huts in mountains, chairs at airports

Oh my god...have I just had the craziest time. I lived on a farm and picked olives and weeded gardens, drank wine and the farmer did an in depth horoscope for me, I lived halfway up a mountain on the same range but the other side of the Sierra Nevada. Money ran out....
I lived in an airport for the weekend and a day, perfected the art of sleeping on a chair leaning over a table...I can't even get into it right now, I am so much in shock and I am just exhausted, will post again soon (and don't even start with me Ben, it will be longer) and explain it all. But, right now, I am in the UK staying with my step uncle, some of you may remember him from awhile back, he is married now and has the most adorable boxer named Ozzie. I will ....get ready more plans (Please Note [if you haven't already, in which case you must be a tad slow or I just haven't been explaining things right] : My plans don't always go as planned...har har har) .....stay here until Christmas, go to Sebastian and his family for Christmas, then _______________ until the middle of january and then HOPEFULLY will be working in Germany at a l'Arche there.
As I said though, may not go like that, but that is what I have to put in front of myself for right now so that I don't go absolutely insane.
Viva la Jenni

a new way of life

Hey loves,

Just trying to kill some time here. We are slooooowly trying to prepare ourselves to take the looong walk grab our bags from the train station and bring them back to the hotel (that we believe is run by gypsies). We are still sick, but on the mend. Currently in Granada. The city that smells like exhaust, and the streeets are so confusing!! I think we have been lost 4 times already and it is just getting to 24 hours that we have been here. Whatever, all adventures!!
A super sweet French waiter and his French flatmate took us in for the night. The roomie was out drinking, but the waiter and Gen and I all stayed in and chatted. It was cool. We made dinner and drank tea in a small Spanish apartment, a kilometer from British territory with a French man. Weird stuff. The roommate woke me up at 4am by putting a blanket over me and so we had a beer together. He was really interesting. He was an engineer in France and just quit his job and moved to Spain and works as a waiter at a really nice restaurant in Gibraltar. They told us to let them know when we were in the area again....haha...
Little do they know...we have an opportunity to go to Morraco with a man who is doing a documentary on traditional storytelling. We are looking into it further, but I think it would be a great experience!
Well, I love you all, but I am starving and I´m gonna go get some cervasas and tapas!!

Viva la Jenni

Spain and Gibraltar...

I am in Gibraltar right now. Weird place. Really weird. We walked from Spain to the UK last night...good times. We slept outside on the beach and it got sooo damned cold. We were snuggled up to each other wearing all the clothes we could possibly fit on ourselves and it was still FREEZING. We kept waking up and wanting to cry. It was terrible. One time it was not the cold, nor the bugs, nor the uncomfortable ground that woke us up but the cops. Ha ha, was weird, they just asked if we were sleeping. Which we clearly were by the dazed looks on our faces and the fact that we had to take off the fabric we wrapped over our faces to protect us from the bugs.
"Yes, we were sleeping" we reply.
"Have you girls seen anyone?" .... we were SLEEPING!!!
"No"
"Okay"
And they walk away. The people here all look at us as if we are morons for even being here. We are both sick right now with bad colds and exhausted from carrying our heavy backpacks for so long ALL OVER the place.

In Seville we had a good time though. Lots of drinking and laughing. Met a really cool sweet Irish guy named Brendan. He studied philosophy for 6 years and was SO DAMN funny, mostly we were laughing at his crazy drunken comments. So we all roamed around and then some weird and clingy guys from Argentina were trying to get us to go to all kinds of bars and dance clubs with us and calling us enchanting and it was so strange. Finally we got away from them and the three of us drank together until 7am.
I saw Flamenco. It was great. I loved it!! The women are so beautiful and strong. Of course I decided while I was watching it that I wanted to stay in Seville and learn Flamenco and live the rest of my life doing shows in nice old theatres...but that faded fast.

Well I am totally spaced from reality. Over tired, over heated, hungry and sick. I love you all, hope you are taking care of yourselves!!

Viva la Jenni

Here I go again

Okay friends, fans and minions, only half an hour and then I am jumping in a car and being brought to the airport. My chest feels as Ben's might have when the weight fell on him. I am realizing that while I thought I like to fly, what I like really, is to look back on my successful flight adventures with fondness. I am not SCARED of flying, oh no, just scared of crashing.
My packing adventures, too tedious to actually describe to you all, trust me, have killed my spirits completely. WHAT THE HELL!! So, the site where I bought my ticket says '10kg' carry on luggage, the airport site says '8kg' carry on luggage. I found this out 20 mins ago. Shoot me now. I have probably invested HOURS of my life weighing my damned luggage, and finally I found a combination of my possessions that I can NOT live without and it weighs just 4kg over the max, which means 32€. Crap. But whatever, as I said, I can't live without this stuff, so I guess it has to be worth it. AND NOW, I have to add another 16€ to that lovely mix. I am wearing a darling combination of:
two pairs of socks, shoes, jeans, a sun dress, a long skirt, two tank tops, a sweater, my earrings, two necklaces and my glasses (that make me look smart, but will hinder my *bashful eye-batting* "can't you just overlook those few extra kilograms Mr. Strong and Powerful Airport Luggage Checker?"). SO, I am carting around 4kg of extra clothes, hoping to God that I don't get attacked by dogs for smuggling a sundress through security.
20 mins now.
Dear oh dear. I really ought to be doing something productive, like bringing my luggage down, so I am gonna jet.
Remember that I love you all, and everyone take care!!

Viva la Jenni!!

Ja, bitte

l'Arche Germany said "yes"!! Wahoo!! They got the letter of 'Jenn is a wonderful, fabulous, not to mention sooo sooo beautiful assistant' from l'Arche Stratford, and now I have to figure out a way to get to Germany sometime in the fall to visit the community. The visit to the community is really just a formality, as far as I know. Make sure I don't seem like someone who would beat the coremembers or take their pills....which I wouldn't.
Rackin my brain for things to say, nothing comes to mind...
loVAH!

Viva la Jenni

Hola España

Here I sat a few weeks ago, bored out of my mind. Thinking to myself 'this is never gonna end?', etc. And along comes my friend Gen on ye olde internet. We chat, she is traveling through Spain, working on farms, getting fit, tanned and paid more than 60 Euros a week. Jealousy rages through me. But alas, this is a kick ass woman and she deserves it.

Gen, if you don't know her, is a truly seductive being, dark hair, glasses, great mind, wonderful conversations and she has a fine taste for Bailey's on her bed in the attic. We met, at Tim Hortons of all places. We got along right away. Hated our job, our friends were ridiculous, the uniforms were atrocious. But we made the best of our time at work together. Always laughing and really connected. We would leave sexy messages in each other's tip cups and rage about the other's lovely everything. A year or so after we had met, I introduced her to one of my boyfriends. He said, afterwards, that it seemed as though she and I were hypnotized by the other, that the rest of the world seemed to fall away while we talked. She reminds me of warm red wine, dimly lit smokey rooms and classic novels.
SO, that is Gen...I seem to run off on things sometime don't I? Well, anyway, on to the point, then!!

We talked online, I told her how I was going out of my mind with the isolation here, she said she was going crazy with loneliness there. One thing led to another, circumstance met circumstance and now I have a flight to Spain, one way the morning of September 29th. That is the plan. From there it is to our hearts' desires. We will roam the land of Spain, harvesting vegetables, soaking up the sun and drinking to our hearts contents under a Mediterranean sun in the early winter months. Yes, dear friends, fans and minions. Your Queen is leaving her castle, stepping down from her throne, relinquishing her crown. I am leaving Austria!

"But," some may ask "what about the German?"

Never fear, I have applied to l'Arche Germany. They are not welcoming anybody to the community until mid-January, but so far it looks really good. The community from Stratford is sending an letter of reference and the community in Germany seems quite interested in me. Ah, and the best part...If you recall, I mentioned in a previous post while I was traveling in July about a wonderful village I had and how great an experience it was, and I saw the theatre group getting ready for a show in an outside theatre (which is the ruins of a castle apparently)..Well, that happens to be the village where the l'Arche community is!! No kidding. And it is only about an hour away from Sebastian's school, which is also neat. I had to fill out an application form for the community, and I had to do it in GERMAN...Yes, German. It was probably horrible, but I let Sebastian read it and he kindly gave me a B+. Which is more than I expected.

So there you have it. Spain...Germany...My future.

I hope this message pleases his majesty, King of the Bloggin' Nation

Viva la Jenni

don't read this if you expect anything worthwhile

It is storming here. I was supposed to go to Linz to meet a potential friend and have some fun actually having an Austrian social life, but he calls at the last minute and lets me know that some business partners from China just flew in last minute, and he is the only guy in the office who can speak Chinese, so there is NO way that he can get out of it. Whatever. So now, I get to watch the specials on the first two films of Harry Potter and blog my butt off.
There is not much to say since last time.

I have become a neat freak, that is something to say. Maybe not a "freak", but I am a definite fan of the world of tidy. I clean up all the time, whether at Anita's or my room, I am just cleaning cleaning cleaning. I am constantly finding things that need fixing. Oh, there is a spot on the sink, better get that. Hmm, there is a little spot on this floor, better scruby, scrub, scrub. I sometimes realize what I am doing and want to fall over with shock, but the spot has not yet be removed, so there will be no falling of any kind. Typically one would think that this is a step in the right direction, that I am making progress of some kind and now am a real adult. I, on the other hand, am a bit terrified. What happens when all this craziness stops? Will I just be in routine and be able to maintain an orderly lifestyle? Or will I NEVER clean again and live on a huge mountain of clothes, books and yogurt cups? Who knows... Also, I did a personality test............
(cringe, horror! Yes, yes, I hate those dumb things too, screw them right, who can give me a number and tell me who I am!? No one...but I am a seven if you please, and that makes me an "Enthusiast" That is my category. Seriously though, if you have some time ((which you must, because you are reading this, despite my abuse of the parentheseseses?)) check out the Enneagram site, take the test, and then tell me I am a fool if you don't believe it. Clearly it has some broad generalizations that everyone may fit into to, but the other options just were not me as a whole at all, and well, whatever, you will like it or you won't but I do, and for the sake of this post, just trust me) (that is much too much for one sidenote, but read on)
..........for l'arche and it said that when I get into negative moods (depression, anxiety, etc) I will turn into a bit of a perfectionist. So, that may well be it, and I am just using this as therapy. Another trait that I have as an Enthusiastic Seven is that I get into things really hard really fast and then get bored with it really hard and fast (For more informations on this, see most of my 'romantic' relationships).
So maybe it is that... so crap...
Maybe these blogs lately have been a cry for help! Someone rescue me from this life!! I need people!!!! I am sorry people, the blogs will get better again...someday...

computers...friend or foe?

Well, I tried. I really did, the STUPID computer keeps freezing the window that says the picture is being uploaded...or is this normal? I don't know!! I tried to get my pictures of Almegg onto the computer, and I need to have Administrative access or whatever (reading this all in German, remember) so I have to ask Toni to help me. Which is great, cause he is always so damn busy.

Viva la Jenni!

Österreich

Darlings all,

Here from the castle I write you now. I realized it has been a while since I polluted the Blogging enviroment with my garbage, so I will now, in a last ditch effort to entertain myself on a slow Sunday afternoon.

Where to start. My castle is cute. It is not huge and sprawling, but it is amazing nonetheless. I love it. My room is large, 50 meteres square. It has a kitchen in it. I have my own little fridge that I can fill by asking Anita to buy food for me "Whatever you want, I don't know what you like, so just ask, I will get it next time I am shopping.". Lovely. I cook myself chicken all the time, chicken is my favourite. Okay, this is garbage. Who writes crap like this...me I guess...
My castle is cool, I will post pictures soon.

Erm, first I suppose I ought to post pictures of Elsinore. I have kind of been slacking in this department for a reason. This computer is crazy. I will try to though, after I get this lame message out.

Alright, let us do this again, I feel a strange surge of Bloggers' Block coming at me, so I will just spew garbage until things get running fine.
I have to make a general statement that after reading Liam's Blog turned My Life is Hell Journal, I will never work at a YMCA Pool. Ever.
Here is my situation. I live in this really amazing home. It is cool. The family is a sort of celebrity family in the area, everyone knows about the castle and people come by just to look at it through the gates. Which is fine. But the REASON that everyone knows about the castle and the family is because WE are what is going on within a 30km radius. There is NOTHING around me. There are little 2,000 pop. villages scattered around, but no actual people it seems. I have seen no one but the Stare-Master groundskeeper that is remotely close to my age bracket. I am desperately craving some social activity, and this is never good. That is when I start hanging out with losers who are not worth my time.
Oh, something worth noting. I may be helping at a theatre in Lambach(one of those 2,000 pop. villages). After that amazing afternoon in Germany watching that theatre group getting their junk together, I decided to not let anything or anyone get inbetween me and theatre again. So, I asked Toni and Anita the evening I arrived if they knew of any theatres in the general area. They said the whole 'community theatre' scene was not really alive as much in Austria as North America, but they did know a guy who is part of the theatre (I forget how) in Lambach. So they called him and told him I was interested in getting involved. He is calling me when is back from his vacations, which I believe are finished the end of this month! He said I might be helping with costumes, or I may even get a small role. Clearly the idea of being onstage excites me more than the idea of working with sweaty costumes, but either way I will be happy. I looked the theatre on the internet with not much success, though I wasn't trying TOO hard, but what I did find out was, the theatre is "Austria's only surviving monastic theater; its opening performance was in front of Queen Marie Antoinette." Yay!
So that looks promising at least, and then I can meet people who love what I love and speak German. My other social opportunity is my German lessons that also start in September. But this involves a lot of other people who speak German as a second language and I want friends who speak German! Ha ha, well, whatever, I will take what I can get at this point, as long as they are worthy to be my friends of course.
That is my general life. Oh! Ha ha, the kids. The girls, Emma and Flora are sweeties! They fell in love with me right away, which is great. I really like them and it is so fun playing with them, but for small amounts at a time, seriously, kids...I am having second thoughts on the whole being a mother thing. They often fight over who gets my attention, they make messes all the time, they are sometimes sooo bratty to their mom, especially Emma, who is 4 and apparently queen of her own little universe. She barks instructions at little Flora like she is in the army. BUT, I really do adore them. They are good most of the time and I love it when they laugh. Emma and I are teaching eachother about our languages and she already seems to have made some progress.
I am studying my German, the au pairs before me left books behind, I have so many different 'how to learn German' books now, but I finally found one that works. I am taking notes from it like crazy and adding it to the "German for Jennifer" folder that Susan prepared for me. Life is great.

Well lovelies, I am off to do some dishes and watch some movies...fun fun life.

Love you all, miss you all!!

Jenni

My dear and wonderful friends,

I have been writing a journal and when I am in Austria I will copy it all onto the computer and it will be available for the entire blogging nation to read. I haven't written as much as I would like because money quickly became tight, and then suddenly non-existant, so I was not able to go to Cyber Cafes anymore.
Elsinore...when I first saw it, I started crying...well, not really crying but I had tears streaming down my sun kissed cheeks, and I was in heaven. I invested so much emotional and physical energy into events that were supposed to have taken place in that building, and then, there I was, looking across the water at this magnificent part of my life taking shape.
More about it when I have time, but I just LOVED IT! They actually have people who do shows there, of Hamlet, of course. I hade wonderful fantasies of Playmakers! coming to wow the crowds in Helsignor with our talents and skill.

I took pictures of course! Never doubt it. I will also get them on the Blog when I am in Austria....which is MONDAY!!! Crazy....

I love you all, I miss you and dream about you....

Viva la Shakespeare!

onward

I thought I would drop a line into the Blogsphere to let people know that I am still alive, if they even try to read this anymore, I'll never know. I had a kickass past few days, hiking and biking in the crazy rocky and steep forests of Germany. Spending time with Simon, Sebastian, Johannah, Chris, Lukas....all people that no one reading this knows...some of you might be familiar with Simon and Sebastian....don't know why I mentioned that...don't know why I just don't delete it...
Anyway, I am having a great time, and when I get to Austria and find some time, I am going to type up parts of my travel journal thingy so you can all get in on the wonderful world of Jenn. I feel like I am sitting beside my self today, typing is a bit of a pain.

I have dreams about people in Canada. I have hardly had a dream that involved Europe. Most have been about my family, friends or Playmakers!. Oh, beautiful thing yesterday. We were in a small village in the afternoon and we were just walking around, (I love this place, it was sooo beautiful) and we come across an outdoor theatre. It looked to be that crazy time when they all just got to the space they will perform in, you know the time. The techies are running around, the only people who really seem to know what is going on. The actors are flaunting and preening, rehearsing their dance over and over again, some running lines. The man who I assumed to be director was dictating lines to the musicians so they could hear the cues and practise/practice coming in on time, at the same time as doing this he was fielding questions from the actors. It was fun to watch this happen.

Y'know though, it was the most homesick I felt since I left Canada.
It really made me realize that I can run, but I can't hide from theatre! Hahaha, not that I am trying, but I thought sometimes, a break from everything I did would be good. But, it appears the tried and true remain, kicking at my mental doors. I am addicted to the lifestyle of the stage. Not a bad addiction I have to say. But when I saw what was going on, I knew it so well, they all had different faces, but I could see who they were.

Well, in a sweet drop from my emotional ramblings, I need to shower, I am getting out of here today to go to....ha ha, and we are back to Emo girl....

I am going to Elsinore tomorrow people!!!!!!!!!


I can't wait, I just can't believe it! I am so excited!!! To see the real Queen's Closet! What fun. And you know I am sooo excited cause I can think of NOTHING to say that I think is worth saying.

Viva la Jenni

can you like of Paris' love?

Well, I am 'stuck' in Paris until Saturday. Funny. I think in the whole world Paris may be one place I wouldn't mind being stuck in, but right now all I want to do it relax on a beach out of the big city. The trains are all full. No way out. I read about a guy, though, he was stuck in the Paris airport for over 10 years, look it up, it is crazy. Anyway, hopefully we will be out of here Saturday morning.
Last night kind of got crazy! We were in a round small park area that has a huge statue in the middle of it. What the statue represents I don't know, but we were sitting there drinking beer and chatting and a guy came over and started talking to us; And then his friend joined us. I was kind of freaked out but we just took care of my purse well and talked to them. They live together ''but it is no marriage'' and one guy couldn't speak much English at all and the other could a bit. But...and this fascinated me even more than Sebastian, I can speak French fairly well. Of course, my German is pathetic now, trying to get us through all the french stuff for so long, but hey French! The guys were arguing a little, funny stuff, like an old married couple, despite their denials, I thought it was funny. However the whole time I was trying to channel Buffy in case I needed to kick some asses;
Well...we are sort of looking for a way out of Paris, so if anyone has any fancy ideas let me know. Otherwise, take care of yourselves and I love you all!!!

Viva la Jenni

the Netherlands, part one

I am back from the Netherlands...Sebastian, his friend and I went. We had to get on a bus, get on a train, get on a different train, yet another train and then we were there. We went to a cafe called "Nobody's Place" and they ordered their...product and I got a water. It really stunk in there, honestly, I don't understand why or how I ever used to do that sort of thing. Anyway, lots of travelling, was soooo long for something so...well...interesting. There were a lot of cool little shops though, I liked that, and the grocery store was a new adventure for me. Everything and everyone seems so much different, but who knows if I am just making them seem that way because I know I am so far away from home. Anyway, time to iron some clothes!
Viva la Jenni!!

"I'll never eat pizza again, darn Italians!"

So we get to the airport yesterday and it turns out my flight has been delayed by an hour and a half! So, that would fine and I'd deal with it, but Sebastian has a exam at 9am and my flight would be getting in at 7:30am instead of 6am. So I try to call him from the airport but the cell phone won't let us call that far. So I try a pay phone....10$ for one minute...so instead I call my sister and she tries to call him. She can't reach him. So she starts an email account so she can email him. So I get on the plane, depressed cause Germany lost the game and I have no idea if Sebastian will be able to pick me up or not. I told Sara to tell him that I would call when I got in if I couldn't find him when I got there.
So, now the other obstacle...flying. I did love it, I won't lie...but I was fairly terrified the whole time. I wasn't freaking out or anything, but eachtime there was a bump I thought "Well, this is it, damn" fortunately the guy sitting next to me was really nice, a guy from Ottawa going to visit his daughter who had moved to Germany a few years ago. We talked and he explained some stuff that was happening, and even though I knew some stuff was going to happen, it was nice to hear someone saying "Oh, that is normal".
So, I got off the plane, got my passport stamped and found my luggage. Now I was remembering the dreaded customs...how to explain that I had no retrun flight, I had a contract to show that I would be working for a year and all that, but still, what if they didn't believe me. I walked up to the guy who was checking tickets and asking people questions and he just waved me past. Really, I didn't have to do or say anything. It was pretty awesome. But, no Sebastian. So I called him and we decided I would take the train to his city, get a cab and then get into his apartment. So I did! I didn't get lost! It was great!!
So I got to his place and he was in his exam so I had a nap and then when he got home we went for a walk to find me some shower stuff. We bought beer and went for a walk, it started to rain, so we went back to his place and drank some wine and started watching a movie, and talking. Then the sky cleared up and we decided to go for a walk again. That is when it starting storming. We made it under a little opening for a store and then thunder and lightning were crashing around us, water was pouring down the street and we just laughed. "Welcome to Germany".
We waited and then watched the soccer/football game and drank some more bought doner and went back to his place, started watching a movie and then fell asleep.
I woke up this morning and got breakfast in bed! He made fresh fruit and cheese on a plate. So sweet!!
Today his friend asked if we want to go to the The Netherlands for the afternoon. So we are getting on a train and going. Fun stuff.

Well, I won't describe every day with as much detail, just thought I would let you all know I am still alive.

curtain

oh boy

this is gonna be fun, please note that I am extremely exhausted, scared, excited, and my heart feels like a rock and my stomach feels like a tidal wave and I just am going more and more to the south of sanity

I slept for four hours last night, hardly ate today...packed so much, ran up and down stairs, got my hair did, said goodbye to friends and family, and completely lost my mind!
24 hours and I will be in Germany! Yay! I know that tons of people have done this before me and tons will after, but I am still embarking on my own little journey and I feel like the only person in this world that has ever felt like I feel and I want to scream. There is NO way for me to take the nervous energy streaming through my veins away. I feel like I am high on something.

I have been embarking on a fun adventure of "Rescue Remedy" (crediting Allyson and Bren for that) but it isn't making me as lucid as I would like (crediting an overabundance of nerves and chaos for that)

i am trying to make myself stay awake as much as I can so that I just pass out on the plane hope that it works

ha ha ha

Kat is telling me a story now, that should keep me awake for a bit. Squirrels!

I love you guys!! I will miss you all so much! Miss me too!

Sushi...they have it in Europe right?

Well my sweet friends...I must to bed...


And so, good rest.