Budapest

Parliament Building
Originally uploaded by Fiwit

I spent last weekend in Budapest which was great as I needed some more adventure. I'm having a lovely time in Sarajevo but am starting to feel fidgetty and wanting to do more.

I learnt a few things while I was there:

• Eating dinner in a fancy restaurant seemed like a good idea, but actually I found it very lonely.

• On a similar note, thermal baths are much more fun if there is more than one of you

• Chocolate is always your friend and can make any situation feel better (so long as you ignore what it may be doing to your hips, etc.)

• Walking everywhere is good and means that you don't feel guilty regarding the chocolate intake. However you do end up with very sore feet. 

• Walking everywhere also solves the problem of having to work out public transport which I have a definite mistrust of!

• So long as you have something to read at all times you will be fine.

• Shopping makes me happy! (Okay so this is nothing new, but there were some rather lovely shops in Budapest.)

• My brain is still very much in South America mode - I was shocked to see so many tourists with expensive cameras hanging round their necks. It took me till Sunday to accept that it was perfectly safe to do this!

I basically decided/discovered that whilst I am very happy to be on my own during the day, it's not so much fun at night time. So in future I will look for livelier hostels and make sure I always have a book!

Sarajevo

Having had an absolutely awesome summer at home I have now ventured to Sarajevo. I've been here for a week and am enjoying exploring the city. It's lovely to spend time with Lou and the kids. 

Sarajevo is a fascinating city that most of us have heard of because of the war here in the 90s. The war ended 15 years ago and Sarajevo is re establishing itself. There are still many buildings that show the signs of war, but it is a vibrant and buzzing city. It also a place where life revolves around coffee!

I've started teaching some English classes and very quickly went from 2 lessons a week to 4. It's fairly easy work and a little bit of extra money which helps. 

At the moment I'm staying with Lou but may move into a nearby apartment in the next week or so. I'm hoping to see it on Monday.

So, life continues to happen and I continue to smile.

Interesting Developments...

So, one reason I decided to take a year off was so that I can focus on photography and music more. Well, it's amazing what happens when you make a decision like that! Last night while I was singing at The Barrel I was approached by a guy I've known for a few years who is interested in the possibility of me doing some recording - how exciting! He is very established in producing and recording different artists! 

On the photography front, I made a decision while I was at The Big Chill that I would like to be back for next summer and to work at some more festivals. I talked to Max of Brightgreen about the possibilities I could see for a photo journalistic story of what happens behind the scenes at festies in regards to recycling and waste - she is very keen and said that I could cover my hours doing that!

Life is, without a doubt, happening at the moment - I am loving it!

Whoosh!

Goodness me, what a whirlwind of things have been happening since I returned to the flatlands! I have been having a wonderful time catching up with so many different friends.

•  Latitude
• Appleyard Fayre
• London for a week
• The Big Chill
• Busker's nights in Banham and Burston
• Friday night in The Eagle
• Weems' Wedding and the Harlequin Fayre

I really do feel like I'm whooshing about all over the place. I have so many wonderful moments in my head...it would take hours to tell you about all of them.

Mostly I am loving the moment when I see one of my many friends and then the hugs ensue! There are still lots of people I want to see - it's amazing how many people I know!

On the boy front - well he has been in touch but very sporadically...no longer holding out hope there. Did meet someone interesting at the wedding...

Ho hum...

Still waiting and hoping.

Girl meets boy confusion

So about a year ago, girl meets boy and thinks he's cute. Girl and boy become friends and hang out together when possible - although not all the time as boy is often away. End of Jan, boy leaves South America. Girl and boy are in regular contact for 6 months and get to know each other really well. Over this period of time, girl likes boy more and more. Girl pesters boy to go to festival with her when she comes home. Much excitement ensues about said festival and boy. Girl and boy find that they miss each other if they're not in contact for a while - however girl is not sure what form the boy's missing her in. Girl wonders if they are just best mates or whether it could be more. Girl wonders a lot. Girl tries not to hope too much, but as girl is usually fairly optimistic about things she's not very good at not hoping. Also, girl is a bit of an ol' romantic and is hoping for her 'happy ending' - haha! Girl finds her teenage like crush quite ridiculous. Summer arrives and girl gets home. One week later girl and boy are at festival. Girl and boy have a wonderful time together. Girl can't help but like boy even more.  Girl thinks that boy likes her too, but can never quite be fully sure because in some respects, boy is quite different to other boys she's known. However girl and boy are together for the whole festival and share a tent. Girl and boy have lots of cuddles. Boy and girl leave festival. Girl bottles out of talking about how she feels. Girl hugs boy and waves him off at train station without making a plan to see him again. Later on girl wishes she hadn't bottled things. Three days later girl is waiting and hoping for boy to get in touch, but has this feeling that boy is hiding. Girl misses boy and hopes she's proved wrong.

Home again, home again, jiggedy jig!

Amazingly my two years in Ecuador are over and I'm back in Norfolk once more. I arrived home early on Friday morning and was greeted by both Mum and Dad at Heathrow. I think I'm currently dealing with reverse culture shock! I am remembering that I don't need to worry if paying with a '20' that the establishment will have enough change. I'm also remembering to drive on the left hand side of the road now!

I have to be honest it feels quite strange to be living in my parent's house, even though I know it's for a relatively short amount of time, only a couple of months. I also got very sad on Sunday when it started to sink in that I've left Ecuador. Although it's looking hopeful that I may have some house sitting to do over the summer!

On my last night, a friend commented on how strange she found it that I was sad to leave, as she always just looks forwards to the next adventure. However I am sad - I have had the most amazing life and freedom in Ecuador. I've been able to do exactly as I please outside of work and I've made some amazing friends - who I really will miss.

I will miss opening my curtains and looking out at the mountains everyday; being constantly reminded of the fact that I am living a different life in a different country. 

On the other hand I do have much to look forward to here, starting with Latitude on Thursday!

I also have wonderful friends here and caught up with quite a few people yesterday afternoon - I laughed a lot. It was also very clear that I have been missed.