So folks I hope you are ready for another exciting installment of my Great Latvian adventure. Today I will tell the tale of my trip to Bremen...now some of you out there might ask why on earth go to Bremen, and the answer is easy...Ryan Air. Its cheaper to visit Bremen then If was back at home and I wanted to visit London...or Alton Towers...or Even Crealy adventure Park.And at that point of my Latvian adventure I was still hungry to see new places..exciting places and most importantly warmer places.
So when I was thinking about going I was talking to an old friend from Plymouth if she also wanted a random trip to Germany...she agreed..if only we knew what to expect..we could of prepared ourselves.
Now Bremen was fantastic...some beautiful buildings..lovely scenery..and lots of shops in the main center and places to eat, but for some reason after eight, walking around in Bremen became a little strange for the fact being it was a Saturday night and the center was empty...i mean literally empty there was no one around, the restaurants were closing and worst of all there were no bars....this was a little disappointing along with the rain..the first day was a bit meh.
We did have some fun..for example I bought a tiny Gnome and we found a cool record shop but the night life was not what we expected.
Now the second day we hit the museums...hard....and also saw more of the town..we even went to a modern art museum..this was hilarious..in the middle of the room was an anchor and on the walls was old pictures of little children dressed in naval clothes from the 1900's with the eyes cut out in the other room was this installation outside the window with things hanging down ( a book, sausages, a bone and some other shit) and all this was being filmed by this camera with a television in an opposite room showing the images on a screen....haha.....I don't no art but I know what I like....comic books and star wars....much easier to understand.
So the evening was upon us..and after an awesome Mexican we started to worry about the night life once more..I mean if it was dead on a Saturday night what was going to be like on a fucking Sunday.
So we were a little reluctant to leave the hostel....and then when we saw that they were showing Lord of the rings the return of the king on the television in German. Well leaving was no longer an option..we watched the whole thing...when the credits came up I think we both knew it was time to find a bar and get drunk and that we had to leave this sanctuary of geekdom.
We tried different tactics..rather than go in the city...try the seedy bars by the train station.
Once again the streets were empty but we found an Irish bar and luckily the place was heaving..and not only that but shots were one euro and there was fucking karaoke..at this point I knew...that this shit was going to get raw.
After a couple of blow jobs ( don't be alarmed Gran it was the the name of the shot) a pint and a pack of Worcester sauce crisps..I was ready to party and more importantly ready to make a twat out of myself..which usually go hand in hand...and I requested my song....these People were in for a treat a faithful adaptation of Wild thing by the troggs..it was awful but we did get clapped by two people at the front which made the whole experience worth it.
However we were not the worst that evening this one guy from Baltimore (now I ve watched plenty of The Wire and if I had to guess he was west side Baltimore maybe working for stringer bell..not sure) and his friend was celebrating his birthday...the bar sang happy birthday and then he made a speech...the longest speech I have ever heard...the guy thanked everyone told us his life story and then tried to get his rapping friend to come up on stage take a mic and to spit out some rhymes and in his words this "is for all the ladies out in Bremen tonight"....now they were telling us that they were in Bremen to record some music and that the guy was the best rapper in Germany...now I did come up with a nickname for him but unfortunately the crisps and the blow jobs affected my wit and I didn't call him Breminem until the next morning...however it was still funny...just a little late.
Now our last day was upon us and we decided to walk outside the main city center to find more interesting place and we found it.....and we found much much more...record shops restaurants, independent cinemas, book shops, cool cafes, open markets, we found what we were looking for....cool places to hang out interesting shops..cool paintings on the wall...we found the students my friends...lots and lots of students....as soon as i saw a tofu restaurant I felt that this trip was now complete.
so after buying the best book i have seen...a Bob Dylan graphic novel..12 songs with his lyrics and then an artists interpretation of this...along with a new record ( Jackson Brown- to late for the sky) we were ready to go to an independent cinema and watch a french film..in Germany...in English subtitles..it was amazing your allowed to drink beer while your watching the movie and before they show the film they have a game of movie pictionary with a guy at the front drawing the pictures and the crowd shouting out to win a prize..free tickets to see another film.
Now after a great night I didn't have long to sleep before my flight...I went to bed at 1 and had to wake up at 4:20 to get to my tram and to my plane which boarded at 6 and left at 6:30..so my alarm woke me up at 4:20 and now with my ability for profound stupidity I thought that I still had time ...close my eyes for a few minutes before getting up and getting ready...and relax and take it easy, no need to stress...and then I opened my eyes and my clock read 5:20...I had 40 minutes to get to the airport with a tram that took twenty minutes to get there, so I ran.....and ran..i dint brush my hair...clean my teeth...or even have an annual morning pee...I got to the airport with about ten minutes to spare..saw a huge line..joined the back of the line and then I saw a toilet opposite me...tempting me, teasing me..even laughing at me...so i went for a pee..to then try and sneak back in the line with out being seen..which is pretty tricky when your carrying a 9 kg rucksack, and smell like shit.
Well as you all know I made it on the Plane....had a great time with Grace in Bremen..had more stories to tell, but its finding the time and energy...luckily we were able to laugh at the the strange and stupid situations that Bremen put us in ..I didn't even tell you all about the odd maybe homeless or travelling lady that wanted her picture taken with a half woman half lion statue with massive boobs and that she wanted me to take the picture on my camera and then send it to her...maybe that can be saved for another day...so long everyone...and hope your all well.
Get ready for I have another installment ready to be posted on Wednesday.
svētdiena, 2010. gada 23. maijs
svētdiena, 2010. gada 25. aprīlis
Robs and Sanj: Bojus Journey Part Two
Well Its been a while...and the last blog im sure left many of my readers hungry for more..what became of our two plucky heroes..did they have a good time in Estonia...Did they get harassed by more drunk eastern Europeans...did Bono the dog keep them awake at night....the answer my friends is yes.
Now the problem with writing a blog is that you have to find the time to write it, now lately as the most Facebook stalker-ish of you will know is that I have been very busy working...well not really working but more like traveling around Europe (which these adventures will also be mentioned in the Blog) so unfortunately for you hardcore Latvian adventure fans I dont always find the time...and when i do some of the stories that I wanted to share...I kind of forget..However I came up with an Ingenious Idea and I cant believe that I never thought of it before, from this point on..if I cant remember how the story ended Im just going to make this shit up.
So when me and Rob left the bus, found Jaanika and Bono the sausage dog, we were taken to the flat to meet Dimitri (Jaanikas boyfriend/ Plus an EVS volunteer from Greece) relaxed at the flat had some good food, some wine, and rested in the night...the sleeping arrangements were a little snug..but I wont get into details..however I was alarmed to wake up with the sound of panting and the feel of hot breath on my neck, but completely relived to see it was bono the dog...after waking me he then put all his concentration into waking rob and the rest of the flat.
He was a cool fucking dog..however...the best dog in the world is my own..for those who don't know I have a dog, his name is Billy (know in the family as billy ballbags)..hes a mongrel and hes now 17-18 years old and I even miss him stumbling around the house, bumping into walls and pissing and shitting everywhere....because what he lacks in cleanliness he makes up in character...and character goes a long way.
Next morning had some pancakes and we were on our way to see old Tallinn, one of the first things I wanted to see was the coast (miss the sea) so we went to the ferry port, walked to the reception asked which way to the coast and the beach the ladies reply ...."get a taxi" haha very helpful indeed.
Old Tallinn is a beautiful place with plenty to see and so many places to eat, Mexican, Indian, African...just what you want in Estonia.
To be honest I cant believe that we walked for so long and not get bored...even went into one of their malls went to the electrical entertainment section I was looking at CDs..if I dont get asked to leave by someone my CD searching can go on for quite a while. After around twenty minutes of looking at all this music I couldn't afford I started to wonder where my English friend had wandered off to..then with a gaze around I see that hes in the corner sat on a sofa watching the end of Gone in 60 seconds on blue ray....very nice, really rounded of a good fucking day..back to the flat for some soup a quick spray of deodorant and I was then ready to hit the Estonian night life.
It was really cool..lots of people that work with Jaanika and Dimitri and other volunteers..we even found a stray Englishmen that was in Tallinn on his own so he joined the rest of the very multi-national group and got the drinking under way.
Now Ive been living in Latvia now for nearly 7 months and my continental English has gone from strength to strength so I dont have as many people now asking what the fuck did I just say and I can communicate pretty clearly unfortunately and entertain a room however for the other English gents with me they had problems..its ok if you speak English but if you want to talk to people in Europe then you need to be fluent in Continental English.
The evening was getting later and by 2 in the morning most of the group was pretty drunk...especially this French woman who was determined to piss people off..she went up to a couple of Estonian guys with long hair..and started shouting in their faces "GUNS AND ROSES WHOOOO" .
Also in the this club this Guy came up to me and asked for something in Estonian so i replied "sorry mate I speak English" so the Estonian replied none too friendly "give me some of your FUCKING BEER" so I was at a crossroads ...should I give into into this angry, rude, obnoxious youth...or should I stand my Ground and look him dead in the eys and say "fuck you....C*&T Chops"...well the reality was I actually replied "Que"...thats right I took option C pretend that I was Spanish...make up some words, walk away and let Rob and the other Guy deal with it.
Once back to Riga...we had to make the most of it..as rob only had two days left to go..so we decided to get an early night..and see more of Riga in the morning however sleep was difficult..we were back into the hostel and the place was busy..very busy..as it was the holidays for a lot of European students they seemed to have all come to this one hostel..so getting beds was a difficulty luckily I booked in advance..met our neighbors..one Columbian guy and two girls from Korea.after a couple of drinks ( well two cups of tea) and a DVD of wedding crashers we went to bed..only to be woken in the morning...apparently the room was overbooked and that the Korean girls were not supposed to be in those beds..when a group of people came arrived at 3 in the morning those two poor girls had to wake up and move all their stuff into another room..where these groups of multi-national students had the audacity to complain...it was hardly the girls fault they were told to go in that room and there was nothing on the bed or any luggage..and why couldn't a couple of them just grow the fuck up and decide to sleep in the two beds which were supposed to be for the Korean girls..so in that way no one got disturbed until the morning...pricks.
I made a joke that the next night I was going to be in their beds just to keep the continuity of them finding strangers in where they sleep...they didn't find that very funny....however Rob laughed.
So the week went very fast and I have to say it was great seeing one of my closest friends again, and Im lucky to report that I will be seeing two more at the end of next week..and I also met up with another friend last month In April (which will also be blogged), I wish I had the ability to communicate more easily with everyone..but it wont be too long .....and I still have many more adventures to get into.
Next week I will tale you the tale of being blindfolded, forced to marry a Latvian woman and given a bag of soil.
Its up to you as the reader if you believe everything that you have read today
"reality leaves a lot to the imagination"
John Lennon
however in this case it was all true
Now the problem with writing a blog is that you have to find the time to write it, now lately as the most Facebook stalker-ish of you will know is that I have been very busy working...well not really working but more like traveling around Europe (which these adventures will also be mentioned in the Blog) so unfortunately for you hardcore Latvian adventure fans I dont always find the time...and when i do some of the stories that I wanted to share...I kind of forget..However I came up with an Ingenious Idea and I cant believe that I never thought of it before, from this point on..if I cant remember how the story ended Im just going to make this shit up.
So when me and Rob left the bus, found Jaanika and Bono the sausage dog, we were taken to the flat to meet Dimitri (Jaanikas boyfriend/ Plus an EVS volunteer from Greece) relaxed at the flat had some good food, some wine, and rested in the night...the sleeping arrangements were a little snug..but I wont get into details..however I was alarmed to wake up with the sound of panting and the feel of hot breath on my neck, but completely relived to see it was bono the dog...after waking me he then put all his concentration into waking rob and the rest of the flat.
He was a cool fucking dog..however...the best dog in the world is my own..for those who don't know I have a dog, his name is Billy (know in the family as billy ballbags)..hes a mongrel and hes now 17-18 years old and I even miss him stumbling around the house, bumping into walls and pissing and shitting everywhere....because what he lacks in cleanliness he makes up in character...and character goes a long way.
Next morning had some pancakes and we were on our way to see old Tallinn, one of the first things I wanted to see was the coast (miss the sea) so we went to the ferry port, walked to the reception asked which way to the coast and the beach the ladies reply ...."get a taxi" haha very helpful indeed.
Old Tallinn is a beautiful place with plenty to see and so many places to eat, Mexican, Indian, African...just what you want in Estonia.
To be honest I cant believe that we walked for so long and not get bored...even went into one of their malls went to the electrical entertainment section I was looking at CDs..if I dont get asked to leave by someone my CD searching can go on for quite a while. After around twenty minutes of looking at all this music I couldn't afford I started to wonder where my English friend had wandered off to..then with a gaze around I see that hes in the corner sat on a sofa watching the end of Gone in 60 seconds on blue ray....very nice, really rounded of a good fucking day..back to the flat for some soup a quick spray of deodorant and I was then ready to hit the Estonian night life.
It was really cool..lots of people that work with Jaanika and Dimitri and other volunteers..we even found a stray Englishmen that was in Tallinn on his own so he joined the rest of the very multi-national group and got the drinking under way.
Now Ive been living in Latvia now for nearly 7 months and my continental English has gone from strength to strength so I dont have as many people now asking what the fuck did I just say and I can communicate pretty clearly unfortunately and entertain a room however for the other English gents with me they had problems..its ok if you speak English but if you want to talk to people in Europe then you need to be fluent in Continental English.
The evening was getting later and by 2 in the morning most of the group was pretty drunk...especially this French woman who was determined to piss people off..she went up to a couple of Estonian guys with long hair..and started shouting in their faces "GUNS AND ROSES WHOOOO" .
Also in the this club this Guy came up to me and asked for something in Estonian so i replied "sorry mate I speak English" so the Estonian replied none too friendly "give me some of your FUCKING BEER" so I was at a crossroads ...should I give into into this angry, rude, obnoxious youth...or should I stand my Ground and look him dead in the eys and say "fuck you....C*&T Chops"...well the reality was I actually replied "Que"...thats right I took option C pretend that I was Spanish...make up some words, walk away and let Rob and the other Guy deal with it.
Once back to Riga...we had to make the most of it..as rob only had two days left to go..so we decided to get an early night..and see more of Riga in the morning however sleep was difficult..we were back into the hostel and the place was busy..very busy..as it was the holidays for a lot of European students they seemed to have all come to this one hostel..so getting beds was a difficulty luckily I booked in advance..met our neighbors..one Columbian guy and two girls from Korea.after a couple of drinks ( well two cups of tea) and a DVD of wedding crashers we went to bed..only to be woken in the morning...apparently the room was overbooked and that the Korean girls were not supposed to be in those beds..when a group of people came arrived at 3 in the morning those two poor girls had to wake up and move all their stuff into another room..where these groups of multi-national students had the audacity to complain...it was hardly the girls fault they were told to go in that room and there was nothing on the bed or any luggage..and why couldn't a couple of them just grow the fuck up and decide to sleep in the two beds which were supposed to be for the Korean girls..so in that way no one got disturbed until the morning...pricks.
I made a joke that the next night I was going to be in their beds just to keep the continuity of them finding strangers in where they sleep...they didn't find that very funny....however Rob laughed.
So the week went very fast and I have to say it was great seeing one of my closest friends again, and Im lucky to report that I will be seeing two more at the end of next week..and I also met up with another friend last month In April (which will also be blogged), I wish I had the ability to communicate more easily with everyone..but it wont be too long .....and I still have many more adventures to get into.
Next week I will tale you the tale of being blindfolded, forced to marry a Latvian woman and given a bag of soil.
Its up to you as the reader if you believe everything that you have read today
"reality leaves a lot to the imagination"
John Lennon
however in this case it was all true
svētdiena, 2010. gada 14. marts
Rob and sanj's Excellent adventure Part 1
Well last week I had a friend from sunny Plymouth come to visit me here in Latvia. AS I wanted to show Rob around I had to think of things to do...so he comes to Latvia and the first Idea I have is to go to Estonia and visit their capital city Tallinn.
The best thing had to be the fact that he brought
English Tea Bags
Brannigans: beef and Mustard (veggie friendly of Course)
Mojo magazine, Q Magazine and Nuts *ahem
and Last but no means least a jar of Branston pickle...which believe me friends nearly brought a tear to these old eyes.
The first night was fun, the Hostel was fantastic and the beer was a pound...two beers later and huge shot, we found ourselves conversing with latvians, Canadians, Australians and Chile...ans ???(well people from Chile).
The drinking was fun...but the 3 and half hour journey back to Gulbene wasnt, I was ok, But Rob suffered a little more than me, but soon as we got back to the flat...time for Pro EVO ( for those not familiar with Pro EVO, well its the best football game in the world and if you prefer FIFA then stop reading my Blog and Fuck off).
Now since Ive been here I haven't had any problems with anyone, none of the locals or any of the rivals but for some reason Rob attracted the crazies.
The first time was on the way to Riga, I had to leave for a minute (to go toilet around the corner of the bus station) as I came back a strange old man is trying to converse with my English friend who at the time was looking quite bemused by the whole situation, luckily I know enough Latvian to tell people I can't speak Latvian.
When we were in Riga we went to the cinema to watch a film "From Paris with Love" I read one review that i had to agree with which described the movie as Rubilliant...something which is rubbish and brilliant at the same time...any film with John Travolta as a fat and bald special agent with a black dyed beard is worth watching. Now when you buy the tickets here you have to choose the row and the seat number so we picked the ones in the middle...but it didn't really matter as the place was practically empty so what were the odds we would be in someones seat...........well Im glad Im not a betting man...5 minutes into the film a Latvian gentlemen walks over says to me in Latvian that I'm in his seat..there were seats all around us but he wanted that one, luckily I didn't have to move he just sat one seat away from me...very odd.
When we were in Riga we didn't have long until we had to get the bus to Estonia. So we had a bit of lunch with some traditional food (pizza followed by Ice cream.
As I was in the bookshop picking something up for the journey (Frankenstein and selected poems by Edgar Allen Poe- I was in the mood for something dark).
As i left the shop I see that Rob was having another strange encounter with one of Latvia's finest drunks...this guy was a little harder to talk to as and a little more aggressive his face was right in robs asking for money...but luckily I knew how to diffuse this situation I just used the old short charm..distract and run.
However our meetings with European drunks didn't end here..no..unfortunately it got worse. The Bus to Tallinn (Estonia) was a 4 hour and a bit journey and on this bus was one Estonian gent who was going to get through this journey the only way he knew how...drunk...very very drunk.
Now he was sat in front of rob and I was sat behind rob,,so for most of the journey I didn't notice him..sometimes I can hear some shouting over the noise coming from my I pod but in general I didn't care. Rob however started to get annoyed, he couldn't sleep because the guy kept hiccuping (we timed him and he went on for half an hour). I tried to help Rob by telling him not to be so up tight, relax, don't let him bother you and even suggested that he should just move. Half an hour later Rob got to sleep and when he woke he found that the man was gone...moved...thats right he moved...moved right behind me.
I tried to talk to the man to befriend him so in that way he may choose to be quiet and to stop disturbing me from reading but unfortunately nothing... he would say some nonsensical things in English and then carried on drinking and spilling beer on the floor....which flowed on to the bottom of my bag..then he would put his face in between the my chair and the chair next to me...say something in Estonian and then would proceed in reading Frankenstein with me.....well enough was enough I turned around looked him straight in the eye "excuse me, Im trying to read my book if you don't mind" well that showed him he went back to his seat...at the next stop the driver saw that this guy was so wasted that he forced him to sit at the front of the bus.
When the bus arrived we were greeted by our Estonian hosts Jaanika and Bono the Dog.
Please stay tuned for next week for Part 2 Rob and Sanj's Bogus Journey
The best thing had to be the fact that he brought
English Tea Bags
Brannigans: beef and Mustard (veggie friendly of Course)
Mojo magazine, Q Magazine and Nuts *ahem
and Last but no means least a jar of Branston pickle...which believe me friends nearly brought a tear to these old eyes.
The first night was fun, the Hostel was fantastic and the beer was a pound...two beers later and huge shot, we found ourselves conversing with latvians, Canadians, Australians and Chile...ans ???(well people from Chile).
The drinking was fun...but the 3 and half hour journey back to Gulbene wasnt, I was ok, But Rob suffered a little more than me, but soon as we got back to the flat...time for Pro EVO ( for those not familiar with Pro EVO, well its the best football game in the world and if you prefer FIFA then stop reading my Blog and Fuck off).
Now since Ive been here I haven't had any problems with anyone, none of the locals or any of the rivals but for some reason Rob attracted the crazies.
The first time was on the way to Riga, I had to leave for a minute (to go toilet around the corner of the bus station) as I came back a strange old man is trying to converse with my English friend who at the time was looking quite bemused by the whole situation, luckily I know enough Latvian to tell people I can't speak Latvian.
When we were in Riga we went to the cinema to watch a film "From Paris with Love" I read one review that i had to agree with which described the movie as Rubilliant...something which is rubbish and brilliant at the same time...any film with John Travolta as a fat and bald special agent with a black dyed beard is worth watching. Now when you buy the tickets here you have to choose the row and the seat number so we picked the ones in the middle...but it didn't really matter as the place was practically empty so what were the odds we would be in someones seat...........well Im glad Im not a betting man...5 minutes into the film a Latvian gentlemen walks over says to me in Latvian that I'm in his seat..there were seats all around us but he wanted that one, luckily I didn't have to move he just sat one seat away from me...very odd.
When we were in Riga we didn't have long until we had to get the bus to Estonia. So we had a bit of lunch with some traditional food (pizza followed by Ice cream.
As I was in the bookshop picking something up for the journey (Frankenstein and selected poems by Edgar Allen Poe- I was in the mood for something dark).
As i left the shop I see that Rob was having another strange encounter with one of Latvia's finest drunks...this guy was a little harder to talk to as and a little more aggressive his face was right in robs asking for money...but luckily I knew how to diffuse this situation I just used the old short charm..distract and run.
However our meetings with European drunks didn't end here..no..unfortunately it got worse. The Bus to Tallinn (Estonia) was a 4 hour and a bit journey and on this bus was one Estonian gent who was going to get through this journey the only way he knew how...drunk...very very drunk.
Now he was sat in front of rob and I was sat behind rob,,so for most of the journey I didn't notice him..sometimes I can hear some shouting over the noise coming from my I pod but in general I didn't care. Rob however started to get annoyed, he couldn't sleep because the guy kept hiccuping (we timed him and he went on for half an hour). I tried to help Rob by telling him not to be so up tight, relax, don't let him bother you and even suggested that he should just move. Half an hour later Rob got to sleep and when he woke he found that the man was gone...moved...thats right he moved...moved right behind me.
I tried to talk to the man to befriend him so in that way he may choose to be quiet and to stop disturbing me from reading but unfortunately nothing... he would say some nonsensical things in English and then carried on drinking and spilling beer on the floor....which flowed on to the bottom of my bag..then he would put his face in between the my chair and the chair next to me...say something in Estonian and then would proceed in reading Frankenstein with me.....well enough was enough I turned around looked him straight in the eye "excuse me, Im trying to read my book if you don't mind" well that showed him he went back to his seat...at the next stop the driver saw that this guy was so wasted that he forced him to sit at the front of the bus.
When the bus arrived we were greeted by our Estonian hosts Jaanika and Bono the Dog.
Please stay tuned for next week for Part 2 Rob and Sanj's Bogus Journey
sestdiena, 2010. gada 27. februāris
I was looking for a job.....I found a job....heaven knows Im adequte now
Last week me and Thibault were accompanied with a visitor. One of the ex EVS volunteers came back to visit Latvia and stayed at the flat. It was really nice having someone else at the apartment. For me it was nice to hear people talking and having a conversation without being one of the people involved (Thibaut doesn't really like a lot of company at the flat and if I do hear talking then its usually Thibaut talking to himself.....which he does an awful lot). It was nice to talk to someone who has experienced the things which I'm experiencing right now and I was even able to get a few tips...One of the biggest ones was how to improve my Latvian and the answer was.......volunteer at the local nursery. As I have done nursery work in England and a little in India I felt that it was brilliant idea....as I have never found that type of work as work. This may be because I still have a lot of growing up to do...but come on why decide to work in an office all day, go to a job from nine to five, having to wear a tie or worse, when you could be helping kids paint or play with plasticine or reading stories.....you do need to be creative and at times patient but other than that its one of the best jobs Ive ever had (though I haven't been a paid musician or director or blog writer.....yet).
Plus its one of of the jobs Ive ever been good at
* Waiter - only kept on as it was my grandparents restaurant...however was demoted to dishwasher
* working at a bakery's- sacked because I couldn't make a sandwich to their standards after 5 weeks..a thing that my closest friend still wont forget or remind me often
* Telephone salesmen- sacked on my first day and also the day that the aforementioned friend got promoted
* shop assistant- got the job as my friends already worked there and convinced the manger at the time....lasted a while, god knows that they had enough excuses, but I was good for morale...fact
* barman- fantastic laugh yet not enough hours in the summer...somehow tricked my way to supervisor position.
I believe that for me the future is in volunteering which im reasonably adequate at.
back to the story.....now I went to the nursery with Margaretha and she talked to the headteacher for me to start and go every Thursday working with four year olds.
Now she wasnt wrong about learning Latvian because if i don't learn some stuff soon then the kids will run riot....sentences I need to learn
stop hitting
speak slowly
don't fight
stop laughing at me
put the gun down
The kids were a little frightened at first but it was ok as were all going to a puppet show in the main hall. All I can say is thank fuck I was well rested because that was the most trippy thing I have ever seen...erie looking puppets of animals hanging about in the woods....a dog playing the harpsichord and a lady fox dressing up as mrs Santa cluas...at the end the puppeteers completely broke the fourth wall by coming out of their hiding positions to say goodbye......rubbish, I saw their lips move...but the children seemed to love it.
Later on we all went outside to play in the snow...I heard a few of the kids talking and conspiring and then one shouting hey English, I turned around and .....THUMP ...snowball in the face (well it was more like a shard of Ice)
however even though their was slight trouble with the language I had a great time and Im looking forward to going back in a couple of weeks......because next week Im off to Estonia with a friend from England...and I going to drink and become happy in a haze of a drunken hour ...see you around readers.
Plus its one of of the jobs Ive ever been good at
* Waiter - only kept on as it was my grandparents restaurant...however was demoted to dishwasher
* working at a bakery's- sacked because I couldn't make a sandwich to their standards after 5 weeks..a thing that my closest friend still wont forget or remind me often
* Telephone salesmen- sacked on my first day and also the day that the aforementioned friend got promoted
* shop assistant- got the job as my friends already worked there and convinced the manger at the time....lasted a while, god knows that they had enough excuses, but I was good for morale...fact
* barman- fantastic laugh yet not enough hours in the summer...somehow tricked my way to supervisor position.
I believe that for me the future is in volunteering which im reasonably adequate at.
back to the story.....now I went to the nursery with Margaretha and she talked to the headteacher for me to start and go every Thursday working with four year olds.
Now she wasnt wrong about learning Latvian because if i don't learn some stuff soon then the kids will run riot....sentences I need to learn
stop hitting
speak slowly
don't fight
stop laughing at me
put the gun down
The kids were a little frightened at first but it was ok as were all going to a puppet show in the main hall. All I can say is thank fuck I was well rested because that was the most trippy thing I have ever seen...erie looking puppets of animals hanging about in the woods....a dog playing the harpsichord and a lady fox dressing up as mrs Santa cluas...at the end the puppeteers completely broke the fourth wall by coming out of their hiding positions to say goodbye......rubbish, I saw their lips move...but the children seemed to love it.
Later on we all went outside to play in the snow...I heard a few of the kids talking and conspiring and then one shouting hey English, I turned around and .....THUMP ...snowball in the face (well it was more like a shard of Ice)
however even though their was slight trouble with the language I had a great time and Im looking forward to going back in a couple of weeks......because next week Im off to Estonia with a friend from England...and I going to drink and become happy in a haze of a drunken hour ...see you around readers.
svētdiena, 2010. gada 21. februāris
snow, snow everywhere... yet not a tree to pee.
we all have things we want to do before we leave the world behind us....I have many dreams...I want to have a drink and share pringles with David Bowie at my local pub...I want to learn how to fix pocket watches......and I would like to insert adamantium claws into each hand....but now one thing I can tick of my list and that is watching Latvian motor racing in the freezing cold.
There was cause for celebration as there was one British team taking part (they didnt do very well) but I did show them support with my pillow which incidently has a union jack on the front.
But the racing wasn't the best thing about that day...no the best thing was that i finally got to go in a tractor....well more precisely on a tractor as I was sitting in the big bit in the front that scoops all the mud.
Standing in the cold for two and half hours did have its challenges. For example my snickers bar which I was saving became very hard to eat and that goes double for my ornage...plus my body became cold and also I needed to wee quite badly. Drinking tea did not help....drinking tea with Balzams ( Very strong Latvian Liquor) made me warmer yet I was always hoping that the warm sensation running through my body was the liquor and not piss.
After watching a couple of laps and having a ride on the tractor we dcided to go back as I was not the only one who was having trouble with their bladder.
However we did have a problem....the car wouldnt start...we tried pushing but nothing helped...luckily I had my pillow just in case we had to stay their for a while....help was on the way yet I could not hold it any more...I left the car to wee.
Now the first thing I had to do was get out of the road as we were on the track of the actual rally.....they only get timed at certain parts..luckily this wasnt one of the parts but they were still pretty fast...so looking around me to find the best place to go...I saw....I saw a vastness of nothing....just fields and fields all covered in deep snow.
Their was a tree close to the car but surrounded by a blanket of whitness and as I walked to the snow..I realised why their were no other footprints...becasue it was a stupid idea.
After getting waist deep in snow...i had to walk ten minutes from the car to find an isolated place and ....im not proud but I had to wee in the middle of the road no shelter...it was out and luckily I was alone....sorry gran.
After that pleasent story I can tell you all now readers...Ive been so busy lately....always dreamed when I was younger that by the time I was 26 id be living some sort of rock n roll lifestyle.
Well how about this for rock n roll...last week I went to a textile museum and then a few days after that I took a ride on the oldest train in Latvia and ive been making videos for presentations for youth centers and schools..Ive also been to the biggest art academy in Latvia....I know its not very rock and roll but I like it....like it yes I do.
There was cause for celebration as there was one British team taking part (they didnt do very well) but I did show them support with my pillow which incidently has a union jack on the front.
But the racing wasn't the best thing about that day...no the best thing was that i finally got to go in a tractor....well more precisely on a tractor as I was sitting in the big bit in the front that scoops all the mud.
Standing in the cold for two and half hours did have its challenges. For example my snickers bar which I was saving became very hard to eat and that goes double for my ornage...plus my body became cold and also I needed to wee quite badly. Drinking tea did not help....drinking tea with Balzams ( Very strong Latvian Liquor) made me warmer yet I was always hoping that the warm sensation running through my body was the liquor and not piss.
After watching a couple of laps and having a ride on the tractor we dcided to go back as I was not the only one who was having trouble with their bladder.
However we did have a problem....the car wouldnt start...we tried pushing but nothing helped...luckily I had my pillow just in case we had to stay their for a while....help was on the way yet I could not hold it any more...I left the car to wee.
Now the first thing I had to do was get out of the road as we were on the track of the actual rally.....they only get timed at certain parts..luckily this wasnt one of the parts but they were still pretty fast...so looking around me to find the best place to go...I saw....I saw a vastness of nothing....just fields and fields all covered in deep snow.
Their was a tree close to the car but surrounded by a blanket of whitness and as I walked to the snow..I realised why their were no other footprints...becasue it was a stupid idea.
After getting waist deep in snow...i had to walk ten minutes from the car to find an isolated place and ....im not proud but I had to wee in the middle of the road no shelter...it was out and luckily I was alone....sorry gran.
After that pleasent story I can tell you all now readers...Ive been so busy lately....always dreamed when I was younger that by the time I was 26 id be living some sort of rock n roll lifestyle.
Well how about this for rock n roll...last week I went to a textile museum and then a few days after that I took a ride on the oldest train in Latvia and ive been making videos for presentations for youth centers and schools..Ive also been to the biggest art academy in Latvia....I know its not very rock and roll but I like it....like it yes I do.
ceturtdiena, 2010. gada 28. janvāris
"you want fame.......well fame costs"
So, ive been back now for just over two weeks, trying to get in the same momentum that I had last year. One big change is that I now have the bedroom which is fantastic, Ive already bought the insence,candles and a new plant. Ive also put all my stuff from India in there along with my Beatles poster and R2D2, and it looks like a hippie paradise....just how I like it. Thibualt is struggling with the sofa bed though...so we have come to an agreement Ill keep the room but he can have the bed, and we will move the sofa bed in my room, so in that case were both happy I have a place to hide from the world and he can sleep comfortably in the front room....I hope guests wont find it too strange as they would have to sit on Thibault's bed ...having a cup of tea and some biscuits.
In this issue Ill will be talking about fame and the price you have to pay when you finally get it.
There have been many great songs about fame, there is "Fame"from David Bowie....um..."fame"from the movie fame .....and "when will I, will I be Famous"from the fantastic wordsmith Luke Goss and his band Bros. Well Luke you should of come to Latvia.
Now Gulbene is a small district in Latvia and and to say Ive had an impact.... would be a slight exaggeration. But I have been in two movie since my time here, and you have to admit I have some credible acting range(un-named, and waiter).
I feel I have perfected the presence of a very uncomfortable man wanting to be somewhere else....years of practice I suppose.
Ive also been in the local paper to promote my presence here in Gulbene and certain projects that I do like English lessons and my media group.
What is also quite funny that Im now on tour....in a way, im going to different schools promoting volunteering and the youth center ( Ive even been asked to give a shout out in my blog to the high school in Juan-gulbene)
Also my very controversial in your face band, the Milk tits wrote a Christmas album last year called "spray your milky egg nogg" which got some great recognition in the underground scene.
There has been a few perks, getting recognized in the street, groupies and the drugs, but you know its a very hollow lifestyle.
One of my favourite achievements here in Latvia though, and one of the funniest is that last week I filmed the local awards ceremony. Its one of the first times I have had to film anything and a fucking awful job I did too, but as it happens I was the only one filming and the local news wanted to do a piece about it the next day, so they used my footage, unfortunately I don't have a TV that shows any channels, but apparently the next day they used an edited version of the footage and afterwards, the screen showed "footage filmed by Sonny Short" fuck you Luck goss...look at me now.
However like Icarus who flew too close to the sun, I seemed to of rouse the suspicion of an important person here in Latvia and that man is The "immigration officer".
So it looks like my debauched lifestyle has come to an end and my new arch nemesis seems to have heard a little too much about the English guy who insists of hanging around his town. As I didn't have my passport on me, the gentlemen will be back to get my details this week, I would try and challenge him but he has the second best mustache I have seen in Latvia ( the winner being a Lady I saw at the shops) so as soon as I can grow hair around my face.....its on.
So I hope this is a lesson for any young people out there looking for fame, don't try so hard, get by on your own wit and charm and always look out for the immigration officer who is ready to take you down.
In this issue Ill will be talking about fame and the price you have to pay when you finally get it.
There have been many great songs about fame, there is "Fame"from David Bowie....um..."fame"from the movie fame .....and "when will I, will I be Famous"from the fantastic wordsmith Luke Goss and his band Bros. Well Luke you should of come to Latvia.
Now Gulbene is a small district in Latvia and and to say Ive had an impact.... would be a slight exaggeration. But I have been in two movie since my time here, and you have to admit I have some credible acting range(un-named, and waiter).
I feel I have perfected the presence of a very uncomfortable man wanting to be somewhere else....years of practice I suppose.
Ive also been in the local paper to promote my presence here in Gulbene and certain projects that I do like English lessons and my media group.
What is also quite funny that Im now on tour....in a way, im going to different schools promoting volunteering and the youth center ( Ive even been asked to give a shout out in my blog to the high school in Juan-gulbene)
Also my very controversial in your face band, the Milk tits wrote a Christmas album last year called "spray your milky egg nogg" which got some great recognition in the underground scene.
There has been a few perks, getting recognized in the street, groupies and the drugs, but you know its a very hollow lifestyle.
One of my favourite achievements here in Latvia though, and one of the funniest is that last week I filmed the local awards ceremony. Its one of the first times I have had to film anything and a fucking awful job I did too, but as it happens I was the only one filming and the local news wanted to do a piece about it the next day, so they used my footage, unfortunately I don't have a TV that shows any channels, but apparently the next day they used an edited version of the footage and afterwards, the screen showed "footage filmed by Sonny Short" fuck you Luck goss...look at me now.
However like Icarus who flew too close to the sun, I seemed to of rouse the suspicion of an important person here in Latvia and that man is The "immigration officer".
So it looks like my debauched lifestyle has come to an end and my new arch nemesis seems to have heard a little too much about the English guy who insists of hanging around his town. As I didn't have my passport on me, the gentlemen will be back to get my details this week, I would try and challenge him but he has the second best mustache I have seen in Latvia ( the winner being a Lady I saw at the shops) so as soon as I can grow hair around my face.....its on.
So I hope this is a lesson for any young people out there looking for fame, don't try so hard, get by on your own wit and charm and always look out for the immigration officer who is ready to take you down.
ceturtdiena, 2010. gada 14. janvāris
long time "snow" see
well the blog is back and I am going to continue telling you all about my adventures here in Latvia.
I hope that you all had a great Christmas and enjoyed your nut roasts ( i have decided that if everyone presumes that I eat meat and everyone eats meat, then I will counteract this by presuming that everyone is a vegetarian)however apologies to those allergic to nuts.
I had a fantastic time back home with my friends and family and it did make my final days of my visit very difficult to say goodbye.
As I was preparing to get back to Latvia i had one worry and that was how much will my luggage weigh and how much will Ryan air fuck me over if my bags were too heavy.
The worry was that I was taking more things then i left with, I now had more luxurious items on board with me.
As I now had experience and knew what to expect in Gulbene, i knew that I had to take my X box, around 30 films and twenty of my favourite CDs for those lonesome evenings. Not only that I also now have the pleasure of announcing once again, that I sonny Short am an owner of a onesy.
My family are awesome as they helped to prepared me for the remaining journey, they tooled me up with
An army green itchy as hell onesy
a 1930's style bomber hat
Custard creams
spices
cous-cous (the food so nice they named it twice)
chocolates
A Union Jack pillow
new books
veggie dumplings
a sign for my door that says "what would Elvis do"
A candle and of course, my R2D2 clock that projects the time on the wall
I was worried that all these things would add up and weigh me down. I was also worried about the weather and the journey up to London but it actually turned out quite good.
On the road i was accompanied with my Dad and Grandad short, thats right the shorts went on a road trip to London, we had flasks of tea, coffee an assortment of crisps and sweets and cheese and pickle sandwiches. It was awesome I do like the little things in life and when you have lots of little things adding together well then its bliss, and how can you beat a coffee with a pack of McCoys a cheese and pickle sandwich, reading a music magazine, traveling in a back of a car listening to some of the finest soul music produced in the 60's. I do like traveling and whenever i get into a backseat of car, wherever its a friends or family members the first thing I want to do is have a little sleepy.
As the weather was so unpredictable and the journey was five hours long, we left at 8 in the evening to get there for 5 in the morning as plane left at 6, we shouldnt of worried so much as they was no problems at all and the roads were so clear we were making perfect time, we were going to be so early that we stopped regularly (even ten minutes before the airport) and as we got there it had the feel of some sort of refugee camp with various people sleeping on the floor waiting for their flights, we went for a coffee around the corner of the counter and hour later the lines were unbelievable.
As I was waiting in the line the inevitable happened my rucksack strap snapped, the x box was too heavy for the strap........however I still had one more, all it needed to do was hold the weight till i got home, the problem was that it nearly broke before and i used a staple to keep it attached to the bag and now I had to rely on this small staple to last until i got back to the flat which would insist of a 40 minute walk from the bus station to my place.........did it fuck.
As i got to the bag dropping zone the lady informed me that my luggage was to heavy and I had to get rid of half a kilo....half a fucking kilo..I had to wear a tshirt, a shirt, a hoodie and a huge jacket with a bulging bag with one workable strap held on by a staple carrying my old style camera, unwashed and under-nourished and the worst thing is not everything was saved....no custard creams, no veggie dumplings...not even my cous-cous was able to come along.
As I got in to Latvia I had to wait for a bus to drive to gulbene, luckily that wait gave me enough time to watch a film in the nearby cinema (sherlock Holmes, at least 7 out of 10) 3 and half hours later I made it to gulbene and then the staple gave way (fuck you staples Ive always preferred glue and binders), I had to make some straps out of the surviving bits of the bag, which was extremely uncomfortable walking in freezing weather and a lot of snow (photos will be up shortly)I had to also get food for shopping and I fell over on the road twice, the journey felt like a life time but luckily I didnt crack my eggs.
However you have to make the best of a bad situation, I got home unpacked, had some spaghetti, a cup of tea, biscuits and watched a DVD of the Old Grey Whistle test, Put up new decorations for the flat, played some pro evo listened to some music lit some candles, and rang my parents. My dad was so tired he crashed out when he got home, only to be woken my mum who made him breakfast in bed with a hot steaming bath, he was so confused he thought that he might of crashed the car......good work mum.
I ended my first night back all snug in my onesy wearing my bomber hat mentally preparing my self for whats to come.
I hope that you all had a great Christmas and enjoyed your nut roasts ( i have decided that if everyone presumes that I eat meat and everyone eats meat, then I will counteract this by presuming that everyone is a vegetarian)however apologies to those allergic to nuts.
I had a fantastic time back home with my friends and family and it did make my final days of my visit very difficult to say goodbye.
As I was preparing to get back to Latvia i had one worry and that was how much will my luggage weigh and how much will Ryan air fuck me over if my bags were too heavy.
The worry was that I was taking more things then i left with, I now had more luxurious items on board with me.
As I now had experience and knew what to expect in Gulbene, i knew that I had to take my X box, around 30 films and twenty of my favourite CDs for those lonesome evenings. Not only that I also now have the pleasure of announcing once again, that I sonny Short am an owner of a onesy.
My family are awesome as they helped to prepared me for the remaining journey, they tooled me up with
An army green itchy as hell onesy
a 1930's style bomber hat
Custard creams
spices
cous-cous (the food so nice they named it twice)
chocolates
A Union Jack pillow
new books
veggie dumplings
a sign for my door that says "what would Elvis do"
A candle and of course, my R2D2 clock that projects the time on the wall
I was worried that all these things would add up and weigh me down. I was also worried about the weather and the journey up to London but it actually turned out quite good.
On the road i was accompanied with my Dad and Grandad short, thats right the shorts went on a road trip to London, we had flasks of tea, coffee an assortment of crisps and sweets and cheese and pickle sandwiches. It was awesome I do like the little things in life and when you have lots of little things adding together well then its bliss, and how can you beat a coffee with a pack of McCoys a cheese and pickle sandwich, reading a music magazine, traveling in a back of a car listening to some of the finest soul music produced in the 60's. I do like traveling and whenever i get into a backseat of car, wherever its a friends or family members the first thing I want to do is have a little sleepy.
As the weather was so unpredictable and the journey was five hours long, we left at 8 in the evening to get there for 5 in the morning as plane left at 6, we shouldnt of worried so much as they was no problems at all and the roads were so clear we were making perfect time, we were going to be so early that we stopped regularly (even ten minutes before the airport) and as we got there it had the feel of some sort of refugee camp with various people sleeping on the floor waiting for their flights, we went for a coffee around the corner of the counter and hour later the lines were unbelievable.
As I was waiting in the line the inevitable happened my rucksack strap snapped, the x box was too heavy for the strap........however I still had one more, all it needed to do was hold the weight till i got home, the problem was that it nearly broke before and i used a staple to keep it attached to the bag and now I had to rely on this small staple to last until i got back to the flat which would insist of a 40 minute walk from the bus station to my place.........did it fuck.
As i got to the bag dropping zone the lady informed me that my luggage was to heavy and I had to get rid of half a kilo....half a fucking kilo..I had to wear a tshirt, a shirt, a hoodie and a huge jacket with a bulging bag with one workable strap held on by a staple carrying my old style camera, unwashed and under-nourished and the worst thing is not everything was saved....no custard creams, no veggie dumplings...not even my cous-cous was able to come along.
As I got in to Latvia I had to wait for a bus to drive to gulbene, luckily that wait gave me enough time to watch a film in the nearby cinema (sherlock Holmes, at least 7 out of 10) 3 and half hours later I made it to gulbene and then the staple gave way (fuck you staples Ive always preferred glue and binders), I had to make some straps out of the surviving bits of the bag, which was extremely uncomfortable walking in freezing weather and a lot of snow (photos will be up shortly)I had to also get food for shopping and I fell over on the road twice, the journey felt like a life time but luckily I didnt crack my eggs.
However you have to make the best of a bad situation, I got home unpacked, had some spaghetti, a cup of tea, biscuits and watched a DVD of the Old Grey Whistle test, Put up new decorations for the flat, played some pro evo listened to some music lit some candles, and rang my parents. My dad was so tired he crashed out when he got home, only to be woken my mum who made him breakfast in bed with a hot steaming bath, he was so confused he thought that he might of crashed the car......good work mum.
I ended my first night back all snug in my onesy wearing my bomber hat mentally preparing my self for whats to come.
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