Airport Blues

Have you ever heard or read or watched anything by Dr. Seuss? The man is silly and wildly creative, yet through all of his abstract characters and rhyming lines, he makes very sound points about life and how to live it. As a kid, I read everything from "Red Fish Blue Fish" to "Green Eggs and Ham", but as an adult, I don't remember too much of what the good doctor had to say. Last night, I came across something I think is a real gem. It is a reading of "Oh the Places You'll Go" done in a musical fashion by a man named Tim Moore.

If you've ever thought about traveling or are thinking about going on any kind of adventure, listen to this with an open heart. I think it is really powerful.

"Oh the Places You'll Go"

Airport Blues

Note: I've uploaded more pictures (08/08)

Weight Changes:

Me: 162lbs -> 149lbs

My Bag: 24lbs -> 31lbs (somehow...)

Dublin, Ireland was great. We ended our trip by taking a twenty-minute train ride to a peninsula northeast of Dublin called Howth. It's rather small and it has several trails that you can follow to walk all over the island. Because we arrived at Howth late in the day, the sun began to set as we began to hike. It was, I think, one of the perfect last memories to have of Ireland- the cliffs, the green hills, and the orange sun beating down on the ocean.

Currently, I'm living out of the Oslo (Rygge) airport. I feel a little bit like Tom Hanks in the movie, The Terminal, but with just a bit less drama in my life. Did you know there is a blog dedicated to reviewing airports for how easy it is to sleep in them? There is: Link.

Today will be my third and final night here. It's been an interesting experience, but luckily Oslo (Rygge) airport is one of the better rated airports for sleeping and staying. It has free WiFi, fast WiFi at that, and access to wall outlets. At night, people pull out floor mats and sleeping bags and basically make camp on the first floor. I was pretty surprised when I saw this- I thought I would have to sleep in the shadows. I've managed to sleep on the second floor these past two nights and I pull a giant advertisement near the corner in which I sleep to block out the light. Luckily, I am able to sleep up here until around 06:30 to 07:00, whereas downstairs, I would have to deal with more traffic and people coming in and out of the airport.

What do I do to kill time?

I've realized that when you're on your own and without a home, this can be very difficult. Having a laptop and the ability to charge it is a big deal. I've listened to a lot of music, done a bit of writing, browsed reddit a bit too much, and taken trips down nostalgia lane to watch my fair share of Johnny Bravo episodes (Whoa, mama!). A lot of my time at the airport has been spent researching future plans and organizing my schedule and how I am going to handle school next semester. It's been a nice break  as well, and I even spent some time learning French and trying to meditate in the lobby of the parking garage.

Don't people ask you to leave?

Surprisingly, no. I haven't been bothered once or told to move, or even really been talked to. But, when you think about it, it kind of makes sense. I don't think I've seen the same person two days in a row (granted I've only been here for three days). Everyone coming in and out of the airport is a fresh face. People fly in, they leave. People wait for a friend's plane to land or drop a family member off so they can make their flight. No one stays, no one comes back for the shopping mall or the restaurant (there aren't any, but just for example's sake). To them, I'm just another dude in the terminal waiting to catch his flight.

What do I eat?
On our last day in Ireland, I bought two loaves of bread for a total of 1600g of food. This cost me 1.5 Euro. I haven't spent any money in Norway, instead, I've only eaten this bread. I refill my water bottle using the bathroom sink, and when we arrived in the airport, they gave us some free chocolate. I eat that, too. Oh, and blueberries from the nearby bushes.

You must get sick of the airport, right?

Heck yes I do. I don't just sit here next to the outlet on my computer. The first day I spent most of my time exploring what was in a three kilometer radius around the airport. I debated about jumping a fence that said "No Access Allowed" for a little too long, found some wild blueberries and chowed down, and made a valiant effort to help a lady call her family using my computer (I failed, sadly!). I felt that it was very important to get a strong feel and understanding of the area so I could be extra safe.

The second day, I woke up to the sound of people moving through security and curled out from my spare sheet like a grizzly bear waking from hibernation. I had a crook in my back from the way I slept, but I shouldered my backpack, ate a two-slice-of-bread breakfast, and did some final research before heading out of the airport on foot toward the city of Moss. It took me about three hours to walk there. I chose not to hitchhike because I needed the exercise and I stopped off every now and then to try and take the perfect photo. I eventually came to this wonderful bench at the edge of a lake. I was pretty beat. I put my backpack on one side, curled up against it, and took a nice snooze in the sun.

I hitchhiked home, though. This was my first time hitchhiking and it went smoothly! It took me about thirty minutes to get picked up and when I did, it was by this funny Norwegian dude in his early-thirties. He was already retired, had really rusty English, and spoke more in grunts than words. He was very nice though, and when he dropped me off at the airport he offered his blessings and the best of luck to me. I couldn't be happier with how it went.

What is next?

I'll meet up with Chris and Laura again later today. They took a bus into Oslo and explored the city while I chose to make base-camp here. We'll all sleep this final night in the airport. Tomorrow, at 07:00 Norway time, we will fly to Poznan, Poland. Here, the Homeless World Cup will begin on August 11th. Hopefully we can help with any remaining set-up they have to do and get a strong idea of how things are going to work in the next day or two before it all starts.

I'm really looking forward to it, but at the same time, I'm sad I won't be able to experience the entire week of the HWC event. However, I'm going to get to see many friends that Chris and I made previously in the trip, so it is going to be so wonderful from that alone.

Guess what? 

We fly home in 9 days! That's countable on your fingers, folks! Thanks to all y'all that I've talked to, even just a little bit these past few days! It's nice to chat with someone when boredom starts to creep in at the airport!

Best wishes,

-Sam

Inward Thinking

Taken in the Netherlands, near Eindhoven

Hello there. How are you doing? I hope you're wonderful. Oh, and thanks for stopping by to give this little blog a read. Listen to some music while you browse the page. Try Zaz, a French artist that is a fresh mix of jazz, soul, and acoustic.

Let's try and do this post slightly differently. I have a topic I want to write about but I also want to toss out some updates. Chris and I have moved through Brussels and the Netherlands and now we are in Dublin. Lot's to say!

Ah, I posted a bunch of new pictures, too. I think fifty or so, maybe more. Some videos as well.

Kindness

Okay, so, onto the topic. I recently read the transcript for George Saunders speech at Syracuse's 2013 graduation. Here is the link to the speech. It's worth a read. 

This is George.

It got me thinking. Most graduation speeches have this purpose at their core- to make students that are no longer students contemplate their lives and how they can improve them and live with quality in the future. The focus of George's speech was his understanding of what he thought is most important in life- kindness. While this fits with the general theme of the graduation speech, it is unique in it's simplicity.

The core of George's speech revolves around an anecdote he tells. When he was back in school, there was a girl in his class that was made fun of. He didn't take part in the jibes, but he didn't stop them or go out of his way to say hello either. Then, one day, the girl moved. Out of everything in his life, this was one of George's biggest regrets. Why?

Because it is so easy but so difficult to be kind to others. Naturally, we only look out for ourselves. We don't push past the invisible barrier that surrounds us so that we can make another's life better- not initially, at least. But once we start to realize how nice it feels to make someone's day, well shit. We get addicted. Okay, not right away.At first, we are so shy. We poke, and prod, and gradually step outside of our boxes.

This is important, critical, I think. It's what I like most about George's speech. He doesn't tell the audience how to make money, how to be successful, or how he became who he was. He gives what he considers to be the best advice possible: to be kind, or to keep being kind.

Why is this important to me? Maybe it is because of my recent work with the homeless and how I've taken a greater interest in those that are struggling to make a living. Maybe it is because people have been so kind to Chris and I on this trip, that they've shared their lives with us as if we are part of their family. I'm not sure of the exact reason, but I just wanted to make a note of it.

Trip Recaps

The Netherlands

Rental car! Not the best idea inside Amsterdam, but for getting around the country, it was awesome. Chris rented the car with his card, so technically, he was supposed to be our driver. So, we go into the garage, next to that "We try harder" sign in the picture. This guy gets our car and we all do a walk around, looking for any dents or scratches that aren't listed on the contract. After checking, the guy leaves and it is just me, Chris, and our rented motor vehicle. I can see Chris getting a little nervous. I had been asking him if he was going to be able to drive stick or not, or if he needed advice, for about a week at this point. He was always cocky. But with the keys in his hands, finally, the man starts to crack.

Avis in Amsterdam

We throw our bags in the backseat of this diesel, four door, brown, eco-machine and I hop in the passenger seat while Chris gets behind the wheel. We take a minute to admire how nice it i, and then Chris turns the ignition and lights up the engine. Then he tries to go forward.

We stall.

I ask if he needs any help and he's laughing. He tries three or four more times, and the guy that gave us the car comes over to check on us. We're both laughing. "It's his first time driving stick in years," I say. "He's a little rusty."

The guy gives us a nervous smile and walks away and Chris and I make the wise decision to swap seats. I put the car in gear and we zip out of that garage and into the bike-infested city of Amsterdam.

But how was the Netherlands?

Fantastic. I have to say that it may be the prettiest country we have visited. Everything is so lush, so green. Driving on the highway and through the small towns and cities, and walking along the beaches at Zandvoort and Noordwijk was something else. Oh, and thank you, Cassie. Without you teaching me how to drive a manual car, we would have been pushing the vehicle around the country.

It's the kind of place where I can't believe that this is my picture. But it is. I took that. I was there. It's just. Wow.

One memory that I don't think I'll forget was our last night in the Netherlands. We had driven, music blaring, windows down, from Noordwijk to Amsterdam, then Amsterdam to Eindhoven, and found a place to park the car so we could sleep in it overnight. This place was something out of a film. On the fringes of the airport there is this small lot where cars can park next to a chain-link fence. People drive here to take a break, to relax, and to talk about life. They get out of their cars, sit on their hoods or on a nearby bench, and watch planes fly just over their heads and land on the tarmac. So the last night, Chris and I parked here. We ate the last of our bread and peanut butter and we just sat, listening to music, seats reclined, car doors open to maximize airflow, watching the planes fly in and the sun fall down.

It was one of those secret places.

Brussels, Dublin, and Next Steps:
I'm not going to write down any stories from Brussels or Dublin in this post, but let it be known that Brussels was wonderful and Dublin has been treating us great so far. Chris has enjoyed the chance to drink his favorite beer, Guinness, at its source, and we've had our fair share of adventures. Laura, a friend of Chris's, has joined Chris and I for the remainder of our journey- so we are now a lovely trio!

On Tuesday at around 06:00, we will fly to Norway. I'm going to be spending my time there in the airport, as funds are a little to low to afford a place to stay in the city for three nights. So camping it is. It will be an interesting bit of the trip, that's for sure.

We have just thirteen days until we head back to Arizona. My gossshshhhhshshshshshshsh.

<3

Sam

Innsbruck and Next Steps

European Homeless Cup Pictures:

http://imgur.com/a/9OUAY

http://imgur.com/a/wKrZg

Looking Forward:

Wow. Innsbruck  is beautiful. We are right in the middle of the mountains and everything here is green and vibrant. Fog hides the peaks in the early morning, but as the time hits afternoon, the snow-capped, upper-fringes of the Alps look down below.

We've made it through Munich, and now we are here in Austria for one more day. We will be heading to Italy next, though where in Italy I am not so sure. We haven't bought a train ticket yet- we will pick one up on the fly tomorrow and head to an unknown destination.

Chris and I are at that point where we have realized we need to conserve as much money as possible. Because we don't have any programs or living stays lined up in Italy, this is going to be hard. Hell, we may end up sleeping in a park again. We'll just have to play things as they go!

Current Deadlines:

July 4th- Begin staying at the community in Arcidosso, Italy

July 7th- Flight from Rome, Italy -> Bordeaux, France

For now, time to enjoy Innsbruck for the rest of today and tomorrow morning. I uploaded new pictures from Munich and from our first day here, so check those out! The video above is from part of a hike near where we are staying.

I have another post on the way soon. It is halfway written and I will probably finish it tonight or on the train tomorrow.

Hope you're having an awesome weekend.

Best,

Sam

Howdy! (travel update)

Update on Travel Status:
Everything has been running smoothly so far. Chris and I have traveled through Madrid, Barcelona, Bergamo, Milan, Basel, Olten, Skavsta, Stockholm, and Budapest.

Tomorrow morning (04:00) we will take a cab to the Budapest airport and leave on yet another Ryanair flight. We will travel to Milan (Bergamo Airport) and from there take a bus to the central train station. We will take a train to Verona, where we will stop for 3-4 hours to get a super-quick tour of the city, and then another train from Verona to Munich. If all goes well, we should be in Munich by 22:25, where we will then make our way to a hostel called "The Tent." We will be in Munich until the 28th, at which point we will depart for Innsbruck, Austria!

Also, I uploaded a ton of pictures! Hopefully Chris or I can do a video soon. We've been in crowded dorms or rooms with very thin-walls, so it has been difficult to find a good place to make one. I have some more Blog posts written, too, which I will post in the next few days. I just didn't want to post them all at once and throw out a ton of reading!

We are both well and healthy, though a little sweaty here in Budapest.

Cheers!

Sam