So, I'm here, people! In South Korea! Craziness. Let me tell you how my trip from Lahore was...
My aunt and uncle dropped me at the airport in Lahore after getting me a porter who could lead me around the craziness that is the Lahore Int'l Airport. Okay, so before you even walk into the building, you have to hand your itinerary and passport to this uniformed guy. Then as soon as you step inside the building, you show your passport to another guy. This guy asked me if I was American, I looked at my passport and said, "Yes." He pointed to another guy that was barely further into the building than he was. I walk over and show my shit to this guy who points me ahead. I finally walk more than a few steps into the airport. After doing all that, you have to get your luggage scanned. So, thank goodness for my porter, who put all my stuff on the conveyor, I walk through the little sensory thingy and go off. Go figure. I'm lead into a little dressing room type of thing where a woman pats me down. And I'm out. Then I have to go to the ticket counter.
At this ticket counter there are, like, five people standing around. They all work there. I can barely make my way to the counter without pushing these "extras" around. These guys take my stuff and put it on the weigh thing, 22 kgs each. Awesome. Then my pack. Overweight. I looked at the guys and I was like "Um, I need this stuff. I'm moving, see? And I NEED all of this stuff. It's my life... in a year. I need it." So the guy, who barely understands what I'm saying tells me that he'll do me a favor *smile* and let me move stuff from my pack to my luggage no extra weight. "Really?" I said. "Yea, sure." Said that guy. Um, awesome. Once I did that, I handed my passport and itinerary to the ticket counter. It took awhile, until he looked up and asked how much my bags weighed, "22 kgs each." Then he looked at me again and said that Asia has a weight limit, not a bag limit and that I need to pay extra.
This is when I started to get a bit heated because I was under the impression it wouldn't be a big deal. I had traveled to Thailand (which is in Asia, fyi) and I had 40 kgs then, too. No big deal then, why now? So, I basically put up a fight with the guy that was in charge, saying that I was told it wouldn't be a problem. I had come from Washington D.C. with this much baggage and I didn't see why I shouldn't leave here with this much baggage for the price I've already paid for the ticket. The guy was being just as persistent as I was. About 10 minutes into this "fight" and after this guy asked me to calm down and asked me some random ass question about rain (I think he had a point, I just didn't get how rain had anything to do with my luggage), I broke down and asked how much I needed to pay. So, they told me that they would just tell me that I was only 12 kgs over instead of 22 kgs over (sweet) and that it cost this much rupees per kg. "Um... okay, so HOW MUCH DO I PAY????" I asked. I hadn't asked how much I'd have to pay per kg, I had asked how much do I pay. Sheesh. FINALLY he answered me 10,400 rupees. "Okay, well I only have US dollars." He told there was an exchange thingy "Over there." Thanks... I went over and asked how much 10,400 rupees was in US dollars. "130$" What?!
This is when I started freaking out even more then remembered I had a cell phone to call my uncle just in case. I called him and told him, and he said to come outside that he had money for me. Thank goodness for him, seriously. (This whole time I could've used my credit card, but in my panic and pissed-off-ness I totally forgot I had a credit card...Gotta get a hold of this temper..) When I get the money from him and go back through all that stupid security again, I go back to the counter, present them with the money. They give me my boarding passes and everything else and my porter leads me to the "dump site" aka the conveyor/x-ray thing that all luggage goes on. I pay my nice porter and go through immigration, hand my passport to the guy, who had been seriously inspecting everybody else's passport very thoroughly, but just took mine, looked at it, and handed it back. Easy. Then I go through passport control where the guy does the same thing. THEN I have to put my carry-ons on ANOTHER conveyor thing and I have to get patted down AGAIN. Then I show my carry-ons to someone and I'm finally through. I walk to my gate and as I am doing so, I get bombarded by at least 4 different men at different tiems asking if I wanted to buy something or if I wanted tea or coffee. Annoying.
Once I'm at the gate, I take a seat where I'm facing the rest of the gate area and my back is to nothing. I holler at my parents to tell them I'm good... but, really, I talked for a long time with mi madre. I miss her. Then I popped out my laptop and proceeded to finish "Couples Retreat" which, by the way, has sorta inapprop stuff in it. I shut my laptop just as people were showing up naked on the screen, haha. The flight wasn't until 4:25 am, but people started lining up and getting checked onto the plane at 3:30. Way too early, right? I got a bit worried that I was at the wrong gate, but I checked. Supposedly they wanted to get everyone on then, figures, since Pakistanis take an hour longer than everyone else to do anything.
Heh...So, I take the 3 hour flight, didn't sleep a wink. Land in Qatar and go up to the Hotel Reservations desk. Grab my ish and go through immigration. I had to wait, like, 30 minutes for the bus for the Royal Qatar Hotel, but it was cool (not really, it was hot, but whatever). I get to the hotel and these guys took care of me. Seriously. They called me when I didn't come down to lunch, they called me for my wake up call and they called me 30 minutes until the bus to the airport was leaving. It was awesome. The hotel was nice. Small, but perfect. I spent that 19 hours sleeping and Skyping and catching up on shows that I had missed.
I'm sorry for me getting so short now, but this post is extra long.. The flight to Seoul was good. About 9 hours ish. A bit less than that, but not too bad. I slept most of the way. I tried to wake up and stay awake, but I honestly couldn't. I fell asleep before take-off even. Amaze. And I will leave the rest for the next post where I talk about South Korea! Oof, this was long. Took me a couple days to actually finish it, haha. Sorry for the length! :/ Oh well. You don't have to read it. Hah :)
Friday, May 28, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
SOUTH KOREA!!!
I'm here!!! I am currently in the middle of writing one (maybe two) posts. Hopefully I will have those up by the end of this weekend!! :D Just an FYI.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Back to Qatar
Tonight (or to you people in the States, today) at 12:30/45 am (aka 3:30/45 pm), I'm heading to the airport again. Flying back over to Qatar for an approx 18 hour layover (yay). I'll be (hopefully) staying in a hotel that has already been booked til late Tuesday night when I head back to the airport. From there, I fly out super early morning on Wednesday to South Korea where I'll land at about 4:30 pm on the 26th, which is about 3:30 am States' time.
So, I'm getting really nervous. About the Lahore airport and about Qatar and, of course, about Korea. I expressed my concerns to my parents late late last night when I couldn't sleep. Of course they have all those nice things to say to make me feel good, but I'm still nervous as all hell. What if I don't make any friends? Like, what if I don't have anyone to hang out with? I hope I like it there! And a bunch of other things, like, what if I don't do well as a teacher? Ya know, the usual. Haha. Oh well, it's too late now. No one can ever say that I have lived my life in fear, because this journey is certainly proving otherwise. Yes, I'm nervous and a bit scared, but that isn't stopping me from doing what I want to do. :) Go me!
"Fear is the highest fence."
So, I'm getting really nervous. About the Lahore airport and about Qatar and, of course, about Korea. I expressed my concerns to my parents late late last night when I couldn't sleep. Of course they have all those nice things to say to make me feel good, but I'm still nervous as all hell. What if I don't make any friends? Like, what if I don't have anyone to hang out with? I hope I like it there! And a bunch of other things, like, what if I don't do well as a teacher? Ya know, the usual. Haha. Oh well, it's too late now. No one can ever say that I have lived my life in fear, because this journey is certainly proving otherwise. Yes, I'm nervous and a bit scared, but that isn't stopping me from doing what I want to do. :) Go me!
"Fear is the highest fence."
Ice Lollies & Late-night Runs
A couple days ago... that is to say Friday, Fatima Baji bought some ice cream from the ice cream man. [Oh sweet sweet memories of Queensbury Ct, kickball, and the ice cream man]. Anywho, she came in with the ice cream and went off about how that particular ice cream man didn't have Ice Lollies. "Ice Lolly," I said, "What are those?" She then tried describing it to me, but I didn't really grasp what the idear of an ice lolly was. Oh well. So after dinner tonight, Baji leans over to me and asks if I want an ice lolly. I responded by asking her if that was that thing she was talking about yesterday? She said yes, and I shrugged and said, "Sure why not?" I was a bit hesitant, but reminded myself that it came from the ice cream man so it couldn't be too horrible, right? Riiiight... Naw, I'm kidding, right! She grabs three out of the freezer, hands one to me and my uncle and plops herself down. I look at the green wrapper that says "A flavour with every lick!" with a big picture of an ice cream thing on the front. The picture looked like it had chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry in it, so I was like "Sweeeeet." I open it up and voila! It's a POPSICLE! Go figure. As soon as I saw that I squealed "OHHHH A POPSICLE" in pure delight that Baji looked at me like "She said whaaa?" Then I told her all about how these things are called popsicles in the States! But ice lolly is totally legit, right? Right! Awesome.
So, one day I was chattin' with Baji and she said something about donuts. Um, of course I perked up and asked her if she made them. Haha, she said yes, but we could always get them from Dunkin Donuts. "Ummm, you guys have a Dunkin Donuts here???," I asked. She seemed appalled that I was ask such a stupid question and said that they did, in fact, have multiple Dunkin Donuts. Well, I told her that I don't really believe anything until I see it. SOOOOO, that night my uncle and Baji decided doing a late-night run to Dunkin Donuts was a must. It was ten o'clock at night and I thought they were crazy. Lo' and behold, though. They do have a Dunkin Donuts. You know what Pakistan ALSO has? Crazy drivers. Yes. I know that some of you may already know this because a) you've seen it yourself, or b) I've told you, but Pakistan gots them some crazy people drivers. They don't pay attention to lanes, and instead of honking their horns, they LAY on their horns for minutes at a time. They drive very close to other cars (so close, that on the way to Dunkin Donuts, we brushed at least 2 other rearview mirrors). You see drivers going the wrong way, you see drivers almost running people over, and you see drivers staying calm. Weird. Anyways, there's a bunch of crazy drivers here and it doesn't get any better at night. You would think that at 10 o'clock at night, people would be in their homes (sorta like the States), um, no. I'm pretty sure there were MORE drivers on the road at 10 pm than there would be at, say, 3 pm. It was insane. I really don't have any other way to put it. I was a little scared, to be quite honest. Heh, I made it out alive, though. :) Yay.
On a side note: I'm not, like, one of those people that think Pakistan doesn't have anything. In fact, Pakistan has A LOT. And a lot of stuff is American stuff. For example, Hardee's just opened around here. We passed it that night and it was jam packed. Hardee's isn't all that popular in the States, but here, it is. Pakistan also has Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and a couple other places. Thanks Americanization??
So, one day I was chattin' with Baji and she said something about donuts. Um, of course I perked up and asked her if she made them. Haha, she said yes, but we could always get them from Dunkin Donuts. "Ummm, you guys have a Dunkin Donuts here???," I asked. She seemed appalled that I was ask such a stupid question and said that they did, in fact, have multiple Dunkin Donuts. Well, I told her that I don't really believe anything until I see it. SOOOOO, that night my uncle and Baji decided doing a late-night run to Dunkin Donuts was a must. It was ten o'clock at night and I thought they were crazy. Lo' and behold, though. They do have a Dunkin Donuts. You know what Pakistan ALSO has? Crazy drivers. Yes. I know that some of you may already know this because a) you've seen it yourself, or b) I've told you, but Pakistan gots them some crazy people drivers. They don't pay attention to lanes, and instead of honking their horns, they LAY on their horns for minutes at a time. They drive very close to other cars (so close, that on the way to Dunkin Donuts, we brushed at least 2 other rearview mirrors). You see drivers going the wrong way, you see drivers almost running people over, and you see drivers staying calm. Weird. Anyways, there's a bunch of crazy drivers here and it doesn't get any better at night. You would think that at 10 o'clock at night, people would be in their homes (sorta like the States), um, no. I'm pretty sure there were MORE drivers on the road at 10 pm than there would be at, say, 3 pm. It was insane. I really don't have any other way to put it. I was a little scared, to be quite honest. Heh, I made it out alive, though. :) Yay.
On a side note: I'm not, like, one of those people that think Pakistan doesn't have anything. In fact, Pakistan has A LOT. And a lot of stuff is American stuff. For example, Hardee's just opened around here. We passed it that night and it was jam packed. Hardee's isn't all that popular in the States, but here, it is. Pakistan also has Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and a couple other places. Thanks Americanization??
Thursday, May 20, 2010
just a teensy update
- Tonight was better. I wasn't completely ignored :)
- Started reading "Memoirs of a Geisha" -- so far, so good. It's my fourth book so far since I've been here. No biggie.
- "The Proposal" is going to show on t.v. tomorrow night, so I might holler at them upstairs cos the t.v. is better than down here. Plus, our t.v. is always occupied by my uncle. Go figure.
- I get brand new bug bites every single day. Fabulous.
- I dyed my hair. I wasn't sure how my Korean boss would like my purple hair, so I figured I should dye it. :( Oh well. Maybe I'll go back to purple one day...
- I love and miss you all. Super sad face.
"Be careless in your dress if you must, but keep a tidy soul" -Mark Twain
- Started reading "Memoirs of a Geisha" -- so far, so good. It's my fourth book so far since I've been here. No biggie.
- "The Proposal" is going to show on t.v. tomorrow night, so I might holler at them upstairs cos the t.v. is better than down here. Plus, our t.v. is always occupied by my uncle. Go figure.
- I get brand new bug bites every single day. Fabulous.
- I dyed my hair. I wasn't sure how my Korean boss would like my purple hair, so I figured I should dye it. :( Oh well. Maybe I'll go back to purple one day...
- I love and miss you all. Super sad face.
"Be careless in your dress if you must, but keep a tidy soul" -Mark Twain
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Rambles Shambles Part 2
Sometimes I feel invisible here. I might not make too much of an effort to be seen, but even when I'm just chillin' and cousins and stuff come down to hang out, I still feel invisible. I dare not say anything, for I know that it is partially my fault for not knowing Urdu, but still. Well, I feel bad for saying this, but they know English and they know that I don't know Urdu, is it all too difficult to speak in English? It's almost as if they don't want to include me. That's fine. I can deal with that. I only have 4 more days (or so) left here. They come in and say hello to me and then go and talk amongst themselves. It's cool. I'm not trying to complain and if it comes across as complaining, I apologize. I'm just letting you readers know how it is, how my travels are. And this is the truth.
On a happier note, I'm getting very excited about Korea. Firstly, cause it is not nearly as hot as here. Secondly, cause I've been chatting with a girl I'll be working with named Katie. She's super nice. I've been shooting question after question at her, and she's answered every single one of them with the utmost patience. She is even taking me to one of her Korean language classes to see if I like it enough to sign up for one myself! Yay!
Four more days, four more days.
On a happier note, I'm getting very excited about Korea. Firstly, cause it is not nearly as hot as here. Secondly, cause I've been chatting with a girl I'll be working with named Katie. She's super nice. I've been shooting question after question at her, and she's answered every single one of them with the utmost patience. She is even taking me to one of her Korean language classes to see if I like it enough to sign up for one myself! Yay!
Four more days, four more days.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Also...
I know I'm posting a lot today, but it's really cause the two first posts from today were written yesterday, but the internet is very sketchy here, going in and out as it so pleases.
Anyways, I started a Nicholas Sparks book today. Called "True Believer." I also finished it. Hey! I have a lot of time here! Anyways, it was pretty good. Cute, I guess. Typical of Nicholas Sparks. Whenever I read his stories I always have a renewed faith in love, until I finish the book and I'm all cynicism yet again. True love? Psh. Would a guy really do that for a girl? Psh, not in the real world. Dream on, sister, dream on. Seriously, dream on.
Anyways, I started a Nicholas Sparks book today. Called "True Believer." I also finished it. Hey! I have a lot of time here! Anyways, it was pretty good. Cute, I guess. Typical of Nicholas Sparks. Whenever I read his stories I always have a renewed faith in love, until I finish the book and I'm all cynicism yet again. True love? Psh. Would a guy really do that for a girl? Psh, not in the real world. Dream on, sister, dream on. Seriously, dream on.
I Get A Haircut In Pakistan
Today I got a haircut. Let's just say this is the first time I've had a person that is not American cut my hair (that I remember) and it's also the first time (I think) that a man has cut my hair. It's really short. Like, really, really, really short, people. I guess the "thing" here for hair is that they make your bangs blend in with the rest of your hair in a sloping manner, making the front part of the hair way shorter than anyone in their right mind would ever want. Anyways, the back of my hair is the length I wanted, the front part, ya know the part everyone can see? Well that is super short, like to my ears short. Ah. Oh well, hair grows back, right? Dead cells form every day, right? Yes. Phew. I keep tugging on my hair hoping it grows back faster, but in the end I just end up with a sore scalp. Lame.
How To Beat The Heat In Pakistan
As I have made very clear in my earlier posts, it is freaking hot here, guys. So so so hot. Okay, maybe nothing unusual for Pakistan, but I'm not used to it quite yet, so, therefore, it is highly unusual for me. Going from 60 degree weather to 112 degree weather doesn't sit well with... well, my whole body. As I still have a tiny bit less than a week here, I have decided that I must (MUST MUST MUST) come up with little strategies to keep me from boiling alive from this inhumane torture (exaggerate much?). Here are a few idears I have been brilliant enough (in my mind) to come up with:
1. Take "cold" showers. I've tried this one. The "cold" part is in quotations because the water isn't really cold. I'm not saying it's hot, but I'm definitely saying it is not cold. BUT, there is a solution! Grandma has this fan attached to the wall in the bathroom. If I turn on the fan and then hop in the "cold", aka "somewhere between cold and hot", shower the water really does feel cold. Notice the difference? COLD not "cold." Yes! Sophia: 1 Heat: 0. Unfortunately, though, as soon as I finish the shower and clothe myself, I have a light sheen of perspiration (that smells of roses, of cooooourse) covering every inch of me. Damn. Sophia 1: Heat: 1. Ugh.
2. Drink lots of water. This might not completely cool down the whole body, but it cools down the mouth, throat, and the stomach (I think. Can't really feel how hot the stomach is, but we'll pretend that water cools the stomach just 'cause). Now, the drinking water IS cold, especially if it's been in the fridge. Score 1 for Sophia! Bad side of it is that you have to pee a lot, but who wouldn't want to sit on the toilet when that fan high on the wall is blowing directly at you AND you have a hose? Score, again! Sophia: 3 Heat: 1... for now.
3. Sit under the ceiling fans. Lucky for us humans, there are ceilings fans in every room, minus the kitchen, but I don't visit there too often unless I feel like bothering Baji and Grandma... Anyways, yes, sitting under the ceiling fans are always an effective solution to beating the heat. Even though ceiling fans are quite nice, they still don't cool me down enough. Fail on my part. I find myself still shining with that beautifully smelling rose perspiration even while under the fan. Sophia: 3 Heat: 2.
4. When there's a breeze, holler. Today, while the electricity was out from 10-11 am, we saw that the trees outside were practically kneeling on the hard, dry earth. Sweet, right? (Keep reading). Grandma got up really quickly and said "Come on." I followed her out onto the patio where we sat and watched the dust blow all over and the trees give their kind regards to Mother Nature. Aww. No. The "breeze" is not a breeze, people. It's a hot wind. It's like a friend of yours blowing your face with their hot, icky breath. It does not cool down, it does not do wonders, and it definitely does not feel that good. I must admit, though, that for the first five seconds of being outside the "breeze" blew onto my face and cooled the sweat, ahem I meant rose-smelling-perspiration, on my forehead so that it was nice and "cool." That was the only good thing.. Like I said, a friend's hot breath is not very awesome. Sophia: 3 Heat: 3. Shoot.
5. A cold washcloth. I'm pretty sure everyone has tried this trick before. Put a washcloth of some sort under some cold water and slap it on the back of your neck, right? Yes. That's what I'm talking about. No, it doesn't exactly work here. No, I haven't tried it, but I know that it won't work. You want me to try it? That's too damn bad, because I am stubborn and I KNOW that it won't work. Wanna know why it won't work? Okay, listen. Like I said earlier under the "cold shower" one, the water here isn't exactly what you'd call cold. It's mediocre cold, not cold, but not hot. It still feels nice, but not nice enough to call cold. So, if I did wet a washcloth of sorts with water and slapped it on the back of my neck, I'm sure it would feel nice, buttttt with the heat and the constant twirl of the ceiling fan, the washcloth would probably dry out in point five seconds. Not really worth my time, ya know? Not that time is a big deal, cause I've plenty of it, but still. Soooo, Sophia: 3 Heat: 4.
Guys, I'm sorry to say this but, that is all my brilliant mind (in my eSye) has come up with to beat the heat. I know, I know, you're thinking "Five things? Really? Just five? Slacker." Fine, fine, call me a slacker if you must, but I have been thinking about this post for the last couple days and, yes, this is all I've come up with. Sorry! BUT, if you all have ANY ideas, any ideas whatsoever, holler at a sister, kay? Excellent. Now, I'm gonna go "enjoy" the heat while literally sweating my butt off. Thanks.
1. Take "cold" showers. I've tried this one. The "cold" part is in quotations because the water isn't really cold. I'm not saying it's hot, but I'm definitely saying it is not cold. BUT, there is a solution! Grandma has this fan attached to the wall in the bathroom. If I turn on the fan and then hop in the "cold", aka "somewhere between cold and hot", shower the water really does feel cold. Notice the difference? COLD not "cold." Yes! Sophia: 1 Heat: 0. Unfortunately, though, as soon as I finish the shower and clothe myself, I have a light sheen of perspiration (that smells of roses, of cooooourse) covering every inch of me. Damn. Sophia 1: Heat: 1. Ugh.
2. Drink lots of water. This might not completely cool down the whole body, but it cools down the mouth, throat, and the stomach (I think. Can't really feel how hot the stomach is, but we'll pretend that water cools the stomach just 'cause). Now, the drinking water IS cold, especially if it's been in the fridge. Score 1 for Sophia! Bad side of it is that you have to pee a lot, but who wouldn't want to sit on the toilet when that fan high on the wall is blowing directly at you AND you have a hose? Score, again! Sophia: 3 Heat: 1... for now.
3. Sit under the ceiling fans. Lucky for us humans, there are ceilings fans in every room, minus the kitchen, but I don't visit there too often unless I feel like bothering Baji and Grandma... Anyways, yes, sitting under the ceiling fans are always an effective solution to beating the heat. Even though ceiling fans are quite nice, they still don't cool me down enough. Fail on my part. I find myself still shining with that beautifully smelling rose perspiration even while under the fan. Sophia: 3 Heat: 2.
4. When there's a breeze, holler. Today, while the electricity was out from 10-11 am, we saw that the trees outside were practically kneeling on the hard, dry earth. Sweet, right? (Keep reading). Grandma got up really quickly and said "Come on." I followed her out onto the patio where we sat and watched the dust blow all over and the trees give their kind regards to Mother Nature. Aww. No. The "breeze" is not a breeze, people. It's a hot wind. It's like a friend of yours blowing your face with their hot, icky breath. It does not cool down, it does not do wonders, and it definitely does not feel that good. I must admit, though, that for the first five seconds of being outside the "breeze" blew onto my face and cooled the sweat, ahem I meant rose-smelling-perspiration, on my forehead so that it was nice and "cool." That was the only good thing.. Like I said, a friend's hot breath is not very awesome. Sophia: 3 Heat: 3. Shoot.
5. A cold washcloth. I'm pretty sure everyone has tried this trick before. Put a washcloth of some sort under some cold water and slap it on the back of your neck, right? Yes. That's what I'm talking about. No, it doesn't exactly work here. No, I haven't tried it, but I know that it won't work. You want me to try it? That's too damn bad, because I am stubborn and I KNOW that it won't work. Wanna know why it won't work? Okay, listen. Like I said earlier under the "cold shower" one, the water here isn't exactly what you'd call cold. It's mediocre cold, not cold, but not hot. It still feels nice, but not nice enough to call cold. So, if I did wet a washcloth of sorts with water and slapped it on the back of my neck, I'm sure it would feel nice, buttttt with the heat and the constant twirl of the ceiling fan, the washcloth would probably dry out in point five seconds. Not really worth my time, ya know? Not that time is a big deal, cause I've plenty of it, but still. Soooo, Sophia: 3 Heat: 4.
Guys, I'm sorry to say this but, that is all my brilliant mind (in my eSye) has come up with to beat the heat. I know, I know, you're thinking "Five things? Really? Just five? Slacker." Fine, fine, call me a slacker if you must, but I have been thinking about this post for the last couple days and, yes, this is all I've come up with. Sorry! BUT, if you all have ANY ideas, any ideas whatsoever, holler at a sister, kay? Excellent. Now, I'm gonna go "enjoy" the heat while literally sweating my butt off. Thanks.
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Yesterday I finished another book. Granted, I started this book while I was reading a couple more at the same time, so I'm not that fast of a reader. Anyways, this book is by Jonathan Safran Foer and is called "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close." It was amazing. It took me a bit longer than usual to get into the book, but once in, I was completely enthralled. It is truly a great novel. Somewhat uplifting, somewhat sad all at the same time. I giggled and cried, I huffawed and I awed. It was really good. I really don't have any other words for it!
It's about this kid named Oskar who's dad died in the World Trade Center on 9/11. It's about his adventure in trying to find out more about his father. In the process, he learns many different things about different people. He learns about himself, his grandma, his grandpa, his mom, and a whole miriad of strangers. Oskar has a unique way of looking at things that makes him quite the brilliant little character.
Read this. Trust me.
It's about this kid named Oskar who's dad died in the World Trade Center on 9/11. It's about his adventure in trying to find out more about his father. In the process, he learns many different things about different people. He learns about himself, his grandma, his grandpa, his mom, and a whole miriad of strangers. Oskar has a unique way of looking at things that makes him quite the brilliant little character.
Read this. Trust me.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Sleepy Time
Sleeping in this much heat has proven to be quite a task for me. See, I'm very sleepy at midnight, but as soon as I get into bed at one-ish, I'm wide awake. I try everything I can think of to get myself to go to sleep. I read, I listen to soft music (ahem, Josh Groban, John Legend, Iron & Wine, and Michael Buble) but it doesn't seem to do the trick. Last night I went in and out of sleep until I was rudely awoken at 2:15 am drenched in sweat. The stupid electricity went out. "Ugh," I said as I rolled over to grab my Ipod and switch on Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince's audiobook. I listened to that until 2:59 am when the electricity finally came back on. A whole hour of me sweating in bed while everyone else rest silently without being bothered. "Okay, three o'clock." I thought to myself, "I can do this." I switched off Harry Potter and got comfy again and soon dozed into a very light slumber until I was rudely awaken by the sudden stillness that the night is; electricity went out again at 4 am. "OH MY GAHD. Are you serious?!" I screamed inwardly at myself. I tried, I desperately tried to go back to sleep, but instead, around 4:20ish I found myself crying. Yes, crying. Why? Oh ya know, the usual, missing family and friends, being anxious about my new life, lost loves, but mainly because I was so frustrated that I couldn't sleep for the life of me. I thought that this was definitely unfair. I rolled over once again, grabbed my Ipod and switched on Harry Potter. I had a fan in one hand and in the other, my podster. By 5 am the electricity finally came back on. "YES!" I switched off Harry Potter and rolled onto my stomach, intent on falling asleep, since grandma usually wakes at 9 am. "Four hours." I said. So, I tried everything I could think of to fall asleep. I listened to music, I listened to Harry Potter, until I realized I hadn't tried counting sheep. YES! COUNTING SHEEP. It works, y'all. I was soon fast asleep, I don't even think I got past 30 sheep jumping over fences. (Yes, I really do picture the sheep jumping over fences. Usually the sheep are very cartoon-like.) UNTIL! Mmmhmm, you guessed it. Electricity went off at 7 am. At this point I was so damned tired, that it barely woke me up. I could definitely feel the approx 90 degree heat smothering me, but I tried so hard not to let it bother me. I counted sheep once again. My little white, fluffy cartoon-like sheep jumping over perfectly brown and textured fences on a perfectly green hill with a perfectly dark blue sky speckled with glittering stars. Put me right back to sleep until my uncle yelled at me to wake up and hurry up because breakfast was ready. Awesome.
For the record, the high is supposed to be something around 115 degrees today. I am gonna try not to nap so I'm extra tired tonight, and on top of not napping, I'm gonna take Nyquil. Gotta do what you gotta do. And I really gotta sleep.
For the record, the high is supposed to be something around 115 degrees today. I am gonna try not to nap so I'm extra tired tonight, and on top of not napping, I'm gonna take Nyquil. Gotta do what you gotta do. And I really gotta sleep.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
The Book of Awesome
I just finished "The Book of Awesome" by Neil Parischa (I might be spelling his last name wrong). This book was amazing. Neil has taken a bunch of tiny things that make people happy and put it into one book. He has a blog called 1000awesomethings.com and you should really check it out. I literally laughed out loud while reading this book, and in the process have made students, my parents, and my g-ma look at me strangely. Whatevs. It was well worth it, really. With so much going on in this world, so many negative things, this book gave me some positive things to look at, positive things that are often overlooked by the majority of people. Now, I already try to look at positive things, but let's be honest guys, sometimes the positives are hard to see through the fog of negativity that surrounds us. We see negatives everywhere, whenever you turn on the news, read the newspaper, some books and movies, and what happens in our everyday lives, breakups with boyfriends or girlfriends or even just friends. That one night that you made a bad decision and feel you might regret for a long time. All these things are negative, but as my mama has told me "No matter how many negatives there are, there is at least one positive and that could just be 'at least there's not another negative.'"
I urge you to read this book, guys. Or at least his blog. It's fun, it's funny, it's happy and it's so worth it. But if you don't ever read any of his stuff, just remember that life is what you make it, so make it good. Try not to be all about the negatives. I'm trying my damnedest. I'm making my life freaking fabulous. You should do the same! :)
I urge you to read this book, guys. Or at least his blog. It's fun, it's funny, it's happy and it's so worth it. But if you don't ever read any of his stuff, just remember that life is what you make it, so make it good. Try not to be all about the negatives. I'm trying my damnedest. I'm making my life freaking fabulous. You should do the same! :)
Friday, May 14, 2010
Hoses and Electricity and the Mall and a last minute Cricket
Hoses: Yes, hoses. I love them. They are right next to the toilet so you can wash your nether regions. They are awesome. Yea, when you are finished with them, your behind is wet, but who cares? You're clean without having a butthole rash! Fabulousness.
Electricity: Oof. It goes out at least twice a day so far. Yesterday it went out twice and today it went out twice as well. It sucks. As soon as the electricity goes out, you are in for a hot sweaty mess of you. Not so fabulous.
The Mall of Lahore: Um, this place was so not what I expected. Usually when the cousins say that we're going out, it's usually to an outdoor "mall." Not this one. It's a pretty big building with some intense security. It has mostly UK brands, but that's still pretty awesome. We went into a couple shops that had clothes (like, 30x too small for me) and shoes and bags. Then of course we had to visit the baby stores for Maham. While we were there I caught a glimpse of a Pakistani girl/woman/lady whatever in skinny jeans! Yea, skinny jeans! I was kinda shocked, too, but at the same time, not really. She had on a billowy shirt with her skinny jeans. Man, she looked so Western, it caught me off guard. Then we saw two white people! Ah. Haha, it was crazy. Then Saman told me that there are some pretty ballin' (she didn't use that word, but whatevs) apartments near this mall that a bunch of white people lived in. Cool. I didn't feel so left out then.
You know what I want right now? A donut. Random, but hey, there ya go.
Oh, and also, I feel like a rebel over here with my 12 piercings and a tattoo (that no one has seen yet or even knows about). Fatima Baji and G-ma caught the piercings yesterday at dinner and as my aunt was checking out my rings tonight, Baji decided to show her all my piercings. Hahahaha, the looks on their faces is like "Wow, she's crazy and weird, can't believe she's in our family." Heh.
Cricket: Oh man, guys. See, I like sports. I do. I get really into it and I can be a very competitive person. So, the cricket semi-finals are going on in St. Lucia right as I write. Yesterday was, um, England v. Sri Lanka, I didn't get the chance to see the whole thing, oh well, but TODAY or tonight to me it's Pakistan v. Australia. Pakistan was up first and got 191 runs. Um, that's awesome considering they only usually get 113 runs (according to Saman). See? I didn't know much about this sport til tonight when I was upstairs watching it with my uncle. I bugged him into briefly telling me what was going on and Saman came in and helped with the rest even though she doesn't like cricket. Ah, it's intense, though! Austraila has 148 runs with 7 wickets (outs; out of a total of 10 that they are allowed) with 16 more balls left. That means they need 44 more runs from a total of, well now, 15 balls. I hope they don't get it. Pakistan should totally win.
Update: Now Aus is up 191 to 191 with only 2 balls left. Eff this, man. Mike Hussey can ... grrr.
Yay new sports!
Electricity: Oof. It goes out at least twice a day so far. Yesterday it went out twice and today it went out twice as well. It sucks. As soon as the electricity goes out, you are in for a hot sweaty mess of you. Not so fabulous.
The Mall of Lahore: Um, this place was so not what I expected. Usually when the cousins say that we're going out, it's usually to an outdoor "mall." Not this one. It's a pretty big building with some intense security. It has mostly UK brands, but that's still pretty awesome. We went into a couple shops that had clothes (like, 30x too small for me) and shoes and bags. Then of course we had to visit the baby stores for Maham. While we were there I caught a glimpse of a Pakistani girl/woman/lady whatever in skinny jeans! Yea, skinny jeans! I was kinda shocked, too, but at the same time, not really. She had on a billowy shirt with her skinny jeans. Man, she looked so Western, it caught me off guard. Then we saw two white people! Ah. Haha, it was crazy. Then Saman told me that there are some pretty ballin' (she didn't use that word, but whatevs) apartments near this mall that a bunch of white people lived in. Cool. I didn't feel so left out then.
You know what I want right now? A donut. Random, but hey, there ya go.
Oh, and also, I feel like a rebel over here with my 12 piercings and a tattoo (that no one has seen yet or even knows about). Fatima Baji and G-ma caught the piercings yesterday at dinner and as my aunt was checking out my rings tonight, Baji decided to show her all my piercings. Hahahaha, the looks on their faces is like "Wow, she's crazy and weird, can't believe she's in our family." Heh.
Cricket: Oh man, guys. See, I like sports. I do. I get really into it and I can be a very competitive person. So, the cricket semi-finals are going on in St. Lucia right as I write. Yesterday was, um, England v. Sri Lanka, I didn't get the chance to see the whole thing, oh well, but TODAY or tonight to me it's Pakistan v. Australia. Pakistan was up first and got 191 runs. Um, that's awesome considering they only usually get 113 runs (according to Saman). See? I didn't know much about this sport til tonight when I was upstairs watching it with my uncle. I bugged him into briefly telling me what was going on and Saman came in and helped with the rest even though she doesn't like cricket. Ah, it's intense, though! Austraila has 148 runs with 7 wickets (outs; out of a total of 10 that they are allowed) with 16 more balls left. That means they need 44 more runs from a total of, well now, 15 balls. I hope they don't get it. Pakistan should totally win.
Update: Now Aus is up 191 to 191 with only 2 balls left. Eff this, man. Mike Hussey can ... grrr.
Yay new sports!
Rambles Shambles from 5/13/10
The comforting sound of the call to prayers echoes in the background as I flip through the wedding albums of two of my cousins. It's nice, sitting here with Maham and Saman. Yes, they might be speaking in Urdu, and yes, I do not know Urdu, but it's still nice. I can let my mind wander off without people looking at me awkwardly or wondering what's wrong with me once my eyes glaze over and I'm in daydream-land. Or, if I'm alone, I will just sit here, on the computer, organizing things or trying desperately to connect to the internet, or maybe just typing up a new blog entry. Well, right now, right this minute at 8:52PM on Thursday the 13th, I'm sitting here on the computer, as my uncle is flipping through tv channels. I'm trying to keep track of which stations I would find worthwhile: Spongebob came on a second ago, now cricket! And I think I caught a glimpse of an American movie, you may have heard of it: Miss Congeniality. Yes, trying to remember which stations these are on is difficult considering there's a wide range of channels to choose from. Cricket is on channel 9 and I think Spongebob was on channel 65 or something.
Yes, I am rambling. Yes, I just realized that.
Everyone here has a little pouch for the cell phone. It's kinda funny. I mean, not really funny, just interesting. Like, a legit pouch. For their cell phone. Heh. Maybe I'm just easily entertained. That's a good thing, too since I'm here alone.
And, man, it's warm. Gotta keep hydrated. Aww, I have this little slideshow thing of my pictures on my desktop. My friends. Aw, we're cute. I miss them already. They should come visit me in Korea. I doubt they will, but how awesome would that be?
Anyways, I'm done rambling, I'm gonna go read "The Book of Awesome." Check it out, sahn.
Yes, I am rambling. Yes, I just realized that.
Everyone here has a little pouch for the cell phone. It's kinda funny. I mean, not really funny, just interesting. Like, a legit pouch. For their cell phone. Heh. Maybe I'm just easily entertained. That's a good thing, too since I'm here alone.
And, man, it's warm. Gotta keep hydrated. Aww, I have this little slideshow thing of my pictures on my desktop. My friends. Aw, we're cute. I miss them already. They should come visit me in Korea. I doubt they will, but how awesome would that be?
Anyways, I'm done rambling, I'm gonna go read "The Book of Awesome." Check it out, sahn.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Oh hay, Pakistan
Wazzzzzuppppp.
Oh hey, I'm in Pakistan, y'all. The flight from DC to Qatar was approx 13 hours. It actually wasn't too bad. I was a bit nervous that I'd be sitting next to some smelly guy or a crying baby (cause those are the only two types of people that travel... ever) but I wasn't! In fact, I think the man sitting on the aisle seat of our threesome smelled better than me! Oops, sorry strange man with very feminine hands.
Then the flight from Qatar to Lahore I met the most gorgeous man, ever. I am now seriously thinking about going to/studying in Finland/anywhere in the Netherlands. They make beautiful men there. But seriously, he was gorgeous... Le sigh. Anyways! I was sitting there at the window seat nervously looking over my shoulder at the strangers coming up behind me trying to decipher which one would be sitting next to me. Lucky for me I got the weirdest guy ever who gave me a smirk that would chill the bones of Hades. Not really, but I thought that would be cool to write. After about hmm... 10 minutes of sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with Strange Weirdo, I decided to ask if I could move seats. Thank goodness the flight wasn't fully booked, so I had a good two seats all to myself next to the window.
As soon as I got off the plane in Lahore I was bombarded by men trying to help me with my luggage, which was really my purse and my laptop (because the people in Qatar made me check my pack, lame). I literally stuck my nose in the air and kept walking, though. I'm not about to pay some guys for something I can do perfectly well by myself. Sheesh! I then chose the SLOWEST customs line ever, but in the process I made friends with some Canadians and caught a last glimpse of the most beautiful man EVER. Le sigh. Anyways, this story is getting boring. I thought I lost my luggage, but people in Pakistan think it's totally cool to take random pieces of luggage off the conveyor belt thing and leave it in a pile. Mine was in the pile, good thing I made friends with those Canadians (because they told me to look there, that's why).
Yep. So, yep... I'm here, in Lahore. Til the 25th. Peace out, homes.
Oh hey, I'm in Pakistan, y'all. The flight from DC to Qatar was approx 13 hours. It actually wasn't too bad. I was a bit nervous that I'd be sitting next to some smelly guy or a crying baby (cause those are the only two types of people that travel... ever) but I wasn't! In fact, I think the man sitting on the aisle seat of our threesome smelled better than me! Oops, sorry strange man with very feminine hands.
Then the flight from Qatar to Lahore I met the most gorgeous man, ever. I am now seriously thinking about going to/studying in Finland/anywhere in the Netherlands. They make beautiful men there. But seriously, he was gorgeous... Le sigh. Anyways! I was sitting there at the window seat nervously looking over my shoulder at the strangers coming up behind me trying to decipher which one would be sitting next to me. Lucky for me I got the weirdest guy ever who gave me a smirk that would chill the bones of Hades. Not really, but I thought that would be cool to write. After about hmm... 10 minutes of sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with Strange Weirdo, I decided to ask if I could move seats. Thank goodness the flight wasn't fully booked, so I had a good two seats all to myself next to the window.
As soon as I got off the plane in Lahore I was bombarded by men trying to help me with my luggage, which was really my purse and my laptop (because the people in Qatar made me check my pack, lame). I literally stuck my nose in the air and kept walking, though. I'm not about to pay some guys for something I can do perfectly well by myself. Sheesh! I then chose the SLOWEST customs line ever, but in the process I made friends with some Canadians and caught a last glimpse of the most beautiful man EVER. Le sigh. Anyways, this story is getting boring. I thought I lost my luggage, but people in Pakistan think it's totally cool to take random pieces of luggage off the conveyor belt thing and leave it in a pile. Mine was in the pile, good thing I made friends with those Canadians (because they told me to look there, that's why).
Yep. So, yep... I'm here, in Lahore. Til the 25th. Peace out, homes.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
It's weird. It hasn't completely sunk in yet and I board the plan in about 7 hours. Totally weird. I don't know when I'll be back for sure... There is so much I want to do!
I've waited much much too long to do this. Ever since I came back from Thailand, I knew that I wanted to travel more again, but I haven't. I had to graduate, then I was stupid, and finally I've gotten my act together and I'm doing this. So weird. Ah. Freak out session to start in 3...2...1...GO!
I've waited much much too long to do this. Ever since I came back from Thailand, I knew that I wanted to travel more again, but I haven't. I had to graduate, then I was stupid, and finally I've gotten my act together and I'm doing this. So weird. Ah. Freak out session to start in 3...2...1...GO!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Once upon a time
There was this girl that wanted to go overseas to travel and learn as much as she could. Many of her friends thought she was crazy for wanting to leave the U.S. but she didn't care about what they said. She had a dream and wanted to follow through with it, instead of being one of those people that come up with amazing things and never do it. Now, this girl is not the best writer ever, but she will try her best to keep this blog updated with her new life-adventure.
Now, this girl, Sophia is her name, is not new to this whole life-adventure thing. She has traveled quite a bit in her young (22 years) life. Not nearly as much as she would've liked, but that is why she is on a new adventure. The new grand tour of the world starts tomorrow at 10:50pm, when her flight takes off heading for Qatar then on to Lahore. She'll spend two weeks there with her family and from there will be heading to South Korea for at least a year.
She will leave you with a quote by Mark Twain: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
Enjoy.
Now, this girl, Sophia is her name, is not new to this whole life-adventure thing. She has traveled quite a bit in her young (22 years) life. Not nearly as much as she would've liked, but that is why she is on a new adventure. The new grand tour of the world starts tomorrow at 10:50pm, when her flight takes off heading for Qatar then on to Lahore. She'll spend two weeks there with her family and from there will be heading to South Korea for at least a year.
She will leave you with a quote by Mark Twain: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
Enjoy.
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