Category Archives: Travel

Breaking News

Written by serene. Posted on November 21, 2008. Filed under Nerdy, Travel. No comments.

SERENE SURVIVES FIRST DANISH SNOWSTORM

She will now retire to her bed to cuddle with pillows (audience: BOO) and watch some downloaded 30 Rock (audience: YAY). And this concludes your news update.

Sverige

Written by serene. Posted on November 13, 2008. Filed under Culture Club, Travel. 1 Comment.

I’m off to spend the weekend in Göteborg, Sweden. To celebrate the great country to the north and what some (*ahem*Timm*ahem*) may call my first foray into REAL SCANDINAVIA AND NOT THE FAUX-EUROPEAN VERSION, I present to you First Aid Kit, a super cute Swedish band (on The Knife’s Rabid Records label for the music nerds out there), covering Fleet Foxes “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song.” Let this song warm your feet, spoon you to sleep, and gently stroke your hair.

(h/t to Carrie Brownstein and her radtacular NPR blog)

5:30 am, November 5th

Written by serene. Posted on November 6, 2008. Filed under I am a sap, Travel. Tagged . 1 Comment.

I’ll always remember where I was at 5:30 am on the morning of November 5th. I was sitting on a slightly damp, very stinky couch that is like every other couch found in college dorms across the world. And on this couch, surrounded by other American study abroad students at this University located in the middle of a field that looks like every other Danish field, I cried. Like most folks back home, I watched the countdown to the West Coast polls closing with anxiousness. Next, I expected a projection for California, but instead was told by CNN that Barack Obama was the President-elect.

We all looked at each other with stunned expressions for a solid ten seconds before it sunk in. Simultaneously we all stood up and cried and hugged, for in that defining moment we reclaimed our national pride and faith in our system. We cried out of relief that the president who was never ours will soon to be gone and that a new era of leadership, one characterized by patience and intelligence and integrity, would be ushered in. We cried because we, as a country, finally progressed to a point in history where an African-American could be elected by such overwhelming numbers. And some of us cried because we just wanted to be at home, celebrating with all our friends and family.

All in all, our experience was like yours: lots of anxiety and nervousness followed by exaltation and happy tears. It was nothing spectacular or unique, but those tears that rolled down my face as I watched MY next President speak in such an eloquent and powerful way made those 8000 miles of distance between me and my loved ones feel a lot smaller than they have ever before.

Gone Wild: Deutschland edition

Written by serene. Posted on October 20, 2008. Filed under Travel. Tagged . 2 Comments.

Oh Berlin, you had me at your first confusing guten tag. The affair began at Tegel, where no one seemed to care that two Americans landed in Germany from Denmark, because as I tried to show passport control people my passport they just waved us away when confirming we just came in from Copenhagen.

After shrugging off the lack of security, we went outside to find the bus to take us to the hotel. I kept looking around for a sign – any sign at all – of a bus or shuttle. There was none. I found myself slightly paralyzed with confusion; I couldn’t figure out what was going on and I was two seconds away from walking over to the undoubtedly overpriced cabs. A beacon of hope came in the form of another traveler equally as confused, giving me the strength to shrug off my defeat and remind myself I was not a total imbecile. He also provided the path out to the bus, because he was able to ask for directions. Why I was unable to do this I will never know.

Passing the Stadtbanhof station at night en route to the hotel, with its giant lights and modern design, was the reminder I needed to stop being lame: I was in Berlin on that bus to celebrate my favorite person. So, I stopped being lame. And once we got to our hotel I was glad my mood shifted. We walked into room 211, featuring the art of Guido Sieber. It was the odd and grossly cartoonish welcoming I needed to mark the beginning of a short whirlwind trip to Berlin.

I will not bore with all the details of the two days. Rest assured that good food was eaten, sights were seen, memories were created, and streets were walked. I’m glad to report back that my romanticism of Berlin held up, particularly during the nighttime stroll along the Spree at night. It’s a lovely city, and I hope I go back with enough time to make it outside of Mitte.

Photo-list

Written by serene. Posted on September 29, 2008. Filed under Travel. Tagged . 4 Comments.

…because I’m feeling exceptionally lazy. I’m such a bad blogger. I blame it on the awesome Danish honey. I guess this makes me kind of like Winnie the Pooh. That makes me smile.

So, without further adieu, things I have been up to:

1. Riding trains

2. Walking around neighborhoods

3. Taking photos of friends

4. Nervously reading American political and economic news, never being quite sure if I could access my bank account (I was/am a Wamu customer)

5. Getting my first package and postcard. This helped get me through my first bout of homesickness.

6. Long Skype calls, which somehow are still never enough.

7. Recovering from my first living-in-dorm-environment cold.

That about covers it. Exciting, huh?

Missing home

Written by serene. Posted on September 12, 2008. Filed under I am a sap, Photography, Travel. Tagged , . No comments.

Life is settling a little more every day. I’ve settled into routine, which involves Skype, instant coffee, KEXP online, and looking out at the gray sky and being reminded of home. I was warned that when the initial charge of being abroad for a long while settles, a pretty wicked case of homesickness will take hold.

It has. I’m dealing with a daily craving of pho, a mind which wanders to those of you who keep me sane and centered and laughing, and a desire to watch a lot of American television online.

The one positive change with adjustment is that school is starting to get more intense, not only in course work, but also adapting to the Danish style of teaching (which will merit an entirely different entry). In addition, my group of UW students have had an interesting week, including going to Dyrehaven (a deer park in North Copenhagen) and a visit to Nationalmuseet  (National Museum of Denmark). My personal highlight was retreating behind my camera and capturing some hilarious moments.

Lakrids smile.

Lakrids smile.

Another interesting part of this week included seeing an international reaction to the seventh anniversary of 9/11. Many of us were asked how we were feeling and what the day means to us. For me, the sentiment was stronger here. I will never forget that day and how I felt, and my memories felt amplified by being in an unfamiliar place, trying to decipher newspaper articles using images burned into my memory in a language I can’t read. Those emotions are even trickier to reconcile when people are asking you questions about your feelings, which inevitably leads to a political discussion (yet another blog post).

One week

Written by serene. Posted on August 20, 2008. Filed under I am a sap, Travel. Tagged . No comments.

What a difference one week makes…

This time last week I was consumed with thoughts of the upcoming weekend. He Who Makes My Heart Beat Faster was swooping in to rescue me from nights filled with longing and dreaming and wanting. My normal secretive self couldn’t contain the excitement and soon enough I had my co-workers counting down the hours along with me. It got to the point where the obnoxious smile on my face and my silly happy dance was given a name.

And now my perfect weekend of bliss has passed.

It makes me sad to report that this week my mood is markedly different. Rather than elation and excitement, I’m filled with dread and stress. I have many details to attend to – boxes! storage units! mail forwarding! – and I can’t seem to put any effort into addressing them. My head and my heart are still soaring far above the clouds and it bums me out to think about putting so much distance between this perfect thing and that land way over there.

But Denmark WILL be awesome. And this time next week I’ll be headed for Sea-Tac with two huge bags, a heart that is full, and a sad bastard iPod to keep my chin quivering for the next four months.

And since I’ve been asked by a few people: yes, I will continue to blog; yes, I will post photos; yes, I will send letters/postcards/packages; yes, I want a mix CD/letter/postcard/package from you; yes, I will miss you all something fierce; yes, I will most definitely be back.

Guess where I’d rather be today…

Written by serene. Posted on October 30, 2007. Filed under Photography, Travel. 1 Comment.

In the process of clearing off my memory card for Halloween festivities tomorrow, I came across more Maui photos that provided a great source of escapism.

 I also found a photo that Dylan took of me which captures a moment I enjoyed immensely: napping on the warm rocks as the sun set at Kalama Park.

 

Tropical highs, mellow rains

Written by serene. Posted on October 19, 2007. Filed under Travel. 1 Comment.

With nothing left of my Maui trip except peeling skin and sand cascading out of the laundry that still needs to be done, my memories are the only thing keeping me warm on these chilly Seattle nights.

First impression getting off the plane? “Goddamn, it’s fucking hot here!” That, and the airport smelled of dirt.

First thing I did? Rolled up my pant legs, for I am the nerd that forgot to layer.

And what about the rest of the trip? Imbibing chilled tropical concoctions with the frilly umbrellas, spending time driving around the island with wind whipping our hair and sun burning our hands (for those of you who haven’t ridden in a car with me I must always ride with a window down and a hand riding the air. Apparently I haven’t progressed beyond 6 years old. Or my canine stage.), and spending vast lengths of time laying on beaches and trying not to drown in gigantic waves that like pulling off swimsuits.

To sum, it was perfect.

I also gave myself an extension of vacation after coming back. Mental exhaustion and emotional turmoil has made me somewhat unstable and the two extra days gave me the serenity to calm down a bit. And I’m sure the 87 degree weather in Maui didn’t hurt.

How excited am I?

Written by serene. Posted on October 8, 2007. Filed under Nerdy, Seattle, Travel. 4 Comments.

Wednesday cannot come soon enough. Bring on the sunburn, the hangovers, and the sand in uncomfortable places! 

Yeah, it’s been LOVELY.