After two years, I'm back on Central European time (currently 5:33 PM)! Cześć, from a rather rainy Poznań, Poland. I will be living, working, and studying in Poznań for the next year, and I look forward to getting to know this city better.
Few non-Poles know much about Poznań, so here's some quick facts: Poznań is located in western Poland, and it is the capital of the Wielkopolska region. It's about a 2-3 hour train ride from Berlin, located about equidistant between the German and Polish capitals on the Berlin-Warsaw line. Poznań is Poland's 5th largest city (after Warsaw, Kraków, Łódź, and Gdańsk), and its Adam Mickiewicz University is regarded as the third best in all of Poland (and it was also the first founded after Poland reemerged as a state following WWI). If my population estimates are correct, Poznań is roughly the size of Portland, Oregon. It's a beautiful city that really mixes old and new.
Internet access will be limited for the first few weeks, but I will share more pictures, observations, and stories as they happen.
Time stamp changing again. For all posts prior to this that were written in Eastern Standard Time, subtract 6 hours from the stamp listed. This blog is now on Polish time. :)
I'm attempting the impossible. Due to new airline fees and restrictions, I'm attempting to pack for a year abroad using one suitcase, one carry-on, and a satchel bag. Nothing else. It's well-documented that I hate packing, but this is just ridiculous.
If it were just clothes, that would be one thing. Clothes can be left behind or replaced. But then add in a year's worth of medications, contact solution, and other heavy items, many of which are liquid and thus need packed in the checked bag. 44lb. 22kg. Seems like I'm only started to pack, and I've already passed the weight limit.
All my winter clothes will be shipped, but that only scrapes the surface of this packing monster.
China, Spain, Russia, and others fear that such a ruling might encourage their own secessionist movements. However, though the media often forgets about this small European nation that is still rebuilding, lessons can also be learned from the long nation-building process in Kosovo.
I tend to usually fall into the category that mocks all the fuss and "twouble" with Twitters, but the antics of Jared Cohen and Alec Ross might make me rethink this position. As highlighted recently by the NYT, Cohen and Ross are policy advisers to Secretary Hilary Clinton, and they're personally bringing old-fashioned diplomacy into the new digital age. DoS has had an offical blog and official Twitter for a couple years now, but the tweets of 140 characters or less directly from the policy advisers seem to have a fresher, more candid or direct take. Not to mention that the official Twitter has only a fraction of the followers of Cohen or Ross.
Here's a beautiful project by artist Luke Jerram to bring a little more music into our everyday lives. Recently installed in New York City, Jerram and his piano concept have been traveling the world and enabling ordinary people to sit down and create music amidst the city cacophony. Artists decorated over 60 pianos and placed them in public places across the five boroughs--and don't worry, music enthusiasts, I can personally testify that the pianos were covered during rainy weather (which sadly prevented me from playing). After the installation, the pianos were donated to local schools and community groups.
Next up, Belfast, Pécs, Cincinnati, San Jose, and Grand Rapids will get to enjoy this communal masterpiece.
1000 Awesome Things: For when you're feeling down and want reminded of the amazing little things of life.
What English sounds like to foreigners: An Italian's imitation of American English prosody through rock music; I can't help trying to understand the words, even though it's all gibberish.
Paris in 26 gigapixels: Enjoy a detailed, zoom-able panorama of the city of love as if you were there.
The World Cup has been quite a ride this year, and soon this largest sporting event in the world will be over until 2014. Well done, South Africa.
With the first half of the final well under way, the question on everyone's mind is not only who will claim this year's title, but will the octopus remain undefeated?
Unless you've been living in a box, you've probably heard of Paul the Octopus by now. This "psychic" cephalopod lives in an aquarium in southern Germany, and he has a knack for determining the winner in German matches. His fame skyrocketed when he correctly predicted the upset victory of Germany toppling Argentina in the semis. The octopus makes his selection by choosing a tasty mussel treat from one of two boxes, each with a national flag on it. His record is currently 7 for 7, correctly predicting each winner in every match Germany played.
Now he'll try his knack with other teams. Paul's pickedSpain as today's winner. Experts have carefully calculated that Paul has a 50% chance of being correct, so let's see how it goes.
If my team is out (though bronze again is better than nothing, I suppose), I guess I'll cheer for the German octopus instead.
It's been an interesting World Cup. The French couldn't win, the favored Spanish lost to the underdog Swiss, and the Italians, the defending world champions, were ousted by the small nation of Slovakia, in their first World Cup since independence. The quote that has been circulating the internet jokingly claims, "This World Cup is like World War II. France leave early, USA turn up at the last minute, and England is left fighting the Germans."
I'm very excited for the USA. I'm thrilled that this is the first time that they've won their group (and possibly the first time they've made to it Round of 16) since the first World Cup in 1930. But the Americans will be playing Ghana. As the last African nation in the first African World Cup, I think that I agree with this NYT commentator. The USA has dominated countless sports for decades. We consistently top the medal records for the Olympics, an American just won Wimbledon, and the US has won the women's World Cup in 1991 and 1999. Our first love remains (American) football. Another FIFA loss would be frustrating, but most of America probably wouldn't even care. In contrast, imagine the morale boost for the entire country of Ghana, and for all of Africa, if their team gets to advance. Perhaps it's an idealistic notion, but perhaps sports bring healing and progress.
I hope the Red, White, and Blue play well, and I will be thrilled if they do advance. But patriotic allegiance aside, I'll be cheering for the Red, Yellow, and Green. Let's go Ghana, and let's go Africa!
The annual Museum Mile Festival is tonight in New York City. From 6-9pm, gain free access to nine of the museums in the Upper East Side--including the Met, the Neue Galerie, the Guggenheim, and more--and enjoy live music and art everywhere in between. This festival is usually held each year on the second Tuesday of June.
NYT Frugal Traveler Matt Gross has passed the baton to a new FT, Seth Kugel. Kugel will be traveling across South America on a tight budget this summer.
Transitions can be a very difficult time. They bring excitement, but also terror. Anticipation, but also nostalgia.
And so, friends, as I find myself standing on this latest threshold, at this metaphorical bend in the road, hovering on the brink of the abyss before attempting flight, I cannot help eagerly craning forward, while simultaneously dragging my heels and looking back.
Change is in the air, and it is a good thing, but change is a fickle beast. It comes when it is unlooked for or unwelcomed and creates endings while also bringing freshness and new beginnings. You are never ready for change, but you never have a choice but to continue moving with the shifting winds.
Thus, apologies for my rather sporadic postings for the past few months; I'm afraid that this trend may continue for a few months more. So as a quick recap, here's a few things that have been happening in the world:
We're in a new decade.
Obama has been in office for a year and a half (wow, already?).
Many of the "flower" revolutions seem to have reversed, as many former-Soviet countries seem to be leaning toward Moscow.
But Washington is friendly with Moscow now.
Many of Poland's top leaders died in a tragic plane crash (on Russian soil, on their way to commemorate the Katyn massacre of Polish officers by Russian soldiers).
But Russian-Polish relations seem to have improved, in part because of this tragedy.
There's an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Antigovernment protests are spreading in Thailand.
The Brits elected a hung parliament! panicked! and then formed a coalition government.
The Euro is imploding.
Additionally, this blog passed it's two year anniversary with absolutely no fanfare. Instead, it's two and a half year anniversary approaches. So a very happy belated birthday, dear WM. Thank you to everyone who has read, everyone who continues to follow regularly, and everyone who will find this blog in the future. New adventures coming soon!
Maybe it simply stems from my having seen Waking Life at a young age, but I am fascinated by the study of sleep. REM sleep and lucid dreams are fairly common topics these days, but what about dreams that seem so realistic that the dreamer confuses them for a memory of reality? (Or is that just me...)
Where is this line between dream and reality? And in the end, what is sleep?
Google continues to not only create innovative services and products, but clever and adorable ads. This one aired during the Super Bowl 2010, and it strikes the heart of anyone who has studied abroad, anyone who has traveled, and anyone who has been in love.
It's been a month without posts again. Just a few links to share tonight.
Krugman insightfully provides some much needed perspective (and common sense!) to the current impasse in the Senate: America is Not Yet Lost
Also, looks like Viktor Yanukovich is poised to win the presidency in Ukraine. When's the last time we heard his name on the world stage? During the so-called Orange Revolution in 2004, when Viktor Yushchenko (complete with a blotched face from conspiracies) won in Ukraine's first truly democratic elections. Some have called Yanukovich's success a reversal of this Orange Revolution. Yet the elections were judged to be fair and very successful, so the perhaps democratic legacy continues despite the election of a Russia-leaning candidate. Perhaps this is the balance that Ukraine needs.
As 2009 draws to a close, bloggers, artists, and journalists everywhere are scrambling to reflect upon the past ten years. Naturally, in this decade of the Blog, of Google, of YouTube, and of Facebook (it's hard to believe that none of these concepts existed ten years ago), this reflection is taking many diverse forms.
My favorite 2009 tribute goes to DJ Earworm, who created this clever mash-up of the top 25 pop songs of the year:
However, reflections on the decade as a whole present additional challenges. To start with, what should we call these past ten years? We've had ten years to decide how to pronounce the '00s, and with perfect procrastination, we failed to reach any consensus. Personally, I'm a fan of reviving the term "aught", which was used to describe the years of 1900-1909. (For example, '05 was pronounced "aught five"). Paul Krugman argues reflects on all the negative trends between 2000-2009 and thus suggests that the decade should be remembered as the "Big Zero".
The past decade certainly did bring a lot of challenges, and it bears careful remembrance and reflection. For those with only a few minutes to spare, Newsweek released a comical fast-talking review of the decade in seven minutes through headlines and old news reels. For those with a bit more time to spare, the Daily Show released a fantastic year-by-year review of the decade through old Daily Show clips to sum up the main events.
However, my favorite tribute so far is the You Aught to Remember blog. This blog has been posting an entry a day for the past hundred days in order to reminisce about various events and (pop) cultural phenomenon that were quintessential parts of 2000-2009. Though this blog will be completed in the next few days (only 4 more entries to go!), the archives provide a comprehensive look back over the past years.
For auld lang syne, my dear, For auld lang syne, We'll take a cup o' kindness yet For auld lang syne!
I loved this article on Weihnachtsmärkte in Germany. Such Christmas markets can be found across Germany, but the Berlin markets have especially specified and diversified. The NYT offers examples of a market for kids, a market for GLBT, and a market for environmentalists.
Hurry, because these markets traditionally close by Dec. 24!
Can't get to Deutschland or Österreich this year? A number of U.S. cities have adapted the tradition and added their own Christkindlmärkte.
USA highlighted Buffalo today and its efforts to regain its place as a city of architectural grandeur. As one who enjoyed architecture and an amateur urban explorer, I found the images intriguing and the building listed probably worth a visit, even if not fully restored.
The views expressed on these pages are solely belonging to the author and do not reflect the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State or its partner organizations.
About this Blog
A delicious melange of travel, books, food, culture, languages, music, current events, Vienna, and whatever else strikes my fancy. (more) Current location: Washington, DC
“As you start traveling down that road of life, remember this: There are never enough comfort stops. The places you’re going to are never on the map. And once you get that map out, you won’t be able to refold it no matter how smart you are.
So forget the map, roll down the windows, and whenever you can, pull over and have a picnic with a pig. And if you can help it, never fly as cargo.” ~Kermit the Frog
I tend to usually fall into the category that mocks all the fuss and 
Here's a beautiful project by artist 
I loved 
