Thursday, June 16, 2011

Who said you can't have it all?

They lied.
At least this last week and a half! 
(oh, another one and a half I've noticed today!)
I'm a lucky person, I've said it many times before, but even I can't believe at how great the last couple of days have been and how wonderful the next few months seem to be.

But let's take it from the beginning. 
I haven't been quite myself for about 2 or 3 weeks and was kind of frustrated, which I forbid myself. Also, the slightest hint of regret was begining to appear and that was simply out of the question! So I was starting the weekend with less energy than I should have had, the only things keeping my spirits up were a fun Saturday out at an open swimming pool (which later grew into a home made Mexican meal and a club openning with the best music ever) and meeting F on Monday (we're on the 6th of June here, better keep track!). (F's a super nice Italian girl living in Dubai, whom I'd met 4 months ago during a night out in Bombay and who was coming to Warsaw on a work trip.)

Monday - I meet F in the evening in her hotel. Going up in the elevator of the Westin hotel makes me really homesick for India. Seeing her and listening to how her life's like might have gotten me down. However, somehow, it gives me a strange kind of hope and motivation to change what I don't like.

Tuesday - A crazy day ends with an even crazier night. A night to remember. Or not to, actually, as others will find out later - I get to relive the Hangover in real life. Some of the funniest txts in my life follow.

Wednesday - I have an interview in Centrum Studiów Polska Azja (the Center for the Polish Asian Relations) and I land the internship I wanted. I'm given a couple of column topics and choose interviewing Asians living in Warsaw. I add a twist to it - instead of writing them down, my editor agrees to a video column. Great, now all I need is to freaking pull it off :) A meeting with S is next and we talk about some cool things we could work on together for his travel platform.

Thursday - Am already on a roll! I meet owners of a cool travel agency and suggest they get in touch with my Indian (ex)boss - he might need such a well-rounded Polish partner. Then we start talking, I ask questions and answer some. By the end of the conversation we've decided to start working together on some projects. Am excited as hell.

Friday - I think and ponder and think some more, and decide to try and make it to Tripani, Sicily, for the weekend of 18th-21st. I'd bought tickets a while back and later decided I wouldn't be able to go. 'Why the hell not? I can make it work!' I hear myself saying and that's it - I'm going to get me some gelato! Round ticket for Kraków - Tripani costs me 55zł (14€).

Saturday - I meet with M and the meeting's successful - I've got my cameraman! Also, T agrees to be the lead of my first interview. Yay! Randomly surfing the net, I stumble across a travel blog which makes me rethink a lot of things and the decision's made - I'm starting a Polish website with my travel adventures. I have a theme, I have the name, little bees keep on flying in front of my eyes the whole day. Which ends great - with one of A's culinary soirees.

Sunday - I go to my summer house and while repainting some old chairs, I make the decision to take my life back into my own hands and not settle for anything less than great. Regret's not an option - I'm going to Iceland!

Monday -  I buy my IcelandExpress tickets. And so there's no turning back - on August 2nd I leave London for Reykjavik. A return ticket costs me 350€. Now how the hell do I cheaply get to London in the middle of the summer holidays??

Tuesday - Things can't get much better, right? Wrong! In the evening, when I'm already low on energy and falling asleep standing, I get txts from my friends. Lots of happy txts. It turns out I've placed 2nd in My Way.

Wednesday - I talk to my boss, we work things out and finish amicably, good! I read the Rules of My Way and somehow they don't fit in with the picture painted in their email. Either way - I'll have dancing money. What will I ask of them, I wonder? Also, C's fb status (a cool Australian met in Malaysia in October, met again in India in January, living in Berlin) tells me about Roskilde Festival and that they're still looking for staff in exchange for accommodation and food. Now that's interesting..

Thursday - Today's been a busy day. In the morning I find out there's a CS event near Tripani this weekend. I've no idea how, but I need to get myself there! The problem is I land at 10:45 pm and no buses operate to the camp site. Let's see.
Also, C tells me whom to write about Roskilde. She's going there on the 29th, hitch hiking from Berlin. Now that's something I can't miss. I find bus tickets to Berlin for 10€, already got my booking number ;)
I'm on the waiting list for the festival, but I figure that even if that doesn't work out then I'll hang out in Denmark, never been there afterall, and on the 4th or 5th hitch hike back home with C.
I talk to P, who is on a reggae festival in Spain till the 25th or 26th of August and still doesn't have a return ticket. 
'Why don't I fly to Spain from Iceland and we hitch back home?
'Why don't you then?'. 

So now, apart from a cheap flight to London and a bus to the CS event in Sicily, I need to find a nice connection to Madrid/Barcelona ;)

.       .        .        .        .

And why the tittle? 
(Apart from the obvious good fortune that's been stalking me these past few days?)

When coming back from Spain, I wasn't thinking about getting a job. An internship or a part time, sure. But nothing too restrictive, as I just needed time to figure out where to go. However, a great opportunity was thrown at me and I had to give it a shot. I was ready to stay back for a while and work on it. I thought all was gonna be swell - it wasn't. That's where the beforementioned frustration was coming from and it wasn't a welcomed guest. So, decisions had to be made.

Now, on one hand, I could say I failed. I won't go through with the project, won't be earning, won't learn all I was looking forward to learning.

On the other, though.. I was thinking about it last night and it hit me - I got all I originally wanted and more! I worked for 1,5 months, learned some, met great people, earned some and figured out what I want to focus on. Plus, got to win a contest, plan 2 cool short trips and still managed to find reasonably priced Iceland tickets, so no regrets will follow!

I do have it all now :)


4 komentarze:

P said...

"P"
"like it"
click
"do you really want to "like it""
click
"are you absolutelly sure"
click
"congratulatios! You have succefully "liked it""

podoba mi się. i dlatego zostawiam komenta! :)

Magu Bee said...

Way to go P! ;)

Ty sie lepiej zastanow gdzie bedziesz w okolicach 28 sierpnia, zebym wiedziala dokad biletow szukac!

Clarice Starling said...

I'm so jelous of you right now, me myself I will spend the whooole summer here in Granada, so, everything you need you can find me here!

Magu Bee said...

Tienes algo en Septiembre? Una amiga alemana piensa venir a Varsovia y nos gustaria viajar por mi pais, para cambiar las cosas ;)

Quizas te gustaria apuntarte?