Wander

OH HI THERE!!

Missed me?! Well I am officially back home in Kocani after a long two weeks of traveling! Obviously, a lot has happened in my two week vacation, but instead of writing down everything I did, everyone I met, and everything I ate, I suppose I'll just show you a few of my favorite highlights of the trip through photos. Ready??

Well, our first stop was Thessaloniki, Greece. We couch surfed with an AMAZING host, who really showed us the best food and nightlife!

Thessaloniki has a million hidden streets and alleyways that are full of great unique bars with excellent happy hours! 

Chad and I enjoying our SECOND meal at this place, because the food was just soooooo good!!

After leaving Thessaloniki, we caught an early morning flight to Zakynthos, Greece. The island was beautiful and full of activites!!

We spent three days exploring the island, and we found a dozen hidden beaches just like this one! The water was often pretty cold, but we were troopers and took advantage of every opportunity!

This was the shipwreck cove. Photos won't do this place justice.

Having fun!

Yes, this is a boat bar, and yes we spent our day here.

Our next destination was Athens, Greece. We were only there for a day, and I'd have to say it was our least favorite place to visit. We did see the typical touristy stuff, which was excellent, but we found the city to be too overwhelming and dirty. Regardless, we still had a great time!!

Me in Athens!!

The ruins

Athens is HUGE!!!!!

From there, we went to my favorite place: CORFU!! Corfu is another little island off the coast of Greece. It is mountainous with a million little beaches....it is the postcard of paradise. 

The view from our apartment

The evenings were perfect

What we did every morning.

Compliments from our favorite place to eat, complete with the best staff!!

One of our new local friends owns this place, which is located in a village near where we were. We went there on our last night and had an EPIC meal!!

The next places we visited were Milan and Como, in Italy. Both were day trips, but we had an excellent host, Geri, who helped show us everything!!

This is Geri, our host!!

Third largest church in Europe. 

Milan was gorgeous at night!!

Lake Como!! (George Clooney owns a villa here)

Another beautiful sight!!

Our final destination was Venice, Italy. I LOVED Venice!! 

How can you not love Venice?!

Amazing dinner.

: )

Yes, this mask came home with me. It was hand-made. Did you know all the masks for the movie, Eyes Wide Shut were made here??

Last night......sigh....

That's that....in PHOTOS!! I may give more of an update later, but for now, I am tired. I hope you all enjoyed the photos. : ) 

Not all those who wander are lost...

Round Here

I am SO TIRED.

This week has really flown by. I have been sick and busy all at once. I came down with a nasty cold, and I thought I even had strep, but I have become better after eating lots of soup and drinking lots of tea. One thing I have NOT gotten is rest. Lele...

Well, I got SPA grant application got approved (YAY!!!!!), but there were some needed amendments that were suggested in order for the grant to be final. I was given 2 weeks to make these adjustments, re-write the grant, and get some new forms signed. I began working on this immediately, however, after trying to open the files on a computer at school, ALL of my files became CORRUPT. ughhhh, so I spent hours re-writing everything. It was so exhausting. Currently, I'm not officially done with the revision of the grant, but I think I'm close. I hope to have it all final by Monday.

Emilija allowed me to take a break from English classes during the first half of the week, but I still found myself running around and staying busy with the grant. I also opened the dance studio so my dancers could still practice, even though I was not well enough to join them. Yesterday, my Director came to me with some excellent news: He found a new apartment for me.

HELL YEA!! New home?! I was so excited, so we agreed to check the place out together last night. The place is fantastic. It's perfect for me. It is the top floor of a beautiful house. I met the woman who lives downstairs, and she is an adorable little lady. She is the perfect person you would want as a landlord....the kind you can join for dinner or ask to borrow sugar from...we got along great. She showed me the upstairs, and immediately I was in love. THERE WAS ROOM. It has three rooms total, complete with two little balconies. There is wireless internet and TV. The kitchen is about the same as what I have now...still have the toaster over and hot plates. The bathroom, however, is a total upgrade!! It's got nice tiles and a washing machine. : ) The house itself is located the same walking distance away from school. It is located right across from the bus station, which is also right beside the two big grocery stores and a little veggie vendor area. It is a nice and quiet neighborhood. I love it.

I should find out tomorrow if Im officially approved for the apartment. Right now, it seems like it is going to work out. The landlady even said I could move in as early as April 18th!! Oh man.....no more walking up 89 steps every day. No more one room with no closets. No more MEAN landlord who never fixes a damn thing. No more of any of that.....I really want this new place.

In other news, I'm battling insomnia....quite literally. I cannot sleep. I dont know why. Even sleeping pills arent helping me. I hope it goes away, b/c starting this weekend, I will be GONE. I'll be out of town all weekend.....out of town all next week. Out of town for half the weekend....back in town for the following week, but then out of town AGAIN the next weekend (going to Greece!!!!!!), and then by the time I am back, I will have 2 days to pack and move!! Two weeks later, my momma will be coming to visit!! :D I still wish my sister could come...I really miss her, but she simply cant afford it. Ill be really sad when Im showing off my momma, but my sister isnt with me too. I hope she will find the money and time to make it later in the summer.

Ok...that's all for now. Wish me luck on the grant...and on the new apartment...and on all my traveling coming up. I may not update again for a while, but Im still reading all my emails from you all.

xoxo

I'm in Vienna!!

Man on man....the last two days have been LONG. I flew into Philly on Friday, which was hell all on its own. The morning began with a 4am wakeup. After crying and saying goodbye to my mother and sister, I checked my bags for my first flight.

My departing flight from Nashville was delayed for 45 minutes. We were stuck on the plane for the whole 45 minutes, and I literally cried the entire time, because I just knew I was going to miss my connecting flight. Thankfully, my connecting flight in Memphis was also delayed, so I ended up catching the flight, after having a minor asthma attack. Finally, I landed in Philly with only about an hour to get to the hotel, check in, register, and begin training.

The rest of the day was packed full of orientation activities. By the end of the night, I enjoyed my last meal in America with some fellow PCVs, enjoyed some time with my hotel roommate, and went to bed. The following morning, we were out fo the hotel by 9am. We were bussed over 2 hours to JFK, where we sat for like 5 hours before our departure.

After 7.5 hours on a plane with a new found buddy from Israel, I managed to land safely in Vienna, where I now sit, typing to all of you. PHEW. From here, we have one last flight to Skopje, and then we hop on a bus for about a half hour ride out to our hotel. We will be at that hotel for the next week. Then, we get to move in with our host families!!

That's all for now. I haven't slept in about 20+ hours, so I'm a little loopy. I am already missing everyone terribly. <3