Sideways

So, in Santorini. Considered one of the most spectacular. And what do I crave? Israel. Already. These Greek islands are so reminiscent of Israel it's sometimes scary. The music they were playing at the restaurant I had dinner at could have been Israeli folk songs if one just swapped languages. The food we eat - lots of cheese, olives, fresh produce, fish, meat (well, not me, but the 'we' is in general terms), the way we look (Us jews and the greeks/italians look quite similar, i think... well, just in my experience.), the landscape. Meh. Just an observation.

I'm writing all these posts now(as in, day after day), because I'm still in Fira (the capital of Santorini) alone and there are no English channels on my television in the hotel. I'm not sure if they speak english anyway. Amma finally arrived today (YAY!) but due to email confusions she is staying at Perissa beach, on the other side of the island. Seeing as Santorini is famous for its wine, I sampled some tonight at dinner(yes, a table for one...again. But to be honest I'm starting to really enjoy it. I'm on my own schedule, I don't have to really compromise anything, and I get loads of great attention from the greeks. I mean, greek men. I'm loving it. Ha.)

So yes, back to the wine. I think I may have had a little too much at dinner. Hence that this post is all over the place. And back again. So Amma is asleep on the other side of island (she had a rough time getting here - it took her three days!) and I think my beds calling me as well... Tomorrow we're going to climb the volcano, have a dip in some hot springs, and view one of the most beautiful sunsets. And that means an early start boys and girls.

Today we sat on the beach, where instead of golden sand, we had hot black pebbles. Since Santorini is an island of volcanic rock, there are no real typical beaches. SO even once you go into the water, you are walking on rock, not sand. And boy, did that pose a problem for Sarah the Kultz. Slippery ross, rock covered with algae thus making it very very easy to slip and fall into the water (which is freexing when you first step in).

I did have straight hair this morning. I blowdried my hair last night for the first time in two weeks. Yay for styled hair (I am SUCH a jap, but come on, it's fun, no?). And withint one second of slippery footing, I got dunked and now my hair is a jungle of ringlets. Mergatroid all over. From the picture books? Mergatroid's garden. Sorry if my spelling of Mergatroid is totally off. I blame the wine. And my laziness.

OH MY GOD theyre playing one of favourite songs in this net cafe! Krystal! What is that song you and your sisters sang for me in your kitchen? The spanish song! So beautiful! Once I find the name, i'll put a link to it here on this blog so that you can all have a good listen to it.

Wow, another tangent so off the topic. I suppose that's me. Going all sideways for the sake of it. Why go straight when you can go sideways?

One fish, two fish, green fish GOLD FISH!

I can't believe Totti faked that penalty and got away with it. I can't believe we lost on a shitty call like the one the ref pulled from his bum. I can't believe it. I'm in shock. And the rest of the Murphy's pub where I watched the game in Santorini was in shock too. What the hell? Those damn Italians, so sneaky! Well, it was an experience sipping cold beers in this stinking hot 'Irish'-ish pub on the Greek island of Santorini packed with fellow Aussies and a small group of older Italian women. And I mean packed. Luckily I arrived early (I didn't really have much else to do, I had dabbled in some shopping, I already ate a late lunch at 5 pm, and I was alone for Amma isn't arriving until 4 this morning. She missed her boat this morning.) and I scored a stool at the bar. Awesome. Nevermind that the big greek girl who was our ever pleasant (NOT!) bartender that evening had some serious attitude shoved up her bum, and that the beers were the most expensive I've ever bought (and they were local too!) but I was excited to see the Australia vs. Italia match. Game on.

We all know the result, so I won't bore you with the details. It was nice though to watch a game being commentated in English - the past have all been in Greek. But it was a great place to be - we were all going nuts! I love this game! Meanwhile I was texting dad and he let me know he's watching the game all the way in China - booyah! All across the world, every boy and every girl.....

Random thing occured today on the way over to Santorini (I miss Naxos already! So many tourists, such expensive living!). Me, being Sarah, is not the one who starts chatting to strangers I meet and make delightful small talk. Small talk ain't my thing. It's mum's specialty. Everyholiday we have she's bound to meet someone and keep in contact with them for a very long time. But me? haha NO. It's not that I don't like meeting people, it's just that I SUCK at small talk. Really suck.

But I was chuckling when I couldn't help overhear the people in front of me and they noticed me smiling. We began to chat and it turned out that the guy just graduated from Penn, and they were taking a trip after a Birthright trip to Israel. I thought they were Yidden when i first saw them, but, like my USUAL self I wouldn't say anything. Anyway, the girl and I spoke for the rest of the trip - such lovely people, and we were talking about all kinds of things. Her family sounds a little like mine, in that they like to take great family holidays to crazy places - and she doesn't want to stop going on them!And neither do I...

So yes, maybe some things have changed while I travel alone. I no longer care if maitre dees smirk when they ask, table for one? I no longer fear the difficulties of small talk. And I must admit, seeing a movie all by oneself is quite a liberating experience. Thrice.

And I can't stand having any more fish. I'm all fished out. Too bad I'm living on ISLANDS where all there is to eat (and I mean good food, not crap) is FISH. Tonight, for the first time since I arrived in Greece, I succumbed to what I actually wanted to eat, not what I had to (when in greece, do as the greeks?) and ate Italian. It turned out to be yuk anyway. Now i'm back on track with the fish and tzatziki. Not that you really care about my eating habits. But I feel like sharing them with you anyway. Enjoy you week, my friends.

In love with Naxos

I now understand why so many travellers fall in love with the Greek Islands. They are seductive, enveloping, they take you to a place so far away from the rest of the world that it's so easy to forget it even exists. I can imagine melting into an intoxicating landscape while the world rages and festers with its 'clash of civilsations' and the approaching global warming crisis, its bustling cities with bustling people who have bustling lives that keeps them going on and on and on and on....

Well, I can imagine because this has been my life for the past two days. And how slow these days have felt - but in a great way. These two days on Naxos have felt like a week's worth of a dream. This island is so romantic and quaint and magical that I am sad to leave. Naxos wasn't on my planned list of places to see, islands to 'hop', but I am so grateful to have a quick peek through my friend Amanda's Lonely Planet guide to the Greek Islands. The authors gave their favourite routes and islands, and nearly all of them mentioned Naxos. Why, I'd never heard of it before. Mykonos, Santorini, Crete, Rhodes, Lesbos (ok, the last one I knew because I love the name) - but these are islands that were once still authentic and not as touristy as Naxos. Not anymore. But Naxos has been a highlight of my year long trip so far.

This morning I had booked myself on a bus tour of the island, and had to be at the main square at 9 15 in the morning. Quite early for a Sunday morning - but that's what time the bus left, and I didn't want to keep anyone waiting. I had a short and quick breakfast in the pension I'm staying in - the woman who owns the hotel doesn't speak a word of English, so between the two of us nodding and pointing and me attempting to try my hand at some Greek (to no avail) it was a fun conversation. She laid out the works for this included breakfast (sometimes I feel I'm the only person staying at this hotel, I never see anyone else around) - cereals, orange juice, fresh bread, Greek (and probably homemade) yogurt with honey, tomatoes, olives, cheese, meats, eggs, coffee, and home baked butter cake. I'm sitting by the window, trying to finish my cereal as fast as I can (when using a teaspoon, it's not the easiest thing to manage) and I hear something sizzling in the kitchen behind me. She's probably making herself some eggs or something, I thought. But then this wonderful lady came out and brought me a toasted sandwich. Yum! Toasted cheese and ham! Just what I love in the mornings! I tried to tell her that I don't eat ham, and I felt bad because I'm not sure if she understood me and I just left and very delcious-smelling toastie sitting there getting cold. Oops.

The tour took the group (I must admit it's so strange being a tourist now. In both Philadelphia and New York I hardly felt like a tourist at all...Now it's all coming back to me - the placard signs, the opportune Kodak moments, the mass toilet stops... ahhh). So yes, the tour took the group first to Halki, a village in the centre of the island. Naxos is the biggest island in the Cyclades, and used to be (in Ancient times) one of the more important islands. In Halki, we visited a Kitron distillery - Kitron is a liquer made from the leaves of the citron tree. Is a citron an etrog? Anyone? Anyway, its unique to the island of Naxos. There was a time where they exported it to the rest of Greece and even other countries of the Mediterranean, but now it only stays in Naxos.

Damn. I grew my nails so beautifully long - so long that I don't remember the last time they've been like this. And now, out of sheer boredom - not stress, not anxiety, just something to pass the time while reading or sitting on a bus, the long nails of my right hand are no longer. And on my left, my left hand being more precious (I write with it) it's two down and three more to go. Terrible. Terrible!

Whoa, that was a bit of a tangent. Confessions of Dangerous Nail Biting, I'm sure. So after Halki we drove a church that was built in the 6th century. One of the frescos painted onto one of the walls of the church featured King Solomon, along with Mary, Jesus, St Catherine and St John - a strange inclusion with no explanation, according to the guide. She also told me of anmother fresco featured Socrates in the mix, from the 9th century. Weird, huh. From there we went to another village that was built near a marble quarry - all the houses were made of marble, the streets were paved in marble. Sitting in a cafe sipping an iced coffee overlooking a Naxian valley - I could not have been more at peace. The world is so beautiful in those situations. The streets were gorgeous with billowing flowers and cracked paint peeling from the bright blue window shutters and doors hinged open only a little to reveal the knowing eyes of the old women staring out at the street from the shadows.

Long sentence. Ew. That afternoon we also stopped at a marble statue of the Greek god Dionysus from ancient times - BCE.. but I can't remember which century. 7th i think. The tour made me so excited to see the rest of Greece, to hear people speaking of the myths that occured between these islands - the stories of Dionysus, of Arachne, of the Minotaur. This is where it(allegedly?) happened. The stories that came from one of my favourite books of my childhoon -the children's encyclopedia of Greek myths. And now I'm here. Wow.

But my time in Naxos wouldn't be complete without tonight's meal. I couldn't resist the warm and joking nature of the 80 yr old fisherman I spoke to last night who wanted me to eat at his restaurant. Even though I wasn't in the mood for more Greek food, I didn't really want to have a hand at the non-greek cafes, especially on an island like this. I wanted authentic Greek, not some Chinese-Thai-Indian place or a Tex-Mex cantina (for this is about as far away from Texas as one can hope for! Even Australia has some Texan elements - desert, hill country, hicks. Here, the locals are charming, there are NO mexicans (but are there any in Australia?) and the closest tourist I've met from Texas is an annoying family from Louisianna on the tour I took today.). So I ate at Gregory's restaurant by the port, on the main drag (the owner/fisherman is named Gregory). Now, if he wasn't married and proudly wearing his wedding band, serving in the restaurant with his wife and a man of similar age, I would say that he was flirting with me. He bought me a glass of wine, and made sure I had enough fish to last me for the rest of my stay in Greece. At the end of the meal, I was served small plums from his garden - so sweet and delicious, it was the perfect dessert.

I planned to go to the open air cinema this evening, after dinner, but they were showing a film I have already seen - the Inside Man. Brilliant movie. I love Denzel. Apparently he is so good looking because his face is symmetrical. I think that's a load of crap. But nonetheless, he still makes us girls melt when he's on screen.
I asked Gregory where exactly the cinema is, and he said it's not playing tonight. I know that wasn't true, because I had the flyer in my hand. You come meet me here at 12, he said, and we'll have coffee and I take you to see music. Greek music.
But I had the movie, I told him, and it would finish at 1.
No, you come at 12, and I'll show you Greek music, beautiful music, the best music from Naxos and we'll have coffee, yes? He said. And offered me a cigarette. I declined on the cigarettes but decided that this was an experience to remember - being treated by a Greek fisherman my grandfather's age. I wonder what he was doing during the civil war of Greece. Mmm.

Anyway, it's not 11.55 pm,and I'm going to meet this Gregory and see if this music is as great as he says. Don't worry Mum, I'll be careful, very careful, but I'll be in the company of this man and his wife, and probably their sons. It's a happening sunday night here at Naxos. And I thought I was having a quiet one.

It's all Greek to me!

This is too good to be true. Here I am, alone, young, an enthusiastic explorer with no real specific expectations where my travels will take me. I was asked most recently whether this trip has been what I thought it would be. Had it lived up to my expectations? Was I disappointed at all? Was I surprised at my attitudes along the way? I replied that I didn't have any expectations - after all, the few months before departing Melbourne I was petrified and in absolute denial that I was leaving home, family, friends, and a city I am so proud to call home. I fell in love with Melbourne as soon as I discovered that I would be away from it for a year. And what a year it was.

Perhaps I did have expectations of some nature - that I was throwing myself in the deep end, going to study in America alone, and then travelling the world (sometimes alone, sometimes not) but this was something I have done before, when I participated in Marva (Army program) in Israel. Socially, emotionally, intellectually challenging myself along the way around the UNited States, Europe, Israel and India.

But then, my friend inquired, if you don't have any expectations, what do you have to look forward to? I look forward to the day I'm living, and tomorrow. I look forward, let's say, right now, to have an incredible time in Greece. What I'll be doing there, I hadn't set out until I arrived in the island of Mykonos. I look forward to meeting Greeks and talking with the locals. I look forward to tasting as many Greek tasty healthy dishes before I get sick of the cuisine and revert back to the ol trustworthy asian/italian food (unfortunately I think I have already arrived at that point). If I don't have any expectations, certain situations end up surprising me and I have a most fantastic experience.

Let's take last night for example. Dean and Elliot left Mykonos at lunchtime, and so had my friends from Penn. I had one last night on this island, and I hadn't done any shopping at all. Most stores were either overpriced American/European designerwear that didn't appeal to me, or tacky souvenir stores that sell the same trinkets and postcards by the hundreds. But I wanted to make my way through the winding whitewashed streets and explore little boutiques of copied antiquities and handwoven linen products and handmade jewellery. Since I hadn't slept so long the night before (Dean, Elliot and I were trying to catch the Australia vs. Croatia game, which wasn't aired live since the Brasil game was on at the same time. After a couple bottles of wine, the owner of a portside restuarant granted our wishes and kept his cafe open until the halftime. We managed to catch the entire game, not however before we were told of the result - we were actually told of the result ten minutes before the Brasil game ended. Some people just enjoy ruining the fun. By the time we finished watching the game, we headed off to bed - but Dean and I wanted crepes, and Elliot wanted a gyro. The boys were regulars at this gyro joint and whenenver they walked inside, the guy who served up the gyros knew their orders before they could say it themselves. But on Thursday night, he had something special for us - a riddle. And if we worked it out, he would give us a beer from the fridge. We were staring at the riddle for a littlle bit, and after our bottles of wine, we culdn't really make out what it meant. "I'll give you the entire fridge!" he said. But if not, and he had to tell us, we would then buy him a beer. Sure. No problem. The riddle went like this
I-T-U-I-U-B-M-A-B
What does it mean?
Somehow, I figured it out, "I'll tell you if you buy me a beer." Not the smartest of riddles, but entertaining nonethless. This left us going to sleep on Thursday night at around 4 or 4 30 perhaps... In the morning. And I had to get up early to go over to my friends hotel on the other side of the island to say goodbye to her and to pick up a lonely planet guide she leant me for the rest of the greek islands.)

What a paragraph and all in brackets! And so, the conclusion was, for all of you that couldn't be bothered reading what was INSIDE the parentheses, i just described why I hadnt slept much.

And so, I was planning to have an early night last night, my last night in Mykonos, for during the past week, I hadn't slept much at all. Fending off sleazy Greek men during dinner ( I swear, they all came out of the woodwork once I started walking the streets alone, without the cousins. Funny.) I decided to explore the shops until they close - midnight. Then bed. Very early night in Mykonos, but I had to wake up early the next morning to pack and leave for Naxos, where I am now.

So. In the last store, I bought myself a beautiful necklace, my first nice present for myself, and the store assistants and I started chatting. They were a brother and sister duo, around my age, and this was their family-owned business. I bought the necklace, thanked them and went next door to the cafe the boys and I had been the previous night (to watch the soccer) to have a cup of coffee and do some more people-watching. (And boy, is the people-watching absolutely fascinating on Mykonos. Wow. Fashionable Italians, scruffy Australian backpackers, club promoters decked out in slutty angel/demon outfits promoting a Ministry of Sound party held on the beach that night - I love it.) I'm on my way home, and I bump into the brother from the last store I visited, and he invited me to join his sisters and their friends for some dinner at, what they believed, was the best pizza place on the island. Already full from the coffee and dinner that I finished only an hour before, I said sure and I'll have some more coffee. There were six of us in the end, and they were mostly Mykonians, except for me and a friend visiting from Madrid. Even the guy from the internet place I used during the week turned up to hang out. I would say its a small world - but its a pretty small island. After some coffee and tasty tiramisu we went to a bar to dance the night away. And I thought I was having an early night. Yeah right. I had such a fun night with these people, and I wish I could stay longer in Mykonos, it would have been great for them to show me round the Mykonian way.

So, right now I am in an island called Naxos, in the Cyclades. It's between Mykonos and Santorini, an island to which I'm heading on Monday to meet Amma. We'll be there for two days, and then onto Crete. Naxos, I was warned in Mykonos, would be VERY quiet. I have not found it so dead, its a Saturday night, and the people (mainly Greek/Italian and Swedish tourists) are out in force. This afternoon I sat on the beach outside my hotel, and got deliciously burnt - I was attempting to even out my sunbaking, as I was very brown on the front of me, but white on the back. A little like the time I went to get a Mystic spray on tan, and I forgot to turn around so they could make it even (it was a terrifying machine). Just like what happened to Ross on Friends, the tv show. If anyone remembers that episode. I hadn't seen it until after my Mystic tan situation, and it depicted my results quite accurately. Anyway, the trouble with travelling alone in the fact that you don't have someone to rub the sunscreen onto your back. Now, I don't think it's so appropriate to go up to a complete stranger on the beach and ask them to sunscreen your back. Nah uh. Not for Sarah. But, silly girl that I am, I decided to lie on my tummy and get brown regardless. I hardly get anything - tan or burn, so a little colour wouldn't be so bad. Well, I was an idiot and forgot that sunbaking in THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY is BAD no matter what you do. People BURN in the middle of the day. And I had been sunbaking in the late afternoon sun anyway, where it wasn't so harsh. So, this lovely writer now has a SUNBURNT back (OUCH!) and nobody else to rub on aloe vera (my aloe can only cover when I could cover when I first applied sunscreen. Damn.) I usually am SO careful - spf 30+, tee shirts, hats, I used to sit on the beach looking like a wrapped up granny I was fearful of getting burnt. Haha, now it bites me on the bum. Or on my back. Ow.

This evening I strolled through the streets of the Hora, the main town, and was invited to have some Ouza (liquer) with a fisherman/restaurant owner for he loved that I was from Australia. I didn't know if it was rude to refuse such an invitation, but I didn't feel like eating at his restaurant, and I didn't want to feel that I had to buy dinner there, and as much as I like conversing in difficult english with an eighty yr old fisherman, I wanted to find a cute place to eat and read my book as the sun set over the port. And that I did. I'm reading Hilary McPhee's "Other People's Words", an account of the McPhee Gribble publishing company and the state of publishing in Australia during the 60s and 70s. Loving it. It also makes me very excited for the upcoming course at RMIT that I'm doing when I return to Melbourne.

Ok, the lady from this net cafe is ready to close,and I need to go to sleep now anyway for I am waking early tomorrow to go on a tour of Naxos. I think Ive had enough beach burning for the weekend. I hope you all have a great week, and that you are addicted to the World Cup as much as I am. I know it's easier to follow it for the time differences aren't as bad, but it's great tellie veiwing. Oh, to be in Fed Square to watch the Japanese or Croatia match. Man.

Goodnight.

Filling in the blanks?

I have written many beginnings of posts, but now they are recounting what has happened to me weeks ago. It eels so far away. I shall return to them when I am in the real mood to write and feel that I can write mybest - but here, in Mykonos, the sun has fried my brains and I honestly can't be bothered.

So what have I been up to here in the Greek islands. I arrived on Sunday from London, where I had a most fantastic time with my South African friend from Marva, Shira, and headed straight to Mykonos to catch up with my cousins Dean and Elliot. We stayed in an apartment in the heart of the Mykonos Chora (Town), and cooked ourselves eggs for brekkie every morning with fresh bread and fruit and vegetables. This was the life. The first day we went to the beach and I managed to get a little brown. I'm working on it. Trying my darndest. Paradise Beach, the beach we often went to, was a beach one imagines when they think of Mykonos - lots of tanned lithe Europeans, lots of gorgeous gay men, lots of topless women, lots of banana lounges and umbrellas cramping the beach, and Euro Techno Dance music blaring from the bars that sit behind this lovely jungle of people. Shame i didn't take any photos. It was quite an experience.

Tuesday night we went out for some boogying down in a nightclub called Space,but because it's still low season, there weren't so many people there. But that didn't stop us from getting on down! Woot!
Early Wednesday morning I went with some girlfriends from Penn who also were in Mykonos to the island of Delos to sightsee some ancient ruins - the birthplace of Apollo, according to Greek mythology. It was awfully hot, and I was suffering from a not-so-nice hangover, but I still managed to have a good time. I'm going to post some photos when I can download them onto my computer. Another time, perhaps.

Ok, the sun's influence has gotten to my head by now and the holiday fever has kicked in - I really can['t be bothered writing anymore. I'm sure you don't mind. This post is quite crappy anyway. I'll be more fun the next time round, I promise!

xxxxx

Ride em Cowboy!

Man. Now where shall we start? Texas, that's where we were before I went into hibernation mode. Well, in terms of blogging. Living? Well, that's another tale. OK, so on my last night in the good ol' Lone Star State (sorry Jen for not dropping in! Next time, I swear! And there'll definitely be a next time!) Krystal and her sisters and I went out to this cute fab Mexican place for some divine Tex Mex - my last great mexican food for the rest of the trip.. oh, and my last mexican meal for a long time... Once you have TexMex, you can never go back.

(Man, I'm always on about food. Give it up, Sarah. Seriously.)
That was really lovely to just sit and chat with Krystal and her sisters - they're absolutely gorgeous! We then said goodbye, and Krystal and I hit the town. She's never been out in San Antonio where she's been 21... and we went to a club that suited exactly what we wanted. Named Polyester, the disco (and yes, it really was a disco) had many different levels, each playing music and decked out in a particular era. Even the drinks had names that belonged to a specific decade. We liked dancing in the 80s room, it was pretty bigs, and there were rubix cubes hanging from the ceiling, and great cheesy music. The nineties level was funny - took me back to my youth.... man, do I even sound old? Youth, pfffft. I'm still in the middle of it! There were cutouts of Beverly Hills 90210, songs from Salt N Peppa, and videotapes playing OJ Simpson's car chase - and a white jeep was in the middle of the dance floor, just in case one felt like they wanted to drive OJ's car. We has a lot of fun. I have photos of the night on my computer, which I'll upload later when I get to London. So keep checking this post!

The next day I flew to Los Angeles to meet my daddy. Good ol Gazza. It was so incredible to see him. I missed him (and mum, but I have to wait until August to see her) so so much. I thought that I would be fine travelling solo, being away from home, having a hand at some sort of independence, but living away from home made me realise how much I love living at home. Maybe I'll even stay there for a while. (I can see Mum getting excited already!)

So yes, Road Trip with Father. Perhaps I shall dedicate a new post just for that? How about that... Ok. Well, this one shall be updated in about a week and a half. With photos. If you are indeed so desperate to see some lovely pics, and you are attending university, log onto facebook and there are some photos there...under my Post Penn album. www.facebook.com check it out. it's taking over the nation. And to look me up, all you have to do is type in my name, and i'm there! Friend me and then you can see what I really look like! Ok, this is the end of this post. God bless.

It's been a while...

Man, has it been a while. Texas, California, Philly, New York. Boston, New Haven (Yale), London and now Greece. Phew! I would write more, but I can't right now... for reasons I shall explain a little later on. Just making a point of saying that yes, I am alive. I am having an amazing time. Just caught up with the cousins, looking forward to a fun week.

I am alive. I am! Just look at this post! So random...

Texas Hold 'em down

It's always interesting watching movies you first saw when you were a kid, ten years later. Sitting on the train from Philly to Boston (a comfortable 5 hour ride) I had the pleasure of watching Corrina, Corrina on my laptop. I think it's even made my top movie list, to be honest. The music is absolutely superb (jazz, rock n roll and a touch of gospel - my lovelies!), the acting by Whoopi Goldberg and the little girl, um, Tina Majorno or something, is so good, and it can brighten up your day no matter where you are. Well, it does actually matter, you have to have some time up your sleeve to sit and watch the film... but aside from that.

And living here in the States has made me more aware of how much I 'get' in films pumped out from Hollywood - all the American slang and references to American products that I otherwise would never had known. A little like a line in Ben Folds Five song Army - "Got a job at ChickFila" (which is pronounced Chick-Fill-'A') - what the hell was that? Filla?? Well, in this lovely country they sometimes pronounce things a little different to what us cultured Aussies say - such as a fillet of chicken. I don't know about you, but I pronounce it as it is written, none of this French rubbish. It's fillet, complete with the 'et' at the end. But no, here in America, they say it like the French, fillAAAAA (like the letter A). Weird.

So, I haven't finished writing about my travels across Texas country. You know that Texas was its own country for a while, and then it was annexed to the United States in the 19th century - it is the only state that is allowed to fly its flag as high as the American flag - because of precisely that. Kids who go to school in Texas are required to study Texan history both in elementary and high school. Crazy huh. And, one can also major in Texan history at the University of Texas in Austin. Nuts! They're right when they say that it's a completely different part of America.
On the Wednesday of my week in San Antonio, Krystal and I took a road trip to a nearby town called Fredericksburg, a quaint German town an hour out of the city. It really only had one main street, which we walked the length of in the bright Texan sun, and made our way through the pretty (or pretty kitsch?) quilts and cowoy hats and patriotic aprons and a beer brewery.


One of the most memorable stores though was a shop advertising that it sold fudge. Doesn't every girl love some homemade fudge from weird towns in the middle of nowhere? Well, this girl does. (actually, that's a lie, I'm not so keen on fudge, I'd prefer something savoury any day, or ice cream. But it's so uncommon, one just must get it when they go to little towns like this one) But when Krystal and I walked in, the walls were lined with such a variety of salsas and mustards and spreads and preserves and salad dressings and herb infused olive oil and they even had cobbler (you know, the pies? Berry or peach cobbler? Is that how its even spelt?) in a jar. How ingenious! And tasty too! So Krystal and I, unabashed, walked around the store (that stretched forever) sampling this and that. Little baskets of crackers were stationed at various points, encouraging the customer to just try. But the saleswoman gave Krystal and I dirty looks, because we had our lunch in that store, before buying anything! And they were all so delicious, probably grown in their backyards in the little towns neighbouring this tiny town. We felt bad, so we bought some fudge and some dressing for that night's salad. For all our sampling, we only spent seven dollars. What a cheap lunch!

The next day we slept in (I still hadn't recovered from my crazy week during Finals. Most people don't sleep because they're up all night studying... Unfortunately that wasn't my excuse)and were supposed to go out on Krystal's dad's boat. The weather wasn;t so suitable, so we postponed it until the Friday, and that afternoon I got my first haircut in America. Now, why on earth would I waste your time with details about my haircut?? Probably because it was such a different experience (but not as weird as Rob's shave in Vietnam, which was complete with an ear cleaning and head massage.. Say wha??). On Krystal's recommendation, I went to the hairdressers her family use..."Visible Changes", a huge salon... in a mall. In a mall! Now, I know I sound like a snob here, but I've never been to a hairdresser in a shopping centre before... I know that's where my Dad first started getting his hair cut (and he still uses the same girl) but I'm used to small salons with about four hairdressers, including the shlepper apprentice hairdresser who mops up the hair and brings you coffee. But even when I booked my appointment (I was desperate, my hair had, over the six months of freezing cold weather, getting frozen, not used to Philly water (I'll use any ol excuse!)) I was asked what level I would like: An art director, an expert stylist, and advanced cutter, or a junior cutter (there were many more levels but I can't remember them right now). I didn't want to spend so much money since I was travelling for the rest of the year, and wouldn't really have so much time to look after it, and one never knows how much it all adds up to, since you have to tip everyone here, including hairdressers... So I just asked for the junior cutter. I deserved the cut I got, I suppose.

Her own hair wasn't so attractive, but then again who am I to comment on the hairstyles of Texas.. but she had a fringe that was frouffed up and straightened out in front so that one would see the fringe before her. Her hair also looked a little like sheitel. No joke. But she was far from being frum, she was a gorgeous inexperienced Mexican woman trying to make small talk. I suck at small talk. So we were dancing around the awkwardness for a while, until I couldn't be bothered and trailed off into silence. Man, even as I write this I know I sound like a most horrible customer, but, as I said earlier, it was an interesting and new experience for me. I just asked for a small trim, just to get rid of my ratty ends and that's it. And to keep the layers I already have in my hair. Please. But now my hair is all the same length, except for at the back, where there looks like I have a kind of mullet.. meh, at least it's only noticeable to those who pay close attention to it. The lovely lady asked me how I wanted my hair to be styled after the cut - I just said straight, not many people can style curly hair, and by the look of her cutting skills, I'd rather stick to the easiest. "You want some body? Not just slick straight?" she asked me. "Yeah, some body is great, I look awful with dead straight hair. Thanks."

Twenty minutes later I looked like I just stepped off the set of Dynasty. Arghh! I think she saw the look on my face and started to straighten it a little more... It turned out to be fine, but before she was finished she sprayed a cans worth of hair spray on the top of my head, to cement my hair to my scalp. Seriously. I didn't realise how stiff it was until I checked out my new hairdo in the bathroom in Macy's next door - it didn't move! I haven't used hairspray like that since my ballet concerts of the early 90s! Yikes!

Wow, a whole entry on a haircut. How sad. Afterwards, Krystal and I took another short roadtrip to Austin, an hour away from San Antonio. Apparently with the fast growth of San Antonio, the two cities will merge within the next twenty years.. crazy, eh? Austin was really cute, I saw UT's campus (University of Texas - the biggest Uni in America) and we did some window shopping at some really cute boutiques that reminded me a nice stores down in St Kilda. Very innovative and witty business cards...

The next day was boat day - the whole family (except for the little sister Lauren) was going out on the family boat in the lake. It was a gorgeous lake - so blue, so sparkly, and so smooth - and it was the perfect weather for tubing, or whatever it's called. Here are some glorious pics of Krystal and I looking like retards hurling behind the boat.

And here are some gorgeous pics of me in front of the boat... and a cowboy in a boat... and a cowboy walking down the street (yes, I was so excited to see a reallll cowboy, complete with the hat and everything!) and a pic of the huge ass trucks they drive in this lovely southern state...

So here goes the slide show-

(the following was written about a week or so ago... some details may have changed slighty, so beware....)

So, where was I, Bush country, right? I left Penn on Monday the 8th of May, and I managed to avoid a teary goodbye because we kept telling eachother that we'll see eachother again... and we have! I caught up with Amma and Rania and Maija and Rebecca in New York, and I shall see Nadeige next weekend... but I feel I have to describe my travels in chronological order. It seems the only way that it would make any sense...

I arrived late Monday night in San Antonio, overloaded with wayyyy too much luggage (what's new?) and hot from the muggy weather. My suitcase nearly didn't even fit into Krytal's small Beetle! I went to San Antonio, Texas, to visit my friend Krystal and her family. My plans had changed so I only had a week in Texas, and then I was leaving on the Saturday to travel with my Dad in California.

Krystal's house is absolutely gorgeous - nothing like I have ever seen before. I have seen beautiful houses, I have seen mansions, but I have never seen a home the size, oppulance and with such taste before - it was such a pleasure to live in for the week. I forgot to take photos, but I might ask Krystal to give me some - seriously, you must see it. They have a library with books that reach the ceiling, an elevator, a swimming pool, a movie theatre, a gym... but to be honest it's not only what they have, but their family closeness and warmth is infectious, and it's carried throughout the house. I really enjoyed being in a family situation, and it made me look forward to spending time with my Dad and then the rest of my family in Israel in August. And seeing my sister in July. Anyway, not going on a tangent, Krystal's family made me feel very welcome - even with their food. The dad's side of the family are, as they call themselves, 'Jewophiles' - and while they love Jesus, they wish they were Jewish. So in order to really experience Texas, they wanted to cook me a Texan barbecue. They bought Kosher chicken, and scrubbed down the barbecue, and made me a KOsher chicken barbecue! How nice is that! And when the Mum forgot and put cheese in the salad, she made me another seperate salad!

(I'm still writing about food? Man.)

But I was introduced to the real deal TexMex the next day, when Krystal and her sister Erin took me to an authentic Mexican cantina - only Mexicans were there, the waitresses only spoke Spanish, and I ordered one of the few vegetarian options on the menu. (They love their meat in Texas.) That day Krystal and Erin showed me around San Antonio. We went to the Alamo, where the americans fought the mexicans in the 19th century for control over Texas (also the sight for Miss Congeniality (yes, the film) where Sandra Bullock demonstrated her 'talent' at making music from glasses of water....) I forgot my camera in the car, but here are some professional pics of the place...

The afterwards we headed to a mexican market where Erin and I tried to fit in...
Not. We were told off by the owner of this stall for taking photos in the sombreros... there was even a sign in the corner that said in RED PEN explicitly "IF YOU TAKE A PHOTO WITH THE SOMBRERO, YOU MUST BUY IT!" Yeah right. He started to yell when we walked away, so we just hurried that little bit more. It was too hot outside so we went inside the little market under the cool breeze of the airconditioning. Little stalls were selling Mexican trinkets and folk outfits and tiny little jesuses and maries. Sometimes I really like those kitch figurines of little jesus... and of course mary... I know this totally goes against my religion, but I think theyre quite adorable. Hrmm, that, coupled with my loving of gospel music right now... See what a Yavneh education has done for me???
So the next photo displays my 'sexual temperament'. Well, only this temperament, says the fluro pink machine above, is recorded according to the heat of my palm. Well, it was thirty eight degrees that day, so what does that say! My reading was 108... and that means...
Or does it?






On the Wednesday, we went to Fredricksburg on a road trip, through the Texan Hill country. Who knew Texas was green? And had lush hills? We all think of Texas as stretches of desert, with the occasional cacti and crazy Mexicans running around shouting "Andale Andale!" Or was that only that mouse in Loony Tunes? Well, there were lots of Mexicans running around (and hardly any blacks at all, which was one of the first things I noticed. Living in West Philadelphia has opened up my eyes to so many different worlds, and the differences between the cities across the United States...)

(will continue when have the time... right now I'm putting the rest of my life at Penn into boxes... xxx)

Totally blah.

I don't care if you leave a comment or not, but don't leave one for the sake of leaving one. leave one telling me about what YOu think about what I write. Or perhaps it might have NOTHING to do with it. Or EVERYTHING to do with it. I don't care. It's just so pathetic because I look at this blog a couple times a day to see if anyone really cares what the hell I write. And perhaps it's even sadder that I'm exposing this to you all (if there are any readers of this at all) on this post. Man.

SO i'll continue with what I have to say without sounding like a total needy fool. Oops, already did that :)

They say that diners that are run by mexicans are the best. Don't trust those that are owned by the Chinese. (by the way, an aside, the scene where Brad and Angelina get it on in Mr and Mrs Smith after they were about to blow each others heads off is one of the hottest scenes ever. Ever. It's just on tv right now. Wow. Wonder how their baby is going to turn out? Pretty? Ugly? Pretty ugly? ANd what a name, Shiloh... eww) Ok, back to diners. I'm starting to like them... esp on late night munchies or early mornings for brekkie. I know I haven't written much on my Texan trip, my roadtrip with my dad or my following weeks in new york, but what I can tell you is this: I love living in this country, no matter how much we can curse the government and the stupid rednecks and the size of their cars and dish servings etc..... I love it.

And I especially love their diners. Endless supply of bad coffee, oily eggs... but I actually had THE best breakfast of my life in a diner... a diner-cum-cafe in San Francisco. The best. Light, flavourful, zesty, delicious - and that was just my conversation with the cute waiter! Just kidding. Ok, i've discovered why I;m not writing so many posts right now - I get bored too easily. Ok, I'll post this now and update it later with a more coherent flow to these ramblings.

And no mum, I'm not drunk this time. Even though I may seem it.

xx