Photos

To view my photos check out the newly added photos tab and click on the picture of my luggage!!

Plan of Attack

I have been doing some thinking of where, how, with whom, etc. I would like to travel once I am done with my internship here in Barcelona. Put simply – my traveling will start at the beginning of August, finish in the end of November and I have no definite destinations or obligations in that time frame.

I have recently been thinking of an entirely different approach than before. My new plan is to travel as cheaply and as far off “the beaten track” as possible. My reason for this type of approach is that I enjoy learning about different cultures and customs, which becomes difficult when you travel to places which cater to all of your needs as a tourist. I want to immerse myself in various cultures; to dive into the deep end without my floaties on, instead of wading in the kiddie pool…per say.

I am considering couchsurfing as my means for a place to sleep/eat. Here is a link for those of you who don’t know about couchsurfing or want some more information; also, here is a link to my profile.

My question to all of you reading this is – what are your thoughts and/or suggestions?

One Love

As I was writing my post about my tale of the night in Barcelona, there was one reoccuring theme from the night which frustrated me and has continued to frustrate me. However, I decided to sit back for a few days and muster it over before I wrote my opinions and beliefs for everyone to see. The topic is – arrogant, rude, ignorant, etc. etc. people (with an emphasis on tourists).

In short – the theme was tourists acting as if they had a “free pass” and that they were able to do anything without consequences. Now, I am going to pick on American tourists a bit here…because I myself, am an American tourist. Personally, I travel to learn about other cultures and the people of those cultures, as well as to reflect a positive image of Americans which is rarely shown in the news broadcasts of other countries. So, it really frustrates me when American tourists are living up to the negative stereotypes and expectations which people all over the world already have. Keep in mind that you are visiting someone else’s home, so treat it with more respect than your own, because you would like the same in return. Now I don’t want to make myself out to be a saint, because in no way am I even close to perfect, but I try to always keep an open mind and follow The Golden Rule to the best of my ability.

Playing For Change – One Love

A few months ago, I had the pleasure of sitting next to a very wise, high-ranking, retired military man on the plane ride from Puerto Rico to Detroit and was able to listen to his views on the world, war, religion, etc. and input my own views and thoughts which were surprisingly similar. He had traveled all over the world in the military and been a part of several wars. These days, you can find him, his wife, and their yellow Labrador known as the “Peace Pup” in the middle of riots and demonstrations in the Lansing area as well as all over the world (such as Darfur, Tibet and the Middle East) helping to keep peace between the people on either side of the argument. He is a major advocate on immersing yourself into other cultures and experiencing the “grass on the other side”. There were a few suggestions he made to me which I will never forget; he said that when you travel you are not only representing yourself, but you are representing your friends & family, your generation, and your country. That being said, make sure to leave a positive image on the people you meet and they will probably do the same. Another thing he mentioned is that there are a few words you should learn before you go to any country which speaks a different language…those words being: one, please, thank you, and beer… and if you are able to put them into a sentence such as “one beer please… thank you” than more power to you!!

Think about this – How many people do you know that complain about people either living in or visiting the United States whom don’t speak “the language” fluently? On the flip side, those are usually the people who travel on vacations overseas and complain that not everybody speaks English. You are probably wondering why I put quotations around ‘the language’, the reason behind that is because no matter how much people want to declare a national language or believe that the Unites States has a national language …we don’t… I know this is a controversial topic for many people (including myself which am usually found on the other side of the table as compared to many of my friends and family), but this country was founded and built by immigrants from all parts of the world and there is no name for a language which encompasses all of those languages. Yes, I agree that English is the most common language used in the United States for business, but, it is also the most common language for business in the world… so does that mean that every country should change their national language to English?!?! or that their should be declared a “global language” of English?!?!

Another thing to think about, whether traveling or not is… what makes you better than anyone else in this world?? Could it be because you are wealthy or that your parents are wealthy, or maybe that you are beautiful/handsome, or maybe because you have been blessed with intelligence, or that you have more friends than someone else?!?! If you feel like you fit into any of these categories which makes you better than any of our fellow human-beings than unfortunately you couldn’t be any further from the truth. There is no difference between the value of one persons life as compared to another’s and even if there was, would it really be your place to judge that?!?! However, maybe I missed some characteristic or attribute which makes one person “worth” more than the other. So, if you can think of one, I’d be interested in knowing…

I know this is a long post, but, I am very passionate about this subject. In summary, if you are planning on traveling or are currently traveling, please remember that you are still representing yourself and your country (probably more so than before) so use your manners, respect yourself as well as others, and love your neighbor, because those are and will always be the “global language”.

Tale of The Night

So it is probably about that time that I write a post about some tales of the night I’ve had. I’ve been really fortunate this entire trip thus far… I’ve met some really great people, made new friends, caught up with some old ones, learned a lot, and have had some really great experiences.

Now for the tale –

I went to Barcelona yesterday to catch up with an old friend and enjoy the presence of the English language which I have missed ohh so much this past month. The night (day) started in quite a relaxing fashion – myself, my friend Hannah and her friends Derek and Liz all went to the beach around 5 and enjoyed a few drinks…after a few more, Derek and I decided it would be a good idea to enjoy the fresh feel of the ocean (which was definitely refreshing to say the least). The beaches in Barcelona are quite a site for the eyes…if you enjoy people watching like I do, you will certainly be entertained; from elaborate sand castles, old naked men on bicycles, 50 foot yachts, etc. there is a view to satisfy everyone’s taste.

On a side note – Some proof my Spanish has been improving significantly…I am now comfortable bargaining in Spanish and have been quite successful so far (which I pay attribute to my fathers relentless bargaining skills I have witnessed for the past 20 years of my life haha). A few key bargains in my opinion:

• 10 minute – 5 Euro back massage on the beach down to a 8 minute – 2 Euro back massage (which I didn’t even really want in the first place, I merely just wanted to bargain for the sake of bargaining…but in the end, it was money well spent…cause who doesn’t want a back massage on the beaches of Barcelona?!?!)
• Personal Favorite: I successfully bargained for a cheeseburger at McDonald’s after they had closed the registers and doors. I know what you are thinking…how is that even possible?? I am not to sure either about the words which were exchanged, but I will attribute this one to my current state of drunkeness soberness and intense craving for a cheeseburger. In the end, I payed one of the employees 1 Euro (which is less than they cost normally) for one of his that he was planning on eating haha.

After the beach, we met two fellows from England and two others from Italy and all went out into the streets in search of a good bar. One of the main touristy streets in the city is called La Rambla (which in Spanish simply means The Avenue and usually each city has a main street called La Rambla) which is where we wandered around. I thought that the street was crazy with commotion and sites during the day but the human statues and street vendors of the day were dwarfed by the people of the night. In short, there are quite a lot of sites to see amidst the night here in Barcelona…however, most of which I do not feel comfortable writing down for the public eye haha so you will just have to see for yourself!! The night went on as we hopped from bar to bar meeting new people, sharing stories, experiences, and a lot to drink. We all made it back to the hostel around 4 or so in the morning and slept in what could have doubled as a sauna to finish off the night…

Las Discotecas

Last night / this morning was my first experience with las discotecas and definitely won’t be my last 🙂 For those of you who don’t know what a discoteca is – they are the spanish version of clubs / discos in the US.

However, they are quite different in several aspects…In Spain it is common to leave the discotecas at 6 or 7am; actually, it is uncommon to leave earlier than that and people whom do so are looked down upon (…kind of like passing out early at a house party with your shoes still on haha). Below is a picture of a discoteca similar to the one we went to.

The dancing is also a bit different from what I am familiar with. It is a mix between salsa dancing and tecktonik dancing. If you are unfamiliar with tecktonic dancing, here is a video to get you up to speed.

Airport Thoughts

I wrote this in the Frankfurt-Hahn airport but was not keen on paying 8€ for 30 minutes of internet to publish it…

The first time I actually realized what I was getting myself into was today on the flight from Charlotte, NC to Frankfurt, Germany. My epiphany occured with about 2 hours left until arrival in Frankfurt and was followed by a flood of mixed emotions.

When the plane landed, I was able to experience what exactly I had gotten myself into. Not knowing any German (besides a few key words thanks to my German flatmates last summer Sarah & Steph) I struggled to figure out where I needed to go and I had to get there.

As I am writing this, I am waiting with all of my luggage (I cannot check my bags until 3 hours prior to my flight – which is only 12 hours away) in the Frankfurt-Hahn airport until my flight to Barcelona. 

I am a bit overwhelmed, but this is my first time traveling alone to an unfamiliar place for an extended period of time so it is understandable. That being said, hopefully I will become more comfortable once I get situated in Sabadell.

Travel Ideas

As of now, the only details of my trip which are set in stone are
that I am leaving Detroit on Monday morning (5/18), arriving in
Barcelona Tuesday night and starting work on Wednesday morning.
For the return trip – I will be flying out of Frankfurt, Germany
on November 19, so I have a solid 6 months to work and travel.
Everything else is still up in the air…

I am interested in what everyone’s opinion is about where you
would recommend traveling to and what to experience. I put together 
a quick poll with the main cities of some of the countries I was
considering traveling to, but if you have other suggestions, feel
free to voice your opinion and give some details if you’d like.

Thanks!

 

The Prelude…

Only 5 and 1/2 days until I leave for Europe… I am flying into Frankfurt, Germany then into Barcelona, Spain in what shall turn out to be 2 long days of flying, layovers and time changes. As I start to wrap things up here in Michigan in preparation for a “new chapter” in my life I am beginning to feel some nerves kicking in; even though I am a little nervous, I am also very anxious and excited to embark on this adventure.

This blog is meant to be very open to anyone who comes across it; I am going to attempt to gear it towards engineering systems analysis (depending on the work I will be doing) as well as updates of travels and short stories for family & friends. If anyone has any questions/comments/suggestions, I would love to hear them and adjust the posts to a more in-depth discussion of the topics. Thanks for reading!

To wrap up this first post of my hopefully flourishing blog, I am attaching a picture from my adventures last summer in New Zealand. This picture was taken on my hike up Mt. Luxmore (elevation of 4,800 ft.); it reminds me that great things do not just come to those who wait around for it…it is realized by those who seize it.