Budapest review

After the end of a trip I always look back to the feelings I had before starting.. I always wonder why it was so difficult to make that decision. It always goes something like this: I dream about something, opportunity appears, I think about it for weeks/months, I decide to take it right at the end, I stress about it and become anxious before going wishing I had just stayed in the peace and comfort of my own home, I get there, become excited and enjoy the experience. 

Why did it take me so long to book that ticket, why was I worried and what was it that made me so reluctant to go in the first place..?

I had an amazing  (amazing!) time. More than anything, it was inspirational. I met amazing people. I never get bored of meeting new people.. especially when they are young journalists from all over the European continent. 

My first night in Budapest was peculiar, I arrived late and realized that for the first time in years, I was staying in a common room in a hostel. I did think that I was too old for this, which made me realize that maybe I have lost the spirit of adventure I once had, but the hostel was so beautiful and the atmosphere so relaxed that I wouldnt mind sharing the room with hippie strangers again. 

The next day I walked for hours and hours in the city, trying to explore its every corner, get as lost as I could in the small streets and immerse in the atmosphere of the big city that I so long for when I get stuck in Cyprus. The beauty of this city is just unbelievable. Apart from the beautiful views across the river, there was all kinds of beautiful buildings in different architecture styles.. Gothic, art-nouveau, rennaisance.. and even to the untrained eye, it was just beautiful architecture which made walking around very exciting..

And then started the "study session". The thrill of meeting new people. My brazilian roommate, my intelligent editor and team leader, my very special teammates in "orange magazine" team and many other participants were keeping me good company during the week. I had enriching conversations, where time just stopped while talking to another person.. I had "epiphany" moments, on the importance of critical media literacy and the philosophy of logics. I loved some of training we had. I learned a lot about the media world. I worked hard to produce my article, which I only take credit for, despite what it says on the author information. I had frustrating moments, disappointment, anger and so many emotiongs which made the week feel like a lifetime. It was awsome. The food was great too. 

Click here to see what each day entailed. 

So what did I learn? That journalism is an exciting field, especially for someone who is curious about the world and is so keen on finding out the truth. That the media can trick and manipulate the people in so many different ways. That I cannot avoid social media (facebook, twitter, instagram), as much as I have tried to resist them and I should just give in and make them part of my life. They are a journalist's best friend after all. I learned a lot about Moldova too, thanks to Dimitri. I re-learned about the human rights based approach, just to keep it fresh in my mind. 

This post is getting too long. I would write so much more about this trip, but a picture is a thousand words, so I ll let the pictures say the rest :-)

ORANGE TEAM

Fun night out in one of the best bars in Europe!

with my brazilian roommate (couldnt ask for a better one!)

team work

Presenting our work on the last day... Such a relief to have everything done!

Viet Nam

If I am to be completely honest, I have to say that the thought of going to Vietnam scared me a bit. It wasn’t just all the horrifying stories I heard about crossing the borders from Cambodia (scams and long waitings and all the officials trying to get money out of you..) It was also the fact that Cambodia was a small, comfortable country of 9 million and Vietnam’s population exceeds 85 million! Also, according to my friend P, big Vietnamese cities were extremely crowded, dangerous (pick-pocketing seems to be popular and traffic is a bitch) and people, apparently, stare at you until you feel uncomfortable.

Well, I didn’t like the staring part but Vietnam was enchanting beyond expectation… Big and chaotic cities, yes, but also small fishing villages and beautiful nature… Slight danger of becoming the victim of scams, but interesting history and great food. People who stare until their eyes pop out, but also friendly and smiley and kind people… I guess in a country that crowded, you do find everything…

My heart was pounding as we entered the little boat that would take us, through the Mekong River, from Phnom Penh to the border to Vietnam. Two more girls were on the boat. They were French, studying to be nurses and were in Vietnam for a practical training, delivering babies. They said the year of the tiger was a slow one, as most families intend to give birth on the year of the dragon. Then the hospitals are full. That was an interesting introduction to the south-eastern culture, with its spirituality and dysdaimonic beliefs.

We crossed without too many hassles. Our papers were accepted and as we were flowing peacefully on the clear waters of the Mekong, we saw beautiful nature around us… huge bulls relaxing on the sides of the river… people working or bathing, children completely naked. Men fishing with their medieval nets… beautiful bridges and people crossing with their bicycles, waiving at us. These were my first impressions of Southern Vietnam.

The first city where we ended up was a small one. Chau Doc. Crowded and busy. We had booked the organized tour, so we were staying at a real hotel for a change. We walked around to enjoy the new smells and flavors and the new atmosphere, which was so different than the one in Phnom Penh.
Observations:
- Petite dogs are adored in this country. You could see them everywhere, even on bicycles.
- The “moto” phenomenon was even more extreme than in Cambodia. The streets were full of them, sometimes carrying up to 4 or 5 people!
- Intense cuisine. Spicy and tasty and the first sip of coffee was heaven. I really had no idea that Vietnam is the second largest coffee-producing country.
- People really were staring. A lot! But they were also friendly... we got invited to sit with a group of young people who were hanging out in the streets, drinking and eating. We had a couple of shots with them before reaching the limits of possible communication and then it was time to go!

After 8, the city became dead. There was no one in the streets anymore and it looked dodgy and eerie. A completely different city than the one we had visited during the day. We walked along the river for a while and reflected on our journey, wondering how the following days would turn out…

South East Asia

Where can I begin? It was magic. It felt like it was my first time traveling, like I just left my hometown for the first time, because everything was so different and new.

At first I decided to go alone cause I couldn’t find anyone who wanted to go with me, so I booked the ticket, not without some stress, and prayed for the best. Two weeks before departure I met a guy and we started dating and then he decided to come with me! Crazy, but it worked out perfectly.. It was lucky I met him. I had a problem with my foot and I couldn’t walk very well for most of the time I spent in Asia, so having someone to help me was priceless..

So we started our travels in Cambodia, after spending just one transit night in Bangkok. Cambodia was shocking… So much poverty… We first went to an orphanage and spent about 3 weeks there with the kids and the crazy owner.. I could talk about this experience for hours..

The kids were lovely and it was great to spend time with them. I was assisting their English teacher but the most fun was hanging out with them during their free time. Communication was difficult, especially with the young ones, but they were loving and we could play with our hands some silly games.. I remember one night me and kyriakos sat on the ground with them and we started singing and playing games and it was so much fun. The orphanage was in the middle of rice fields and at night it was dark and quiet and you could hear the frogs singing.. simply magic..

We got connected to some kids and Kyriakos became really good friends with a cute 6-year-old who was clearly missing parental love… He was hanging from his beard the whole time, teasing him and craving his attention. Some older kids who spoke good English were also approaching us all the time and asking for information about our country and telling us their dreams and what they want to do when they grow up.

Most of the children were not orphans, but their families couldn’t take care of them so they gave them up to the orphanage, where they could get good education and 3 meals per day. They can learn English and computer skills and maybe they can get sponsorship to go to university, so they got a hope for the future that they wouldn’t have if they stayed with their families. But its still sad, because they never get to go anywhere, they wake up at 5 to do their chores, they have to hand- wash their own clothes (and the small ones don’t really know how to do that, so they walk around dirty most of the time). Its hard.. and the conditions are definitely not the best..

While we were at the orphanage the owner felt obliged to entertain us. Thanks to him we had some good experiences.. he took us to his village, in the middle of the jungle and to the temple where he used to be a monk and we could attend an offering ceremony.. The monks are supposedly not allowed to go outside during the rainy season, so civilians go to the temple and offer them food. The guy also took us out to traditional khmer restaurants were he fed us all kinds of weird things we preferred not to eat (like frogs and bees and goat’s brains), but he wouldn’t take no for an answer.. He was also drinking a lot and insisting that we drink with him and we ended up going back to the orphanage drunk.. he also took us to a khmer night club, where rich Cambodians dance in circles and it was a fun experience.. He tried his best to show us a good time while we stayed there, but he was a bit too crazy. You would not expect someone who is running an orphanage to be that outgoing and fun-loving!

So we left the orphanage and went to Phnom Penh, the so-called “Pearl of South east Asia”. Its a very nice city, and it was good to get the feeling of the big city after some weeks in isolation. Phnom Penh has everything, shops and restaurants and a beautiful riverside, but its incredible how many poor people occupy the streets. Late at night, you have to watch your every step not to hit one of the homeless people who sleep under your feet. There are begging children everywhere, and even if you are cold-hearted and familiar with such sights, you cant help but be sad that so many people live in poverty. And then you get used to it. and that’s the sad thing, that you get used to seeing poverty all around you. Then its only the wealth that impresses you, you notice people who have cars and not the ones who don’t. You look at people who have houses and the ones who can afford to eat in restaurants, since the ones who don’t are so much more.

Anyway, Phnom Penh was nice. We enjoyed the food and the markets and sightseeing… and after an impressive trip to the northeast to see the temples of Angkor (the famous Angkor Wat and the place were Tomb Rider was filmed) we took the boat and crossed the border south to Vietnam.

I think the most interesting thing in Cambodia, apart from the natural beauty and the impressive Angkor temples, was learning about the history of the country. The communist era of Pol Pot, when the Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia and thousands of people died from executions, famine and diseases. We visited all the main historical sides and it was shocking. Cambodia is a country that has suffered so much and the way to development is still long. Being in Cambodia was a valuable learning experience.

Vietnam was a completely different story. Poverty was not so visible there, even though the way of living of the people is completely different from the western world. We started our trip in Vietnam with a tour of the Mekong Delta and it was a different world. We went to the floating villages, where people live, work and bathe in the Mekong river. Most men are fishermen and women occupy themselves with household duties. They live in houses that float on the big river. It was really a new thing for me, I had never even heard of these villages before.. And it was so impressive to see those people living “floating” lives. The scenery was also beautiful, green and wild nature and coconut trees.

After the Mekong we explored Ho Chi Minh, the biggest city in Vietnam that has nothing to be ashamed off in comparison to big European capitals. We tried the delicious cuisine, went to museums and saw all the temples and catholic churches marked in the guidebook. Then we worked our way up to Hanoi, at the north of the country, passing from cities along the way. Most of them were coastal cities with beautiful beaches, where we enjoyed fresh coconut juice under the palm trees, went on boat trips to islands and went snorkeling and diving. It was a real luxury holiday on a very cheap price. I recommend Vietnam to anyone who wants to go to an “easy” country for tourism, because it has everything you want on your holidays an its super cheap, plus, it has an exciting culture and interesting history…

All the stories from the Vietnam war are still scaring the country. It was a difficult time, the North and South division tormented the people for years. In all the cities we could visit historical sites that helped us put the pieces together and get an idea of what happened.. (just an idea though.. its still pretty cloudy!).

From Hanoi we took a 24-hour sleeping bus to Vientiane, the capital of Laos. Even though all the websites and travel guides were describing this trip as the “bus-ride from hell”, we didn’t have any major problems, apart from two American girls sitting close to us, who were apparently fed up with Asia and they were complaining about everything! It took a few hours waiting at the border, but the crossing was smooth and the scenery was just so amazing. We crossed through beautiful mountains that seemed higher that the clouds.. On the way there were rivers and beautiful waterfalls and I kept my eyes open for a sign of wildlife (tigers, bears, elephants and monkeys can still be found living freely in the mountains) but couldn’t see anything unfortunately.

Vientiane was pretty, but it really didn’t feel like a capital of any country. Its quite small and there’s a lot to be done on the path to development, but, in fairness, you can find anything you need there. Shops and restaurants and French bakeries, souvenir from the colonial times. There is even a tall tower that resembles the Arc De Triumph, which makes Laotians very proud. We loved Beer Lao, one of the best that we came across in the whole trip and the Lao food! Its extremely spicy but unique. The people were also very nice and very relaxed.

Our last stop in Laos was Luang Prabang. A beautiful and fascinating city in the middle of the mountains. After retirement, I would happily move there to spend the rest of my time drinking fruit-shakes and whiskey (lao-lao as they call it, locally made and very popular) in an amazing scenery by the mekong river..

I hope you have made it so far, I think I blabbed quite a lot.. I wanted to give you an idea of my trip but there is still so much to tell. About the food (good and bad), about the people I met (some very crazy ones and the everyday backpackers), about the unpleasant incidents (we had an accident with a sleeping bus on the way to Hanoi). But I think thats quite enough already..

I would love to go back there. Those countries are wrapped up in a magic sensation.. A different world indeed.. One that is changing fast but still has its traditional charm. If you do get the chance, go there. Its safe and adventurous and very, very beautiful.

Im sure you would love it as much as I did.

Up with People july 17 2006

Travelling around the world for 22 weeks, in 7 countries, 3 regions, 19 cities... Up with People has been a dream to me since I was 16! Doing community impact projects, presenting a show in every city, living with host families and getting to know each culture...

Now Im in Denver, Colorado. We ll stay here for 4 weeks, to learn the show (5 hours of singing and dancing every day, apart from classes). Im learning so many new things- I have completely forgotten about my past life. Its not me anymore.. Its somebody else, a sponge that is just trying to get as much as possible from every day! Im losing myself in this experience, Im becoming something new!

I ll keep you posted!

First CI project- July 21 2006

Another exciting day in Denver!

Today was the first CI (community impact) day! It didnt have to do that much with the community or people, it was more about the environment, we closed down a trail in the forest, I didnt really understood why, something to do with a kind of mouse thats in danger of disappearing, not really sure.. But it was fun! Exhausting, but fun! I got to know better many of my cast mates and have a laugh with them, while digging and throwing sticks around, and then it rained and we were all soaking wet but in a very good mood.

I had a conversation with someone and it made me think.. Actually I think my brain is working overtime lately.. All the discussions about politics, peace and war, different cultures, community projects etc just make me see things differently! Im not in my own little world anymore, I see the world in a different perspective.

I think the real magic of this programme is not the places you see, but the people you meet on your journey.. I already met so many new and interesting people, and Im hoping that I ll make friendships that will last for a lifetime. Everyone is so different and I feel that I have many things to get from each person. I have 20 weeks left to give and get from everyone.

One thing I ve learned so far.. Every person can teach you something, and everyone has a great personality and a good heart,if you just take the time to get to know them better.

So dont judge a book by its cover! Its much more than that..

Leadership- July 26 2006

I don’t know why but the last couple of days I was in such a good mood, without a special reason.. Being around so many people all the time just makes me happy! It doesn’t frustrate me and even when I m in a bad mood, just a smile from someone makes me happy again! Well, we ll see how I feel after 3 months of not having any “alone” time. I ll probably go crazy!



Yesterday we had a bunch of community leaders coming to talk to us about “leadership”. That was very interesting… Since I don’t really know what I wanna do in my life, I was quite inspired by all those people who have done things in life and who are considered “successful” and “leaders”. They all seemed quite happy, but I m not sure if working all day long would make me happy, even if I was at the top!

So I ll share with you some of the tips I got from those guys. Being a leader means you have to be flexible, you have to be tough, you have to be a good listener and you have to make difficult decisions all the time. Its not an easy job! Also, everyone said that you have to be self-aware, know yourself very well… I don’t think I’m quite there yet, but I’m hoping this trip will help!



Today a group of us went to Leader's Challenge, an organization that works with high school kids and we talked with them about stereotypes, our countries and USA. I find it so amusing that noone knows where Cyprus is! It was my job to enlighten them! The kids were really nice and we had interesting conversations, I enjoyed it a lot.. I met a kid named Roman, he was very cool (see pics).



Every day is different.. Cant wait for tomorrow

leaving denver- August 6 2006

Last night was our first show and it was a really powerful experience. Performing in front of so many people gives you so much energy! I messed up in every dance, but my solo was good, so Im happy:) Im sure I ll get better as we travel.
This is the end of the beggining.. Our orientation in Denver is over and we finally go on the road!! We leave tomorrow for North Platte, Nebraska. The last month has been amazing.. My host family was so great, I ll miss them, especially Rosie.. Oh well. theres 18 more host families to meet! 18 more cities to go!
Cant wait!

North Platte, Nebraska- August 9 2006

Im in Nebraska!!! Wow, I never thought that I would actually go to Nebraska ever in my life:P Its weird! I like it though.. North Platte is a small, cute city of 30 000 people. Not very much to do around here.. I live with Cindy Bradley and she has a foster girl at the moment, Amanda. Shes 17 and works in pizza hut. Their house is like a doll house, very cute and I have my own room and a pc in my room, which is great! I dont have any roommates though, and thats kind of sad.. I miss Siyi and Rachel (my roommates in Denver). And I miss Denver a lot.. That was home to me, and the Flynns were my parents and Rosie was my sister, and now I may never see them again.. I got very attached to them. Cindy is a very nice lady, but since Im only here for a week, I dont think I ll get that attached, which is good. I cant believe that I ll be moving every week, changing home and bed and habits. Its weird! But its very exciting!

First day was good, we saw a documentary film on Nebraska and how North Platte helped during Second World War. (soldiers stopped there on their way to east coast). We went to a local barbeque for charity and sang and we had a lecture on leadership.. I had dinner with my host mum by a big lake,which was beautiful!

Tomorrow Im having lunch with the Rotary Club, just me and a couple a people, so I get to tell them a few things about Cyprus. Should be fun!

in Kansas City August 15 2006

After an adventurous week in Nebraska, we arrived today in Kansas City..
I ll always remember North Platte. the people there were so nice! It has been kind of a "transitional" week for me.. Our first week on the road, it was so different from orientation in Denver! Everything went well at the end, my host family was good, Cindy was wonderful to me and I became friends with Amanda.. I loved our CI the first day, we went to a homeless shelter, runned by an organization called "the connection", and took some bags of food that we had collected from the community. That was interesting to see.. Being homeless is a situation I could never imagine myself in..But it could happen to anyone! The director shared some stories that gave me goosebumps.. Apart from that, the show was nice,I did sailing and jetskiing in the lake on Sunday, I gave a speech at the Rotary club meeting, I saw Buffalo Bills ranch and had authentic Nebraska beef (mmm!) and thats about all I did this week. Oh and I forgot the triathlon, there were people all over nebraska swimming and running and cycling. I was a volunteer for that with a bunch of other people and It was actually more fun than I thought..
Saturday was an awful day, 2 members of our team went home, cause they broke a stupid rule.. Everyone was crying.. I couldnt cry, I never cry when Im very sad.. It was the worst day.. I cant believe they are gone, the journey has just started! And it wont be the same without them.. It made me realize, this journey will be over before we know it, and everyone will go home soon.. So I need to do as many things as possible, live as much as possible, talk and discuss and get to know everyone, cause soon I ll hear the steps on the door, and the voice saying "grab your coat" and I ll be like, "I havent even started playing yet!" (from Carolyn Lee's speech).
I got all philosophical and its way passed my bedtime!
I hope Kansas city will be as nice as Nebraska! So far I ve been extremely lucky! I have the nicest host parents!! He is Italian and he cooks sooo good! We had wine, and we danced and he played music and it was just perfect!! The house is Amazing!! I have my own beautiful room, even better than my room in North Platte (even though I couldnt imagine anything better than that!).
And this time I have a roomate I actually like a lot! Jochanen (or smth) from the Netherlands. He is a musician and host dad is crazy about jazz so they sat on the piano and sang some jazz songs and it was just magic! I love jazz, and they said they would take us to some jazz bars.. I cant wait!!!

I have a feeling I will love Kansas City!

In Minnesota- hurray mid-west! september 3 2006

Hi guys! I have lost contact with everyone, for the last 2 weeks I didnt have internet.. Life without internet is not as bad as I thought it would be! I didnt have free time anyway! I left Kansas city very sad, cause my host family was simply perfect! I have to try not to compare host families, cause Im sure I wont find any other people like them. Me and host mum Esther had the best time together, we did girls stuff and she bought me all kind of things and we went out together and danced like maniacs.. and shes 46!! Charlie and Esther really convinced me that all the fun starts when you are 40! (well not really, but 40 seems like a good age after meeting them)! We went out to a big lake and sailed with their boat and I did tubing for the first time (my bud still hurts). I ll post pictures when I get the chance.
Of course next family was nothing like the Tantillos. Next stop was Minneapolis/ St. Paul (or the twin cities) in Minnesota. I stayed with an older lady whose husband died a few years ago and I shared a bed with my old roomate Siyi from China. It was a very very busy week! Community Impact projects were so interesting! We worked for the Courage Center for physically disabled people, and met a disabled athlete from Ghana. He really changed things for disabled people in his country. Oprah did a documentary film about him. In Ghana they used to let disabled people die in the forest or have them begg their whole life, but thanks to him, disabled people are now in a better place. He was given many awards and he is quite famous. Also in Minneapolis I had a carreer day and went to a fundraising event and a debate of democrat candidates for the Congress. It was interesting to see that and I learned a bit more about campains and fundraising. One of the candidates was an Up With People alumna and we got to have lunch with her. Then we went to the Minnesota state fair, ate everything on a stick and deep fried candies and saw pigs and other animals. It was fun- in a midwestern kind of way!
But anyway, the twin cities were ok, I got a lot of sleep and I relaxed a bit. Now Im in Mankato, Minnesota and its absolutely crazy! Im having sooo much fun here! I dont have a host family, me and 15 other girls live in a homeless shelter of the Salvation Army. (its closed for the summer so they donated the facility). Its not exactly a five star hotel, but its so much fun! All 16 of us stay in one room, we have only 2 bathrooms and it smells bad most of the time.. Apart from that, its just perfect! We dont have a family so we can do whatever we want, we dont have curfew and we ve been out every day this week partying and drinking, it was crazy! I didnt get more than 5 hours of sleep every day but I dont feel tired at all. I enjoy every minute cause I know that its not going to happen again, you usually stay with families so you have to show respect and be home early and talk to them a lot and do things with them. I love it, thats how you get to know the culture, but this freedom is priceless! Things will get worse in Japan, I dont think I ll be able to go anywhere on my own, so I enjoy this. Mankato is a student town, it has a cute little plaza with bars and restaurants. Its quite small, so you can walk everywhere- I love that.
Today we went to a farm in the forest and spent the night there. We were supposed to have a diversity fair but it rained really hard so it was cancelled. I had a great time though, it was just beautiful, I felt so relaxed and I love the smell of wood and earth when it raines in the forest.
Tomorrow its a free day and then on Monday we leave for Sioux Falls, South Dakota (I dont know who picked the tour cities, but it seems like we have the weirdest places). We have already started preparing for Japan, we had cultural presentations and endless "dont ever do this in Japan" lists. It seems like the culture is so different, it scares me a little. I ve never tried sushi, I better like it! My japanese is improving very slowly, Im sure I ll have communication problems but it will be fine!

I ll post pics as soon as I get a pc to upload them. Warm kisses to everyone, I hope you are doing good, email me when you have some time, I havent talked to anyone for a long time (Im even forgetting my greek!). Im sorry I dont have time to email individually, hopefully next week will be relaxed and I ll have internet and time to email.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota- september 11 2006

Its almost 2 in the morning and I just finished packing! It has been such a long day-oh my god! I cant believe Im moving again- this is insane! I get comfortable in one place and then I have to move! (I love it though!) Im really going to miss this host family- they have been so nice! Its funny, every time I think I had the best family ever, and then the next family is also perfect..
I spent the last week in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and even though its pretty much in the middle of nowhere, it has been an amazing week for me! One of the girls in the cast has a sister who lives here and offered to host me and 2 other girls and it has been great! I stayed with Julie from Minnesota (her sister Angie and her husband Tony- both 28- were our host "parents"), Emilie from Belgium and Andriana from Brazil. I dont think I have ever laughed so hard in just one week. These girls are just funny! We came home after a long day and just had wine in the hot tub and chatted for hours.. Just perfect! The house is pretty and tidy and after staying at the Salvation Army, a cosy home was all I needed!
This week's Community Impact project was the best! I got to work at the "Casa de Carlitos", a home for children from Mexico that come to the U.S for medical treatment. I met Armando, an 8-year old boy who had aplastic anemia, but he is doing a lot better now. He lived in the "casa" for about 2 years, then went back to Mexico and he came again for examinations a few days ago. We were cutting trees together and then we played UNO, and he came to our show today with his dad. Im crazy about him, hes this beautiful intelligent little boy, hes so fun to be with! Im definitely going to visit him in Mexico one day.
On Saturday I saw live american football for the first time! We went to the Dakota Bowl to perform during half time and we got to see the game. I have a slight idea of whats going on now- and Im not sure I like it, its just violent! But I loved (LoVed LOVED) performing on the field- it was soo much fun! I never thought I would say that, but I enjoyed it so much! The show was the only part of the Up with People program that I didnt think I would like, but I simply love it! I sing and dance like there's no tomorrow and I dont care- I feel Im on Broadway!

So tomorrow we go to Waukesha, Wisconsin. A new week, a new adventure, a whole new life begins again. Our last city in the U.S. I hope I have a good family and good roomates! Every Monday its the same, u dont know where you are gonna end up for the week. Its crazy!!

Next week, Japan. Hasnt quite hit me yet.. I ll believe it when Im there!

Again, sorry for not emailing, sleep is too valuable to sacrifise and when I do sacrifise it, I write in my blog so everyone can read it. I dont think I ll have much Internet access in Japan, but I ll try to keep you updated.

ps: Words of wisdom from Adriana from Brazil: 1) Live your darn life 2) You dont have time to make all the mistakes in the world, you have to learn from other people's mistakes.

Last week in the U.S- september 15 2006

So here I am, in Wisconsin! Our last tour city in the U.S. In 2 days we fly to Japan- I cant believe it! I have had so much fun in the U.S.A. I love it! My host families have been so great, all of them without exception... I learned so many things, I have had so many first-time experiences. These 10 weeks were just awsome (I know that sounds so american!).

Right now I stay with Paul and Ruth Knop. They are the nicest people and they have a dog, a basset hunt (or something). I have so much fun with them, they are very special. They have a son who is in Japan right now! He studied Japanese and he is obviously in love with the culture. I stay in his room and its full of japanese books and movies and paintings on the wall, not to mention the japanese flag above the bed. Its really cool:) (again, cant wait for Japan!). Last night Ruth and Paul and I had tea and we talked for ages and it was such a cosy feeling, like I ve known them for ever.. And then I went out with Ruth and looked at the stars, it was a brilliant, clear night and the big dipper seemed so close, I have never seen that before. And I saw two falling stars, which made me really happy after an exhausting day!

Today we had a cast meeting, so we talked a little bit about our experience in the U.S. I couldnt say anything, I think that the things I have learned and the times that I had to push myself and stretch my limits were too personal to share. But hearing other people talking about their "oh sh*t" moments was interesting. Our cast manager said something that made me think.. "Live your life with principles". I realized that I dont have any strong principals.. Sure, I dont steal and I ve never killed anyone, but I dont have those strong guidelines that I would always follow in life, and I dont have any rules that I would never break. So i have to give it some thought and create some limits for myself. It may sound stupid, but its good to live with principles. I know that if I had done that before, my life in Spain would have been easier.

Oh well! Enough drama. Tomorrow is show day and Im in exploration crew (that means I can go and explore the city and have some alone time before I have a nervous break down- dont get me wrong, I love being with people, but I need my alone time!). And Saturday we leave for the country of the rising sun.

I ll keep you posted!

JAPAN- october 8 2006

I finally have internet access and some free time to write something.. This is my third week in Japan and I still cant believe im here! Sometimes it hits me, when Im walking on the street and everyone is asian, when all I can hear around me is japanese, when I try to read the signs to figure out what way to go and I cant understand anything, cause its all in japanese... thats when I realize "oh s**t, Im in japan!" My first three weeks have been incredible! No major cultural shocks so far, except from the first day. After a 14-hour flight from Texas to Osaka, we had to stay in a hostel in Nara before going to Nagasaki. I was sick in the plane, sick on the bus (a 12-hour ride, good thing Sarah was my bus-date) and then at the hostel I experienced the japanese showers and toilets for the first time. All the girls in tha cast had to take a shower together, naked. I kind of freaked out, but I wasnt the only one.. I know its not that bad, but I was so tired that it just seemed like a torture. It was a big room with many showers (no curtains) and a big bathtub. Thats how the japanese do it, they enter the room naked, they take a shower, get in the tub and then take another shower. They all use the same water. Kind of weird! And the toilet is just a hole on the ground most of the times. I ve been lucky so far, all my host-families have a western type toilet, with many buttons. I ll post some pictures soon and you ll understand what Im talking about. So apart from that first day when I got to see many of my fellow cast members naked, I didnt experience anything dramatically awkward. First city was Omura, Nagasaki. I had the best traditional japanese house, I slept in tatami for the first time and from my window I could see endless rise fields and the sea. My first family was amazing.. They didnt speak any english, but communication was no problem at all! I had sake (traditional japanese alcoholic drink) every day and my host-dad and I just teased each other all the time. He taught me how to make origami dustbins and he took me fishing (I caught about 50 sardins). My host mum was a real sweetheart too.. She dressed me up in a kimono (pictures to be posted soon) and taught me how to make pictures from dry flowers. I also had a host-sister who was really nice. I tried sushi and sashimi for the first time (raw squid was the hardest, but I ate everything else and the raw shrips were actually good!). My host mum cooked very traditional, so I got to try many different japanese foods and I like most of it. Except sweet beans, I hate sweet beans, its the only thing I cant eat! On free day we visited Nagasaki and the atomic bomb museum. It was a shocking experience, to see what the atomic bomb can do.. You read about it, but being there makes you realize the size of the destruction it can cause.. Its scary.. And people are still dying of cancer because of that.. My host mum was crying when I left, and I was really sad too, they were so great.. They gave me so many gifts and I really dont have space in my luggage for it! Good thing I cant buy any clothes here (the sizes are so small, even x-large is too small for me, I feel so fat!). My next host family in Ueda, Nagano was very different. They were younger, they lived in a flat and their way of life was more western. I had an 18-year old sister and a 15-year old brother, both of them very cute! I hardly ever saw my host-dad cause he worked so many hours! People in Japan work sooo hard, they leave the house early in the morning and come back very late at night. At least the men. All the host mums I ve had so far are house wives. And they do absolutely everything! My host mum in Ueda was so nice and sweet. She tried really hard to communicate, even though she didnt know english. She sent text messages to her other daughter that studies in the U.S and asked her to translate things she wanted to tell me. When I left she was crying and told me "Nico, my daughter", which moved me.. I felt pretty loved in that family, my host sister was like my biggest fun! Everything I did and said was perfect to her and she kept reminding me how pretty, intelligent and nice I was (nothing personal though, its part of the japanese culture). I got a japanese haircut which I dont really like, it looks good on japanese people but not on me! But I had fun with the hair-dresser, he was so funny, and he brought his pc and googled cyprus while cutting my hair. I also went to a karaoke bar with mum and sister, Karaoke is the biggest thing in Japan, you get your own room and you can sing for hours. Now Im in Suita, Osaka and I have a family where english is the first language. Host dad is American, a very unique guy who travelled all over the world with his bicycle for 4 years before settling down in Japan and marrying the love of his life, Tomoko. Tomoko is just beutiful, she is almost 50 but she looks 30 (japanese people look so much younger!). She is a perfect cook (we had western food the whole week). Their 3 kids are just beautiful (I guess american and japanese genes mix well) and very intelligent. Its the perfect family, they love each other and treat each other very good. Their house is amazing, traditional japanese on the outside and a blend of asian and western on the inside. i stay here with Maia from Estonia (one of my best friends in the cast) and we each have our own room. We took public transportation every day this week, which was awsome! Seeing all the beautiful japanese women and business men going to work just made my day. They were looking at us too, there arent so many western people around! Kids were smiling at us. if you think that 99% of the people in Japan are Japanese, then yes, we were kind of extraordinary! Highlight of the week was our free day, Maia and I went to Kyoto, the most ancient city in Japan, that has more than 1000 temples. We visited some of them, the imperial gardens and nijo castle and we walked around and just enjoyed being in Japan. There are many westerners in Kyoto, at first we were excited to see non-japanese people but then it became normal. Kyoto is the place to be in Japan I guess! In the afternoon we explored downtown Osaka, it was fun but we were both exhausted. We ended up in a bar, where we couldnt order anything cause the menu was in japanese. We were thinking about taking a chance and ordering just whatever but then the waitress came and saw that we were holding the menu upside down. She laughed and she brought some small glasses with tester drinks for us to try. So we got to drink the testers for free! I wonder if anyone will manage to read everything I wrote so far! I better stop even though I have so much more to write! Tomorrow I leve for Uda, Nara, a very small town, Im sure I wont have any internet. Then we go to Toyota, where we ll meet the famous Mr Toyoda (head of the Toyota company). Last stop is Tokyo and then its Europe. Many people in the cast are already tired of Japan and are waiting for Europe as the promise land! I love Japan and I want to come back one day. I dont know if I ll get tired of it in 3 weeks, but Im planning to enjoy every minute! Its so different, I know that I may never have this experience again.

in Toyota City- october 19 2006

Im in the city of Toyota, and as you might have guessed, its named after the car company toyota motors, which I was privileged enough to visit today! I had a great day! We visited the factory and actually saw how they make the cars (interesting facts: toyota produces 1800 cars per day and each car needs about 20 hours to be produced). It was fun to see the car door pass by and then being placed in the actual car. then we saw the Toyota museum and learned a bit of the history of the company.. Its really one of the best organized companies in the world (of course it would be, its japanese!). We met the chairman (the founder's grandson) Soichiro Toyoda, who gave a speech and answered all of our questions. He is an honorary member of the board of up with people and really supports us with donations (he gave us free toyota vans and $250.000 this year). The fact that such a powerful man supports up with people makes me feel even more proud to be a part of this programme. We had lunch and discussions and we departed with a toyota key ring as a gift (we were hoping to get keys with the actual car, but oh well!). Toyota is involved with many environmental and international projects, and they claim to care more about the community than for the money.. Knowing the japanese culture of collectivism, and how much money they spend on projects, I believe it!
After the Toyota company I went with a group of people in a forest (project of the toyota company). It was fun and very educational. I enjoy being out in the nature and learning about the environment and the bugs and the trees! When we went back to the facility I had to do CI Wrap up (short note: any cast member can do an internship with a staff member, and I have an internship in education, with Deann, who happens to be my roommate this week. So I have responsibilities that include CI preparation and CI wrap up, and the educational part of the programme.) Its not that its a lot of work, but Im not as carefree as I was in America and I discovered my fear for public speaking, which really got me down. I was kind of negative about the whole internship thing and today I really had to push myself to do CI wrap up and I was so happy cause it went great! I feel that I made a big step today overcoming my fear for public speaking. Maybe I can do it afterall! My internship finishes as soon as we go to Europe and I want to do something important before that. I have some projects in mind but in the meantime me and the other ed.interns (Erik and Jeremy from the U.S., amazing guys, very intelligent) need to prepare the wrap up for japan and prep. for europe. Im excited for that, I ll do my best to make it good!

Im kind of bubbling today cause its late and I cant sleep, and my roomate Deann is sleeping on a futon right next to me.. I really wish I could talk to my parents or my friends or anyone and tell them everything, I havent talked to or emailed anyone for a long time, whenever I have internet and some free time I try to update my blog so everyone can read it, instead of sending emails (so dont complain that I forgot about you, I didnt, I happen to have an extremely good memory- unfortunately!).

I ll tell you about last week, it was one of my best in the whole tour (even though I say that every week). I was in a small village up on the mountains in the area of Nara. My host parents were great, Kenichi and Tomoko, around 70 years old, and my roomate was Madoka, shes japanese so she translated, which made communication sooo much easier! I really got to know my host parents this time and I got to know Madoka and her exciting life that I could never have imagined.. There are so many people around us, whose story we dont really know and sometimes it just surprises you to find out all the things they have done that you would never have guessed! It was a great week! I drunk beer and sake every day and went to bed more than tipsy (japanese people drink a lot! I dont think I ever drunk more in a week in my entire life!). Ken and Tomoko took us to the best restaurants and provided the most expensive food. (I had raw lobster, and it was still moving!!). I also had jellyfish (not that bad really), and a really expensive kind of japanese mushroom, $100 a piece! (nothing special if u ask me). I went to the On Seng (hot springs) for the first time, which was amazing, even if I had to get naked with all the skinny japanese ladies. (there was a woman who must have been over 90, her body all wrinkly). I visited japan's biggest Buddha statue in Nara city, and got biten by deer who were just hanging out around the temple waiting to be fed by ignorant tourists. (if u are ever there, do not buy cookies, they will attack you and then they ll baw and say arigato gozaimasu- they actually do that! baw I mean, they dont really speak). Apart from the host family I had lots of fun with the cast too! We had the home-team olympics (home teams are our smaller groups that we have to discuss things). It was competitive, we each had a cheer (ours was the best) and we played games like 3-legged race, rice ating contest, stick-ur-head-in-flour-and-get the-candy and other silly games, and we had a tournament of dodgeball which was sooo much fun! CI was also perfect, I went to a school (did I mention I love japanese kids? they are so cute!) and the next day we hiked in the mountains and went to a famous buddhist temple and had a lecture on buddhism by a monk (quite an interesting religion, I have to admit).
Oups, I think I woke up Deann! Ive been writing for hours and there are still so many things to write about. I hope u manage to read all of it, drop a comment if u can (thanx marilyn, I know that at least u r reading this!). Next week I go to Tokyo and then its goodbye Japan-hello Europe. Last phase of the journey.. I dont want it to end.. But nothing lasts for ever, I just have to keep living I guess

im in belgium!- november 3 2006

I just realized how bad I ve been with writing in my blog and posting pictures!especially posting pictures! I havent posted anything since North Platte! I kept postponing it (story of my life) but I promise to post some pictures soon!

So we left Japan last Monday... I was so sad, my last host family in Tokyo was the best! (even though I say this everytime, this time I really mean it). Both my host parents spoke very good english and for the first time I stayed up very late many nights, having interesting conversations! (sleep is very important to me, I dont waste it for just anyone!) But the reason I adored this family was the children! I had the cutest, the most intelligent and sweet babies in the world! The boy was the love of my life, he was 6 and so artistic! And he likes singing and dancing and his favourite song is "memories" from Cats. And the little girl, Manae was soooooo sweet! See the pictures, you ll see what I mean! I played with them a lot. I was happy to go home at the end of a long day, just because I was gonna see them. The whole family cried the day we left, but I was too sad to cry. I dont think I was ready to leave Japan, even though it seems that everyone else was. Some people were really bored of the food or the cutlure, but I would be happy if we had a few weeks more (even though i started getting bored of the food- it feels good to eat european again!)
The city of Tokyo is of course very cool! (everyone knows that). I loved it! but there are many things I didnt have time to see (like the big fish market and the art museums). I ll have to go back I guess (one of my host families offered to pay for my honey moon if I decided to go to Japan!)

The last days I had some "interesting" experiences, which were not so good.. I lost my ticket from Japan to Europe and I had to pay 100 dollars.. I didnt exactly lose it, I kind of threw it in the dustbin thinking it was trash (those of you who really know me are probably thinking thats very typical me). Yeah, I didnt forget myself yet. Also, I bought a really cute and fancy pink camera, but unfortunately, it doesnt "speak" english, so I have to operate it in japanese (I got over this one, I planned to learn to read japanese anyway). 3rd thing is that I lost about 200 photos from the last 3 cities. That was hard to get over too. Oh well!

As I was saying, I was sad to leave Japan, but the sadness didnt last that long! As soon as we landed in Frankfurt I just left the past behind! I am so excited to be back to Europe, you cant imagine!! I feel that Im back to my element, back home, even though its nothing like home. Im back to my contintent! The food is familiar, the people have the same mentality and I can use my cell phone! Im happy :-)

First stop in Europe is Belgium. I have never been here before and I love it!! Its so beautiful qnd picturesque! Me and Sarah from California are staying with Anais and her real family and they are very nice people! Her mum is so funny and smiley and her dad is always up for a nice conversation and her 13- year old brother is the coolest teenager in the world. Hes fun! Staying with Anais is the best thing that happened to me in this trip! and sharing the room with Sarah is awsome, I love her so much! Shes one of the best people in the cast, you have to try really hard not to love her! Im getting to know Anais a lot better too, but shes so busy being in her own country, with her real family and her old friends, and we havent spent a lot of time together. Hopefully before Monday we ll get to talk more..

Wow, if you made it so far, congratulations, you dont have much to do today, do you? :-) I guess if I have the energy to write it, you can read it! I better get to bed soon, tomorrow is the toughest day, we have two shows! So many people are gonna be there, I feel nervous.. I ve messed up in every show since Denver, but tomorrow Im planning to get everything right. My friend Joke is coming to see it, Im excited to finally have a guest! I met Joke in Spain and it was so great seeing her again! We went for a coffe in Brussels on Wednesday and last night we went out to a bar in Leuven. I had the best time, I havent been out for so long, I missed it!

5 more weeks! I ll keep you posted!

Nijmegen- november 10 2006

Its my third time in the Netherlands- I love this country! I love the food, the houses, the people, the bicycles.. It was hard leaving belgium and saying goodbye to my host-family there, I loved them so much! I always think that theres no way I ll have a better family next time, but Im always surprised cause they end up to be just as nice. I loved all my host-families so far, but I have a few that were very special.

This is one of them, Renee and Gerry, she is dutch and he is from Australia and they have 6 kids. 2 of them live at home, 2 very gorgeous and intelligent boys, 10 and 12 (third week i have a crush on my host-brothers, too bad they are more than 10 years younger). These boys are very cool. they speak perfect english and we play UNO every day (i love UNO). It was funny cause the first time we played we all had different rules and we almost had a fight over it! My roommate is Susan from New Zealand (shes a bad loser like me), and they play it completely different there.

Ok enough about UNO. I had an amazing experience this week that made me think a lot. On Wednesday a group of us went to a homeless shelter and it was the first time that I actually spent a lot of time and got to know homeless people. It was amazing.. A group of people didnt like it and they wanted to get out of there immediately, but for some reason, I felt that if I ever had a hard time in life and lost everything, I could stay in a place like that until I was able to get back on my feet. It was like a community, people respected each other and had duties and depended on each other. 23 men and 1 woman lived there. I got to know some of the men and the woman, and she gave me a t-shirt and a hat and shared some of her life with me. And 1 of the men was from Somalia, he was 28 but he looked 40.. His story was very interesting, he was in the somalian army when he was just 14.. I always knew it, but now I really realize it, there are horrible things going on in this world.. In the afternoon we met with the whole group and had a debate about the social welfare in holland in comparison with the US. Homeless people here in Holland get a lot of money, and some people argued that getting so much money doesnt give you any motivation to get out of it. They obviously spend all that money in drugs and alcohol, and its a vicious circle. In America apparently you get more counceling and help to get out of this life...

I wish I could write more but I spend too much time on the computer this week, and not enough time with my host family, I feel bad for that! I ll try to write more soon, I hope you are all doing great and enjoying every minute! Eleni mou epiasa to email sou, tha sou apantisw sintoma, se agapw kai mou leipeis!

quick update- november 28 2006

I really dont have any time to write anything.. I was in Germany for 2 weeks, Rostock and Koln and of course I loved it.. In Rostock I had the most amazing host family, a lady with three daughters, who were just perfect.. I miss them so much. But then in Koln, I stayed with my friend Cathy for 4 days and I saw many of my german Erasmus friends and Anna, who flew from England to see me. I had the best time with them, it was like I was in my old life again and I liked it.. I expected it to feel strange, being in real life, but it didnt. It felt great. But then on Monday I went back to my Up with People life and that felt kind of weird. I cant explain it, but the main point is that I realized that there is life after Up with People. Like everything else, this too has to end sometime. And its not sad, life goes on.. So I ll just enjoy the last two weeks of this unforgettable journey, live every moment and experience everything and then I ll go back to Cyprus with all the memories and I ll be happy to be back.. A new life will start. It will be hard at first, but I know I ll be happy to see everyone again..

Ok, enough emotion.. Im in Bern, Switzerland and its so beautiful, I cant even begin to describe it. The Alpes are so impressive and the city..Im in love with this city. I really think its one of the most beautiful cities I have visited on this trip. I was planning to go to Geneva on my free day, but after checking my bank account, maybe its better to stay here and walk around and relax. I know I will come back, cause I love it so much. My host family is quite nice, the mum is the best cook. She makes the best food I had in this trip.. there are 2 children, 11 and 14,and unfortunately they dont speak much english.. they are very sweet though. I have Hazel from Canada as my roommate, she is great, one of the people I look up to in the cast.

Ok that wasnt much, but I really need to sleep, I feel like I havent slept for ages.. I hope I find sometime to write more before the end of the trip. And I ll post new pictures soon- promise.

Love,

Nicolina

goodbye switzerland - december 4 2006

Last day in Switzerland.. Im sad to leave and like every Sunday for the last 20 weeks, I have to pack and say goodbye to my wonderful host family. I should have been used to it by now, but Im not, its hard to say goodbye. Its been a great week in Bern, I feel like I learned a lot.. On Wednesday a group of us worked with AMI, an organization that works with unemployed immigrants and we got to know some interesting people (like a musician from Paraguay) and we got to learn more about the social system in Switzerland. We also did some artwork, which was great, (I havent painted anything for so long, I miss it) and me and Julie went around and cleaned parts of the city with two Swiss guys. It was fun! On Thursday we spent most of the day discussing about re-entry and it was hard.. We talked about the 5 stages of loss: denial, anger, bargaining or postponing, depression and acceptance. I think Im in stage 1-2-3 at the same time. On one hand I cant believe its finishing, I just cant see it coming (denial).. I also got easily frustrated this week (I got the impression many people feel the same) and its just because we feel nervous and sad about going back to our real lives soon. (anger). And bargaining is all over the place, we promise each other that we ll visit, we ll have mini reunions, we ll have holidays together and so on.. But its not realistic, when we go back to real life we ll realize that we dont have much time or money to keep all the promises. (I swore I was going back to Japan, but Im sure its not happening any time soon). I guess talking about going back helps us deal with it, thats why we spent the whole day discussing it.. In the afternoon we had "Staff Appreciation". We organized a surprise for our staff to show them our appreciation and we had a dance party- it was fun. The boys organized a "girls appreciation" day on Saturday and they gave the girls chocolate and flowers, it was very sweet of them..

Today I spent the whole day with my host family and Hazel, I had a great time.. We went up to a hill and saw a view of the city and the mountains, it was beautiful. The weather was sunny (very rare for this time of the year, we were lucky). Then we went to the Christmas Market, I love Christmas Markets.. Full of beautiful things you dont need! For dinner we had cheese fondue, very traditional swiss. It was good, very cheesy! Our host family is amazing, so generous and kind.. They gave Hazel and me a swiss small knife, that supposedly every swiss man has, with our names on it. I hope that my last host family in Italy will be as good as this one..

So tomorrow we have our last travel day.. (I cant believe it- denial!). Last destination is Modena, Italy. Its the last week of traveling and then I go back to Cyprus (after a 3-day stop in Athens to see my sister).

This week has to be the best! Its up to me to make the most of it! I want to live every second! You know what they say.. Carpe Diem!

back home- december 19 2006

back home

So this is the last time Im updating this blog. Im finally home, after 22 weeks of traveling around the world. It feels like I have just woken up from a dream! Monday is no longer a travel day, no more Community Impact projects, no changing beds and houses every week, no more show (boo hoo) and there are no longer 90 people around me ALL the time.. I miss the people the most... Its funny, 90 people from different corners of the world, we meet for 6 months and then we just go back to our corners and we dont know when we ll see each other again. Thats life I guess! Im not complaining, I ve met so many people in my life that I may never see again. "I dont know if I ve been changed for the better, but because I knew you, I have been changed for good".

Now I know how it feels when your dreams come true. Up with People has been a dream to me since I was 15, and since it came true, I cannot be a bitter person anymore! Im greatful to God for making this happen! Im happy even though Im back to Cyprus and things are still the same like before (or even worse), it doesnt matter- I had a dream come true! Not everyone can say that..


Now Im getting ready for Barcelona- another dream! I ll be working for Human Rights! Im excited.. But that starts in two months, so until then, I ll have to keep myself busy. Wish me luck!

Thanks for reading my updates while I was away.. I hope I inspired you a little bit and made you wanna travel. Life is too short- just live it! Live every moment. And stop thinking about the money, or what the others will say - just do it! And be proud because it was your choice alone! (its late, I think I better shut up and go to bed).

Peace out!

Nicolina