Below are the 8 most recent journal entries recorded in inmyparadise's LiveJournal:

Monday, June 7th, 2004
3:05 pm	Paris OMG I forgot how good French cheese was. I made it to paris...not like there was any doubt, i am back in the civilized world of western europe. The train ride felt short despite being 16 hours (maybe it was because it was not a ghetto romanian train). I even got tea which is the best thing in the world after you have been on a train for 10 hours. I read two books. If anyone is looking for fun summer reading P D James rocks my world. She writes really well for a mystery writer and i dont even really like mysteries, but i love her books. We are staying with an employee of my parents. I feel bad because i am staying in their 13 year old boys room and he got moved to stay with his brother. He has this cute ginny pig named casheau and it has a wooden box to hide in that says "chez casheau" it is too cute. When i get back i am going to make a wooden box and it is going to say "chez thebeast" which for some reason doesnt sound so cute. I spent the morning getting a russian visa. It was fated not to happen, but i prayed to my god Hermes (it is nice having a god that dosent have anything else to do because who the hell else is praying to hermes). First, we found out that the embassy closed at 12. We had a little over an hour to drive into paris from the suberbs, get a picture of me, drive to the embassy and get a visa. Like that was going to happen. But we dicided that we would see how far we could get and then tomorow we would be ready to hit the deck running. We went to city hall where there was a picture machine which did offical pictures...but it was broken. But (here is where hermes comes in) just as we were leaving a man came and fixed the machine. Yay. We got something crossed off our list. Then we drove to paris. The whole way our french friend was driving real fact, but still gave us a running tour of what we were passing. Found the embassy, but it was 15 min to 12 and if i know russians i know that they will close at exactly 12 (prob a few min before). There were about 20 people pressed against the gate waving numbers which were no where to be found but didn't seem to do much good. I asked the lady for the paperwork and i sat outside and filled it out, relying on my russian and french to fiure out what they were asking. When i was done, everyone was gone. "crap" i thought. But i somehow got myself buzzed into the embassy and had a long arguement with the man in charge. It went something like: man: *yells in russian they are closed* me:*yells in russian i NEED a visa* man:*yells in russian* me:*points to clock* *yells in russian that i have ten min* man:*yells in russian* me:*points to clock and yells i have ten min* man*yells in russian* me : *points to clock* .... man:*throws up hands* Bhod!!!!! me:*smiles and walks into embassy* I was inside, but the odyssey was not over. There were lines like only the russians can do it. And i had about 7 min. "crap" i thought again. And i had forgot to grab money from my dad. I turned around and left and got money but i knew i would never be allowed back in. Someone left and i jumped through the exit door and cast the man who i had just argued with a *just try me* look. I was not shot or arrested despite entering the embassy illegally and not through the metal detectors. I got in line and made it to the window jut after 12. I was told that because i was an american citizen i had to fill out a different form. The man handed me the form and i decided that if i moved i would never make it, so i stood there next to the window and answered "a few questions" The french form is less then a page with big spaces. I dont know what we in the US ever did to russia, but the "few questions" made me feel like i was applying to join the CIA. I told them i had no knowlage of how a nuclear weapon worked or how to deploy chemical and biological warfare. I also told them every country i had visited in the past 10 years including the date of visit. I answered that i had never been arrested, but, yes, my passport had once been stolen. It just went on. Luckily, the plan to stake out my territory worked and the guy waited for me. I handed him my new form, passport, visa invitation, and photo. He yelled at me for not having stapled the photo to the form. I refrained from yelling back that he had just given me the form. After being directed to countless lines, i was able to leave and my passport and visa are getting processed, to be picked up on friday. I can not believe it worked. And i didn't even have to pay anyone off. My parents had to go to work, so now i am wondering around the left bank and enjoying paris. But everytime i see a bakery i laugh. Thanks jessie. You have ruined croissants forever. forever. I can't even buy them with a straight face. I have to point to refrain from saying it like an angry frenchman. (Comment on this)
Saturday, June 5th, 2004
5:06 pm	because i am at the computer dont really have time to do a real update, but i just wanted to let you know i am alive and i am angry that you people dont update more (grrrrrrrr) and then i realized that i would be such a hypocrite if i didnt, so i am. I am still in prague and leaving for paris tonight. i have eaten way to much food and seen way too many churches. I have also slept way to much. And read a lot of really good (in the airplane book sort of way) adventure novels. The only thing that i dont have way too much of is boys...but i am still super fat and happy and rested and enjoying live in europe. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, June 3rd, 2004
6:42 pm	prague I am here in prague...after a 20 hour train ride with no food in romanian second class. Between midnight and 5am no less then 7 people opened the door turned on the light and demanded our passports or tickets. So much for sleep. And i just checked my grades and now i am in the worst mood ever. So much for being smart. I am really good at econ and i got a Bplus. What the hell, that was my crap easy class. And i almost got an aplus on the midterm. Must have flunked the final/essay. And i got a B in physics. The only way that is ok is if he gave everyone crap grades. Because on both midterms i was in the top two. I must have also flunked the final. I should be happy that i got an A in Khory's class, she is not known for giving out good grades. But the two stupid B's make me so angry and i feel so stupid. My GPA is down to 3.51 (granted my F hasent been fixed). And i so do want to go to santa cruz. It is the best in the country. But somehow i don't think they let people in who got a B in machanics. I am going to stop bitching now. Prague is so beautiful. I love this city. I was here three years ago and loved it and made us return. But after being in the middle of nowhere, it feels so touristy. And everyone speeks english. But i am super happy to be here. And in a few days off to paris. (Comment on this)
Sunday, May 30th, 2004
2:40 pm	still have my blood Still here in the small romanian town which i can't pronounce. We ate a nice romanian dinner with the family we are staying with. The vegetarian got, yes, fried cheese. It was fresh amazing cheese and it was fried. Like fried chicken, only cheese. And i was given a lot. And romanians are worse than the russians. The father was sitting next to me and grabbing my hand and trying to force me to finish my meal. I kept explaining that it was really good but that i was on a diet because i was fat (the only excuse which ever allow you to not finish you meal without insulting the cook in russia). But they kept trying to force me and said "eat, eat". I felt like i was back in russia *sigh*. Then we drank homemade wine which the father made from the grapes he grows above the patio. It is his birthday today, so he was dancing around last night. It was like a scene from a movie--"pretty woman" was playing on the old tape player and he had his hands up and was dancing in circles and kept grabbing our hands to dance. Then they put on romanian folk music and he danced and played the harmonica. It was so fun. There are two finish boys also stying there, so me, the boys, and the daughter who is in her mid 20's all went out for a walk. We ended up at a club, which was completely unplanned so both us girls had no make up and were not well dressed. I was wearing a loose pair of black stretchy pants and a button up top and sneakers. And the romanian girls were hot and nearly naked. But we put our hair down and danced to the really bad romanian house music and had a great time. I slept through breakfast where my mom was forced fed a banana and three large pieces of french toast and three cups of tea. Now walking around and buying souvenirs. Trying to stay away from the really dorky dracula ones, but one can only resist for so long... (Comment on this)
Saturday, May 29th, 2004
2:47 pm	middle of nowhere, Romania hi Spent the last few days on the black sea. The sun was a bit shy and spent most of the time hiding behind fluffy clouds, but i still spent my time sprawled out on the beach. The town consisted of beach that went on forever and 60 hotels and countless resturants. High season starts this weekend so we were there, nearly alone, and surrounded by tons of construction. Every hotel, bar, restruant, club was getting a face lift. Except it took 4 people to do anything: three to watch and one to actually do a bit of work. We spent an entire extended dinner watching a guy "weed wack" a 4X4 piece of lawn. He wasn't done when we left. Mental note: "work" in romania. Our hotel was sparten, but we DID get the halmark channel :-). It was the most exciting thing ever. What better way to spend a vacation within a vacation then watching movies like "see jane date" and "just desserts". Last night we stayed in bucharest again at the wonderful Ibis (yay for CNN, BBC and Euronews). The world news channels know you are traveling so the commercials are all aimed at business people and travelers. THere are tons of commercials for places such as "The Philippines, a place like no other" and such. There is this large campaign to "rediscover Lebanon". One shows how exciting Beirut's nightlife is; another talks about how much they have spent restroing the city. Some Lebanese guy: "When most people think of Beirut, they think of the war, but we are trying to change that perception, Beirut is really a multinational, multireligous, modern city..." SO i was almost convinced to put lebanon on my list of places to go. But then the news segment right after one of the wonderful commeritals which talked about how i should visit beirut was all about the riots in Beruit. It looked like a war zone. One of the ministries was even burned down. Lebanon LIED!!!!!!!!! I am so hurt. I will never trust you again Lebanon. Liar liar pants on fire. *big sad eyes* I woke up at 6 am this morning and was on a train at 7. All i can say is i love you mcdonalds. Yay for salad and tea for breakfast. Note to all:dont take 2nd class in romania. 2nd class is great everywhere else (and even in some places in romania) but today it was crazy. Somehow the train people got it into their heads that if you put a number above a space it counts as a seat, and then took some speed and numbered everything. We had a little compartment about the size of normal campartments and they tryed to squeeze 8 people in there. If you measure the average ass, the math just dosent work. And none of us had an average ass (think large older ladies). For five hours. But it was all worth it. I am right now sitting in an internet cafe in a little medieval town in Transylvania. And not just any medieval town, no, the home of Vlad the Impaler (aka Dracula). We are at this little B and B with the nicest family and they promised us a home cooked traditional romanian feast tonight. We are supost to be in Prague (look on a map, it is pretty far) on monday, but the international ticket office closed for the weekend. We might be stuck. But the woman we are staying with said she might be able to get something for us "under the table". We will see. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, May 24th, 2004
3:03 pm	Alive and Well in Romania Just wanted to update to let you all know i am alive and such. Serbia was great :-). One of my new fav places. Everyone was so nice. Not too many americans visit there (i wonder why...) so we were a bit of a novelty. Crossing the border, the border guard who takes your passport gruffly asked why we were going to Yugoslavia, and when i said tourist, he just beamed. At one point this little boy just stared and his father had to drag him away. But everyone was so excited to use their english which they are forced to learn starting in like the 6th grade. We took a night train last night to romania and now we are in Bucharest. It has been raining for the last few days..grrrrrr, but it better stop because we are leaving tomorrow for a black sea resort, and i expect to lay in the sun on the beach. i have to say, Romania is the most beautiful country--the train ride was amazing. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, May 20th, 2004
6:13 pm	Live from Budapest Ok, stupid live journal is in hungarian...took me 10 min to figure out where the update button was....I am also in THE ONLY INTERNET CAFE IN BUDAPEST!!! (prob not only but seemed like it) I spent about an hour walking the streets looking for stupid internet cafe. So i just spent over an hour so i could update this stupid thing...feel loved guys. I spent the afternoon at a turkish bath now i am happy and tan (not anywhere near jessie taned, but tan for me). It was amazing. Budapest sits on a geological fault and warm mineral water comes out into these great baths. Half of budapest was there and i heard no english...yay for getting away from the turist stuff. There were these jets that sprayed up every 15ish min and old ladies would stake out there area and wait. When the jets stopped an area in the middle of the pool would circle around really fast and everyone would go over there and get swept in a circle by the current, laughing the whole time. It was great, everyone from 20 year old boys to 80 year old women just laughing. This morning was spent in an art musieum (of course...what else would one do in europe). The best was a painting of a dead ox with all its guts falling out and you could see its insides... quote of the day: me "look at the slaughtered ox" mom:"why would i want to see a slaughtered ox?" me:"it is by Rembrant" mom:"OH, awwwww, WOW" Yesterdays quote of the day: taxi driver: "there is so much danger driving when it is hot out" mom:"????" taxi driver: "all the girls walk around almost naked...i have to watch them" Tonight we take the midnight train to Belgrade, Serbia...there is some disagreement as to if a visa is needed. Hopefully there will be no problem, but i can imagine these tough, fresh from the war, serbian military guys with big guns yelling at us because we don't have the proper documents. *gets out the "visa" money* (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 12th, 2004
11:52 pm	test Look, i have a livejournal. *bahhhhhh* *falls off cliff* I just finished finals!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Stay tuned for *exciting* stories from eastern europe and russia (Comment on this)