read the Gita while I’m here for sure. I watched my first Bollywood movie called Lagaan. They are so freaking entertaining in the most annoying way possible, but the music’s really great. And I could not hate more how much they perpetuate tradition family and marriage values. It’s depressing… but they make you so damn happy. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Third, I have decided on a possible internship project. There is an artist’s colony called Cholamandal outside of Chennai where I would like to volunteer for a month, doing anything and everything. It’s right on the coast of the Bay of Bengal I think and supposedly it’s beautiful, although Chennai is supposed to be pretty nasty. Anyway, the director of my program is going to put in a call for me and see if they could use me. There’s a big chance there might not be anything for me to do there, in which case I’d have to choose something else, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So, that’s mostly what I’ve been up to! Last weekend we went to Bandipur, a wildlife reservation, and it was possibly the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. We saw four or five elephants, but from very far away. VERY far away. Pics to come on Facebook soon. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Love,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Julia</span></div>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18323552686083378046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967622042829698185.post-88667369542735758772010-08-24T08:43:00.000-07:002010-08-24T08:43:20.393-07:00The Group at Bandipur<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAq1xEgPjpGqUoWMm2zsJYhOwr-dPRAuNnTIXTxkSP1ofVHZV2XRSnNpp-ynRprLadNo4eIdDU71Bv0EXUo1ThoG5JSsLIh0QY7PqxBJM84lgWWNIBmIqTwyEkEE_qRqj8VMAKtSINSOTq/s1600/Group" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAq1xEgPjpGqUoWMm2zsJYhOwr-dPRAuNnTIXTxkSP1ofVHZV2XRSnNpp-ynRprLadNo4eIdDU71Bv0EXUo1ThoG5JSsLIh0QY7PqxBJM84lgWWNIBmIqTwyEkEE_qRqj8VMAKtSINSOTq/s400/Group" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From L to R: Alex, Sara, Matthew, Me, Justin, Kesia, Ryan, Nira, Jackson, Ohmar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18323552686083378046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967622042829698185.post-24220248770115694312010-08-18T20:03:00.001-07:002010-08-18T20:03:38.113-07:00A Picture From the Terrace<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6qbA6AYL1o7scbf3np1i1D8LiWHQEKg-mkPLhbXnT49KqGLeZBGDK1aF-EHUMR_NBrO_doBjsT-YBneMR3GUqmNe9knjStS15QOKtWPX81g9So44vM2oglE9B5hGs9WgLI9a50KsOLH86/s1600/Photo+on+2010-08-19+at+08.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6qbA6AYL1o7scbf3np1i1D8LiWHQEKg-mkPLhbXnT49KqGLeZBGDK1aF-EHUMR_NBrO_doBjsT-YBneMR3GUqmNe9knjStS15QOKtWPX81g9So44vM2oglE9B5hGs9WgLI9a50KsOLH86/s320/Photo+on+2010-08-19+at+08.32.jpg" /></a></div>Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18323552686083378046noreply@blogger.com0