the rain continued today. and i found myself in the library from 1030 til about 530. i cried at least 2 times on separate occasions. but thankfully one of them was halted when my parents skyped me at 7 in the morning their time. i seriously just take one look at my dad or even start to tell him about something im upset about .. and he immediately reassures me that no matter what happens. it will always be okay.
i had trouble buying a plane ticket for one of the middle legs of my big trip .. they wanted me to wire money from my account and like I should be, I was cautious to trust the random email. I couldnt call them because it would have cost me 2euros a minute. No one else had problems because they paid with credit card. but because i used my debit card, i had issues. turns out i was victim of the random fraudulent checks that the airline does to insure they arent being scammed either. so as he said, it turned out okay and i just bought my ticket. completing the final leg of my journey that starts tomorrow.
as of this morning, we had no idea where we were sleeping on friday night in milan. hostels/hotels require a LOT of research. i mean you cant just look at the price and jump on it. most places were already booked, or had TERRRRIBLE reviews, or were far away. the one we found that satisfied all of our basic, and i mean basic requirements, was found in a hotel called Catalani and Madrid and conveniently enough .. its 40euros a night .. goodbye $100. but hey, you need a place to sleep right? So after going to bed at 3am. finally got that sorted out.
my roommate accompanied us on our mountain hiking adventure 2 weeks ago. while on a rather easy part of the trail .. she stumbled and nearly fell into a crippled heap. she was ok though .. save for the ligaments that she tore in her knee. stubborn and strong.. she didnt complain the WHOLE day .. or the WHOLE next week .. until she finally acknowledged that maybe she should see the doctor. after walking on it for a week, cautiious as she was, it was in worse shape. and now, her status of coming with us on our big trip that we've been planning for weeks.. hangs in the balance. honestly, if it was me, i would be a mopey sack of sorrow. not being able to go out, meet people and experience this journey for all its worth would literally have me in a fit of depression. but shes been great, never cried, never complained. but now .. she doesnt know if shes going or not . she sees the results of her MRI tomorrow at 9am.. we are supposed to leave at 11 .. id be panicking.. wouldnt you? shes not. she hasnt shown the slightest involvement at all. and while i COMPLETELY understand and DO NOT envy her situation .. its extremely difficult to be planning this huge trip and include someone who has completely lost interest and everything. like. i feel like a terrible person for getting frustrated with her because honestly shes been such a good sport and i know i could never have that much courage. but some help would be nice. not to mention i wish really more than all of that - that she would be able to enjoy our trip. i know its going to kill her not to come. but also to come will be so hard for her and on her knee.. dont wanna risk permanent damage right?
ive realized that i am not the easy go with the flow kind of person. i mean, i am, to an extent. i really prefer to have all my ducks in a row and any of you that know me, know this is absolutely true. i cannot wait for all the twists and turns this trip and my life in general are going to take and i really do have an innate positive upbeat attitude. but i get a little stressed out when major details (where we're staying, how we're getting there, how much is it costing, what are we gonna do) are missing. maybe that makes me lame and not fun.. but i was raised with a solid head on my shoulders and losing my head or losing grasp of situations makes me feel completely vulnerable and terrified to be honest. but i find the best in life and i life it to the fullest. i just dont do it flying by the seat of my pants.
so now .. i have to do my least favorite activity ever .. pack.
here's what my next 10 days looks like. if you think im crazy, out of my mind or nuts for trying to pack so much into a small time .. think of its as ambitious .. not psycho.
friday bus from aix to nice. train from nice to milan, italy
saturday day exploring the fabulous and chic milan
sunday nice plane ride to prague, czech republic in the midmorning- rest of day exploring
monday alll day roaming prague
tuesday train from prague to vienna, arrival just in time to grab some delicious dinner with a friend of mine from USC who is there
wednesday all day exploring Vienna
thursday all day hanging in Vienna -spending the night in the airport to catch a
friday VERY early plane to Zurich, switzerland - all day in zurich
saturday all day adventure in Zurich
sunday lovely train from Zurich to Marseille, France
this is absolutely going to be such a huge learning experience. its ambitious. daring. insane. 4 countries in one week. wow. but i really really cannot wait to see what this experience brings me!
i will be back the 27th of february .. exhausted beyond belief to be sure.
but when i come back i will have lots of blogging to do and i will fix my 123 Project!!
A bientot!
