Zyyyyyperrrrrn - CYPRUS

It did not go as I expected.
Not at all.
Was it me? [the problem]
Probably.
Was it me? [the resort]
Definitely not.
Everyone was in heaven.
I was confused that I didn't feel the joy.

My whole idea and expectation flew out the window.
I had prepared to remain positive and make it for me despite the obvious.
I was not able to do so.

No one would have understood a word had I tried to explain.
She's pregnant.
She's Debbie Downer.
She should be this and she should be that.

Yes, I am pregnant. No, I cannot do all the things I once imagined.

My intention was to:
Go scuba diving.
Sip alcohol filled cocktails.
Jump off of cliffs.
Try random foods (unprocessed and unpasteurized) foods on the side of the road.
Feel positively about myself.
Maintain a positive attitude.
Go water skiing.
Do not let being told what to do and given a schedule to arrive somewhere too early bother me.
Do not let really loud voices bother me.
Be kind.

It did not happen that way.

I had forgotten that most people that go to all-inclusive resorts were there for a reason. They enjoy them. It is their ideal vacation. They do not mind paying for shitty food or skipping the already paid for shitty food and going out somewhere else. Off the beaten path is not their thing. They are there to unwind, relax, take it easy. AND THAT IS OKAY and THAT IS GOOD. It is only different.

I don't pay for things I don't use.
I don't relax.
I need to be active.
I need an unsterilized view.
I need to see the real part of a country.

Over the previous week, I had researched the internet and my own memory banks, to come up with a plan to see the true identity of Cyprus. I had highlighted and researched and eliminated and highlighted more and researched more, over and over until I was satisfied. I knew from this plan that no matter what this resort was like, I could make this vacation my own.

It was more difficult than I thought.
I didn't want to take away from Billy's vacation. 
I felt bad leaving the group.
I kept putting my plans off - I just knew the next day would be better. I would be FUN and positive and the group would forgive my shitty attitude. I would forget that I hated resorts. I would forget that I had spent an inabsorbant amount of money on a place I did not want to be. I would forget the things I couldn't do. I would focus on the people I was with and the warm weather and the blue blue water.

But then we went fishing...
I met Agas. He was real Cyprus. We didn't catch anything but I enjoyed his stories, views on the middle east, and his pork and humami sandwich more than anything thus far.

Billy knew I was unhappy. He only desired to make me happy. I am spoiled. He told me we must take a day to truly see Cyprus.

As a result, an already pared down version of my original plan had to be edited further to make it one day... but it didn't matter to me. I was so satisfied. I was so excited.

We found the deserted white rock beach and got naked. We saw Aphrodite's rock. We traveled to the west coast and the small fishing villages. We swam in the Baths of Adonis. We went off road. We saw real people. We sang. We loved.

I learned:
1. No matter what, I must remain positive and kind, despite my nature to be exactly as I feel.
2. I will always attempt to see the authentic parts of a country, if only for a day.
3. I will never do a resort/all-inclusive again.
4. My husband loves me more than I know.
5. My personality needs a lot of improvement.

Next time, I will do it differently.

This time I will be ready.
This time I will make a point of reaching out to connect.
This time I will be kind.

Will I be able to do it?
Will I strengthen my soul?

I hope so.

off the beaten path white beach

baths of adonis

boat cruise

2012 Halftime Analysis

2012 Halftime Analysis

As noticed, I have not done as well keeping up with my blog in 2012. It is, however, extremely nice to be able to review what we have done while we have been in Germany, so I would like to do my best to recap the first half of 2012.

Kebabs Galore
We kicked off 2012 with a trip to Istanbul, Turkey. We traveled via Turkish Airlines, and it was by far one of the best, if not the best, airline I have flown with. It felt almost as though we had flown first class... comfortable seats, menu choices, kind airline attendants, etc. We stayed at a FANTASTIC hostel, Agora Guesthouse and Hostel, in the Sultanahmet area. We hit the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Spice Market, Grand Bahzaar, walked around the Topkapi Palace, shopped in Taksim and Orakoy, and visited a turkish harem. We ate amazing food and really soaked in the strange mix of eastern and western influences.

The highlights definitely included the food (we found one tourist spot that we thoroughly enjoyed and one completely off the beaten path, hole in the wall, hangover mecca), the prices (finally NON EU!), the markets, and the Orakoy area.

We spent our final night drinking raki and smoking a hookah with a Jordanian and a Turkish man discussing cultures and politics. This confirmed my belief in the importance in not only staying in hostels and away from over priced hotels, but also in meeting people and conversating with people in order to understand cultural differences. Our Jordanian friend was essentially a Palestinian refugee, and as Americans we definitely get an Israeli point of view. It was fascinating to hear his version and it only served to confirm my belief that at the core of any conflict is miscommunication, fault on both sides, and misguided religious pursuits.

Skiing the Bavarian Forest
We bought a Groupon for an all-inclusive ski weekend in the Bavarian Forest. We traveled with four of our friends to the eastern border of Germany with the Czech Republic. We took off in a huge mercedes van during the biggest snow of the season. Thanks to the boys and some careful manuevering, we safely made it to the hotel and only had to push three times.

We took off that evening for some night skiing and it was topped off with shots of schnapps with the owners of the ski rental shop. We were definitely not in an area frequented by tourists and especially not Americans so they were fascinated by us.

The second day we got in some intense skiing and Billy did AMAZING! He got to use his new board and picked up snow boarding completely. I am so excited to be able to experience the slopes with him in the future!

Fasching Party
I think that I discussed Fasching last year around this time, and this year we spent it at a fabulous party hosted by our friends, the Smalls (Shelby and Anna). Billy was a giant condom, and I went as "whatever I can find in my closet" / Lady Gaga.

Prague
Anna Small, Kelley Geris, Brooke Forth decided that a girl's trip was in order, and I was thankful to be invited (regardless of whether I was supposed to be or not... ohh the things that come out when people are drinking...). There is no way that I could ever completely tell this story in written words.

It started with a three hour bus ride full of wine and a great "welcome gift" from Kelley, an "I'm So Pretty" pouch filled with mini wine bottles, chocolate, toiletries, etc. (Purposely left out the part about us getting extremely too loud and yelled at)

It continued with a poor decision by Kelley and me to part from the group when we couldn't find our key to the room, attend a bar crawl geared towards people 5-10 years younger than us, and return to our apartment at the end of the night without a key in record freezing temperatures.

We may or may not have said and done the following:
"Face it girls, we are older, have bigger credit lines, and better insurance."
Falling down while making fun of someone and getting a huge bruise down my left side
Screaming and ringing doorbells to let us in
Kicking panels out of a door
Calling Jesse in the Netherlands at 3am
Riding in the back of a police car (no arrests)
Crying while wearing an 'I am Awesome' tshirt
Trying to walk in to another bar with beer from the previous bar
Yelling at a short Asian man and getting hit in the face
Being woken up the next morning by the owner of the apartment
Paying for the door
Considering running and lying

However the second night we had the most amazing dinner at Buddha Bar, and had great laughs at an Irish Pub ('How did I lose?', 'WE KNOW YOU UNDERSTAND US', ETC).

We finished the trip with a car ride 30 minutes away from the train station we needed to go to, Brooke about to tuck and roll, me singing a Whitney tribute in the train station, Kelley wearing sun glasses inside, and Anna awwing at puppies and flowers.

I have to say that despite all that went wrong, I had an absolute blast.


Barbara and Kelley's Birthday Party
In honor of two of my closest friends in Germany, we threw a 40th and 25th bday party for Barbara and Kelley. It started off really fantastic... I had found blow up air guitars, neon sunglasses, confetti and glow sticks to decorate. Sara John turned my cake ideas into reality and we kicked the night off with a bang. Unfortunately Billy's blood pressure got the best of him by the end of the night (inside the bar we rented out, it had to be over 85 degrees) and he passed out walking down concrete steps. He split his chin and lost two teeth. Thankfully he is ok. He is a very lucky man. This lead to a night in the emergency room and a trip home for extensive tests and a huge doctor bill.

Basketball (AREVA and CVJM)
I completed my season on the Damen II team. I was really thrilled for the opportunity and thankful that they welcomed me like they did. Of course I am not so sure they were as thrilled by the end of the season when my overly competitive nature had kicked back into high gear... you know, yelling, kicking basketballs out of the gym, crying over losses, punching walls... just typical girl stuff.

I also had the opportunity to play in a coed tournament with AREVA employees in March. The Bamberg professional team puts on a tournament every year for the local companies to participate in. We were up at 6am every Tuesday and Thursday for a month to train, and we played FIVE games one Saturday at the end of March. It concluded with a big buffet dinner and unlimited beer! Definitely a day to remember... I made many friends from playing on that team as well.

Trip Home
We decided on a last minute trip home in April so Billy could get some tests run after passing out at the birthday and to aid our extreme homesickness that hit with a vengeance as warm temperatures swept the Carolinas but the clouds and cold refused to leave Germany. We were fortunate that it coincided with many of Billy's family activities, and we were able to stay with my mom a few nights in her new home in Pittsboro.

On a side note, I am so thankful that my mother does not put guilt trips on me regarding time spent with my family and phone calls. It is very difficult to balance two families in different cities, and my mom is SO understanding. I cannot say that about everyone we must balance...

 

Sara's Baby Shower
My good friend Sara John found out at Christmas that she was expecting her first child, so we threw a baby shower for her before she returned to the US.

Walberla
Walberla is a special, special event. I am not sure if you can truly appreciate it unless you have spent extensive time in Germany. It is a small beerfest on top of a small mountain. There is something about being with special friends and looking out at some of the most beautiful landscape that is magical. Germany's landscape is so basic, but I find it to be one of my favorites. We drank amazing beer and annoyed the boys by refusing to leave.

Antwerp
Due to my current project, I have spent considerable time in Antwerp Belgium. I have to say Belgium is one of my favorite places... it has my favorite beers, my favorite food, and the people just exude "I don't care"ness, which makes them infinitely more cooler than me in a very fascinating, not envious, way.

Billy's Family Trip
Billy's best friend and two of his cousins came to visit us in May. It was our first visitors in over a year, so we went to work early planning every detail.

The day they arrived was a German holiday, and I was playing in a charity soccer tournament to support the local motorcycle club. I am not a soccer player, but I really enjoyed my time practicing with the women leading up to the big game. The game went into penalty kicks and I made mine!!!!

The next day we headed off to Neuschwanstein and then traveled east to the Bavarian Forest to finish up our two day road trip.

Billy had a game in Frankfurt on Sunday, so the group took off without me to watch Billy's game and then continue onto Amsterdam. I had to travel to Belgium for work and could not join them.

When they returned, we had a girl's and guy's night out, and the girl's night out turned out to be a complete bust. The art gallery was the pits (great space, just not much to show) and our pottery class felt like 5th grade art class. Luckily I booked the guys a dinner at one of our favorite German restaurants and they got to enjoyed Schaufele and Schnapps!

The next day we spent the evening at Bergkichweih - always eventful and a blast!

We tried to go to Bayreuth's Volksfest, and we made it there... but tough hangovers made it difficult to enjoy.

Sunday we went to Billy's game in Nürnberg, visited the Documentation Center, and ate dinner at a beer garden.

Our final day was spent at a local sauna, pool, waterpark area.

Coburg
The day after Billy's family left, we got some exciting news, so we took a day later in the week to spent together in the romantic town of Coberg.

Beerfests