It seems I really don't know how to keep posting. I guess it has to do with the lack of excitement in my life, though I really should be used to that by now. Basically I go to work, teach, come home, surf the internet and try to reconnect with friends from around the world, and go to bed. There is little variation in it all.
The past couple of days, however, have brought me a bit of frustration. The Western Union was finally open again after almost a month of being closed, so I went to attempt to send money home so it would be available to pay my bills. I handed the person my money, my Western Union card, and the slip that said where the money was to go. He imputed all this information and hit send. Unfortunately, the amount he had typed in was $1000 more than what I had indicated that I wanted to send. He told me that since the bank was closed, he was unable to change it, and that I should come back the next day between 8:00am and 1:00pm. He said that 3pm would be alright as well. I expressed my dismay at this and inquired about the possibility of sending it in a different transfer and then voiding the other one the following day. He said this was not possible. He told me he was very sorry, and that I would have to return the next day.
While I was not happy about it, I realized that there was nothing that I could do. I went home a little upset, but ready to return the next day to get it sorted out. So, around 11am I again went to the Western Union. I walked in and a different man was working. I started to tell him that I had come in yesterday, but he stopped me and told me enough of the information to let me know that he knew who I was and why I was there. He then told me to come back at 3 o'clock! Saying that I was upset at this would be like saying the ocean in moist or that the sun is slightly warm. I was absolutely livid! I managed to break the chain that the pen they have is connected to, and I slammed my fist on the counter. This is, of course, no way to behave, but I didn't think about that at the time. He said he was calling the cops and went to the phone to do just that. I left, slamming the door behind me.
At around 2:30pm, I received a call from the Western Union worker. He asked if I could come then. Of course, I had to teach from 3 - 5, so I couldn't. He said that the bank closed at 5, but that it would be ok. Then at 3:45 he calls again to ask if I could come at 4. I told him I had to work until 5. "The banks close at 5." "Yes," I replied, "I know that." "So, you can come at 4?" "No, I have to work until 5." "Oh. That is a problem." Silence for a couple of seconds. "Tomorrow is holiday. Saturday is holiday. We open Sunday." "Fine. I will come on Sunday." I hung up the phone with a huge sigh.
I went back to my class and finished teaching. At 5pm it was time to go home so I went to the van and waited. While I was waiting for the driver, I get a phone call: the Western Union guy again. "When are you coming?" Perplexed, I respond, "Today? You want me to come today?" "Yes. What time can you come?" "I can come in about 15 minutes." "What time?" "5:30." "Can you come at 5?" "Yes!" Even though it was after 5 already, I had to say yes. By this time I was quite exasperated. "Good. I will wait for you then."
I was so excited to hear this. I wasn't sure what he was going to be able to do for me, but I assumed it must be something as he called me and asked me to come. I arrived there around 5:20 or so. He saw me, waved hello, took the two print outs he had waiting, stamped them, and handed them to m. "Is this correct?" I looked at them and assured him that they were. I signed one and gave it back to him. He told me to look at the screen while he attempted to pull up the information. And we waited, and waited....the internet had once again gone down! I fell on my knees and groaned. "Don't worry. The money is already in America." He gave me my receipt and told me to have a nice day. I looked at the slip, and sure enough, the money had been sent at 2:57! He had sent the money trusting that I would come back that day to be able to cover it. I was very grateful that he did this.
The evening was made even better by an outing with the other two English teachers and the Science teacher and her daughter. We went to the Chinese restaurant which serves what turned out to be very good Chinese food. So, what was a rather rough day, turned into a good one. It is good to have things end on such a good note.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
Back from Jordan and Ukraine!
The past couple of weeks I have been out of range of the internet. There were a couple of days that I was able to get online, but that was it. I had left Erbil and headed to parts mostly unknown, though also a little bit a familiarity. First I went to Jordan, a very nice, though expensive, country. I visited Petra (where they filmed some of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade), the Dead Sea, Mt. Nebo, the Jordan River, and the place of Jesus's Baptism. There are many places in Jordan that are religious sites, and I visited a number of them.
Amman, the capital, is where I stayed. The hostel at which I staid cost about $8; so at least that wasn't very expensive. It wasn't too difficult to find cheap places to eat either, so I managed to manage my money very well there. Then I moved from the warmth of Jordan to the chill of Ukraine. Odessa,located on the Black Sea, was my next stop.
It is normally not overly expensive in Ukraine, but I took this opportunity to make sure I spent as much as I could without ever actually acquiring anything. I felt like I was in that one movie or something. I ate out almost every night, I rented an apartment for $50/night, and I went bowling and ice skating, both somewhat expensive things in Ukraine. I also paid more in transportation costs than I actually had to as I took a taxi wherever I went. This wouldn't have been nearly as bad except I was paying for my friend as well. It can get really costly when you are paying for two or three people.
I found Odessa to be extremely relaxing, so much so that I would actually consider living there long term. I was able to do a lot of typing that I had never been able to do before, and I was able to just do nothing and be alright with it as well. I am contemplating going there this summer to do a little studying and writing and then going to wherever I am to go next. I just have to wait and see what will happen with that one.
Leaving Odessa was very difficult. The city was crying as I rode to the airport in the taxi. The plane didn't seem to want to let me leave either: we were delayed five hours due to technical problems. Of course this meant that I missed my connecting flight in Istanbul by about two hours. Turkish Airlines normally has another flight at 11:35pm from Istanbul to Amman, but they canceled that one. They offered to fly me to Baghdad, "Erbil, Baghdad, they are the same thing!" I was not very happy with this extreme lack of knowledge of geography and happenings so close to where they fly. I told them that I was not so sure I was allowed to fly into Baghdad, So they put me on the flight to Damascus that left at approximately the same time as the canceled Amman flight. As this was only three hours or so away, I was quite pleased.
So, three hours later I was on my way to Damascus. We were slightly delayed, so we caught a fireworks show as we were taking off. It was a wonderful way to bring in the new year! When I made it to Damascus, I was told I had to wait until 5:00am to check in. I went and lay down on the seats and tried to get some sleep. This was not working too well, and at about 3:00am an airline worker came and got my information. He said that there wasn't any room at the transit hotel, but he could allow me access to the Executive Lounge! I could eat and drink anything they had there, and I was able to use a semi private bathroom, and the couches and chairs were so much more comfortable than those in the general area. I was almost convinced to buy a membership to these types of places! I wouldn't have to worry about a hotel room for long layovers, I could have a great place to stay if I am delayed. It may just pay for itself in comfort and food and beverages. It is definitely something I just may attempt to figure out soon.
The eight hours I spent in Damascus didn't seem like quite as much then. But when I arrived in Amman, the waiting was tremendously tedious! I arrived at about 9:30ish in the morning. I got my ticket changed and was directed to stay in the international terminal until my flight, at 1:30am! I started going crazy at about 4pm. I got up from where I was sitting and went to see if they had any idea of where they were going to tell us our plane was to leave from first. As I was walking, I ran into the science teacher and her daughter! Finally someone to talk with. Not too much longer after that, the person whom I met on my way to Amman the first time showed up. So, we all ended up sitting in Starbucks for much of the rest of the night playing cars, drinking coffee, tea, and hot chocolate, and just talking. It helped pass the time, especially when this flight was delayed until 3:00am and then 6:00am. We were told we would start loading at 6:00am, and we went through the final screening before one is allowed to get on the plane, and we sat. We didn't finally board until 8:00am! I was not a happy camper, but I think i was at least a camper! Thank goodness for chocolate, Starbucks, and friends. I don't think I could have asked for a better situation to be stranded in.
When I got home, my new friend came to my place to wait and find out how she was going to get back to the city she lives in here. She slept on the couch while I watched television; I was much too tired to sleep, and even too tired to tell I was tired. I finally went to bed around 11:00pm. The next day I woke up and figured that it was around 9am. I looked at my clock and it said 3:40pm! I had to check my computer and my cell phone before I believed that it was true. I had slept longer than I had though possible, and I felt great! I didn't have to work until today, so there was nothing to worry about. I was going to go to the bank to get the rest of my pay, but by that time the bank was closed. Of course it was good that I didn't go because I learned today that they are going to bring the money to us tomorrow in cash. A very interesting development I must say.
Not much else is happening that I know of, though I am sure there is a lot happening that I am not sure about. I will try to keep you updated.
Amman, the capital, is where I stayed. The hostel at which I staid cost about $8; so at least that wasn't very expensive. It wasn't too difficult to find cheap places to eat either, so I managed to manage my money very well there. Then I moved from the warmth of Jordan to the chill of Ukraine. Odessa,located on the Black Sea, was my next stop.
It is normally not overly expensive in Ukraine, but I took this opportunity to make sure I spent as much as I could without ever actually acquiring anything. I felt like I was in that one movie or something. I ate out almost every night, I rented an apartment for $50/night, and I went bowling and ice skating, both somewhat expensive things in Ukraine. I also paid more in transportation costs than I actually had to as I took a taxi wherever I went. This wouldn't have been nearly as bad except I was paying for my friend as well. It can get really costly when you are paying for two or three people.
I found Odessa to be extremely relaxing, so much so that I would actually consider living there long term. I was able to do a lot of typing that I had never been able to do before, and I was able to just do nothing and be alright with it as well. I am contemplating going there this summer to do a little studying and writing and then going to wherever I am to go next. I just have to wait and see what will happen with that one.
Leaving Odessa was very difficult. The city was crying as I rode to the airport in the taxi. The plane didn't seem to want to let me leave either: we were delayed five hours due to technical problems. Of course this meant that I missed my connecting flight in Istanbul by about two hours. Turkish Airlines normally has another flight at 11:35pm from Istanbul to Amman, but they canceled that one. They offered to fly me to Baghdad, "Erbil, Baghdad, they are the same thing!" I was not very happy with this extreme lack of knowledge of geography and happenings so close to where they fly. I told them that I was not so sure I was allowed to fly into Baghdad, So they put me on the flight to Damascus that left at approximately the same time as the canceled Amman flight. As this was only three hours or so away, I was quite pleased.
So, three hours later I was on my way to Damascus. We were slightly delayed, so we caught a fireworks show as we were taking off. It was a wonderful way to bring in the new year! When I made it to Damascus, I was told I had to wait until 5:00am to check in. I went and lay down on the seats and tried to get some sleep. This was not working too well, and at about 3:00am an airline worker came and got my information. He said that there wasn't any room at the transit hotel, but he could allow me access to the Executive Lounge! I could eat and drink anything they had there, and I was able to use a semi private bathroom, and the couches and chairs were so much more comfortable than those in the general area. I was almost convinced to buy a membership to these types of places! I wouldn't have to worry about a hotel room for long layovers, I could have a great place to stay if I am delayed. It may just pay for itself in comfort and food and beverages. It is definitely something I just may attempt to figure out soon.
The eight hours I spent in Damascus didn't seem like quite as much then. But when I arrived in Amman, the waiting was tremendously tedious! I arrived at about 9:30ish in the morning. I got my ticket changed and was directed to stay in the international terminal until my flight, at 1:30am! I started going crazy at about 4pm. I got up from where I was sitting and went to see if they had any idea of where they were going to tell us our plane was to leave from first. As I was walking, I ran into the science teacher and her daughter! Finally someone to talk with. Not too much longer after that, the person whom I met on my way to Amman the first time showed up. So, we all ended up sitting in Starbucks for much of the rest of the night playing cars, drinking coffee, tea, and hot chocolate, and just talking. It helped pass the time, especially when this flight was delayed until 3:00am and then 6:00am. We were told we would start loading at 6:00am, and we went through the final screening before one is allowed to get on the plane, and we sat. We didn't finally board until 8:00am! I was not a happy camper, but I think i was at least a camper! Thank goodness for chocolate, Starbucks, and friends. I don't think I could have asked for a better situation to be stranded in.
When I got home, my new friend came to my place to wait and find out how she was going to get back to the city she lives in here. She slept on the couch while I watched television; I was much too tired to sleep, and even too tired to tell I was tired. I finally went to bed around 11:00pm. The next day I woke up and figured that it was around 9am. I looked at my clock and it said 3:40pm! I had to check my computer and my cell phone before I believed that it was true. I had slept longer than I had though possible, and I felt great! I didn't have to work until today, so there was nothing to worry about. I was going to go to the bank to get the rest of my pay, but by that time the bank was closed. Of course it was good that I didn't go because I learned today that they are going to bring the money to us tomorrow in cash. A very interesting development I must say.
Not much else is happening that I know of, though I am sure there is a lot happening that I am not sure about. I will try to keep you updated.
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