And That's Just the Beginning….

You thought you were rid of me and my sarcastic stories after I finally found my way back to the States. So sorry. Back, by popular demand (aka Diane Burch), and with a new title is..….

"Little Ann's Big Apartment"?

Nope - false advertising

"Little Ann's Big Walk-in Closet"?

That won't work either, it's already overflowing with shoes.

"Little Ann's Big Credit Card Bill"?

Has potential… But 'gigantic' might be a more accurate description.

….. Resignation to a lack of creativity has left me with:

"Little Ann's Big Adventure - Part 2"

What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.

- T.S. Eliot

And so, I'll pick up at the end of my travels abroad - my new beginning… I spent the rest of my summer visiting friends, working at J.Crew, and hanging out with Paul and Diane in Zionsville. All in all enjoyable and a well spent final summer. I even earned a little money to buy furniture with… sort of…. silly J.Crew discount. OK, so at least I tried to earn a little money to start off in Minneapolis with! :)

Monday my title officially transferred to "grown up". I delayed the inevitable as long as possible, and yet somehow the real world still found me.

As a new grown up, my toolkit now includes the skills to: wash dishes (and know how to use the dishwasher!), do ALL of my own laundry (Merrit, you taught me well), vacuum regularly, iron (or at least attempt to), and cook! If any of you are still alive, then you should also know that my new "adult" conversations only revolve around subjects such as rent, utility bills, cleaning methods, insurance policies, Target and 401k. I'm officially old: planning for retirement and reading up on all the latest wrinkle prevention techniques. Great.

Otherwise, being an adult is soo fun! :) Even with acquiring these new responsibilities, I LOVE Minneapolis, am fully enjoying living on my own - my new catch phrase being "I'm the boss!", and like having friends living nearby and at work! Despite all the sarcasm, I'm really happy to be where I am, and entering into this new phase - it's a refreshing change, an amazing opportunity, and a welcomed challenge.

This week I began as a Business Analyst at the corporation's headquarters in Minneapolis, MN. (It's still warm here, so let's not talk about winter now… or ever.) I'm the newest member of the patio team! That's right, my new passion will soon be hammocks, rugs, pillows and outdoor chair/table sets. Go buy some. (from Target of course!)

So that's the news from exciting Minneapolis! ;) I'll post pictures of my super-cute new apartment as soon as I finish unpacking for all you creepers out there. (Visitors are welcome anytime, of course! But don't everybody try to book the air-bed for December/January… I know you all want to join me in hibernation but there just isn't space ;) )

All grown up,

Little Ann

Great Life.

It's the final countdown....

And now that you all have that wretched throwback of a song stuck in your heads, I'll amuse you with the tales of my waning moments abroad.

Liz and I gallivanted around London appropriately: shopping at Westfield mall, Portobello Road boutiques, and Oxford (High) Street... I can already hear my closet thanking me, even from these thousands of miles away ;)

When we weren't shopping, we were practicing our other most highly developed skill: eating. Of course. We had fish & chips from Rock & Sole (said to be London's best), pizza and gelato from Herrod's basement restaurants, Pizza Express (more upscale than Btown, and maybe even more delicious?), sushi and edamame (my favorites!), an obscene amount of McDonald's, and a lovely little picnic in Kensington Gardens. Liz made sure we went to Ice Bar (a London novelty!), drank Pimm's in a pub (every Brit will tell you it's "the perfect summer drink!"), saw Wicked!, stalked her neighbor Stella McCartney daily, and rehearsed our British accents and catch phrases constantly (favorites included: "it's spot on, is it?", "'ello!", "is it rubbish or litter?" and "this is the ____ line, via ____. mind the gap/door")

I had so much fun with Liz - it was so great to see her again, and for anyone to knows her, it was nice just to hear her laugh - not that it's hard to miss if you're within 100 yards! :)

I can't believe it: I'm leaving Europe, no longer living out of a backpack, and already suffering from severe gelato withdrawals. Not looking forward to the responsibilities that await this fall, but so looking forward to a new city and new adventures!

But to have had these experiences, see so many incredible places, and now return to by far the most amazing people I've ever met - I just know it's a great life.

So cheers, London! And America - ready or not, here I come!

A Visual Recap

1: Exhibit A - defense for the sinking Venice argument.
2: A typical view on Lake Como (maybe George's plane?)
3: Spanish ham in the supermarket.
4: Rachelle, Megan and I with our Spanish tour guide, Eric

Ciao Italia & Adios Barcelona

So hard to say goodbye.
Once again, I just couldn't get enough of Italy - by far of one my favorite countries.
We started in Venice - a city completely it's own. You have to experience it to even begin to fathom the complexity of its structure. We recorded evidence to contribute to the "sinking" argument, savored a local creation - the Bellini, and feasted on pizza and gelato constantly.
Although we did find the rumors of its summer stench to be true, if you stay away from the water a bit it really isn't so bad.
Then we trained off to Milan - definitely a big European city and much more industrialized than I had previously seen in Italy. We saw the Duomo and walked the shopping district - I must admit I was a bit disappointed. I, of course, had very high expectations for the fashion capital - pretty much envisioning models walking down the street towards me in haute couture. It didn't happen. In fact the people looked no more beautiful or well put together even than in any sloppy, ordinary American city. Oh what could have been...
We had a few extra nights in Milan because of trains being over-booked, so we took a few day trips around Northern Italy to smaller villages including Parma and Bologna. I enjoyed both, though their meat and cheese shops were quite a sight! My favorite by far was Lake Como. No George Clooney sightings (soo disappointing) but the homes were beautiful, the area enchanting and the gelato worth every euro-cent.
Getting a train to Spain was ridiculous. Not only in price and lack of times to choose from, but also in a shortage of capacity. We barely got seats on one leaving Friday night, only to board the train and find a mother and her baby sharing our cabin. As exhausted backpackers we could only laugh to keep from crying. She didn't speak English, but tried to tell us we didn't have one of the seats and instead wanted to put her kid in it. We made the staff help us talk to her, hoping they would make her leave. As we stepped off the train to wait (so we could actually have space to breathe and process the a night locked in a small cabin with a screaming, stinky child) we looked back inside to notice she was breast-feeding. Only in Europe. It was bound to be such a long trip... maybe even worse than the ferries? Suddenly this girl from Texas showed up with a legitimate ticket for the seat, kicking out the lady and her baby. Turns out seats on the train were in such high demand people were trying to sneak on. Crazy.
The following morning we were in Barcelona! That afternoon we walked around Gaudi's Guell park before my friend Eric that lives there came and got us! He took such good care of us - introducing us to his friends, touring us around the city, and making sure we ate all kinds of delicious Spanish foods (tapas, coquettes, Spanish ham (which just hangs from the ceiling everywhere - not even going to discuss my feelings about that), Sangria, churros, Spanish omelets, and even some seafood that I was a very scared of - I'll just say it had tentacles and eyes!). It's so relaxing to see a city with a friend who lives there because you can just soak it all up as they show you around. Though I'm pretty sure we turned Eric into a bit of a tourist - we caught him using a map to find La Sagrada Família and buying souvenirs along La Rambla!
Now: London with Liz! Can't believe this is my last stop before returning to the States - so excited to see everyone there, but not quite sure I want to leave just yet...
xoxo.
Ann

If I Sent You a Postcard...

...this is almost exactly what it would look like. At first we thought Google Images was full of lies. Turns out that you just have to know where to look... See for yourself - sunset in Santorini. Wish you were here! ;)
xoxo
Ann

Being Homeless is Much More Exciting Than it Looks

It's true.
Though I'm fairly certain over the past 10 days or so we have actually done less than the average homeless person daily, it helps when Megan has a new stalker in each city. Never a dull moment...
After Budapest, we spent a little over a week travelling throughout Croatia:
First we spent a night in Zagreb - Croatia's cute little capital city. But a day was definitely enough considering that the map literally had a small pink tourism loop with about 5 sites marked (including the ice cream shop our hostel owner recommended).
Then it was just a short train ride to Split - the largest coastal town in Croatia (but somehow this trip was insanely miserable - we were all soo sick and our fellow passengers were very annoying). We enjoyed several days on the beach and even made our way over to Hvar (one of the Dalmatian Islands). We left feeling like we really knew our way around the little town. Also, Megan made a special little "friend" in Split - a 50+ year old, speedo-wearing man who loved to massage oil on her back. We ran into him at the supermarket the next day - it was a great moment. (Don't worry Rachelle and I photo-documented the romance)
Finally, we took a bus down the coast, and actually through Bosnia at one point, to our last stop, Dubrovnik (known as the Pearl of the Adriatic - I think I've now visited every "pearl" there is...). Again, we took full advantage of the nearly empty beaches all along the coastline. It was here that we shared a hostel with the Aussi, Bentley (or maybe Berkeley - we can't actually remember his name). He had been in Dubrovnik less than 48 hours, yet felt he could tell us all the best things to do and places go in Dubrovnik. He was also the most talented person any of us had ever met. And in love with Megan, of course. (also photo-documented!)
The Adriatic water was crystal clear, but I still didn't last long swimming - much too terrified of the ocean animals - which was not helped by the snake and crab we saw on shore... On land I wasn't much happier about Croatian wildlife: our hostel owner kept roosters who crowed 24/7, and the entire city was infested with cats (according to our BFF Brentley they were let loose in the country by a Venitian ruler to cure an outbreak of mice - I'll let you choose whether or not you want to believe it).
We learned our way around everywhere in Croatia quickly because none of the cities really gave maps with all the street names. Not so helpful. Take into account that to go anywhere we were constantly climbing an insane amount of stairs, the one or two times we got lost, and our calves are more toned than when we arrived.
Travelling from Croatia to Greece was ridiculous - two overnight ferries, back-to-back. This meant on the first night literally sleeping on the floor of the wooden back deck of the ferry. Not exactly comfortable. It was a long 8 hour trek, and we weren't even halfway there! The morning brought some entertainment though, as Megan met a nice Croatian boat-boy who appreciated her Italian heritage...
I think we walked the entire city of Bari with our packs during that day - all in search of a supermarket (we really love them). Sadly, we didn't find one, but we did find a McCafe - the next best option providing fries and ice cream cones!
The second ferry from Bari was a major upgrade - we were inside, lounging across airplane-type seats! Thanks to Tylenol PM we slept nearly all of the 16 hour trip. Add on to that a 3 train ride from Patras to Athens, and after over 48 hours of travelling we finally made it to our next hostel!
Athens was fun since Megan and I had been there before - so it was familiar and easy to navigate.
And, while there, I found all kinds of American treats, including Starbucks!
Overall, European peanut butter just isn't Jif though (Dubrovnik), Subway is no substitute for Jimmy John's (I made a feeble attempt to satiate my cravings in Athens), and Facebook/Gmail just can't accurately capture the faces and voices that filled the place I once called home.
So here I am "on a boat" (yes, it's true) to Santorini! We'll finally be settled on one place for 5 whole days - I can't wait!
But as I look out over the back deck of our ferry, I can't keep my mind from drifting back to Bloomington - where I know my friends are out on a *slightly* smaller boat in a *slightly* smaller body of water. Even though I really miss those moments, I'm so excited for the rest of our trip! And I know that soon enough Nutella, gelato, and real Greek salads will be what I miss most. And so, for now, all my little temporary 'indulgences', though they are never as good as the real thing, are more than enough to make me feel at home.
ITB ;)

Evidence of My Survival

Pictures from Uganda:
-African dancing with kids at Nyaka (literal translation of the song lyrics were "get low" - obviously)
-Tea time (our favorite!)
-Talking with girls at Nyaka
-Crossing the equator
-Animals on our safari & boat cruise
-Using a panga in Kisiizi (now you can all believe it!!)

Please Send More Puffins

Not surprising.
You are all much too aware of my bizarre infatuation with this over-priced, organic cereal. Already wishing for my favorite snack while in Uganda, I sent pathetic emails begging Megan and Rachelle to feed my cravings by sneaking a bag in my pack. Of course they indulged me. And so I carefully rationed out the supply over the past two weeks.
Today I'm grieving. I finished the very last 'Puffin' while waiting for the Metro to take us to the train station. My Euro-trekking homelessness has now also left me tragically Puffin-less.
In Vienna I had half-a-bag left - it was lovely. Though it was supposed to rain nearly the entire time we were there, the weather really held out for us. The first two days we just walked through the narrow streets of the city - visiting Parliament, the Museums District, the Danube Canal, Hapsburgs' Theatre and City Palace, the Naschemarket, and Prater.
We even attempted laundry in Vienna! "Attempted" is definitely the best term used here - though I'm aware no one is shocked that I struggled with this chore, you should all expect better from Megan and Rachelle. Two loads in the wash somehow equated to wringing out socks over the sink, five drying cycles cumulatively, and still hanging our "lights" all over our 8-person dorm room.

Since our train for Budapest didn't leave until mid-afternoon on Wednesday, we used our remaining time in Vienna to walk out to Schonbrunn - the summer house of the imperial Hapsburg family. It was idyllic: a stunning palace, surrounded by rose gardens, featuring the oldest and only Baroque zoo (2 weeks in Europe and we're already architectural experts) and complete with an insane view of Vienna! We couldn't have asked for a better ending to our time in the city.
Megan (still happy from our adventurous day in Vienna and the bag of potato chips we annihilated during the first 15 minutes of our 3 hour train ride) greeted us with a "Who's hungry in Hungary?!" We had a quick laugh before being bombarded with offers for apartments to stay in and taxis to take. We practically screamed "tourists" in our over-sized backpacks and could immediately feel Budapest was different... Harsher. Poorer.
Clutching our bags, we navigated our way through the crowds, train info, and shadey metro ticket purchasing options to find our hostel (even managing to search out an ATM along the way). It was still a little light out when we located the old apartment building our hostel claimed to be in. But we didn't actually want to go inside.
Megan pressed "5", said "Hi" to the voice on the other side of the intercom, and we slowly opened the old wooden door. The hallway was dark, paint peeled off the walls and though we had pushed "5", the Blackberry-retrieved internet directions said we should go up only one flight of stairs. Megan told Rachelle to put the crowbar we found behind the door in it to keep it open - ensuring we could get out. But, after a few moments of debate, Rachelle decided this would be "letting street criminals in" and against our better judgment. So we walked up the stairs - along the way I offered that we should "pay more to stay somewhere else" and that I thought "this is a really terrible idea" - while I strategically placed myself between Megan and Rachelle to prevent being kidnapped. We opened what we hoped was the right door, revealing a modern, IKEA furnished apartment (with some of the best kitchen appliances we've seen in Europe) and our fears quickly subsided. (Mom: you can breathe again - we're fine!)
The more we walked around Budapest, the more comfortable we became with the city - both in navigating it and just in its unique architecture and feel. We even took a day to go to a medicinal bath (a famed feature of the city) - definitely an experience. Not one I need to ever have again, but I did it, even despite my germophobia! Seemed more like a scam than anything to us - we all left feeling covered in Eastern European diseases rather than cured of any and were deeply scarred by the Europeans' acceptance of their bodies (really not ok!).
Though we enjoyed our time in "the Pearl of the Danube", as we talked and planned more of our trip over popcorn, Lion bars, and Coca-Cola Light, we all agreed last night that we were ready to move on to Croatia's beaches and leave the very smelly streets of Hungary behind (seriously, so wretched).
It was only 05:10 this morning when we sat on the bench at Astoria metro station. I turned sadly to Rachelle and showed her the empty bag that my Puffins left behind, simply telling her "They're gone!" She understood my pain: "I finished my last meal bar this morning too - we're on our own now, kid."

A Revision

So I didn't entirely "hate" Munich - our last day in the city was actually quite nice. I didn't give it enough credit.
I'd like to blame my 30+ hours of delays in getting there, rainy weather, and continued distaste for Germans' beverage of choice. However, rumors of my bad attitude must have gotten around because it was rather enjoyable for our final day, making me feel pretty guilty for my prior judgements.
Megan, Rachelle and I just took time to soak up the beautiful weather, walk the city, lounge in the English Gardens, and snack all along the way.
Still not in my top 10, but if you love beer and have a jacket (preferably waterproof) then go!
Training to Vienna now - just so happy that all of my stuff fit back in my backpack!

From the Motherland with Love

Or not.
I wasn't a big fan of Berlin, but felt bad writing off the country of my ancestry considering the rain, my inadequate layers, and the u-bahn driver strike. So I've spent my past four days in Bavaria (according to my father the place of my true heritage).
But, Dad, I think we need to review a family tree when I get home...
Like every good Millennial, I've used my technological connections (ie Blackberry) to access the wisest of resources (aka Google) and it doesn't seem that either Burch or Kimmelshue have a solid lineage back to Germany. Could this explain why I feel no real tie, let alone any sort of affection, for this place? Perhaps.
Though Munich is smaller than Berlin (I would know because I've walked it nearly in it's entirety since our arrival - with my legs vouching to this truth), it still lacks any sort of real character. The bombings of the war so destroyed any quaintness of the city, and this was apparently replaced by austere facade buildings and a McDonalds for each corner that lacks a Burger King.
Yesterday we took a day trip through the Bavarian Alps to Fussen - the city that hosts Neushwanstein castle (which Cinderella's was modeled after). Disney gave their princess a major upgrade.
Today we trekked out to Salzburg (actually in Austria for others, like me, who didn't initially pick up on this - totally excusable, just don't make that mistake twice!). Highlight: seeing the nunnery from the Sound of Music. Lowlight: walking the entire city in pouring rain.
We've checked the weather for our next stop - Vienna - rain begins appropriately upon our arrival tomorrow night.
With one more day left in Munich before we depart, I'm beggining to feel that this could be a very long trip if I don't get to warm weather and beaches soon - missing Uganda and it's cold showers already? Eeks!
But then again, maybe Google is wrong. (Shocking, I know.) Maybe my German heritage is actually quite strong. So much so, in fact, that I just completely understand why my ancestors left!
xoxo,
Ann
P.S. Next time I'll try not to write after a long, cold day of walking in the rain in order to minimize the critical sarcasm.

Emerging from the African bush

Dear Uganda,
First let me apologize. I'm sorry for leaving the light, tv and water heater on all night, repeatedly, and over all just abusing your resources. You were surprisingly hospitable and accomodating - something my Americanness completely took for granted.
Thank you.
Thank you for the running water (most of the time...) - though the showers were often cold and toilet paper occasionally had to go in a trash can, I do not overlook the alternatives (aka in Ugandan: the bush or a hole in the ground).
Thank you for your incredible internet connectivity - seriously unexpected. Minus a few mountainous areas, my Blackberry loved the MTN:Uganda network until its tragic death in Nyakagezi.
Thank you for your very vegan meal options. They were always the same, but that was true for nearly all of your food. And I am pretty sure I gained weight in a third world country nonetheless, due to the large proportion of carbs in those meals. It just feels wrong.
Thank you for sharing with me these priceless memories: temporarily curing my cough using ancient medicines (yep, I ate eucalyptus tree - I wasn't joking about being broken of my germophobia); learning how to African dance (and apparently being good at it!?); those candlelit nights in Kisiizi that were so Little House on the Prairie; showering from a jerry can (who is high maintenance now?) crossing over the equator; teaching accounting to the S1 students in Nyaka; learning how to use a panga (oversized knife/machetti) from a 63 year old mukaaka (granny); the nights I spent curled up under mosquito nets next to Liz (in beds that seemed to continually grow impossibly smaller), watching a pride of lions lounge in a nearby tree from the rack of our safari van (and appropriately narrating the experience in my faux British accent); dipping my toes in the source of the Nile; and those 30+ bonus hours to celebrate Africa Day on the correct continent because of a broken plane engine delaying our flight out.
Your people are truly more than just an accent to the beautiful scenery and organic nature. They are strong, resilliant, and hopeful.
You have rejouvenated my tired spirit with your vibrancy. I am moving on now, savoring once again the taste of familiar flavors of Western food, re-adjusting to riding in cars on the right side of the road and relishing conversations with natives that go beyond "Hi, muzungu. How are you? I am fine." And as my heart still grows fonder for you daily, I hope that, in the little bit of my time spent in Uganda, I in some way breathed a kind of life of my own into your mud huts.
Until I return again...
xoxo,
Ann

HM

High maintenance.
A title I would argue is undeserved, but many have attributed to my appreciation for fashion, youngest child status, and OCD tendencies over the years. Africa is slowly, but surely breaking me of any such affiliation...
Yesterday's van ride somehow grew from 7 hours to 10 (I'm learning that trips have a tendency to multiply in distance here - no matter the length). The highlight of this was passing the equator and the accompanying water experiment (water really does go straight down! Videos to come later..) Less favorably would have been the bathroom options I braved throughout the day (some of which you all would never believe if I told you, so I'm not even going to try) and our sleeping quarters - which are constantly on the decline. Including cold showers, a broken toilet, no mosquito net, spider #2 (I'm pretty sure they plant one of those in every room), and freezing sleeping conditions (yes - in Africa! It's rainy season... Who would have guessed?) - and that was just last night! :)
Today also held a variety of "interesting" experiences: eating some eucalyptus tree in an attempt to heal this cough I've been fighting (ancient African medicine - it did feel really nice on my throat!), learning how to African dance (Melanie - I've got some new moves for you to bust out at Roys next year!), and finally getting ready for bed by candlelight (my Blackberry had internet, but our room was without electricity?! It was soo Little House on the Prairie though).
As each day passes the small inconsistencies become less surprising and instead surprisingly more expected.
The only thing that continues to catch me off guard here is the view out my window.
xoxo,
Ann
P. S. Praying there aren't any spiders tonight - we can't see them! Eeks!!

Jet Lag

An all too familiar feeling. Wide awake in the middle of the night after having slept all day on planes. The unconsciousness brought about by Tylenol PM is both a blessing and a curse.
So, from under my misquito net, my mind races instead of resting as it tries to process where my body is: Africa - continent #3 for me. It's even easier to play "spot the Americans" here than in Europe ;) The people are really funny and friendly though, and they love to share with you about their country.
Uganda is known as "The Pearl of Africa" Though I've only seen the country by night so far, the view of the moon (enlarged due to proximity to the equator) over Lake Victoria has already convinced me that this title is well-deserved.
Though we spent little time in Uganda so far, it hasn't been without excitement! As we waited in line for swine flu inspection, the sliding doors gave us a preview of our enemy: misquitos the size of your big toe. And literally EVERYWHERE. These oversized pests are merciless. The mere sight of them led to panic about when to take our next malaria treatment.
Once we arrived at our "hotel" for the night (really guest rooms in the univeristy dorm), it was time for dinner! Ugandan vegan food is so great! (And much less scary than the alternatives: goat meat or fish [which we suspected came straight from Lake Victoria]).
Our rooms for the night had hot, running water - pretty unbelievable and the last time we'll have that experience for awhile! But... We also had an unexpected little guest. We didn't have time to name him - we had murder on the mind. This little surprise in our sink had the longest legs I've ever seen on a spider! After a tag-team effort, Liz and I successfully drowned/smashed with a hanger/threw away our extra roomie.
And now I find myself under the misquoto net, listening to some African man sing outside our door and getting ready for another day of travelling. Exchanging money and buying basics in Kampala, then it's a 7 hour overcrowded van drive to Southwest Uganda (and the less comfortable accomodations that await us there). Until the next time I have internet...
XOXO,
Ann