Something Similar

For those of you who don't know my Europe-traveling friend, please read her mid-trip report, which I shall post here:

It´s been exactly one month, here´s what has been going on.
Have been to Ireland (briefly), Spain (Madrid and Barcelona), France (Montpilliar...stayed in the train station...and Nice), Italy (Milan, Florence, and Rome), Hungary (Budapest and Sopron), and Austria (Vienna and Salzburg)
Has made friends with Columbians, Canadians, Indians, Dutch, Austrailians, Spanish, Brazilians, Tunisians, Ukrainians, Japanese, Norwegians, and Italians.
Have been to over 20 churches.
Drank homemade Hungarian liquor.
Has walked more than in the past 2 years combined.
Been mistaken for a Spanish girl, an Italian, a Canadian, and a Jew.
Has bought and read about 5 books and given them away to many people.
Been acosted by Spanish and Italian men that won´t go away and have used the I´m married, I´m a lesbian, I don´t like you, I don´t understand you, I´m 14, I have a boyfriend, I have a Columbian drug lord boyfriend, to get them to go away with varrying degrees of success.
Have drank about 10 different kinds of beer and wine.
Have eaten only food that I couldn´t pronounce.
Have been to my first Synagogue.
Made friends with many bartenders.
Showed about 20 people where Maryland was on a map, one of which was an American.
Drank Sangria out of what looked like a dixie cup and out of a crystal wine glass.
Went to a disco in Madrid with young people who were dancing to techno versions of American songs from the late 80s.
Had an offer of marriage from a Spanish cab driver.
Eaten McDonalds once (I was desperate)
Written over 100 post cards.
Accidently bought sparkling water instead of regular at least 5 times.
Fell in love with a Canadian Jew in Florence, a Swiss guard at the Vatican, and an elevator opperator in Vienna.
Watched soccer with more interest ever before in my life.
Have become ridiculously apt at charades.
Have learned how to say "I do not speak (specify language) in Spanish, Italian, French but not Hungarian.
Learned how to say "cheers" in Hungarian actually which is "egészségedre"...I think.
Finally managed to change the time on my watch...actually the Canadian Jew did it....won´t be able to turn it back now.
Gotten lost at least 1 in every city, normally more.
Had to sleep in a train station once.
Worn Deborah Cline´s dress everywhere I´ve been except Ireland (that´ll come next) and Montpilliar (I was sleeping in the train station)
Drunkenly proclaimed America as the best country ever in a public square in Rome at 1 AM on 4th of July.
Eaten an absurd amount of nutella.
Talked American gun laws with an Austrailian.
Gotten so drunk I could swear I could speak Hungarian.
Been to an Olympic size swimming pool in Sopron and a crazy fun lake somewhere in Austria where I was accused of being a mermaid.
Won a free Hungarian beer.
Have only gotten sun burned once...wearing pants still hurts ha.
Have pawned off an essay I needed to write for college on my mom.
Slept in a room with 19 other people and in a tent by myslef.
Mastered all the metro systems in the cities I´ve been to, had to teach an Austrian tourist how to use the one in Vienna.
Given directions by pointing and wild gestures.
Received directions by poiting and wild gestures.
Accidently sat in first class on a train, got away with it for about an hour and got some free food and drink out of it.
Washed clothes twice...possibly 3 times...not nearly enough.
Gotten over not being able to eat out alone.
Taken slightly creepy pictures of people I don´t know....with my camera...without their notice.
Still haven´t gotten over my anxiety with big crowds.
Considered not going home at least 10 times.


As one of our teacher's put it - she has lived more in one month than most people do in a LIFETIME and I totally respect her for it. She has serious guts.

Today there was a crash on the Yamanote line. I don't know exactly how long it was stopped, but it seriously messed with rush hour. The Yamanote line circles Tokyo's center and is primarily a commuter line. It's very similar to the belt way and probably moves MORE people than the DC beltway. And they stopped it due to an accident. The whole entire line. Stopped.

Needless to say we were all f-ed. It was soooo jam packed on the Saikyo line to Shinjuku. This is the closest to sardined I've been. Luckily, some neat girls about my age helped me figure out where to go, how to fit, etc. They left me at Shibuya station.

Today I went to Asakusa temple, which sadly was under renovations. The upside was the interior is still accessible, so I still went in and everything. I bought a fortune! And I got the BEST one there is - which is true, because my plans in travel and my greatest wish came true. I took a picture so please check FB.

I bought a cotton yukata! It's deep red with black flowers embroidered in gold. I love it. It's very pretty. In America, it would have run for about $60-$80, but I got it for around $40 (3400 yen). I'm totally wearing it to the hanabi matsuri when I visit them! I also bought some things for mom, dad and Danny's parents. I bought his parents an Asakusa lantern windchime. Hope they like it! Aside from mom, dad, me and Dan - I'm done buying souvenirs. Which is good, because take a look at my suitcase!

Tomorrow I'll probably relax around Nakano OR go to Tokyo tower. I'm on my cycle and I get worn out so much easier when being a girl gets in the way. But I'm grateful I'm not like one of my friends who literally pukes her guts up for 3 days straight (she can't eat much either, she usually lives on tea and broth). I get achy from the waist down (lower back, legs, knees) and I get those burning cramp pains. >< And I like to sleep more. A lot more. To bad Danny isn't here to rub my head while he plays his gameboy. :( I love moments like that - <3


I guess I'll make a little thing like my friend so you guys can read what I've learned and seen.

- I've met people from Germany, France, Poland, Norway, Australia, Britain, China, Canada and Ireland. I still wish I had asked the girl from Norway for her e-mail. She was SO kakkoi.

- The sexiest man I've found was a Japanese guy probably about 5 years older than me with an Aussie accent. AND he was a rickshaw driver. If I hadn't been on a budget, I so would have said yes when he asked if I wanted a tour.

- Despite what anime makes you think, most guys in Japan are rather on the poor looking side. The best looking ones become models. The better than average ones are the ones you're most likely to see on the street - if you see them at all.

- YES, there is an inverted age period. It's very common for about half the people I see to have graying hair.

- I've washed my clothes once in a week, but I only brought 4 shirts, 2 bras and 3 pairs of pants (weeks worth of socks and panties).

- I've yet to be sunburned because I'm pro-sunscreen. BUT I've gotten a light tan on my arms - the cousins will be proud (it's a farmer tan).

- I've been told by a Japanese man that he's not Japanese (I knew he was because he spoke it to his children and his son's iPod was in Japanese. I can read a LITTLE bit, man.)

- I've learned that I love soba.

- In Japan, you get WAY better service than in America. No matter what. And THEY thank you for everything, even after they politely ask if you want your dinner heated and heat it for you free of charge.

- The price is the price.

- Shogunai - This is my new way of living. Essentially, it means "It can't be helped." This can be applied to things like the weather and bodily functions.

- There are NO trashcans on the streets in Japan. If you HAPPEN to come across one, it's for bottles, cans or glass bottles because it's from a vending machine. If you happen across a konbini, you're in luck.

- Smoking in buildings in Japan is completely legal - usually they have a special non-smoking area instead of the other way around. Unless you're in a public place (airport, train station, on the street - all due to trash).

- The highest I've been so far is 45 floors (the total height of TMGB is 797 feet and it had another 50 or so to the roof from the observation deck). I plan to go higher in Tokyo tower - to a height of 820 feet (the total height is 1091 feet).

- A "matsuri" (mah-tsu[as in TSUnami]-ree) is a festival.

- "-ji" is the suffix for temple. So calling it Meiji temple or Sensoji temple is rather redundant.

- Please, for my sake, don't ever call Mount Fuji - "Fujiyama". It's incorrect. Fujisan is the correct reading of the kanji. Essentially, they call it Mr. Fuji, instead of Mount Fuji.

- Japan has a very strong music industry - you only hear American songs at America stores typically.

- Again, service in Japan is excellent. Your food can be delivered to you for no extra charge. Even in McDonalds.

- The Japanese sometimes write vertically. However, the few times I've seen English written veritcally, it's written sideways.

- The best way to order food at a restaurant is to look at the menu and point to what you want if you don't know enough Japanese.

- Nearly all trains and train stations in Tokyo have English signs and announcers. Don't worry, the announcer is British so you understand her.

McDonalds cheats you out of 1/4 inch of soda by having tops that go into the cup.


That's it for now~