Little update and #13 in progress!

So, the past months have been a rollercoaster to me. I sucked as a blogger, but I had a good reason to suck, since the everyday life became overwhelmingly time- and attention-consuming. I have managed to find a terrible job and quit it shortly after that. I had to leave a big house with a huge garden, where I grew up and move in to a new (and kinda small) apartment. According to Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory, moving ranks as 32nd out of 43 traumatic life events. I totally confirm that. I started a business and spent countless hours on trying to make it work (still in progress, check it out here).

The room where I was living for the past 18 years of my life!

But the most important thing, is that a small window opened. A window, that allows me doing something I was preparing for for the past (almost) two years: moving to Norway and working there. This opportunity materialized in a person of my friend from the university, Hania, who apparently had bigger balls than me and last year just got a grip, went to Norway, found a job and spent lovely holidays in Bergen. (In the same time, 1400 kms south I was dreaming about Norway and in the same time panicking over the fact that I SURELY won't find a job and I will SURELY loose all my money). Hania networked me with her boss, I got the flight tickets, I was happy like a clam, and then it turned out that it's not gonna happen. Some formalities with Bergen kommune (authorities) have been missed and our workplace is not going to work for this season.

I got a small heart attack.

True, our boss said he still needs to confirm it, and it's not 100% sure, but my head was already floating in a pink cloud of optimism. What was even worse, is that I have no idea how it happen, but I bought flight tickets to Japan. I don't remember it, I suppose that a super cheap deal from All Nippon Airlines just dragged me into some dark alley, beat me up and riffled trough my pockets. When I woke up, I was 1500 PLN poorer and I had a tickets to Tokyo and back for September in my inbox. To Japan, you see, a super expensive country. Which I won't be able to afford without having worked in Norway. 

After a week of prayers to all known gods, some black magic targeted at Bergen kommune and complete panic, we got an e-mail confirming that our workplace, aka sausage stand in the Bergen's Fish Market is awaiting us. Relief is not even close to what I felt. So, here I come, I have tickets to Oslo booked for May 8th and then I'm going to Bergen on May 11th. 

That's more or less my new job. Continuing glorious traditions of fishmongering in Bergen!

I'm excited, and scared and excited again and I feel that's the rightest thing to do right now! (and: #13 in progress!)

Task 21: Done!

Task 21: Go for a badass trip with my nana

Meet my nana. She's 86, raised 3 kids by herself (because grandfather was a lovely guy, but PTSD that some people get in Nazi prisoner-of-war camp kinda limits you in a daily life). As a young girl she decided to get some education. Nobody pushed her, it was her who wanted something more in her life. As a teenager she was enrolled to a tailoring school. Living in the outskirts of Warsaw, going to school in Warsaw city center just after WWII, meant that every morning she had to walk 4 kms to a railway station, carrying her own chair (school didn't have any). For commuting alone she needed 3-4 hours daily. 

She was a skilled tailor and soon became a manager in the state-owned Moda Polska. Even now she can't stand seing people wearing uneven plaid jackets (just don't when you're around my nana). I remember being 6 or 7 and having piles of Matell catalogues with all those pretty Barbie gowns that weren't even available in Poland (and if they were, they costed gazzilion zlots). My granny used to spend hours on turning her scraps of lace, silk and batiste into stunning Barbie dresses. After she retired she started travelling - the grandmother style - which meant visiting every Catholic sanctuary available in Europe (thumbs up for bringing the Virgin-Mary-statue-barometer, the only barometer that would make you go straight to heaven, religious and practical!). She re-married when she was 78, shortly before she bought a super vintage (well, old and probably dangerous) Lada Samara and renewed her driving licence, which raised panic among the whole family. Now she's 86 and for last Christmas she demanded an anti-wrinkle face cream. She also says that she'd get herself a cat once she gets old. 

I'd like to take her for a short trip somewhere abroad, to a high standard hotel with scented towels and little chocolates on pillows, to say thank you for the best Barbie gowns ever made. I had this plan for a long time, but now, is the time when I really can make it happen. Next stop, Budapest!

I'm back. Sort of.

So, guys, I kinda orphaned my blog. It's not that I'm lazy. Well, not only. At one point I just felt that I don't need public declarations to make things happen. Also, some of my dreams had an expiry date. Running a hostel? Hm, you mean dealing with puking dudes in bathrooms, annoyed neighbours and robbers building administration? Err... No thanks? Also, playing ukulele is somewhat cooler when you're in your early twenties.

However, what I started two years ago in a moment of the worst idunnowhattodowithmylife, pushed me into right direction. There are still many things that I'd love to do, but in the same time, many things that I didn't even think may happen - did happen. Like... I became a TV production manager for a badass cool TV series about travelling and I'm loving it.

That was my office in mid-August

So, yeah, I'm back. Sort of.

Twenty: done!

Task #20 completed!

yes, that's hail

Traveling the world for free? No, thanks.

Have you ever heard of one of these numerous projects aiming to prove how cool and adventurous it is to travel for next to no money? Google gives over 315 000 000 records for "traveling for free", so I assume you have. Because, come on, not only traveling, but traveling for free, this must be some kind of magic, right?

Nope. It's simply wrong, it's wrong on so many levels. This topic was surging within me for some time already, but today I saw one more 'fantastic' project about using people traveling for free and I snapped. Because it's so naive, it's such a worn out concept.

You see, for the past (over) two years I was focusing on my research for dissertation and what's worse, I decided that it's gonna be a damn good dissertation. I spent way too much time reading, interviewing people, researching, talking to backpackers, conducting interviews, researching, reading CS groups and in the end I was told that I have enough material to write a PhD thesis. I'm not writing it to brag, okay, maybe a bit, but you see, I talked to many people about traveling: why they do it, what it gives to them, what's the meaning, when it's easy, when it's difficult. And you know what's the outcome? Surprisingly many people are not very thoughtful about the way they travel,.

Ethical traveling? Reducing your (tourist's) negative influence? Sustainable backpacking? Respect? Forget it. People don't give a crap, they give very noble declarations, but that's all. Sometimes they pretend they do care, but in fact they don't, they just talk about how it gives them freedom and how educative it is. One of the worst things is that so many peopl think that traveling is their right. Guys, you're wrong, it's a damn privilege, it's entertainmnent, it's not a first-need thing. Backpacking is a feel-good tool, it's Disneyland for adults, it's like Prozac, just more expensive. Unless... unless you make it free. 

So, here we go. Traveling for free sounds great, but in fact, for free doesn't exist. Someone is going to pay for the hospitability you use. Water, electricity, shared food, gas. Don't get me wrong, I do hitch-hike, I do couchsurf, but I do it in rich countries, where this hospitability is a small burden for my host.

That's a proof!

But if you're going to travel the world for free, it means that at some point you're going to use resources (money, time, food) of someone, who needs is more than you, but due to cultural taboos is not able to refuse giving a shelter to some spoiled western brat. Because yeah, hospitality is sanctified and traditionally, a wanderer is a less fortunate one, who needs their help. For you, paying for a hostel or paying for food during your trip means one more month of work back home and saving up. Not a big price for not using people, amirite? So, the alternative scenario is that you are putting your trip one or two months off, save up more, come to your dream destination, pay a fair amount of money to people, who are doing great job running their small buisnesses, restaurants, hostels, food stalls, one-man rickshaw services and boosting their countries' economies... how cool is that? 

So, my honest advice: before you go for this illusion, think twice about how much does your traveling for free actually cost.

Change!

Last time I told God about my plans, he laughed, so this time I kept it for myself for quite a long time. You know, just not to jinx it. However, the big day is coming and I can't stay quiet anymore, so I'll tell you a secret (imagine I'm saying it with a confidential whisper): I'm moving.

To be precise, I'm moving to Norway, to Oslo and I'm excited and anxious. Mostly anxious, my inner Anxiety Girl is having the time of her life. I've been preparing myself for this step for the past four months, reading tons of articles, discussion groups and books. The good news, is that, apparently, I have some superpowers (or I'm just motivated beyond measure), since in three months I managed to go trough a Norwegian language course, that was designed for a year. So, yeah, if there are some villains in Oslo, I'll talk them to death.

My life is a rollercoaster again. It's Norwegian flashcards scattered all over the place, my mom panicking over the fact that I don't own a down jacket, NRK P2 blaring in the background and me wondering why for every nice international word like jam, sport or jeans, bokmål has a very awkward counterpart, like syltetøy, idrett or dongeribukser (It's like dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Every decent non-tricky international term has its evil twin in this language). It's also buying and re-booking flight tickets, budgeting, sorting things out, making lists and many other things. And imagine that all the fun has just began. Somewhere in the end of this craziness, there is a nice, cozy (probably closet-sized) room in Oslo, job, new friends, old friends visiting every now and then, (because, hey, when you have a chance to save up on accomodation in Norway, just do it, as long as the chance is still there), probably lot of First Price food, Pizza Grandiosa, dugnader, and things that I don't know yet they exist. Okay, now I'm a bit more excited than anxious. 

I feel like I should add some heart-warming illustration, so I'll just upload a
 random picture of a postcard depicting copulating raindeers from
somewhere around Tromso.