Update

I'm back, and it feels so good to be home. Oh, there is so much to write about concerning the last month of travel and adventures, but for now: Happy Friday. The first week of autumn here in Portland actually feels like autumn! The weather, for once, makes sense. I'm still doing laundry and am totally sick of wearing the same clothes for 4 weeks. So, I broke out the Nordstrom pants I got a couple months back and these new, funky (for me) shoes from Urban Outfitters (Dolce Vita brand). Even though I'm a summer gal, I feel like autumn is so much more of a fashion season. Fashion week, the layers, the colors, the accessories. People tend to whip out their best looks from their closets. 

It's been a week since returning to the states, and I haven't even looked at my pictures from Europe. I have somewhere around 5,000 to go through. So bare with me, I'll get around to it. I still have last year's Paris to finish up. And school starts Monday. It's my last term at Clack. Comm. College, before I transfer to University of Portland in Jan. It will be bitter sweet, but I'm so excited for this year. I'm totally ready for anything life throws at me or where I end up. 

One more thing... I'm obsessed. Just a little bit (no, a lot actually) with this girl's voice. I've been listening to her album for 4 days straight now. Doesn't everyone do that with new music? I'll probably get sick of it soon, especially since I'm sure she's going to be big on the radio any day now (if not already, I haven't actually listened to radio in 2 months). Anywho, if you're into "crafty, sultry, moody R&B" (as classified by Spotify), then take a listen.

My favorites:

- Beggin for Thread

- Change

- Waiting Game

- Brain

- Drowning

(but really, all her songs are good)

There's an update on life. Enjoy the weekend, I know I will.

Where I'm Headed Next...

So, I ran out of time to finish posting about last year's Europe trip. I will finish France when I get back, I promise. So where am I going you ask? 3½ weeks adventuring around Eastern Europe is about to begin. I leave TOMORROW (still hasn't hit me)! I will be in: Moscow, Russia Aug. 26-29 / St. Petersburg, Russia Aug. 29-3 / Budapest, Hungary Sept. 3-9 (Yes, I will be celebrating my birthday here) / Vienna, Austria Sept. 9-13 / Prague, Czech Sept. 13-19. Stay tuned on Instagram for pictures. & I will take a bunch on my camera. Let's just hope it won't take a whole year to pass before I post about it. 

Anyways... got to finish packing and run some last minute errands.

See you soon. 

Diving in the Sky

Skydiving is one of those things that's on many people's bucket lists, but it never happens. I figured it would be the same for me. I've always wanted to do it, but who knows when I ever would. I was watching some reality television (my guilty pleasure), and the people on the show went skydiving. It looked so fun, and they made it seem not scary. My best friend, Inna, turned eighteen on July 2, so on her birthday I brought the idea up (completely expecting her to say, "no way"). The conversation went something like this:

Me: "Don't say no right away, just think about this okay... Don't you want to do something crazy and fun this summer? And since you're 18 now... How about skydiving!?" (I'm terrible at persuasion, so after listing all the reasons why it would be the coolest thing ever, it became more of a "please, please, please.")

Inna: "Yeah, okay. I'll think about it." (She later told me that she fully intended to say, "NO.")

A week or so later, I brought it up and asked if she'd thought about it. I guess I was persistent enough because to my surprise she said YES! We were going to go skydiving! I made the reservation at Skydive Oregon - and there was no going back.

[being goobers while taking photos — what we do best]

[Tasha & I all geared up and ready]

[Inna with her instructor]

[Inna about to jump]

[the little orange parachute is Inna]

I can honestly say that it was NOT scary — exhilarating, but not terrifying! The moment I saw my friend disappear off the plane right before I was going to do the same did get my heart pounding, but the actual experience of flying through the sky was somewhat peaceful and relaxing. It's completely surreal — it felt like I was watching a video, not actually doing it. My mind didn't grasp the fact that I was in the middle of the sky looking down on Earth. And the view was breath-taking! From up there, everything seems so close, and you can even see the roundness of the Earth. You feel like a bird during the ten minute parachute ride that the instructor lets you control (you can turn and do spins). It's an incredible thrill, and I would do it a hundred times again. So if you've been wanting to do it, GO. It's completely worth it.

I made this little video out of the GoPro raw footage. Here's a link to the awesome song playing that fits so perfectly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6P7lgfo9Gk      

     

Staying in Brussels

An experience I'll never forget is the apartment we stayed at in Belgium. We arrived late at night on the train from London and then met our hosts. Two handsome French gay men, Hugo and Ramon (say their names in a French accent; it's more fun), greeted us. Ramon is an interior designer, artist, and bug collector (as you will see) who is studying architecture in Brussels, and Hugo works at the bank. They were super friendly and helpful even though it was difficult to communicate because they barely spoke English, and we didn't speak French. They would talk amongst themselves trying to figure out what we were asking them, and that is when I wished I spoke French fluently. It's a beautiful language, and I wanted to just pop into the conversation. They'd be fun to talk to, sadly, that didn't happen. One day I'll learn French, at least enough to converse. 

We found the place on airbnb. David picked it out, and his parents and I didn't know anything about it. At first glance I was terrified and had that "I just want to go home" feeling, but after getting used to it, it turned out to be pretty cool. Much better than a bland apartment. It was like staying in a museum; there was always something to look at. The pictures below won't even do the job of explaining the place. In any direction you look, every color imaginable and the most random of things could be found. It would be a fantastic place to play I Spy. Despite all the religious images and symbols, Hugo and Ramon are actually atheist. They somehow understood me when I asked them if they were religious. There were some vulgar images and figurines so please excuse and nudity or offensive symbols below. The stay will always be remembered, and overall it was beautiful — in a cluttered, quirky sort of way. 

The bedroom:

The living room:

The kitchen:

Just wanted to say a quick thank you to you — the people who actually read my rambling and look at my amateur photography. I do this for my own memory. This is like my online diary, and I'm still surprised that people go on here. So thanks. And if you have any questions for me write a comment or shoot me an email. // Before I write about Paris, I'll post about my skydiving experience. So check back in a few days. 

Brussels, Belgium

Day 9 - 09.12.13

We took a bus to the main part of the city and went to explore the Grand Place - the central square of Brussels. There was a vendor in the middle of the square selling watercolor paintings. I ended up buying two, and they are yet to be framed. I'll get around to it eventually. My conclusion from the two days in Belgium: beautiful buildings! The architecture is really something. There were a lot of worn down buildings, but those just added to the historical vibe of Brussels.

We then went to see the Manneken Pis - a statue of a peeing boy made in 1618 to resemble the rebellious spirit of Brussels. During big events, they dress him in different costumes. We weren't there during anything special, so he was just naked. Right next to the statue was a waffle place. I had mine with chocolate and strawberries. A little tough to eat but delicious nonetheless. 

Fries, or frites, were eaten twice that day — both times yummy. The weird thing is Belgians eat their fries with mayonnaise. I hate mayo, but luckily it was completely different than the American version. I'm not sure if it's any better for you, but it was good! We also got to feed the pigeons straight from our hands.  

We did a bit more roaming around and visited a few cathedrals. Also, finding a free public restroom can be quite difficult in Europe. After some searching, there was a library, and we were able to use that. The bathroom was clean, smelled good, and there was no fuss. 

Couldn't leave Belgium without getting some chocolate goodies to take home. 

"Find life experiences and swallow them whole. Travel. Meet many people. Go down some dark alleys. Try everything. Exhaust yourself in the glorious pursuit of life." 

-Lawrence K. Fish