Saturday morning, its 6am and I have been in Chicago for four days now... and somehow I am already looking up hospitals in downtown Chicago. Should I go to the ER hospital? Would Noah Wyle or that hot Croatian doctor be there? I try to make myself laugh and I pick myself and grab a cab to the North Western Medical Hospital's ER. During my trip and ever since I've gotten back my health has not been normal and Saturday morning things got bad. On my drive over to Chicago, my rental car got sandwiched between three tractor trailers that refused to let me merge and I took out an orange cone, smashing my side view mirror. When I arrived in Chicago, I was informed that the apartment I was hoping to move into had a squatter and that she "should" move out over the weekend after she'd trashed the entire apartment. Another student from my school has been extremely kind and generous and offered up her couch for me while I run around searching for alternate apartments. Unfortunately, the day after she leaves, I get pain in my abdominal area, bleed staggering amounts and I panic and run to the emergency room in tears. Thank goodness I held onto my old health insurance.
"Your blood count and all our inspections say that you're actually in excellent health. We're going to discharge you. You've been doing the right thing, you had your checkup in NY, we're glad you have another appointment in Chicago. We don't really know what's wrong but unfortunately there's no magic bullet for your symptoms. Go home and rest." I've run from doctor to doctor and have had lots of blood drawn in the last few weeks but nobody really knows the exact problem but they all agree something is wrong. GREAT. I ponder whether I shouldn't have taken my trip that probably caused my problems... but despite it all, I wouldn't have traded the experience and places I went to for anything in the world. This too shall pass! I randomly mutter to myself in the ER as I simply think about Greece while waiting for my lab results.
For some reason, although I tend to nap often, I am actually doing rather well other than my panic attack on Saturday. My doctors and I are surprised my lab results and general health have been so good despite my symptoms. By Sunday, the stress starts to subside as I receive many offers from potential roommates trying to help me out in my situation AND I am informed that the squatter has moved out. I HAVE A HOME! I gleefully rejoice as I move into a beautiful but dirty apartment with many room and lots of sunlight. My credit card covers my smashed side view mirror and after passing out for most of Saturday--my symptoms are a little better and I am feeling better. I meet another doctor on Monday and get more tests done. At least I'm in the hands of professionals in the US and not in Central Turkey with my problems.
I wish I had a more insightful and detailed post to write about my time in Chicago. But with graduate school starting and a mountain of work, cleaning, unpacking to do I seriously can't think of much right now. Off the top of my head... the produce isn't very fresh and its expensive as is gas. The people are incredibly kind and happy looking, although not as thin or fashionable as it is in pockets of NY. Housing prices aren't that cheap but you get more for your buck, so I guess its like living in Brooklyn. The public transportation system is ok, but the transit card fare system is a wee bit confusing and the buses are more reliable than the EL. People are die-hard sports fans and the population is more Caucasian/Black and less mixed as it in NY. Much of the Caucasian population looks like it should be in a J Crew, Abrecombie and Fitch catalog--I see lots of natural blonds and blue eyes. Despite the higher Caucasian/Black mixture, there are surprising pockets are ethnicity everywhere and I've already discovered the Latino, Greek, Korean, Ukrainian, Japanese and Chinese areas. Finding hearty southern Italian food in Chicago isn't so hard and its pretty good. Cabs aren't as easily recognizable on the streets but they're pretty easy to hail and aren't too expensive to take. Bicycling is very popular and many people opt to bike to work/school as opposed to take the El. Eating out in Chicago is only a little cheaper than in NY but seafood doesn't look so hot. Its probably time to embrace my inner carnivore and enjoy the beef.
Running around meeting a million people in my quest for backup apartments, I get to know the streets and neighborhoods rather well. Its not as easy to navigate without numbered streets but once I get used to it, I find the main streets really go on for miles and miles. In the end, I am terribly glad that I chose Chicago as opposed to a school in the country side. I needed to leave NY, but no matter what I am a city girl at heart and so far... I am very happy. Now to get healthy and gather the strength to tackle grad school. I have been going to orientation and I am seriously starting to worry about the intensity of my program. I hope I regain the energy and enthusiasm as some of my fresher, healthier and smarter seeming future classmates.
8/21/2007
8/17/2007
My Nephew Eli
I am in Chicago, trying to secure a place. Its very busy like usual and much is happening. Let's just say I am extremely lucky and gaining off of the kindness of strangers....often and again. I will update my blog but in the mean time. Take a look at my nephew Eli, photos courtesy of yours truly. I arrived back in NY to find out... he's ADORABLE, glad I got to take photos before I ran off.
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8/09/2007
Love hate relationship
The sad things about being back in NYC, is that I can't help but continue to feel like the scum of the earth. Here some women are proud that their diets consist of yogurt, cigarettes, sashimi and cocaine and the expectation to be posh, well dressed, in the know, in the game and impossibly thin is extremely high. A million out of towners come to this city yearning for something different, to achieve a dream, to make it big and gain money, wealth, power, status, sex. In our quest to make it somewhere, many will work very very hard to capture a glimmer of their dreams, others will crow their inflated abilities, ride other people's coat tails, back stab, betray, use and abuse innocent people. New York will grant many their wish but it will break many more people. In the process of abusing ourselves, abusing others and desperately grasping for our dreams, we try to grasp for things in as stylish and posh a manner as possible. The white-collar television, movie lifestyle that the public sees is mostly fiction and life in NYC can have its moments when the people and the city itself will kick you in the stomach. On the other hand, there are days when the unbelievable happens, your dreams come true, you gain opportunities you could never dream, or your idol stands right next to you--which makes living here so worthwhile. Simply being in a place with so much colorful histories, stories, famous luminaries also makes us proud. Most people here pay exorbitant rents, put up with the lack of privacy, lack of peace and quiet, lack of fresh air, lack of space and neighborhood feel in return for easy access to some of the best art, music, food, opportunities in the world. You can be very alone in a crowded subway train which is reassuring at times and bitterly lonesome.
In a city of millions strangers with our soaring sky scrapers you believe in the power of human desire and imagination. Our own personal Mt. Everest to conquer is in the shape of an office building, concert hall, art museum, stadium, etc. You believe, because you have put up with the abuse and been part of that hike up our man-made Mt. Everest that you are now special. I AM A NEW YORKER! You tell the world and you sort of expect everybody to be impressed. After traveling the world I know for sure now, a lot of people outside of NY and America don't really care. In Istanbul, they welcomed me to paradise as I walked around blue fountains and lush parks near the Blue Mosque. In Beijing, a proud people showed me their imperial city and the remains of a 4000 year civilization as they ambitiously rip their country apart environmentally to reinstate their past glories on the world stage. In Kapadokya, they scoffed at our 200 year old history as they showed me 1000 year old buildings and took me to see the whirling dervishes dance in a trance for spiritual development. In Italy, life varies from angry and vibrant in Naples, refined and elegant in Florence, proud and sturdy of history and religion in Rome; and in all three cities food is enjoyed with gusto and patience, families are important and warmth can be felt in people. In St. Petersburg, you see buildings of immense wealth, beauty and power that once was, while in Moscow, an extremely popular Putin pushes to bring back Russia to its former world power status. In Iceland, nature crushes you down with giant glaciers, cliffs, volcanoes, waterfalls and geysers that majestically rebuff any human developments as the cold wind beats against your face. Having lived in NY, you always believed that you are the center of the world, that you are important because New York has so much, beats you up, makes you stronger and because you have been here. But in reality, in the continuum of time, space, people and nature New York is simply a cock-sure, immature, 20 something year old in a world of mature adults. I love New York, for all that it is, but I also hate it from the bottom of my heart sometimes because now I know for sure that there is life worth living outside of this tiny island.
In a city of millions strangers with our soaring sky scrapers you believe in the power of human desire and imagination. Our own personal Mt. Everest to conquer is in the shape of an office building, concert hall, art museum, stadium, etc. You believe, because you have put up with the abuse and been part of that hike up our man-made Mt. Everest that you are now special. I AM A NEW YORKER! You tell the world and you sort of expect everybody to be impressed. After traveling the world I know for sure now, a lot of people outside of NY and America don't really care. In Istanbul, they welcomed me to paradise as I walked around blue fountains and lush parks near the Blue Mosque. In Beijing, a proud people showed me their imperial city and the remains of a 4000 year civilization as they ambitiously rip their country apart environmentally to reinstate their past glories on the world stage. In Kapadokya, they scoffed at our 200 year old history as they showed me 1000 year old buildings and took me to see the whirling dervishes dance in a trance for spiritual development. In Italy, life varies from angry and vibrant in Naples, refined and elegant in Florence, proud and sturdy of history and religion in Rome; and in all three cities food is enjoyed with gusto and patience, families are important and warmth can be felt in people. In St. Petersburg, you see buildings of immense wealth, beauty and power that once was, while in Moscow, an extremely popular Putin pushes to bring back Russia to its former world power status. In Iceland, nature crushes you down with giant glaciers, cliffs, volcanoes, waterfalls and geysers that majestically rebuff any human developments as the cold wind beats against your face. Having lived in NY, you always believed that you are the center of the world, that you are important because New York has so much, beats you up, makes you stronger and because you have been here. But in reality, in the continuum of time, space, people and nature New York is simply a cock-sure, immature, 20 something year old in a world of mature adults. I love New York, for all that it is, but I also hate it from the bottom of my heart sometimes because now I know for sure that there is life worth living outside of this tiny island.
8/06/2007
My new nephew
My big sister looks much more relaxed now that she's a mother and not waiting to burst. I fed and burped my new nephew and found that singing to him makes him pass out, even when he's eating. Very soft skin.
photos of iceland continued
Puffins running on water as they run away from our boats.
Puffins on our house.
Thingvalier valley. Where the vikings used to meet and make governmental decisions. When Iceland got its independence from Norway, the people assembled here and reinstated their government and the importance of their location.
Vally again. She seemed to be doing very well living life back in Iceland after 13? years in America.
Lava formations that went on for miles around the volcanos.
Black pebble beach again.
The elephant rock in perspective. The field in Westman islands is actually location where a crazy music festival/drunken party takes place every year with tents and lots of liquor. When women want to see how much their men have drunk, they take them to the elephant rock and ask them how many elephants are drinking the water.
Water refinery of Iceland. Mineral water comes from the taps and as the hot water in the taps are heated by volcanic steam, often times the hot water smells of sulfer when you shower.
Puffins running over the water.
Blue lagoon waters. This one was unheated.
Birds and their nests. Early economy of Iceland contained wool products and collecting bird feathers for blankets and other items. As a result of this tradition, many fishing villages had houses that aimed to house birds. Some of these birds would terrorize me though as I drove and walked around and I was worried about white rain from above as they squaked and flew above my head. Moments from the birds flashed in my mind as I ran away from the birds.
Black pebble beach in Snafelnes peninsula again.
iceland iceland iceland
My guidebook for around the world after this trip. The cover was falling apart, half of the insides were ripped out and by the second to last day of my trip, I was extremely happy to get rid of it. The cover, which people thought was overkill at first was eventually received with gratitude when we would walk around with the page open to the maps. You can't avoid looking like an out of towner but nothing is louder than a great big, LET's GO, 15.95 special price! label.
The horses in iceland. These were direct descendents of the viking horses. They are extremely friendly and follow you around if you start taking photos.
Volcano photo in Westman island again.
Puffin breast meat with berry sauce. This special cost my parents 40 bucks. Iceland is EXPENSIVE. A beer in a regular diner like place is 10 dollars. A fish sandwich could go for 20 bucks. Shopping in Iceland is like shopping in the most expensive frou frou stores and restaurants in NYC on a regular basis. My father and mother ate this with tears in their eyes remembering the cute puffins they looked at earlier. As buddhists though, we cannot bare to not eat something that was killed for us so my mother surprisingly ate all of it despite her weak stomach and mixed emotions. The price tag didn't help either. I couldn't do it so I ordered haddock with almond butter.
your blog is getting boring
About two thirds of my apartment is packed up now and I am now sweating bullets signing up for my school loans. Time to re-enter reality for me. I have one strong candidate set up for room-mate and I am looking up spares right now. I will have one mini-van and must fit everything in somehow and drive to Chicago. In the meantime, I realize I have not posted in ages and people are starting to comment (specially my big sisters). Enjoy photos while I work on packing.
Puffins on Westman island.
Sunset at Snaefelnes peninsula. This was around midnight and I drived around like a maniac trying to capture the sunset. This was the one of those moments when I started to worry that I might get hurt for driving so crazy.
Minerals in the water create blue waters that spring up in random areas. There are numerous hot springs throughout the country but some of them are actually burning hot so you need to jump in with caution. Swimming pools in all the towns use hotwater heated by volcanic steam and for about 5 dollars you can swim in the pools, jump into hotpots of various degrees of heat, and steam and sweat in steam rooms and saunas.
Puffins in Westman islands. Located at the most southern island of Iceland the town was once the thriving center of the icelandic fishing industry. After a volcanic eruption in the 70s the people population has been falling as the fishing industry has also been slowing down. The puffin population however, is extremely big and you can get very close to the puffins on this island. Because of all the active volcanos on the island, Iceland is actually growing bigger, not smaller. Its also a geological hotspot where you can almost study the history of the earth with all of its nature intact. Puffins find their partners and live together for life. They also live deep in holes in the ground and actually build their bathrooms within their tunnels. As a result the land around where they live is clean.
The golden rainbow falls. When the sun is out, all the reflections and water works together to create several rainbows. It was pretty cloudy when I was there so I didn't get to see the waterfalls, but the size of these falls feel like niagra falls but a little smaller and completely less developed. Several companies had tried to turn the falls into powerplants but numerous companies either failed or were rebuffed by a strong willed farmer's daughter who swore to throw herself into the waterfall if they tried to build things. In the end, her protection of the falls allowed it to remain un-scathed and become part of the national park. Part of the Golden Circle in southern Iceland.
The strong willed farmer's daughter, casting a stern look at the water falls.
A tremendous elephant shaped cliff in the Westman islands.
Underneath this hill there was half of a town. The volcano eruption in the 70s hit the Westman island's by surprise, but nobody was lost in the eruption.
My mother and father at the blue lagoon. The lagoon itself is man-made leftover water from a factory next to the lagoon. When we got there we were amazed to see how nice the facilities were with spas, saunas, steam rooms, mineral masks and nice relaxation rooms at the lagoon. Apparantly these are very recent developments and initially the blue lagoon was just a random pool of water where they locals would change in their cars, hop in, and swim about. Now you pay an entrance fee, get lovely mineral mud masks and lotions and can get hot showers on the premises.
My former co-worker and friend Vally. I don't think she ever expected someone she knew from the NY to come by and visit her. Vally was extremely kind and helpful to me in helping me get rid of my rental car and answered alot of my questions about life in Iceland. An interesting fact is that Icelander's actually don't have last names. Their lastnames are actually icelandic equivalents of daughter of "father's name", or son of "father's name". As a result the telephone books list your name by your first name. The lord of the rings and their entire, son of so and so references suddenly make sense by visiting the land of the vikings in Iceland.
Every day there are 150 earthquakes in Iceland. As a result, all the houses need to go through extremely tough stringent housing regulations. Each house has steel rods going both vertically and horizontally each way, surrounded by concrete and has additional steel supports going on the outside. A rippled sheet metal also covers the outside of the houses to prevent corrosion. There is no such thing as bribing building inspectors to overlook bad construction as if a house goes down, the building inspector is responsible for paying for the reconstruction too. As a result, the houses are practically steel cages and very tough against the rough lands of Iceland.
Hotsprings tend to spring up in random places.
Sunset in Snaefelnes peninsula.
The volcanic crater on Westmand island. It was really steep. Once again, you can't tell how steep it was until you actually climb it with a camera and slippery shoes. The stones were also still warm up here.
Geysir eruption in the Goldern Circle area. There were two geysirs in this location but the big one only blew up every four hours. Since I wasn't aywhere near the big one to explode, here's a picture of the smaller one that blew every 15 minutes. Apparantly this geysir wasn't working for a while because visitors used to throw stones in, trying to force the water to erupt. When they did it too many times, the hole was filled up and it took a big volcanic eruption for the geysirs to regain their abilities. The tourism board is reconsidering pulling in their volcano drills in order clear up all the debris that remains in the geysirs.
caves off the cliffs of westman island. On the entrance of these caves, several sea birds had made their homes and you needed to make sure you looked up with your mouth closed and your hands prepared, lest you get a lovely gift from up above.
Icelandic landscape from my airplane window.
Puffins on Westman island.
Sunset at Snaefelnes peninsula. This was around midnight and I drived around like a maniac trying to capture the sunset. This was the one of those moments when I started to worry that I might get hurt for driving so crazy.
Minerals in the water create blue waters that spring up in random areas. There are numerous hot springs throughout the country but some of them are actually burning hot so you need to jump in with caution. Swimming pools in all the towns use hotwater heated by volcanic steam and for about 5 dollars you can swim in the pools, jump into hotpots of various degrees of heat, and steam and sweat in steam rooms and saunas.
Puffins in Westman islands. Located at the most southern island of Iceland the town was once the thriving center of the icelandic fishing industry. After a volcanic eruption in the 70s the people population has been falling as the fishing industry has also been slowing down. The puffin population however, is extremely big and you can get very close to the puffins on this island. Because of all the active volcanos on the island, Iceland is actually growing bigger, not smaller. Its also a geological hotspot where you can almost study the history of the earth with all of its nature intact. Puffins find their partners and live together for life. They also live deep in holes in the ground and actually build their bathrooms within their tunnels. As a result the land around where they live is clean.
The golden rainbow falls. When the sun is out, all the reflections and water works together to create several rainbows. It was pretty cloudy when I was there so I didn't get to see the waterfalls, but the size of these falls feel like niagra falls but a little smaller and completely less developed. Several companies had tried to turn the falls into powerplants but numerous companies either failed or were rebuffed by a strong willed farmer's daughter who swore to throw herself into the waterfall if they tried to build things. In the end, her protection of the falls allowed it to remain un-scathed and become part of the national park. Part of the Golden Circle in southern Iceland.
The strong willed farmer's daughter, casting a stern look at the water falls.
A tremendous elephant shaped cliff in the Westman islands.
Underneath this hill there was half of a town. The volcano eruption in the 70s hit the Westman island's by surprise, but nobody was lost in the eruption.
My mother and father at the blue lagoon. The lagoon itself is man-made leftover water from a factory next to the lagoon. When we got there we were amazed to see how nice the facilities were with spas, saunas, steam rooms, mineral masks and nice relaxation rooms at the lagoon. Apparantly these are very recent developments and initially the blue lagoon was just a random pool of water where they locals would change in their cars, hop in, and swim about. Now you pay an entrance fee, get lovely mineral mud masks and lotions and can get hot showers on the premises.
My former co-worker and friend Vally. I don't think she ever expected someone she knew from the NY to come by and visit her. Vally was extremely kind and helpful to me in helping me get rid of my rental car and answered alot of my questions about life in Iceland. An interesting fact is that Icelander's actually don't have last names. Their lastnames are actually icelandic equivalents of daughter of "father's name", or son of "father's name". As a result the telephone books list your name by your first name. The lord of the rings and their entire, son of so and so references suddenly make sense by visiting the land of the vikings in Iceland.
Every day there are 150 earthquakes in Iceland. As a result, all the houses need to go through extremely tough stringent housing regulations. Each house has steel rods going both vertically and horizontally each way, surrounded by concrete and has additional steel supports going on the outside. A rippled sheet metal also covers the outside of the houses to prevent corrosion. There is no such thing as bribing building inspectors to overlook bad construction as if a house goes down, the building inspector is responsible for paying for the reconstruction too. As a result, the houses are practically steel cages and very tough against the rough lands of Iceland.
Hotsprings tend to spring up in random places.
Sunset in Snaefelnes peninsula.
The volcanic crater on Westmand island. It was really steep. Once again, you can't tell how steep it was until you actually climb it with a camera and slippery shoes. The stones were also still warm up here.
Geysir eruption in the Goldern Circle area. There were two geysirs in this location but the big one only blew up every four hours. Since I wasn't aywhere near the big one to explode, here's a picture of the smaller one that blew every 15 minutes. Apparantly this geysir wasn't working for a while because visitors used to throw stones in, trying to force the water to erupt. When they did it too many times, the hole was filled up and it took a big volcanic eruption for the geysirs to regain their abilities. The tourism board is reconsidering pulling in their volcano drills in order clear up all the debris that remains in the geysirs.
caves off the cliffs of westman island. On the entrance of these caves, several sea birds had made their homes and you needed to make sure you looked up with your mouth closed and your hands prepared, lest you get a lovely gift from up above.
Icelandic landscape from my airplane window.
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