Ruby's European Excursion: 2 Stuks

Sunday, June 17, 2007

2 Stuks

Back in Amsterdam, enjoying tasty fresh juices with chunks of fruit in the juice (they are so yummy!). Our favorite is a limeade/bannana shake with chunks of pineapple in it!

The label says "2 stuks frut" and that is how we identify the best tasty juice in the universe. I bought a ridiculous number of thm last night (they are affordable, healthy, and did I mention... tasty!) and we have a fridge in the apartment (yes, apartment!) where we are staying in Amsterdam.

More soon...

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Travel Tips

Talk to anyone who will speak to you. Try out the local language. Even if you only know how to say hello, please, and thank you, you will be able to make more friends. Don't be afraid to sound stupid, because you undoubtedly will sound stupid and this is no reason to stay quiet
Have a plan. Then change your plan when the whim strikes, or when you get new information
Buy stamps when you buy postcards, and write them immediately. Otherwise you might leave the country by accident with stamps you can't use. oops.
Make sure you pack both of your shoes and you didn't leave one of your favorite sandals on some island (dammit!)
Always keep your passport somewhere smart. The smartest place is inside one of those cool holders that goes under your clothes. I love my little hip-belt type, which is silk. Become zen-like when you realize that your passport will be forever molded to the shape of your belly and it will be warm when you hand it to people straight out of your pants.
Hide an extra $100 USD (or EURO) in the deepest darkest bottom of your pack just in case (haven't had to use mind yet, but it sure makes me feel better)
Call home when you are freaked out. Call home when you are happy.
Leave 1/4 of your bag empty for souveneirs, gifts, and random stuff you pick up on the road
Anticipate that you will be in a bad mood some days, and that you will probably have culture shock (and you won't be expecting it when it comes and you may not even realize that is why you are so cranky)
Do not bring any books that you would not read at home. You will also not read them on vacation and what is worse: you will be carrying this book around, resenting the fact that you still don't want to read it
Bring only the relevant pages from your travel guide (cut the pages out of the book's spine before you leave home), and carry only the info for the places you'll actually be visiting.
Do not carry even 1 heavy book! (and do not take more than 1 book under any circumstance)
Do bring a first aid kit with large and small bandages, painkillers, ace bandage and antibiotic ointment
Remember, you can buy everything everywhere
Buy those $15-$20 underwear that dry in like an hour and only bring three pairs (same thing for socks)
Carry your pack around the block a few times (or up three flights of stairs!) before you leave home: you will be amazed at how easy it is to decide you don't need all that stuff
Pack less than half of what you think you need

About My Proposed Dissertation Research

Question: How do female civillian war survivors recover from trauma?
Method of Inquiry: The project aims to interview Croatian and Bosnian women about their wartime experiences, level of traumatic response, and what interventions have been helpful (or would have been helpful if they had been available).
Goal of this Study: To assess the level of ongoing posttraumatic stress among women in the region, and to understand more about the process of recovery for survivors of war trauma.
Significance: In order to respond to the needs of civillian war survivors, it is imperative to seek counsel from women who have experienced war trauma. Through a process of information-sharing, survivors can help professionals in the international community respond more effectively to the actue and long-term needs of current and future war survivors.

Itinerary

Amsterdam & the Hague, Netherlands May 18– May 23
Zagreb, Croatia May 23 - May 26
Osijek, Croatia May 26- May 28
Vukovar, Croatia May 28 - May 30
Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina May 30- June 02
Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina June 02- June 04
Dubrovnik, Croatia June 04- June 08
Vela Luka, Korcula Island, Croatia June 08- June 10
Zadar or Split or Hvar, Croatia (in transit) June 10-11
Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia June 11- June 14
Zagreb, Croatia June 14
Amsterdam, Netherlands June 15- June 18