35 days after, anything to say?
At no cost should a human being not consider travelling (varied forms) as a life essential, it is just as the importance of reading a book, eating good food, and playing sports.
I find it hard to summarize what has been an intensive experience, that left me too little time to look back at each of its stages, but however, was profound enough not to let me forget the details, and that made me someone more curious about the magic of life and living in it.
From my childish happiness by the massive (Zapokani) toast/sandwich in the old Jewish quarter of Cracow-Poland, and being in an urban race with two Canadians to discover the secrets of the city of Cracow through 14 questions to the sleepless night at the ship that took me from Gdansk in northern Poland to the shores of Sweden at Nyshamn, and then the wonderful ride that left me mesmerized through the Swedish landscape…
Working in a farm near to Stockholm for two weeks, brushing wooden posts and walls, painting, cleaning, fixing posts and building a protective wooden support, and then finishing around 6, enjoying a lovely dip in the Baltic sea a Km away, enjoying meat balls with blueberry…
Lived as if I was on a channel, and someone was flipping them…having to salute people, and say goodbyes to them a short time after, to switch from one style of life to another, from university dormitories to living in a farm, then to a residence few meters away from the sea.
Rome was fantastic, was very hot though, was very chaotic and sometimes dirty where one would expect it to be clean, but it was Italian, it was Pizza and Gelato, it was fountains and fashion…I loved it. And then to the south, where I spent a week with some European friends back from Granada, a full week of relaxation, going to different beaches and eating wonderful food, it was a blast!
I should have definitely written more often on daily basis, but I will try to write some interesting things from now on (when I have a stable internet connection!)
Quick thoughts:
-My heart is with Aisha, the Somali girl I met in Milano airport; I was going to Cracow, and well, she didn’t know where she was going, she showed me her printed ticket that showed she was going to Germany, however, she didn’t know, she asked me what time she should be sitting where, I tried to speak to her in English, French, Spanish and finally Arabic, however, not a single time did I feel she understood what I was saying, I told her to stay where she is (she was next to the right gate), and to wait till she sees a new crowd and go with them.
Aisha, no matter what it is that brought you to that place, I wish I could do more, and I wish this world starts making more sense to you at some point.
-Stockholm, an amazing city, with no internet! I literally couldn’t find any internet café in that city, however, something about the Swedes, they have something called FIKA; meeting in a coffee shop to drink coffee and biscuits with a friend, after having heard that….finally, I found a name for my favorite hobby, A good cup of coffee with chocolate or biscuits>>FIKA!
-God bless cheap airline flights, for without them, I would have gone no where.
-Don’t get fooled by a clear sunny day in the Swedish summer! For it rained like crazy in my last two days in the farm, something I’d only witness one or two times in January in Jordan!
Well, more next!
At no cost should a human being not consider travelling (varied forms) as a life essential, it is just as the importance of reading a book, eating good food, and playing sports.
I find it hard to summarize what has been an intensive experience, that left me too little time to look back at each of its stages, but however, was profound enough not to let me forget the details, and that made me someone more curious about the magic of life and living in it.
From my childish happiness by the massive (Zapokani) toast/sandwich in the old Jewish quarter of Cracow-Poland, and being in an urban race with two Canadians to discover the secrets of the city of Cracow through 14 questions to the sleepless night at the ship that took me from Gdansk in northern Poland to the shores of Sweden at Nyshamn, and then the wonderful ride that left me mesmerized through the Swedish landscape…
Working in a farm near to Stockholm for two weeks, brushing wooden posts and walls, painting, cleaning, fixing posts and building a protective wooden support, and then finishing around 6, enjoying a lovely dip in the Baltic sea a Km away, enjoying meat balls with blueberry…
Lived as if I was on a channel, and someone was flipping them…having to salute people, and say goodbyes to them a short time after, to switch from one style of life to another, from university dormitories to living in a farm, then to a residence few meters away from the sea.
Rome was fantastic, was very hot though, was very chaotic and sometimes dirty where one would expect it to be clean, but it was Italian, it was Pizza and Gelato, it was fountains and fashion…I loved it. And then to the south, where I spent a week with some European friends back from Granada, a full week of relaxation, going to different beaches and eating wonderful food, it was a blast!
I should have definitely written more often on daily basis, but I will try to write some interesting things from now on (when I have a stable internet connection!)
Quick thoughts:
-My heart is with Aisha, the Somali girl I met in Milano airport; I was going to Cracow, and well, she didn’t know where she was going, she showed me her printed ticket that showed she was going to Germany, however, she didn’t know, she asked me what time she should be sitting where, I tried to speak to her in English, French, Spanish and finally Arabic, however, not a single time did I feel she understood what I was saying, I told her to stay where she is (she was next to the right gate), and to wait till she sees a new crowd and go with them.
Aisha, no matter what it is that brought you to that place, I wish I could do more, and I wish this world starts making more sense to you at some point.
-Stockholm, an amazing city, with no internet! I literally couldn’t find any internet café in that city, however, something about the Swedes, they have something called FIKA; meeting in a coffee shop to drink coffee and biscuits with a friend, after having heard that….finally, I found a name for my favorite hobby, A good cup of coffee with chocolate or biscuits>>FIKA!
-God bless cheap airline flights, for without them, I would have gone no where.
-Don’t get fooled by a clear sunny day in the Swedish summer! For it rained like crazy in my last two days in the farm, something I’d only witness one or two times in January in Jordan!
Well, more next!
Next, are 10 or so pictures from this trip, for me, I think these are quiet representative, what I, a simple Jordanian guy, found interesting in Europe...
- Out of the blue, the polish organisers tell us that we are to get ready for our tram party, it wouldn't have occured to me in a million years that the party is actually INSIDE A MOVING TRAM, a tram that took us through the lovely city of Cracow for about two hours, we went crazy inside, laughing and dancing, and then standing next to the windows and cheering people outside in the streets, I guess my standards for having fun are different now!
- Let nature be your teacher! This is a lovely village (A cartoon-like one) in the very southern tip of Poland called Zapokane, I had the greatest fun in the wood, where they have an open air adventure games center, we hiked, climbed and slided on the slopes of the mountain.
- The polish flag for those of you who don't know it, and a beautiful Boat party (although more quiet this time) in the river.
- The Poland Cast, a part of the group with whom I had spent the week..
- The first glimpse of Sweden, these red houses ae all over the place in Sweden, you could say country-side houses...
- In the farm, they need to eat well, and to have in a style, and that is why you have this...the candles are ready, white dishes, and lovely food...Of course I need to mention the Swedish chef Johannes who made the food, and Molly who made us eat with our eyes...TAK!
- Stockholm, I fell in love with the city, it is built on seperate islands and connected by the tram lines, and many bridges, it was surprisingly hot during my stay there...
- The little farm where we worked, you can spot these swedish details you'd find everywhere in Sweden, the red houses, the SAAB, and the forest near by (Where you find the tasty blueberrys and rose ones)
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-Gay Sweden, well, that was something definitely european, I think it was more of a Carnaval, funny people (and crazy most of the time!) , showing crazy stuff, well...a cultural experience!
-Rome, oh...I had different impressions from the city, one that it is ancient and unique, and one that it is dirty and crowded...but I loved it somehow.
- My discovery of 500 ml coke in Rome. I was ever jealous by the 500 ml beers that friends have , that I don't, and I'd get stuck with my mini coke or juice...REVENGE!
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