Pasalubongs

Please, please, please, pretty please don't ask me to buy pasalubongs. Remember, I'll be living off $200 lang for two months. To make the long story short, wala akong pera, so I'm apologizing in advance. Hehe Thanks!

I'm leaving!

Finally, I have a tentative schedule for my trip. It'll be from May 6 to July 12. So, for those who want to have things bought, please let me know. Take note: July ang end-season sale sa Europe! Cheap cheap cheap clothes!

Handy Dandy Tip #2: Planning (in detail)

I should've put this under Handy Dandy Tip #1, but I forgot, so I've decided to let all OCness go and let this be. Well, anyway, "backpacking" is a really memorable experience, from preparing to coming home. What's important is everything should be planned. Well, not up to the nitty gritty, like ETDs and ETAs, but at least to the areas where you're going and around when you're going. Unless you're flying, then you should really plan all the details. (Please refer to the bottom part of this entry to find out other handy dandy tips.)

It's ideal for a traveler to have relatives or friends in all parts of the world, for the simple reason that with relatives or friends come an extra bed, some free food, and a "local" who knows where one should go. Taking advantage is too strong a word, because more often than not, these kind and helpful people will be more than willing to host you. I'm sure you'd do the same if they came to our little third world country.

It was fortunate for me to know people in the right places, who, not only shared their homes, but their time and food as well. It was only there I literally felt the cliche mi casa es su casa. But, if one is not as fortunate as me, one can always go to hostels (most hostels range from 15 - 30 euros/night, depending of course on the season). If one does not have the budget, or is bolder or braver than the average, there is a network of couch-lenders who have, well, couches to spare. Check out Couch Surfing or Hospitality Club. I am hoping that everyone in the network's trustworthy (aka NOT PERVERTS), and since my experience in Europe was more than pleasant, (doi, nagboblog nga ako e), my trust level for them is high. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for me, and to preserve my parents' sanity, I did not experience the whole couch-sleeping experience.

Anyway, that's it' for now. For those who read my blog, and for those who will plan to try out Couch Surfing or Hospitality Club, please, please, please let me know how it goes. I'd love to hear from you! Email me!

Blast from the past 3: London and UK (part 2)

Carrying on.. we arrived at Victoria Coach around 9pm, and spent around 3 hours at the chair-less bus station. We literally had to sit on the pavement. Hindi ko alam kung bakit sila walang silya. O baka engeng lang kami at hindi na kami naghanap? Ewan ko. Nakakataka.

Anyway, our itinerary for Edinburgh was to take the 10-hour bus ride to Glasgow, then an hour and a half ride to Edinburgh. It wasn't so bad, since we Filipinos are used to long, uncomfortable journeys. At feeling voyagers (nak) kami, syempre larga naman kami.

Halfway through our trip, while we were at one of our many pitstops, one of the passangers had an epileptic attack. Syempre yung mga ibang pasahero medyo namoblema na, dahil nakagat ni babae yung dila niya at bumubula na ang bibig niya ng dugo. Buti nalang tsismosa at may alam sa ganyan tita ko, kasi pinakialaman niya. (Malamang, baka galawin nung mga mokong at kung ano pa mangyari sa babae).

So my tita explained to the other passengers that the lady was having a pit. Syempre yung isa, nakakatawa lang, kasi pagbalik nung ibang mga pasahero, siya yung nagkunwaring bida na maraming alam...Hirit pa nga siya sa iba, "Oh, she's 'avin' a fit. Just leave 'er alone, cos somethin' might 'appen to 'er." booooolshet. E siya pa naman yung nagpanic nung una.

Anyway, we arrived at Glasgow around 10 am, and our trip to Edinburgh was at 3. Buti nalang malamig doon at hindi kami pinawisan, so ok lang na tumagal pa yung mga suot namin. Dahil wala kaming magawa, umikot-ikot kami (typical tourists).

From the bottom of my heart, let me tell you that Glasgow is one hellovapanget city. It's pretty ironic since they consider Glasgow School of Art to be one of the best in U.K. Basta, hindi maganda aesthetics nila. Parang sinalpak-salpak lang yung mga gusali. It's not like Paris where everything's uniformed and up to 6 stories high only. (Triviatrivia... trivia trivia.. The Parisiennes are very strict on building restrictions, so as to not ruin the facade and aesthetics of the entire city. Of course the buildings should never be taller than the Eiffel Tower. The only building that's more than 6-stories tall is Montparnasse, the train station, and the owners and builders had hell [aka the locals] breathing down their necks. --- Please correct if I'm wrong. Ate?)

Anyway, my tita and I were walking around, getting bored. When, lo and behold, I chance upon an Italian restaurant with a catchy sign. Thank God I have a wandering eye. Being the person that I am, I had to have my picture taken.. of course I couldn't resist. Here goes..

Heheheheheheheheh I couldn't help it!

Of course my tita couldn't resist too! (To be continued nalang kasi hindi ko mahanap yung picture...)

P.S.This is me, writing a postcard to my family and Raf while waiting for the bus (ooh, Eheads song).

Gaya-gaya, puto maya

I got inspired to name my blog Isa-In-Europa after reading Tanya Conlu's blog, who's in Nigeria right now. Her entries are interesting. Visit http://tanyainnigeria.blogspot.com to read her fascinating entries. Manang (??) Tanya, salamat guid. And thanks to Tita Gwen who told me and Raf to read her blog.

Blast from the past 2: London and UK (part 1)

Last year, I was fortunate enough to stay with my Ninong and Mommy in Paris, who was, at that time, the military attache (and wife of) of Philippines to France. That saved me a great deal because I didn't have to worry on paying extra for lodging, food, and internet access.

So my first "spending" trip was with my tita (cousin of mother) in London. She's currently studying physiotherapy (or kung ano man), and at that time, wanted to go to Edinburgh, Scotland. Since anyone can drag me and my pittance (pity allowance) anywhere, I tagged along with her.

Unfortunately, my trip to London wasn't as smooth as I had hoped it would be. It all started with my ticket-purchasing. Everything had gone smoothly til the time I had to pay. Since I don't carry that much cash with me, I pay with my credit card. My first one got rejected, good thing I had two others. The second one was ok. When I asked for my card, the teller didn't want to give it to me! I was shocked, confused, upset and emotional, so, naturally, I cried. (boo!) Come to the rescue naman ang Ninong ko.. he called me up and talked to the teller, asking why it happened, etc. etc. I called naman my Ninang here in the Philippines to call my Ninang in the States. But, in all fairness, it was a terrifying experience. I didn't know what was wrong, and why it happened. I panicked.. what if they suspect me to be a big-time credit card fraud? What if they ask me to be detained in their office to be stripped search? (Too many fiction running in my blood, but I did think about that while I was in the office.)

Anyway, turns out the bank where our accounts were (Merill-Lynch) suddenly stopped transacting business with non-American clients (or something like that), so they closed all of our accounts. Naturally, the credit card got cancelled too. Apparently, my Ninang didn't receive the letter ML sent. So the card was practically worthless. Anyway, to be safe, I asked them to write a note saying my credit card was confiscated, blahblahblhalbah, which they did naman. So, awa ng Diyos, sobbing aside, I was able to buy my ticket.

I left for London the next day and met up with my Tita around noon. Since our Megabus left around midnight, we had the whole day to walk around. She decided to meet up with her friends, who at one point in their teaching careers, taught at the British School in Manila. Then we just hung around London (Ooh parang malaking park).

Teachers Caroline, Tita AJ, Kirsty and me having lunch

Me at Picaddily Circle (please correct if I'm wrong)

Me trying to get some shut-eye while waiting for the bus at Victoria Coach
(not Victoria Court!)

Anyway, to be continued na yung susunod. Masyadong mahaba na ata e. Just remember, Handy Dandy Tip #2: Plan plan plan ahead!!! Most modes of transport in Europe are cheaper if you book them months ahead. One of them is Megabus, a bus service that starts their fares at £1.00. For airlines, check out Ryan Air and Easy Jet. But if you're the type who wants to hop on a train and go, the best is to get a Eurail Pass. However, Eurail passes are not valid in the U.K., but it's great for the other parts of Europe, especially for trains that do not need reservations.

To be continued...

Blast from the past 1: Dubai Airport

These taken at two of the kazillion gates at the Dubai International Airport. When anyone tells you that Dubai has the nicest airport, believe them. Well, it's been years (before last year) since I last saw an international airport, so I really wouldn't know what the other airports look like. Anyway, since I took the cheapest of all cheap-ass flights, we were at the airport at the oddest time.

Handy dandy travelling tip #1: I am NOT a believer of tourgroups (I think packaged tour groups are for the rich and lazy), so I believe that you can experience Europe the cheaper way. Handy dandy tip #1 is that you should always choose the cheapest flights, unless you have a bazillion miles on your (or your parents') mileage. The cheapest airlines are those from the middle east (Emirates, Qatar, etc) -- this will save you around $100. And, it's ideal to travel on a budget while one is young, so as to not suffer from any physical ailments when one's ass is numbing from sitting in coach for at least 20 hours.

Besides, airplanes have catered to the ADD (Attention-Deficiency-Disorder) market, or for those who get bored easily. There are individual screens on the seats at economy class. Since most of the young ones are tv junkies, this wouldn't be a problem. In fairness, they also have good movies. This is where a first saw Dot The I, a great movie by Gael Garcia Bernal.

Anyway, back to the airport. The first picture is a picture of a gold palm tree. Exagg noh? Now, I'm not sure if it's real gold, but when my mom told me I should watch out for golden trees inside the airport, I didn't expect to find this. Ano naman ang purpose nila sa golden tree diba? Answering questions you might have, no, I did not attempt to touch it. Coming out of the flight half awake and well, sabog (for lack of a better term), touching the tree would ice the cake of looking like a druggie and getting arrested. So no, for my own protection, I did not touch the tree.

All this flying makes me curious on my upcoming trip. I wonder which airlines we'll choose. Ooh is there a chance we get upgraded to Business class? Haha dream on.

It's confeermed

I found out a few days ago that I was not supposed to tell anyone about my scholarship. Turns out, they wanted to ask me details on myself (I think they couldn't read my CV). Anyway, the NCCA lady said I should wait for the letter that confeerms I got the scholarship.

Segue, this is the reason why I write confirmed as confeermed...

Two girls walking and talking...
Girl 1: Uy, ano ang difference ng confirmed sa confeermed?
Girl 2: (With a matter-of-fact tone) Pag confirmed, hindi pa sigurado, pero pag confeermed, siguradong sigurado na.

Ayos..

So anyway, I received the e-mail a few days ago.. this is what they wrote:

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

MS. ISABEL L. SILVA

Dear Ms. Silva,

Congratulations! You are among the four (4) scholars who will be studying Italian language and culture at the Dante Alighieri University for Foreigners in Reggio Calabria from May to June 2006 under the sponsorship of the Office for International Cooperation of the City Government Reggio Calabria in collaboration with the Associazione Culturale Italia-Filippine.

Reggio Calabria will provide for the airfare Manila-Reggio Calabria-Manila, school fees, board and lodging and a small allowance for the local transportation. The NCCA will give the scholars a pre-settlement allowance of $200 each.

You are expected to shoulder your pre-departure expenses (processing of passport, Philippine travel tax, airport tax) as well as the health insurance and visa conversion fee upon reaching Italy. These last two items combined will cost around Euros 40.

For further information, please get in touch immediately with... (name and contact information withheld)

Very truly yours,
Deputy Executive Director

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

I got to talk to one of the ladies also (as mentioned earlier) and she also told me about the $200 allowance..geezlouisesantamaria, nagulat ako na ganun lang yung ibibigay sa amin. Fine,fine I know I shouldn't complain, but it's hard to live within that amount of means (labo). I know I'll be able to make it if I don't spend at all, but it's friggin' Italy.. tapos maabutan ko pa yung sale.. tapos may mercato days pa.. Ayayayayay, I can start to see my funds deplete right in front of me.

I hope they provide the food. Yun yung sabi ng girl e.. they'll be delivering food and/or groceries to our flat every so often. I hope they do that. don't think we'll be able to live on $200 just for food. ANyway, tama na complaining, baka maudlot pa.

The "SCHOLARSHIP"

This is for those who plan to take it next year... taken from: http://www.ncca.gov.ph/about_ncca/an-italiancourse.php

Scholarship in Italian Language and Culture

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts welcomes applicants for four (4) slots of scholarship in Italian Language and Culture which will be sponsored by the Office of International Cooperation of the City Government of Reggio Calabria in April-May 2006. The scholarship will include the air fare Manila-Reggio Calabria - Manila, visa fees, school fees, board and lodging and medical insurance.

The scholarship is part of a long-range objective of the City Government of Reggio Calabria to increase possibilities for exchanges between the people of the Philippines and of the southern Italian city which is the second home to a considerable number of Filipinos, including many second generation immigrants.

Applicants are expected to have a basic knowledge of the Italian language. The sponsoring body specifies that ‘besides being armed with the desire to improve their knowledge of the Italian language, the selected candidates need to have serious cultural and professional preparation and interest, as well as a certain projection to develop in the near future, tourist, economic and cultural activities… that could contribute to the diversification of job opportunities for Filipinos in Reggio Calabria.’

The four (4) successful applicants will take a course in April-May 2006 at the Dante Alighieri University for Foreigners at Reggio Calabria.

The NCCA is responsible for screening the four scholars while the Municipality of Reggio Calabria, with the collaboration of the Asscociazione Culturale Italia-Filippine, will provide assistance related to the university, board and lodging, medical insurance and other needs of the scholars.

Applicants are required to submit a letter of application, resumé with an ID photo, transcript of records, and two (2) letters of recommendation that will vouch for their academic and professional performance/background. They will also be requested to prepare a re-entry program upon their return to the Philippines.

Deadline for the submission of application is 27 February 2006 .

Surrealism at its finest

Two days ago I received good news that I have been awarded a 2-month scholarship to study in Italy. I found it surreal because I knew (at the bottom of my heart) that I will not be awarded the scholarship. I mucked up (change M to F) the interview so badly I dismissed the idea of leaving.

Well well well... let me start from the beginning. Sometime end of Feb my former boss, Spanish classmate and good friend Rhea Alarcon mentioned that NCCA is looking for Italian-speaking college students or young professionals to go to Italy for 2 months to study Italian language and culture at the Dante Alighieri University in Reggio Calabria. It's an all-expense paid vacation, este summer course. Syempre ako, fight naman, with minimal hope because only 4 will be chosen.

It was 3 days before the deadline when I heard of it.. I called NCCA to ask for an extension pero ayaw nila, so larga naman kami ni Carmie. I harassed Rhea and Ate Mhir for letters of recommendation, while I spent quite a number of hours writing the application letter. (Wow, parang college ulit). Good thing na photo-finish namin, on my birthday pa! (Maybe birthday luck was on my side)

I didn't hear from them for a month or so, and when I'd follow up, they'd say they'll just contact me. So ako naman, assuming that I mucked it up (change M to F again), went on with my life and started planning and preparing for Art Adventures.

Quite honestly, I had lost all hope and forgotten about it when I got an email sometime end of March saying that I needed to be interviewed. Since I was more excited with Art Adventures than with the scholarship, I really didn't look forward to it. Then interview came and went (and I really MUCKED it up!) and lo and behold, they award the scholarship to little old me!

I think I was the most nonchalant scholarship grantee EVER. When NCCA called to say that I was the scholarship, all I said was, "Oh... ok. Thank you." (Taray diba?) I even said I'll think about it.

So after talking to Alessa and Raf about it, I decided to go. What's 2 months anyway? And sabi ni Alessa, we can continue when I get back this July. Si Raf naman, will have training in the States around the same time I'll be gone (I think), so it will be a win-win situation for us. At least we're both out of the country at the same time.

The excitement is starting to pile up already. Maybe 2 weeks from now I'll be so obssessed with it I won't be able to function.

Just so you know, I'm leaving end of April to 2nd week of July (I think). Basta, malabo pa detalya. In the meantime, while I change this super generic template and learn HTML, this blog will contain my future adventures and my blasts from the past (I'll be posting tidbits of my trip last year).

So, as the Italians would say, bienvenuti!