It's summer and pretty hot in Dubrovnik. It's not the dry heat that I am used to. It's a more humid heat that makes you feel sticky and gross. My friend's are in Dubrovnik on holiday and invited me into Old Town for some dinner and drinks. As I got ready for my evening out and deciding on what to wear, I concluded that I wanted to wear something light and airy. Basically, I wanted to wear as little as possible. I put on some shorts and a top...
The top. The top is a pretty sexy top that is backless and slightly shear. So when I wear it, I can wear a bra with it. The way it falls, everything is pretty covered up and I have worn it out a few times with no problem. As I left my apartment, I noticed it was a bit breezy outside. I paused and contemplated changing my top because one gust of wind I will be showing my goods to all of Dubrovnik. I decided against changing for two reasons. One: It was still really freaking hot. Two: The place where I live gets a lot of wind when the rest of the town will have no wind. I thought it was just my little area that was windy and that once I get to town, I will be fine. And besides, it wasn't all the windy...
I drove to town and when I got out of my car, the wind wasn't only there it was much stronger. So strong that the normally very calm Adriatic Sea was wavy and white caps. Oh shit, I thought to myself. I once again contemplated driving back home just so I could change, but I'd come too far and was already running a bit late to meet up with my friend. I decided to forge on! I figured I would just carefully watch my top to make sure that everything was staying in place. As I walked down the stairs, the wind wasn't that bad. I can handle this, I thought. I came out of the stairwell and on to the main road where I began heading to Old Town, when a huge gust of wind came out of nowhere. I swear, for a moment, it felt like everything was in slow motion. As the gust of wind came up, my eyes got huge as I let out a loud, NOOOOOOOOOOOO! I looked down to see my top blowing in all different directions and no longer covering me properly. I covered myself with my hands and fixed my top, as I looked up I noticed a group of four men walking up. Where did they come from?!!! I pretended like nothing happened and prayed that they didn't see anything, but as I walked closer and closer, I could see the very big smiles on their faces as they stared at me. By this point, I was holding my blouse closed so the wind couldn't have it's way with my top again. As I was passing these guys, one of them put his hand up to his chest to mimic what I was doing, then gave me a thumbs up and a nod. I just laughed and gave them a little wave and walked a little bit faster towards town.
Thank God for my friend, who happened to have a safety pin on her. She helped me pin my blouse closed and for the rest of the night, there was no amount of wind that could open that blouse up again.
And to the random four guys that walked past me, I hope you enjoyed the show. ;)
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Marking Your Territory
A couple of days ago, I was having lunch with a friend of mine. She told
me that she was taking her dog for a walk when she came across a man
taking a crap right along the path she wanted to walk. She was horrified
and rightly so! The only time I've seen anyone taking a crap on the
street was when I was driving down Sunset blvd in LA. It's Sunset Blvd
so I was only slightly disturbed before I shrugged and thought, that's
LA for you. I never thought I would ever hear of such a thing in
Dubrovnik!
While crapping in the street is definitely not something I would expect to see here...men peeing on buildings is. There is a large garage near the old city where a lot of people park. Finding parking is extremely difficult over here so the garage is really easy and convenient. The problem is, as I'm walking up the stairs to get out of the garage, the foul odor of many a men who decided to make a pit stop invades my nostrils and makes me want to vomit. I find myself doing an Olympic style sprint up those stairs while holding my breath just so I don't have to smell that horrendous smell. The worst part is, there is a bathroom located at the entrance of the garage, except half the time it's locked. What's the point of having a public restroom if its closed most of the time? That makes no sense! Although, I'm not sure it would matter, men are gross and have no shame, and that's all men, not just Croatians. The amount of times that I've been walking around town and run into a guy taking a wiz on the wall is ridiculous. Sometimes I feel like I've seen more wieners then a prostitute.
I'm not saying that these are only the Croatian men doing this. Dubrovnik is a tourist town and I have no doubt that there are many foreign men who are peeing all around town too! And while men might never see a problem with that, from a woman's perspective, it's kind of gross guys.
While crapping in the street is definitely not something I would expect to see here...men peeing on buildings is. There is a large garage near the old city where a lot of people park. Finding parking is extremely difficult over here so the garage is really easy and convenient. The problem is, as I'm walking up the stairs to get out of the garage, the foul odor of many a men who decided to make a pit stop invades my nostrils and makes me want to vomit. I find myself doing an Olympic style sprint up those stairs while holding my breath just so I don't have to smell that horrendous smell. The worst part is, there is a bathroom located at the entrance of the garage, except half the time it's locked. What's the point of having a public restroom if its closed most of the time? That makes no sense! Although, I'm not sure it would matter, men are gross and have no shame, and that's all men, not just Croatians. The amount of times that I've been walking around town and run into a guy taking a wiz on the wall is ridiculous. Sometimes I feel like I've seen more wieners then a prostitute.
I'm not saying that these are only the Croatian men doing this. Dubrovnik is a tourist town and I have no doubt that there are many foreign men who are peeing all around town too! And while men might never see a problem with that, from a woman's perspective, it's kind of gross guys.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
All or Nothing kind of people...
I've come to realize that there really is no in between with Croatians. With them it's either one extreme or the next. It's like this in a lot if aspects of their lives...
Now there is a difference between small talk and too much information. I like to make small talk with people, but I'm pretty aware of what not to talk about with people I just meet. Croatians are a little different. The moment that they know someone you know, well then you are now in the circle of trust and can be let in on their lives.
The other day I was taking a cab home. I like to make sure I mention that I live here and have Croatian roots. I have heard of a lot of tourists getting overcharged from cab drivers so I make it a point to tell them I am no tourist. Through my small talk of telling the cab driver where my family is from, he knew someone from that area that I knew of. I probably met that person once or twice but that was enough. In the ten minute cab drive, I found out about where his family was from, who married who, and even some of the problems they were having. It's a little weird but at the same time I can't help but be entertained. If there is one thing Croatians love, it is to gossip. As long as we have mutual friend or acquaintance in common, then it's fair game and we can have a candid conversation.
It happens quite a bit.... I will always remember the Croatian guy that I sat next to who told me all about his problems with gout and high blood pressure. I also got to hear about how some of his family members don't speak to each other because of some argument. He knew some of my extended family so he decided he and I were family and I was allowed to hear this stuff about his life.
It's just another experience that has all been apart of my little adventure. Croatians are some of the most entertaining people you might meet, mostly because you just never know what is going to come out of their mouth next.
And I will admit, I absolutely love hearing the gossip, even if I don't know who they are talking about. I guess I'm a true Croatian at heart!
Now there is a difference between small talk and too much information. I like to make small talk with people, but I'm pretty aware of what not to talk about with people I just meet. Croatians are a little different. The moment that they know someone you know, well then you are now in the circle of trust and can be let in on their lives.
The other day I was taking a cab home. I like to make sure I mention that I live here and have Croatian roots. I have heard of a lot of tourists getting overcharged from cab drivers so I make it a point to tell them I am no tourist. Through my small talk of telling the cab driver where my family is from, he knew someone from that area that I knew of. I probably met that person once or twice but that was enough. In the ten minute cab drive, I found out about where his family was from, who married who, and even some of the problems they were having. It's a little weird but at the same time I can't help but be entertained. If there is one thing Croatians love, it is to gossip. As long as we have mutual friend or acquaintance in common, then it's fair game and we can have a candid conversation.
It happens quite a bit.... I will always remember the Croatian guy that I sat next to who told me all about his problems with gout and high blood pressure. I also got to hear about how some of his family members don't speak to each other because of some argument. He knew some of my extended family so he decided he and I were family and I was allowed to hear this stuff about his life.
It's just another experience that has all been apart of my little adventure. Croatians are some of the most entertaining people you might meet, mostly because you just never know what is going to come out of their mouth next.
And I will admit, I absolutely love hearing the gossip, even if I don't know who they are talking about. I guess I'm a true Croatian at heart!
Thursday, July 11, 2013
I'm Not Too Old For This!
Last summer, before I moved to Croatia, one of my best friends came to LA to visit me. We spent the entire weekend going off to the beach and restaurants, night clubs and Disneyland, all the while screaming, "We're not too old for this!" Since we are in our late twenties, the idea of spending all day at the beach and then going dancing all night just to get up a few hours later to spend the day at Disneyland seemed hard core. When ever one of us wanted to just lay down and sleep we would scream, "We're not too old for this!" And then we would be on our way!
Fast forward a year later and I find myself wondering if I am, in fact, too old for this. The last summer I spent with my sister here in Croatia was in 2007. I was getting ready to graduate from University and I knew that that was going to be my last summer vacation in Croatia in a long time. I was 23 years old and wanted to have the summer of my life. My sister came with two of her best girlfriends and we proceeded to go out every night to the bars. For ten days straight, we went out to the bars and wouldn't come home until the wee hours of the morning. That's the record that we have and we are quite proud of that record, but now, there is no way I could ever do that again.
In my head, I'm screaming, "I'm not too old for this!" But my body is definitely saying something entirely different. Last Saturday, I decided to get all dressed up and go out. I had a tight red dress with extremely high heels on. My hair was done and I put makeup up on; I definitely made sure I looked my best. I mean, come on, I'm single and it's the summer! I also really wanted to go dancing because I hadn't been dancing in nearly a year. I was determined to have an amazing night!
As I walked into town with my tight dress and ridiculously high heels, I couldn't but laugh at myself. If you ever visit Old Town Dubrovnik, you will see that the main street is cobblestone, which doesn't make it the easiest place to walk in four inch heels. Imagine trying to walk in a sexy manner as I shake my hips as I walk, yet at the same time try to watch where I'm walking because at any moment I could totally eat it! As I was walking down the main street, pretending to be super sexy, all I really kept imagining was me tumbling to the ground and showing my who-ha to the world. I used to wear heels all the time in California but I'm in a different ball game over here. I have to worry about hills and cobblestones, and draw bridges....damn medieval town! I think what also got me was the fact that, the main street acts as a runway of sorts. People sit at the cafes on the side and watch as all the people walk past. Many a women do quite the catwalk while walking through the Stradun. I'm no different. I used to do it all the time when I was younger and I started to do my best catwalk walk when suddenly, I stopped and though, wait a second, I'm not 20 years old anymore. I'm 29! What the hell am I doing?! I'm too old for this shit! Which was proceeded by my next thought of, screw it, I've watched enough of America's Next Top Model, I can totally walk a run way.
When I met up with my friends we ended up going a bar with a dance floor and I really wanted to dance. Unfortunately, by that point, my feet had started to really hurt from walking around pretending like I was some hot ass model. We found a little table and I was able to sit down. As I looked around, I noticed that a lot of the girls looked really young and, I think, because I hadn't gone out in a long time, I was a little weirded out by it. I definitely had the thought of what the hell am I doing. Not that it stopped me from having a good time. I ended up meeting a really nice group of people that night and I absolutely danced the night away. By the time I got to the taxi to go home, it was 330am, I was barefoot, my makeup and hair were a mess and I was one happy girl. On the way home, I was very proud of myself. "I did it!" I thought. Definitely not too old for this. I got home, slept for a few hours then had to run out to my parents house to do some work.
Since my family from the states were in town, I wanted to spend time with them. So, the next day I spent the day with them, then headed over to get some work done and finally ended up at a football match. I spent the evening hanging out with my cousin and having a few beers. I was tired, but nothing I couldn't handle. I mean, this is summer after all! I got this! The next morning I had to wake up early. When I woke up, I noticed, that I wasn't feeling one hundred percent. No matter! I will take a nap and then I will feel better. Except that, I ended up going out to lunch with someone, followed by a day by the water with my family and then dinner after that. By the time the night was over, my entire body ached. I refused to let that get me down though as the following day was the opening of the festival for Dubrovnik and there was a huge party that I refused to miss! I woke up feeling like crap, so I took a bunch of medication and slept most of the day. When I got up I was feeling much better. I donned yet another tight dress with high heels that were just as high as the last ones. I met up with my family for dinner to celebrate an engagement and we had an amazing dinner where we watched fireworks and enjoyed the night. By midnight, we went into town, by that point my feet were killing me. I went over to a bar and immediately took those puppies off. "How do those young kids do it", I thought, "and why did I just say those young kids?" We walked around for a bit and went to a couple of bars, have the time I was walking barefoot until I absolutely had to put my heels back on.
I managed to stay out until about 2am, at which point, I could no longer stand in my own heels and said screw this, I'm going home. On the ride home all I thought about was how the hell did we manage to pull of going out ten nights in a row? I could never do that now. On top of that, the heels are killing me and I would much rather wear flats at this point, just so I'm comfortable. I mean, sure my legs and ass look amazing when I'm in heels, but I'm seriously rethinking my four inch heels...
Now, the question remains, am I too old for this? Well in the four days of all the activities, I wore myself out so much that this morning I woke up sounding like a 60 year asthmatic smoker from the Bronx. I have a ridiculous cough, sore throat, runny nose, and a sneeze that never ends. I've slept for most of the day and have done nothing but watch old episodes of Big Bang Theory. It's the middle of summer and I have a cold. WTF?!
I might be a little too old for this...
Not that that is going to stop me this summer...I mean, please, I have about five more sexy dresses that must be worn before the end of the summer and unfortunately, they can't be worn with flats.
Fast forward a year later and I find myself wondering if I am, in fact, too old for this. The last summer I spent with my sister here in Croatia was in 2007. I was getting ready to graduate from University and I knew that that was going to be my last summer vacation in Croatia in a long time. I was 23 years old and wanted to have the summer of my life. My sister came with two of her best girlfriends and we proceeded to go out every night to the bars. For ten days straight, we went out to the bars and wouldn't come home until the wee hours of the morning. That's the record that we have and we are quite proud of that record, but now, there is no way I could ever do that again.
In my head, I'm screaming, "I'm not too old for this!" But my body is definitely saying something entirely different. Last Saturday, I decided to get all dressed up and go out. I had a tight red dress with extremely high heels on. My hair was done and I put makeup up on; I definitely made sure I looked my best. I mean, come on, I'm single and it's the summer! I also really wanted to go dancing because I hadn't been dancing in nearly a year. I was determined to have an amazing night!
As I walked into town with my tight dress and ridiculously high heels, I couldn't but laugh at myself. If you ever visit Old Town Dubrovnik, you will see that the main street is cobblestone, which doesn't make it the easiest place to walk in four inch heels. Imagine trying to walk in a sexy manner as I shake my hips as I walk, yet at the same time try to watch where I'm walking because at any moment I could totally eat it! As I was walking down the main street, pretending to be super sexy, all I really kept imagining was me tumbling to the ground and showing my who-ha to the world. I used to wear heels all the time in California but I'm in a different ball game over here. I have to worry about hills and cobblestones, and draw bridges....damn medieval town! I think what also got me was the fact that, the main street acts as a runway of sorts. People sit at the cafes on the side and watch as all the people walk past. Many a women do quite the catwalk while walking through the Stradun. I'm no different. I used to do it all the time when I was younger and I started to do my best catwalk walk when suddenly, I stopped and though, wait a second, I'm not 20 years old anymore. I'm 29! What the hell am I doing?! I'm too old for this shit! Which was proceeded by my next thought of, screw it, I've watched enough of America's Next Top Model, I can totally walk a run way.
When I met up with my friends we ended up going a bar with a dance floor and I really wanted to dance. Unfortunately, by that point, my feet had started to really hurt from walking around pretending like I was some hot ass model. We found a little table and I was able to sit down. As I looked around, I noticed that a lot of the girls looked really young and, I think, because I hadn't gone out in a long time, I was a little weirded out by it. I definitely had the thought of what the hell am I doing. Not that it stopped me from having a good time. I ended up meeting a really nice group of people that night and I absolutely danced the night away. By the time I got to the taxi to go home, it was 330am, I was barefoot, my makeup and hair were a mess and I was one happy girl. On the way home, I was very proud of myself. "I did it!" I thought. Definitely not too old for this. I got home, slept for a few hours then had to run out to my parents house to do some work.
Since my family from the states were in town, I wanted to spend time with them. So, the next day I spent the day with them, then headed over to get some work done and finally ended up at a football match. I spent the evening hanging out with my cousin and having a few beers. I was tired, but nothing I couldn't handle. I mean, this is summer after all! I got this! The next morning I had to wake up early. When I woke up, I noticed, that I wasn't feeling one hundred percent. No matter! I will take a nap and then I will feel better. Except that, I ended up going out to lunch with someone, followed by a day by the water with my family and then dinner after that. By the time the night was over, my entire body ached. I refused to let that get me down though as the following day was the opening of the festival for Dubrovnik and there was a huge party that I refused to miss! I woke up feeling like crap, so I took a bunch of medication and slept most of the day. When I got up I was feeling much better. I donned yet another tight dress with high heels that were just as high as the last ones. I met up with my family for dinner to celebrate an engagement and we had an amazing dinner where we watched fireworks and enjoyed the night. By midnight, we went into town, by that point my feet were killing me. I went over to a bar and immediately took those puppies off. "How do those young kids do it", I thought, "and why did I just say those young kids?" We walked around for a bit and went to a couple of bars, have the time I was walking barefoot until I absolutely had to put my heels back on.
I managed to stay out until about 2am, at which point, I could no longer stand in my own heels and said screw this, I'm going home. On the ride home all I thought about was how the hell did we manage to pull of going out ten nights in a row? I could never do that now. On top of that, the heels are killing me and I would much rather wear flats at this point, just so I'm comfortable. I mean, sure my legs and ass look amazing when I'm in heels, but I'm seriously rethinking my four inch heels...
Now, the question remains, am I too old for this? Well in the four days of all the activities, I wore myself out so much that this morning I woke up sounding like a 60 year asthmatic smoker from the Bronx. I have a ridiculous cough, sore throat, runny nose, and a sneeze that never ends. I've slept for most of the day and have done nothing but watch old episodes of Big Bang Theory. It's the middle of summer and I have a cold. WTF?!
I might be a little too old for this...
Not that that is going to stop me this summer...I mean, please, I have about five more sexy dresses that must be worn before the end of the summer and unfortunately, they can't be worn with flats.
Friday, July 5, 2013
The Joys of Shopping
I think we all take for granted things that we can get easily. I know that I have. I think, being in the United States, everything is pretty much at our disposal. We can find things at any super market that we walk into and wouldn't ever think twice. In Dubrovnik, it's very different. We don't have fast food that we can drive through and grab something quick. There is no Starbucks or Peet's coffee. I can't get a To Go cup of anything in this town. I also have to go to several different stores to find what I'm looking for.
Today, I went grocery shopping with a friend of mine. We had to go to two different stores because one didn't have everything that we needed. The store could be the same store chain and they will offer completely different things. It's annoying but after being here for nearly a year, I've grown so accustomed to it that it's just a natural thing for me to go to several different places to get what I need.
I find it interesting that I can't find Venus razors or anything like that for shaving my legs, but there are always razors for men. Sexist? I thought so at first, but I don't think that really is their intention. I think that the stores assume that men aren't going to run all over town to get razors so it's just placed in every store. In fact, it's at the front of the store next to cashier so that the men can just easily grab them on their way out. They are simple creatures that don't need a lot of fuss, I suppose. If I want to get razors, however, I have to go to a special store for that. That store is found in town and since I live in the country most of the year, I have to drive about 45 minutes just to go buy the razors I need. I also have to go that store for makeup, face scrubs, perfume, tampons with applicators (sorry to the men who read this), and body lotion that isn't Dove or Nivea.
When I first went into that store for my razors, I literally spent two hours wondering around looking at all the different things they had. I was in heaven! I looked at everything! I would grab things that I could find in the states that I thought I would never find here. I would giggle to myself and take a moment looking at the product as I thought back to the time I saw it in California. I'm pretty sure the people who worked there, thought I was insane. I was just so excited! I was like a kid in a candy store. You would have thought I had just discovered the wheel!
You should have seen my face when I discovered large sliced bread for sandwiches here. Picture Julie Andrews running up the hill in the Sound of Music and you will have an understanding of what I felt inside. It truly was a glorious day and I continue to get really excited when I see new things coming to Dubrovnik.
I'm waiting for the day I walk into a store and find Hershey kisses. That will complete my life.
Today, I went grocery shopping with a friend of mine. We had to go to two different stores because one didn't have everything that we needed. The store could be the same store chain and they will offer completely different things. It's annoying but after being here for nearly a year, I've grown so accustomed to it that it's just a natural thing for me to go to several different places to get what I need.
I find it interesting that I can't find Venus razors or anything like that for shaving my legs, but there are always razors for men. Sexist? I thought so at first, but I don't think that really is their intention. I think that the stores assume that men aren't going to run all over town to get razors so it's just placed in every store. In fact, it's at the front of the store next to cashier so that the men can just easily grab them on their way out. They are simple creatures that don't need a lot of fuss, I suppose. If I want to get razors, however, I have to go to a special store for that. That store is found in town and since I live in the country most of the year, I have to drive about 45 minutes just to go buy the razors I need. I also have to go that store for makeup, face scrubs, perfume, tampons with applicators (sorry to the men who read this), and body lotion that isn't Dove or Nivea.
When I first went into that store for my razors, I literally spent two hours wondering around looking at all the different things they had. I was in heaven! I looked at everything! I would grab things that I could find in the states that I thought I would never find here. I would giggle to myself and take a moment looking at the product as I thought back to the time I saw it in California. I'm pretty sure the people who worked there, thought I was insane. I was just so excited! I was like a kid in a candy store. You would have thought I had just discovered the wheel!
You should have seen my face when I discovered large sliced bread for sandwiches here. Picture Julie Andrews running up the hill in the Sound of Music and you will have an understanding of what I felt inside. It truly was a glorious day and I continue to get really excited when I see new things coming to Dubrovnik.
I'm waiting for the day I walk into a store and find Hershey kisses. That will complete my life.
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