So I just wanted to let everyone know that I made it to Croatia safely with only a few minor problems. First I left my purse at the house and we had to go back for it. Then our plane didn't end up taking off until three hours after departure time. (The people fueling the plane did not use enough fuel. The people at the airport made us wait on the plane until the matter was taken care of.) However, we made it to our first city, Dubrovnik, without any more hassle. I would love to show all of you pictures of the most beautiful country I have ever been to, but this computer does not have a USB port to download them to...
The sunsets have been georgeous, the beaches plentiful, the sites and shopping spectacular...AND THIS IS ONLY MY FIRST CITY!!!!!!!!!!!! We have done three performances in the last two days and were accepted with warm arms. I have never been to a country that was so polite to women. The men here act like gentleman every where one goes!!!! OOPS!!! I got off subject. Where was I??? OH!!!! The shows have been spectacular. Everyone in the group is performing with all of their hearts at every performance. We were even asked to add a show to our tour by a hotel manager in one of the cities later in our trip!!! HOW AWESOME IS THAT?????
Needless to say I am having the time of my life and even though there have been times where I just wanted to do something I would regret the good times keep on rolling....
By the way...I must be REALLY lucky because I have been pooped on TWICE in two days. That's crazy...
Well bye for now...I will try to update again before I leave Split.....
Laku Noć!!!!! (Croatian keyboards are awesome!!!!)
Tiffany
Ok this poem is very rough, but I was sleeping and all of a sudden it came to me and my comp was on next to me and so I'm going to put it in....
Hands touch and quickly pull away-
The first sign of growing love.
Converstion that never seem to end-
Growing comfort drives us along.
Eyes meet and the world stops-
The second sign of growing love.
Silence, and yet that is ok-
Just sharing beauty paves the way.
A quick innocent kiss we share-
The third sign of growing love.
You hold me with strong arms-
Safety and Comfort is all I need.
You kneel and open the box-
The final sign of growing love.
We made it to our destination-
I marry you for you are my endless love.
Ok. I realize that I haven't written in a while, but I wanted to wait until I had exceptional news before I posted an entry and today it came! We now have our tour set and the show is on a roll. I also found out that Dubrovnik and Zagreb have cyber cafes all over the place so I'll be able to blog my adventures for you all! Hopefully a friend (*ahem* Karissa or Amanda *ahem*) will show me how to upload pics into it so I can show you the marvelous country that my heritage stems from. In the extended entry is my itinerary for those of you who are interested.
June
24 Depart Pittsburgh International Airport for Dubrovnik at 7 PM
25 Arrive in Dubrovnik and head for hotel. Welcome Drink, Dinner, overnight accommodations at Hotel Adriatic.
26 Dubrovnik - Breakfast, free day, dinner. Transfer to Hotel Kompas. (Rankin Junior Tamburitzans (RJT) Concert in the evening)
27 Dubrovnik - Breakfast, Sunday service in the church in Dubrovnik. Late afternoon excursion to Cavtat in the Konavoski Dvori (famous restaurant of Konavli). Overnight in Dubrovnik (Hotel Kompas).
28 Depart Dubrovnik and head for Split after breakfast. Afternoon sightseeing tour of Split, dinner, free evening. Overnight accommodations at the Hotel President in Split.
29 Split - Breakfast, sightseeing tour of Trogir, free afternoon, dinner at the hotel. (RJT concert) Overnight at the Hotel President.
30 Split - Free day. Overnight in Split.
July
1 Depart Split and head for Plitvice Lake after Breakfast. Sightseeing (walking tour) of the lake, dinner and overnight at Hotel Macola in Korenica
2 Depart Plitvice for Zagreb via Garlvac after breakfast. Sightseeing tour of Zagreb. Afternoon picnic at Lake Jarun organized by Matica (our tour director). Over night in Zagreb at the Opera Hotel. (start of the 38th Annual Croatian Fraternal Union Junior Cultural Federation Festival (CFU Fest)).
3 Zagreb - (CFU Fest) Morning rehersal for groups, directors and chorographers. RJT to perform in the 8th position of the festival. Party for performers after festival somsored by Matica at the Opera Hotel.
4 Zagreb - (CFU Fest) Mass in Zagreb Cathedral organized by Matica. CFU Fest activities also sponsored by Matica. Dinner and big party in Gradski Podrum sponsored by Speranza at the Opera Hotel.
5 Depart for Osijek after breakfast. Free afternoon. (RJT Concert) Overnight in Osijek at the Hotel Mursa.
6 Osijek - Tour of the city and the surrounding area. Sightseeing tour in Djakovo and famous cathedral. Free afternoon. Overnight in Osijek.
7 Deaprt Osijek for Varazdin. Free afternoon and over night in Varazdin at the Tourist Hotel.
8 Varazdin - Breakfast and then tour of the surrounding area. Excursion to Trakoscan where there will be a sightseeing tour of Castle Trakoscan.
9 Depart Varazdin for Zagreb. Free afternoon and evening in the Capital. Dinner at the hotel and overnight in Zagreb at the Opera Hotel
10 Depart Zagreb for the states at 12 PM
I don't do this very often in word form, but today I have to. I have had one of the worst days of my life. Though it started out well, it seemed that the rain brought with it saddness and despair. As I type this tears fall like rain outside my uncle's dinning room window. If you would like to keep reading please feel free, but a warning. I am extreamely bitter at the world right now and I need to get it off my chest. There may be some things here that are very uncharacteristic of me in the following entry. I beg you not to hold it against me...
So this morning I wake up and get ready for class. I had my midterm today which went smoothly considering I didn't study. Then my mom picked me up and we did some shopping for my brother's graduation party before heading to Pittsburgh to pick up the Harry Potter tickets I reserved (my brother, myself and two cousins are going to see it at the Omnimax theater in the Science Center). Then my mom and I did some running for the club that my parents run.
Not so bad, but it progressively gets worse from here.
While running errands with my mother, we stopped at a supply store to pick up chips for the club. As we were waiting, one of the security gaurds came up to me to chat. Little did I know what was going to happen. The man basically walked all over me. I guess my mom told him that I was studing to be a teacher at SHU because he started telling me what was wrong with the education system and how I should teach this way and not this way. I could barely get in any information that I have learned over the last nine months and every thing I did get in he blew out of the water. I just felt like dirt.
So that was incident one. I was saved by my mom who asked me to take chips out to the car and I stayed there. Then it was to get worse when I went home and talked to Jonathan (my youngest brother).
The conversation went like this:
"Did you know George invited Krystal [his girlfriend] on Saturday?"
"No. I asked him not to."
"Well he did. He said that she could get in free because she works there."
"I don't care if she works there or not. She isn't coming. This is family time.
GEORGE!!!!!!!!!!!!"
And the argument went from there. Sometimes George really makes me mad. See I bought the tickets and everything else. All he had to do was drive us down there and enjoy the movie. He was all for it. And then he goes and does this. My parents got involved and it was just one huge mess.
And so I go off to tammie practice upset over the dude from the supply store and roally pissed at my brother for being such an amazing ass.
First what you need to understand is that we are going to Croatia in (see the side bar of my front page for exact count) just three weeks and we had a girl drop out of the group completely who was supposed to be going. I didn't find this out until Sunday so I was excited because I thought I would get to do the dance that I had been filling in for other girls over the last couple of weeks so that our director could finish the dance. Low and behold, I was told at practice tonight that they had called another girl into our group to come to Croatia with us and she was going to fill in all the dances for the girl that quit. I thought that meant all the dances but the new one that I had been filling in for (Split). Man was I wrong. When my director meant all the dances he meant all the dances. I have never had to leave the practice room before in my life, and I have NEVER doubted my director, but there is a first for everything. I left the room while they were teaching it, went to the second floor of the building we rehearse in and cried.
I have never felt so cheated before in my life. Not only cheated, but betrayed. The girl isn't even staying in the group after the trip. What kind of bull shit is that?! I mean come on. I feel like I have fucking wasted the last three Wednesdays coming to practice just so that I can be told I learned Split when I didn't even need to. I really like that dance too!!!! It's easy, but sophisticated. It is all about posture and how you carry yourself. Its a dance done with pride for one's country, and it totally blows because all the passion for my heritage in my heart and I'm being left to the wayside!
This was just the icing on the cake for me. For the first time since I have been a tamburitzan someone actually had to come and find me to tell me that they were moving on to a dance I was in and had to practice. I want to chew Bobby out so bad, but I can't. I can't even come face to face with him. I don't know if it is his way of telling me that I am not needed in the group any more or not...
Who knows. Life is difficult, and I guess I have to move on. HOwever it doesn't change the immense hurt that I feel inside....
Happy 100th Blog Entry to me...too bad life sucks and it's not a happy one...