Forks and other multi-pronged utensils in the road.

Maybe it's because I haven't readjusted to living in Czech just yet but for some reason I came to the decision that I don't think I will stay here after this year. Perhaps it's time to move on. I don't know why I came to this decision. The city is beautiful and I love my students, my directors, and the few friends I've made but something doesn't feel quite right to me. I think perhaps it's because I just came home from seeing my family and I miss them so incredibly much. Perhaps these feelings will go away in a week but I've started looking at positions in Turkey and Bosnia.

Edit: My friend Matyáš said I sounded too sad in this post so let me clarify. I think my time here in Czech is just the threshold of my journey. There is something deeper to be discovered and after jumping into this, stopping here would be unjust to myself. We'll see as the year develops.

Globe trekkin' like Carmen Sandiego sans the thievery.

I'm trying to figure out where I want to go this year on my vacation. So far in the running are:

1. Paris
2. Amsterdam
3. Istanbul

Now I have some issues with each. Paris is expensive. I don't have much money. Paris and Amsterdam are so incredibly touristy and from what I've heard from a lot of people way too overrated. I know people have had a good time and I do want to see it at some point because well, it is Paris but I hate that so many people make such a big deal about it. It's kind of how I feel about Rome. It's a beautiful city but far from my favorite. And those who know me know I am defiant until the end and hate doing what everyone else is doing. I'm the girl who hated pink just because all girls I knew loved it. I guess Mladen is correct to call me a "hippy hipster lady." Moving on. I really would love to go to Istanbul but I'm unsure how concerned I should be in light of the protests and military presence. Anisha told me that a former coworker of ours was there and had to be evacuated out. That and I don't know about my budget just yet.

My cookie-obsessed Serb friend (I exaggerate but love to tease him about it) also suggested another point of interest that I had forgotten about: Sarajevo! I've wanted to go for quite some time (I also would love to visit Mostar) and it's a little more off-course than what people would expect. The architecture, the mosques, the food, etc. It'll be winter when I go but it will be the beginning of winter so hopefully it won't be too cold.

I guess my top picks right now are Istanbul and Sarajevo, we'll see which one works out. The other thing is that Turkey and Bosnia are both countries where I'd be interested in teaching. If you have any tips as to what I should see, where I should go, what I should eat, let me know!

In the meantime, the weather is so nice here in Czech. Anyone for a bike ride?

Don't mind me, just rolling around in my massive bed.

I've moved in to my new flat in HK (Hradec Králové, not Hong Kong). I guess it's a good thing my flight was scheduled for the day it was and not a day later. Even though I missed celebrating Eid ul Fitr with pretty much anyone, I missed out on moving in while it was thundering and pouring outside. My flight was fine. Before I got onto the plane the flight attendant scanning my passport complimented my henna and wished me a happy Eid. It was really nice of him. Downside: sat next to a man who was very friendly but had a bit of a gas problem for the first hour of the flight. Someone (I think a friend of his) finally gave him some sort of medication to help him with the problem.

I was so surprised to find that Czech was so hot when I arrived. I had to shed some layers and change shoes. I met my landlord for the first time. What a super nice guy. His English isn't the best but he did his best. He carried my suitcase up all five flights of stairs for me. I am still getting settled in but I have to say I am super excited because of the following reasons:

1. I have never had a bed bigger than a twin in all my life.
2. I have a gas stove again
3. I have a dishwasher (which I can live without since I actually find washing dishes soothing but having one does cut down on time)
4. The kitchen has slanted windows since the apartment is in the attic which is great for watching the rain fall.
5. Roof deck!

It's a pretty sweet deal. I'm happy. I actually spent the morning rolling around in my new bed. I won't have sheets for a couple days since my director who provides me with those is out of town but that's okay, I can deal. I already miss home and everyone. It wasn't enough time but that's what everyone says for the entirety of their lives. Strangely enough now that I'm on my own, I feel like I've forgotten how to cook. Maybe it's the jet lag and my brain still hasn't adjusted and the lack of groceries + the lack of funds to buy aforementioned groceries but I bought a bunch of Indomie because I just couldn't think of a single thing I wanted to cook. I'm also getting used to the new flat and trying to find everything. I spent a few minutes just trying to find the light switches in the kitchen.

I also don't know what to do with my time. I have a week before I leave for Spain and for some reason I don't remember what I would during downtime. I can't stay inside for too long so I went on a couple walks in between thunderstorms. I think this year I want to make more of an effort to make more friends especially at the masjid here. For those who know me, I'm sure you're saying to yourself, "Shut up, Ariana, you have tons of friends. You make friends everywhere you go." It's true that I'm a very friendly person but I'm also very shy. It takes a lot of energy and effort for me to put myself out there to strangers which I guess makes it seem a little weird that my current job requires so much extroversion. I all honesty I usually avoid large crowds of people because it just kind of makes me overwhelmed. This is why I also hate malls and major shopping centers because if there are too many people I will usually quickly browse and then just leave. If I have a friend with me it's okay but I really envy people who are completely within their element in a foreign environment. For those of you who don't know me, I am in no way completely socially inhibited. I do love socializing, just amongst familiar company with whom I feel like I can take a moment to just think. Most of my friends who live in HK have left either for vacation or to permanently. I haven't even met my flatmates yet. I heard one leaving this morning (I think) but I was too tired from traveling and moving in to care. I guess I'll just keep reading and writing and perhaps go for a run if I can muster the courage and energy. I kind of wish someone was around to play a board game with or watch a movie.

I'm sure I'll find my bearings in a little while, moving just takes some adjustment. Just like it'll take a while to adjust to all this bed estate but I think I'll be just fine.

I am always thinking about my stomach.

Nerves, stress, and the tetris game that is packing to head back to Czech. I'm so sad that I'm going to miss Eid at home but my family is sending me to the airport with some goodies (kue nastar, kue kering biji pala, putri ayu, and some chocolate).  I miss a lot of foods from home while living in Czech so I've had to become a little more resourceful and make these things from scratch. What kind of thing do you miss Ariana? Well, I'll tell you, Ariana. I miss bagels like crazy. Soft, squishy, toasty bagels with peanut butter or cream cheese or as a breakfast sandwich or bagel pizza when I'm too lazy to really cook anything. Bagels aren't really available in Czech. My former flatmate, Kristy, said she knew of two places in Praha but that's about it. One of my students who visits his American father in New York every summer and I had a bonding moment when discussing traveling. It went something like this:

Me: What foods will you eat this summer when you're traveling?
Lucie: I will stay home and eat ice cream!
Marek: I will eat pizza in Italy!
Ryan: I will visit my dad in New York and we'll have some good bagels.
Me: *pause* My sweet child, thank you! You understand. Bagels. Kids, listen to Ryan.

So because bagels are amazing rings of goodness clearly sent for the betterment of mankind, I will share the recipe (courtesy of Emeril Lagasse) I have been using for the past couple months. They're not quite like store-bought bagels but they're still delicious and have a nice crunch when you toast them up:

2 cups warm water (appx. 110 degrees Farenheit/43 Celsius)
.5 ounces of yeast (roughly 3 tsp)
4 tablespoons of sugar
5.5ish cups of flour
2 teaspoons of salt
2 teaspoons oil
cormeal
toppings if you want. I like onion or plain but do whatever feels right.

1) Pour the water into your mixing bowl. Stir in the yeast and only 3 tablespoons of the sugar. Make sure the water isn't too hot because then you'll kill your yeast. I made that mistake the first time I tried the recipe. Let it sit for 5 minutes.

2) Start adding in 4 cups of flour and the salt. Don't add it all at once, do a little bit at a time.

3) Mix in the rest of the flour by hand.

4) Place on a floured surface and start kneading as much flour in as you can. Do this for about 5 minutes.

5) Put 1 tsp of oil in a large bowl and spread it evenly around. Put the dough in and turn it over so it's covered in oil. Cover it and let it rise for an hour. Meanwhile grease a baking sheet or two with the remaining oil.

6) Take the dough out and punch it down. Cut it into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and then into a log about 6 inches long. I just figure if it can wrap around my hand that's long enough. Make the logs into circles and pinch the ends. Put them on the baking sheets, cover, and let sit for 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 400F/ 200C. Also, start boiling a large pot of water (I use a 12-cup pot) and add in the last tablespoon of sugar.

 

7) Boil each bagel for about two minutes. As I put the bagels in the pot I throw down some cornmeal so the bagels don't stick to the baking sheet. If you're putting on toppings, dip the tops of the bagels in the toppings now.

8) Bake the bagels for 20 minutes. And then you eat them with your mouth.

Forget the BFF necklaces, just buy me a slice of pizza and give me the strongest hug you can muster.

My last trip to Boston was rather bittersweet. I was so happy to see people before I make my long journey back to Czech. I didn’t see too many people. I am not a person who has a large group of friends. I just have a small group of really good friends that I'm sad to leave yet again. I’ve never really had friends I with whom I was close until college when I met Chelsea. We kind of just fit as family. It was so hard for me when she fractured her ankle and had to move back in with her parents. I didn’t really have anyone I felt I could talk to about everything. When I started working at the café, I met Anisha and Mladen. While the café was far from my favorite job (only because the owner was a ridiculous tyrant) I have no regrets about that job. I would never have met these two individuals and probably would never have received inspiration to travel or teach. When it comes to Anisha, the reason I love being her friend is because we can talk about anything under the sun without judgment. She’s does her best to be honest with herself and really takes in all life lessons to try to become better as a person. Mladen is a jokester (as am I) and I'm not sure why I feel connected to him and can confide in him. He kind of reminds me of my dad in relation to his thoughts and views on family, his sense of humor, and inner child. I really respect these two individuals. 

I was talking to Anisha about my choice of friends in the past and why they never really stuck. I think it’s pretty simple, those people didn’t have a lot of respect for me and I didn’t have much respect for myself. I know that pretty sounds condescending and I don’t mean that those people were bad but when I was younger I was so desperate for a friend that I didn’t really think about what the basis of a good friendship should be. The similar interests were there but there was still a lack of connection and respect. I guess you’re not expected to figure these things out until you’ve experienced the world a bit. I really mean it when I say I don’t regret most things even though a good chunk of my life has been a far cry from ideal. I wouldn’t know what I know now if I didn’t go through these experiences and increasingly I really like who I am turning out to be. I know a lot of people say "I wish I knew then what I know now" or "I wish I could meet younger me so I could share my wisdom." I don't really like these sayings or ideas. What I mean is that my parents told me all these life lessons when I was younger. Does that mean I really truly listened and let those life lessons reflect in my life choices? No. I still went out and made mistakes so I don’t really think another adult telling me what to do would have mattered. I needed to learn the hard way and I think that everyone needs the figurative knocking to the ground so that these lessons and humility really stick. Making the world better starts with making yourself better.

I won’t see Anisha for a while which makes me really sad but I am excited to visit Mladen in Serbia. He said I can hang out with his aunt and grandma on their plum farm. :)

I'm leaving for Czech in a week so I'm crossing off the last things on my to-do list. One of those things was to go to the New England Aquarium. While looking at the tanks I was thinking two things: 1) Coooollll and 2) I want to eat you. But I spotted this guy all by his lonesome in his own tank. I snapped a picture and shared it with a few people but Mladen’s response takes the cake. So I am happy to introduce “Ocean Sheitan.”