Life Lately...

Things have been ticking along quite nicely for me lately...

-My jet lag has passed.

-I get to eat rice for every meal again.

-I'm getting used to the Philippine heat again (somehow).

-School's starting soon.

-I've got deadlines to beat again.

-I've got a considerably fair schedule for the first semester of my third year in college.

-I got in touch with my paint set again.

-I'm finally reunited with my guitar.

-My nails are painted again.

-My molar bands have been removed, and soon enough, my braces will be too.

***

This list can go on forever, but with what you've just read, I wish that you're pretty convinced that yes, I'm doing fine after the surreal experience I had almost a month ago.

I wouldn't lie to you, though. I miss everything about Czech Republic, most especially, Brno.

There's not a day that goes by that I don't scan through the photos and some videos taken when I was still there, trying to feel, hear, see, smell, and taste what I've felt, heard, seen, smelled, and tasted even if it's just in my mind.

That's how I want them to be. Fresh. As though they happened yesterday.

Just two days after I arrived back in the Philippines, I met with Jill - a schoolmate of mine, who was also an intern of SPEAK! Project Brno last spring. It was my first time to meet her; however, I felt like I knew her even before, and that's because of Brno.

It's really nice getting to talk to someone who knows what you've been through and who misses what you also miss.

When I asked her if she's still in touch with her friends in Czech and with her co-interns, she said that she still is. Usually, she would get a message a week after she sent one to them, but she's happy that the connection between them is still there. Her closest friend from Russia also visited her recently, and she's planning a trip to Thailand with her fellow Filipino co-interns to visit their Thai friends.

Sometimes, I wonder if I would be able to keep up with the friends I made like how Jill did, because honestly, my biggest fear is losing touch with the people I learned to love.

I know five weeks (or maybe even less) is not enough to establish a solid relationship with people, but it's enough to start a life-long connection. How to make it life-long is quite a challenge, though. There's the distance, the time difference, the lack of personal contact, and whatnot.

Conversation classes have been resolved into Facebook and Skype chats, which have become a part of my routine now.

I've never adjusted the time in my watch to save me from doing the maths in telling the time in Czech Republic, and it's pretty convenient, I must say. I would check it every now and then, and go online at around 14:00 here, when most of them are just waking up.

I don't get to talk to a lot of people, though, which is sad. The most recent chats I had are with Daniela, Martina, Ondřej, Péťa, and Martin.

It's always nice getting to hear from them. They would tell me stuff about their academics, the weather, and funnily enough, I was a part of one's dream too. Haha!

I have also started getting their post addresses, as I'd like to send them something "actual". If you know me enough, you know that I love sending and receiving snail mail, and I've just sent the first bunch of post cards last Monday. I wish they reach their respective destinations on time. I find the Philippine Postal Service OK, as far as OK goes.


♥Andz

Back Home

It was a rainy evening when I arrived in Manila on the 14^th of May.

If I had been in the Philippines all summer long, I could've called the rainfall a miracle, like an oasis in a barren desert. But I wasn't, and the heat was killing me.

I thought I would be able to deal with the usual May temperature of the country without any trouble when I arrive, because after all, I've lived here all my life. But for some reason, the usual 30-something-degree temperature that I've experienced growing up felt foreign to me.

Beads of sweat formed along my hairline, and eventually trickled down my face. Wearing a t-shirt suddenly felt like wearing three layers of wool sweater on a summer day. And, the fumes of car exhausts seemed like a foul version of a steam facial.

But anyhow, I was back home, just like hundreds of other Filipinos at the arrivals hall, who were waiting for a tight embrace or a kiss for a greeting after a long time of being away.

Two months out of the country didn't seem like a long time to me, though. In fact, I thought it was too short, and frankly enough, I didn't want to go home yet, because I was having so much fun. However, a part of me misses my family too.

Standing at the hall, waiting for my mum, dad, aunt, and cousin – who got caught in the usual Manila evening traffic jam – to fetch me, I wondered what and how I would feel when I see them again.

Judging by their messages to me while I was away, they obviously missed me and surely, they will be smouldering me with some oh-my-God-we-missed-you-so-bad love when they finally see me. But the thing is, I just didn't know how I would respond to them.

That time came, though, and as expected, there were hugs and kisses, and teases, but I couldn’t explain how I exactly felt at that moment. It was a mixture of happy and sad and everything in between.

Arriving at home, my grand mum exclaimed my name in that high-pitched sing-song tone and voice of hers, making a hundred different rhythms and melodies fit onto my two-syllable name “Niña”. She then hugged me tightly. Oh, gosh, I missed her and her cooking!

I may have gained 3Kg in Europe after surviving in sandwiches and ribs and dumplings for weeks and weeks, but still, nothing beats my grand mum’s cooking.

For dinner, we had RICE, mechado, and crispy pata. And then for desert, we had my favourite fruit salad that only my aunt could make perfectly. Ah, Filipino food…

The next day, we had a welcome breakfast at Taal Vista Hotel. They were very much surprised about how much my appetite has changed. Well, I didn’t notice that “change” until they told me about it. Haha!

♥Andz

The Wrap -The Rest of the Journey

Ever since I left Brno, everything has just become a crazy whirlwind. I was an emotional wreck and I never found the time to write, copy and edit photos, and whatnot. But most of all, I never got the nerve to do them at all!

Anyway, I feel much better now, and I'm currently writing this part of this post while I'm in Ardennes, Belgium. I'm sure I wouldn't be able to finish this post tonight, so I'll continue it somewhere somehow.

So, this is how the past few days went...

May 1, 2013 - Labour Day, Day of Love (Czech Republic)

Brno

Wednesday afternoon after making some bryndza halušky with Martina, I went out for dinner with Aor and Pet'a at Piri Piri. And since Pet'a's leaving for The Netherlands, we gotta give her our goodbyes. We had some spicy pork ribs (Czech's version of spicy ain't spicy at all), then for some dessert, we went to a nearby cafe down the road.

Looking back at that night, I really, really miss Pet'a. She's just one of the coolest people I've ever known!

May 2, 2013 - Thursday

Read here.


May 3, 2013 - Friday
Brno

My last day of teaching... It was raining, and it was really cold. I was worried that the students would leave, as I was running late again, but they didn't! Karolina and Veronika were there, and we had lunch at Na Chate.

Veronika also gave me some fresh peas, and they were really sweet! It was my first time to eat peas straight from the pod, so it was a very cheap thrill for me. Haha!

After my class, I had to run to VUT, as I forgot to return the keys the day before. The man at the reception looked pretty mad, thank God he didn't say anything. I then met with Justine, Martin, and Mirek at a tea house in Konečného Náměstí.

Sheesh, those people can't get enough of tea! I'd rather go for beer and wine than drinking a cup of leaf juice! I dunno, really, I hate tea!

Anyway, the guys taught us how to play poker. Mirek's dubbed as the "Poker King", but that was until Justine learned and beat him. She gained the title "Poker Queen" later. Man, you gotta see Justine's poker face! She's so unreadable that it scares you!

I'm not good in poker and there was nothing to lose, so yeah, I didn't care much. I let Martin play for me, after all, I didn't understand the poker terms and rules. To me, all of the cards looked bad when they're actually good, and good when they're actually bad.

While the Poker King and Poker Queen played (they're left in the game and Justine won - girl power, yeah!), Martin and I dueled in chess. I'm not good in chess either and it's been years since I last played, but at least I know the rules, and that's enough to keep me sane and preoccupied in a place where they serve leaf juice.

Of course, I lost.

Later that day, we had dinner at Subway, had a run at Galerie Vankovka, and went to another tea house. I told you, they can't get enough of leaf juice!!!

I was supposed to go to the student's Majáles - a festival of some sort to welcome May and spring in Brno - but I couldn't find the perfect timing to go there, and no one was available to accompany me to where it was being held. Veronika and Karolina were waiting for me, and they kept texting me, but it got later and later, and our students started coming to the tea house to see us instead. Monika and Ondřej (despite being drunk) went there, too, to say their last goodbyes.

We spent the rest of the night exchanging gifts, chatting and laughing - y'know, having a good time, as it would take who-knows-how-long before we meet again.

Back in the dorm, I pulled an all-nighter just to pack my stuff, and rip all the things off my Andified wall. It was pretty sad, and I might've cried a bit.

May 4, 2013 - Saturday
Bye for now, Brno

Leaving Brno was the hardest part, I must say. It has been a home to me for almost two months, and saying goodbye to the place was really sad.

Paja came over in the morning to give us our certificates, and farewell presents and letters, then Aor left with her, leaving me, Justine and Snizha in the dorm.

Somehow, our room seemed empty and as cold as the weather. The tables were clean again, the beddings have been kept under the bunk, the dresser in the bathroom lacked its usual mess, and what not.

Justine and I left at around 12:30 to meet Tom, claim our transport card refunds at Hlavni Nadrazi, and catch our 1:30 bus heading to Prague.

To make up for our sadness, we just ate Haribo gummy bears along the way. They are magical sweets, I must say :D

Still May 4, 2013 - Saturday
Prague

And at last, we made it to Prague.

As we did not book a hotel, we were to stay at my friend Rister’s flat. He’s also on an exchange, but under AIESEC-Praha.

We thought staying at his place would be OK, but it wasn’t. Justine and I felt really uneasy at his flat, not that Rister didn’t accommodate us well, because he was very kind to us (he even sacrificed his bunk and cooked dinner for us), but because the condition of his space is really bad, and his co-interns were very rude to us, except Aydana, an intern from Kazakhstan, who was cool enough to accompany us around Old Town Square.

We got to see and hear the bells of the famous Astronomical Clock ring at 8:00 pm, stroll around the square, but when we were about to cross Charles Bridge, it began to rain pretty hard, and lightning started to crack in the sky.

We went back to the flat, and Rister cooked some Chinese dishes for us.

With Justine and Aydana in front of the
Astonomical Clock

The crowd, waiting for the bells to ring

Dinner at Rister's flat :)

May 5, 2013 - Sunday

Prague

I would say that deciding to go to Prague after the internship wasn’t a good idea. 1 – We still felt a bit depressed about our departure from Brno. 2 – Prague is way more expensive than Brno, and we weren’t ready for the costs. If we came earlier, we probably just had a day trip and cut our expenses. 3 – We kept comparing Prague with Brno, and we always see to it that Brno wins in every aspect (yes, we’re that biased).

Anyway, Justine and I spent the day walk-tripping around the capital city of Czech Republic.

Seeing Prague had always been in my travel list, and being there felt surreal for me.  But I have to say, I was quite disappointed that it didn’t meet my expectations, because I really was waiting to see something “more”.

Perhaps, attaching myself to a beautiful place like Brno, somehow, made Prague lose its enchantment to my eyes.

So, we started at the Old Town Square again, made our way through the Charles Bridge, while the sky was clear, touched those statues that will make you “lucky”, entered Mala Strana, and looked for the Church of Our Lady Victorious.

You see, one of the biggest reasons I wanted to go to Prague badly was because I wanted to make a pilgrimage to the Infant Jesus of Prague. I came from a very Catholic family, and my ma, grandmum, and great grandmum are all devotees of the Infant Jesus of Prague. And since I was in Czech, I wouldn’t miss the world to pray to the image and give thanks in place of my ma, grandmum, and great grandmum.

It took me and Justine a while before we found the Church of Our Lady Victorious, and funnily enough, a Filipino store was situated just a few metres away from the church! Mga Pilipino nga naman… Sa paligid ng simbahan pa rin ang bagsak… Haha!

We got to hear a part of the mass, and we came at a very opportune time, because the mass that was being held was for Filipinos, Spanish, Indians, and some other nationalities. Being in that church felt like home to me. I heard a lot of Filipino words, and I felt happy. I also got to offer a rose to the Infant Jesus, which totally made my day. My mum would be so proud!

After dropping by the church, it was time for us to look for the Lennon Wall. Now, this Lennon Wall caused us so much trouble! Not a lot of people know where it is, so we really had to find a way to look for the spot where the youth during the time of communism in Czech Republic expressed their freedom.

But because we got tired of looking for it, we decided to have a quick lunch at McDonald’s first, because some other restaurants would burn our wallets! Even Subway there is 10 Crowns more expensive! Damn! When we were happy with the cheeseburger we had, we went off to look for the wall again.

Turns out, it’s located at some nook under and beyond the Charles Bridge. Man, it was so beautiful! It’s worth the search, really. I loved how spontaneous the writings and drawings on the wall are!

We took loads of photos and then went to see the Prague Castle and St. Vitus’ Cathedral.

At the end of the day, Justine and I were pretty tired from all the walking and we wanted to have a good rest, so we decided to check-in at a nearby hotel, so as to avoid Rister’s roommates as well.

We met Aor again, who was staying at the same hotel, and then we headed off again to go meet Vijay of AIESEC – Bangalore, India and friend of Rister.

For dinner, we had some of Czech’s famous sausages, except for Vijay, who is a vegetarian.

And that’s how my last night in Czech Republic went…

The density of the people coming and going to the Charles Bridge
is like that of the Exodus'

They said we'll get lucky, so yeah...

We were very thrilled to see a Filipino store at Prague
and more thrillingly, we saw this awesome chalk
drawing of a halo-halo!

Offering a rose to the Infant Jesus of Prague

The Church of Our Lady Victorious

I still find it foolish that people use locks to bind their love for each other.

One of my fave spots in Prague! The Lennon Wall!

St. Vitus' Cathedral

Sausages for dinner!

With Rister, Justine, and Vijay

The Prague Metro Station reminds me of London's Underground...

Playing with the flute I got at Manufaktura. It's not for
musical purposes, though.

May 6, 2013 - Monday
Prague ---> Amsterdam ---> Utrecht


My next stop is back in the Netherlands! I was very happy that the flight went smoothly, unlike when I first went there.

I was fetched by Tito Anne, then at their house, I was able to take a good rest.

Off to the Netherlands!

May 7, 2012 - Tuesday
Amsterdam

Tita Laline took me around Amsterdam on a Tuesday afternoon after working from home. 

I really liked how different the character of every European country I visit is. 

I enjoyed Amsterdam A LOT! We took a cruise ride around the canals, shopped a bit, ate at a Chinese restaurant, and walked around the Red Light District.

I was so looking forward to see the Red Light District, but I was pretty disappoined when I saw that the women in the windows are not VOGUE-worthy. Most of the women were in their mid-ages, and I kept laughing as we made it through the streets.

May 8, 2013 - Wednesday
Keukenhof, Lisse

Ever since I saw my dad's photos in the field of tulips when he was still studying in the Netherlands, seeing the vast rows of colourful tulips had become my dream, and today, it came true! I'm simply amazed by them. I'm still speechless, in fact!

May 9, 2013 - Thursday
Monschau, Germany and Ardennes, Belgium



As it was an official holiday in the Netherlands, we were able to go on a road trip around some neighbouring countries, and our first stop was at a tiny town in Germany called "Monschau".

I really loved Monschau, as it reminded me of houses in fairytale books, plus the green surroundings were also nice. Strolls around tiny towns and forests are always better than getting lost in the busy city centre.

I liked taking a look around tiny shop houses, for the stores really had nice vintage items, like jewellery, porcelain, and keys. Then for lunch, I enjoyed a very yummy piece of schnitzel topped with cream sauce.

After Monschau, we headed to Ardennes, Belgium - another tiny town nested in the centre what looks like forests.  We settled there for the night.

At the hotel, Isabel and I had a tiny sleepover, which is pretty fun, because I never got the chance to have a little sister like her. She drew a lot, and for her bed time story, I read her "Pejsek a Kočička" - a classic favourite Czech bedtime story series writen by Josef Čapek - for the nth time. Geez! She loves it!

May 10, 2013 - Friday

Brussels, Belgium

I enjoyed Brussels a lot. It's one of the best cities I've been to of all my trips. I love their toy shops, their free samples of really good chocolate, and just the liveliness of the people. I'm not a big fan of cities, but Brussels blew me away.

Brussels is my new wonderland. Free chocolate samples everywhere, shops of vintage items, cute toy shops, and what not! It was just awesome! Plus, Isabel and I felt like royalty at the hotel. Haha! It was quite an experience.

Belgian waffles are the best!

 In fron of the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula

The Manneken Pis channels gay pride :)

Tiny reunion

It was a pretty windy day...

May 11, 2013 - Saturday
Brussels and Antwerp, Belgium

My Belgian bliss continued in Antwerp, as I went shopping! Haha! Shopping for vintage stuff and Disney trinkets. And, I had a very interesting lunch at this restaurant that's filled with old church statues for decoration. Haha!

You don't know how long it took us to find the Atomium.

We had lunch at this very unique restaurant called "Het Elfe Gebod" with old
church items as decorations. It was abit creepy, really, but the food was great!

Nobody's too old to shop at the Disney Store...

May 12, 2013 - Sunday - Mother's Day

Kinderdijk

We went to Kinderdijk - home to some of the oldest-existing windmills in the Netherlands. It is also considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so it really is worth the visit! And you can enter a windmill and explore the inside.

Then for mother's day dinner, we had some white asparagus. I've never had white asparagus before, so it was really interesting. I think I like it better than the green ones....

The very Dutch cheese and bacon pancake :)

I apologise for writing too little in this post, but check back in, as I will keep updating! I just have to catch my flight back to Manila, so yeah, catch y'all later!

♥Andz