The Big Question

So I just read this great post about The Cocktail Question, and decided I needed to do a little defining, or should I say un-defining of my life right now.

I'm not going to lie, Boeing has already become a big part of my life. It's starting to be routine now, which I'm happy for. I've got the business cards, the decorated cubicle, and the answer to the cocktail question. It's my job, but it's not what I do.

But what do I do?

Well, I sing in the car for starters. Off key, loud, and often. And sometimes I throw in a few dance moves for posterity.

I drink coffee. Every day. In extremely large quantities. Sometimes on coffee dates, which I also love.

I learn. I am curious about pretty much everything and I'm over the whole "stupid" questions things, because I've honestly probably asked them all already. So I'm learning, every day, in big ways and small, about myself, my friends, the world and my family.

I like to go out on the town with my girls and drink white wine, and be classy. I feel more at home and in a dress and heels than in jeans. I have a large shoe collection.

I do absolutely crazy things with my family. I think it's genetic. Or it started when I was so young, it was just engrained in my personality. We road rally, we ride buses to Canada, heck, we invented the Polish press (ask if you want to know), and we had nativity scenes on our front lawn.

I laugh. Mostly at the ridiculous things I've done. I'm not funny, but a lot of funny things happen to me, and I'm a good story teller, so you do the math.

I run every day and it's the one time of the day that I need to have completely to myself. I love watching hockey. In fact, I have a signed picture of Jason Pominville in my cube at work. If you don't know who that is, shame on you.

I'm a believer, in the fairy tale, in love, in big dreams, and in the potential of everyone to turn a life around. I like to talk, and I've realized that I can be pretty opinionated sometimes. I find beauty in the small things.

But more than all of that, I'd like to think that I've made an impact on people. Changed them, in small ways or big ways. And that their world has been a little better because of me.

Better because of me...so much more than my cocktail answer will ever be.

When in Rome...

"What is the fatal charm of Italy? What do we find there that can be found nowhere else? I believe it is a certain permission to be human, which other places, other countries, lost long ago." --Erica Jong

Wow. So let me start off this post by saying Rome was everything I imagined it to be. There is SO much to do there. Secondly, let me tell you that the overnight trains in Italy are more uncomfortable than buses. Seriously, if you're thinking about taking one, it's probably a bad plan, unless, of course, you like highly uncomfortable small seats, unbearably hot small spaces, and sketchy tatoo-covered men. Thank god Rome was cool enough to make up for all of that.

We saw all the major sites, even though many of them were unfortunately under a lot of construction. First, the Pantheon, which, to be perfectly honest, was not as impressive as I had imagined it would be. It's beautiful, don't get me wrong, but it didn't move me. Now the Colesium is something I could get into. It was gigantic and gorgeous, and I even was charmed by the ridiculously annoying gladiator men that stood in front to take touristy pictures with people for money.

On a little side note: what is with all the Egyptian stuff in Italy? Is any Egyptian stuff left in Egypt? There are 13 obelisks in Rome, all of which I think were stolen from Egypt, and the Egyptian museum in Torino has about a thousand tombs and mummies and stuff, so really. And also, why do silly Italians dress up as a King Tut mummy for money? Are they confused as to what country they are in? Or to they just like to cover themselves in gold shiny spandex in the 80 degree weather and not move for hours for their own amusement? If anyone could get back to me on these pressing questions, that'd be great.

Anyway, back to Rome Rome and not Egypt Rome, we went to the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill, and it was gorgeous. The weather was perfect, it was so big that it didn't seem like there were hundreds of tourists there, and we were free to just wander around and think about all the history we were walking on. That thousands and thousands of years ago, people were celebrating the first New Year under these columns right here, and here, oh here, Julius Cesear was here. I mean, how cool is that?

In addition to all this fabulousness, I got to see Barbie, my BFFFF (or at least that many F's), and we spent the day together at the Vatican. That's another addition to the lifetime "must-see" list, if you haven't already. The Basilica is incredibly gorgeous and not at all what I expected to look like. We also were galavanting around St. Peter's square and saw the papal tombs, including John Paul II's. Then, we went to the Vatican Musuem, which is where they keep the Sistine Chapel, the Rapahel Rooms, tapestries, maps, and statues. It's a lot to take in, and you could spend way more than a day there. FYI: the Basilica/tombs & the Vatican museum are in completely different places and not connected all. If you're confused, don't worry, because I was too.

Anyway, the Sistine Chapel was incredible. Like, awe-inspiring, soaking in the gorgeous, dumbfounding incredible. The first time we went in, it was super crowded with tourists, but nearer to closing time, we got lost in the labryinth of the museum and ended up back there, with next to no one there. I was perfectly content to just sit and drink it all in. I was so giddy that I said silly things like, "I wish this was my bedroom...because then I could open my eyes to this." and "Do you ever think that this, like, isn't wallpaper?" But seriously, it's a little bit hard for me to fathom that someone actually created all that in his mind, and then painted it in a gigantic room so we could all look at it hundreds of years later. And the Rapahel Rooms. Well, those were great too. Everything was just, larger than life. For me, it was so weird to see all those pictures you always see in history books in real life. Newsflash: they actually do exist!

I know this post is getting to be a long Rome gush, but honestly, there were just too many "favorite" things there. & don't even get me started about the food...basically you can eat anything that ends in a vowel and is delicious there. But one last place I loved, is the Trevi Fountain. It's this great big fountain that's all white and super duper cool. Rumor has it if you throw a coin in the fountain you'll come back to Rome one day, so obviously, I had to throw one in.

Because, one day, I'm coming back.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours

“At the end of the day faith is a funny thing. It turns up when you don't really expect it. It's like one day you realize that the fairy tale may be slightly different than you dreamed. The castle, well, it may not be a castle. And it's not so important happy ever after, just that its happy right now. See once in a while, once in a blue moon, people will surprise you , and once in a while people may even take your breath away.”

This a blog full of annoucements!


So, for those of you who don't already know, I'm officially a working girl as of July 8th! I'll be moving to Seattle to start working for Boeing! I'm going to be working in the F-22 production facility doing procurement. I'm not sure what exactly I had always imagined for my first job, but I couldn't be happier with my choice. I love Seattle & I'm excited to go back to a great company. I've been really nervous about my decision, and I was talking to someone the other day, and about how I hoped my first real job would be a good experience. And do you know what they said?

They said it doesn't matter!

At first, I was surprised, but then they explained that if it's great, then that's great, but if it's bad, then it's a good experience and I'll know what I don't like doing. There will always be bad jobs - if they happen early in your life, all the better. And that really hit me. If there's one thing I've learned in Orchard Park, and Moscow, and Coeur d'Alene, and Seattle, and now Chambery, it's that I can be happy anywhere I put my mind to it. So this job is just the next step in life. And if it's great, that's great, and if it's not, that's great too, because it will be a learning experience and I'll still be happy.


Also, for those of you who don't know, I have a boyfriend. He's French & he makes me happy & I'm a lucky girl to have him with me on some of my adventures throughout Europe. This past weekend, we went to a concert to see Coeur de Pirate, a great French group in Dijon. They remind me a lot of Vanessa Carlton, so it should've been a pretty calm concert. But then, I fainted. Yep, that's right, I fainted. It was the heat, and all the people in the close space. But, I recovered quickly, thanks to some really nice people who helped me out & got to see the rest of the concert, in a place where there was more air!

We also got to see this 24 hour bike race in his hometown. It's like a carnival for bikes! There are teams of 8 that must fill 2 places on bikes for 24 hours. Except that it's more of a giant party, complete with the whole town, decorations, concerts, and lots of food and drink. It was so cool to see a community come together and joke and laugh and do, well, very much the same thing Americans do when we get together. I'm blessed to have spent time experiencing the "real" French way of life & I hope that in my last days here I can soak up as much of it as I can.

Life is a Beach

"At the beach, life is different. Time doesn't move hour to hour but mood to moment. We live by the currents, plan by the tides and follow the sun."

So after my failed plans to go to Cote d'Azur in April, I decided I had to fling into one weekend or another. And so, for Pentecost, we headed down South for a long weekend.

It was the first "relaxing" vacation I took here. Although my whole trip here has been a break from the stressors of college, this trip was the first trip where we went with the intent to beach and relax, rather than sightsee. Thankfully, the weather agreed with us and it was complete bliss. Every single beach we went on was absolutely gorgeous - all quiet and serene with clear cool water to swim in and sand to tan on, and read. The Atlantic ain't got nothing on the Mediterranean. I'm sure there is a some difference between oceans and seas, I think oceans are bigger, but regardless, it was fantastic.


We rented a tandem bike one day and beach hopped, which was fabulous, although I have to say, a lot trickier than I imagined. I was in the second seat and I definitely didn't like the feeling of not being able to see what was in front of me, especially when there were lots of tourists around. Still, we managed just fine. Caution - if you want to ride a bicycle built for two, you better trust the other person. One old French man laughingly told us that people that honeymoon and ride a tandem get divorced. He was joking, but seriously, don't say I didn't warn you.

Also, we stayed in a camp site. It was my first time NOT couchsurfing in awhile, and I remember that, that too, has its benefits. You are on your own schedule: can wake up when you want, sleep when you want, go out when you want. And it's your own space: you can be messy or leave your things in the shower. It was great.

The only thing not so great: the sunburn! But you can't win them all, right? Oh, and the silly French trains. We got delayed for two hours on the way home. I can't decide if that's result of my horrible travel luck or not...it's been awhile, so something was bound to happen, right? Or maybe it's the trains. Another word to the wise: the train system in France is delayed, late, or on strike at least a quarter of the time. So always have alternate plans.

For now, onward! Time is slipping away!

Prague

"A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world."

Prague was a trip I was glad I saved for the end of my trip. I was so happy to see Maren & Beth & Sally, and have someone to talk about silly old times in Moscow. & to experience a new city with. We've all changed from studying abroad - but that's our future, and we can all relate to it.

Traveling to visit friends has a different pace than a purely historical trip. We got a chance to relax, and drink amazing, cheap, Czech beer! We talked, a lot, and I got meet all their friends from the semester. I felt comfortable sleeping in if I wanted, or eating peanut butter. Sally & Maren were great tour guides. Prague is a historical city, one where everyone, thankfully, speaks English. There are remanants from WWII, Communism, changes from every time period.

Due to their Czceh history class, Maren & Sally could tell me all about everything we saw! There was the key statue, that spells Revolution, which is the largest collection of keys anywhere in the world, and Kafka's grave, where Jewish people leave stones as a memento, and gorgeous old cemeteries. We went to the John Lennon wall, where Communist revolters used to post places to meet, and now has peace graffiti on it. Sally even took me to the Louvre, a cafe that Einstein used to frequent. Unfortunately, I didn't feel any smarter after being there, but we did get some delicious hot chocolate with ice cream. There's definitely lots to see in Prague, and I wasn't disappointed, but it was all the better because of who I was with.

The Prague study abroad program was wrapping up as I was visiting. Seeing Maren, Beth, & Sally near the end of their journey made me realize how soon I'm going to be saying goodbye to my own European adventure. Some of my close friends from Chambery have already packed up and left. It will be sad to leave, but I'm happy to go. It's been a great experience, and I'm sad that we'll never be in the same place at the same time again, but at the same time I'm ready to come home and see all my friends and family again.

For now, more adventures as my time winds down in Europe!

Vienna

"There is no magic like traveling alone, without friends or colleagues to condition one’s opinions. It is the very loneliness that makes travel worthwhile: to be in isolation with historical forces, with only landscapes and books as guides."

Vienna was my first solo trip, and I have to say, I really enjoyed it. I'd heard mixed reviews of Vienna - but alone, I was able to make my own impression of the city and it was a positive one.

Vienna is a beautiful city. Everywhere you look there is old architecture, beautiful buildings, picturesque streets. It's a city to get lost in, and for me, that was appealing. I went to gorgeously sculpted French style gardens at Bellvedere palace and Schonnbrun, and saw breathtaking views of the city. I walked along Ring Street and saw old musuems and statues, and St. Stephen's cathedral. The only thing I wasn't impressed with was the Danube river. It's okay to walk along, but nothing compared to the beauty of the Bosphorous, in Istanbul, for example. The only thing I didn't do but wish I had, was go the Central Cemetary, which is actually not so central as it is located an hour from the city, but maybe that can be for my next trip!

I couchsurfed with a great host named Heidi who made me feel instantly comfortable. We shared some great meals together, and went to the opera together. This was by far my best experience in Vienna. The opera in Vienna is a huge part of the culture. We went to see Carmen, which is a classic opera, and there was not a place in the house (standing or sitting), that wasn't occupied. Standing at the opera for three hours, listening to singing in a foreing language may sound uncomfortable, but the music speaks volumes, and it is worth every second! In the performance we saw, Anna Netrebko, who is a legend in Vienna. People were crying when she sang, and they gave her a standing ovation. She was incredible, and it was cool to see such a huge part of their culture.

We also went salsa dancing and took a bike ride through the city at night! I have to say, I accomplished a lot in three days! It was definitely worth the trip & it was a good city to navigate alone, despite the fact that I didn't speak German. I'm glad I went!

Dear Me, How I Love a Library

That’s the thing about a human life-there’s no control group, no way to ever know how any of us would have turned out if any variables had been changed." - Elizabeth Gilbert

I just finished (and by just, I mean several weeks ago) Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat Pray Love. I was a big fan, partially because her trip to discover herself has some paralells to my own trip to Europe. How long has it been since you've done something for yourself? I'd been so caught up with everything in college, that I hadn't taken a break to let myself go. Here, I can see the world, and figure out what I really want to do with the rest of my life, define myself, and figure what the heck the rules are, who defines them, and if I want to follow them or not.

In the book, Gilbert has a theory that each city has a particular word that everyone in the city is driven by (Rome's is apparently sex), and if your own word doesn't match, you'll never quite fit in. I've been thinking a lot, about all the places I've been and about my own word, and I have to say, I think she has a point.

I think Buffalo's word is pride. Everyone is all about home-town pride, the good-old-boys, "the Bills will win the Superbowl next year." The city has it's own long history, which is now in decay, but evident all over the place, and everybody is intwined in a network of family relations where the latest gossip is about the newest thing your children did, the newest addition to the family, or the latest marriage.

Moscow's word is easily learn. Everyone in the town is there to learn - about school, about life, about each other. Even the teachers and the town are participating, because it's so centered on the University. And Chambery? Well, I'm not quite sure about that one yet.

But I have found my word. It's grow. It's a verb, because I like the physical action of things. And I always want to grow - through acquiring knowledge, by meeting other people, by reaching personal goals, by having new experiences. It's what I want to keep pushing for...throughout my life. And the great thing about growing, is it doesn't have to end, after today, after school, after this trip to Europe. I can grow as long as I'm open and willing. After all, if you're not growing, what are you doing?