Basically I just had the most gorgeous day. Plan was, since it was going to be almost 20 C and sunny all day I wanted to spend it outside, reading and with a picnic. I ended up finally biking to the nearby beach I've been meaning to go to, Daniel giving me the directions. I didn't have big hopes for it, didn't really think about it too much, just thought maybe some sand I hope, never thought people would be there! And biking there (by the way I passed my favorite store, it is called 'Butt Slaughter') I just noticed sand starting to be between the cobblestones, people seemed to be getting more excited in Danish (or it was just in my head that's alright too), and then suddenly there was a BEACH! a beautiful long pretty beach! sort of like ...double sided too...I'll have to charge my camera that is unfortunately very much breaking *sigh*. Anyways, it's about 4 miles away from WHERE I LIVE, seriously, I live four miles from a beautiful beach, and what is this by bike? Maybe a 20 minute ride - NOTHING! :) Nothing like having to drive about 14 hours at home to get to one haha. Ahh so just had this lovely relaxing day in the sun, snacking and such, very happy :)
So other than that I thought I might amuse you (you as in my ...one of maybe three readers, hahaha) with a few more mistakes I have found myself making since I've been here. I thought I might start off with the fact that I have been taking vitamins for people over 50 years old :( When I got here I thought 'well since I'm poor I'll have to eat more unhealthily, cant afford all those veggies now!, so I wanted to get some multivitamins. Gotta keep up the health! Sadly my woman's daily multivitamins at home that are maybe 5 dollars for 200 pills aren't the same here, I found a smaller bottle with just 100 or something that ended up being about twenty dollars, and I was going for cheap here, that was about how much they all ran. Being the beginning of my Danish adventure I couldn't read too much, the vitamins said '50+' and so I thought, yeah, lots of vitamins in there, read what I thought was a sampling of them and their amounts on the back and have been taking them daily...
Turns out 50+ means 50+ years...and if you are under 12 you should actually see a doctor about taking them. Amusingly I am a lot closer to 12 than I am to 50...I found out my mistake when I just decided to read a bit more of the bottle one day and realized the bottom said 'for men and women over 50 years', and them my world plummeted. I asked my neighbors what all the back said (depressed, embarrassed), and they laughed a good deal, apparently there are higher than recommended amounts for some things because older people stop being able to absorb some nutrients as well, but also you are supposed to take two pills a day so thankfully I'd only been taking one! Regardless, for being so expensive I feel sort of weird when I take them now, I'm a bit less religious about it and...yeah...I guess I'm fighting oldness one pill at a time over here! No way will I seem 50 and I'm 50, not now that I've got a heads start in nutrition!
What else have I done...well sometimes I sort of suck at biking and run into people, hit the curb, something like that. It is not as rare as my constant 'I am nervous so I will just stop and use the crosswalk rather than turn left here because the bike lane sort of disappeared?'...but that's not really a mistake. I think what I'm writing is probably losing any interest because I'm really into this show that involves...some girl pretending she's pregnant all the time...it's called 'Violent Women'...Women in the US of course...goodness....oh wait the TV just corrected me, 'Deadly Women'...anyways...mistakes mistakes...some angry Danish lady yelled at me that I was biking on the area I can't bike on today (in Danish at first and I was all 'Uhm, what?'), anyways, EVERYONE ELSE WAS BIKING ON IT, But I moved and just biked on the appropriate path RIGHT next to it - but that's not the mistake, the mistake was moving for her because I wasn't in her way she was just a crappy lady. She was just angry because she was had brown hair and I was more Danish than her, mwahahahaha...oh this show is so scary that I can no longer blog. Farvel, more later...
Oh wait, massive mistake number 2 (the other bike one wasn't massive it was more mild), loanin g 100 kr, like 20 bucks, to my apparently INCREDIBLY RICH FRIEND here whose German. I desperately don't have 20 bucks to give away. Yet that is what I did, even though I hounded her for it. Just a fail really. Never again!! Ok food time :)
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Whoever stole the Danish summer should go to jail.
Hello, time for a little Danmark update! I'll just cover my weather dilemmas real quick - since May there have been some beautiful days, sunny, not too hot, just perfect. I would have been happy if that's as hot as it ever got, I just want to be able to wear a tank top! But then those days would go away, and give way to these other colder days, 60 degrees, less...slightly frustrating when I find myself wearing sweaters in June. ...and I'm in the northern hemisphere. Everyone says that it's never usually this cold, and I wonder if it is the ash hovering above everything leaving lots of Europe in a bit of a weather funk? Recently we had a summer party at Signalhuset, the complex where I live, and it involved us grilling outdoors...standing close to the grill, hands warming over it, scarf on etc. I am refusing to wear gloves though!!! It is June and I will not wear gloves! I have hoped to do a little packing warm things and maybe sending them home, but that is not very possible when I keep wearing the warm things haha. But some days are beautiful, and on those days I am very very happy :)
May was ridiculously busy for me - I haven't been doing traveling out of Denmark but I did do lots of research and study for classes (finally). It seems very normal to not do much until the month before exams (and exams last over a month easy, I still have some friends in them), not much like the one exam week back at home! I don't mind having exams so spread out, it gives you a chance to study more for one at a time, however I also don't mind getting all over with at Purdue and having a larger summer break :) The whole schooling system is entirely different - one of my classes (well half of it) was attendance based, (which I managed to pass that woo! It was Danish Culture and had all these sweet free excursions). The rest of my classes had finals worth 100%. You could never show up for the class throughout the semester and it wouldn't matter! No homework, no tests! Not at all three rounds of exams, constant studying, constant learning...You definitely have to just learn on your own IF you want to here. Danish Language took more work, you had to show up 80% of the time (means you could miss 3.5 classes) in order to qualify to take the exam, but Danish being an insane language makes skipping class the LAST thing you want to do. That was actually my first exam, still worth 100% and broken up into two parts, one day was the written exam, lots of listening exercises, and the other day had an oral exam type interview, VERY NERVOUS. And I got a 12 ahh! Sorry for my slight boasting, but as 12s are not given out here much and as I sadly have to have my grades here transfer back as grades at home instead of pass/fail like...everyone else I know here, I am excited to have gotten what will be an A. And ohhhh I worked for that. I am very tired of talking about Ivan, Jane, Stine, etc....haha. Those were our main Danish characters. I do like speaking it even though I think Danes would prefer I revert to English....
My other classes are finished and my exams turned it, yet I have no idea when I will find out about grades, no for a few weeks apparently. My 'Conflict and Peacemaking in Divided Societies' course is the one I am most worried about - I have never done such an intense research paper. It is all up to you and I know I have to do OUTSTANDING yet have never ... just wrote a sociology paper I guess. My paper was on the ICC (International Criminal Court) and the UNSC (United Nations Security Council) and their involvement/uninvolvement in Darfur and why. I honestly knew nothing about Darfur and especially the ICC or UNSC before I started on that and it was really never covered in class since it's such an ongoing issue, so was really interesting. If anyone wants to read a ridiculously long paper be my guest! I worked so hard on it I'm actually overly proud of it so I know I will just be gutted if I get a 7, or a 4! What if I get less!? I will tell you what, I will cry. And then move on and try to forget it! I will also say 'Damn you Denmark' or something to that effect (pardon my language).
I also had to write an essay for my Danish Culture final, and well...essays for courses like that are more annoying, I feel like I have to dumb down to write them and I HATE turning in things that are not intelligent. Therefore I struggled just..figuring how to write a 'what do you think is most characteristic of Danish Culture in your opinion' without just...it being too much BS. It doesn't help when they want you to list your sources on your OPINION based paper, what do I site? My brain? A time I talked to a random Danish person? No. So a little BS was involved in just trying to use anything for sources but they are asking for that with a paper like this. Silly class. In the end I was actually happy enough with it - did my paper based on the Danish sense of humor/freedom of press coming from a US standpoint. So now I just wait and see! It wasn't too comforting when I went to pick up my attendance certificate (just to make sure I got it haha) the other day and I saw LAST semesters grades up about the essay, so many 4s, 7s, few 10s and 12s! Some people even got 2s! I don't want to think about that now though...maybe I should explain the Danish 7-point grading system real quick.
alright, grades are as follows, -2 (or is it -3? doesn't matter), 0, 2, 4, 7, 10, and 12. A zero is their fail. A -2 (or maybe -3 I'm starting to think) means that you somehow screwed up so much you have to redo something, it's not a fail it's more of a pending incomplete. A 2 is a pass and so are the ones above that, 12s being VERY exceptional and everyone is even really happy with a 10 or a 7. Even a 4!! They don't think about grades like we do nor do they hand them out the same, some hard classes (like physics) might not give anyone over a 7, which is unheard of at home. Also your GPA is just the average score you get but it's not something employers really look at, they look at the classes you took. If you got 4s in your hard classes that's totally fine. And, as the beginning of my Peace course involved the professor saying 'All these Americans come in and say they want 12s, we don't give 12s' (don't know if I've mentioned that before)...I am a bit concerned AND I also think Purdue and really any other American school should realize the system is just different here and shouldn't transfer back. Of course if I get all 12s I'll be thrilled, but I don't think I will, and that is depressing. Just how they DO their grading system though makes it just...stupid to transfer them as grades. There is a reason while people from other countries don't have to transfer them, people couldn't believe that I have to get 12s really if I want a good shot at grad school. So here is how the grades will come back (keep in mind a 2 is a pass here and normal to get). 12 is A, 10 is B, 7 is C, and get this, 7's are considered really good, like no shame in getting a 7. A 7/C is the lowest I've ever gotten at Purdue AND I HATE IT, it's embarrassing, I'm never proud of myself, though sometimes I am happy I just didn't get a D (Microbiology, Calc 2, 'Quantitative Analysis Chem' those sucked so much I actually was happy with a C just so I didn't have to retake them). But regardless it's never really GOOD. Anyways, 4 is a D, and 2 is a fail. Yet a 2 is a pass here. So, crappy situation!
But enough about grades, and a little more Denmark updating.
It is light outside until midnight till around 3 am it seems, and I like it. I wish I could stay here until August so I could see how it is when it never really gets dark. I also now love soccer. I think I like watching sports here more because I don't know what they are saying and I've never really liked HEARING about whats going on the whole time when sports are on TV at home. I guess I just would rather watch it and pretend I'm there - do they do announcements of everything at home DURING the game for people to hear? Like Johnson passes to Smith, blah blah blah'? I don't know. I think I block it out if I do or hopefully can't hear it due to good crowd noises. I don't mind it at a football game that much or when I cant see whats going on. But when it's on TV, I can see enough of what's going on. Maybe that's why I've so far only really liked seeing tennis on TV, they are quiet and only say what's necessary. So I feel more there. Anyways watching the world cup here is pretty sweet, they have screens set up around Copenhagen that you can go sit outside and drink and watch, or stand :) I went to the Denmark vs Netherlands one (we lost sadly but the Netherlands are just amazing apparently), and it was sunny and warm mostly outside, good day. They show it everyday, every match, outside until the world cup is over. Which is cool :) And watching it on TV is fine too because all I hear I hear is the normal Danish background noises, well also that ridiculous 'there is a bee in my ear' instrument South Africa is quite obsessed with.
Other things other things....I don't know yesterday I just cleaned and was overly productive, I've realized I say the phrase 'but yeah' way too much...need to stop that...
Oh! I went for almost a week to this BEAUTIFUL little Danish Island of Bornholm (German's definitely like it there), where they have a crazy accent (sounds a bit like Swedish/Danish). Anyways, I had amazing food, saw the entire island, conversed with the sweetest Dane's ever (I went with my neighbor Daniel and so tried to talk to his grandparents who live there). It was a perfect inexpensive trip full of seeing round churches, amazing food and sweets, have I mentioned I'm in love with marzipan yet? Because I am...and herring! I had quite a bit more of Danish food :) Walks on beautiful beaches...just...the most refreshing week for me. And Bornholm is just a very calm country place basically, fields, beautiful houses, small towns, definitely all of my family would have liked it and found it cute. Needless to say I love Bornholm :) And their ...troll mascot haha.
Hmm, well if I think of anything later I shall post it. Right now maybe I have a little food, craving some meet, would be great to be home for father's day right now! And I could wear shorts! Haha. At least I am now going to Thailand and hopefully Cambodia (maybe others) as well for 3 weeks in July-August. NICE and hot there, and CHEAP, ohh I can't wait for the food! And then back home on August 6th! So I will leave it at that and chat to my computer via a blog later. Vi ses ;)
May was ridiculously busy for me - I haven't been doing traveling out of Denmark but I did do lots of research and study for classes (finally). It seems very normal to not do much until the month before exams (and exams last over a month easy, I still have some friends in them), not much like the one exam week back at home! I don't mind having exams so spread out, it gives you a chance to study more for one at a time, however I also don't mind getting all over with at Purdue and having a larger summer break :) The whole schooling system is entirely different - one of my classes (well half of it) was attendance based, (which I managed to pass that woo! It was Danish Culture and had all these sweet free excursions). The rest of my classes had finals worth 100%. You could never show up for the class throughout the semester and it wouldn't matter! No homework, no tests! Not at all three rounds of exams, constant studying, constant learning...You definitely have to just learn on your own IF you want to here. Danish Language took more work, you had to show up 80% of the time (means you could miss 3.5 classes) in order to qualify to take the exam, but Danish being an insane language makes skipping class the LAST thing you want to do. That was actually my first exam, still worth 100% and broken up into two parts, one day was the written exam, lots of listening exercises, and the other day had an oral exam type interview, VERY NERVOUS. And I got a 12 ahh! Sorry for my slight boasting, but as 12s are not given out here much and as I sadly have to have my grades here transfer back as grades at home instead of pass/fail like...everyone else I know here, I am excited to have gotten what will be an A. And ohhhh I worked for that. I am very tired of talking about Ivan, Jane, Stine, etc....haha. Those were our main Danish characters. I do like speaking it even though I think Danes would prefer I revert to English....
My other classes are finished and my exams turned it, yet I have no idea when I will find out about grades, no for a few weeks apparently. My 'Conflict and Peacemaking in Divided Societies' course is the one I am most worried about - I have never done such an intense research paper. It is all up to you and I know I have to do OUTSTANDING yet have never ... just wrote a sociology paper I guess. My paper was on the ICC (International Criminal Court) and the UNSC (United Nations Security Council) and their involvement/uninvolvement in Darfur and why. I honestly knew nothing about Darfur and especially the ICC or UNSC before I started on that and it was really never covered in class since it's such an ongoing issue, so was really interesting. If anyone wants to read a ridiculously long paper be my guest! I worked so hard on it I'm actually overly proud of it so I know I will just be gutted if I get a 7, or a 4! What if I get less!? I will tell you what, I will cry. And then move on and try to forget it! I will also say 'Damn you Denmark' or something to that effect (pardon my language).
I also had to write an essay for my Danish Culture final, and well...essays for courses like that are more annoying, I feel like I have to dumb down to write them and I HATE turning in things that are not intelligent. Therefore I struggled just..figuring how to write a 'what do you think is most characteristic of Danish Culture in your opinion' without just...it being too much BS. It doesn't help when they want you to list your sources on your OPINION based paper, what do I site? My brain? A time I talked to a random Danish person? No. So a little BS was involved in just trying to use anything for sources but they are asking for that with a paper like this. Silly class. In the end I was actually happy enough with it - did my paper based on the Danish sense of humor/freedom of press coming from a US standpoint. So now I just wait and see! It wasn't too comforting when I went to pick up my attendance certificate (just to make sure I got it haha) the other day and I saw LAST semesters grades up about the essay, so many 4s, 7s, few 10s and 12s! Some people even got 2s! I don't want to think about that now though...maybe I should explain the Danish 7-point grading system real quick.
alright, grades are as follows, -2 (or is it -3? doesn't matter), 0, 2, 4, 7, 10, and 12. A zero is their fail. A -2 (or maybe -3 I'm starting to think) means that you somehow screwed up so much you have to redo something, it's not a fail it's more of a pending incomplete. A 2 is a pass and so are the ones above that, 12s being VERY exceptional and everyone is even really happy with a 10 or a 7. Even a 4!! They don't think about grades like we do nor do they hand them out the same, some hard classes (like physics) might not give anyone over a 7, which is unheard of at home. Also your GPA is just the average score you get but it's not something employers really look at, they look at the classes you took. If you got 4s in your hard classes that's totally fine. And, as the beginning of my Peace course involved the professor saying 'All these Americans come in and say they want 12s, we don't give 12s' (don't know if I've mentioned that before)...I am a bit concerned AND I also think Purdue and really any other American school should realize the system is just different here and shouldn't transfer back. Of course if I get all 12s I'll be thrilled, but I don't think I will, and that is depressing. Just how they DO their grading system though makes it just...stupid to transfer them as grades. There is a reason while people from other countries don't have to transfer them, people couldn't believe that I have to get 12s really if I want a good shot at grad school. So here is how the grades will come back (keep in mind a 2 is a pass here and normal to get). 12 is A, 10 is B, 7 is C, and get this, 7's are considered really good, like no shame in getting a 7. A 7/C is the lowest I've ever gotten at Purdue AND I HATE IT, it's embarrassing, I'm never proud of myself, though sometimes I am happy I just didn't get a D (Microbiology, Calc 2, 'Quantitative Analysis Chem' those sucked so much I actually was happy with a C just so I didn't have to retake them). But regardless it's never really GOOD. Anyways, 4 is a D, and 2 is a fail. Yet a 2 is a pass here. So, crappy situation!
But enough about grades, and a little more Denmark updating.
It is light outside until midnight till around 3 am it seems, and I like it. I wish I could stay here until August so I could see how it is when it never really gets dark. I also now love soccer. I think I like watching sports here more because I don't know what they are saying and I've never really liked HEARING about whats going on the whole time when sports are on TV at home. I guess I just would rather watch it and pretend I'm there - do they do announcements of everything at home DURING the game for people to hear? Like Johnson passes to Smith, blah blah blah'? I don't know. I think I block it out if I do or hopefully can't hear it due to good crowd noises. I don't mind it at a football game that much or when I cant see whats going on. But when it's on TV, I can see enough of what's going on. Maybe that's why I've so far only really liked seeing tennis on TV, they are quiet and only say what's necessary. So I feel more there. Anyways watching the world cup here is pretty sweet, they have screens set up around Copenhagen that you can go sit outside and drink and watch, or stand :) I went to the Denmark vs Netherlands one (we lost sadly but the Netherlands are just amazing apparently), and it was sunny and warm mostly outside, good day. They show it everyday, every match, outside until the world cup is over. Which is cool :) And watching it on TV is fine too because all I hear I hear is the normal Danish background noises, well also that ridiculous 'there is a bee in my ear' instrument South Africa is quite obsessed with.
Other things other things....I don't know yesterday I just cleaned and was overly productive, I've realized I say the phrase 'but yeah' way too much...need to stop that...
Oh! I went for almost a week to this BEAUTIFUL little Danish Island of Bornholm (German's definitely like it there), where they have a crazy accent (sounds a bit like Swedish/Danish). Anyways, I had amazing food, saw the entire island, conversed with the sweetest Dane's ever (I went with my neighbor Daniel and so tried to talk to his grandparents who live there). It was a perfect inexpensive trip full of seeing round churches, amazing food and sweets, have I mentioned I'm in love with marzipan yet? Because I am...and herring! I had quite a bit more of Danish food :) Walks on beautiful beaches...just...the most refreshing week for me. And Bornholm is just a very calm country place basically, fields, beautiful houses, small towns, definitely all of my family would have liked it and found it cute. Needless to say I love Bornholm :) And their ...troll mascot haha.
Hmm, well if I think of anything later I shall post it. Right now maybe I have a little food, craving some meet, would be great to be home for father's day right now! And I could wear shorts! Haha. At least I am now going to Thailand and hopefully Cambodia (maybe others) as well for 3 weeks in July-August. NICE and hot there, and CHEAP, ohh I can't wait for the food! And then back home on August 6th! So I will leave it at that and chat to my computer via a blog later. Vi ses ;)
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Broccoli Worms
I suppose before I start this post I should look up what these worms in broccoli are...bad timing to start a post, here comes a little research - AHHA I'm not nuts! Ok. I will just start at the beginning like a normal person...
Ages ago back home in Mt. Vernon I was cutting up broccoli/washing it. As broccoli is very pretty it is fun to inspect closely, but even not inspecting closely I remember finding a little worm looking thing up near the green tree part, Just sort of huddled in what looked like a cocoon. Ever since this has totally freaked me out basically, I still love broccoli and I order it, eat it when people cook it, even eat it raw sometimes, but I never buy it.
Recently I wanted to make amazing-stir-fry-number 2, and I thought adding broccoli to the mix would be a fantastic idea, momentarily forgetting about previous worm scares. While I was cutting it up I remembered to check for them, thinking that since I'm far away from home I wouldn't have to look too close so wasn't too worried about it UNTIL I FOUND ONE. Once again, cocooned, just like at home. I threw it down the sink and mentally freaked out a little bit because all the rest I had been throwing in the stir fry I hadn't checked too much, so I just thought surely there was nothing else in there and sort of got over it. Later when I was having the last of my leftovers I just happened to see what looked like a curled up little worm...which I promptly threw away before looking at it too much. Upon telling Daniel about my broccoli worm troubles, I managed to half-heartedly convince myself that it was just some of the wild rice I had eaten with it, because some of those can maybe go a little crazy. However I have been dreading using the rest of my broccoli in the fridge...but since I paid for the food I have to use it eventually right?
So. Making a nice healthy soup, carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic, and oh why not throw in the rest of that broccoli?? I spent at least a good thirty minutes going through the broccoli sooo carefully, finding one more worm in it, and taking the broccoli apart big time before I put it in the soup. I had maybe two bowls that night, delicious (took me forever to make I was positively starving by the time I was done, which was maybe 10 30 pm), Anyways, recently while working through my massive leftovers I have found two worms :(:(:( Once just sitting on a carrot and it was right when I was thinking 'I wonder how many bugs blind people accidentally eat', and then there is a worm. No tricking myself there. So I threw it away. THEN another one!!! AHH! and it was more wormish than the rest, I could see it's little black feet things. Ok these actually are more like caterpillars...anyways, I have tried to convince myself these last times just to eat it, just make myself eat it and realize that I can't taste it (I'm assuming so anyways), yet I just don't want to eat these worms so I throw them away. Here is the issue though - I have at least 6 more meals with my leftover soup still...but...it's just not as good anymore. :( I just keep thinking about worms and looking through it, I wish I could just throw it away or something but I can't do that food costs money! So...for the next week I will be sifting through soup for worms. Meanwhile here is what I have found on google to enlighten you-
"Broccoli worms are smooth and green, and they tend to hide in the branches of broccoli florets. If you don’t want green worms to cook along with your broccoli, dissolve a few tablespoons of salt in a pot of water, separate the broccoli into serving-sized florets, and soak the florets in the salt water for twenty minutes. Almost all the broccoli worms will die and float to the surface. If you’re not convinced, inspect the florets before you cook them."
So the question is - will I bother to get more broccoli even though I know I will be forced to inspect the florets after any salt soaking? Or will I just avoid the delicious healthy treat....I'm even a little grossed out to try the salt thing and then just see all these little worms floating in it. I wish I liked eating worms :(
Ages ago back home in Mt. Vernon I was cutting up broccoli/washing it. As broccoli is very pretty it is fun to inspect closely, but even not inspecting closely I remember finding a little worm looking thing up near the green tree part, Just sort of huddled in what looked like a cocoon. Ever since this has totally freaked me out basically, I still love broccoli and I order it, eat it when people cook it, even eat it raw sometimes, but I never buy it.
Recently I wanted to make amazing-stir-fry-number 2, and I thought adding broccoli to the mix would be a fantastic idea, momentarily forgetting about previous worm scares. While I was cutting it up I remembered to check for them, thinking that since I'm far away from home I wouldn't have to look too close so wasn't too worried about it UNTIL I FOUND ONE. Once again, cocooned, just like at home. I threw it down the sink and mentally freaked out a little bit because all the rest I had been throwing in the stir fry I hadn't checked too much, so I just thought surely there was nothing else in there and sort of got over it. Later when I was having the last of my leftovers I just happened to see what looked like a curled up little worm...which I promptly threw away before looking at it too much. Upon telling Daniel about my broccoli worm troubles, I managed to half-heartedly convince myself that it was just some of the wild rice I had eaten with it, because some of those can maybe go a little crazy. However I have been dreading using the rest of my broccoli in the fridge...but since I paid for the food I have to use it eventually right?
So. Making a nice healthy soup, carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic, and oh why not throw in the rest of that broccoli?? I spent at least a good thirty minutes going through the broccoli sooo carefully, finding one more worm in it, and taking the broccoli apart big time before I put it in the soup. I had maybe two bowls that night, delicious (took me forever to make I was positively starving by the time I was done, which was maybe 10 30 pm), Anyways, recently while working through my massive leftovers I have found two worms :(:(:( Once just sitting on a carrot and it was right when I was thinking 'I wonder how many bugs blind people accidentally eat', and then there is a worm. No tricking myself there. So I threw it away. THEN another one!!! AHH! and it was more wormish than the rest, I could see it's little black feet things. Ok these actually are more like caterpillars...anyways, I have tried to convince myself these last times just to eat it, just make myself eat it and realize that I can't taste it (I'm assuming so anyways), yet I just don't want to eat these worms so I throw them away. Here is the issue though - I have at least 6 more meals with my leftover soup still...but...it's just not as good anymore. :( I just keep thinking about worms and looking through it, I wish I could just throw it away or something but I can't do that food costs money! So...for the next week I will be sifting through soup for worms. Meanwhile here is what I have found on google to enlighten you-
"Broccoli worms are smooth and green, and they tend to hide in the branches of broccoli florets. If you don’t want green worms to cook along with your broccoli, dissolve a few tablespoons of salt in a pot of water, separate the broccoli into serving-sized florets, and soak the florets in the salt water for twenty minutes. Almost all the broccoli worms will die and float to the surface. If you’re not convinced, inspect the florets before you cook them."
So the question is - will I bother to get more broccoli even though I know I will be forced to inspect the florets after any salt soaking? Or will I just avoid the delicious healthy treat....I'm even a little grossed out to try the salt thing and then just see all these little worms floating in it. I wish I liked eating worms :(
Monday, June 7, 2010
Undskyld, jeg kommer for sent....
Ahhhh that means 'sorry I'm late'- unfortunately I have to run off in literally one minute - catching a tiny flight to the Danish island of Bornholm! I know I have been failing at updating this but the entire month of May I was frantically working on essays, etc - BUT NOW I AM DONE! Just going to wait for grades now (nervously) Ahh have to run I'll update when I get back on Saturday!!
Love,
Laura :)
Love,
Laura :)
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Dear family, I have turned into a gypsy (of sorts)....
Upon realizing I am becoming very poor, I have been going on the slimmest budget you can imagine (yes it still affords bikes but that can be sold back you see). It's actually amusing the things I have stopped buying...lets just start with toilet paper. Now don't be alarmed, remember I said gypsy here and not 'gross person.' I also have a reason behind not buying the pricey toilet paper anymore - I was the only person who ever bought it, and I get tired of that. If no one else will ever buy it here then neither will I! I thought it would just make someone else buy it at first...but this is not the case.
No, I steal toilet paper slowly from public places. i will just wind a bunch around my hand (I'm getting really good at it, what a skill!), and then put it in the bottom of my bag, take it home, store in room, saving money! Often as well I think (while at my apartment), Hmm I have to use the bathroom, I'll go in Field's on the way to class...hehehe. It amuses me. I'm still hopefully though that someone will buy some...but yeah. It's much easier to steal toilet paper (and I could just be going there to use it all the time...so I'm just taking it some place else so they don't have to clean right?), ...anyways, it's easier to steal toilet paper than to steal delicious pastries. So I buy those!
Speaking of delicious things....it just so happens that outside of my Danish class today Jenna (another Australian friend, she's super cool, don't know if I have mentioned her yet), and I spotted some .... leftover cake! Outside of the same door that one time had all these water bottles so a bunch of us poor students helped ourselves to those too...
This cake looked pretty good. Hard to afford kage here (cake)....so I helped myself to just one of the three random pieces....and yum! so good, so moist, chocolate icing with coconut on it...during the Danish break we split another...and I may have the last piece here wrapped up in a napkin that I will be having after I make myself dinner, which I meant to be making right now but...just in that writing mood while I have so much on my mind you know? Hmm...
I don't know what else I do that is especially gypsy-ish, maybe that was too strong of a word to use and UGH ghost whisperer is on I despise this show what a waste of an English language show....But! I do a lot of pretend shopping, being a girl (I think we all like new clothes and thing to some extent but also I blame the media, we are pressured to buy things and look nice and have more clothes items than men I think), anyways, I'll see things that I have decided are affordable and just want them...talk myself out of them always, and today I even tried on things while walking to my bike to go home, and talked myself out of everything! Feel very proud about that :)
I also had the strangest experience today and I think its the sunrise at 4 30 am that is getting me - I woke up and thought 'oh I need to bike into the city but I definitely slept in, it must be 11 am!' but no, it was 7 30, and I looked at how bright it was and thought, 'noooo my phone is broken, that's so sad, whatever shall I do,' and I thought I'd just go back to sleep until my 8:08 alarm went off, but suddenly I was flipping through a yearbook laying on my bed on my side just like I was sleeping, and trying to find pages that matched, there were so many, and I thought 'ah I'm getting tired of this I'll just get up now and get ready, why waste my time with a yearbook, and I started to get up but then realized my eyes were closed AND THAT I WAS SLEEPING. And seriously this was withing 7 minutes of waking up the first time! So...I thought that was very strange..
Okok now I will cook, I have to study a lot tonight because I volunteered in class today to have a mock oral exam in Danish in front of the whole class (oh humility!) but thought that'd be good encouragement for me to study....can't hurt anyways....oh and another cheap thing - besides the fact that I buy the broken delicious food to save 10 kr (oh how I want the prettier ones with more icing..), I have now invested in juice concentrate, so I just mix that with water and will have another drink besides water now. Yay!
I say all this, but then I bought a 'Find Holger' book (the Scandinavian version of Where's Waldo - and they say find instead of where is, which would have been hvor er) as I saw it two days ago...I have a 'Where's Wally' (the Australia/NZ/UK) version already from once while stuck in the Sydney airport for a layover, and well, I just want to collect these...it amuses me, plus seriously I like the idea of finding things...it's an amusing book! And seriously how did Waldo turn into HOLGER.
Mmm...food time!!! :)
No, I steal toilet paper slowly from public places. i will just wind a bunch around my hand (I'm getting really good at it, what a skill!), and then put it in the bottom of my bag, take it home, store in room, saving money! Often as well I think (while at my apartment), Hmm I have to use the bathroom, I'll go in Field's on the way to class...hehehe. It amuses me. I'm still hopefully though that someone will buy some...but yeah. It's much easier to steal toilet paper (and I could just be going there to use it all the time...so I'm just taking it some place else so they don't have to clean right?), ...anyways, it's easier to steal toilet paper than to steal delicious pastries. So I buy those!
Speaking of delicious things....it just so happens that outside of my Danish class today Jenna (another Australian friend, she's super cool, don't know if I have mentioned her yet), and I spotted some .... leftover cake! Outside of the same door that one time had all these water bottles so a bunch of us poor students helped ourselves to those too...
This cake looked pretty good. Hard to afford kage here (cake)....so I helped myself to just one of the three random pieces....and yum! so good, so moist, chocolate icing with coconut on it...during the Danish break we split another...and I may have the last piece here wrapped up in a napkin that I will be having after I make myself dinner, which I meant to be making right now but...just in that writing mood while I have so much on my mind you know? Hmm...
I don't know what else I do that is especially gypsy-ish, maybe that was too strong of a word to use and UGH ghost whisperer is on I despise this show what a waste of an English language show....But! I do a lot of pretend shopping, being a girl (I think we all like new clothes and thing to some extent but also I blame the media, we are pressured to buy things and look nice and have more clothes items than men I think), anyways, I'll see things that I have decided are affordable and just want them...talk myself out of them always, and today I even tried on things while walking to my bike to go home, and talked myself out of everything! Feel very proud about that :)
I also had the strangest experience today and I think its the sunrise at 4 30 am that is getting me - I woke up and thought 'oh I need to bike into the city but I definitely slept in, it must be 11 am!' but no, it was 7 30, and I looked at how bright it was and thought, 'noooo my phone is broken, that's so sad, whatever shall I do,' and I thought I'd just go back to sleep until my 8:08 alarm went off, but suddenly I was flipping through a yearbook laying on my bed on my side just like I was sleeping, and trying to find pages that matched, there were so many, and I thought 'ah I'm getting tired of this I'll just get up now and get ready, why waste my time with a yearbook, and I started to get up but then realized my eyes were closed AND THAT I WAS SLEEPING. And seriously this was withing 7 minutes of waking up the first time! So...I thought that was very strange..
Okok now I will cook, I have to study a lot tonight because I volunteered in class today to have a mock oral exam in Danish in front of the whole class (oh humility!) but thought that'd be good encouragement for me to study....can't hurt anyways....oh and another cheap thing - besides the fact that I buy the broken delicious food to save 10 kr (oh how I want the prettier ones with more icing..), I have now invested in juice concentrate, so I just mix that with water and will have another drink besides water now. Yay!
I say all this, but then I bought a 'Find Holger' book (the Scandinavian version of Where's Waldo - and they say find instead of where is, which would have been hvor er) as I saw it two days ago...I have a 'Where's Wally' (the Australia/NZ/UK) version already from once while stuck in the Sydney airport for a layover, and well, I just want to collect these...it amuses me, plus seriously I like the idea of finding things...it's an amusing book! And seriously how did Waldo turn into HOLGER.
Mmm...food time!!! :)
For somebody who don't drive, I been all around the world...
Ok I know I haven't (sadly) been all around the world (yet), but I have recently purchased a bike!!! So everyday (ok this has been my first full day of riding in KΓΈbenhavn) I have that 'Brand New Key' by Melanie song stuck in my head so I'm always softly singing "I rode my bicycle past your window last night..." etc etc. It's so good I love that song. About my bike - it's amazingly old :) Sort of this awesome rust color painted over the rust, no handbrakes, just have to backpedal, sweet wire basket I can put my goods in...strange seat, loud little bell I used today when I just passed someone on the way home from class :) I feel sooooooooooo Danish!!
So, about biking - apparently I haven't done this in awhile? I got it last night from this Danish man (min nabo Daniel basically found it online for me, bid on it, and then took me there to pick it up whilst I brought the cash) and thought, oh yeah, let's bike ride so I can find my classes on the Amager campus! Maybe 40 minutes or so of riding, I'm in love with it, today 9 am get to the bike to go into the city and well, my butt is so sore, AMAZINGLY sore. I'm so out of bike-riding shape, it's just been far too long!! At first it was fun being jolting around on random cobblestones, but for maybe the next few days (hopefully just a few days!) I will be standing up during that portion.
I am also a very nervous city biker. I've never really done anything bigger than cross the highway on the way to Jeannette's....seriously. Now I'm suddenly on roundabouts and crossing many lanes and using bike lanes, hand signals, my sweet bell....It was sort of really nerve-racking at first but maybe tomorrow after two more separate trips into the city (Ahh I need to strap a pillow onto my seat but it could rain!) maybe I'll get the hang of it more. I currently am not sure how I will even get back tomorrow after class without following someone. On my first 'by-myself' journey in the city today after running errands I found myself...just following people again haha. It's so much easier, then I don't have to worry about doing something wrong, surely the Dane's know what they are doing. Hopefully soon I'll have a really good feel for the city/at all the direction of things, especially since it is absolutely GORGEOUS to bike around.
Seriously though, when I was saying bye to my neighbor who I followed in, the first thing I did was ALMOST run into a pole. And for a bit I was getting nervous and I'd just walk with my bike instead of bike-lane turning left turns. I mean a car could hit me right? But apparently not- THOUGH, not to worry anyone, but as I am proudly biking along, knowing what I'm doing for once, some insane taxi pulls a U-y and yeah...scary, thought I would die, but here I am typing! At least it was not my fault :)
Anything else good to say about biking? I like biking through puddles...Eh. I think I've covered it, just need to buy some bicycle lights tomorrow :) Should only be 20 kr ($3.80) Yay! I apparently was quite lucky with the price of this bike as well, 600 kr, but it came with this ancient and awesome complicated lock, which locks apparently cost around 200 kr? Says one of my flatmates. I do not want to verify with a Dane in case they make me feel like I got ripped off. Generally people pay 600 lowest for a nice working bike (did I mention the new tires), and will easily pay 800, and these are all for used crappy ones. When I was looking at the pretty classic city style bikes (nothing fancy here, no carbon no crazy good names that I know of), even the cheapest ones are in the thousands. Everything is just more here!! However, I will be selling this bike before I leave, hopefully for 600 kr!!! I mean it came with a basket too!!
Also, I was SOOO tempted to buy a metro pass today, the monthly that I usually get but expired the day I got the bike...it's 320 kr a month, so just 60 bucks for constant access to buses, trains and metros in the main two zones I use, and while it's such a cheap deal I think, I just want to not buy it and just bike everywhere, save that money!!! So tempted though...my kroner was just staring at me in my wallet...but no!
Another very awesome thing that happened today - not bike related - As I was sitting studying earlier in the city there was a fish tank sort of in the middle of the room, and this small child beating the fish from the outside with his apple. Of course, being an insane kid as I think all kids must be, he only smashed the part that he had bitten out of, just one bite out of the apple. Against the glass. Over and over. And the fish would just sort of shake in the water, and then swim a bit, shake some more, and particles of apple were smushed on the glass...I probably watched this for 10 minutes. As did his parents. Hehehehe...it amused me greatly.
Now back to studying! Actually I'm going to make food...I bought an eggplant recently (they are just beautiful I think), and...some asparagus....what do I do with that? Build my muscles for biking! Aww wait I bet I need to eat meat for that...noo...
So, about biking - apparently I haven't done this in awhile? I got it last night from this Danish man (min nabo Daniel basically found it online for me, bid on it, and then took me there to pick it up whilst I brought the cash) and thought, oh yeah, let's bike ride so I can find my classes on the Amager campus! Maybe 40 minutes or so of riding, I'm in love with it, today 9 am get to the bike to go into the city and well, my butt is so sore, AMAZINGLY sore. I'm so out of bike-riding shape, it's just been far too long!! At first it was fun being jolting around on random cobblestones, but for maybe the next few days (hopefully just a few days!) I will be standing up during that portion.
I am also a very nervous city biker. I've never really done anything bigger than cross the highway on the way to Jeannette's....seriously. Now I'm suddenly on roundabouts and crossing many lanes and using bike lanes, hand signals, my sweet bell....It was sort of really nerve-racking at first but maybe tomorrow after two more separate trips into the city (Ahh I need to strap a pillow onto my seat but it could rain!) maybe I'll get the hang of it more. I currently am not sure how I will even get back tomorrow after class without following someone. On my first 'by-myself' journey in the city today after running errands I found myself...just following people again haha. It's so much easier, then I don't have to worry about doing something wrong, surely the Dane's know what they are doing. Hopefully soon I'll have a really good feel for the city/at all the direction of things, especially since it is absolutely GORGEOUS to bike around.
Seriously though, when I was saying bye to my neighbor who I followed in, the first thing I did was ALMOST run into a pole. And for a bit I was getting nervous and I'd just walk with my bike instead of bike-lane turning left turns. I mean a car could hit me right? But apparently not- THOUGH, not to worry anyone, but as I am proudly biking along, knowing what I'm doing for once, some insane taxi pulls a U-y and yeah...scary, thought I would die, but here I am typing! At least it was not my fault :)
Anything else good to say about biking? I like biking through puddles...Eh. I think I've covered it, just need to buy some bicycle lights tomorrow :) Should only be 20 kr ($3.80) Yay! I apparently was quite lucky with the price of this bike as well, 600 kr, but it came with this ancient and awesome complicated lock, which locks apparently cost around 200 kr? Says one of my flatmates. I do not want to verify with a Dane in case they make me feel like I got ripped off. Generally people pay 600 lowest for a nice working bike (did I mention the new tires), and will easily pay 800, and these are all for used crappy ones. When I was looking at the pretty classic city style bikes (nothing fancy here, no carbon no crazy good names that I know of), even the cheapest ones are in the thousands. Everything is just more here!! However, I will be selling this bike before I leave, hopefully for 600 kr!!! I mean it came with a basket too!!
Also, I was SOOO tempted to buy a metro pass today, the monthly that I usually get but expired the day I got the bike...it's 320 kr a month, so just 60 bucks for constant access to buses, trains and metros in the main two zones I use, and while it's such a cheap deal I think, I just want to not buy it and just bike everywhere, save that money!!! So tempted though...my kroner was just staring at me in my wallet...but no!
Another very awesome thing that happened today - not bike related - As I was sitting studying earlier in the city there was a fish tank sort of in the middle of the room, and this small child beating the fish from the outside with his apple. Of course, being an insane kid as I think all kids must be, he only smashed the part that he had bitten out of, just one bite out of the apple. Against the glass. Over and over. And the fish would just sort of shake in the water, and then swim a bit, shake some more, and particles of apple were smushed on the glass...I probably watched this for 10 minutes. As did his parents. Hehehehe...it amused me greatly.
Now back to studying! Actually I'm going to make food...I bought an eggplant recently (they are just beautiful I think), and...some asparagus....what do I do with that? Build my muscles for biking! Aww wait I bet I need to eat meat for that...noo...
Monday, May 3, 2010
Did you just call me white? ...Did you just ask for money, again? :( I love Africa!
I feel I just take ages to write about things on here but I'd love to be caught up... I am currently doing this 'danish study - email people back - danish study - figure out contract things for home - danish study - possible blog post?' thing. Which is where I am now! And since Africa was soooooo amaaazing I figure I should get on to tales about that because seriously people, it changed my life. It's been terribly long since I've been there though now so I will just forget the chronological order of things and tell you whatever I feel like.
(then about a week passed before I finished this - seriously, how did I get so busy! I thought I didn't ACTUALLY have to do schoolwork here...if only Purdue didn't take the actual grades and it was just a pass fail...)
So, Africa, where should I even begin? I love it, I hardly got bit by mosquitoes. Apparently it's not the season for that so I'm glad I didn't bother with malaria pills! Especially since they were 1000 kr....Wow this is difficult when I wait for so long!
Besides amaaazing food (a lot of peanut sauces as they farm peanuts, rice, and fish), the Gambians themselves were entirely interesting. They did not hold back on asking for money, which was the only annoyance of the trip. Here is how it would be - we would say 'how far is the walk to the ATM? and the taxi controller man would say 'its impossible to walk, you need a taxi, will take two hours at least' and refuse to tell us the directions. Then KEVIN (this guy who tried to get us everrryyy day to go on some Senegalese official tour with him) would pop up, guilt us with things like "i waited for you guys yesterday, thought you said you would meet me at 6 (which we never said), and as soon as he heard we were just going to walk somewhere he would tell us 'oh, you need a guide for that, come, i'll get you one', then when we said no he'd say, no you cant walk that far ever, you need a taxi'. Often we would just leave and walk. Turns out it was a nice 30 minute walk! But even on the way there some Gambian followed us the whole way trying to get us to eat at this place or that, and then wanted us to guy him dinner? I really became ruthless in The Gambia, just a rude white woman!
You can really get yourself in some random and epic adventures walking around. Once this man was all "hey, let me show you this, come come,' and as we were sort of just wonderful AND as I am traveling with a 6'5" white guy (yay intimidation factor) we decided we'd see what he had to show us, and turned out it was the poorest place I have even seen in my life, and definitely the dirtiest. It had a ridiculously high orphan population and was just so....touching, especially when all the kids would come and go 'tobak, tobak!' (white person), and touch you and just go on in whatever language they spoke. You have to ask a lot before taking photos of people's extreme poverty as well, but generally after asking them they were OK. The kids though...the kids just break your heart, you want to do anything for them, especially to get them from growing up and turning into the swindling tourist guys. This particular village sometimes has peace corps volunteers, which to most of the people I met on this African adventure was the only type of American and had ever seen. However I wonder what they did there because it was still sooo poor, just building these mud huts that would be ruined in the monsoon season...I dunno. This village also had an amazing trash dump...everywhere. Of just...pieces of cloth and bras (? weird I remember stepping on a few), and just paper...yeah...I'll have to put up some photos on here.
Lets see what else did we do....we went to markets in both Banjul the capital (such an amazing CAPITAL, I mean, I think Mt. Vernon is small and behind the times, this really puts you in your place!), and ...something that begins with an S...Serre Kunda! which were supposed to be the biggest markets in The Gambia. The ones in Banjul were super fun due to the fact that they had all the tourist stuff, so the necklaces and wraps everyone wears, all sorts of paintings and wooden things, and you could bargain like MAD. In fact i often just said horrendously low prices because i wanted to let them know i wouldn't buy it and they would go 'ok :( you're my first customer, i have to sell it'. also apparently I am related to lots of dark complected people. Sister, sister come here, take this necklace for free, (which I did, thank you....person whose name I forgot.. I now only remember Fatima the fruit lady!)....but yeah. I bought so much stuff there and it was probably all less than 10 USD. The Dalasi is a high currency though (I possibly just made up that term), so I'd be slightly alarmed when things would be 100 Dalasi, because I'd think, 20 dollars, no way! acting like it was the Kroner, when in fact it was more like three dollars....hehe...or the amazing ice cream we got in the Serre Kunda markets for 25 cents...
Speaking of those markets, those were not for tourists. Seriously, Daniel and I were often the only white people in sight. Also its difficult to really bargain there, our taxi driver came with us and we would give him money so he would get us Gambian prices....but I mean, we do have so much money compared to them and it's...obvious, we simply cannot blend end.
Serre Kunda was this endless array of market food and ... crappy clothes....for example, I saw a kid wearing a Dairy Queen polo, like a workers polo. Something I couldn't even buy at home. Very interesting...but they sell it all and they at least didn't try to sell us a lot of that stuff because tourists just go their to look...And its just like you would think African markets would be like - insanely colorful, loud, music everywhere, people EVERYWHERE, busy like you can't imagine and we were on the least busy day....just amazing, I loved wandering the markets for sure. Our young taxi driver took us to the black markets too, where things that were stolen were being sold and we were given fishy looks...I think I also saw some prostitutes while I was there...but not sure, wasn't about to ask! And then at the end he took us to this 'slaughter house'. Was that ever a food science NO. I seriously don't know how I didn't vomit - it's almost as though the smell and the sights were actually that bad your body couldn't even register how gross it was. heads of animals just on the ground, everything is outside so flies are everywhere, but it was in this open walled barn sort of thing and really dark, and just piled on tables everywhere were random disgusting things, I hardly wanted to take out my camera to have it around that....but the people were awesome, trying to sell us these disgusting things as a joke, because obviously we were not there to buy...intestines? The Gambians definitely had a good sense of humor. Once, Bob (who I have mentioned before) said something like 'you all right?' but with their accent I decided to misinterpret it to make a joke and said 'did you just call us all white?' and he was so shocked and then laughing a lot, but they were almost making jokes about our whiteness and how to get BLACK AS EVER like them so figured I'd join in!
Before I go to bed (and tomorrow I'll have to load some photos) I will also mention this monkey walk we did once - went to the national park where the signs are all 'don't take peanuts' but our guide of course brought peanuts for us, and suddenly monkeys are everywhere, including jumping out of trees onto my back. It was amazing, it was magical, earlier we had petted crocodiles, oh and our guide let us know that basically everyone in The Gambia believes in pretty insane powers of ....herbs and stuff. The would go on and on about how the president had found the cure for AIDS, don't you know? And so many other cures just from each leave on every plant, and also a lot of people wore these Juju belts I think, and seriously the guide for crocodile and monkey day literally thought that if I were to take a knife and stab him, his skin would NOT be pierced. He also told us the story of his circumcision. Seriously the things you don't want to know, yay cultural differences! Alllways makes for an interesting time.
I'm thinking Senegal stories and .... pictures tomorrow. Sleeep tiiiime! :)
(then about a week passed before I finished this - seriously, how did I get so busy! I thought I didn't ACTUALLY have to do schoolwork here...if only Purdue didn't take the actual grades and it was just a pass fail...)
So, Africa, where should I even begin? I love it, I hardly got bit by mosquitoes. Apparently it's not the season for that so I'm glad I didn't bother with malaria pills! Especially since they were 1000 kr....Wow this is difficult when I wait for so long!
Besides amaaazing food (a lot of peanut sauces as they farm peanuts, rice, and fish), the Gambians themselves were entirely interesting. They did not hold back on asking for money, which was the only annoyance of the trip. Here is how it would be - we would say 'how far is the walk to the ATM? and the taxi controller man would say 'its impossible to walk, you need a taxi, will take two hours at least' and refuse to tell us the directions. Then KEVIN (this guy who tried to get us everrryyy day to go on some Senegalese official tour with him) would pop up, guilt us with things like "i waited for you guys yesterday, thought you said you would meet me at 6 (which we never said), and as soon as he heard we were just going to walk somewhere he would tell us 'oh, you need a guide for that, come, i'll get you one', then when we said no he'd say, no you cant walk that far ever, you need a taxi'. Often we would just leave and walk. Turns out it was a nice 30 minute walk! But even on the way there some Gambian followed us the whole way trying to get us to eat at this place or that, and then wanted us to guy him dinner? I really became ruthless in The Gambia, just a rude white woman!
You can really get yourself in some random and epic adventures walking around. Once this man was all "hey, let me show you this, come come,' and as we were sort of just wonderful AND as I am traveling with a 6'5" white guy (yay intimidation factor) we decided we'd see what he had to show us, and turned out it was the poorest place I have even seen in my life, and definitely the dirtiest. It had a ridiculously high orphan population and was just so....touching, especially when all the kids would come and go 'tobak, tobak!' (white person), and touch you and just go on in whatever language they spoke. You have to ask a lot before taking photos of people's extreme poverty as well, but generally after asking them they were OK. The kids though...the kids just break your heart, you want to do anything for them, especially to get them from growing up and turning into the swindling tourist guys. This particular village sometimes has peace corps volunteers, which to most of the people I met on this African adventure was the only type of American and had ever seen. However I wonder what they did there because it was still sooo poor, just building these mud huts that would be ruined in the monsoon season...I dunno. This village also had an amazing trash dump...everywhere. Of just...pieces of cloth and bras (? weird I remember stepping on a few), and just paper...yeah...I'll have to put up some photos on here.
Lets see what else did we do....we went to markets in both Banjul the capital (such an amazing CAPITAL, I mean, I think Mt. Vernon is small and behind the times, this really puts you in your place!), and ...something that begins with an S...Serre Kunda! which were supposed to be the biggest markets in The Gambia. The ones in Banjul were super fun due to the fact that they had all the tourist stuff, so the necklaces and wraps everyone wears, all sorts of paintings and wooden things, and you could bargain like MAD. In fact i often just said horrendously low prices because i wanted to let them know i wouldn't buy it and they would go 'ok :( you're my first customer, i have to sell it'. also apparently I am related to lots of dark complected people. Sister, sister come here, take this necklace for free, (which I did, thank you....person whose name I forgot.. I now only remember Fatima the fruit lady!)....but yeah. I bought so much stuff there and it was probably all less than 10 USD. The Dalasi is a high currency though (I possibly just made up that term), so I'd be slightly alarmed when things would be 100 Dalasi, because I'd think, 20 dollars, no way! acting like it was the Kroner, when in fact it was more like three dollars....hehe...or the amazing ice cream we got in the Serre Kunda markets for 25 cents...
Speaking of those markets, those were not for tourists. Seriously, Daniel and I were often the only white people in sight. Also its difficult to really bargain there, our taxi driver came with us and we would give him money so he would get us Gambian prices....but I mean, we do have so much money compared to them and it's...obvious, we simply cannot blend end.
Serre Kunda was this endless array of market food and ... crappy clothes....for example, I saw a kid wearing a Dairy Queen polo, like a workers polo. Something I couldn't even buy at home. Very interesting...but they sell it all and they at least didn't try to sell us a lot of that stuff because tourists just go their to look...And its just like you would think African markets would be like - insanely colorful, loud, music everywhere, people EVERYWHERE, busy like you can't imagine and we were on the least busy day....just amazing, I loved wandering the markets for sure. Our young taxi driver took us to the black markets too, where things that were stolen were being sold and we were given fishy looks...I think I also saw some prostitutes while I was there...but not sure, wasn't about to ask! And then at the end he took us to this 'slaughter house'. Was that ever a food science NO. I seriously don't know how I didn't vomit - it's almost as though the smell and the sights were actually that bad your body couldn't even register how gross it was. heads of animals just on the ground, everything is outside so flies are everywhere, but it was in this open walled barn sort of thing and really dark, and just piled on tables everywhere were random disgusting things, I hardly wanted to take out my camera to have it around that....but the people were awesome, trying to sell us these disgusting things as a joke, because obviously we were not there to buy...intestines? The Gambians definitely had a good sense of humor. Once, Bob (who I have mentioned before) said something like 'you all right?' but with their accent I decided to misinterpret it to make a joke and said 'did you just call us all white?' and he was so shocked and then laughing a lot, but they were almost making jokes about our whiteness and how to get BLACK AS EVER like them so figured I'd join in!
Before I go to bed (and tomorrow I'll have to load some photos) I will also mention this monkey walk we did once - went to the national park where the signs are all 'don't take peanuts' but our guide of course brought peanuts for us, and suddenly monkeys are everywhere, including jumping out of trees onto my back. It was amazing, it was magical, earlier we had petted crocodiles, oh and our guide let us know that basically everyone in The Gambia believes in pretty insane powers of ....herbs and stuff. The would go on and on about how the president had found the cure for AIDS, don't you know? And so many other cures just from each leave on every plant, and also a lot of people wore these Juju belts I think, and seriously the guide for crocodile and monkey day literally thought that if I were to take a knife and stab him, his skin would NOT be pierced. He also told us the story of his circumcision. Seriously the things you don't want to know, yay cultural differences! Alllways makes for an interesting time.
I'm thinking Senegal stories and .... pictures tomorrow. Sleeep tiiiime! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
