Dubs and the Dam

Dubs aka Dublin

Where do I begin - our hostel was named The Shining and it did the movie justice. The hostel reminded us of Annie's room at the orphanage and to get to our beds we had to shimmy as there was no room if you walked normally. I have pasted below the review I posted on hostelworld.com to give a more detailed description of our experience there!


"We booked a room for 12 and there were 14 beds jam packed into a room. My friend's bed( aka Sharonda's) was pushed together with another bunk bed and she was laying directly with a random guy- there was no room to separate the beds. My friend (aka me) definitely woke up with a rash from the bed. The bathroom showers leave very little to the imagination ie you can see through them besides one strategically placed stripe across the shower door."

NEVER stay at THE SHINING! - EVER!!!!

Temple Bar area was fun and I swear its was the first time I've seen an entire city drunk. I have a lot of funny catch phrases from that weekend and I did met A LOT of interesting characters. Examples ......

Andres entering the girls bathroom, "Haffa are you taking a taco?" Please note "taco" is code for the dirty dirty in the bathroom. I am in fact at this very moment looking for Andres on the street as he has abandoned Sharonda with Mustafa/Mufasa who is relentlessly hitting on her!

More about Mustafa/Mufasa...who is mad that I am dating this "white guy" Andres (Andres is not white -he's Peruvian and Paraguayan) and we are in fact just friends. Mustafa has a change of heart about "my bf Andres" in an attempt to build solidarity tells Andres "When I look at you all I see is Black, we're all black!" - huh?

Drunk Guy who has befriended us at the fast food place shouts to the cops, "He's not homeless, that's my Uncle Fancy!" Uncle Fancy is in fact a homeless man that the drunk guy was feeding, Drunk Guy and Uncle Fancy then got arrested! (We ate the rest of his fries lol)

The city was ridiculous overpriced a burger would cost $12 and that didn't even include fries which would be an extra $4. I think this was my first and last time I'd ever go to Dubs!

The Dam aka Amsterdam

After my experience in Dublin with the hostel - we opted for a hotel - Thank god!

Amsterdam is gorgeous the canals reminded me of being in Venice. If you go, you must stop by Anne Frank's house - definitely worth the money. For the record, the street and the sidewalk are one in the same - resulting in a couple of near death encounters with the trams and the vicious bicycle riders!

I must mention one quote from the trip, "Cavemen have rules too Haffa, I swear!" -Andres
The funny thing is he was dead serious -- how special!

Translations UK - US

Soft Cheese = Cream Cheese
Public School = Private School
State Schools = Public School
To Let = Rent / Lease
Cheque = Check
Muppet = Idiot
Pin (pronounced penny, usually said by old people) = Apron
Tipex = Whiteout


Next on the list: Italy (Rome and Florence) - Prague - Madrid - Home ( in 47 days woo hoo!)

Click this picture for pics from Dublin.

Dublin

Click this picture for pics from Amsterdam.

From Amsterdam

La Fabulosa Ciudad de Barcelona

What I like about Barcelona
* People look you in the eye - unlike London, Paris or NYC people actually acknowledge your existence (and not in the creepy predator way)

* Night life - it doesn't get started until midnight and doesn't end until 8am - it's better than Vegas!

* Taxi Drivers - if you compliment them they are willing to take you to the McDonalds drive thru after the club. Example: "OmG your muscles are so big"

* Beach life - people are topless, some even naked and NO ONE cared = people aren't as uptight

The Many Uses of the Pashmina

Pashimina: a cutesy name for a scarf (I thought it was only a fashion accessory - but it's so much more)

1. As a blanket - on an airplane

2. Makes you look presentable to go into god's house - one must have their shoulders covered to enter El Catedral de Barcelona

3. As a babushka when it rains

4. Beach towel - makes the beach chair softer

Translations (UK to American)

Petrol - Gas
Solicitor - Lawyer
Waffling - When someone talks in circles or uses flowery language. Example: "The person kept waffling on!"
Bollocks - technically means " testicles" used as bullshit or f*ck. Example: "Bollocks to the rules"
DJ - Tuxedo
A-Levels - SATs
Cheeky - Snooty
College - High School
University - College

Sidenote: None of the elevators have door close buttons - don't people want the door to close faster?

What's next....

Dublin - Italy - Prague - Madrid - Home (less than 72 days until im home!)

Want to see pictures, click here.

I heart London

So like most experiences this one is turning out to be nothing like I expected. I had a vision of what living abroad would be like and London seems to have its on mission for me. In 5 weeks my travels will begin, as for now I'm enjoying falling in love with London.


Holiday: 4th of July

Context: Celebrating the 4th of July in the country we rebelled from = priceless

Picture this:

* 80 Americans (80% of the people) on a disco/booze cruise around the Thames. You can see the London Eye and the Gherkin in the skyline.

* Everyone is decked out in red, white and blue and of course a rendition of the Star Spangle Banner was belted out (classically off key).

* We epitomized the stereotypical loud Americans and I loved every moment of of it!


Work: the good, the bad and the ugly

Good: I am learning office politics and have a much better idea of what I want for my career.

The bad: Based on the the job description I was given for my position, I only do the administrative tasks mentioned. I am not challenged at all in my position and my job title mysteriously changed from HR Assistant to Legal Resourcing Administrator. Yay! For being deceived....

Ugly: Since I've been at my job 6 people have "resigned," to put this in perspective that means 55% of the team has left. Suffice to say leaving drinks have become a part of my weekly work routine.

One more observation EVERYONE in an admin position is either a minority or foreigner, while the rest of the department is not and all seem to have a certain "presence" about them.


Windsor & Eton

What: The place where Prince Charles got married and where the Prince William and Harry went to school.

Most memorable: It has AMAZING slushies, it was the first time since I've been here that I had one with the perfect flavor and consistency!

Activities: Well since the UK is about to go into a "recession" all stores are having 70% off sales and I took advantage of that (well the best I could on my minimal stipend). Laid out, fed some ducks, went to the carnival and relaxed!

How to live on an Interns budget in London

1. Learn to prioritize.

Ex: If I want the amazing shoes I found at Camden Market, I will have to walk home from work next week because I no longer have the luxury of affording a tube pass. (I cannot tell you how many times I've walked the 4mi from work b/c of deals at the markets here)

2. Sacrifices must be made.

Ex: Food is usually a necessity. Not here. If I want to enjoy London, its become an option. Eat enough to be barely hungry so that I can have a social life. (I will never remember the hunger pains, but the nights I have in this fabulous city will be priceless)

3. Must be creative.

Ex: Its starting to get cold and I only have skirts. How can I solve this issue with the minimal amount of money being spent? Normally I would buy pants, not here. I buy tights 5 in a pack for $2.00 and wear a pashmina (how European of me).


UK to American Translation Dictionary

Beer Garden - Bar with a patio

Thats all I have..sorry Porter.


Final Thoughts:

I'll be in the states from 21 Nov - 1 Dec. I fly into DC and out of Newark. Hopefully, I'll get to see most of you.

31 Aug to 3 Sept = Barcelona and Valencia = OOBER EXCITED!

9 Oct - 14 Oct = Rome, Florence, Venice (and anywhere else Andres and I wind up) = An Adventure!

If anyone wants to visit, let me know!

Click the picture below for pictures of the 4th of July & Windsor.

4th of July & Windsor

Let the Good Times Roll....

Paris vs. London.

Paris: Shower water feels like silk on my skin.
London: Rain showers happen daily.
Winner: Paris!

Paris: The food is amazing and it's breathtakingly beautiful.
London: I live here and the Great Britain Pound is worth more than the Euro.
Winner: London!

Paris: The guys are hot and speak a language that sounds sexy even though I don't understand any of it.
London: The longer I live here the cuter the men become and they have British accents.
Winner: Paris!

And the winner is ...PARIS!

Side Note: I had an amazing time in Paris and the trip reminded me of why I wanted to live overseas. I now want to learn French and move to the south of France.


Job Update:

1. Everyday people refer to me as Abdullah. On average it takes approx 6 emails with an individual for them to figure out my first name is in fact Hafeezah.

2. I am told that it is acceptable for people to send rude emails to me because they work at "prestigious universities." Glad to know that only certain people deserve respect, I'll keep that in mind, and place it in the completely unacceptable category.

3. The manager I directly report to thinks I'm doing a fantastic job. Yay!

4. I absolutely adore my coworkers --best part about working here! They're helping me assimilate to the British drinking culture by taking me to happy hour at least twice a week.


Bill Cosby Style Tale: One of the girls I went to Paris with Grand Uncle from Ireland told her this story when she was 8 (thank god I never had it as bad as this guy claims ).

"I use to walk to school barefoot there and back through the snow and sleet. A lot of the other kids would stand in the cow sh*t to warm their feet on the walk to school and I was always tempted to because my feet were freezing, but I never did. And everyone who did stand in the cow sh*t ended up getting cancer!"

Side Note: Cancer? .... really didn't see that one coming. It's good to know that everywhere in the world adults have ridiculous tales about their childhoods.

Translation Guide: (UK to American)
Hundreds and Thousands= Sprinkles
Snogging = Kissing
Stag Party = Bachelor Party
Hen Party = Bachelorette Party
Queue = Line (like the kind at a grocery store, club, etc.)
Winding Up = Pulling your leg or teasing
Sprite = Lemonade
Tube = Metro/Subway
Pulled = Hookup
The Bird = Woman (generally when referring to ones wife, ex "the bird went to see her mother's this weekend, so I have the house to myself ")
Billy no Mates = A person with no friends
Till - Cash Register
Scone= American biscuit
Off License = Liquor store
Stop = Period ie the punctuation at the end of a declarative/imperative sentence
Take away - To go (when ordering food), there are also 2 prices for food one if you "eat in" (more expensive) and one if you "take away"
Holiday = Vacation
Skunk = Weed ( aka hash for flower children)

I have taken loads of pictures, click the picture below to see them. (read the captions!)

Paris and such