First of all to answer everyone’s question: YES we got our luggage. It came to our hotel in Rome in the evening.
Our first trip was to the Forum and Colosseum. It was a beautiful day and walking around on no sleep was hard, but I was amazed at the size of the buildings and how it’s so different when you actually see it in person. You may see it on TV or in books many times but to actually see it in person and hear about the history is very different. I will have to put some pictures later.
That night I was real tired and running on barely any energy but I wanted to see some of my friends from camp in Romania who lived in Rome. So I called them up and at about 7:30 PM we were able to meet. My group was done touring for the day and we had dinner already (I had the same thing as I did for lunch because it was so good). We walked around, had some juice (fresh squeezed - so yummy), and had a great time talking about lots of different things. It was almost 10 PM and I was tired so I said “good night” and off to bed I went.
The next morning we were up early with our luggage ready. We had a great breakfast at the hotel and at about 8:30 AM we were again on the bus for our next tour. We went to the Vatican and St. Peters’ church with the same tour guide. The art, building and history was incredible. The amount of people that visit is amazing. I did not like the rushing, pushing, and walking like cattle through those places. It did not give you the time to appreciate what you were seeing.
Soon we were off to our ship. About an hour away from Rome. We got in the departure area, filled in our paper work and were ready to check in. Ok the next story is going to be told with little detail, but you had to be there (and maybe real tired for it to be funny). The paper they gave us to fill out asked about our past medical history (last 3 days). Take in account that I have been flying for a two days, not much sleep, and had lousy plane food. I indicated on the form that I had one too many things in the past 3 days, so when we were checking in they told us we had to see the doctor (mostly me but because L. was my roommate she was also affected). We walk over to the other room again and wait. We wait about 15 min and no one comes. The next room is empty and everyone seems to be checked in and the staff is cleaning up their stuff. L. asks some one and they assure us they will not forget about us and we will soon see the doctor. A few minutes later the lady who pulled us aside, along with the doctor, nurse and some other dude (who at the time I thought was the captain). They ask me about my problem and they say this is very serious and I need to be serious about how I respond to the questions (I was tired and I just wanted to get on the ship and of course was not taking this very seriously). Long story short I had to write a statement stating that I was not sick and would visit the doctor if any problem arouse and would wash my hands constantly throughout the cruise. For a moment I thought they would not let me go on the ship but they did. Yay...
Off we were to our rooms. Which I might say are very small but you get used to them since you’re not in there much and the ship is so big. Soon after we were on board we had a life vest drill. At 6:30 PM (which was our assigned dinner time for every evening) we had dinner where we were able to meet our waiters and other staff who would serve us for the rest of the cruise. The rest of the evening we checked out the ship (casino, gym, library, pool, outside area, stores, etc) which is a city on the water. We also had a chance to meet our celebrity singers and dancers (I thought the first show was cheesy) in a introductory show.
That first night I slept well despite the fact that the ship was rocking (I know we were on sea).
More to follow. (We are now on our second day at sea with no stops so I’ll try to update everyone on what I saw in every city later).
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The Beginning...
Well here we are on the cruise enjoying the beautiful view on the Mediterranean Sea, but before I tell you about what’s going on now I will tell you about the past few days.
My friend and I left Maui around 3:05 PM on a direct flight to Portland Oregon. We arrived at about 11:30 PM and my dad was nice enough to come pick us up and take us to their home. It was past midnight and we were tired, but I wanted to change suitcases and charge all my electronics. I went to bed about 1:30 AM and was not able to sleep, but soon my alarm went off. It was 3:30 AM.
We got everything together, had some coffee and soon we were on our way again to the airport. My dad was nice enough to get us so early and take us back to the airport.
We were there about 4:45 AM and we were soon checked in and at the gate. The flight to New York was about 5 hours and we had great seats. The first seats in the couch section, lots of leg room, and no one sitting next to us. We had our own individual screens and were able to play games or watch TV (of course many of them cost money but there were some free ones also). We were soon in JFK. There we got some food, walked around and soon we were on our next flight to Roma, Italia. We had OK seats and around us there were a lot of LOUD and excited people. The food was bad, the movies I’ve already seen and the service was not so good. But after 8.5 hours we were in Roma.
We arrived around 7:30 AM and after getting our stamps in the passport we were off to get our bags. One lady came up to us and asked in full spanish if we knew where something was but since neither of us speak spanish we were not sure what she was saying (for those of you wondering, yes I know Italian and spanish sound alike, but she did specifically say “something espaniol”). We were not sure how to help her but I hope she figured it out. We found the belt the luggage was coming on and we waited... and waited.... and waited... After a while no more bags were coming. Almost everyone was gone. We asked some one what to do and we were off to Costumer Service. While in line I saw someone that looked familiar (Before this I was looking and looking for anyone that seemed like they belonged to our group because we were not sure at this point how we were going to get to the hotel and plus we did not have out hotel name to even take a taxi there). Anyways back to finding the person I knew. I could not remember her name but she seemed to know mine and I was not about to loose the opportunity to get a ride to the hotel. I talked to her and she gave me the hotel info and said she would be waiting for us to take the bus with everyone else (about 10 people).
We did the paper work for the luggage and we went to meet everyone else. My friend D. also just arrived so she was waiting for her luggage. We went out side of the airport and there was a girl holding up a sign with our group name on it. We met others who were already in Roma and after everyone else we were off to our bus. Our group escort was Saia. She helped to make sure we all got to the hotel safely.
When at the hotel we had time to change some money and relax for a little while before meeting with everyone. We had introductions and I was real surprised to see how many people from Maui were there and I did not know they were coming. We grabbed a quick lunch (yummy bread with tomatoes, yummy cheese with really yummy eggplant - it was the best sandwich ever) before heading on our first tour.
Well that’s it for now. Coming soon: Details on our first and second tour, and cruise stories.
Jilda
My friend and I left Maui around 3:05 PM on a direct flight to Portland Oregon. We arrived at about 11:30 PM and my dad was nice enough to come pick us up and take us to their home. It was past midnight and we were tired, but I wanted to change suitcases and charge all my electronics. I went to bed about 1:30 AM and was not able to sleep, but soon my alarm went off. It was 3:30 AM.
We got everything together, had some coffee and soon we were on our way again to the airport. My dad was nice enough to get us so early and take us back to the airport.
We were there about 4:45 AM and we were soon checked in and at the gate. The flight to New York was about 5 hours and we had great seats. The first seats in the couch section, lots of leg room, and no one sitting next to us. We had our own individual screens and were able to play games or watch TV (of course many of them cost money but there were some free ones also). We were soon in JFK. There we got some food, walked around and soon we were on our next flight to Roma, Italia. We had OK seats and around us there were a lot of LOUD and excited people. The food was bad, the movies I’ve already seen and the service was not so good. But after 8.5 hours we were in Roma.
We arrived around 7:30 AM and after getting our stamps in the passport we were off to get our bags. One lady came up to us and asked in full spanish if we knew where something was but since neither of us speak spanish we were not sure what she was saying (for those of you wondering, yes I know Italian and spanish sound alike, but she did specifically say “something espaniol”). We were not sure how to help her but I hope she figured it out. We found the belt the luggage was coming on and we waited... and waited.... and waited... After a while no more bags were coming. Almost everyone was gone. We asked some one what to do and we were off to Costumer Service. While in line I saw someone that looked familiar (Before this I was looking and looking for anyone that seemed like they belonged to our group because we were not sure at this point how we were going to get to the hotel and plus we did not have out hotel name to even take a taxi there). Anyways back to finding the person I knew. I could not remember her name but she seemed to know mine and I was not about to loose the opportunity to get a ride to the hotel. I talked to her and she gave me the hotel info and said she would be waiting for us to take the bus with everyone else (about 10 people).
We did the paper work for the luggage and we went to meet everyone else. My friend D. also just arrived so she was waiting for her luggage. We went out side of the airport and there was a girl holding up a sign with our group name on it. We met others who were already in Roma and after everyone else we were off to our bus. Our group escort was Saia. She helped to make sure we all got to the hotel safely.
When at the hotel we had time to change some money and relax for a little while before meeting with everyone. We had introductions and I was real surprised to see how many people from Maui were there and I did not know they were coming. We grabbed a quick lunch (yummy bread with tomatoes, yummy cheese with really yummy eggplant - it was the best sandwich ever) before heading on our first tour.
Well that’s it for now. Coming soon: Details on our first and second tour, and cruise stories.
Jilda
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Nothing Exciting!
Well nothing exciting has been going on in my life since I've come back from Romania but I will entertain you all for a little while.
I've been working a lot and hanging out with friends in the evenings and on weekends. Some weekends we went hiking and lots of going away or birthday parties.
Last weekend my friend L. and I went for a day at the spa at the Grand Wailea where we enjoyed the Therma baths and a massage. It was amazing. I wish I had the money to do it more. It was a special for $99 and it was for L.'s birthday so those were the main reasons I was able to do it right now.
Otherwise, I am getting ready to leave on Friday for my next adventure. One of my co-workers and I, and other people (who I know or don't know) will be leaving this weekend for a cruise on the Mediterranean Sea. We will arrive in Rome, Italy on Sunday October 12th and spend the first night at a hotel. We will do some touristy things until Monday afternoon before we get on the ship at 5pm and leave on the water at 6pm. I'm hoping to not get sea sick or feel claustophobic in our little room.
Over the next few days (two weeks) we will visit four cities in Greece, two cities in Turkey and Naples/Capri in Italy.
I will keep you all updated as much as I can over the past few weeks. Please pray for safe travels and health.
I've been working a lot and hanging out with friends in the evenings and on weekends. Some weekends we went hiking and lots of going away or birthday parties.
Last weekend my friend L. and I went for a day at the spa at the Grand Wailea where we enjoyed the Therma baths and a massage. It was amazing. I wish I had the money to do it more. It was a special for $99 and it was for L.'s birthday so those were the main reasons I was able to do it right now.
Otherwise, I am getting ready to leave on Friday for my next adventure. One of my co-workers and I, and other people (who I know or don't know) will be leaving this weekend for a cruise on the Mediterranean Sea. We will arrive in Rome, Italy on Sunday October 12th and spend the first night at a hotel. We will do some touristy things until Monday afternoon before we get on the ship at 5pm and leave on the water at 6pm. I'm hoping to not get sea sick or feel claustophobic in our little room.
Over the next few days (two weeks) we will visit four cities in Greece, two cities in Turkey and Naples/Capri in Italy.
I will keep you all updated as much as I can over the past few weeks. Please pray for safe travels and health.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Read the new blog!
I'm sorry I am not able to update you all about what's going on here at camp, but as a team we have another blog which we are updating for our church.
you can click on the left side where it says Romania Mission.
Please leave comments.
Miss you all
you can click on the left side where it says Romania Mission.
Please leave comments.
Miss you all
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
So far from home...
Well I'm sitting her alone playing on the computer, listening to music and trying to read a book.
This morning at 5:00 AM my friends left to catch a train to their next destination (Budapest, Hungary). N, M, S, J.L., and I met up in Sibiu. N, M, and I had some fun times in Sibiu where we spent some time exploring the city and enjoying each other's company while eating and drinking (don't worry no alcohol). My cousin helped us make reservations on a bus for the next day to head up to Cluj (my hometown).
The next day we met at the bus station where we waited and waited for our bus. N who was worried we would miss the bus kept asking people and looking around for the bus. One lady said yes the bus comes but it stops outside at the gate. After waiting not so paitiently we saw the bus pulling up on the street, but after a few minutes it did not come into the gate so we took our stuff and ran to the street. The bus no longer came in the bus station as I remember, but just stops on the street just outside of the gate across the street. We made it on the bus and after getting out seats together we were off on our 3.5 hours bus ride to Cluj.
On the way N. and I listened to music, looked at pictures, watched a movie (Cloverfield) and took naps.
Oh, man I just saw the garbage truck and I was wondering when it comes so I can get rid of all our garbage. Oh, well I guess my cousin will have to put it out for next week.
Back to my story. The weather was cloudy and rainy while going up to Cluj. It was good though because I remember last year it was so hot I was wet when I got to Cluj. Cloverfield was not the best movie to watch on a bus, because it is so shaky and I got pretty car sick. At least the nap helped.
Before I go on I want to tell you my phone story. So I went to the phone store and charged or added 10 euro worth of minutes on my phone. I received the txt saying my credit was added. I tried to use the phone but the voice mail said I was "in a period of expiration" and needed to add credit to undo the expiration status. I went back to the phone store and told the nice lady what happened. She checked on my number and said that in did my phone was in that period but should be fixed soon. I left and after a few hours checked again. Nothing. I saw "call failed" and heard the "you are in a period of expiration and need to add credit to work" multiple times. During my time with N. and M. I went to the phone store again and the guy who was there this time contacted the main office of Orange and he said my phone should work sometime today.
So now back to Cluj. Being the next day I was mad my phone still did not work and we had to call the people who had the key to my aunt's house where we were staying. N.'s phone died also so we found a place where we were able to charge up her phone so we phoned the lady who had the key and she was waiting for us. We found two taxi's and off we went. We made a block detour to get the key and we were soon at my aunt's house.
We paid the taxi drives adnd we were soon in the yard. The gate key worked. The door key not so much. We were stuck outside in the rain with all our stuff. We looked to see if a spare key was hiding somewhere. No luck! I called a few of my relatives and found out the key I had was to the other side of the house. At least we were out of the rain, but since that side of the house hasn't been in use for a while... it was cold and dark. As we were waiting my cousin Marta arrived with her boyfriend and she was very surprised to see strangers in her yard. She recognized me and while talking to her she told me she did not know we were coming.
We put our stuff in the house and rested for a few minutes before deciding to go the mall to explore and have dinner. While talking to N. I learned that I overpaid the taxi driver since I paid 53 lei from the bus station to here and she paid 10 lei including tip. (we needed two taxis since there were 5 of us and lots of luggage. also the taxi was 1.79 lei per km, but since I was so tired I did not realize 53 was a lot of money). I was so mad, how did I not realize I was paying more for a ten minute ride then for my 3.5 hour ride from Sibiu (our bus ticket was 28 lei).
I was furious.
On our way to the mall we both paid 11 lei each for the taxi. We were amazed to see the mall. There was Starbucks, Pizza Hut, and many other stores I don't shop at. We had dinner in the food court (McDonalds, pizza, Shaorma, salads, etc.) and later walked around the mall looking at books, trying our luck at the casino and admiring the fountain. N and I had Starbucks to take home.
Off we were in another taxi. The whole time I was out I looked for my taxi so I can give him a piece of my mind for ripping me off. And at night I was dreaming about the words I would use when I saw him. Still upset about that.
We made our bads and off to sleep we were. We all slept in the next morning. After getting ready and have a good breakfast we were off to the city center. It rained all night but in the morning it stopped so were able to walk. We walked and walked. I don't even know how much we walked but we went to the train station to buy the tickets for them for tomorrow. We walked to the center of the city and were able to see old churches, many statues and old buildings.
We went to have lunch at a restaurant where I had great tea last year and wanted to have more again. We were all pretty hungry and excited to sit for a while. I ordered soup, two different salads, tea, and french fries (I tried french fries three different times in Sibiu and non were what I expected, so I was giving it another try). When my food came everything looked good, but when I tasted my fries they were not what I expected. I asked for a different kind of potatoe side (potatoes with garlic, N. had some on her plate and they looked good), and the waitress looked at me funny probably thinking (what a pig, eating all that food) and she asked "you mean you want another portion"? to which I answered "yes".
The potatoes were a lot better. The tea was great and I was full. Off we went back to our walk.
We went on different streets but we were still able to find the tea place that sold the same tea I had at the restaurant. Last year I looked for it everywhere and no luck.
We were back home and relaxing. In the evening we ordered Pizza Hut which is a big deal here in Romania as it is a new thing. The way they do it is they give a taxi driver the pizza and they take it to the person and we pay the taxi driver for his time and for the pizza.
It was great pizza.
And like I said now I'm sitting her alone waiting for my aunt and sad that N. and everyone else left.
I'm bored.
This morning at 5:00 AM my friends left to catch a train to their next destination (Budapest, Hungary). N, M, S, J.L., and I met up in Sibiu. N, M, and I had some fun times in Sibiu where we spent some time exploring the city and enjoying each other's company while eating and drinking (don't worry no alcohol). My cousin helped us make reservations on a bus for the next day to head up to Cluj (my hometown).
The next day we met at the bus station where we waited and waited for our bus. N who was worried we would miss the bus kept asking people and looking around for the bus. One lady said yes the bus comes but it stops outside at the gate. After waiting not so paitiently we saw the bus pulling up on the street, but after a few minutes it did not come into the gate so we took our stuff and ran to the street. The bus no longer came in the bus station as I remember, but just stops on the street just outside of the gate across the street. We made it on the bus and after getting out seats together we were off on our 3.5 hours bus ride to Cluj.
On the way N. and I listened to music, looked at pictures, watched a movie (Cloverfield) and took naps.
Oh, man I just saw the garbage truck and I was wondering when it comes so I can get rid of all our garbage. Oh, well I guess my cousin will have to put it out for next week.
Back to my story. The weather was cloudy and rainy while going up to Cluj. It was good though because I remember last year it was so hot I was wet when I got to Cluj. Cloverfield was not the best movie to watch on a bus, because it is so shaky and I got pretty car sick. At least the nap helped.
Before I go on I want to tell you my phone story. So I went to the phone store and charged or added 10 euro worth of minutes on my phone. I received the txt saying my credit was added. I tried to use the phone but the voice mail said I was "in a period of expiration" and needed to add credit to undo the expiration status. I went back to the phone store and told the nice lady what happened. She checked on my number and said that in did my phone was in that period but should be fixed soon. I left and after a few hours checked again. Nothing. I saw "call failed" and heard the "you are in a period of expiration and need to add credit to work" multiple times. During my time with N. and M. I went to the phone store again and the guy who was there this time contacted the main office of Orange and he said my phone should work sometime today.
So now back to Cluj. Being the next day I was mad my phone still did not work and we had to call the people who had the key to my aunt's house where we were staying. N.'s phone died also so we found a place where we were able to charge up her phone so we phoned the lady who had the key and she was waiting for us. We found two taxi's and off we went. We made a block detour to get the key and we were soon at my aunt's house.
We paid the taxi drives adnd we were soon in the yard. The gate key worked. The door key not so much. We were stuck outside in the rain with all our stuff. We looked to see if a spare key was hiding somewhere. No luck! I called a few of my relatives and found out the key I had was to the other side of the house. At least we were out of the rain, but since that side of the house hasn't been in use for a while... it was cold and dark. As we were waiting my cousin Marta arrived with her boyfriend and she was very surprised to see strangers in her yard. She recognized me and while talking to her she told me she did not know we were coming.
We put our stuff in the house and rested for a few minutes before deciding to go the mall to explore and have dinner. While talking to N. I learned that I overpaid the taxi driver since I paid 53 lei from the bus station to here and she paid 10 lei including tip. (we needed two taxis since there were 5 of us and lots of luggage. also the taxi was 1.79 lei per km, but since I was so tired I did not realize 53 was a lot of money). I was so mad, how did I not realize I was paying more for a ten minute ride then for my 3.5 hour ride from Sibiu (our bus ticket was 28 lei).
I was furious.
On our way to the mall we both paid 11 lei each for the taxi. We were amazed to see the mall. There was Starbucks, Pizza Hut, and many other stores I don't shop at. We had dinner in the food court (McDonalds, pizza, Shaorma, salads, etc.) and later walked around the mall looking at books, trying our luck at the casino and admiring the fountain. N and I had Starbucks to take home.
Off we were in another taxi. The whole time I was out I looked for my taxi so I can give him a piece of my mind for ripping me off. And at night I was dreaming about the words I would use when I saw him. Still upset about that.
We made our bads and off to sleep we were. We all slept in the next morning. After getting ready and have a good breakfast we were off to the city center. It rained all night but in the morning it stopped so were able to walk. We walked and walked. I don't even know how much we walked but we went to the train station to buy the tickets for them for tomorrow. We walked to the center of the city and were able to see old churches, many statues and old buildings.
We went to have lunch at a restaurant where I had great tea last year and wanted to have more again. We were all pretty hungry and excited to sit for a while. I ordered soup, two different salads, tea, and french fries (I tried french fries three different times in Sibiu and non were what I expected, so I was giving it another try). When my food came everything looked good, but when I tasted my fries they were not what I expected. I asked for a different kind of potatoe side (potatoes with garlic, N. had some on her plate and they looked good), and the waitress looked at me funny probably thinking (what a pig, eating all that food) and she asked "you mean you want another portion"? to which I answered "yes".
The potatoes were a lot better. The tea was great and I was full. Off we went back to our walk.
We went on different streets but we were still able to find the tea place that sold the same tea I had at the restaurant. Last year I looked for it everywhere and no luck.
We were back home and relaxing. In the evening we ordered Pizza Hut which is a big deal here in Romania as it is a new thing. The way they do it is they give a taxi driver the pizza and they take it to the person and we pay the taxi driver for his time and for the pizza.
It was great pizza.
And like I said now I'm sitting her alone waiting for my aunt and sad that N. and everyone else left.
I'm bored.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Update on Contest!
Well the lady called on Saturday at 1pm (4 hours before the show) to tell us that both of our photos made it in the show. I wasn't able to go, but one of my co-workers went since she lived close by. She said there were other photos, but mostly paintings. They were both hanging in the front by the window.
Anyways that's all I know about the show. Now we wait to see if anyone buys them. If anyone does we make about 50% ($60 each, we make 30 on each).
Now back to all the work I need to do before I leave for Romania.
Stress, stress, stress...
Anyways that's all I know about the show. Now we wait to see if anyone buys them. If anyone does we make about 50% ($60 each, we make 30 on each).
Now back to all the work I need to do before I leave for Romania.
Stress, stress, stress...
Friday, June 27, 2008
Gallery Show!
So I finally got the camera I've wanted for a while a Nikon D80 with a 18-50 lens.
It's big and heavy but it takes great pictures.
That was the introduction to the following story.
One of my co-workers (#1) found a flier about a contest called "Art inspired by Dance and Life" and she was talking to another co-worker (#2) who is pregnant about taking pictures of her in co-worker #1 belly dancing outfit. But they did not know of anyone to take pictures. Co-worker #2 knew I liked to take pictures and I wanted to get into taking more professional pictures, so she mentioned it to co-worker #1. We all talked about this on Tuesday of last week. We did the photo shoot on Wednesday, we chose out two favorite out of 200 on Thursday, on Friday we framed them and printed them and on Saturday we turned them into the Gallery. We have not heard from them as of 7pm on Friday (6/27/08) and the show is tomorrow, so we think we made it in the show. Well for those who are wondering what the pictures look like here they are: (Note the photographer's name on the picture).
It's big and heavy but it takes great pictures.
That was the introduction to the following story.
One of my co-workers (#1) found a flier about a contest called "Art inspired by Dance and Life" and she was talking to another co-worker (#2) who is pregnant about taking pictures of her in co-worker #1 belly dancing outfit. But they did not know of anyone to take pictures. Co-worker #2 knew I liked to take pictures and I wanted to get into taking more professional pictures, so she mentioned it to co-worker #1. We all talked about this on Tuesday of last week. We did the photo shoot on Wednesday, we chose out two favorite out of 200 on Thursday, on Friday we framed them and printed them and on Saturday we turned them into the Gallery. We have not heard from them as of 7pm on Friday (6/27/08) and the show is tomorrow, so we think we made it in the show. Well for those who are wondering what the pictures look like here they are: (Note the photographer's name on the picture).
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