02 Wednesday Jan 2013
Posted in funny sayings, gay
13 Thursday Dec 2012
Next month, I should be traveling to Haiti in order to perform a medical mission and medical fact-finding trip with some colleagues at the Department of Public Health here in Massachusetts. I’m VERY excited as I’ve been wanting to go do medical work in Haiti for quite some time now – circumstances have just prevented me from going in the past. But now the timing is finally right.
I was all ready to book my flight when I thought to myself – wait, when does my passport expire? Oh crap, February. You see, Haiti (along with many other countries) requires a passport be valid within 6 months of the date of entry. Sadly, my passport would not have met this requirement. Fail. So I had the pleasure today of getting passport photos taken and then expediting my passport renewal. A mere $200 later and the passport is in the mail.
I have to admit I’m sad to see my old passport go. That passport has been a lot of places in the past 10 years and has seen a lot of sights. Not to mention the good times spent in foreign countries, often with friends. There are numerous stamps in that passport – my first trip to Paris by myself and the ride through the Chunnel to London in 2005. My first medical trip to South Africa in 2005, complete with the temporary visa required for the two months I spent there, and my second medical mission to Nicaragua in 2008. There’s the multiple stamps from the trip I took to Europe to celebrate graduation from medical school with my good friend Katrina – France, Luxembourg, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium. My relaxing trip to Spain after my first year of residency in 2009. And most recently trips to Barbados, and then to Mexico with my good friend Areeg.
I will fully admit that I’ve been incredibly blessed to be able to see as much of the world as I’ve managed to see in the past 10 years. And I’m really excited about getting a new passport that will have a stamp in it from Haiti. Here’s hoping the next 10 years have as many opportunities for travel as the past decade has.
13 Tuesday Mar 2012
Posted in emotional, relationships, revelation, vacation
I recently returned from a trip to the Riviera Maya in Mexico with my good friend and confidante Areeg. When we departed for Mexico last week, she was surprised to find I never wrote a blog post about my vacation in Barbados. Areeg is not the first person to point out the utter lack of commentary on my part about my journey to that lovely Caribbean isle. I guess I wasnt ready. Maybe I thought there was nothing worth posting. Or perhaps I thought it would be too self-centered and personal.
But then again, divulging my inner thoughts and feeling is how this blog started. So with the aid of some classical music in the background, here goes nothing…
I left for Barbados on January 6th. I booked this trip a mere two days after Christmas (and somehow got a really good deal on JetBlue). And I went alone. Several people commented that this was brave – traveling alone to a foreign country on such short notice. I cringe at the word brave because my need and desire to go to Barbados was not a courageous act in the slightest. I was practically running. And I needed to get away…
I went to Barbados to re-group, re-focus, re-center, and rediscover who I am. I’m not proud to admit it, but I went on vacation to heal a heart that had been shattered and broken barely a short month before my trip. In the interval time, I had put back together my Humpty-Dumpty of a heart with duct tape and gradually built a weak fortress around it to protect what was threatening to crumble inside at any moment. At the base, I was still shattered and broken but had now layered bitterness, confusion, and sadness on top. Several people, Areeg included, noted that the light was gone from my eyes. I’d hate to know what they actually saw in those blue eyes at that moment, and I’ve never dared to ask. Simply put, I was a mess twice-warmed over and slowly recovering.
So I traveled alone to Barbados. Even though I had friends who offered to go with, I ultimately decided that I needed to go away alone, be at peace, and get away from the world I knew in Boston. Thankfully, Barbados did not disappoint. I’m not kidding when I say that the trip was everything I needed and more. There wasnt anything in particular that happened, no grand events. I spent much of my time on the beach in the sun, lounging around the hotel, or swimming in the ocean. There were several late walks on the beach as the sun set. And a late night walk on the beach under full moonlight. In which I bared my soul to the island that saved both it and me. I healed, and I am forever grateful to that little island in the Caribbean for making me whole again.
Naturally after a vacation in which one repairs their soul, a trip filled with sunshine, laughter, and good times is absolutely necessary. And thus, the trip to Mexico was born. Areeg and I cooked up this little trip in much the same fashion as my trip to Barbados – booked a mere 10 days prior to boarding a plane for Cancun. We had a great time in the sun and surf and ate far too much food at the all you can eat buffets. And may have had a drink or two… or thirty? Naturally, Areeg and I came up with solutions for world peace and balanced the federal budget while sipping margaritas. I think for both of us, the highlight of the trip was spending a day at Chichen Itza and cave diving at the cenote in Ik Kil. A trip I will definitely remember for a life time, and the perfect opposite of my trip to Barbados.
26 Monday May 2008
Posted in vacation
5/8 – Paris to Fontainebleau
So Katrina and I arrange to meet Andrew at the train station to go to Fontainebleau for the morning. Sadly, none of us made it ontime to the train so we take the later one. Morning spent at Fontainebleau
Katrina spends afternoon at the Sacre Coeur.
Andrew and I spend afternoon walking Jackie Brown, uploading pictures, and drinking wine.
Andrew takes us to dinner on Montmatre…and it’s DELICIOUS. I cant even explain what I had for dessert…but I basically died and went to heaven.
5/8 tally
Baguettes consumed: 2
Beer consumed: 0
Wine consumed: 8
Chocolate consumed: 0
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 9
Beer consumed: 19
Wine consumed: 15
Chocolate consumed: 16
5/9 – Chartres
Katrina spends the morning at Giverny (where Monet’s house and garden is).
I spent the morning at Chartres since I’ve already been to Giverny. I also had the most delicious apple tart in Chartres
Afternoon spent at the Pantheon and walking around St Germain des Pres.
Katrina and I have delicious smoked salmon salads in Le Marais for dinner
I go out for the evening and get home at 3am..again (you’re only in Paris so many times!)
5/9 tally
Baguettes consumed: 1
Beer consumed: 1
Wine consumed: 3
Chocolate consumed: 0
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 10
Beer consumed: 20
Wine consumed: 18
Chocolate consumed: 16
5/10 – Versailles
Brian meets us at our hotel (and decides to stay in our hotel since his hostel was a shithole) and comes to Versailles with us.
Morning and afternoon spent at Versailles. We basically wait in line for 2 hours and pay a million and five euros to see Versailles. I quickly go through the chateau since I’ve been before and head off to see the Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon, and the Hamlet. We agree to meet at 2:45 at the entrance to the gardens.
I get to the entrance at 3:15 (yes, late, I realize)…no sign of Katrina and Brian. We FINALLY find each other around 5:30pm.
We all go home and shower to get the day off of us since it was a million degrees at Versailles.
Dinner in Republique with Andrew and some of his friends that lived in Houston for awhile.
Memorable quote of the evening “all I need is the Rabbit and a stack of porn and I’m good to go!”
5/10 tally
Baguettes consumed: 1
Beer consumed: 0
Wine consumed: 7
Chocolate consumed: 0
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 11
Beer consumed: 20
Wine consumed: 25
Chocolate consumed: 16
5/11 – Paris
Katrina and I attempt to go to Chenonceaux but the train is sold out.
We then attempt to go to the Catacombs…but they are closed
We finally get to see the inside of the Opera Garnier. We also hit up Le Madeleine and walk along Avenue Montaigne to see the expensive designer stores.
On the Champs-Elysees, we walk into the Louis Vuitton store. And see a group of Asian tourists with about 25 bags full of Louis Vuitton merchandise. Crazy
5/11 tally
Baguettes consumed: 2
Beer consumed: 0
Wine consumed: 0
Chocolate consumed: 0
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 13
Beer consumed: 20
Wine consumed: 25
Chocolate consumed: 16
5/12 – Depart
Sadness 
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 13
Beer consumed: 20
Wine consumed: 25
Chocolate consumed: 16
26 Monday May 2008
Posted in vacation
5/4 – Brussels
Katrina and I meet up with my cousin Lorena. Spend most of the day with Lorena walking around Brussels, seeing the Atomion, and grabbing coffee at a cafe. It was a lazy day but a nice lazy day. I get sunburned as the day goes on…awesome
Katrina and I grab delicious Asian food for dinner. We decide to crash and sleep that night instead of going out.
5/4 tally
Baguettes consumed: 0
Beer consumed: 0
Wine consumed: 0
Chocolate consumed: 2
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 5
Beer consumed: 19
Wine consumed: 4
Chocolate consumed: 14
5/5 – depart Brussels for Paris
Katrina and I finally find an internet shop that has decently fast internet…it unfortunately happens to be in the Brussels train station and is therefore a bit expensive.
We leave Brussels and arrive in Paris and check into our hotel. And I realize that I’ve left my Eurail pass on the train. Awesome. So basically we spend the afternoon at the police station making a police report so that I can get a replacement pass (thankfully I had the rail insurance plan).
After that fiasco, we hop over to Trocadero to see the Eiffel Tower. We end up walking from Trocadero to the Ecole Militaire to Les Invalides to the Grand Palais to Place de la Concorde down Rue Fauborg St Honore…at some point we hop on the Metro and go over to Notre Dame where we attend evening mass (which was incredible!)
5/5 tally
Baguettes consumed: 0
Beer consumed: 0
Wine consumed: 0
Chocolate consumed: 2
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 5
Beer consumed: 19
Wine consumed: 4
Chocolate consumed: 16
5/6 – Paris
So the breakfast at our hotel is so yummy. It consists of cafe au lait (although there were other options but let’s be serious…we’re in Paris), croissant, baguette, and an assortment of jelly as well as butter. GREAT way to start off the morning…yummy!
Katrina and I spend the morning at the Concergerie and St Chapelle…where we again run into people from Chicago that we know (crazy).
We meet Andrew at the Musee d’Orsay and then spend the afternoon in search of cheese and macaroons for a picnic dinner that Andrew and his friend Lizzie are having on the Pont des Art. We take twilight pictures of Notre Dame and spend the evening having dinner under the stars at the Pont des Art.
5/6 tally
Baguettes consumed: 1
Beer consumed: 0
Wine consumed: 3
Chocolate consumed: 0
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 6
Beer consumed: 19
Wine consumed: 7
Chocolate consumed: 16
5/7 – Paris
Morning spent climbing the Notre Dame and going back inside to check it out some more.
Katrina spends the rest of the day at the Arc de Triomphe and walking the Champs-Elysees. I go in search of St. Sulpice
Evening spent in the Louvre (they are open late on Wednesday night at a discounted rate)
For Katrina’s birthday, we go up the Eiffel Tower at night. Yes we climbed the stairs. And yes I’m never doing that again since it was my second time
Needless to say we both have incredibly painful legs by the end of the day after all the climbing we did.
5/7 tally
Baguettes consumed: 1
Beer consumed: 0
Wine consumed: 0
Chocolate consumed: 0
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 7
Beer consumed: 19
Wine consumed: 7
Chocolate consumed: 16
06 Tuesday May 2008
Posted in vacation
4/30 – Amsterdam
The 30th is Queens Day in Amsterdam which is essentially one giant party in the city. Not a party in one part of the city. No, a giant party in the entire city where people basically walk around and eat and drink beer the whole time. It was fun at first but then started to get a little old as people got more and more drunk and therefore more and more stupid. Managed to go to the Van Gogh museum for some culture
4/30 tally
Baguettes consumed: 0
Beer consumed: 1
Wine consumed: 0
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 3
Beer consumed: 11
Wine consumed: 4
5/1 – day after Queens Day
spent the morning at the Rijksmuseum being cultured. Spent the rest of the day walking around Amsterdam taking pictures and being a tourist. Awesome. Sat down at Coffee Company (they’re version of Starbucks) for about an hour just drinking coffee and reading a magazine in Dutch (it had cool pictures).
Went out at night and discovered Amsterdam night life which was totally necessary after the disaster that was Berlin.
5/1 tally
Baguettes consumed: 0
Beer consumed: 6
Wine consumed: 0
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 3
Beer consumed: 17
Wine consumed: 4
5/2 – travel to Bruges
so Katrina and I make it from Amsterdam to Antwerp just fine (even though I was incredibly hungover). We get to Antwerp and cant find the train to Bruges. Awesome. We go to information and the clerk tells me that we’ve just missed a train to Bruges. Thanks lady, rub a little salt in the wound. Great. Fantastic. Anyway there was another train to Bruges in like, 20 minutes so no worries.
so we get to Bruges and we attempt to call the owner of the B&B that we are staying…except her number doesnt work. Big ordeal but we finally get in contact with her. Turns out she speaks Flemish and Italian but very VERY limited English. So basically I talk to her in Italian the whole time with Katrina being very confused.
Our B&B is ADORABLE. I cant even explain it properly.
5/2 tally
Baguettes consumed: 1
Beer consumed: 1
Wine consumed: 0
Chocolate consumed: 6
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 4
Beer consumed: 18
Wine consumed: 4
Chocolate consumed: 6
5/3 – Bruges and depart for Brussels
Bruges is super cute and has so many good chocolate stores (not to mention lace if you are into that as well as beer)
We spend the morning in Bruges and then hop on the 2pm train for Brussels where we are staying at the Hilton (yes, we spoiled ourselves, and yes it was amazing). Katrina has her first run-in with a bidet. And our bathroom had a phone in it.
do a bit of a whirlwind tour of Brussels since most things close at 6. Have mussels for dinner (yum!!!)
I decide to go out that night but Katrina stays in. Three guys from Brussels buy me champagne. I get home at 3 am….without spending a dime!
5/3 tally
Baguettes consumed: 1
Beer consumed: 1
Wine consumed: 0
Chocolate consumed: 6
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 5
Beer consumed: 19
Wine consumed: 4
Chocolate consumed: 12
30 Wednesday Apr 2008
Posted in vacation
4/26 – depart Munich for Berlin, which takes a surprisingly long 6 hours
arrive in Berlin and meet Katrina at our hostel!
spend day walking around Berlin
Take pictures of Queen Nefertiri at the Altes Museum
Go to see Brandenburg Gate. However our view is obstructed by a fair which we discover is “Kinderfest 2008″ at which point Katrina utters the phrase “Damn Kinders!” (Kinder is German for kid)
Dinner at YUMMY Italian restaurant near our hostel – 2 glasses of wine
4/26 tally
Baguettes consumed: 0
Beer consumed: 0
Wine consumed: 2
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 3
Beer consumed: 7
Wine consumed: 4
4/27 – Potsdam
Day trip to Potsdam to see fantastic San Souci Palace
Katrina and I get in separate lines to get tickets and I get to register one person before Katrina. Cashier takes FOREVER with customer in front of Katrina and we end up getting different tour times (1pm vs 2:15pm)
Return and see Pergamon Museum. Basically the entire city of Pergamon, Greece is in the museum. Add Germany to the list of England and France of countries that stole precious works from Greece, Turkey, and Egypt.
4/27 tally
Baguettes consumed: 0
Beer consumed: 0
Wine consumed: 0
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 3
Beer consumed: 7
Wine consumed: 4
4/28 – Berlin
get up early to go to Reichstag (all the museums are closed on Monday) and the line is SO long to get into the Reichstag, but ultimately worth it.
Walking along some street in Berlin…we hear this noise near the traffic signals, a steady beeping sound that occasionally becomes faster. Katrina asks, “is that a signal for DEAF people?”
We had dinner at this Viet-Thai restaurant that had these really neat basket chairs (We have pictures).
4/28 tally
Baguettes consumed: 0
Beer consumed: 2
Wine consumed: 0
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 3
Beer consumed: 9
Wine consumed: 4
Total number of Starbucks seen in Berlin: 8
4/29 – depart Berlin for Amsterdam via Cologne
Katrina and I stop at Aldi to grab some stuff and each buy 1.5 liter bottles of water, since we havent really been drinking a lot of it. We also grab a pain au chocolait at the train station (it was in German of course, not French, but still).
Train transfer in Cologne, where we have 40 minutes to see the Cologne Cathedral. We grab pretzels on the way back to the train.
Drama on the train. Two people are sitting in the seats we’ve reserved for the train to Amsterdam. No big deal, we take two empty seats. There is a group of 4 Asian tourists sitting in front of us. At Dusseldorf, 3 people get on the train and 2 of the Asian tourist are sitting in their seats. The train conductor comes by and the Asian tourists are very quick (and bitchy) to point out that they just moved seats to be together and should in fact be sitting in the seats that Katrina and I Are now occupying. The 2 sitting in the wrong seats get booted by the conductor setting off a chain reaction whereby we get booted from our seats and then must boot the 2 people who were sitting in our reserved seats. Drama drama drama. And then all is well.
so I should mention that the weather in Berlin was beautiful….it didnt rain once, was quite warm and sunny. Beautiful. The weather in Munich was on and off rain and sunshine and wasnt quite warm.
Amsterdam on the other hand was rainy and wet and cold (not surprising).
Ran into Bennett and John from Chicago (random!)
haul ass to the Anne Frank House cause it closes at 9 (and it’s 7:30 at this point) and we are under the impression that since the next day is Queen’s Day that everything will be closed.
Queen’s Day celebrations begin. We are walking randomly around the city at night (which is rather cute) and decide to stop in a McDonalds to see if the menu is different from our menus in the US. We didnt notice any changes in the menu; what we did notice was the intense smell of marijuana eminating from the McDonalds. Interesting…toking up at McDonalds
We pay €3.50 for a Heineken that is in a small cup. Boo
4/29 tally
Baguettes consumed: 0
Beer consumed: 1
Wine consumed: 0
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 3
Beer consumed: 10
Wine consumed: 4
25 Friday Apr 2008
Posted in vacation
so tonight is my last night in Munich so I figured it was time for a little update prior to my departure for Berlin
4/24 – spent most of day at Neuschwanstein castle near the Austrian border in the Alps
returned from Alps and went to the world famous Hofbrauhaus – and drank a LITER of beer (i think that counts as two beers)
4/24 tally
Baguettes consumed: 0
Beer consumed: 3
Wine consumed: 0
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 2
Beer consumed: 5
Wine consumed: 2
4/25 – last day in Munich
spent the morning at the Dachau concentration camp memorial – sad, depressing, somber, sobering, and revealing
grocery store lunch of swiss cheese on baguette (plus 6 apples and a can of pringles-like chips) = €5.90
afternoon spent the Munich Residenz palace, which was almost as ridiculous as Versailles in decoration and expense
rest of afternoon spent walking around Munich and taking more pictures than likely necessary
4/25 tally
Baguettes consumed: 1
Beer consumed: 2
Wine consumed: 0
Total number of Starbucks seen in Munich: 3
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 3
Beer consumed: 7
Wine consumed: 2
23 Wednesday Apr 2008
Posted in vacation
As many of you remember, I went to Europe 3 years ago during my first year of medical school. I went to Paris for 7 days and then London for 3 days. This time I’m going to record my journey and impressions.
4/21 – arrive in Paris
notice Mango and Esprit stores in the train station as well as McDonalds – evidence of the Americanization of Europe (and I suppose the Europeanization of America?)
paid €1.60 for a bottle of Evian at the train station (the only brand available – you gotta love France), that’s roughly $2.40.
notice several people wearing my brown long coat from Banana Republic. Begin to play “spot the American” by looking for North Face, Abercombie and Fitch, etc.
4/21 Part 2 – arrive in Luxembourg
Luxembourg is to Paris as (small American city) is to New York City
manage to see almost all of Luxembourg City in approximately 3 hours
Consume entire baguette for lunch and dinner
Pass out from jet lag at 8pm, sleep until 8am the next morning
4/21 tally
Baguettes consumed: 1
Beer consumed: 0
Wine consumed: 0
4/22 – Luxembourg
Miss train from Luxembourg to Koln because weirdly labelled at train station and station manager of no help
pay €40 (over $60) for train ticket from Strasbourg in France to Stuttgart in Germany
4/22 – Strasbourg
Lunch = baguette with brie, tomato, and lettuce (delicious btw and only €2.50)
really cool looking train station in Strasbourg – old train station encased in glass outer structure
4/22 – Stuttgart
conductor tells wrong track number for train to Munich (I figured it out though and made it)+
Trains in Germany between major cities REALLY nice.
4/22 – arrive in Munich at 5:30pm
hostel really close to train station, quite nice in fact
walk around Munich until it begins to rains
meet roommates for the night (Mac from Toronto and Julia from Shanghai)
dinner at Indian Restaurant (Palak Paneer and beer)
4/22 tally
Baguettes consumed: 1
Beer consumed: 1
Wine consumed: 0
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 2
Beer consumed: 1
Wine consumed: 0
4/23 – Munich
nice day in Munich with threat of rain
visit Nymphenburg Palace and Alte Pinakothek – take way too many pictures
notice that Munichiners adhere to rules like sticklers, almost militantly (example, although no one checks to see if you have a ticket, everyone buys a ticket for the subway…of course there is a €40 fine if you dont have one.)
Lunch from grocery store = ciabatta, tomato, buffalo mozarella, Coca-Cola and an apple (€5 total!!!!)
Learn that it is an arrestable offense if you jay-walk (which explains why NO one does it)
Walking around Munich, notice child’s dance school on second story of building…above a strip club….?
Get home from walking around and have a beer at the hostel (delicious and only €3)
Dinner at yummy vegetarian restaurant – tagliatelle with wine from Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (200cc which I think counts as 2 glasses)
4/23 tally
Baguettes consumed: 0
Beer consumed: 1
Wine consumed: 2
Trip tally
Baguettes consumed: 2
Beer consumed: 2
Wine consumed: 2
