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San Francisco days
May. 31st, 2010 08:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
foreignerSoooo... On Friday, I braved the buses of this city, and it went all right! And the bus drivers are actually helpful and friendly to stupid tourists, which can't be said of the bus drivers in, say, Helsinki. SO I arrived safely to the Golden Gate Bridge, and it was absolutely beautiful! I love early 20th century steel structures, and it awoke in me the same kind of love as the Eiffel Tower (which I see is actually from the late 19th century, but whatevs), which might be my favourite famous sight in the world.
I walked all the way to the other end of the bridge, which is over a mile long, and then back. The views were amazing, the city glimmering in the sun, the red-orange bridge and everything.
Then I took the bus (successfully again!) to Fisherman's Wharf and admired the sea, the street artists, the atmosphere, and the seafood. (I had a huuuge bowl (but then, all portions in America seem to be huge) of mixed seafood things in tomato sauce, and could barely finish two thirds of it.) And sea lions! For those of you who don't know, a huge colony of sea lions just decided to move to one of the piers in Fisherman's Wharf, which is pretty central to San Fran, about twenty years ago. There were first a couple of hundred of them, and later thousands. Last year, they mostly left, possibly due to their food moving somewhere else, but now there are hundred again. They bask in the sun, bark at each other, plunge into the water and then jump back on the piers again. I am a big fan of all kinds of animals (except cockroaches, but the movie Wall-E sort of helped me sympathise with even them), and I spent just ages watching the sea lions.
In the evening there was a pub crawl, organised by the hostel. They took us to four different bars, the last one of which was a sort of a club. I bravely stayed awake until the wee hours, and saw that clubs in San Francisco are just the same as everywhere else: loud and crowded. I didn't talk to natives much (except one girl in the bathroom of the club went on an on about how I resemble some singer I hadn't heard of), but I met some interesting people from the hostel.
Saturday and Sunday, I just took it easy and hung out a lot with the English Adam, who I met at the pub crawl and we found out we had some common interests. We've taken a huge long walk, seen a gay and lesbian marching band in the park, and shopped some, among other stuff. (I love how when you walk around town, every time you come to a streetcorner there's a mighty view, thanks to the hilliness of the city and the long, straight streets.)
Today I haven't accomplished much, and probably won't either. I walked around a bit, had a long chat withjubu (we really wanted to talk, but Skype wouldn't work on these computers), took a long nap thanks to a badly-slept night last night, and had the free hostel dinner. Dark Tranquillity, a Swedish death metal band, would be playing in a club tonight, and I sort of want to see what the heavy metal scene is like, but it's a kind of a way away and I don't have anyone to go with me, so I guess I'll just have a few beers in this neighbourhood with a few people from the hostel.
Tomorrow I'll see a sight or two, I promise.
Oh, and remember how I don't like American politeness? Well, I'm beginning to love it. Because I have great hair and amazing skin, I'm gorgeous and I speak really good English, resemble a famous singer, and look about twenty-one. Sure, people possibly don't mean all that very sincerely, but that doesn't mean it won't make me feel good.
I walked all the way to the other end of the bridge, which is over a mile long, and then back. The views were amazing, the city glimmering in the sun, the red-orange bridge and everything.
Then I took the bus (successfully again!) to Fisherman's Wharf and admired the sea, the street artists, the atmosphere, and the seafood. (I had a huuuge bowl (but then, all portions in America seem to be huge) of mixed seafood things in tomato sauce, and could barely finish two thirds of it.) And sea lions! For those of you who don't know, a huge colony of sea lions just decided to move to one of the piers in Fisherman's Wharf, which is pretty central to San Fran, about twenty years ago. There were first a couple of hundred of them, and later thousands. Last year, they mostly left, possibly due to their food moving somewhere else, but now there are hundred again. They bask in the sun, bark at each other, plunge into the water and then jump back on the piers again. I am a big fan of all kinds of animals (except cockroaches, but the movie Wall-E sort of helped me sympathise with even them), and I spent just ages watching the sea lions.
In the evening there was a pub crawl, organised by the hostel. They took us to four different bars, the last one of which was a sort of a club. I bravely stayed awake until the wee hours, and saw that clubs in San Francisco are just the same as everywhere else: loud and crowded. I didn't talk to natives much (except one girl in the bathroom of the club went on an on about how I resemble some singer I hadn't heard of), but I met some interesting people from the hostel.
Saturday and Sunday, I just took it easy and hung out a lot with the English Adam, who I met at the pub crawl and we found out we had some common interests. We've taken a huge long walk, seen a gay and lesbian marching band in the park, and shopped some, among other stuff. (I love how when you walk around town, every time you come to a streetcorner there's a mighty view, thanks to the hilliness of the city and the long, straight streets.)
Today I haven't accomplished much, and probably won't either. I walked around a bit, had a long chat with
jubu (we really wanted to talk, but Skype wouldn't work on these computers), took a long nap thanks to a badly-slept night last night, and had the free hostel dinner. Dark Tranquillity, a Swedish death metal band, would be playing in a club tonight, and I sort of want to see what the heavy metal scene is like, but it's a kind of a way away and I don't have anyone to go with me, so I guess I'll just have a few beers in this neighbourhood with a few people from the hostel.Tomorrow I'll see a sight or two, I promise.
Oh, and remember how I don't like American politeness? Well, I'm beginning to love it. Because I have great hair and amazing skin, I'm gorgeous and I speak really good English, resemble a famous singer, and look about twenty-one. Sure, people possibly don't mean all that very sincerely, but that doesn't mean it won't make me feel good.
Procrastination
Jun. 1st, 2010 01:06 amjubu
Time is running short, but there's still so much to do! Paradoxically, time is also crawling sooo slowly. So I find myself procrastinating like never before.So, did you know where my username
jubu comes from? It has nothing to do with the word's actual meaning. There are two meanings: 1) It's a small village in Nepal. I've never been there.
2) It's a jewish buddhist. I've never been either of those two.
For me, Jubu is a nickname that I've had since childhood. My father sometimes still uses it. I like it.
Well,
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foreigner of course has an obvious meaning. But do you remember this?
One could even leave one's heart here
May. 27th, 2010 08:53 pmforeignerSo much has happened! So much is happening!
So. The day before yesterday, in the evening, I had the cheap hostel dinner, which was surprisingly all right. At dinner, I talked with three other Finnish people, who were all staying at the hostel, and none of us knew each other beforehand. There are not that many Finns in the world! But I also got to talking to this guy Dan from Iowa, and he seemed really nice, so we decided to hang out together that night.
And, wanting beer, we went to the liquor store that was just around the corner. We needed to cross one single street to get there, and just as we were about to cross, about five police motorcycles passed us, sirens brazing, and one of them stopped and ordered everyone to stay on the sidewalk. About a thousand police motorcycles more followed, then many police cars, and then three fancy black cars with darkened windows and US flags on them, then even more motorcycles. And then I remembered that Obama was in town! And his route across town had been a secret! And we'd just accidentally stumbled across it! I saw Obama! Or at least his car! I am so proud.
Once we'd finally got our beers, we went to the common room of the hostel and were joined by four handsome young Danish guys who Dan knew from a couple days earlier. Seriously, they were all tall, blonde jock types, nearly identical. They were great fun, too, and we ended up playing a drinking game (I have to teach Ring of Fire to my friends back home), and while I'd said I probably won't be able to stay up late, with the jetlag and all, I ended up being awake and happy until after midnight. That's a pretty good thing, if I'm planning to see the nightlife here at some point.
Then yesterday morning I woke up early again, took a good long shower and a good long breakfast, and then headed for the MoMa. Which, unexpectedly, was closed Wednesdays. Is that a regular American custom? Anyway, no matter, because I'd stumbled upon a fun toys and comics store on the way there, as well as Office Depot, where I bought two very lovely American notebooks. I love good stationery more than I love most people.
Then, instead of seeing modern art, I hung around for a while in the nearby, very pretty Yerba Buena park, and then headed for a Lonely Planet-recommended walking tour in Chinatown and nearby. Chinatown was pretty and exotic, and the strange directness of the Chinese was a welcome break from American politeness. I had bad Chinese food at a food court, which is an Americana experience in itself, then looked down at the skyscrapers of the Financial district from a hill, marveled at all the souvenirs and trinkets in the shops, and had coffee and a cookie in the apparently legendary Italian Caffe Trieste. Overly tired from all the newness and the sun, I still managed to stumble up the hill (if that's possible) to Coit Tower, and being a lover of high places, obviously I had to take the five-dollar elevator ride up to the top of the tower. The views were fantastic, I saw the Piers and the Golden Gate bridge and the Bay Bridge and pretty much everything.
Then I walked down the hill again, first across an extremely beautiful park and then down a steep, picturesque San Franciscan street. First I felt so in love with this city, then I felt tired and hungry and sun-stroked and severely needing to go to the bathroom. Almost at the point of desperation, I made it to first to the bathroom of Borders, then to Walgreens for some prepackaged (but, as it turned out, surprisingly good) sushi, and finally to the hostel to eat and rest.
Okay, now that I've written this, it seems like no surprise I was beat after that day. So I journalled a bit, read my book (Guns, Germs And Steel, which is totally interesting and recommended to everybody, especially to those of us who know little about history), eventually had the hostel dinner, and made it an early-ish night.
Today I checked out of the hostel right after breakfast. I'd made a reservation at the Green Tortoise, which seemed nicer if not quite as central as the Adelaide. I made my way here by losing my cable car virginity, which went quite smoothly. Maybe tomorrow I'll brave the buses. Anyway, the hostel change seems to have been a good move. The Tortoise has way more character than Adelaide, the staff is nicer, the beds are sturdier (Adelaide's were wobbly), there is as much to do AND they offer ten-dollar massages! And now that I have a public transport pass, the location is very much all right.
In the early afternoon today, and after very good Chinese food this time, I finally made it to the MoMA. Some of the exhibitions were closed so the entrance was half-price, both of which facts suited a weary and poor traveller pretty well. I liked the collections, although I find myself unable to write much about art, even privately. Anyway, the photography from different periods of the history of San Francisco was especially interesting, and there were also some very interesting sculptures.
Then I walked the few blocks to near the Powell Street station, where there are a lot of chain stores, and shopped until I dropped. Managed to buy only one hat, but damn is it a cool hat. Overly tired again, I made my way via a Walgreens and a Chinese produce store to the hostel, at first sushi again and then sandwiches, and am now waiting for my massage, which should feel pretty good at this point. (Across the street from Adelaide was the pink-and-red-decorated "Nuits de Paris Massage & Sauna", and more than once I found myself wishing that massage were always a relaxing therapy where they pressure your muscles and a sauna were always a hot, dimly lit room which you enjoy in quiet and solitude.)
Tomorrow I might go walk the Golden Gate bridge. I feel like I'm going to need a downtime day sooner or later, but there are just so many exciting things to seeeee!
So. The day before yesterday, in the evening, I had the cheap hostel dinner, which was surprisingly all right. At dinner, I talked with three other Finnish people, who were all staying at the hostel, and none of us knew each other beforehand. There are not that many Finns in the world! But I also got to talking to this guy Dan from Iowa, and he seemed really nice, so we decided to hang out together that night.
And, wanting beer, we went to the liquor store that was just around the corner. We needed to cross one single street to get there, and just as we were about to cross, about five police motorcycles passed us, sirens brazing, and one of them stopped and ordered everyone to stay on the sidewalk. About a thousand police motorcycles more followed, then many police cars, and then three fancy black cars with darkened windows and US flags on them, then even more motorcycles. And then I remembered that Obama was in town! And his route across town had been a secret! And we'd just accidentally stumbled across it! I saw Obama! Or at least his car! I am so proud.
Once we'd finally got our beers, we went to the common room of the hostel and were joined by four handsome young Danish guys who Dan knew from a couple days earlier. Seriously, they were all tall, blonde jock types, nearly identical. They were great fun, too, and we ended up playing a drinking game (I have to teach Ring of Fire to my friends back home), and while I'd said I probably won't be able to stay up late, with the jetlag and all, I ended up being awake and happy until after midnight. That's a pretty good thing, if I'm planning to see the nightlife here at some point.
Then yesterday morning I woke up early again, took a good long shower and a good long breakfast, and then headed for the MoMa. Which, unexpectedly, was closed Wednesdays. Is that a regular American custom? Anyway, no matter, because I'd stumbled upon a fun toys and comics store on the way there, as well as Office Depot, where I bought two very lovely American notebooks. I love good stationery more than I love most people.
Then, instead of seeing modern art, I hung around for a while in the nearby, very pretty Yerba Buena park, and then headed for a Lonely Planet-recommended walking tour in Chinatown and nearby. Chinatown was pretty and exotic, and the strange directness of the Chinese was a welcome break from American politeness. I had bad Chinese food at a food court, which is an Americana experience in itself, then looked down at the skyscrapers of the Financial district from a hill, marveled at all the souvenirs and trinkets in the shops, and had coffee and a cookie in the apparently legendary Italian Caffe Trieste. Overly tired from all the newness and the sun, I still managed to stumble up the hill (if that's possible) to Coit Tower, and being a lover of high places, obviously I had to take the five-dollar elevator ride up to the top of the tower. The views were fantastic, I saw the Piers and the Golden Gate bridge and the Bay Bridge and pretty much everything.
Then I walked down the hill again, first across an extremely beautiful park and then down a steep, picturesque San Franciscan street. First I felt so in love with this city, then I felt tired and hungry and sun-stroked and severely needing to go to the bathroom. Almost at the point of desperation, I made it to first to the bathroom of Borders, then to Walgreens for some prepackaged (but, as it turned out, surprisingly good) sushi, and finally to the hostel to eat and rest.
Okay, now that I've written this, it seems like no surprise I was beat after that day. So I journalled a bit, read my book (Guns, Germs And Steel, which is totally interesting and recommended to everybody, especially to those of us who know little about history), eventually had the hostel dinner, and made it an early-ish night.
Today I checked out of the hostel right after breakfast. I'd made a reservation at the Green Tortoise, which seemed nicer if not quite as central as the Adelaide. I made my way here by losing my cable car virginity, which went quite smoothly. Maybe tomorrow I'll brave the buses. Anyway, the hostel change seems to have been a good move. The Tortoise has way more character than Adelaide, the staff is nicer, the beds are sturdier (Adelaide's were wobbly), there is as much to do AND they offer ten-dollar massages! And now that I have a public transport pass, the location is very much all right.
In the early afternoon today, and after very good Chinese food this time, I finally made it to the MoMA. Some of the exhibitions were closed so the entrance was half-price, both of which facts suited a weary and poor traveller pretty well. I liked the collections, although I find myself unable to write much about art, even privately. Anyway, the photography from different periods of the history of San Francisco was especially interesting, and there were also some very interesting sculptures.
Then I walked the few blocks to near the Powell Street station, where there are a lot of chain stores, and shopped until I dropped. Managed to buy only one hat, but damn is it a cool hat. Overly tired again, I made my way via a Walgreens and a Chinese produce store to the hostel, at first sushi again and then sandwiches, and am now waiting for my massage, which should feel pretty good at this point. (Across the street from Adelaide was the pink-and-red-decorated "Nuits de Paris Massage & Sauna", and more than once I found myself wishing that massage were always a relaxing therapy where they pressure your muscles and a sauna were always a hot, dimly lit room which you enjoy in quiet and solitude.)
Tomorrow I might go walk the Golden Gate bridge. I feel like I'm going to need a downtime day sooner or later, but there are just so many exciting things to seeeee!
First pics!
May. 25th, 2010 04:02 pmforeignerFinally, one of the hostel computers wants to play nice with my camera! I give you the first pics of the Medium-Sized American Road Trip!
Charles de Gaulle airport, Paris. The flight connections guy has a small plane flying between his legs.
( Click here for more! )
Charles de Gaulle airport, Paris. The flight connections guy has a small plane flying between his legs.
( Click here for more! )
San Fran, day 2
May. 24th, 2010 07:29 pmforeignerNow with a bit more sense:
It may never rain in Southern California, but this far it's been raining quite a lot here in San Francisco. It's pretty chilly.
President Obama is in town right now. Cool.
I'm at the hostel. It's called Adelaide, it's pretty much as central as can be, and it's all right. It's not overly friendly or overly nice, but besides the centrality, it's clean, quiet, and has all the facilities one could hope for. Even the breakfast is reasonably healthy: you can have bagels, toast, jam, yogurt, and fruit salad. The coffee is instant, though, like they obviously like it in America, and the bread is snow white, like you would expect anywhere outside Protestant Europe. (What is it about Protestants and dark bread?) I'm thinkin gof changing hostels the day after tomorrow, as my reservation is for three nights, but I'll see about the availability of other places.
The hangover cheat technique worked, and I slept from 9 pm to 8 am. I was awake for some periods of time in the early afternoon, Finnish time, as it is my natural wake-up time, but then I was able to sleep again. I wouldn't say I'm at my brightest now, but at least I don't have to fear tripping on the stairs just because I'm too tired to lift my feet.
But it's exhausting to be in a very strange country. After a shopping trip first to buy some necessary supplies and then to a huge Goodwill store for some thrift shopping (I scored a lovely if boring black knee-length skirt and a lovely if boring black scarf), I headed back to the hotel to read and hide from the outside world. I'm having the hostel dinner here, so it's possible I won't go outside until tomorrow.
First impressions of San Francisco:
SF seems to be relaxed, even a bit scruffy. The first thing I noticed in New York, almost ten years ago, was how everybody had great hair. Not so here, people dress pretty casually.
There are so many homeless people!
People talk to me often, very casually. Clerk in stores always say hello and often ask me if I need help, people on the street might comment on my hair (plus one man made me rather uncomfortable by dedicating all too many sentences to how sexy he thinks I am. Not appropriate), people apologise if they make the slightest social faux pas, and everybody's keen to comment if somebody does something wrong. This is in part very nice, as I'm a huge fan of politeness (we Finns just can't do it) and even occasional small talk, but also strange, since I'm used to being left alone a lot.
Tomorrow I'll maybe visit the Museum of Modern art. I'd thought I'd go to a gig today, but I just don't think I have the energy. Some other day, then.
It may never rain in Southern California, but this far it's been raining quite a lot here in San Francisco. It's pretty chilly.
President Obama is in town right now. Cool.
I'm at the hostel. It's called Adelaide, it's pretty much as central as can be, and it's all right. It's not overly friendly or overly nice, but besides the centrality, it's clean, quiet, and has all the facilities one could hope for. Even the breakfast is reasonably healthy: you can have bagels, toast, jam, yogurt, and fruit salad. The coffee is instant, though, like they obviously like it in America, and the bread is snow white, like you would expect anywhere outside Protestant Europe. (What is it about Protestants and dark bread?) I'm thinkin gof changing hostels the day after tomorrow, as my reservation is for three nights, but I'll see about the availability of other places.
The hangover cheat technique worked, and I slept from 9 pm to 8 am. I was awake for some periods of time in the early afternoon, Finnish time, as it is my natural wake-up time, but then I was able to sleep again. I wouldn't say I'm at my brightest now, but at least I don't have to fear tripping on the stairs just because I'm too tired to lift my feet.
But it's exhausting to be in a very strange country. After a shopping trip first to buy some necessary supplies and then to a huge Goodwill store for some thrift shopping (I scored a lovely if boring black knee-length skirt and a lovely if boring black scarf), I headed back to the hotel to read and hide from the outside world. I'm having the hostel dinner here, so it's possible I won't go outside until tomorrow.
First impressions of San Francisco:
SF seems to be relaxed, even a bit scruffy. The first thing I noticed in New York, almost ten years ago, was how everybody had great hair. Not so here, people dress pretty casually.
There are so many homeless people!
People talk to me often, very casually. Clerk in stores always say hello and often ask me if I need help, people on the street might comment on my hair (plus one man made me rather uncomfortable by dedicating all too many sentences to how sexy he thinks I am. Not appropriate), people apologise if they make the slightest social faux pas, and everybody's keen to comment if somebody does something wrong. This is in part very nice, as I'm a huge fan of politeness (we Finns just can't do it) and even occasional small talk, but also strange, since I'm used to being left alone a lot.
Tomorrow I'll maybe visit the Museum of Modern art. I'd thought I'd go to a gig today, but I just don't think I have the energy. Some other day, then.
Rubber band and expectations
May. 25th, 2010 11:06 pmjubuSo, the other Finn left for USA and San Fransisco and I'm really starting to feel my thoughts turning to the incoming trip and all that must be done before I leave Finland behind in less than two weeks from now. Boringly, most of this stuff is work-related and I'm really starting to feel like the vacation can't come soon enough. This has been a really work intense spring and a total break from all this is so welcome. But the fact that my beloved has already started her adventure makes me feel like a rubber band is stretching between us and when it gets tight enough it will snap me straight to Los Angeles and into her arms. Can't wait.
So, just to get my mind of work and to counter the list she made, here are some of the things I'm hoping to do and experience during our trip:
- Moving around at our own pace, finding things that interest us.
- Stereotypical moments of Americana.
- Meeting random people. Talking.
- Driving through incredible sceneries! Especially when we are driving through Arizona and Texas. We've all seen the vast horizons in the movies. That's what I want.
- Going to churches. As many different kinds as is easily possible. I especially want to visit some kind of a mega-church!
- I'll spend at least one day just watching Fox News and see if I don't emerge all paranoid and hateful at the end of it.
- Food for me too! Different kinds from different places. Also, I'm very interested in how can a vegetarian like me finds things to eat while road tripping. Right now expecting to blog about this alot.
- Culture-shocking myself with differences and prejudice-smashing myself with similarities between Finland and USA.
- Traveling and just hanging out and relaxing with her without work or strict time-tables.
Ok. Now I''l only have to endure a couple of more days on the road for work and then I can actually start preparing for the trip. Yay!
So, just to get my mind of work and to counter the list she made, here are some of the things I'm hoping to do and experience during our trip:
- Moving around at our own pace, finding things that interest us.
- Stereotypical moments of Americana.
- Meeting random people. Talking.
- Driving through incredible sceneries! Especially when we are driving through Arizona and Texas. We've all seen the vast horizons in the movies. That's what I want.
- Going to churches. As many different kinds as is easily possible. I especially want to visit some kind of a mega-church!
- I'll spend at least one day just watching Fox News and see if I don't emerge all paranoid and hateful at the end of it.
- Food for me too! Different kinds from different places. Also, I'm very interested in how can a vegetarian like me finds things to eat while road tripping. Right now expecting to blog about this alot.
- Culture-shocking myself with differences and prejudice-smashing myself with similarities between Finland and USA.
- Traveling and just hanging out and relaxing with her without work or strict time-tables.
Ok. Now I''l only have to endure a couple of more days on the road for work and then I can actually start preparing for the trip. Yay!
I like to be in America
May. 24th, 2010 08:25 pmforeignerIt's been a long day! I've been on the plane for most of today, and the time difference grows this day to 34 hours long. I've been exhausted, bored, excited, nervous, hot, cold, tired, scared, happy, and sleepy. But now I am most certainly one thing: in San Francisco! I think we're going to like each other.
It's so funny. I can't believe it. it's just like on TV. Of course, it's also nothing like on TV, but. I'm getting excited about silly little things. Walgreen's sells the same kind of ruled notebooks that I bought in New York in 2001! The neighbourhood mini-market has the tiny cheeses that the comedian Sarah Silverman wanted to have sex with! All the streets are one way! The buildings are strange and futuristic!
And now I'm pretending that I'm by no means trying to turn my sleeping schedule upside down. No sir. Actually, I just have a terrible hangover, that is why I feel this way. But after a good night's sleep it will all go away.
Things I'm looking forward to the most in America:
- thrift store / vintage shopping
- diners, motels, the Americana experience
- just going to the grocery store and marveling at how different everything is
- food! The various types of American food, as well as Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, Mexican... I already had an altogether too-heavy-for-my-physical-state quesadilla for dinner today
- the open road + Route 66!
- peoplewatching on the street
- getting to spend a lot of time withjubu! That is once he arrives here, in two weeks.
It's so funny. I can't believe it. it's just like on TV. Of course, it's also nothing like on TV, but. I'm getting excited about silly little things. Walgreen's sells the same kind of ruled notebooks that I bought in New York in 2001! The neighbourhood mini-market has the tiny cheeses that the comedian Sarah Silverman wanted to have sex with! All the streets are one way! The buildings are strange and futuristic!
And now I'm pretending that I'm by no means trying to turn my sleeping schedule upside down. No sir. Actually, I just have a terrible hangover, that is why I feel this way. But after a good night's sleep it will all go away.
Things I'm looking forward to the most in America:
- thrift store / vintage shopping
- diners, motels, the Americana experience
- just going to the grocery store and marveling at how different everything is
- food! The various types of American food, as well as Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, Mexican... I already had an altogether too-heavy-for-my-physical-state quesadilla for dinner today
- the open road + Route 66!
- peoplewatching on the street
- getting to spend a lot of time with
jubu! That is once he arrives here, in two weeks.Backgrounds and cultural issues
May. 21st, 2010 06:58 pmforeigner(Three days to go, packing mostly done, travel fever index at about +38,7°C. Here's hoping the ash cloud won't travel back here before I leave...)
I have rather extensive travel experience for my age. I wouldn't say I'm an extreme or super traveller by any means, I usually pay for my night's sleep and I don't eat pigeons in the park for dinner, but I've been on independent trips to the trans-Siberian (or rather, trans-Mongolian) railway and on to China, briefly to Thailand, to India, to about sixteen European countries (I'm not a country collector by any means, I'd rather visit a place I love a couple times, though I love getting to know new places), and most recently, on a three-month trip in South America, mostly all alone, in the beginning of 2009.
I've wanted to visit USA for a long time now, but travel in developed countries is simply more expensive than travel in third-world countries. Now that I've managed to save up the money (well, here's hoping my summer vacation money comes soon), I'm so excited to finally go. My previous North American experiences are a trip to Hawaii when I was a very small kid, and a week-long trip to New York City when I was just eighteen. The former was very much fun, I remember the huge ferns and the giant waves. But the latter was a bit of an unsuccessful trip. I didn't have any experience on travelling on my own, and we kept running from sight to sight as a group, when all I wanted was to sit on the bench and watch people and visit the grocery store to wonder at the strange produce. I was jetlagged and grumpy most of the week (whoever even goes to another continent for a week?) and we then had some family issues that surfaced on the trip.
Luckily, now, almost ten years later, I know what counts as quality travel for me, and that less is more. And I will get revenge on New York some day, too. But for now, the southwest!
Speaking of various types of travel: during this academic year, I've been travelling a lot for work, and that's quite different. When you have to get up in the morning and be at your best, you can't stay in a hostel where you risk being woken up at 5 am by Irish boys who are coming back from a bar. The food has to be good and easily available, and you have to have a car to get around in. I am used to, dare I even say it, luxury!
So it will be a nice change to stay in cheap places again, to buy my food from the shop and calculate when I'll have the money to eat out, to compare prices carefully when renting a car or taking the bus, and generally take less for granted. This is the method of travel I've always liked and respected, although I grudgingly recognise that work travel and independent travel are completely different animals. But I honestly think that you see so much more when you travel on the cheap. Luxury is standardised, cheap-assery is local.
I wonder if I'll get a culture shock? Because I expect to know quite a lot about the States, and I expect a lot of it to be similar to how life is here. While it's certainly difficult to adjust to a culture that's totally different from your own, slowly noticing subtle but profound differences might be very challenging in its own way.
I have rather extensive travel experience for my age. I wouldn't say I'm an extreme or super traveller by any means, I usually pay for my night's sleep and I don't eat pigeons in the park for dinner, but I've been on independent trips to the trans-Siberian (or rather, trans-Mongolian) railway and on to China, briefly to Thailand, to India, to about sixteen European countries (I'm not a country collector by any means, I'd rather visit a place I love a couple times, though I love getting to know new places), and most recently, on a three-month trip in South America, mostly all alone, in the beginning of 2009.
I've wanted to visit USA for a long time now, but travel in developed countries is simply more expensive than travel in third-world countries. Now that I've managed to save up the money (well, here's hoping my summer vacation money comes soon), I'm so excited to finally go. My previous North American experiences are a trip to Hawaii when I was a very small kid, and a week-long trip to New York City when I was just eighteen. The former was very much fun, I remember the huge ferns and the giant waves. But the latter was a bit of an unsuccessful trip. I didn't have any experience on travelling on my own, and we kept running from sight to sight as a group, when all I wanted was to sit on the bench and watch people and visit the grocery store to wonder at the strange produce. I was jetlagged and grumpy most of the week (whoever even goes to another continent for a week?) and we then had some family issues that surfaced on the trip.
Luckily, now, almost ten years later, I know what counts as quality travel for me, and that less is more. And I will get revenge on New York some day, too. But for now, the southwest!
Speaking of various types of travel: during this academic year, I've been travelling a lot for work, and that's quite different. When you have to get up in the morning and be at your best, you can't stay in a hostel where you risk being woken up at 5 am by Irish boys who are coming back from a bar. The food has to be good and easily available, and you have to have a car to get around in. I am used to, dare I even say it, luxury!
So it will be a nice change to stay in cheap places again, to buy my food from the shop and calculate when I'll have the money to eat out, to compare prices carefully when renting a car or taking the bus, and generally take less for granted. This is the method of travel I've always liked and respected, although I grudgingly recognise that work travel and independent travel are completely different animals. But I honestly think that you see so much more when you travel on the cheap. Luxury is standardised, cheap-assery is local.
I wonder if I'll get a culture shock? Because I expect to know quite a lot about the States, and I expect a lot of it to be similar to how life is here. While it's certainly difficult to adjust to a culture that's totally different from your own, slowly noticing subtle but profound differences might be very challenging in its own way.
Flight survival list
May. 19th, 2010 02:56 pmforeignerI like long flights. They're a parallel universe where you do nothing but try and stay comfortable and kill the time as effectively as possible. But the comfort and the time-killing, they require careful preparation. This is why I present you my time-perfected list of things to bring on a long flight.
foreigner's ultimate long-flight survival carry-on baggage :
- flight tickets! These are pretty important
- passport
- other required travel documents
- a small amount of cash in both the currency of where you're leaving and of your destination
- the address you're going in your destination, so that you have them handy when you arrive
- a book for heavy reading (I'm bringing Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond)
- some magazines or podcasts for lighter reading/listening
- a diary and pens, if you're so inclined (I'm a big journaller)
- your travel guidebook, because you'll want to check something anyway (or haven't even opened the guidebook prior to leaving home)
- an mp3 player with your favourite music on it
- camera
- phone (for travelling to another continent, make sure your phone operates on the right frequency)
- snacks (they don't feed you often enough on planes, and airport cafes are expensive)
- a water bottle if you're leaving a country where you can drink the tap water and thus can fill your bottle after the security check. (You can get water on the plane, but you don't want to wait for a flight attendant every time you're thirsty)
- tissues
- any prescription meds you have, plus your prescriptions
- painkillers
- earplugs for silence and a scarf to cover your eyes, if you're not the world's most talented sleeper
- chewing gum for takeoff and landing
- skin cream (at least my skin gets horribly dry in the bottled air of airplanes)
- lip balm
- hand sanitizer
- spare underwear and socks
- toothbrush and toothpaste
- a one-liter transparent resealable plastic bag or three (I like to bring spare ones because I once saved a Bolivian man from losing all his medications, as the La Paz airport didn't distribute bags and he hadn't brought his own)
Remember that all liquids and pastes have to be in containers of less than 100 ml and fit in the one-liter bag. Leave any sharp objects in your checked baggage. Dress warm enough, as the air conditioning on a plane can be chilly. I prefer glasses to contact lenses when flying, as the airplane air is very dry and can irritate your contact-lensed eyes.
And if you've just been camping before your flight, check that you didn't forget a gas bottle in your bag. Otherwise, they will chuck the rather expensive item out and plaster your bag with those "dangerous object removed" stickers. Can you tell I'm speaking from experience?
foreigner's ultimate long-flight survival carry-on baggage :- flight tickets! These are pretty important
- passport
- other required travel documents
- a small amount of cash in both the currency of where you're leaving and of your destination
- the address you're going in your destination, so that you have them handy when you arrive
- a book for heavy reading (I'm bringing Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond)
- some magazines or podcasts for lighter reading/listening
- a diary and pens, if you're so inclined (I'm a big journaller)
- your travel guidebook, because you'll want to check something anyway (or haven't even opened the guidebook prior to leaving home)
- an mp3 player with your favourite music on it
- camera
- phone (for travelling to another continent, make sure your phone operates on the right frequency)
- snacks (they don't feed you often enough on planes, and airport cafes are expensive)
- a water bottle if you're leaving a country where you can drink the tap water and thus can fill your bottle after the security check. (You can get water on the plane, but you don't want to wait for a flight attendant every time you're thirsty)
- tissues
- any prescription meds you have, plus your prescriptions
- painkillers
- earplugs for silence and a scarf to cover your eyes, if you're not the world's most talented sleeper
- chewing gum for takeoff and landing
- skin cream (at least my skin gets horribly dry in the bottled air of airplanes)
- lip balm
- hand sanitizer
- spare underwear and socks
- toothbrush and toothpaste
- a one-liter transparent resealable plastic bag or three (I like to bring spare ones because I once saved a Bolivian man from losing all his medications, as the La Paz airport didn't distribute bags and he hadn't brought his own)
Remember that all liquids and pastes have to be in containers of less than 100 ml and fit in the one-liter bag. Leave any sharp objects in your checked baggage. Dress warm enough, as the air conditioning on a plane can be chilly. I prefer glasses to contact lenses when flying, as the airplane air is very dry and can irritate your contact-lensed eyes.
And if you've just been camping before your flight, check that you didn't forget a gas bottle in your bag. Otherwise, they will chuck the rather expensive item out and plaster your bag with those "dangerous object removed" stickers. Can you tell I'm speaking from experience?
jubuAfter traveling last nine months for work, it's obvious that the best way to spend the summer vacation is to travel some more! We've been on the road together quite a lot and it has always worked very well, so I'm exited to go on this adventure my beloved.
But why do I want to go to the United States of America?
Well, first of all, this is my first longer trip abroad. Before this I've been away from Finland for two weeks at best. And although this trip is still less than a month long, it will be very different from my earlier travels, because my vacation trips have so far been to established tourist resorts, where everything is designed to be easy for the traveler. This time we'll road trip around and the level of comfortability will be changing throughout the trip depending on e.g. where we are staying and what kind of places we are eating in. And since this will be so different from my earlier travels, I really wanted to at least have a common language with the locals. And since English is my only other strong language apart from Finish, I wanted to aim for an English-speaking country.
Secondly, I've been slightly obsessed with the new atheist movement for the past five years. All maters regarding any sort of religious activity peek my intrest and I'm really fascinated by people who have strong beliefs that don't seem to be grounded in reality. I myself am a second generation atheist and have grown in a very secular household, so people with religious convictions are really alien to me and I'm interested in understanding them a bit more. And as far as secular humanism and scientific worldview goes, I am openly somewhat of an evangelist. So I'm also interested in real two-way conversations and maybe getting a religious person to understand at least some of the reasons why a rationalist like me finds their worldview weird, funny and sometimes even dangerous. U.S.A. is the second most religious industrialized country in the world (right after Turkey!) and the Bible Belt, where we plan to spend most of our trip, is even more crazy for Christ, so this seemed like the place for me to go and see it for myself.
Thirdly, I've been following U.S. politics pretty intensely for more than a couple of years now and right now I feel like I know better what is happening there, than what is happening here in Finland. This has a lot to do with the atheism thing, since religion is such a big factor in U.S. politics, but my interests have branched to other matters beyond the constant battle of trying to generally uphold their Constitutions First Amendment and particularly to keep the religious myths from spoiling children's science education. What happens in the States doesn't stay in the States because of the influence they wield and aggressively implement in the world, so I've felt it to be important to understand what and why is happening with this teetering giant. Traveling there seems like the thing to do.
If I have to sum it up, I'm taking this trip to run my prejudices against the wall that is the reality of the United States of America and see what happens. I've been thinking about this for several years and now I'm doing this, finally.
But why do I want to go to the United States of America?
Well, first of all, this is my first longer trip abroad. Before this I've been away from Finland for two weeks at best. And although this trip is still less than a month long, it will be very different from my earlier travels, because my vacation trips have so far been to established tourist resorts, where everything is designed to be easy for the traveler. This time we'll road trip around and the level of comfortability will be changing throughout the trip depending on e.g. where we are staying and what kind of places we are eating in. And since this will be so different from my earlier travels, I really wanted to at least have a common language with the locals. And since English is my only other strong language apart from Finish, I wanted to aim for an English-speaking country.
Secondly, I've been slightly obsessed with the new atheist movement for the past five years. All maters regarding any sort of religious activity peek my intrest and I'm really fascinated by people who have strong beliefs that don't seem to be grounded in reality. I myself am a second generation atheist and have grown in a very secular household, so people with religious convictions are really alien to me and I'm interested in understanding them a bit more. And as far as secular humanism and scientific worldview goes, I am openly somewhat of an evangelist. So I'm also interested in real two-way conversations and maybe getting a religious person to understand at least some of the reasons why a rationalist like me finds their worldview weird, funny and sometimes even dangerous. U.S.A. is the second most religious industrialized country in the world (right after Turkey!) and the Bible Belt, where we plan to spend most of our trip, is even more crazy for Christ, so this seemed like the place for me to go and see it for myself.
Thirdly, I've been following U.S. politics pretty intensely for more than a couple of years now and right now I feel like I know better what is happening there, than what is happening here in Finland. This has a lot to do with the atheism thing, since religion is such a big factor in U.S. politics, but my interests have branched to other matters beyond the constant battle of trying to generally uphold their Constitutions First Amendment and particularly to keep the religious myths from spoiling children's science education. What happens in the States doesn't stay in the States because of the influence they wield and aggressively implement in the world, so I've felt it to be important to understand what and why is happening with this teetering giant. Traveling there seems like the thing to do.
If I have to sum it up, I'm taking this trip to run my prejudices against the wall that is the reality of the United States of America and see what happens. I've been thinking about this for several years and now I'm doing this, finally.
foreignerEek! It's a bit under two weeks until I leave for the U S of A, and there are a lot of things to take care of before that. A to-do list, mainly for my own reference:
- Get my Big Writing Project in a decent state
- Make practical arrangements re: friend who comes to live at my place DONE!
- Get more online banking passwords to last me through the trip DONE!
-Dye my hair a more neutral colour than purple and orange. Scratch that. Nobody will bat an eye in SF or LA, and I want to keep my fantastic hair a bit longer. I can just buy a dye in LA and change colours there.
- Make sure that my travel insurance is in order DONE!
- Register my entry to the States online DONE!
- Reserve a hostel in San Francisco DONE!
- Take cats to Vuokko, who takes care of them when I'm gone
- Improvise a cat scratching post at Vuokko's place DONE!
- Figure out what to pack DONE
- Pack! MOSTLY DONE
- Throw a really small and relaxed going-away party - Inviting done, rest will take care of itself!
- Go!
- Get my Big Writing Project in a decent state
- Make practical arrangements re: friend who comes to live at my place DONE!
- Get more online banking passwords to last me through the trip DONE!
-
- Make sure that my travel insurance is in order DONE!
- Register my entry to the States online DONE!
- Reserve a hostel in San Francisco DONE!
- Take cats to Vuokko, who takes care of them when I'm gone
- Improvise a cat scratching post at Vuokko's place DONE!
- Figure out what to pack DONE
- Pack! MOSTLY DONE
- Throw a really small and relaxed going-away party - Inviting done, rest will take care of itself!
- Go!
Weather graph
May. 8th, 2010 11:30 amforeignerSince I'm a big nerd and love charts, I decided to make a chart of the weather in all the places I'm going to go. Below are all the average June temperatures and precipitations in all of the major cities I'm going to, plus Helsinki as a reference point. The weather data is from Weatherbase, whom I decided to trust without question. We're going mostly to hot and dry places! Which doesn't bother me at all right now, as I'm making my way through the wind and sleet of Helsinki in May.
Theme music
Apr. 26th, 2010 11:13 amforeignerWhen I think about USA, I think much about popular culture, and I'm not ashamed to admit that my excitement about this trip stems for a great part from my desire to see the places mentioned in songs and movies.
Below are YouTube videos of some of my favourite Americana songs, songs about America, and songs about the places I am going to.
This is the original version of Route 66, by Nat King Cole. We're actually going to make that California trip and travel along Route 66 from Oklahoma City, which looks mighty pretty, to Los Angeles.
( See tons more. )
Below are YouTube videos of some of my favourite Americana songs, songs about America, and songs about the places I am going to.
This is the original version of Route 66, by Nat King Cole. We're actually going to make that California trip and travel along Route 66 from Oklahoma City, which looks mighty pretty, to Los Angeles.
( See tons more. )
Route plan
Apr. 16th, 2010 02:53 pmforeigner
Tentative plan:
24 May: I arrive in San Francisco, very jetlagged. Once recovered, I tie flowers in my hair and sing on the street.
2 June: Los Angeles. Beautiful people and expensive food. Hollywood!
7 June: my faithful companion Juuso aka
jubu arrives in Los Angeles and spends a few days recovering from his jetlag before we head on.9 June: Leaving L.A. Stopover in Phoenix, AZ. Visiting petrified forest?
10 June: Continuing toward Austin, TX, a couple stopovers in the middle of nowhere. Possibly shortly visiting Mexico, if that's relatively easy.
12 June: Austin. Meeting local atheist and getting to know the apparently great nightlife.
19 June: Oklahoma City. Hanging out.
22 June: Leaving for Flagstaff, AZ. Two stopovers en el medio de la nada.
24 June: Flagstaff. The Grand Canyon! Desert landscapes! I will be very excited.
29 June: Las Vegas.
1 July: Back in L.A., from where J.'s plane leaves that same day.
2 July: I am back in S.F., from where my plane leaves. Possibly meeting Becca, who I've never seen IRL.
3 July: Leaving the U.S.!
