So I keep telling myself "I'm fixing my sleep schedule TODAY" and then suddenly it's 5 AM and I'm sleeping in too late for it to be worth it to go to class, haha. I still went to campus to meet Marshall and Jessica, though, and finished off a bottle of Riesling while swapping summer stories and seeing their places for next year (for the record, I already saw Jessica's yesterday and it is friggin' gorgeous). Then I went to Urban for a bit and there was a miraculous cardigan sale or something because I snagged two cute ones for $5 apiece (somewhere across the Pacific, my Asian mother did a celebratory dance and didn't know why). Vicki picked me up, and despite my slicing my finger open on her door, we had a great R4L date over happy hour sushi at Kyoto and gelato at Paciugo. Back on campus, Jessica and I talked for a bit (made plans to go dress-shopping tomorrow, yay!) and now I'm home watching old episodes of Grey's while eating a fresh fruit salad made of Central Market pineapple and strawberries, and Kristin's peaches from Waco or wherever, haha. Maybe it sounds mundane, but today has been another wonderful day in a series of many.
It's strange, I keep complaining about how boring it is being "stuck" at home due to Chinese Buddhist funerary customs, but I'm still managing to have a great time. Sometimes, I think I've got my life all figured out, and other times, I have no idea where I'm going or what I'm doing. I think, though, that either way, I'm fine with it. I'm at a place in my life where no matter what I *~think~* my plans are, I'm at peace, and I feel like I've found where I belong. Maybe I don't know where "where I belong" is in so many words, but I know I'm there. Maybe it sounds cheesy, but just this past year alone has been so incredibly transformative for me. A year ago, I was obsessing over how to arrange the furniture at my new house, in my new room; the impending two-year anniversary with the boyfriend; putting off thinking about the MCAT and med school. I hadn't met any new people, gone anywhere new, done anything real with my life.
Now, it's not even a year later but my life is so drastically different. Maybe not in terms of what I'm studying, or where I'm living, or even really the people in it, but the experiences I've had, the things I've learned, the relationships I've built... I'd never been to Europe before, and this year, I was lucky enough to go for both Spring Break and half of the summer, and explore five amazing new countries with amazing friends, both new and old. I've made old relationships stronger, and forged new ones with incredible potential that I can't wait to see how they develop. I'm planning my senior thesis and graduating in a year, then taking a year off afterward in hopes of getting some medical experience before applying for med schools the following year. Good thing I was a rockstar at my interview yesterday, and got a position as a clinical assistant with Seton at the Shoal Creek Hospital! I'm lucky enough to have the privelege of visiting the east cost for the second time in three months, this time to New York to see a great friend I made in the Netherlands, and I turn 21 at midnight the day I get back.
Maybe all that sounds like I'm bragging, but goddammit, my blog, my soapbox, haha. That's not it, though. I think this is more of an affirmation to myself than a declaration to the ether of the blogosphere at large or whatever. For the first time, I'm living my life for my own sake, making my own happiness and not taking "no" for an answer from life. God knows my life's not perfect, far from it: I still freak out about school and don't think my GPA is good enough for med school, I didn't think I'd still be single this long after the break-up, family life is still rough and sometimes unbearable, and my grandfather - the only one I ever knew - just passed away and my entire family is in Taiwan while I'm alone in Texas. But that's life. Life gets hard, and no amount of whining makes it better. But recognizing how much potential life still holds and making the most of it; that's not better, that's incredible.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Cinque cose!
Not five lands, but five things that make my life awesome right now:
1) There's only a month until I head to NY to spend the weekend with an awesome friend, and turn 21!
2) I aced my interview for the clinical assistant position with Seton today and got offered the job less than an hour afterward!
3) Jessica and had an early dinner at Central Market and went wine-crazyshopping.
4) It finally rained today, so hopefully Texas will lay off the heat for a bit.
5) Jessica and Kristin came over for Winetastic Wii Wednesday and as all JAK meet-ups go, hilarity ensued.
1) There's only a month until I head to NY to spend the weekend with an awesome friend, and turn 21!
2) I aced my interview for the clinical assistant position with Seton today and got offered the job less than an hour afterward!
3) Jessica and had an early dinner at Central Market and went wine-
4) It finally rained today, so hopefully Texas will lay off the heat for a bit.
5) Jessica and Kristin came over for Winetastic Wii Wednesday and as all JAK meet-ups go, hilarity ensued.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Take Me The Way I Am
Jesus Christ, my life is so BORING. Today was definitely one of my better days lately, though, because Jessica and I went to Freebird's when I got out of class (and tried to avoid the creepy dude who works there and defs has a crush on her, LOL) and then trucked through a couple of episodes of LOST at my house. So many people are obsessed with that show, but to be honest, I'm not terribly impressed so far. We've only seen four episodes, though, so we'll see. I told myself I was going to finish reading for Psychology of Religion today, but I've realized the reading isn't terribly pertinent to lecture. I don't need it to write my paper (which I'm doing tomorrow, really!) so maybe I'll just read the book after the course is over. I've found I enjoy books a lot more when they're not required for class, anyway.
I'm in a really weird place in my life right now. My life is so different now than it was two months or even one month ago, nevermind a year. I'm not where I thought I'd be, but then again, if you were to ask me what I think now, I don't know that I'd have an answer, either. I think I'm learning to roll with the punches, as it were, and just take things as they come. It sure makes life a lot easier and more enjoyable that way. I was rewatching some old episodes of Grey's Anatomy earlier, though, because I was kind of on a TV-watching kick from LOST and I'd also talked to Jessica about how much I used to love Grey's, even if I'm nowhere close to caught up with it now. I picked out Ingrid Michaelson's "The Way I Am" out of one episode, and good grief if it isn't the sweetest, most sickeningly cute (and now depressing) song ever, haha. I can't get it out of my head, so I keep singing it. But I miss that feeling. I want to feel that way again.
And then to distract myself from that, I took a conglomeration of surveys from people's Facebook notes (although I only took the most interesting questions, instead of "what time did you wake up this morning?" so it wasn't much of a distraction). So since I hate how people are turning Facebook notes into Myspace bulletins, I thought I'd post it here.
001. Does your iPod have a name?
Cadence. I name all inanimate objects, and especially my electronic devices, haha.
002. Have you ever gotten in a drunken fight?
Oh LORD, haha. Not like a fist fight, but defs.
003. What was the last movie you watched by yourself?
Transformers.
004. Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?
Negatory
005. Would it be hard to kiss the last person you kissed?
Mm, hard? No. All the nonsense involved with why the hell that's even happening again? Yes, haha.
006. What websites do you regularly visit?
Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, FML, TFLN, LJ... I'm under house arrest so I'm on the internet all the time, okay??
007. Was your last kiss drunk or sober?
Sober, although at least if I were drunk, it'd would have been excusable, ugh.
008. What perfume do you use?
I alternate between Gucci Envy Me, Escada Pacific Paradise, and Escada Moon Sparkle.
009. What do you currently hear?
Ingrid Michaelson's "The Way I Am." So goddamn cute (and depressing now, ugh).
010. What type of music do you listen to?
I guess if you had to give it a genre, mostly power-pop/punk.
011. Describe your purse/bag.
Right now, I'm using my bigass red Primark bag as both my purse and schoolbag, but I have way too many others to describe them all, haha (I'm way more of a purse girl than a shoe girl).
012. What was the last thing your ordered online?
UT football season tickets!
013. What was the last thing you bought at a store?
A book for Psychology of Religion and a Moleskine planner!
014. What was the last thing you got in the mail?
An ad from Victoria's Secret (must go to the mall immediately, haha), but personally, a joint DC postcard from Meera and Lala.
015. Who was the last person in your bed besides you?
At MECA, I'm assuming the TriDelt who's subleasing my room, otherwise Jessica while I was packing frantically to fly to Annapolis, haha. At home, it doesn't even matter.
016. Who's one of your current celebrity crushes?
Just saw Transformers, so Josh Duhamel, unf. Sorry, Shia LaBeouf, I need a real man, LOL.
017. How many people have you kissed on your friends list?
Well, I'm posting this to my blog (because I hate how people are turning Facebook notes into Myspace bulletins) but I'm going to assume it means Facebook, so... 13? There's an explanation for that number, but I'm not telling, LOL.
018. Look in your inbox in your phone, who are all the people you have texts from?
Man, I am actually bored enough to do this: Meera, Mauro, Kristin, Emmanuel, Jessica, Saunders, Robin, Brian, Vicki, LanAnh, Natasha, Mateo, Jesse, Amalia, Alice, Josh, Johanna, and Liz (but the last few are only because I was out of the country for six weeks, so they've been sitting in there forever).
019. Are any of your texts in your inbox locked and why?
I didn't even know I could lock texts until I saw this questions and went to try. So yes, a few are locked now, some because they're cute, and some because they're hilarious, haha.
020. Do you recognize faces easily? What about voices?
Absolutely, to both. I think figuring out which boy was yelling from their apartment kitchen to ours was Vicki's and my favorite apartment game in Rome, haha.
021. Do you think it would be difficult to teach a kindergarten class?
No, I worked as a camp counselor for kids aged like 3 - 9 for three years.
022. Which would scare you more: horror movies involving creepy children or involving an abandoned hospital that had previously dealt with Tuberculosis patients?
Oh Christ, demon children! I just had this conversation with Jessica today, haha. And I'm a pre-med, I can handle TB.
023. Which book-to-movie transition was the worst, in your opinion?
TWILIGHT, LOL. I mean, the books were pretty fail already (softcore erotica for prepubescent girls, hello) but the movie was such a fail, it was a win. I DIED OF LULZ. So maybe I take that back and it was the best book-to-movie transition, haha.
024. What was the reason you last received flowers?
I got a tulip from Emmanuel at WorldMUN, haha. Flowers, multiple? Probably the ex kissing my ass for something while we were still dating.
025. When was the last time you went to a themed birthday party?
Err, birthday party? Marshal had a safari-theme going away party when he left for Africa, if that counts.
026. What is your favorite smell?
Cologne on boys (if worn well), fresh laundry, any sweet thing baking.
027. What is your favourite Queen song?
Fuck, this is when I admit I barely know any Queen and I get yelled at by everyone I know.
028. What was the last thing someone cooked for you? Who was it?
Err, no clue. I'm usually the one cooking for other people.
029. How many people have you dated since January?
Mrr, depends on your definition of dating.
030. Are you glad that I haven't mentioned anything about Michael Jackson before now?
I'm still hoping this is a hoax to set up for the greatest Thriller comeback tour EVER.
031. Are your eyes the same color as your dad's?
In that ours are both brown, yes, but mine are way darker, like my mom.
032. Have you ever crowdsurfed?:
No, but I've been crowdsurfed ON, which sucks. I can't support your weight, 200 lb douchebags!
033. Big trucks or little cars?
You'd have to get more specific than that, haha. I'll take my Mazda B-series over, say, a Civic, but if by "little car," you mean Maserati or something...
034. Have you ever given someone a hickey?
Okay, srsly, was this survey made for middle-schoolers?
035. Can you play poker?
Not really, which is why the boys try to get me to take over whenever someone has to leave the table for a bit, haha.
036. Have you ever broken someone's heart?
So I've been told.
037. Has anyone ever seen you kiss the last person you kissed?
Yeah, I'm sure people did.
038. Honestly, has anyone seen you in your underwear in the past three months?
Yeah. And even if it weren't for that, I have relatively little shame anyway, especially around close friends and roommates, haha.
039. Where did you last travel to?
I spent the first half of summer on the east coast (Annapolis, DC, NYC), and in England, Italy, and Greece.
040. Would you date someone who lived in another state?
Guh. I might've, but can we not talk about that? KTHX.
041. What are your weaknesses for the opposite sex?
Oh damn, haha. Dark hair and light eyes (the combination, not either/or), a good cologne/smell, friggin' dimples, abs.
042. How many times have you been in trouble with the police?
Err, I've never been pulled over as a driver, but I've been pulled over when someone else was driving like eight times, haha. Oh, and we had a noise complaint at a MECA party once, lame.
043. How old will you be on your next birthday?
21, SLUTS.
044. What tattoos do you have/want?
None yet, but I'm planning like, three, haha. I need to find someone who can help me design my rib piece o.O
045. Have you ever taken a picture of an ugly or fat stranger?
LOLOLOLOL YES. Our obnoxious roommates at the hostel in Florence.
046. Do you prefer pools or hot tubs?
Depends on my mood. I guess hot tubs, because I prefer Barton Springs or the ocean to pools.
047. Have you ever gone to Warped Tour?
Hells yes, last summer! I'm still bummed I missed this year.
048. What does your favorite shirt look like?:
Right now, I think my favorite is a like, sea foam green, J. Crew v-neck.
049. Do you tan a lot?
No, but I tan easily. Srsly, 10 minutes in the sun and I'll be two shades darker.
050. Can people usually tell when you're joking?
No, actually, so they usually miss my sarcasm and either think I'm a terrible person or a bitch.
I'm in a really weird place in my life right now. My life is so different now than it was two months or even one month ago, nevermind a year. I'm not where I thought I'd be, but then again, if you were to ask me what I think now, I don't know that I'd have an answer, either. I think I'm learning to roll with the punches, as it were, and just take things as they come. It sure makes life a lot easier and more enjoyable that way. I was rewatching some old episodes of Grey's Anatomy earlier, though, because I was kind of on a TV-watching kick from LOST and I'd also talked to Jessica about how much I used to love Grey's, even if I'm nowhere close to caught up with it now. I picked out Ingrid Michaelson's "The Way I Am" out of one episode, and good grief if it isn't the sweetest, most sickeningly cute (and now depressing) song ever, haha. I can't get it out of my head, so I keep singing it. But I miss that feeling. I want to feel that way again.
And then to distract myself from that, I took a conglomeration of surveys from people's Facebook notes (although I only took the most interesting questions, instead of "what time did you wake up this morning?" so it wasn't much of a distraction). So since I hate how people are turning Facebook notes into Myspace bulletins, I thought I'd post it here.
001. Does your iPod have a name?
Cadence. I name all inanimate objects, and especially my electronic devices, haha.
002. Have you ever gotten in a drunken fight?
Oh LORD, haha. Not like a fist fight, but defs.
003. What was the last movie you watched by yourself?
Transformers.
004. Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?
Negatory
005. Would it be hard to kiss the last person you kissed?
Mm, hard? No. All the nonsense involved with why the hell that's even happening again? Yes, haha.
006. What websites do you regularly visit?
Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, FML, TFLN, LJ... I'm under house arrest so I'm on the internet all the time, okay??
007. Was your last kiss drunk or sober?
Sober, although at least if I were drunk, it'd would have been excusable, ugh.
008. What perfume do you use?
I alternate between Gucci Envy Me, Escada Pacific Paradise, and Escada Moon Sparkle.
009. What do you currently hear?
Ingrid Michaelson's "The Way I Am." So goddamn cute (and depressing now, ugh).
010. What type of music do you listen to?
I guess if you had to give it a genre, mostly power-pop/punk.
011. Describe your purse/bag.
Right now, I'm using my bigass red Primark bag as both my purse and schoolbag, but I have way too many others to describe them all, haha (I'm way more of a purse girl than a shoe girl).
012. What was the last thing your ordered online?
UT football season tickets!
013. What was the last thing you bought at a store?
A book for Psychology of Religion and a Moleskine planner!
014. What was the last thing you got in the mail?
An ad from Victoria's Secret (must go to the mall immediately, haha), but personally, a joint DC postcard from Meera and Lala.
015. Who was the last person in your bed besides you?
At MECA, I'm assuming the TriDelt who's subleasing my room, otherwise Jessica while I was packing frantically to fly to Annapolis, haha. At home, it doesn't even matter.
016. Who's one of your current celebrity crushes?
Just saw Transformers, so Josh Duhamel, unf. Sorry, Shia LaBeouf, I need a real man, LOL.
017. How many people have you kissed on your friends list?
Well, I'm posting this to my blog (because I hate how people are turning Facebook notes into Myspace bulletins) but I'm going to assume it means Facebook, so... 13? There's an explanation for that number, but I'm not telling, LOL.
018. Look in your inbox in your phone, who are all the people you have texts from?
Man, I am actually bored enough to do this: Meera, Mauro, Kristin, Emmanuel, Jessica, Saunders, Robin, Brian, Vicki, LanAnh, Natasha, Mateo, Jesse, Amalia, Alice, Josh, Johanna, and Liz (but the last few are only because I was out of the country for six weeks, so they've been sitting in there forever).
019. Are any of your texts in your inbox locked and why?
I didn't even know I could lock texts until I saw this questions and went to try. So yes, a few are locked now, some because they're cute, and some because they're hilarious, haha.
020. Do you recognize faces easily? What about voices?
Absolutely, to both. I think figuring out which boy was yelling from their apartment kitchen to ours was Vicki's and my favorite apartment game in Rome, haha.
021. Do you think it would be difficult to teach a kindergarten class?
No, I worked as a camp counselor for kids aged like 3 - 9 for three years.
022. Which would scare you more: horror movies involving creepy children or involving an abandoned hospital that had previously dealt with Tuberculosis patients?
Oh Christ, demon children! I just had this conversation with Jessica today, haha. And I'm a pre-med, I can handle TB.
023. Which book-to-movie transition was the worst, in your opinion?
TWILIGHT, LOL. I mean, the books were pretty fail already (softcore erotica for prepubescent girls, hello) but the movie was such a fail, it was a win. I DIED OF LULZ. So maybe I take that back and it was the best book-to-movie transition, haha.
024. What was the reason you last received flowers?
I got a tulip from Emmanuel at WorldMUN, haha. Flowers, multiple? Probably the ex kissing my ass for something while we were still dating.
025. When was the last time you went to a themed birthday party?
Err, birthday party? Marshal had a safari-theme going away party when he left for Africa, if that counts.
026. What is your favorite smell?
Cologne on boys (if worn well), fresh laundry, any sweet thing baking.
027. What is your favourite Queen song?
Fuck, this is when I admit I barely know any Queen and I get yelled at by everyone I know.
028. What was the last thing someone cooked for you? Who was it?
Err, no clue. I'm usually the one cooking for other people.
029. How many people have you dated since January?
Mrr, depends on your definition of dating.
030. Are you glad that I haven't mentioned anything about Michael Jackson before now?
I'm still hoping this is a hoax to set up for the greatest Thriller comeback tour EVER.
031. Are your eyes the same color as your dad's?
In that ours are both brown, yes, but mine are way darker, like my mom.
032. Have you ever crowdsurfed?:
No, but I've been crowdsurfed ON, which sucks. I can't support your weight, 200 lb douchebags!
033. Big trucks or little cars?
You'd have to get more specific than that, haha. I'll take my Mazda B-series over, say, a Civic, but if by "little car," you mean Maserati or something...
034. Have you ever given someone a hickey?
Okay, srsly, was this survey made for middle-schoolers?
035. Can you play poker?
Not really, which is why the boys try to get me to take over whenever someone has to leave the table for a bit, haha.
036. Have you ever broken someone's heart?
So I've been told.
037. Has anyone ever seen you kiss the last person you kissed?
Yeah, I'm sure people did.
038. Honestly, has anyone seen you in your underwear in the past three months?
Yeah. And even if it weren't for that, I have relatively little shame anyway, especially around close friends and roommates, haha.
039. Where did you last travel to?
I spent the first half of summer on the east coast (Annapolis, DC, NYC), and in England, Italy, and Greece.
040. Would you date someone who lived in another state?
Guh. I might've, but can we not talk about that? KTHX.
041. What are your weaknesses for the opposite sex?
Oh damn, haha. Dark hair and light eyes (the combination, not either/or), a good cologne/smell, friggin' dimples, abs.
042. How many times have you been in trouble with the police?
Err, I've never been pulled over as a driver, but I've been pulled over when someone else was driving like eight times, haha. Oh, and we had a noise complaint at a MECA party once, lame.
043. How old will you be on your next birthday?
21, SLUTS.
044. What tattoos do you have/want?
None yet, but I'm planning like, three, haha. I need to find someone who can help me design my rib piece o.O
045. Have you ever taken a picture of an ugly or fat stranger?
LOLOLOLOL YES. Our obnoxious roommates at the hostel in Florence.
046. Do you prefer pools or hot tubs?
Depends on my mood. I guess hot tubs, because I prefer Barton Springs or the ocean to pools.
047. Have you ever gone to Warped Tour?
Hells yes, last summer! I'm still bummed I missed this year.
048. What does your favorite shirt look like?:
Right now, I think my favorite is a like, sea foam green, J. Crew v-neck.
049. Do you tan a lot?
No, but I tan easily. Srsly, 10 minutes in the sun and I'll be two shades darker.
050. Can people usually tell when you're joking?
No, actually, so they usually miss my sarcasm and either think I'm a terrible person or a bitch.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Life, post-Europe
I swear, I just blink and a week goes by. Summer, what are you doing to me?!
So my dad randomly showed up last Wednesday night when he wasn't supposed to be home until Friday. Turns out my grandfather had been hospitalized and was in the ICU, so my dad came home early and bumped up his flight back to Taiwan from the 15th to that Saturday, the 11th. I drove him to the airport at 5 AM that morning, and let me tell you, driving our Suburban (thing is a BEAST, it handles like a tank!) by myself for the first time and that early was probably not the best idea, haha.
Then on Sunday, a bunch of us went to Schlitterbahn! Jessica, Robin and I all drove in one car, and Natasha, John and Kristin took another. We didn't get there until like 3 PM what with people at church and getting off of work and coordinating rides, but we still had an amazing time. I hadn't been there since I was probably like 14 or so, but I still think it's the hottest coolest time in Texas!
I started class on Monday, and I'm actually really enjoying it so far (barring the daily parking nightmare of UT campus, ugh). I'm taking Psychology of Religion with Dr. Domjan, and goodness, I love that woman. She announced to the class today how cool she thought it was that I attended High Mass at the Vatican and saw the Pope, haha, she's so adorable.
Tuesday night, however, I got the incredibly sad news that my paternal grandfather had passed away. I really regret not having had the opportunity to visit Taiwan (since I graduated high school in 2006) and now I won't ever see my grandfather again, but at least my dad made it back in time to see him before he passed, and I know he's not suffering anymore. But even though I knew it was inevitable, I just cried when I got the call from my parents. Now, I think I'm just still a little lost and trying to piece things together, I'm not sure if it's really hit me yet. I was never able to be super close to my grandparents like most of my friends because mine were across the world, but I did used to visit every other year, and always for like the entire summer. It's kind of weird to be home in the US by myself and so disconnected from my family in a time like this. I'm okay, for the most part, though, and it helps that I have incredible friends (who insist on coming to see me, even though I CAN take care of myself!). So RIP, 爺 爺, you were an incredible man whom I will always honor and remember, and I'm proud to carry your family name ♥
So I'm under house arrest, more or less, until he's buried. We're going through all the Chinese funerary customs, so like I'm not allowed to visit friends or go to parties, I'm supposed to wear drab colors and absolutely NOT red, I'm wearing a blue ribbon around my wrist, etc. And Chinese burials traditionally take 49 days because they hold a special ceremony once every seven days for seven cycles, but since my brother has to come back for school, they're shortening it to once every three days so my family is coming back August 11th. I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with myself until then, but I really need to start friggin' unpacking and cleaning already. The house is a total disaster because I'm the only one in it so 1) my shit has spread all over the house and 2) there's no one around to yell at me about it. I'm SO in denial about NOT being in Europe in anymore and having to deal with *~the real world~*, ugh. August 21st, could you please get here sooner?!
So my dad randomly showed up last Wednesday night when he wasn't supposed to be home until Friday. Turns out my grandfather had been hospitalized and was in the ICU, so my dad came home early and bumped up his flight back to Taiwan from the 15th to that Saturday, the 11th. I drove him to the airport at 5 AM that morning, and let me tell you, driving our Suburban (thing is a BEAST, it handles like a tank!) by myself for the first time and that early was probably not the best idea, haha.
Then on Sunday, a bunch of us went to Schlitterbahn! Jessica, Robin and I all drove in one car, and Natasha, John and Kristin took another. We didn't get there until like 3 PM what with people at church and getting off of work and coordinating rides, but we still had an amazing time. I hadn't been there since I was probably like 14 or so, but I still think it's the hottest coolest time in Texas!
I started class on Monday, and I'm actually really enjoying it so far (barring the daily parking nightmare of UT campus, ugh). I'm taking Psychology of Religion with Dr. Domjan, and goodness, I love that woman. She announced to the class today how cool she thought it was that I attended High Mass at the Vatican and saw the Pope, haha, she's so adorable.
Tuesday night, however, I got the incredibly sad news that my paternal grandfather had passed away. I really regret not having had the opportunity to visit Taiwan (since I graduated high school in 2006) and now I won't ever see my grandfather again, but at least my dad made it back in time to see him before he passed, and I know he's not suffering anymore. But even though I knew it was inevitable, I just cried when I got the call from my parents. Now, I think I'm just still a little lost and trying to piece things together, I'm not sure if it's really hit me yet. I was never able to be super close to my grandparents like most of my friends because mine were across the world, but I did used to visit every other year, and always for like the entire summer. It's kind of weird to be home in the US by myself and so disconnected from my family in a time like this. I'm okay, for the most part, though, and it helps that I have incredible friends (who insist on coming to see me, even though I CAN take care of myself!). So RIP, 爺 爺, you were an incredible man whom I will always honor and remember, and I'm proud to carry your family name ♥
So I'm under house arrest, more or less, until he's buried. We're going through all the Chinese funerary customs, so like I'm not allowed to visit friends or go to parties, I'm supposed to wear drab colors and absolutely NOT red, I'm wearing a blue ribbon around my wrist, etc. And Chinese burials traditionally take 49 days because they hold a special ceremony once every seven days for seven cycles, but since my brother has to come back for school, they're shortening it to once every three days so my family is coming back August 11th. I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with myself until then, but I really need to start friggin' unpacking and cleaning already. The house is a total disaster because I'm the only one in it so 1) my shit has spread all over the house and 2) there's no one around to yell at me about it. I'm SO in denial about NOT being in Europe in anymore and having to deal with *~the real world~*, ugh. August 21st, could you please get here sooner?!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Aντίο, Greece and back home to the States!
I think I've been putting off updating this because then I have to come to terms with the fact that it's no longer technically a travelblog, I'm not in Europe anymore, and I'm back in the States, aka the real world. Sighhh, reality is cruel, haha. I've basically spent the last week being as lazy as possible and avoiding correcting my jet-lag at all costs (although not intentionally, haha).
So last Tuesday, my last day in Greece and abroad for the summer, was incredible. We spent most of the morning and early afternoon at the new Acropolis Museum. We kept giving Stephen flak, like, "So how do you feel about this space, as an architect?" but he actually loved it, and for all that I know nothing about architecture, I loved it, too. Stephen kept pointing out little architectural quirks like setting columns into the ceiling to extend the vertical space, or using glass overhangs to make the seating area more intimate, or how the windows were angled to let sunlight in, but not direct light. Basically, things I would never have gotten on my own, but it was fun listening to Stephen geek out about it, haha.
The museum was truly incredible, though. We got really lucky, it had only been open for like a week when we visited. It was open, filled without being cluttered, and lit mostly with natural light. It was built right over an excavation site so throughout most of the museum, you could see through clear glass panes in the floor to see the site underneath. The terrace had a gorgeous view, and we had lunch at the cafe on it, with the Acropolis and Mt. Lycabettus in sight. Then on the third floor, the exhibit was set in the exact dimensions of the Parthenon with all of the friezes and relics set where they would have been on the building itself
After the museum, we went to the beach. We spent a while in our hostel trying to decide between Glyfada and Voula, but we got off the tram at Edem "just to check it out" and wound up staying because it was free and seemed decent. I'm sure there are prettier Greek beaches, whateverrr, but it was still incredible. We spent all late afternoon and early evening lying out under the blazing Mediterranean sun, taking breaks to swim (okay, more like "frolic," haha) in the gorgeous water - alright, and tell all the annoying hawkers to go away, we didn't want to buy any of their crap, haha - but it was a perfect end to a perfect Eurotrip.
I wound up staying up until like 2 AM despite needing to be up at 4:30, probably for the same reason I put off blogging since I've been back, haha. I couldn't bear to finish packing and go to sleep because then I would have to leave when I woke up. I did finally go to sleep, though, and Kristin and I got up at the asscrack of dawn, I finished some last-minute postcards, and we took a cab to Syntagma where we caught the bus to the airport. I fell asleep on the benches at our gate waiting to board, but then I was wide awake for the flight itself so I read We Need To Talk About Kevin (check it out, it's totally fucked up but still a really good book, haha).
Once we got to Heathrow, Kristin and I had to split up because I was continuing on British Airways and she had to switch terminals to fly American. So for all that LHR is supposed to be a terrible airport, I really like it, or at least Terminal 5. I bought a bottle of water and some candy for my flight, and then went to go sit at the Starbucks bar overlooking the runways (air field? landing strips? whatever) to journal (had a cappuccino and blueberry muffin; the muffin was fab and the cappuccino was horribly disappointing compared to Glass Bar and Tazza d'Oro). So journaling is something I can only do well and consistently when I'm traveling, apparently. I spent my three hour layover scribbling contemplatively (and quite happily, may I add).
Once aboard my flight, I took a nap, finished reading We Need To Talk About Kevin, and had my in-flight meal within the first couple hours, so I spent the rest of the time watching movies until my eyes fell out, haha. I finally watched He's Just Not That Into You (brilliant, hilarious and eye-opening, although annoying because its ending went against its own moral), 17 Again (completely idiotic, but was halfway redeemed by having Zac in it), the Hannah Montana movie (actually vaguely endearing, and Lucas Till makes one fine cowboy), and part of Gladiator (because I just missed the fuck out of the P2Roma crew, haha).
Most of the second half of the flight was miserable, though; there was a baby two seats away from me screaming his head off. Not crying, just absolutely screaming bloody murder. I felt bad for the poor kid, but I felt worse for my poor ears, haha. By the time the flight landed in Housotn, I was just dying to get out; I all but ran off the plane and out to baggage claim, haha. My US phone had died and my charger was in Austin, but while waiting for my luggage, I talked to a woman who had spent the last six months jetting all around Europe for the hell of it, so we traded Eurotrip stories. And luckily, my godmother was right there when I walked outside, so it wasn't a problem that my phone had died. Not having it for two days while I was in Houston sucked, though, haha. I got to catch up with Vicki over Jamba Juice, though, which was great.
So I got back to Austin Friday around noon, and immediately went to Barton Springs with the girls. I'd forgotten how much I'd missed Texas, haha. Lying out under the blazing hot Texas sun, catching up with BFFs from high school, jumping into the icy natural springs, driving my truck down the Texas highways in a drying bikini with the windows down and music blasting... Then Saturday was the 4th, so I had dinner with Robino's family who graciously adopted me for the holiday because I'm temporarily family-less (and while I failed to receive a certain call, I'm pretty sure I got a much better one, haha). Then we went to Auditorium Shores to see the fireworks, and while it was ridiculously hot, we were right up against the water and the show was gorgeous. Then Sunday, the girls did homemade brunch at my house (sweet potato pancakes, cheesy scrambled eggs, bacon, and biscuits) and then a bunch of us all went tubing on the Guadalupe with a cooler full of beer, and since we did run one with time to spare, we went around a second time.
So I've really had a series of "God, my life is awesome!" weeks, haha. Well, not lately, considering I've just been lazy as hell, and some other stuff. My dad showed up at home last night when he was supposed to come home tomorrow. Turns out my grandfather is in the ICU, so my dad bumped up his flight and is going back to Taiwan this Saturday instead of next Wednesday. While I said I could rearranged my schedule to get out of summer classes, my dad insists I need to take the class now to graduate, and that it's too late for me to get a flight, anyway. It's just really hard, because my dad thinks that by the time I do get a chance to head back, it will be too late for my grandfather. I haven't gotten a chance to talk to my dad about anything else, either, with all of this going on. Hopefully I'll still be able to go back over winter break, or better yet, spring break for WorldMUN in Taipei.
Anyway, I really am on my own now for the rest of July, starting this weekend. It should be a little less monotonous once I start classes next week, and hopefully Seton gets back to me soon about a job. I can't wait for everyone to come back to Austin, I'm ready for a P2Roma reunion already, I miss that crew and all of our shens so badly!
So last Tuesday, my last day in Greece and abroad for the summer, was incredible. We spent most of the morning and early afternoon at the new Acropolis Museum. We kept giving Stephen flak, like, "So how do you feel about this space, as an architect?" but he actually loved it, and for all that I know nothing about architecture, I loved it, too. Stephen kept pointing out little architectural quirks like setting columns into the ceiling to extend the vertical space, or using glass overhangs to make the seating area more intimate, or how the windows were angled to let sunlight in, but not direct light. Basically, things I would never have gotten on my own, but it was fun listening to Stephen geek out about it, haha.
The museum was truly incredible, though. We got really lucky, it had only been open for like a week when we visited. It was open, filled without being cluttered, and lit mostly with natural light. It was built right over an excavation site so throughout most of the museum, you could see through clear glass panes in the floor to see the site underneath. The terrace had a gorgeous view, and we had lunch at the cafe on it, with the Acropolis and Mt. Lycabettus in sight. Then on the third floor, the exhibit was set in the exact dimensions of the Parthenon with all of the friezes and relics set where they would have been on the building itself
After the museum, we went to the beach. We spent a while in our hostel trying to decide between Glyfada and Voula, but we got off the tram at Edem "just to check it out" and wound up staying because it was free and seemed decent. I'm sure there are prettier Greek beaches, whateverrr, but it was still incredible. We spent all late afternoon and early evening lying out under the blazing Mediterranean sun, taking breaks to swim (okay, more like "frolic," haha) in the gorgeous water - alright, and tell all the annoying hawkers to go away, we didn't want to buy any of their crap, haha - but it was a perfect end to a perfect Eurotrip.
I wound up staying up until like 2 AM despite needing to be up at 4:30, probably for the same reason I put off blogging since I've been back, haha. I couldn't bear to finish packing and go to sleep because then I would have to leave when I woke up. I did finally go to sleep, though, and Kristin and I got up at the asscrack of dawn, I finished some last-minute postcards, and we took a cab to Syntagma where we caught the bus to the airport. I fell asleep on the benches at our gate waiting to board, but then I was wide awake for the flight itself so I read We Need To Talk About Kevin (check it out, it's totally fucked up but still a really good book, haha).
Once we got to Heathrow, Kristin and I had to split up because I was continuing on British Airways and she had to switch terminals to fly American. So for all that LHR is supposed to be a terrible airport, I really like it, or at least Terminal 5. I bought a bottle of water and some candy for my flight, and then went to go sit at the Starbucks bar overlooking the runways (air field? landing strips? whatever) to journal (had a cappuccino and blueberry muffin; the muffin was fab and the cappuccino was horribly disappointing compared to Glass Bar and Tazza d'Oro). So journaling is something I can only do well and consistently when I'm traveling, apparently. I spent my three hour layover scribbling contemplatively (and quite happily, may I add).
Once aboard my flight, I took a nap, finished reading We Need To Talk About Kevin, and had my in-flight meal within the first couple hours, so I spent the rest of the time watching movies until my eyes fell out, haha. I finally watched He's Just Not That Into You (brilliant, hilarious and eye-opening, although annoying because its ending went against its own moral), 17 Again (completely idiotic, but was halfway redeemed by having Zac in it), the Hannah Montana movie (actually vaguely endearing, and Lucas Till makes one fine cowboy), and part of Gladiator (because I just missed the fuck out of the P2Roma crew, haha).
Most of the second half of the flight was miserable, though; there was a baby two seats away from me screaming his head off. Not crying, just absolutely screaming bloody murder. I felt bad for the poor kid, but I felt worse for my poor ears, haha. By the time the flight landed in Housotn, I was just dying to get out; I all but ran off the plane and out to baggage claim, haha. My US phone had died and my charger was in Austin, but while waiting for my luggage, I talked to a woman who had spent the last six months jetting all around Europe for the hell of it, so we traded Eurotrip stories. And luckily, my godmother was right there when I walked outside, so it wasn't a problem that my phone had died. Not having it for two days while I was in Houston sucked, though, haha. I got to catch up with Vicki over Jamba Juice, though, which was great.
So I got back to Austin Friday around noon, and immediately went to Barton Springs with the girls. I'd forgotten how much I'd missed Texas, haha. Lying out under the blazing hot Texas sun, catching up with BFFs from high school, jumping into the icy natural springs, driving my truck down the Texas highways in a drying bikini with the windows down and music blasting... Then Saturday was the 4th, so I had dinner with Robino's family who graciously adopted me for the holiday because I'm temporarily family-less (and while I failed to receive a certain call, I'm pretty sure I got a much better one, haha). Then we went to Auditorium Shores to see the fireworks, and while it was ridiculously hot, we were right up against the water and the show was gorgeous. Then Sunday, the girls did homemade brunch at my house (sweet potato pancakes, cheesy scrambled eggs, bacon, and biscuits) and then a bunch of us all went tubing on the Guadalupe with a cooler full of beer, and since we did run one with time to spare, we went around a second time.
So I've really had a series of "God, my life is awesome!" weeks, haha. Well, not lately, considering I've just been lazy as hell, and some other stuff. My dad showed up at home last night when he was supposed to come home tomorrow. Turns out my grandfather is in the ICU, so my dad bumped up his flight and is going back to Taiwan this Saturday instead of next Wednesday. While I said I could rearranged my schedule to get out of summer classes, my dad insists I need to take the class now to graduate, and that it's too late for me to get a flight, anyway. It's just really hard, because my dad thinks that by the time I do get a chance to head back, it will be too late for my grandfather. I haven't gotten a chance to talk to my dad about anything else, either, with all of this going on. Hopefully I'll still be able to go back over winter break, or better yet, spring break for WorldMUN in Taipei.
Anyway, I really am on my own now for the rest of July, starting this weekend. It should be a little less monotonous once I start classes next week, and hopefully Seton gets back to me soon about a job. I can't wait for everyone to come back to Austin, I'm ready for a P2Roma reunion already, I miss that crew and all of our shens so badly!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sounion, Monastiraki, Mt. Lycabettus
Sometimes, I really think the best days are the ones that leave you gloriously exhausted but content at the end of them... like today! We got up super early (as in I hit the shower at 6:50 AM, guh) so we could catch the 8:30 AM bus to Sounion. The trip took two hours, but it was the coastal route and utterly gorgeous. We were at the Temple of Poseidon by 10:45, and spent some time wandering around the site. Then we (well, mostly Kristin and I, poor Stephen!) decided to go exploring, and we wound up trekking aaaaall the way down the cliff to play in the Aegean Sea! Stephen decided to stay higher up (afraid of heights, boo), but Kristin and I had a fantastic time wading in little tide pools and making friends with snails and tiny shrimp. They'd come up to nibble on our toes in the water, which would make us shriek but giggle and do it anyway; Stephen probably thought we were being attacked, LOL. We caught the 1 PM bus back to Athens, and I completely PTFO, but when we got back, we got lunch across from the National Museum of Archaeology and then headed to Monastiraki to do some souvenir shopping. We finally got back to our hostel around 6, but only relaxed for an hour or so before heading to Mt. Lycabettus to watch the sun set! The funicular ride was pretty lame because it was in a tunnel the entire way, but the view? Worth it! I brought some of the fresh cherries I'd bought in Monastiraki (only 1.99 euro/kilo!), and journaled while eating cherries at the top of Mt. Lycabettus. Amazing. We left around 9, so it was past 10 by the time we picked up dinner (most amazing gyros ever! Our goal is to have them everyday while we're here, haha) and brought it back to the hostel. Anyway, the plan for tomorrow is to sleep in a bit (by which I mean 8:30 instead of 7, oy), go to the new Acropolis museum, and then go to the BEACH! I am so ready to be lying out on the Grecian coast, haha. I can't believe tomorrow is my last full day in Europe, but here's to making the most of it!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Arrivederci, Roma, but Γειά, Athens!
I'm in GREECE now!
Well, Thursday was our last day of classes, and we went to the Jewish Catacombs and the Christian Catacombs at S. Callisto. The Jewish Catacombs were both way cooler and way scarier, we had to use our own flashlights because it was super dark and I couldn't get The Descent out of my mind the entire time, haha. It didn't help that the Stooges kept telling me tidbits from the Saw movies, either, or that at one point, Vicki shrieked and stared at something right over my head, which turned out to be a fuckin' huge cave cricket, GAH. S. Callisto was like being herded like cattle, it was pretty lame. Then that evening was our review with KG, and a bunch of us outlined our final essays early so we could go out. Most other people hadn't finished their outlines yet, so it looked like only a small group of us girls were going out for drinks at the Abbey (me, Meagan, Ashley and Kristin) but then we convinced Adam and Royce to come, and Shyam said he and Ishanee would meet us later.
So why is it that we find all these great clubs and bars during our last week? The Abbey had Strongbow on tap, decent Long Islands, AND free ladies' shots with every drink we got; we were pretty stoked, haha. Meagan and I decided there was no way we couldn't go dancing for our last night in Roma, so we all headed out. Adam had been wanting to head back, and then Royce, Shyam and Kristin decided to go back, too, but the rest of us all still wanted to go to Anima. Sure, it was just four of us girls, but we figured hey, we can handle it, right? FALSE. Don't get me wrong, it was a lot of fun, and some of the guys there were actually pretty cute, but there were SO many guys and they were all SO grabby, ughh. I sent our boys, "I am going to KILL you for bailing on us!" texts (haha, they all felt rull bad the next day). But srsly, I thought we were going to have to hold Meagan back from pulverizing some of them, and it was defs time to go after I got forcibly pinned up against a wall, ew. Still, epic, crazy whirlwind of a last night in Roma!
Friday were our midterms, which didn't go too terribly. Ashley, Harvey, David and I visited Glass for our favorite cappuccinos one last time. When I told Francesco, our usual barista, that it was my last day in Roma, he pretended to faint behind the bar, aw. After getting back to Via Rasella, Kristin and I decided to do some speed-shopping. Well, more like I wanted to and she was nice enough to accompany me, haha. I got some gifts for people back home, as well as a sweet Italia track jacket for myself, woo! Then I had to race home and get ready for the farewell dinner, which was SO amazing! Six courses of sheer mouthgasm and good conversation with some of my newest favorite people in the world over two and a half hours, it was incredible. The goodbyes with the professors were hard, I'm going to miss the hell out of them (and Albert couldn't even make it; I was so sad!) but we're already making reunion plans for whenever they visit Texas, haha. Then we had to HAUL back to Via Rasella because it was already like 10:15 and we'd wanted to be at Barberini by 10:45 but I hadn't finished packing yet. I got back to Via Rasella and packed like a madwoman, basically, running around frantically and throwing things into suitcases. Ashley, Royce and Adam came to see if they could help me, and then got all our stuff down to the street where everyone came to see us off, and THEN some of the group even accompanied us to Barberini and helped us get all our luggage there! Hugs GALORE and promises of P2Roma reunions were made as Stephen, Kristin, and I raced to catch a metro to Termini. Srsly, I love this entire group so hard, I miss you all already!
We made it to Termini with plenty of time to spare despite getting out of Via Rasella later than we wanted to. Our train was delayed a bit and the ride was SO long (six hours overnight, longer than the Pisa adventure!) but we still arrived in Bari on time, caught a shuttle to the airport there, and made our flight just fine. Getting from the Athens airport to our hostel was kind of ridiculous: we had to take like a 45 minute bus ride to Syntagma Square, a metro to Omonia Square, and then walk to the hostel itself which was exhausting dragging all our luggage, but we made it! And our hostel is super nice, all things considered. It's the Aristoteles Hotel, and we get free wifi in our rooms, complimentary breakfast, private bathroom, they clean our rooms every day... for fairly cheap, too.
So basically all we did yesterday was -- well, first, have the most amazing gyros EVER, haha -- but then we went to the National Museum of Archaeology. It was HUGE and Stephen and I were pretty over the Classical/Hellenistic stuff (given our past month in Rome), but the Egyptian exhibits were really cool. Today, we wandered the Monastiraki flea markets, climbed the Acropolis, and saw Hadrian's Arch, the Temple of Zeus, and the Olympic Stadium! It was tiringgg, and I already have ridiculous tan lines, haha. OH, and I got the shit owned outta me by the Greek mosquitoes last night so it kind of hurt to walk today because my entire left shin is covered in mosquito bite bruises, ugh. Other than the heat and the bugs, it's all been amazing so far. Oh, and we got more of those amazing gyros, and watched lots of HIMYM together in our hostel.
Now I should really be getting to bed because we're getting up hella early tomorrow to take a super long bus ride (two hours) down to Cape Sounion to see the Temple of Poseidon! I actually don't know any Greek (besides "thank you," although I still catch myself saying "grazie" and "ciao" all the time, haha) so I'm not sure how to sign off on these Greek blogs, but good night!
Well, Thursday was our last day of classes, and we went to the Jewish Catacombs and the Christian Catacombs at S. Callisto. The Jewish Catacombs were both way cooler and way scarier, we had to use our own flashlights because it was super dark and I couldn't get The Descent out of my mind the entire time, haha. It didn't help that the Stooges kept telling me tidbits from the Saw movies, either, or that at one point, Vicki shrieked and stared at something right over my head, which turned out to be a fuckin' huge cave cricket, GAH. S. Callisto was like being herded like cattle, it was pretty lame. Then that evening was our review with KG, and a bunch of us outlined our final essays early so we could go out. Most other people hadn't finished their outlines yet, so it looked like only a small group of us girls were going out for drinks at the Abbey (me, Meagan, Ashley and Kristin) but then we convinced Adam and Royce to come, and Shyam said he and Ishanee would meet us later.
So why is it that we find all these great clubs and bars during our last week? The Abbey had Strongbow on tap, decent Long Islands, AND free ladies' shots with every drink we got; we were pretty stoked, haha. Meagan and I decided there was no way we couldn't go dancing for our last night in Roma, so we all headed out. Adam had been wanting to head back, and then Royce, Shyam and Kristin decided to go back, too, but the rest of us all still wanted to go to Anima. Sure, it was just four of us girls, but we figured hey, we can handle it, right? FALSE. Don't get me wrong, it was a lot of fun, and some of the guys there were actually pretty cute, but there were SO many guys and they were all SO grabby, ughh. I sent our boys, "I am going to KILL you for bailing on us!" texts (haha, they all felt rull bad the next day). But srsly, I thought we were going to have to hold Meagan back from pulverizing some of them, and it was defs time to go after I got forcibly pinned up against a wall, ew. Still, epic, crazy whirlwind of a last night in Roma!
Friday were our midterms, which didn't go too terribly. Ashley, Harvey, David and I visited Glass for our favorite cappuccinos one last time. When I told Francesco, our usual barista, that it was my last day in Roma, he pretended to faint behind the bar, aw. After getting back to Via Rasella, Kristin and I decided to do some speed-shopping. Well, more like I wanted to and she was nice enough to accompany me, haha. I got some gifts for people back home, as well as a sweet Italia track jacket for myself, woo! Then I had to race home and get ready for the farewell dinner, which was SO amazing! Six courses of sheer mouthgasm and good conversation with some of my newest favorite people in the world over two and a half hours, it was incredible. The goodbyes with the professors were hard, I'm going to miss the hell out of them (and Albert couldn't even make it; I was so sad!) but we're already making reunion plans for whenever they visit Texas, haha. Then we had to HAUL back to Via Rasella because it was already like 10:15 and we'd wanted to be at Barberini by 10:45 but I hadn't finished packing yet. I got back to Via Rasella and packed like a madwoman, basically, running around frantically and throwing things into suitcases. Ashley, Royce and Adam came to see if they could help me, and then got all our stuff down to the street where everyone came to see us off, and THEN some of the group even accompanied us to Barberini and helped us get all our luggage there! Hugs GALORE and promises of P2Roma reunions were made as Stephen, Kristin, and I raced to catch a metro to Termini. Srsly, I love this entire group so hard, I miss you all already!
We made it to Termini with plenty of time to spare despite getting out of Via Rasella later than we wanted to. Our train was delayed a bit and the ride was SO long (six hours overnight, longer than the Pisa adventure!) but we still arrived in Bari on time, caught a shuttle to the airport there, and made our flight just fine. Getting from the Athens airport to our hostel was kind of ridiculous: we had to take like a 45 minute bus ride to Syntagma Square, a metro to Omonia Square, and then walk to the hostel itself which was exhausting dragging all our luggage, but we made it! And our hostel is super nice, all things considered. It's the Aristoteles Hotel, and we get free wifi in our rooms, complimentary breakfast, private bathroom, they clean our rooms every day... for fairly cheap, too.
So basically all we did yesterday was -- well, first, have the most amazing gyros EVER, haha -- but then we went to the National Museum of Archaeology. It was HUGE and Stephen and I were pretty over the Classical/Hellenistic stuff (given our past month in Rome), but the Egyptian exhibits were really cool. Today, we wandered the Monastiraki flea markets, climbed the Acropolis, and saw Hadrian's Arch, the Temple of Zeus, and the Olympic Stadium! It was tiringgg, and I already have ridiculous tan lines, haha. OH, and I got the shit owned outta me by the Greek mosquitoes last night so it kind of hurt to walk today because my entire left shin is covered in mosquito bite bruises, ugh. Other than the heat and the bugs, it's all been amazing so far. Oh, and we got more of those amazing gyros, and watched lots of HIMYM together in our hostel.
Now I should really be getting to bed because we're getting up hella early tomorrow to take a super long bus ride (two hours) down to Cape Sounion to see the Temple of Poseidon! I actually don't know any Greek (besides "thank you," although I still catch myself saying "grazie" and "ciao" all the time, haha) so I'm not sure how to sign off on these Greek blogs, but good night!
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