Category: travel

Isolation

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Isolation is a theme that I address in a lot of my short stories and poems. I think the way a person deals with the feeling that they are separated from the rest of society creates a unique look into a person’s mind. It creates a more real perspective.


Isolation is an interesting concept in the age where we have people living for months at a time in space. Six people can live thousands of miles away from their home on the planet, but survive for months.

Space and the deep sea create interesting locations for stories, and the exploration poses serious questions about the sanity of the human mind.

Rainy Chicago.

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During this Spring break I headed to Chicago for my very first time.

However, I didn’t expect it to be rainy all week. But thanks to the rain, I had such a precious chance to enjoy a different Chicago.

The most rainy day was the day I went to the Millennium Park for the “Big Bean” sculpture. Its actual name is “Cloud Gate,” a public sculpture by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor. Constructed between 2004 and 2006, the sculpture is nicknamed “The Bean” because of its bean-like shape. “Made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its highly polished exterior has no visible seams.”

It was inconvenient to visit under a rainy but when I got closer to the “Bean,” i realized that it could be a good opportunity for me to see the city in another way. The shiny silver bean became more vivid surrounded by the gloomy air, which made it more lonely somehow. The water drops slide down from the smoothy sphere as if it is crying.

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Life Outside School

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I don’t know about any of you, but I get very anxious having to stay in one place all the time.

I know I can’t really complain though, because unlike a lot of you, I’m not a boarding student, but still. Especially recently, I’ve wanted to leave school for a while and travel to as many places as I can to just get away from the normal routine.

So what better timing could be possible than leaving the day after Prom to go to Guatemala with my friends for a bit longer than a week?

I’ve already been down there, having flown into Honduras first. Let me just say, that I’m very glad we aren’t flying back into San Pedro Sula this time. We felt like there was a weird vibe that time we were there. It could have been the graffiti that said “Gringos Asesinos” or just the generally weird looks we got walking down the street. But it was probably the statistic that that was the most dangerous city…on the planet.

But Guatemala is one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been. Traveling to different places is my favorite thing to do, the more different the better.

And what better of a place to stay than the amazing Tortugal river lodge? Honestly, even though I’ve only stayed there once, this place is one of my favorite places on the planet.

Who knows what awesome things we’ll see this time. All I know is that I’ll have something to blog about when I get back. Which is good because I’m running out of ideas.

MELBOURNE.

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Lots of my friends have dream cities such as Paris, San Francisco and so on. As for me, one of my dream cities is Melbourne.

Melbourne is one of the most popular cities in Australia which is also often referred to the “Garden City” and “cultural capital of Australia.” It is also a major centre for contemporary and traditionalAustralian music. “Melbourne was ranked as the world’s most liveable city in ratings published by the Economist Group‘s Intelligence Unit in August 2011 and again in 2012.”

If I had a chance to go there, the very first thing would be to enjoy the art of the city.

“Melbourne is home to a thriving arts scene and boasts more than 100 galleries ranging from large public institutions to smaller commercial galleries and artist cooperatives.” The most famous one is The National Gallery of Victoria. The NGV’s Australian art collection encompasses Indigenous (Australian Aboriginal) art, Australian colonial painting, Australian Impressionist painting, 20th century, modern and contemporary Australian art.

To experience Melbourne emotion of cultures more profoundly, i would make sure not to miss the fabulous restaurants, cafes, bistros and bars. Whether you’re after modern, traditional, exotic or homespun flavours – Melbourne’s eclectic dining scene offers a startling array of the world’s great cuisines, from popular favourites to the truly.

At the end of the day, it’s time for some entertainments. Comedy shows, Live music and dance club are all available at night.

Recently, I found out that the reason for people to fall in love with a certain city mostly is either the memories left in that city or the dream that lurks in there.

If my world collapses, I will escape far away, somewhere like Melbourne.

My Brothers

Daphne PsaledakisLeave a comment

One of the downsides of the schedule we have at OVS is that our spring break falls about two weeks after everyone else has their spring break, and that includes my brothers. This past week, they road tripped from Aspen out to where we used to live near San Francisco. They spent the week staying up there in a friends pool house, and then on Friday they came down to visit me at school.

They showed up around 10, just as morning announcements was starting. After announcements, I was able to catch up with them briefly before having to head off to class. My dad and Peter drove to Ventura to hang out while I finished my classes, while my youngest brother Philip joined me.

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Happily Lost In Any Light

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Traditions, history dates, stories, new tastes, new smells, sounds, words, phrases, feelings, memoirs, happiness, sadness, nostalgia, the joy of going home, the fear of going home, are all the things that I experience every single day while living abroad. The adventure I’m living is taking me places I’ve never been to, neither mentally, nor physically.  With only three months left in this beautiful country there is an abundance of thoughts and feelings racing through my mind.

On occasion I look behind at the person I was when I stepped off that plane, five months ago, in a completely new environment, on the crisp morning of the 31st of August and notice all that has changed. I was scared, oblivious to what would come next, afraid of the unknown, and nervous. When I take the time to analyze who I am now, I see someone who has grown immensely, and continues to make countless new discoveries about herself everyday.

I’ve recognized that I no longer need to keep my guard up for what lays ahead of me or behind me. As long as I remember to take a deep breath when confronted with difficulties, keep true to who I am, and set my mind to what I aspire to do, I can and will achieve it. I’ve discovered that the fact of the matter is: I wanted fresh air, a new surrounding, and I attained it all because I ventured outside my comfort zone and took a leap.

This whole Italy gig has done a great amount to my psyche. It’s allowed me to pinpoint my true persona, toss out the clutter I carried which invaded my mind and untie everything that dragged behind me. The new acquired space allows me to trust, gain, and learn in greater quantities.

I feel lighter like there is nothing I can’t do, I can get lost in any light and still sense happiness and peace. Having had a stressful sophomore year due to personal issues at home, this year is acts as a retreat and cleanse.

This year serves for me to let go, enjoy and find myself through learning, new friends and new experiences. I’ve learned from being in Italy that it is completely okay to break down and show what you are feeling. It’s normal and only human to crack and carry a sad face rather than a constant happy one. I’ve learned to allow myself these days. My psyche grows everyday with every single moment.

Although one small thing haunts me as time goes by, how will my psyche change when I return to America? How will I react to the immediate switch? There is a large chance that the quick alteration of setting will disrupt my new psyche I’ve reached while living here. I’ll be forced to face reality and go on with life without the coliseum practically in my backyard. It’s a scary thought but in the end, I will adjust and trudge on with the fond memories of the best nine months of my life.

(Taken and slightly altered from an english essay I was assigned in my english class)

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Glass

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I have always wanted to live near the glass.

Open and cold

Pure and nice.

Crystalline structures formed feet above the surface.

The glass is the only thing that serves a purpose.

Frozen water, a protector from the sub zero abyss.

The sun sets and rises and reflects of the face, until the heat comes then it’s a race.

A race against time

To finish through the line.

Winter X Games

Daphne PsaledakisLeave a comment

The Winter X Games have been held in Aspen for the past ten years, and since I can remember my family has made a habit of sitting around the TV and watching them. When we moved to Aspen, this was made a lot easier, and I finally began to understand the excitement.

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The X Games begin on Thursday, and carry on until late Sunday night. Over the weekend, Aspen is packed. Tons of people fly in for the event, and none are disappointed. Especially the students in the Aspen School system.

It used to be a school holiday, and it might as well should be because of the amount of students that actually turn up. When we heard the contract for Aspen had been renewed, it was all anyone could talk about for days. Some of the classes make a field trip of walking over to the base of Buttermilk, where it is held, and watching. At night, you can see the lights, and hear the music, announcers, and roar of the crowd from the other side of town. It’s mayhem, but the locals love it.

When I first came to school here last year, my dad called me and told me the X Games were gonna be in town. I immediately went to my computer to see if there was a way for me to watch them live, but I couldn’t figure it out. I resigned myself to the TV in the girls’ lounge. I pretty much camped out there all weekend, and my classmates thought I was crazy.

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To me though, it was perfectly normal. I mean come on, it’s the Winter X Games. In Aspen.

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Sleepless San Francisco.

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Last week for our English 11 Honors class, Mrs. Wilson asked us to write a personal essay about the site we wanna live. And all of the sudden San Francisco came out of my mind. I’ve been there only once, but I just couldn’t help myself thinking about it all the time. I want to live there.

Sleepless San Francisco

There is a place that I would love to leave my heart there without hesitation. My sleepless San Francisco would be the dream I want to keep even when I am awake.

Located on a peninsula between the San Francisco Bay and Pacific Ocean, San Francisco has its own definition of city – compact, busy, but scenic and comfortable as well. I would first arrive into San Francisco from the north via the world-famous Golden Gate Bridge, the place for a good start. I would be the first one to watch the born of sun, and enjoy the amazement of the golden sunshine.

Then my journey would start. When there came the noisy bells, the yellow cable cars would be on their way heading to me. I would choose to stand on the edge of the car and hold on to the handrail. “Ding-dong, ding-dong” – as the car drove, my hair would swing with the wind and the views would greet me as I passed by. Built on several hills, the roads are steep but also well-organized in a grid. The most exciting moment would be the downhill part, where I could experience a gentle roller-coaster.

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The Apocalypse Is Upon Me (In the Italians eyes)

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One of the things that I’ve learned about Italians is that they are utterly terrified of bad weather. No matter how minimal it is, it’s the end of the world.

Every single time it is even slightly grey or cloudy outside, my host mother makes sure I am completely bundled in impermeable clothing before leaving the house. Rain jacket, rain boots, and without question an umbrella must be on me at all times.

This morning has been the biggest example of this Italian behavior I have ever seen in my entire life. As I woke up this morning and went down stairs  it was noticed that it was snowing.  I got so excited, my first time in snow this whole winter. The snow barely covered an inch on the ground, but still, it was snow!

My normal routine carried on, walked out the door at 7:25 to catch the bus, got on the bus around 7:35. As soon as getting on the bus I noticed that less than half the people that normally are on it, weren’t. Two minutes into our commute to town the bus slows down and slides slightly while going down a hill. As soon as it began to slide, every single italian in the bus lets out a death shriek. After five minutes of being stopped we are notified that there was an accident up ahead. In my head I’m saying to myself “Seriously? there isn’t even half an inch of snow on the roads!” But sure enough there was actually a car that had driven off the road into a ditch.

I immediately called our Direttore of school to notify him that we’d surely be late arriving to school today.  When he answered, before even giving me a chance to speak all I heard on the other line is: “NON C’E SCUOLA, NON C’E SCUOLA, NON C’E SCUOLA,”(if you didn’t catch on that means “there is no school”). My classmates that I share the bus with quickly got off the bus and walked home.

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