Athens Favorites...Goodbye!

I will admit that living in Athens has been challenging, but there is always a silver lining to adverse situations. As I bid farewell to life in Athens here are a few of my favorite things:

1.) My man! I met Charlie in Athens and the best part of leaving Athens is that he is coming with me. He certainly made my time in Georgia sweeter and more bearable.

2.) Earth Fare--the organic food market that I frequented often. I may be parsimonious when it comes to materialistic items, but when it comes to good food I do not skimp. Earth Fare proudly advertises a list of banned food items: any food item containing high-fructose corn syrup, added trans fats, and artificial colors or sweeteners (just to name a few) never makes it on the shelf. In addition to offering healthy food options, it is a great place to grab a fresh cooked meal and free internet.

3.) Rubbersoul Yoga studio--this was the location where the negative energy was beautifully transformed into positive and compassionate energy. I taught many yoga classes here, developed and challenged my yogic philosophy through the adventure club, and enjoyed yogic bliss in shavasana.

4.) Coffee shops--Athens has a solid cafe culture and I watched it grow and change throughout my time in Athens. There is something about being around other studious people that motivates me to do work (osmosis?!), hence a lot of my time was spent at cafes. There were three in particular where I was a "regular" (especially as I studied and prepared for comprehensive exams): Walker's Coffee & Pub, (see photo at the top of this entry), Jittery Joe's, and Espresso Royale (see photo to right).

5.) Eats--Athens has a great restaurant scene, even for us veggie heads. We LOVE the GRIT, a locally owned vegetarian restaurant with the best cup of dal. We LOVE Ike n Jane's Cafe & Bakery where you can buy a super sweet Southern treat...red velvet donuts (see photo to right). But, Ike & Jane's is probably most known for their "Elvis Presley" donuts: peanut butter glaze topped with banana slices and crispy strips of bacon. Our favorite take-away spot was Dondero's Kitchen, a locally owned eatery serving up international dishes and delicious sesame noodles. The White Tiger Gourmet, "food without a 'tude", was our favorite lunch spot where the portabella mushroom sandwich and the grilled broccoli and asparagus never disappointed.

6.) UGA international offerings--I never would have imagined that my time in Georgia would have opened the door to so many international experiences. Travel to Costa Rica, South Africa, and Oxford, England was coupled with professional growth and opportunities in the field of international education as I chaperoned and taught students how to travel with a good conscious. My time at UGA ended on a high note as I conducted research on the international dimension of higher education while working for the coolest boss ever. (See photo of Jane, my boss--to right--cutting my going away carrot cake, yum, from one of my favorites, the Grit).

Some Like it HOT!

One month in Athens, GA in the heat of the summer...never again will I sign up for this again. (Wow, that feels so good to say!) I have learned that heat index indicates what the temperature outside (with humidity) really feels like. These days it is a rarity for the heat index to be less than three numbers long; it normally hovers around 100-108. As soon as I walk outside, no matter the time of day, I immediately break into a sweat and then I freeze in the air-conditioned buildings! The heat is just too much, so most of our time is spent inside (me wrapped up in scarfs and sweaters) hibernating from the intense and oppressive heat. It is a strange way to live; I have always known summertime as a season to be outside playing in the sunshine. Living in Athens, GA has been an experience all around...

Life in Athens in July

Only one more month living in Athens, GA. Woohoo! From July 6 to August 5, Charlie and I are living in downtown Athens in a small one-bedroom apartment (approximately 500 square feet). Charlie moved into the apartment in May (see photos...four windows above Moonshine Bar and A1's Italian Beef). We love living downtown, despite living on top of an 18-years and older bar, where the music thumps deeply into our floors making our bed vibrate from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. almost every night. Nothing better than ear plugs! Charlie especially loves the 5 a.m. wake up call when the leaf blower dude comes through every morning. With all of that being said, we do love being right in the middle of the action and walking everywhere (and the pandemonium below us becomes white noise at some point).

My time in July has been filled with work, yoga, and details for the BIG move. I finally finished up grading papers from the South African study abroad course (ah!). At Rubbersoul studio, I teach two yoga classes every week. In addition, I work at the Office of International Education conducting research 25 hours/week. I really love this job and my boss; which will make leaving a little sad.

Prepping for a move abroad always comes with many little nuts and bolts, here are a few of the details:

• Shop around and purchase one-way airline tickets to Finland (woohoo!)
• Submit travel reports to Fulbright and American-Scandinavian Foundation for grant payment
• Transfer my prescription to the Fulbright health insurance plan
• Schedule and go to dental appointments for two fillings and a cleaning
• Work with banks to process wire transfers for grants (both Fulbright and American-Scandinavian Foundation)
• Sell my mountain bike to Ben's Bikes
• Begin packing for Finland and our trip to Colorado (see photo of Charlie--planking and packing!)

A Weekend in Asheville!

Asheville, NC is said to be a Southern town similar to Boulder, CO. Charlie booked a weekend in the French Broad River Log Cabin in the Appalachian mountains, not too far away from Asheville. On Saturday, Charlie and I went into Asheville and explored the funky mountain town. We ate an amazing breakfast at Tupelo Honey Cafe (where they serve you a buttermilk biscuit before your large plate of breakfast arrives) and stumbled into a live benefit concert for the homeless. Then, I was enamored with the idea of walking to the newly refurbished river arts district and Charlie entertained the idea, so we began walking, walking... and walking. Finally, we kindly stopped a family walking the opposite direction and when we asked how far the river was...they looked at us very strangely and said, "No, you are not close at all." Much to my chagrin and Charlie's coy "I told you so look", we turned around. Oh well, at least we went for a little walk (or shall I say BIG walk).

Saturday night my little kid brother drove in from Charlotte, NC to meet us and go rafting (or shall I say floating) on the French Broad River. Being on the water was great! My brother and I realized that we are rather spoiled, because the rafting in Colorado is perhaps some of the best (and most challenging) rapids in the nation. So, while the class three rapids on the French Broad were fun, they did not activate the adrenalin.

Monday, Charlie and I toured the grand Biltmore estate, complete with wine tasting and a walk through the incredible gardens. The history of the largest house in the U.S. is pretty amazing, George Vanderbilt (one of the wealthiest dudes in the U.S. in the late 19th century) commissioned architect Richard Morris Hunt to design the house modeled on the three châteaux built in 16th-century France. Two rooms in the house stood out: 1.) the two-tiered dark wood paneled library was to die for (both Charlie and I experienced love at first sight as we sauntered into the posh library) and 2.) the eccentric banquet hall (dining room) laden with flags from the thirteen colonies, family crests, Flemish tapestries from the 16th century, wood carvings, and a grandiose dining table (seating up to 64 people) was one of the most miss-matched rooms I have laid my eyes upon. Come to find out, Mr. Vanderbilt was said to be one of the most well-read individuals of his time. So, it is understandable why the library was built with such beauty and intention and for the banquet hall, well every eccentric piece in that hall was based upon Vanderbilt's deep cultural capital. For example, the wood carvings were from his favorite opera.

Charlie and I finished up our long weekend trip with tea at the Dobra Teahouse in Asheville. Back to Athens...

**Boo, I forgot my camera on this trip, hence the reason there are no candid or actions shots.

Delta: Total Suckage

Remember a few blog posts earlier when I reported that my entire airplane reservation home (from Cape Town) was canceled? Well, I have finally received more information from Delta on how it all happened. After emailing with Delta nine times (no joke) and speaking to a Customer Care representative on the phone it has been confirmed that Delta is at fault on this one (suckers!)…

Here is an excerpt from an email from Delta Customer Care:
"After reviewing all of our information, we have discovered our Reservations agent made a mistake. She was speaking with another customer who was requesting to cancel their flight and was accidentally working in the wrong passenger record. She was in your record and canceled your flight segment instead of the actual customer she was speaking with at the time. Again, I am so sorry for the anxiety this created for you at the airport."

They appeased me with 30,000 miles, a $250 travel voucher, and a one-day lounge pass, but I am still chagrined as to how their customer service sucks and how I had to "work" to be compensated for their mess-up. Honestly, I expect more from Delta. Since living in Georgia I placed all of my airline loyalty with Delta, partly because Delta has a monopoly on the airline business in Atlanta. I even hooked up with a Delta credit card to facilitate racking up miles. This past year I flew 25,000 miles over a period of twelve-months. One week after my canceled reservation fiasco in Cape Town I received an email, “Congratulations and welcome to Silver Medallion® status!” Nice, now I can forgo queues and if I am lucky get bumped to first class. But, all of this loyalty got me nowhere when it came to discussing the canceled reservation situation with Delta customer care.

This past week I have been trying hard to rediscover adoration for Delta; which brings me back to the Costa Rica trip. After volunteering to get bumped off of the flight home, Delta gave us $600 travel vouchers and put us up in an all-inclusive beach resort. In this case the customer care we received was amazing (of course it was…we got a free flight out of it). I love you, Delta. But, damn, after this experience…you suck, Delta.

Residence Permit with NO smile

My residence permit for Finland came in the mail today! We need a permit because we are staying in Finland longer than three months. Applying for a visa is detailed and they say it takes up to 60 days to process. You need to apply with all of the proper paperwork (proof of insurance, proof of student/work status, proof of finances, and passport photos with NO smiles) and then you have to drop $560 (an expense that Fulbright does not pay for). Luckily, I was able to send in my application before leaving for South Africa. But, Charlie did not receive his work contract until late May, so now we are waiting (patiently) for his residence permit. Ah...the details of moving abroad.

Travel Statistics: 23,609 miles (plus)...

Last year, I blogged about my travel stats after the 2010 Cape Town-European adventure and many of you said that it made for an interesting way to sum up two months of travel. So, here is another statistical summary! Taking the time to reflect back on my travels and experiences in a quantifiable manner is rather fun. Yep, I am a geek like that.

Here are my travel stats from this big trip:

(150) hours of grading papers and blue books (ugh!)

(53) days out of Athens, Georgia

(16) dropped Skype calls (with Charlie)

(7) weeks out of the motherland (U.S.)

(7) visits to the Schiphol Amsterdam international airport (how I love, thee)

(7) Airplanes= 22,559 miles
Atlanta to Amsterdam: 4,401 miles
Amsterdam to Cape Town: 5,997 miles
Cape Town to Amsterdam: 5,997 miles
Amsterdam to Budapest: 727 miles
Budapest to Amsterdam: 727 miles
Amsterdam to Chicago: 4,120 miles
Chicago to Atlanta: 590 miles

(4) Trains= 450 miles
Amsterdam to Sneek: 84 miles
Sneek to Amsterdam: 84 miles
Amsterdam to Brussels: 141
Brussels to Amsterdam: 141

(4) Countries: South Africa, Belgium, Hungary & Netherlands

(4) weeks of illin' (coughing, sore throat, congestion...ick!)

(3) Metro Systems: Budapest, Brussels & Chicago

(1) Bad-Ass Safari Truck: 600 miles
Garden Route, South Africa

(1) canceled airline reservation (FML!)