Come home safely

Doha Airport at 4am

The good thing about saying "goodbye" at one place is that it is usually followed by a "hello" at another place. And man, do I look forward to that hello. Cannot wait to reunite with the Vienna party crew. I don't know why, but I guess it's because we've reached a certain stage in our lives where we recognize that somehow the predictability of our lives is over. No more see you in school every day, no more see you at the next lecture, no more see you in the AIESEC office tomorrow, no more come over and hang out every weekend. Those times are gone as we drift into adulthood - finally. It's now more a - let's see where I find a good job, let's see where live and love takes me, I might be gone for more than just an exchange semester, this time it's for real. And those things make you value the people you've spent so much time with even more, because you face that nothing is granted, it also seperates the random ones from the true ones as it takes effort to keep things going.

Doha Airport at 5am, killing time with random self-shots,
but I was actually sleeping like this a couple of hours before

On the inside I am preparing for my next leave as I know it's coming up along the near future, somewhere, sometime. But for now it's return - and it's good to have a place to come back to.

it was always in my backpack

current music: Joan Baez - Forever young

Song to say goodbye

My nice goodbye gift from AIESEC TUC, a great memory

The other day I had my goodbye party here. I noticed that throughout my blog I've written very little about everyday life and the usual ramblings of how I spend my days in a different country. I guess that's because I got used to all this in my previous stays abroad. So what has been going on here besides my travels and the ideas and thoughts that crossed my mind?

One of my original flatmates already left and went back to Korea and in turn four new interns came - one from the Netherlands and three from Canada. So there has been quite a change in the culture of my housemates - but then again we are all Aiesecers and it's not only an organisation, it's a lifestyle - that's why I guess we also get along well, even though the various types couldn't be more different. We had a full house over here as we had 6 people in a 3-room house, but sharing a room is fine for the last weeks. Work is quite slow right now as it is exam and holiday period in many schools here. That's why we enjoy the fewer workshops even more.

Going out at Skybar - great view of the Petronas towers
Waikiki bar

And on the upside: less work equals more travel. I spent my last full weekend with a trip to the Cameron Highlands, a nice getaway from the troubles of a metropole. The weather was cool and I enjoyed the views over the tea plantages, ate strawberries directly from the farm, visited a flower farm, a bee farm, held a lizzard and a scorpion in my hand, did some hiking that included an unintended backward salto that was luckily stopped by a bush and enjoyed the backpacker life for a last time as I staid in a hostel on my own.


The final travel destination was then Melaka - a colonial city South of KL, that is part of the cultural heritage. Had a great time with the other interns exploring the small city while the heat slowly took us down and we headed back at night soaked in sweat.

Melaka

Blue Mosque in Shah Alam

My goodbye party took place on the same day as my 25th birthday. I noticed that while I don't mind spending Christmas or other celebrations away from home, it was feeling weird to be not with my friends on my birthday. However, the many congrats received over today's communciation channels like Skype, Facebook, Xing oh and the cellphone as well as the surprise cakes - one that was ate at the internhouse and one that landed in my face - made totally up for it and I happily started the next quarter-century of my life.

A part of this cake landed in my face - or rather my face landed in it,
the rest I ate, because no one wants to waste such a delicious treat

Thanks everyone - I had a great time in Malaysia with AIESEC TUC and the interns!

Even tough I only spent about 2 months here in KL, I got used to the place and the people. Living together does really connect you and the little habits of your mates do grow on you. Random acts or sounds that may have annoyed you once, become a routine, you get used to your peers and you'll miss them when you are gone. As this is not my first goodbye I came to realize that goodbyes are often not final. This is after all a small world and as I am not a part of a rare species - I am not the only one who get's around. Lightning always strikes twice and for sure our paths will cross more than once. Thanks for the fun times, the random moments, the trips, the collaboration and support and the good nights smoking sheesha, eating roti and drinking mango smoothies.

I am not an openly emotional person. Although I often experience an internal rollercoaster, I am not one to show this of. I don't like saying goodbye. That is also why I prefer the French or German phrase for parting which is "Auf Wiedersehen" or "Au revoir", which simply means "Till I see you again".

So it's not goodbye Malaysia, it's not goodbye new friends at TUC, it's not goodbye my housemates - it's simply "See you later".


current music: Maksim - The gypsy maid

Vienna calling

As my trip is slowly coming to an end and I'm getting ready to pack up and get back home, I keep thinking about my hometown -Vienna. It's funny, whenever I mention from where I from I hear things like "oohhh, so pretty", " a wonderful city", "it must be great to live there", "all the culture - it's amazing" - (well that is of course after I receive some wondering glances and can see people thinking in their mind - "did she just say Vienna, like Vienna in Austria - or is there some place in Africa called Vienna ..."). And then I always feel kind of the duty to reply "yes, it's a great city to live there, you should go there" - while I keep wondering "yes, but not for all MY life". Emphasis on the MY here, as with everything posted up here please bear in mind that my views are subjective, no intention to be in any way objective. I know that for many out there it is a great city to live for all their lives, but I'm not one of them anymore and somehow I think I never was.

I am soooo ready to get out of there, I aim to leave, to get settled somewhere else. As mentioned in one of my previous post - this is not about the people I know there, they are great and I'll miss them - it's more about the future potential I see for me and this place. I just don't see this relationship going anywhere right now. It is a nice city and all and I guess a good place to grow up in and to get settled once you are ready for this - but somewhere in between you or rather I just have to get out and gain some distance. It's just not exciting enough anymore, the city is discovered and I'm stuck in a routine there - the same places, the same people (this excludes friends and so, I mean in general you meet the same or similar people), not enough to get the rush I usually get in other new places.

Yes, we shared the laughter, we shared the tears, we had good times, we had bad times but let's face the truth: the fun, the romance, the excitement - it's gone; or to say it in Gordon Lightfoot's words: "I don't know where we went wrong but the feeling is gone and I just can't get it back."
As mentioned in an earlier post there is a lot of history and a tear will be shed if I finally move away but I am confident that the places I'll go will be worth it. I currently have some possible options lined up but till anything is confirmed, I won't set my head on anything and I don't know yet when I'll get to leave and for how long.

Maybe it's not a breakup but rather a break - and after a year or two I'll come back crawling begging you to take me back - or I may not. Well I guess it's not you, it's me ... well this is a lie, it is so you and yes there are others.

However, who knows, one day I am ready to get finally settled here and I will be longing to spend the rest of my life in my hometown - and till then I guess it's like Billy Joel said in his aptly named song Vienna:

"You've got your passion, you've got your pride
but don't you know that only fools are satisfied?
Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true
When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?"

current music: TRex vs Calvin Harris - Get it on the 80's

These boots are made for walkin'

... and that's just what they do ... or rather did. I did it, finally. I threw them away. My blue Chuck Taylors are gone.

They say that in order to know someone you have to walk in their shoes for some time. And I guess there is a bit of truth in it. If you had walked in those shoes, you would have gotten the chance to know quite a bit about my life. You'd have worn them on the evening of the day they were purchased and tapped them to the music of "Talkin' bout a revolution" as you were sitting in a concert hall in Boston and listening to the amazing Tracy Chapman singing live. You'd have walked in them on the Walk of Fame in Los Angeles and visited many amazing cities like Paris or London. You'd have danced so many "Cotton Eye Joe" or "Tunak Tunak" dances on AIESEC conferences. You'd have worn them to several dates, some exciting and promising, some disappointing - (yes, I do wear them then as I believe in WYSIWYG, so I usually don't dress up). You'd have danced many a night away in Flex, Chelsea or Charlie P's. You'd have filled them with an extra pair of socks and worn them on winter nights earning disapproving looks from your friends and parents, but you'd not have cared as you believed they are the perfect shoes for every weather. Therefore you'd have gotten your feet drenched because as it turns out they are not waterproof - who would have known ;-). You'd headed in them for so many lectures, exams and meetups with friends. You'd have left your trails around Vienna streets during day and night. You'd have almost thrown them away two years ago because you'd thought they passed their due date. But then you'd would have recognized that they are not worn out and old but experienced and even look so much more fashionable and alternative with more holes and dirt on them and you'd have reinstated them. You'd have used them to mobilize the pedals of your bike as you were making your way through the traffic. You'd have seen them not only as shoes anymore but as some kind of fashion statement that should symbolize your attitude & lifestyle as a not-posh, a bit alternative, Bo-Bo student. Lately you'd have roamed the streets of London as you were aiming to walk off your frustration after coming out exhausted from interview days. And finally you would have been tying them up just minutes before you were picked up for your ride to the airport as you set out for your latest trip to Asia - well that's actually a bit untrue as you'd usually didn't tie them as you never untied them and just slipped in and out.

They were my first pair of Converse. In the meantime they got company as I acquired some variations of them. They did a good job, they were good shoes. But as they keep getting more and more holes and become kind of gross (in a not-cool way), it's time to say goodbye. May they rest in peace in the shoe heaven. Among my black Dr.Martens, my Airwalk, and many others whom I don't want to name right now in order to keep up the illusion of my coolness :-D


current music: Tracy Chapman - Talkin 'bout a revolution

So fresh, so clean

Welcome to the city where spitting out chewing gum is a crime, where so many different cultures live in one city-country, where you get constantly educated about your duty to be attentive to any possible terrorism dangers, where shopping and eating are valid and popular leisure time activities and where so many places look like a part of a holiday resort, welcome to Singapore.

After visiting Meet in Hongkong I decided to reunite with one more friends and hopped on a bus to Singapore to see Kana again. I also met Kana in Brazil while I was working and traveling there last summer. I was really looking forward to this weekend trip as I was happy to hang out with my friend and was curious about this city - and I didn't get disappointed. The weekend was great. We spent the days with discovering the many different neighbourhoods, going out for drinks, smoking so much sheesha (mmm peach-mint flavor, so delicious), simply hanging out and chatting and eating very nice food.

I did my best to capture the memorable moments in random photographs - below you find a selection. Singapore is a really beautiful place and I most say so far my favorite big city in Asia and probably the only place where I could imagine to live some more months. On the downside it is a bit too neat and clean cut, but that is made up by it's nice quarters, the multicultural atmosphere and the cosy places you can find. Also you are not constantly seen as a source of money since you are a foreigner and can therefore enjoy strolling down the streets in peace without being screamed or honked at constantly. The fact that I had great hosts and was able to spend some time in Kana's and Dave's home added to my positive and welcoming image of the city.

The entry to Raffles hotel - Allegedly the place where you can get the authentic Singapore Sling,
but as it is so expensive there, I had one somewhere else.

Sitting along the river in the evening, drinking beer and chatting.

The botanic garden

The different ethnic neighbourhoods: Arab Street, Little India & Chinatown

A very nice sheesha that we enjoyed together with
Turkish apple tea in one of the little nice restaurants

Above all the main highlight was the reunion with my former teammate which once again showed me how small the world is. As she is from Australia, I didn't expect to see her that soon again, but was very happy that she came for our New Year's Eve team reunion to Prague andvisited me in Vienna a couple of days later. And we all know that it was a bit of a conincidence that I ended up here in Southeast Asia and got to travel to her new home. I guess that proves that goodbyes are not necessarily meant to be final at all, so often it's just a "see you later" - somewhere, sometime.


current music: Maksim - Croatian Rhapsody

Concrete jungle

Hong Kong skyline

"... the whole world is moving, while I'm standing still ...", were the words of one of the songs that is on heavy rotation in my iPod lately and I as listening to as I felt the cool breeze on a hill, overlooking the Hong Kong skyline. HK is truly a bustling city; it's alive, it's full of people, it's busy. In my eyes even almost too busy. It's definitely an impressive place but at least for me, for now, not an option for a longer time. I guess it's great to spend some time there to earn a lot of money (or at least try to), to party a lot and experience a different way of life, but that may be it - well as I said at least for me. As with many other Asian cities I've seen on my trip I wouldn't see myself mixing in with the locals and I'm not that comfortable witht the average expat crowd, so I guess, I'll stick to Europe.

Having said that, I have to mention, that my trip to HK was amazing anyway. I orginally did not intend to visit this place as it is not that close to Southeast Asia, but then again - everything is relative and after an invitation by a friend of mine who spends his exchange semester there, I decided to even traumatize my bank account further and jumped on an Air Asia plane to HK. First of all it was great to reunite with Meet whome I started my trip in Brazil with in July and worked together with on the CC of IC in Sao Paulo. He was a great host and tourist guide. We started our tour of the city with a night out on town in the notorious Lan Kwai Fong area. Had a good night with his friends in a fun club and made good use of the open bar.

Going out in HK

The next day was started with an early morning trip to Lantau island and visited the Buddha statute and the nice little fishing village Tai Po. The perfect weather made the trip even more enjoyable and I was able to see a different part of HK and got a beautiful view over Lantau island and the airport as we were making our way to the top in the cable car.

the trip to the Buddha statute

stillt houses in Tai O village - the good old times

In the evening we tool the Star Ferry from HK island to Kowloon and I admired the "Symphony of Lights" - a daily light show that puts even more glamour on the HK skyline as the buildings lightnings are "performing" a symphony; a spectacle that brings in huge crowds every day to the Avenue of Stars. The rest of the day and the night was spent with exploring the nightly streets of HK, seeing a usual 1-person appartmetn (soooo tiny), hanging out, dancing Salsa, visiting the night markets and discussions about quantity and quality in AIESEC.

Symphony of Lights

the lights shine so brightly at night - i wonder about that electricity bill

On my final day I set out to wander around the streets of HK island on my own in the morning and was later on joined by Meet. We had a nice afternoon lunch in HK's revolving restaurant on top of one of the many highrise buildings. That was not the only nice view over HK we got that day as we continued the sightseeing tour with a trip to the peak - my highlight of my visit to HK. I loved spending the evening hours up there - chilling, listening to music and just admiring the skyline.

thx Meet, for a great weekend

And once again, time was passing by so fast so that I had to leave HK again after a couple of days. My jounrey to HK was the first out of the country trip after the swineflue came up, which was highly visible on the airport and the city. I had to fill in health forms, was screend by a thermic camera and saw so many people waring protection masks. Also I had some challenges reentering Malaysia as I didn't bring a printout of my onward flight to BKK and VIE, respectively. However, after spending some time waiting at the Immigration counter and talking to the friendly people there, I was set to go and headed back "home" to the suburbs of KL.


current music: The Cab - Disturbia

Wrapped up in books

One of my favorite locations to hang out and spend some hours on my own in any city are bookstores (followed by airports - but more about that at a later time). I don't know why. I always liked bookshops. I remember getting excited as a kid when I was allowed to pick out books for Christmas and birthday presents and made sure to spend enough time between all those interesting stories about life, adventures and the world, while I decided which books would be my favorites and would make it to the shortlist.

When my brother started schooling, I was eager to be able to understand all these signs as well and I was bothering the older ones around me trying to figure it out and asking how certain things would be pronounced and what that was and what this stands for and so on.
As soon as I could read, I spent many hours curled up in my bed, in the car, during vacations, reading and once I started, I dived into my own world and wouldn't notice my surroundings anymore. I red book after book and was soon a frequent visitor at the city's main library and developed a desire of being a writer myself and started some stories that reflected my favorite books at that time.

I came out top of the list of the challenge for most read books in grammar school, and spent my breaks in the early years of high school helping out in the school's library. I always enjoyed German exams, as it simply meant writing about stuff. I had a constantly changing list of my top-reads and I continued my ambition to be a writer where I left off years before but now with a bit more serious stuff and ramblings about the painful moments of adolescence. Though the pieces were never seen by anybody's eyes but mine (and won't be in the future), I still like to read through them once in a while.



I always had various themes for my current books. After my passion for teen-detective stories in my childhood, I switched to coming-of-age literature in my early teen years which was succeeded by a crime-phase mixed with classical German literature stuff partly due to assignments, partly because of pleasure. This was followed by me becoming a well-known customer of the English bookstore and my interest in Black literature which experienced its renaissance when I spent a semester in Boston and did a class on the "Civil rights movement in literature" (one of the most memorable courses I ever took, by the way).

However, it all stopped once I decided to major in business and attended university. Somehow the duty to read pages and pages of boring stuff slowly extinguished my desire to read other books as I rather spent my free time in front of the TV or my computer. My ambition of writing vanished earlier, supported by me being frequently told by those, who claim to know it better, that it's hard to earn money that way and so on.

So why am I writing about all this? Because this whole trip has reminded me repeatedly of my love for books and writing. My book-craziness is making a rocking comeback, as I am now again reading one book after the other. After my not so intellectual crave for chic-lit in earlier summers, I am now on to books that deal with being yourself, dreams and the desires in life and which way to choose (hm, I wonder why ...). So I added Coelho's "Veronika decides to die" to my favorites; a great read about the expectations from life, the definition of things like happiness and being normal. ["The Alchemist", was nice, but although both are dealing with intriguing topics, it didn't touch me as much cause I can rather relate to a 24-year old wondering about what life is all about and whether it's worth living it than with a shepherd looking for a hidden treasure in the dessert ... even though I can understand metaphors.]

Besides, updating the blog had revived my almost dying passion for writing. In addition to the posts that you get to read I usually start some other random posts ones where I would jot down some thoughts that cross my mind but are not eloquent enough to be published. Also, I somehow end up spending hours in bookshops in every town a travel to. (Even in Pai - a very small village - I was skimming through the second-hand literature.) And as I anyway spend a lot of time with thinking and reflecting I also contemplated a career as a writer once again. And I don't know maybe I might do some commercial pieces sometime - that is, if I find anyone who is interested in paying for my random thoughts. But for now, it's more a mix of hobby and therapy - like some people go shopping to feel better, I write (ok, yes I also go shopping, but I write too).




current music: Youth group - Forever young