Final (EXTENSIVE) Goodbye Blog Post

Hello readers!

I have to extend an apology for not having written in so long. During the month of March, I had four trips planned (Greece, Berlin, and, Ireland, and London) and during the month of April I had three trips planned as well (Poland, Nuremberg, Venice), and afterwards, I traveled to Albania (where I am currently residing). This is all on top of the end-of-year schoolwork I was required to complete, which was pretty much the ONLY schoolwork that we do in England (exams, papers, etc. are usually just one per class, all at the end of the year).

So, saying that my life was hectic the past few months would be quite the understatement. However, now that I am safely, calmly, and happily working on my internship in Tirana, I can update you all about my shenanigans throughout my various trips. I will start, naturally, in the beginning!

THESSALONIKI, GREECE
Visiting my uncle in Thessaloniki, Greece, was a funny and interesting experience. I had an American friend who came with me on the trip, that I felt bad to refuse regardless of the fact that it was more of a ‘family’ affair, so I spent the whole weekend translating from Albanian to English and back again! The funniest part was that my little cousins mostly spoke in Greek to begin with, so I didn’t even understand what was going on half of the time! Still, it was great seeing them after not having had the chance in 8-ish years. They had grown up so much, it was amazing! Below is a photo of my cousins, uncle, and I at a monastery on Mount Olympus. The last time I saw them, I was twelve!

We did visit lots of sites, including the oldest tower in Thessaloniki (and one of the oldest in the world), Mount Olympus, as well as the many beaches on Thessaloniki’s coast. They were all wonderful, despite the grim English-like weather, but the best part of the trip was definitely seeing my family and how much they’d grown up!

BERLIN, GERMANY
I’ve been both unlucky and lucky in many ways throughout my year in England; I was granted enormous luck in being able to take a class trip to Berlin. The funny thing about the class trip was that it was a trip for a class I wasn’t enrolled in. Last semester, I took a class called “European Politics,” and this year I took a class called, “The Politics of Governance: Eastern Europe.” The class going to Germany this year was “Politics of Governance: Germany.” So, how did I become fortunate enough to attend this trip? Well, I can thank my neuroticism and trigger-happy email tendencies for that. I usually check my emails, well, frequently (I hesitate to count, as I’m afraid the actual number would be overwhelming even to myself).

One morning, I woke up, and as I frequently do, checked my email. My body had, at this point, become accustomed to waking up absurdly early by university student standards (9 am). There was an email sent to all students that had taken the class “European Politics” last term by the professor of the “Politics of Governance: Germany” professor, who made us all aware that the class takes an annual trip to Germany, and there were a few open seats that he was offering to the students that were interested in European politics in general, as indicated by our having previously taken the class. Naturally, I responded to this email as soon as I read it, met with the professor, discussed the logistics of the trip, and was on my way!

I was especially excited about the many politicians that we would get to meet on our trip, including lots of members of parliament from the many different German parties. However, the only person that I knew going on the trip was another girl in my “Politics of Governance: Eastern Europe” class. Additionally, I was taking a later flight than anyone, because I left for Germany the day that I got back from Thessaloniki. In addition to being exhausted, I would have to take the trip to Berlin by myself. Ordinarily, that wouldn’t be a problem; this time, however, the airline insisted I check my bag in, and due to my wonderfully terrible luck, they lost my luggage on the way to Berlin.

Here I was, in the middle of a foreign country whose language I had no concept of, with nothing but my phone and wallet (not even my phone charger) crying my eyes out to the lost luggage attendant because I didn’t know where I was going or how to get there. The professor of the class had previously emailed us all of the information that we needed to get to the hostile, for which I was truly grateful. However, my phone was dead, and I had no way to access the email. Finally, the woman allowed me to use her phone to locate the hostile, and after promptly giving her my information for the suitcase to be dropped off at some indeterminate date, I ventured into the darkness that encompassed Berlin heading for the train station, where absolutely nobody was to be found. I searched aimlessly until an older woman helped give me directions and showed me the way home. Thank goodness for the kindness of strangers!

Once at the hostile, everyone was very friendly and welcoming, and my adventurous/terrifying beginning to an exciting trip was thankfully over. The next few days consisted of sight-seeing, trips over the city, socializing, and learning about Germany’s history and present state. We were able to meet with politicians from the Green Party, the Left Party, the Christian Democrats, the AFL (Alternative for Deutschland) and more. We were also lucky enough to enter almost all of the government buildings (except for the washing machine shaped building where Angela Merkel resided–darn!) Additionally, we were able to visit lots of important sites in Berlin that I never thought I would get the opportunity to visit in my lifetime. The professor of the class knew so much about Germany, and his wealth of knowledge made the trip even more memorable and interesting. Luckily, the trip ended a lot better than it started! Below are a series of photos, at the Holocaust Memorial, the Brandenburg Gate, and a part of the Berlin Wall (just some of the places we got to visit)!

GALWAY, IRELAND

Surprise, guys! I went to Ireland again. Ireland and Germany are the only countries that I visited twice, however, Galway in Ireland is the only city that I visited twice! (My second trip to Germany was to Nuremberg, which I will write about below!) So, you must be wondering, of all the places to visit in Europe, why would I go to the same city twice? That answer comes in two parts. 1.) My friend that lives in Galway is so welcoming, and her housemates are so nice, that I couldn’t imagine only having been able to go for one trip (basically one and a half days)! 2.) Galway has so much to offer in terms of its location–first of all, it’s a wonderful city and I loved the Irish culture that I discovered on my first visit–and secondly, it is located near a lot of beautiful landscapes, including the Cliffs of Moher (which I was able to visit!) and several islands off the coast that are probably just as beautiful, which sadly time did not allow for us to travel to.

My second trip to Ireland was just as memorable, if not even more so, than the first! I had a wonderful time exploring the city with my friend, meeting more of her friends, and just spending time together! The biggest trip on our itinerary was visiting the Cliffs of Moher, which, I would’ve never been able to grasp the significance of without being there. At first when she mentioned cliffs, my thought was, “Cool, cliffs!” No. These were so much more than just “cliffs.”

I was welcomed to Galway on my first trip by classic-Irish freezing rain that felt like ice cubes against my face and soaked my to my bones. However, on my second trip, the weather was BEAUTIFUL. And the day of our trip to the cliffs must have been the ONLY sunny day in Ireland, because everyone was shocked and amazed, and most importantly of all, breathless. We hopped on a bus tour to the cliffs and back, and when the bus driver said we had two full hours on the cliffs, my thought was originally, “Two hours? What am I going to do for two hours?” But two hours turned out to be not nearly enough.
When I got to the cliffs and walked up the stairs to the edge, the view was magnificent. It was one that neither photos nor words can describe (despite my thousands of attempts to capture the moment via my S5 camera). There was a tranquil atmosphere that is difficult to describe but was all-penetrating, despite the hundreds of people on the cliffs at the same time as us. I sat on the edge and looked down, and despite how terrified I was, I felt peaceful. I could’ve sat there for hours. I could’ve taken a nap on the side of the cliffs. I could’ve walked up and down the edge all day. Sadly, I didn’t, because as the bus driver said, we only had two hours (and the last thing I needed was to be abandoned on a cliff). But even the two hours I had there were beautiful and memorable.

LONDON, ENGLAND

After having been in Brighton, England for over half a year, I finally got the chance to explore London! A friend and I went on two separate trips to London: one to see the show Wicked, and another to see a football (soccer) match for Chile vs. Brazil. Both trips were fantastic! At the University of Sussex, where I was studying, almost everyone was from London. So naturally, not many people wanted to go out and do the super “touristy” things that I wanted to. But in the end, one of my close friends wanted to do just that! And we made the perfect combination in London-town.

On the first trip, when we went to see Wicked, the ticket situation was somewhat convoluted, and due to some misunderstanding on the phone, we weren’t registered for tickets that night. While I was disappointed, and we had to buy two new tickets, it worked out even better than I could’ve imagined! Our new tickets were right in the front row and we had the best seats in the house! In between that, we explored London and did all of the sight-seeing touristy things that I’d wanted to do for so long. Here are some photos! The whole day was spent in cliches and laughs.

On our next trip, sided with Brazil in the Brazil vs. Chile game. We bought crayons ahead of time, flags, kazoos, scarves, earrings, hair dye, the whole shebang! We painted our faces, hair, dressed ourselves up, and went to the game! The atmosphere was amazing. Everyone was so friendly and funny! We were so excited when a group of people asked us for a photo with them–imagine the amount of “team spirit” we must have been emanating!  Our distance from the field was breathtaking, and the footballers’ distance from us was at times too much to handle! Especially when they scored goals, the whole crowd was up in cheers! We even engaged in performing the wave, on more than one occasion. This was the first and only football match I’d ever been to, and I can say without a smidgen of a doubt, that it will not be the last! We had such a great time at the game, we wore our costumes and carried our flags on the tube, the train, and as we walked home!

KRAKOW, POLAND

My next trip was visiting my friend that lived in a little village outside of Krakow. This was to be a reunion of sorts, with another friend also flying in from Spain, and all of us spending a weekend in her house! It was so nice to reunite with her, and her little sister, both of which I love and was so happy to see! There was so much she wanted to show me while I was in Poland. There were castles, villages, cities, churches, and so many other sites to see in Poland. I’m surprised it’s not a more popular tourist destination given the beauty and history that lies within its walls. Krakow for one was a magnificent city. It was absolutely gorgeous. And it’s only a 20 minute car ride away from one of the world’s most important historical sites — the Auschwitz museum.

Throughout my time in Poland, I visited her and saw where she worked (a cute little English-teaching school where I met her students and ate cake!), we visited Krakow both in the day and night and marveled at its beauty in both instances, and all of the wonderful parts of the city that we got to explore.  Her village reminded me of the village in Albania where I grew up, with lots of chickens and other farm animals. Her family was very welcoming, and made me yummy food the whole time I was there! The architecture in Krakow was also beautiful, and I really want to go back.

While I was in Poland, we also visited the Auschwitz concentration camp and museum. I learned about the Holocaust as most people do–when they’re really young. Here I was in a midwestern state learning about something so horrible and tragic that happened so far away. It was difficult to be able to comprehend the level of horror and sadness. The Berlin Holocaust memorial that I was fortunate enough to visit was not like most Holocaust museums–it didn’t focus on what happened or why it happened–instead, it showed stories of people and families: where they were from, where they went, who survived, what happened to them, etc. And often times, these stories were demonstrated through letters written to each other, and I can’t begin to describe what I felt reading these letters. And seeing, over and over again: “was sent to Auschwitz, died.” Over and over, and over and over again. And now here I was, in Poland, visiting the killing camp now-turned memorial/museum. It was breathtaking–I felt like I might choke. The Auschwitz museum had stories, and pictures of people, what they did, when they died, etc. But mostly there were things. There were toothbrushes, suitcases with names on them, children’s toys, silverware, shoes, and other trinkets people bring when they think they’re moving somewhere, when they think they’re going to be living somewhere. They were, of course, separated of these things which they never saw again. There was also hair, the same hair that was cut off before people were sent into the gas chambers. When the liberators freed the camps, they saw bails of hair that were to be exported to Germany and used to make things. I also saw the places where they kept prisoners in Birkenau and I can’t even begin to understand what I felt, let alone describe it. The guides told us that the people who burned the prisoners were also prisoners themselves, and sometimes they recognized the bodies. They were murdered themselves every few months so that they couldn’t reveal what they actually did. These last of these groups of people were instrumental in the trials of the former high-ranking officials of the Holocaust. I took some photos of the camp itself and of the exhibits within it, but I just don’t have the heart to post any of them. If you’re interested in seeing the photos to understand the exhibits better, just let me know, and I can share them with you. They’re very telling, but too sad to post on a blog.

The part of the tour that I was most shocked by, however, what the tour quides told me that I almost couldn’t believe, was the fact that the memorial was built two years after the concentration camp was liberated, and the first tour guides were former prisoners. The strength that these people had in not only overcoming their fears to return to the camp–but telling groups of people about the horrors of their experience over and over again was one that I can’t even begin to understand, but admire profoundly. Seeing the Holocaust Memorial and the Auschwitz Museum was a sad experience, but one that I’m grateful to have. Living on a different continent, I never imagined I’d get the opportunity to see this history for myself, and now that I have, I am glad I went through the difficulty of the experience to have felt what happened on a deeper level. I really do believe it’s important to understand and connect to history so that we don’t ever, ever repeat it.

NUREMBERG, GERMANY 

The following week, I visited my friend in Nuremberg. This city was breathtaking as well, but in a different way from Poland. The architecture was less gothic, and more medieval. Even the not-so-nice parts of Nuremberg looked really nice! It was a city I can definitely see myself living in. My friend worked as a care provider for young children, so we visited her work place, and it was very cute! Additionally, we scoped out some local joints around the city and I got a feel for the “Nuremberg” vibe. Additionally, we visited the town of Bamberg (where she went to school), which was far smaller than Nuremberg, but a lot cuter!

It was great catching up with my friend, talking politics and life till the late hours of the morning. She was very welcoming, as were her housemates. She introduced me to another friend that also lived in Ann Arbor! What a small world it is, after all. I suppose! We saw many beautiful churches and gorgeously designed buildings in both Bamberg and Nuremberg. She also showed me an interesting feature of the city–if you looked down, at some points, there were gold-looking pavement blocks with names and dates on them. They were names of the people who were taken from their homes in the Holocaust and forced to relocate, usually in the concentration camps. It gives their date of birth, and death, on the blocks. Although it was sad to see these all over the city, it was good to know that these people were still remembered. Walking around the city, it was clear my friend loved to talk about its history and architecture. It’s funny how you always realize you know more about your city when you’re touring people around than you think you know otherwise. I was even lucky enough to see both Nuremberg and Bamberg from an areal perspective, and in both instances, the cities were gorgeous. I got a chance to try the traditional sausages that they eat, and we even walked past a genuine protest (against the trade bill the US is deliberating on right now). I was amazed to see how passionate the German protesters were about the bill, which they claimed (correctly, I would add), would give far too many powers to corporations and allow their food to be polluted with the same toxins that we are victims of in the United States. Here are some pictures from my adventures in Nuremberg below!

 

VENICE, ITALY

The week following Nuremberg, I went to Venice with a few friends. To start off, Venice, I have to say, was somewhat disappointing. There was a lot of hype about the beauty of the city, but to me it looked a bit sad. The paint was chipping off of a lot of buildings, and most of the streets did not look well maintained. Some people have told me that it’s part of the charm of the city, but it just made me a little bit sad. I imagined what Venice must have looked like in its prime, when it was the center of European trade in Shakespeare’s time, and it probably looked a lot less run down. Still, there were some parts of the city, such as St. Marco Square, that were absolutely breathtaking. And I was glad to visit the city still (before it was underwater)! We even got to take a gondola ride, which was amazing, despite the fact that the gondoleer was on the phone for most of the time! He sang to me, which definitely made up for it.

One thing that I discovered in Venice was the joy of traveling alone. My friends and I had different interests while traveling, so for most of the trip, I was exploring the city on my own. I walked around the shop, wandered in and spoke three words of Italian, and wandered out at my own pace. I had some coffee and snacks in the coffee shops throughout the city, each time trying to take a little part of the city in. I even met an American couple that was on vacation from the US and whose children studied in Europe! It’s always fun to make friends while you’re traveling.

BRIGHTON, ENGLAND

So, what did I do during and after all of these trips in England? Well, first of all, I had to get my papers written. I wrote on 3,500 word paper on Shakespeare, one 3,500 word paper on Eastern Europe’s current regimes and how they handled their communist past, and one 6,000 word paper on how the Sandy Hook School Shooting was documented by newspaper articles and the ethical implications associated with its documentation.  This was a profoundly stressful time for me, especially given the fact that I was absent for so long due to my travels. On the one hand, I wouldn’t take back the travel experiences I had under any circumstances. On the other hand, I basically scrunched the amount of time that I had left to pursue these projects into about a three week time span. Stress ensued, but I spent my days drowned in coffee and music, and got the papers all done! It helped that they were all interesting topics that I was very excited to write about.
Leaving England was really sad. I didn’t think it would be, but it was. Although I was thankful for my experience in England, I was to some degree, disappointed. One of my best friends is English, and he’s very open and honest and outgoing; this is the expectation that I extended to all English people, and perhaps it was too much to expect. English culture is very different from American culture, and even more different than Albanian culture; in England, people worry a lot about being polite. Although this is by no means an all encompassing stereotype, it was the general trend that I found. They were all very polite, but slow to open up. I met a lot of great people, but a lot of them took a long time to open up. And that’s okay, because it’s how they were raised. Sadly, in the limited amount of time that I had in England, I wasn’t able to form the same connections that I had in the United States with a lot of friends. I guess this was to be expected, but given my excitement and enthusiasm, I was disappointed that I wasn’t able to form super strong friendships with a lot of people.

But I’m so thankful for this experience. Despite the fact that England didn’t turn out how I expected it to be–this was the exception that proved the rule. It didn’t turn out how I expected, because life often doesn’t turn out that way. You handle the curve balls, you learn, and you keep learning, wherever you go and with whatever you do. Knowing that England is probably not somewhere I want to live long term is just as important as learning where I do want to live. Often time we put so much pressure on ourselves to know what we do want, we forget to know what we don’t want. By filling in the negative space, we realize what it is that we want, and what we need. This year was an important year in many ways, and I’ve learned a lot about myself in the process of understanding what I don’t want. It’s difficult to admit that sometimes an experience wasn’t what you’d expect, or what you’d want, but admitting it allows for you to learn, and also to appreciate the wealth of great things about it. 🙂
One thing that I am sure of, is that the friends who I did form great friendships with, I am 100% sure will remain my friends throughout my entire life. I was sad to leave England because I was sad to leave them. I’ve traveled back and forth between Albania and America almost every summer since I moved to the United States, and although it was always very difficult to leave family, I became accustomed to it, and leaving friends was never very difficult because I knew I’d see them again the following summer or fall. But it was very difficult to leave my English friends. In such a short amount of time, they became people that I grew to love like they were family, because in England, they really were my family. They were the ones I talked to when I was excited, and they were the ones I talked to when I was sad. They were the ones I stayed with at the bar eating food and playing pool for hours on end, and the ones whose rooms I went into to talk for hours, usually without saying a lot. It’s difficult to describe these relationships because I myself can’t place what makes them so important, but the simple fact that, I feel that I can say and do anything that I want to, and without question, they will love me still. I want to especially send a shoutout to my flatmate, who is one of the best people I’ve ever met. Love you girl. 🙂

TIRANA, ALBANIA 

Where am I now? Here! 🙂 After having come to visit Albania almost every summer since moving there, I finally get a chance to live in the capital for my internship! I am interning with the National Coastal Agency, and our goal is to promote Albania as a tourist attraction in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way, as well as promote research in Albania and on its coastline and subsequent islands. Right now, I am working on contacting UM Professors and other institutions that may be interested in conducting research in Albania or its islands, and specifically, I am working on creating a program for research and teaching on Sazani Island, Albania’s biggest island. It feels great doing something to help improve the country that I love so much! Although I’m only here for a couple of months, I would love to make an impact in any way that I can. I’ve even learned so much about my own country! Our language, our traditions, our tendencies–it’s great to constantly be learning.

I am living in an apartment with another intern, and honestly, all of the UM interns here are wonderful to work and live with. I love the food in Albania–it’s so fresh and tasty (yeah, it tastes like REAL food)! I’ve also been eating Sufllaqe like every day (sort of like a shwarma, but WAY better)! I love being so close to my family, but also exploring areas of Albania that I’ve never been to before. I hope that soon we will be able to visit Sazani island, and more of the coastline! I’m extremely excited for this summer and what it has in store!

GOING FORWARD?–WHO KNOWS! 

If you’ve made it to the end of this post, I congratulate you! Thank you so much for reading and catching up with me on my year. I am so thankful for all of these experiences–both the good and the bad. They’ve helped me grow so much as a person, and in unexpected but wonderful ways. I’m by no means a different person after the end of this year, in fact, my goofiness and Eni-ness has probably increased exponentially–but I like to think I’m better. I’ve worked a lot on myself, and I’ve got a ways to go, but I’m looking forward to what the rest of the summer and what my senior year will hold in store. Thanks for experiencing these trips and moments with me, and taking the time out of your day to read my extremely long blog post. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. 🙂 Let me know if you have any thoughts!

Love,

Eni

Trips, updates, and more!

Hello readers!

It’s been a while since I had a chance to write to you guys, but I want to update you all on what’s been going on here! Well, to start off, I’m in a play–wohoo! It’s about a comedy about mistaken identity and the funny scenarios that arise out of a power fuse combined with a love triangle!! It’s really fun to be in and I can’t wait to share the performance with everyone. Also, I got an internship in Albania for the summer–yay! That’s very exciting. I’ll be there for six weeks after I finish school here in Mid-may, and hopefully have a couple of weeks after my internship to just relax in Albania before I return to the US. But before then, I do have some other trips planned as well! I’m going to visit my uncle in Greece, and afterwards I’m going to go on a class trip to Berlin! Then I’ll be in Poland visiting a different friend, and after that in Nuremberg…and hopefully Ireland & Venice as well! I was also wondering when I’ll have time to finish my schoolwork while this is all happening…but I do work best under time constraints! Anyways, there’s just a quick update for you all. 🙂 I’ll write more detailed detailed descriptions of my trips later (after I’ve been on them, obviously!)
Thanks for reading!! Can’t wait to write to you all again!

Best,

Eni

Ireland – visiting Galaway

Hello readers!

First of all, I’d like to apologize for taking so long to post about my trip, especially since I couldn’t wait to share it with you! It was one of the best trips I’ve ever taken, mostly due to my super wonderful host Anais. When I first got to Galaway in Ireland, I didn’t really know what to expect. The only real knowledge I had of Ireland was the St. Patrick’s day parties at Ann Arbor and the potato famine that I learned about in history class (which, as it turns out, is mostly due to the fault of the English–who would’ve thunk!) There were two things that particularly struck me when I visited Ireland:

1.) The friendliness of everyone that I met. Obviously my friend was nice to me, but so were all of her housemates (that were international students) and all of the Irish people I met as well. They were all so friendly, funny, and great to be around!

2.) The ridiculously cold weather. The night I landed in Galaway, it was pouring rain. I am not exaggerating when I say that it was the most freezing rain I’ve ever experienced. It was akin to having ice cubes rubbed all over my face in -10 celsius degree weather. Although, throughout the weekend, the rain did subside, and we got to experience some beautiful Irish sunshine!

It was my friend’s birthday when I visited, so the weekend was a double celebration! She and her housemates had small plates of food and snacks in addition to drinks for the party, which was phenomenal! It was great to meet so many international students; among the countries represented were: France, Spain, Finland, (Albania/America), & Ireland!

Afterwards, we went to an Irish pub, and I have to say (and English friends–place don’t be angry with me) Irish pubs are way more fun! It was like a mix between a sit-down bar and a nightclub, where everyone was standing up and speaking to each other. The atmosphere was very friendly and everyone seemed very approachable. Needless to say, we had a great time.

After my friend’s birthday celebration, we had plans to visit the countryside, but unfortunately we missed the last bus, so we spent the day exploring Galaway! (We decided to save that adventure for the next time I visit!) We walked around the cute shops and houses, and I got some beautiful celtic earrings and a cute bracelet to remember the trip by. And my friend and I took a photo in front of the most famous spot in the whole city!

We also had some super yummy tae (spelled the Irish way!) It was one of the cutest places I’ve ever seen. With the cutest china too. We had this wonderful lemony tea and I cannot stress enough how absolutely delicious the it was.

All in all–the trip was phenomenal! Even if Galaway was freezing cold, it was absolutely beautiful. It was great spending time and catching up with my friend, as well as making new friends! I think I can safely say it’s one of my favorite places, and I can’t wait to visit again!

Thanks as always for reading, and I promise to continue keeping you updated!

Best,
Eni

Playing Catch-Up! – Paris, Albania, (Exams) & Coventry

Hello again!

Boy do I have a lot of catching up to do. My apologies for being extremely late in posing about my recent escapades. For some reason, I decided to do all of my traveling at the tail-end of December, right when my classes ended, and soon afterward, my exams began. The timing? Not great. Still wouldn’t change a thing; I had an amazing time.

First off I’ll talk about my visit to Paris with a friend I hadn’t seen since High School–Clivia! Clivia is from China, who I met on her year abroad in my high school, and now she’s going to university at a school in the US, and on her year abroad in Paris (so exotic, isn’t it?!) Additionally, a professor of mine from Sophomore year was teaching abroad in Paris, so she showed me around all over the city (so much so that my feet were screaming in agony at the end of the day) and helped me experience the best of French life (mostly wine and cheese)! Of course my friend and I also did the touristy things, like going to the Louvre (which is free if you have a student ID–so make sure you bring one if you ever visit) and the Eiffel Tower. We also had traditional French food, like duck and escargot, and visited the Parisian christmas market, which was beautiful, and I got a souvenir from! 

In light of recent events, the courageousness of the French people is admirable, and breathtaking. I was lucky enough to visit Paris at a peaceful time, and never did I imagine that events would unfold in this way. But even so, I am so amazed at the resilience of the French people, and of course their allies, in protecting freedom of speech and expression. I am amazed and proud.

For Christmas, I got to visit my family in Albania, and I was really glad to see them. It had been two years since I’d seen my dad’s side of the family, and even more for my mom’s side, so I was really glad to see everyone. Albania’s a beautiful country, if somewhat impoverished. My goal is to do research there after I graduate, but we’ll see how well that goes. In the meantime, here’s some photos. 🙂

However, while I was in Albania with my family, I also had to work on my papers and exams. Due to the way the way the English system works, students get about a month off after their classes end, and then they take exams and have papers due. In all honesty, I’m not sure if this system is preferable to that of the US. Generally UK classes have one or two exams or papers, and that is all. Usually the papers focus on only one week of the 12 that are spent teaching, so if a student doesn’t want to read or do work for the rest of the weeks, they don’t have to. I understand the whole independent teaching idea, but seeing professors only for 8 hours a week (sometimes less) seems a bit senseless if you want more guidance. However, that being said, I’ve had amazing professors so far, so I do consider myself lucky. I worked on my two papers and exam over the break, and turned them in while I was back, and afterwards I took some time off to visit Coventry!

Coventry was super fun, mostly because I was spoiled and got to relax. 🙂 We had a second Christmas dinner (proper English-style), which was both delicious and exhausting (I passed out right afterwards–and naturally a photo of me sleeping on the couch ended up on Snapchat). It’s great to have somewhere to go that’s like a second home, so I’m quite lucky! 😀

Now I’m back to Brighton, and for the first time since I moved here in September (for a few more days at least) I can relax in my bed, watch Heroes or Friends, and do NOTHING. Boy have I been looking forward to this.

On Friday I go to Ireland, so hopefully Sunday I’ll have another post up–with lots more adventures to share. 🙂

Best of luck to you all, and speak soon!
Eni

My Spanish Adventure!

Hi everyone!

GUESS WHAT–I wandered around Europe, and I survived! This was a shock to me, as well as my close friends and immediate family, I’m sure. I got to visit the beautiful city of Madrid for 3 days, and I can’t wait to tell you about all of my (non)shenanigans!
My first adventure starts before I even met my friends in the city. It begins with this Madrid McDonald’s.

Why, you might ask? Well, I had to meet my friends somewhere in town, and this McDonald’s (with wifi–yay!) was the best option! It was near the metro station where I got off, but unfortunately it wasn’t visible. So what did I do? Naturally I wandered the streets, aimlessly, asking people for directions. This random man came up to me mumbling incoherently in what I assume was Spanish, but despite how many different ways I tried to explain I didn’t speak English, he kept speaking to me, until I walked away and asked some women for directions. I think that was the first time I realized I was in a country where I didn’t speak the native tongue. It was scary, but so exciting! I found the McDonald’s, and my friends. 🙂

We visited so many places and tried so many different foods!

This here is the “Tio Pepe” sign, the oldest in Madrid. It used to be on the building kitty-corner to it, but apple bought it out and got rid of the sign. Then the people of Madrid petitioned endlessly for the city to put the sign back up, so they did! Isn’t that so cool?? And right across the Tio Pepe sign is the kilometro cero! This is us there!

The point we’re touching on the ground is the “kilometro cero,” the centermost point of the entire city of Spain. So awesome. We also went to a temple. That’s right, a temple, in Madrid. Why? Well, according to my best friend the tour guide, Madrid helped a city in Egypt when it was flooded by the Nile, so in return, they gave a temple to Madrid!

Whilest wandering around the city, I remember hearing hooves clicking. My friend said that it was the police. Naturally, I told him he was crazy. BUT HE WAS RIGHT! Some (not all, of course) of the police officers in Madrid ride HORSE! How crazy is that!? I suppose it isn’t that crazy, but it blew my mind. And of course I was awkward and touristy enough to ask my friend to translate to the police officer and ask him to take a picture.

If you can sense the awkwardness emanating from this photo, your senses are very acute. I was mortified the entire time. A (pretty significant) part of my mind was convinced the horse was going to kick me in the face. I had to keep inching forward to make the photo look somewhat reasonable. But I’m so glad I did it!

We also got to visit the place where the King and Queen of Spain live! Apparently, they have a king and queen. Who knew?? I didn’t. But I was very excited! The palace was beautiful. And on the road to it, we met a (very intense) man who was drawing caricatures.

I think it looks more like me than I do. That is, if I were a sociopath serial killer. Look at that smile!!! But it was super awesome. And I was smiling so much for so long while he drew me, it reminded of when I was in Hairspray at our high school and my face hurt at the end of every show because we were smiling so much. Ah, the memories!

Walking back in time, my friend showed me this! Apparently back when the Kingdom of Madrid was surrounded in walls and fighting with lots of other kingdoms, these were the doors that opened to let people in. They were removed and now stand for tourists like me to take photos! Isn’t that awesome? Awesome and cool were words I exhausted on this trip.

And of course I can’t forget the food or drink! We had sangria at four different places, and mojitos, and the most amazing meat and tapas I’ve ever had in my life! (It was so good we went there twice.)

And I took lots of photos in front of lots of things. It was an amazing trip! Madrid is a beautiful city. And everything was so inexpensive! I can’t wait to go back. 🙂

That’s all for now guys! I’m visiting France next week, so I’ll update you then!!

Best,
Eni

A Month in a Minute (well, post! : )

Hello to all my fabulous readers,
I can’t believe it’s been just over a month since my last post! Keeping in stride with cliches, I must admit that time truly does fly. I suppose the reason why I haven’t written in the past month is simple: not a lot has happened. I’ve discovered that there’s often a misconception about study abroad trips, especially longer ones: everyone assumes you’re visiting a new city and/or country every weekend, but unless you have an unlimited supply of funds, time, and lack of educational commitment, it’s hard to have such exciting things happen all the time. But that being said, October was a big month–my birthday and Halloween were both big celebrations!

I rang in my 21st birthday with true English fashion–in a pub! Weatherspoon’s, to be exact, with my flatmate Rey, and it was wonderful–lots of nostalgia and excitement! Later that night we had a big celebration at my flat and went out in Brighton. I must admit that my birthday did inspire some home-sickness. Despite how excited it is to be somewhere new, I couldn’t help but miss my family and closest friends. But I really have been lucky. Despite being so far, so many of my friends have reached out via Whatsapp, Facebook, and Skype, and keeping in touch has been both easier and even more rewarding than I could’ve imagined. Despite these mixed emotions, October 17th was a fun and memorable 21st birthday experience that I got to celebrate with my new friends.

Skipping forward–Halloween! I was actually surprised at the huge difference in Halloween cultures in the UK vs the US. The analogy is direct to Mean Girls. Generally, in the US, people concentrate on having pretty, unique costumes (dressing more like Regina), whereas in the UK,  blood and fake burn marks are added to almost evert costume (pulling a more Cady routine). We had a social for my show choir which was super fun, and my friends wore some really interesting costumes!

And now? Well, I have been working on schoolwork mostly–I have a paper due next week, and another paper due the week after, but the day after my second paper is due I’m visiting one of my best friends in SPAIN! I’ve missed her to death and I honestly can’t wait to see Madrid. After that, I’m going to Paris to visit another friend that I’ve known all the way back from high school when she visited as a foreign exchange student. It’s been years since I’ve seen her, and I’ve always wanted to visit Paris too, so that trip is one I’m thrilled to be going on as well! Then afterwards, I’m going to Albania to spend Christmas with my aunt and little cousin for the first time in 13 years. It’s been 2 years since I’ve seen them both and I miss them to death. And I also got my cousin the best present in the world, so I have her excitement and surprise to look forward to.

Anyways, that’s all for now! I promise I won’t make you wait as long for my next post! ❤ Thanks for reading!

Happy living,

Eni

School & other bits

Hello wonderful readers!

I’d like to start off by saying this: they have broken me. I’ve officially started using British slang. Well, I’m not sure if slang is even the right word for it. This past week I’ve caught myself saying: reckon, bits, trousers (in my quest to avoiding saying pants, which means something very different here), loo, hob and a plethora of other British expressions. It’s safe to say, when I come home, you’ll all indubitably get sick of me. But I’ve also penetrated their language! My constant use of the word obnoxious (mostly in relation to myself) has made my flatmates love using it!

 

Also, I finally started school–wohoo! I also have a new favorite folder, mostly because it says “Sussex” and is pink.  In my love for you all, I’ve included a picture of it below. Side note: don’t let my colorful interjection discourage you from reading on! Contrary to popular belief, my obsession with the color pink won’t be the focus of this blog.

I was very excited to start school, even moreso than I was to start college! It’s quite different here education-wise, but not in the ways I would’ve imagined. For example, the teaching style is very similar to Michigan’s. We’re given readings we’re supposed to complete before the courses, and the teachers add onto what we were supposed to have read in the lecture the following week. I guess the biggest difference is how little class time there is. I only have classes 3 days a week, and only about 6 hours of class total, as opposed to the 6 hours a day that I had last year for 4 or 5 days a week. It blows my mind how much time I have on my hands, but I’ve been using it to participate in what they call societies (and we call clubs). I’ve joined two choirs, one classical, and one show choir. I love it!

But that’s by no means where the differences end. I went to the library last night to finish my work for Monday expecting there to be no empty seats to study in, but to my utter surprise, the library was empty! I found out later that Sunday is the day for lounging around and eating roasts, not for studying. That definitely came as a surprise.

I will also say: NOTHING prepared me for what I found out about first year university students: their first year scores DON’T MATTER. They just have to pass their classes with 40% in order to get credit and move on to year 2, but their grades don’t actually factor into their degree scores. Sadly, my grades do matter. But I don’t mind because my classes are awesome! I’m taking one on Europe’s transition from communism to democracy and it’s great! My professor is a little cute Polish man with an adorable accent (let’s hope he never sees this). I’m also taking a class on European Politics, and the lecturer is great. He also has an accent, but I like that they’re all speaking differently because it helps my abilities to understand different accents. In my last class I’m learning about short stories and creative writing, another one that I love, and will hopefully help me improve my blog!

The highlight of my week was definitely on Saturday. One flatmate had a birthday party, which was super fun. I also had some friends coming in from out of town for the party, so along with another flatmate of mine, all of us explored Brighton pier! We ate burgers, slurped smoothies, and played arcade games like idiots. It was great!

I guess that’s all for now! It’s time for me to stop procrastinating doing my reading by writing this blog (although this digital gold is definitely valued way beyond procrastination, and possibly my real homework). I hope you all enjoyed my musings! I’ll refer you to the comments box for any questions, concerns, or whimsical and/or random comments. I’ll also make sure to write again soon, and hopefully have some great adventures to tell you all about!

 

Happy living!

Eni

You Mean it’s Week 3? – Coventry & Sussex

Hello everyone!

I’ve been so busy the past couple of weeks I (almost) forgot to update you all! It’s been a whirlwind, it really has. I was in Coventry for a week, and we visited a chocolate factory (Cadbury’s) and it was DELICIOUS! We also went to Harry Potter World (life = complete), and Warwick Castle! It was phenomenal.

Adjusting to being in a new country was different than I thought it would be. I don’t feel out of place per se, but it does feel different. It’s as if someone went inside my room and moved all of the bedroom furniture by 6 inches. It’s a noticeable difference, and feels different, but it’s close enough to what you’re used to, so you don’t feel uncomfortable or out of place. I guess a big part of the reason why my adjustment has been more simple is the wonderful people I’ve met.

In Coventry, everyone was so excited to meet me. My friend and his mom were great (especially his mom) and I also got to meet a ton of people at the pubs and club, and they were all way more friendly than the “British reserve” I was expecting. When I meet new people, I like to get to know them and talk to them for extended periods of time, and it seemed like they were all on the same page as well. Honestly, they were great. We even had a onesie party (which was AMAZING) and made me feel more at home than ever (probably also because I was wearing a Michigan onesie, hehe!)

In Sussex, I’m living in a flat with 5 other people, and they’re great. They’re the friendliest and coolest people I could’ve ever wished to live with, and we’re already great friends. Brighton is beautiful (and I even had Fish & Chips by the seaside!) The biggest difference between Coventry and Brighton is the activity. In Coventry there seemed to be cars, but not a whole lot going on in the town beyond that, but in Brighton I’ve had a hard time slowing myself down and resting because there are SO many activities!

Their Welcome Week vs Our Welcome Week. Where do I begin? Welcome Weeks at Sussex are nonstop, events during the day and night (some school sponsored, and some not school sponsored.) The biggest difference is the drinking culture. Everyone here is over 18, which is the drinking age, and there’s a lot of casual conversations about alcohol. It’s a way more open dialogue than I could’ve ever imagined.

The accents–I LOVE THEM. And strangely enough, they like mine too! I’ve only met a few Americans so far, but I tend to stick with the locals. There’s a few words we always laugh at the differences between–aluminum (alumeeneum), tomatoe (tomaaato), pedophile (peeedophile), and some words that I’ve begun using that I never imagined I would. For example, we might ask, “Do you think?” and they say “Do you reckon?” or  we say “I feel very (or pretty),” and they say “I feel quite…” The language differences are subtle, but they’re there. And there’s some words that we just don’t ever say (as I’m sure you’re all aware.) Probably my favorite word that I’ve been introduced to is “SOUND!” in place of “Awesome” or “Cool” or “Sick.” The list of mannerisms goes on as well, but one thing I want to make abundantly clear: THEY ARE OBSESSED WITH TEA. Repeat: This is not a drill, a little white lie, or even an exaggeration. They drink tea every morning, and it’s so adorable. I love it. And they drink it with milk! When I come back, I don’t imagine I’ll have an accent, but I may use some of their words. And you are all welcome to make lots of fun of me.

I’ve learned that their courses are probably graded more harshly than ours, which is definitely a comfort to me…In the UK the first year doesn’t get factored in the final scores for the students. Isn’t that crazy?! They just have to pass, and it’s only their 2nd and 3rd year classes that matter. That being said, I have to take 2nd and third year courses so I’m a little nervous, but I only have THREE DAYS of class. I have Thursdays-Sundays off, so there’s really no reason for me not to do well as long as I live in the library. Also, we had the University of Michigan’s equivalent of “Festifall” called “Fresher’s Fair.” I signed up for a bunch of “societies” (clubs), including the Drama Society, the Musical Theatre Society, two different choirs, the Model UN, the Political Society, the Liberal Democrats, Sketch Comedy, the Horror Movie society, and the Girl’s Rugby society. (Ha–for the record, I didn’t sign up for the Rugby team because I lost a bet.)

Tomorrow is the Brighton Pier Party where we’ll get to go on the pier and go on all of the rides! Truly, I can’t wait. Tonight will be spent buried in books, so please wish me luck, as I will need it. Sorry this post is so lengthy! I will attempt to keep you updated better in the future. Thanks again for reading!

Happy living!

Eni

Aaand I landed!

Hello my dearest readers once again,

I deeply apologize for depriving you of my sass for what must feel like lifetimes to you, but I am back, and I do have a lot to say! My journey from the Detroit to London was not the best, but also not the worst. For more details on that experience, check out the other post “Thoughts on Traveling.”

My friend Rob picked me up at the airport, and I’ve been in Coventry for the past few days hanging out with him and his mom Jane. It’s beautiful here! We went shopping, went out to a club, and pubs, it’s all been really fun. There’s a few things I can’t get over though:

• Sitting on the wrong side of the car. It’s SO weird. Left turns are right turns and right turns are left turns and everyone drives an automatic. It’s weird. The roads are also super smooth and really nice, which is a great change.
• Crisps are chips and chips are fries. I know it’s a common, but still, very strange.
• The date is written differently, dd/mm as opposed to mm/dd. I’m sure I’ll get used to it just in time to be confused when I go to the states too!
• Politeness. People here are super polite. Except Rob. But everyone else is so polite! Love it, but I feel a bit obnoxious around everyone.

Next week we’re going to a chocolate factory and then HARRY POTTER WORLD!!! I can’t wait.

I apologize for the shortness of this post, but I am still in recovery after going out with Rob and his friends last night. Tomorrow we’re all having a proper English lunch, and I can’t wait! I promise to update you all soon. Until then, everyone!
Happy living,

Eni

Thoughts on Physical Travel

I LOVE traveling. I love seeing new things, meeting new people, and I especially love eating new food. Here’s something I hate: physically moving from place to place, especially flying. And it’s not out of any sort of phobia or fear of flying, it’s because of how uncomfortable and awkward it is. I have some thoughts on how it could be improved, and alas, only if the airways listened, maybe we could have a better experience!

To preface this I will say, this post is from the opinion of a student. As a student, I would much rather spend money exploring  places than I would get from place to place, so I’m not going to spend a bunch of money extra on flights and trains and such.

Thoughts, in order or passion/severity:

• AIRLINE SEATS: My god, they are the WORST. Either I’ve been getting exponentially larger, or they’ve been getting exponentially smaller. They’re practically smaller than car seats! Which I could stomach for short flights, 1-3 hours maybe. But when you’re taking a 7 hour flight, it’s horrible. Especially if you’re trying to sleep. I figure even a contortionist would have difficulty trying to shift into a comfortable position. And let me just say, I do NOT think that airline seats should even be allowed to recline. I’m 5ft4, and have difficulty stretching my legs with the tiny area that we’re allotted. But when they put the seat back in front of you (and depending on how big of a jerk they are, whether they push it back far or a little) even sitting is impossible, let alone eating or sleeping. It should just not be allowed.
• Food: Food, oh god the food… Many an awful joke have been told about airline food, which is absolutely dreadful, and there’s really no more that needs to be said about it. But even worse is airport food. Nowhere else will you be charged as much for food as crappy, and you still have to swallow the cost because you don’t really have a choice. BUT I have my cheat: I bring almonds with me and avoid any type of food on both the plane and the airport. It’s great.
• Nickle-and-diming: I swear, I’m so sick of airlines charging for everything. They’ve even started charging for headphones on some flights now as well. On an international flight, I was only allowed ONE checked bag. One! How am I supposed to be able to bring what I need for a year in one bag? It costs $100 for a second one. And $100 if we go even above the 50lb limit. It’s just absurd.

 

These are some thoughts. They really need to improve the system. What’s great about Europe is that flights compete with trains and buses and even boats as other methods of travel, so the prices remain competitive, and I can’t wait!!!