the street life

i finally found a spot to play on the street. i figured that i could make some extra cash like i did last week.

i had just gotten warmed up and cozy in my spot when this guy walked up semi close. i could tell he was watching me even though he was trying to pretend like he wasn't. he slowly made his way around me in a semi circle at a distance. finally he planted himself behind me on some bike racks that i was leaning against. i had my backpack behind my back as a pillow against the hard metal. so i kept one eye on him and one on my guitar case. then another guy came from no where and he set his doufle bag on one side of me and then walked over to the other side of me real friendly-like asking me questions about my guitar and commenting about how nice it was and trying to be too friendly (totally not a polish thing). and then the guy behind me got closer slowly. finally i grabbed my bag, put it under my leg while i packed my guitar in the case. i booked it out of there.

man... tryin to hussle a hussler. crazy mo fo's. in the states my stuff would've already been long gone. but i guess the poles figure they can work slower because people aren't expecting to be robbed in the middle of a crowded street while everyone's looking. i need a street buddy to watch my back.

dang... only made 1zl (30cents). i need a job.

un-souvenirs

one of my friends blogged about traveling and that someone said that americans take things from other places. i'd like to give my example of how that's not personally true of my travels...

recently, it came to my attention that i only have 8 pairs of undies. i counted because i was packing for an 11 night trip. i did bring more even though i only moved to poland with a backpack. which means... somehow along the course of traveling i've managed to lose (or had them stolen which has happened before) a few pairs of undies. most people enjoy the experience of finding something in a new place to take back to their old place... souvenirs. apparently, i've been leaving a legacy of dirty undies throughout the world.

to make the story more exciting, i had my friend mail my computer to a lady that's coming to krakow in a week! i'll have a computer again!!! but apparently through the course of conversation i made it clear that i didn't have much stuff as far as base layers. so she included my undies with the computer. they weren't new, fresh in the package undies, no they're my old undies which i'm hoping were clean but can't guarantee such things since i was expecting to return to the states shortly to finish my laundry.

so i have new undies about to travel the ocean. o how i missed them so. finally we'll be together again. i'll be ridin smooth and happy again with fresh undies.

the picky beggar

anyone want to sponsor me for a trip to macedonia to help with worship and leading an iwc group around skopje for a week?

it would be good for my heart and hopefully encouraging for the peeps there too.

thought i'd ask. i did it last year on my own monies and it was one of the awesome highlights of my summer. it was a sweet time with God and other believers serving in the roma villages in skopje. this year if i had the money i'd be there in a sec.

shock

i lived completely by myself for 3 months. now i live in an apt with 10 other girls. i sleep on a mattress on the floor at night in a room with 2 other girls and during the day lean the mattress against the wall. my stuff is stashed on top of wardrobes. there's a constant stream of polish all day long. shock to the senses. ahhhh!!!

today the worries on my mind... money... job... future journey. where am i going?

home... where will you be? who will you be?

i'm reading a biography about dietrich bonhoefer. it's good. next friday i have a concert in krakow. i need to sell cds.

the pause button

so i keep seeing all the status updates and new blog posts for my friends that are getting ready to go back to the states and it makes me miss all my home diggidies.

i talked to a girl yesterday that had just returned to poland after a few months of fund raising in the states. she said that everyone had changed and everything was different from when she was here before. i told her it's because she made a rookie mistake in international living. she totally forgot to push pause before she left.

i always push pause before i leave a place. it makes it easier to return to a place. all the people are the same just like i left them and all the places are the same and are still there. i know what to expect when i return. it's good. it's the best of both worlds. i can visit a new place and new people for a while and then know that i'm not missing anything on the other side of the world.

so for all you rookie international livers (liver tastes disgusting... why people want to eat the part of the animal that filters all the waste products is beyond me... but i digress)...

international livers and travelers in general... Always remember to push pause before you leave.