Features Article

Just about two weeks ago, a former coworker of mine from The University of Iowa Foundation and current student at The University of Iowa emailed me requesting my thoughts on traveling abroad post-graduation. She was putting together an article for a Features writing class she is currently enrolled in. Kathleen Olp's finished article is brilliant, and I wanted to share it with you all. Enjoy.

Kathleen Olp

Features

10/30/2008

With graduation looming, Cat Gaa felt the grasp of anxiety slowly shake the cushy confines of her college life. She feared the day she would be savagely cast into the hostile job market, expected to fend for herself. So she did what many of her peers were doing across the country; she left.

Gaa moved to Andalucía, Spain in 2007, about 10 miles west of Seville to teach English; a microcosm of a larger phenomenon spreading across the US, in which college graduates are increasingly participating in international service or more generally simply “going abroad”.

“I got confirmation from the Spanish Ministry of Education about a week or so before graduation, screamed my lungs out and got really worked up about teaching,” she said. “Twelve hours a week, $1000 a month and the chance to get the hell out of Chicago.”

According to the Open Doors survey report, published annually by the Institute of International Education with funding from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, US students going abroad increased by 8.5% to a total of 223,534 in 2007.

Sara Burden, the Associate Director and Coordinator of Career Education at the Pomerantz Career Center said she sees the increased interest in students wanting to go abroad after graduation.

“There are lots of questions about opportunities abroad, especially in the age of globalization,” she said. “Many companies create international relationships and students want to be a part of that.”

She said while the career center doesn’t place students in jobs abroad, they do assist with international internships and offer resources to give students the credentials to get abroad.

After graduation, Gaa had a job offer from Shadow Broadcasting, where she had spent a summer interning, but she obstinately refused, unwilling to desert her global aspirations.

“I knew I wanted to go abroad after graduation,” she said. “It was really nice to not stress out about getting a job while everyone else was because I knew that lifestyle wasn't for me.”

Gaa kicked her latent dreams into gear fall of her senior year, making frequent trips to the study abroad office, toying with numerous ways to get abroad, such as working in the UK on a permit from BUNAC, which offers visas to Americans to work oversees.

She decided on teaching English, working 12 hours a week in a public Spanish high school, in which she is an auxiliary norteamericano de conversacion. She works with bilingual students and teachers.

When she’s not teaching, she spends her free time traveling and taking French lessons.

“I thought I wanted to move to the UK and get a real job, but I realized my dream was just to get out of the country for a year or two and live on the cheap,” she said. “I was willing to do anything.”

Matthew Kyhnn, a UI 2007 graduate, also wasn’t prepared to face the drab of the working world. He utilized the BUNAC program and initially went to Ireland.

He’s currently traveling mainland Europe with a Euro Rail pass which is valid for one month and good in over 30 countries on the continent. He’s traveled to Amsterdam, Paris, Munich, Salzburg, and is currently in Budapest, with plans to go to Venice next. The he heads south to Rome and Sicily before catching a ferry to Greece. From Greece, he said he will go to Turkey and hopefully find work.

“I've fallen in love with traveling, meeting new people, and living outside of my comfort zone - the thought of settling down is, to be quite honest, scary,” Kyhnn said.

Even the threats of deportation haven’t curbed his precarious lifestyle, as he is out of work visas.

“I don't have a clue where I'll be in the next month - without a job, my funds will quickly run out,” he said. “It's scary, as you can imagine - but also exciting in its own, unique way.”

Kyhnn managed to talk a friend into traveling with him, UI 2007 graduate Brian Wolken, who also received a visa from BUNAC, valid in Ireland for four months and the UK for six months.

He’s held various jobs ranging from working on a salmon farm in Ireland to bar tending in Scotland, resembling a modern day Jack Kerouac; the acclaimed author who is known for pioneering the “beat generation” of the 1950s, writing of his wanderings across the west. Wolken is currently inter railing around Europe.

“As I sit here in Budapest. It is one of the most amazing places I have been in my life. And I never knew anything about it before,” he said. “Tomorrow I'll be in Venice.”

Wolken is slowly facing the confines of his current situation, unable to find a work visa in other EU countries.

He doesn’t foresee kicking his habit anytime soon though, as he will travel to Turkey, where he hopes to secure work.

“I'm in love with traveling, I'll never quit.”

thoughts from the ferry

10/11/2008 – 8:05PM

Right, so I’m safely on the ferry and just now leaving the port in Bari. I’m notoriously late. Luckily, I wasn’t even running behind today. I was on the boat by 6:30. I was shocked to see the ferry leaving port at 7:50 – ten minutes before its scheduled departure. With my luck, its amazing I wasn’t running to see the bloody boat leaving without me.

I’ve just in the past five minutes realized one of the biggest downsides to traveling solo (at least traveling solo on a ferry where the vast majority of the passengers speak either Greek or Italian): I have no one to share my thoughts with. Normally, this isn’t a huge deal. But, when you have a really funny thought – as in a thought that makes you literally laugh out loud, as I just was – you really want to share it with someone. Since I don’t (damn you Brian), I decided to quick open the laptop and share it with any of the readers that still check my blog.

So, some quick background: One of the things I did this summer was hike the Great Glen Way, a 79 mile hike from Fort William to Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland. It was an outstanding week – also, as you can imagine, very exhausting. Brian and I rough camped along the way. To save weight, I ended up buying what is called a Hennessy Hammock – a lightweight (1.9kg) and compact hammock which serves as a tent. While not terribly warm, it was very practical for the hike Brian and I did. You might be thinking, ‘How can you sleep in a hammock?” Indeed, this was my thought as well. But, after trying one out, I was sold. I sleep just as well if not better than I do in a normal bed.

So, I’m on the ferry, as you know. With my InterRail pass I was essentially able to get a free trip to Greece (with the exception of paying port taxes, E7). The only stipulation is I don’t have a cabin – I have an oversized airplane seat. As I was just looking around the cabin, I noticed some thrifty travelers had already staked out their spot on the floor with their sleeping bags or blankets. I erupted into laughter when I imagined myself stringing my hammock up between two of the pillars in the cabin. I may actually see if they’ll let me. If not in the cabin, maybe on the outside deck. I can’t imagine it will be any colder than it was in the Highlands.

That’s it for now. cheers

journey to bari

9/11/2008 – 11:56 AM

Yesterday evening, at around 10 PM, I said farewell to my good mate and trusted travel partner Brian in Messina, Italy, on the Northeast coast of Sicily. It was a quintessential train station goodbye with Brian standing and waving on the platform and me waving goodbye from the train window. “See you in Turkey,” I yelled, and my 22:02 train to Naples left the station. It is a strange feeling to begin traveling solo – I’m not sure I’ve traveled significantly without Brian since leaving home in September of 2007. The plan is to rendezvous someplace in Turkey in one or two weeks time.

I’m currently on a train headed to Bari on the East coast of Italy. At 8PM tonight, I’ll catch a ferry to Greece and arrive in Patras 16 potentially painful hours later. The trip to Bari proved to be much more difficult than the rail map I had implied: I left Messina at 22:02 last night and arrived in Naples at 4:30 this morning – from Naples, I caught the 5:03 train to Caserta, arriving at 6:00. The train station in Caserta is not someplace you want to be at six in the morning. To be fair, you probably wouldn’t want to be in any train station at six in the morning. When I arrived, I was going to have a look at the ticket machine to verify my next connection. I ended up waiting a bit as I didn’t want to disturb the stray dogs or homeless men blocking the way.

My connecting train to Bari didn’t leave until 11, so instead of hanging around the train station all morning I set off to explore the town of Caserta. As I wandered the streets of the small town, it became evident that I was up far earlier than most of the town's residents – perhaps not surprising as today is a Sunday. Other than the odd clusters of old men reading their newspapers on park benches, street cleaners tidying up after a seemingly chaotic Saturday evening, or stray dogs wandering around aimlessly, there wasn’t much going on in Caserta. Eventually, the many street cafes and newspaper agents began to open up their shops and with this, I found a spot in the sun and enjoyed some café and a newspaper I’ve been meaning to read. It ended up being an enjoyable morning in a town I before knew nothing about – a town, I would venture to guess, that is largely overlooked and bypassed by tourists and travelers.

I think Italy will go down as one of my favorite countries in Europe. I haven’t seen even a fraction of what Italy has to offer, yet I’ve spent an enjoyable seven or eight days getting to know Italy’s people and their customs. If nothing else, I’ve fallen in love with their coffee and their café/bars. I knew I would enjoy Italy from the moment I stepped of the train in Venice. Upon walking into the train station’s café, I was greeted with a long, high-top bar just as you’d find in any US or UK bar or pub. However, instead of barmen pouring pints or mixing cocktails, you had baristas serving up Café Americanos, Espressos, Cappucino, Macchiato, and the like. These types of cafes aren’t unique to train stations but are instead found throughout Italy’s towns and cities. They are brilliant.

When I set off on this InterRail journey throughout the continent I didn’t really have much of a plan – that is, I hadn’t made a list with countries or cities I wanted to see. Brian and I just imagined we’d use or Lonely Planet and train timetable book and see where we ended up. The only place I knew wanted to see was Venice. I wasn’t at all disappointed.

Venice was everything I expected it to be. Venice is a city whose beauty quite literally takes your breath away ...

9/11/2008 - 11:28 PM

So, at this point in my writing, my computer ran out of battery and I was conveniently forced to take a much needed nap. I had imagined myself to continue the post on the ferry en route to Greece. After getting off the train in Bari I was faced with the difficult task of finding a cash point and getting something to eat. The entire town seemed to be shut down. Today is Sunday, and I’ve since gathered that Bari is a deeply religious community. After getting off the train, getting some cash, and finding something to eat, I made my way to the Bari Ferry Port. I arrived to find the port ticket office relatively deserted; instantly, I knew something wasn’t right.

“Parla Ingles?” I asked the lone ticket agent. “A little,” she apprehensively said. “I would like to book a seat on the 8PM ferry to Patras,” I told her. Deep down, I knew what was inevitably coming. “Sorry,” she proclaimed, “there is no ferry until tomorrow night.”

Terrific. Bloody terrific. I was instantly shattered. Not only would I be stuck in a port town for the next 24 hours, my tentative schedule would be pushed back one entire day. If time wasn’t of the essence (my InterRail pass expires Wednesday and I still need to get across the Ionian Sea, all the way through Greece, and ideally into Istanbul), this wouldn’t be the end of the world. I was gutted. I was angry with myself and frustrated with the situation. A person stronger than myself would have gotten over it much quicker than I did – but, for the next three or four hours I was quite pessimistic about the entire scenario. With help from Brian via text messaging, I was able to find out where the one backpackers hostel in town was. Still frustrated. It took me a good hour to find the place, and when I did, I paid only slightly less than I did in Paris and Rome. Still frustrated. There is no internet, a 12AM curfew (first time I’ve ever seen this in a hostel), and sheets for the bed aren’t included in the price of the room (first time ever). Still frustrated. And, to top it off, I’m sharing my dorm with two lovebirds studying abroad from the States. As you might imagine, this only makes me miss Nicole more. Still frustrated.

Enough of the negativity. I just got back from a wee wander around my hostel. As I had taken the bus here, I hadn’t yet had the chance to check out the area where my hostel is located. Bari Backpackers is located on the edge of the 'historical center' of Bari. The entire area has a majestic feel to it tonight - essentially deserted with the exception of the lone couple out for a walk or the scooter navigating the winding, narrow, stone alleyways. It almost felt as though I was walking through a part of the city stuck in time fifteen years ago. Through windows and open doors you could see families sitting down to dinner or huddled around the television - some old men were seated on kitchen chairs which they had moved outside of their front doors - the days washing was hanging on clothes lines above the streets. I would turn a corner and come across shrine like windows with pictures of Jesus or the Virgin Mary. The streets reminded me very much of Southern Spain and Portugal. The white stone streets and buildings had a solemn yet majestic glow to them from the yellow lights illuminating the alleyways. It was unbelievable, and I slowly became glad I ended up spending the night in Bari.

Right. So, again, Venice was stunning. A beautiful and bizarre city where nearly all aspects of day to day life revolve in some way around the city's canals. How can you not be impressed with a city built on 117 islands, with over 150 canals, and more than 400 bridges? Instead of delivery trucks, Venice has delivery boats. With 150 canals, Venice doesn't have a public bus system, rather it has a public Vaporetti system - boats which serve as buses bringing people all around the city and the surrounding islands. Instead of your bus stop, you have a dock which the Vaporetto pulls up to, the deck hand ties it up, and the passengers jump on before it moves on to the next stop.

After spending three nights in the city, it was apparent I wasn't the only traveler who wanted to experience the city. Venice sees upwards of 20 million visitors a year. While not a lot in comparison to say the 7o plus million that visit Paris, it becomes a headache when these 20 million visitors are crammed onto Venice's narrow streets and walkways. I can't imagine visiting the city in the high season. Nonetheless, it was shocking to be on one busy street one minute, shoulder to shoulder with your neighbor and then to move two streets in the other direction to find a residential part of the city completely void of tourists. A wonderful place which I would love to visit again.

From Venice, Brian and I traveled to Rome - a city full of 2.5 million people and 2,700 years of history. A lot to take in, as you can imagine. We were there for two days packed full of the sightseeing you would expect in Rome: Vatican City, the Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo's jaw dropping frescoes, St Peter's Basilica, the Pantheon, and of course the Colessum and Rome's many beautiful fountains. It was mind blowing to think of the time frame that many of the buildings were built. The Colosseum - rivaling Kinnick Stadium by holding 50,000 people - was finished in 80AD.

All of this was great, but the highlight of my time spent in Rome was watching the US Presidential election with hundreds of other expatriated Americans. Democrats Abroad, an organization which unites Democrats living overseas, was hosting an event which coincidentally was going on directly across the street from the hostel where I was staying. I spent the historic evening drinking Italian vino and watching CNN with study-abroad students, professors, businessmen, and many other Americans who in one way or another found themselves living in Rome. Yes we can! Goodbye George, you won't be missed.

From Rome, we traveled to Sicily where we spent two relaxing evenings. For one of these, I was camped out on a small island off the coast of Taormina - an island only barely accessible at low tide. Sicily was great - in addition to the sun, the warm weather, the beaches, and Mt. Etna (Europe's largest and most active volcano), the Sicilian people were very laid back and hospitable. I would have loved to spend more time exploring the island, but I cut my time there short to try and catch the ferry which didn't leave tonight.

I'll try and get some pictures posted soon. Hopefully, by this time tomorrow, I'll be en route to Greece. cheers, mk

night train

31/10/2008 – 8:55

Right, so, I’m on a night train heading to Venice. The train left Budapest at 5pm and will arrive in Venice at 7am tomorrow. Its my first real experience with train travel in Eastern Europe – I’d be lying if I said its anywhere as close to glamorous as Western Europe train travel. This being said, its cheap, its efficient, and its definitely an experience.

My ever so trustworthy Lonely Planet has provided me thus far with great advice for my travels in Scotland, Ireland, Spain, and Prague. For those trips I had specific books aimed at each previously mentioned country or city. The Lonely Planet book I’m traveling with now is the ‘Europe On a Shoestring’ edition. While not as useful as other editions, it does have the added advantage of covering all European countries and most towns or cites that deserve to make it on a map.

I digress. One of the sections in the Shoestring book talks about the potential dangers of train travel. Namely, trains in Eastern Europe. Similar to an over-protective parent, Lonely Planet makes sure to cover all potential hazards that a traveler could encounter while jumping across Europe. Currency exchange scams, pick pocketing, nightlife scams, and the dangers of train travel – specifically, overnight train travel in Eastern Europe. For the most part, I had disregarded most of these threats as being a bit over the top. That is, until I hopped on the Budapest – Venice overnight train.

Significantly older and dirtier, and smelling quite distinctively of old cigarette smoke this train is potentially the perfect venue for some of Shoestring’s ‘worst case scenarios.’ Baggage theft, druggings, and the situation which I find most far-fetched; the situation in which a potential thief opens your compartment door in the middle of the night and tosses in a canister, or pill, or something which releases gas and completely knocks out the passengers so said theft can steal all the traveler’s belongings. I don’t imagine it will happen – not with broken lock on our compartment door anyway... All part of the journey, right?

Budapest was for lack of a better word, amazing. Brian and I had only intended on staying for two nights but ended up sleeping in ‘Pest for one extra night. Budapest is a lovely place full of natural thermal spas, very interesting and recent history, and – most importantly – an extremely cheap place to spend a couple nights. Budapest is situated on top of a number of natural, hot springs. Above many of these, there are beautiful thermal spas. Budapestians (?) believe the waters from these springs bring you many natural health benefits. Many locals wake up, head to their local spa, and ‘soak’ for a couple hours before heading to the office. After spending a day at the Szechini Spa in Budapest City Park, I gather that many of the old, retired, locals spend most of their waking hours there as well. The Szechini Spa is the largest spa in Europe, and for 2600ft (£10), I was able to spend the day soaking in thermal baths, healing in medicinal pools, and lounging in saunas and steam rooms. Somehow, I was exhausted by the end of the day.

This is probably an epic point to finish this post. Just moments ago, the train stopped in seemingly the middle of nowhere. It turns out, we were at the Hungary – Croatia border. Soon after the train stopped, our compartment door jolted open and a uniformed officer appeared. “(mumbling in a language I didn’t understand), Passport.” This happened another two times before the train again started moving.

Venice, here I come. mk

e i f f e l t o w e r

breakfast in munich. lunch in salzburg. dinner in budapest.

28.10.2008 - 10:12am

I’m just over one week into my three week InterRail journey throughout Europe. As I write this post, I’m sitting on a train going from Munich to Salzburg. I’ll spend the day in Salzburg before catching a train to Budapest.

I’m fully convinced train travel is the most enjoyable way to travel. If possible, I’d never again set foot on an airplane – let alone a bloody airport full of ques, chaos, security checks, baggage weight limits, and the list could go on. I’m sitting in a six-person cabin which Brian and I have to ourselves. There’s plenty of legroom with no one telling me to wear my seatbelt or when I can and can’t go to the toilet. Instead of the sounds of jet engines and views of only clouds, I’m listening to the clicking of the train tracks and watching the green, mountainous, countryside of southern Germany slowly pass by. I believe you feel much more connected to your journey on a train – you’re able to see the ground you cover and watch the landscapes gradually change.

I greatly enjoyed my three days spent in southern Germany - in Bavaria. Munich was lovely; a perfectly sized city of just over one million people. One million welcoming, laid back, and beer loving people – on average, Germans drink over 130 liters of beer a year. Munich is the perfect example of a city where you could come to spend a week and stay a lifetime. If only I knew German. Other than hello, goodbye, please, and thank you, “Noch zwei dunkle bitte,” is as far as I got. ‘I’d like two more dark beers please.”

Brian and I had our first German breakfast with our couchsurfing host, Tami. Tami took us to a large, open, Bavarian beer hall with tiled floors, dark wooden benches, and a high ceiling where we had pretzels, white sausages, and a wheat beer. Beautiful. I guess there are certain beers you drink at certain times of the day – a fruity wheat beer according to Tami is a breakfast beer. We unfortunately didn’t have much of a chance to get to know Tami as she left Saturday afternoon to see her boyfriend in France. She did give us the perfect introduction to Bavaria.

On Saturday afternoon, Brian and I had a couple hours to kill before catching a train to see the Neuschwanstein Castle in Fussen; the castle is a 19th century Bavarian palce and is one of the most photographed buildings in Germany. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and we decided we would grab a beer in one of Munich’s many biergartens. Our afternoon got off to a questionable start. We found ourselves a sunny table and sat down. Unlike the UK or Ireland, you don’t go to the bar to get your beers. Instead, a waitress comes to your table and takes your order ... or so we thought. We sat down and waited. And waited. And waited. Something wasn’t right; there were two or three waitresses running around with food and beers, but none of them seemed to take notice of us.

Finally, someone took pity on us, "This table," they said in broken English, "is reserved for everyday people." I later found out that we were sitting in a Stammtisch - a regulars' table. The waiters and waitresses will refuse service to tourists who occupy a local patron's table. Some luck! We moved tables, and soon we had two 1 liter steins of Bavarian pilsner to enjoy.

So, I'll be in Salzburg, Austria, by 11am to spend the day. If all goes as planned, I'll catch the 5pm train and be in Budapest by 11pm tonight. mk

city of l i g h t s

Paris. The City of Love. The City of Lights. Two million people in Paris proper with ten million in the entire metropolitan area. 72 million tourists come to Paris each year, and right now, Matthew Kyhnn is one of them.

I will say, as an American who speaks only English, its not exactly an easy place to be. After spending ten months in English speaking Scotland, you quickly forget how stressful, frustrating, and bewildering it is to try and navigate and survive in a city the size of Paris where literally no one speaks English.

Brian and I arrived in Paris with zero plans as far as accommodation. Always a good decision. After a couple hours of wandering the city's streets and subways, we finally found a hostel we had looked up online. Unfortunately, we also found they were full and had no bed available. The French bloke working the front desk offered no help in finding an alternative place to stay. He simply pointed two ways out of the hostel, and told us, "If you walk towards the canal, you may find a hostel, but I don't know if they'll have rooms." Fun. As it turns out, we ended up checking into a dodgy one star hotel. We had no toilet - no toilet as in, no toilet in the entire 'hotel.' Also, we had to pay E3 extra each for a shower. Either way, it was a place to sleep. First impressions of Paris weren't too good.

We spent yesterday exploring the city on our own and with a walking tour. We ended up back at the hostel where said unhelpful French bloke worked the next morning. As it turns out, the hostel was again full, but they held our bags for the day. While we were there, we met an ex-pat American lady who worked for the hostel and led tours. She was lovely and took us on a very informative and laid back tour of the city.

We ended up checking into a new hostel last night. It was the first time since I've again left traveling where I've had to opportunity to sit down with other fellow travelers and just, hang out. Over a couple bottles of wine we exchanged stories, discussed our travels, and really just had the craic. It was brilliant. Very refreshing.

Yesterday ended with Brian and I sitting at the base of the Eiffel Tower and drinking a bottle of wine. An epic way to spend an evening. When I think of Europe, the first thing that comes to my mind is the Eiffel Tower. It was a stunning sight - illuminated in blue sparkling every hour on the hour (to the tune of E2,000 a day).

I realized again last night how lucky I am to be where I'm at in my life. I've met so many wonderful people along the way, seen so many sights, and learned so much about myself. I'm not ready for this portion of my life to finish, but sooner or later I'm afraid it will. It will have most definitely been a journey I'll never forget.

cheers, mk

safe in the 'dam

I've made it safely to Amsterdam.

First impressions can be summed up with, 'wow.' What a bizarre city. Amsterdam is best known for the presence of decriminalized drugs and legalized prostitution. True, this was more than evident in the quick hour long stroll I had throughout the city before checking into a hostel. But, lesser known, perhaps, is the beauty of the city. Touted as being one of Europe's 'most beautiful cities,' you can see the draw many people have to Amsterdam. The city centre is filled with winding, 17th century cobblestone streets and a maze of canals - thus Amsterdam is also known as the, 'Venice of the North.'

The ferry ride was less than ideal. I spent most of my time curled up in my tiny, two berth, cabin fighting off seasickness. I never got sick, but I sure got close.

Regardless, I'm here. Its an exciting feeling to again begin traveling. mk

goodbyes

Oh my, a new post on Matt's blog! Shocking, I know.

As I sit down to write, I'm on a train leaving Scotland and heading to Newcastle. From Newcastle, I'm catching an overnight ferry to Amsterdam to meet up with my mate Lyndon from Ireland. We'll spend a couple nights in Amsterdam before Brian and I leave for a month long trip around mainland Europe. We have InterRail passes and will be traveling via train throughout the continent.

To say I have mixed emotions right now would be a complete and total understatement. I'm excited for what the next month or more may bring. It should be unbelievable. Yet I've just had to say goodbye to Nicole, my girlfriend of seven months -a goodbye that we both knew was going to come sooner or later. A difficult goodbye, to say the least. I'm so lucky to have met her and spent the time with her I did. Who knows what the future will bring? Being seperated will undoubtedly be difficult, but this I suppose is the story and definition of life. I spent nine months and 18 days living in Scotland. I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by. I'll miss Scotland. A brilliant country with so much history, pride, and beauty.

My summer flew by. I use the term summer quite liberally as there wasn't much for a 'summer' in Edinburgh. You could probably count on one hand the number of sunny days we saw. Towards the end of June I went away on holiday with Nicole to Prague. I quickly fell in love with Prague - a beautiful city with much to offer by way of arts, culture, and architecture (and really good lager!). Prague feels very much like an Eastern European city that isn't yet ready for the massive influx of tourists its seen in the past couple years. When I arrived back to Edinburgh, I found work in a small, city centre, real ale pub. It was a welcome change to the high street, brewery owned pub where I spent my first six months working. One of the smallest pubs in Edinburgh, we served quality cask ales and had a solid group of regulars.

I chuckled as I was reading my last post as I ended with the talk of not knowning what I'm doing with my life. I still don't, I suppose. I do know that without soon finding a source of income, my days of traveling Europe will soon come to an end. And, without any work visas lined up, finding a source of income may prove to be difficult. But, for now, I have what I imagine will be an unbelivable month ahead of me. cheers, mk

Somehow, it's always a connection to Iowa that drives me to sit down and post to my blog. I send my apologies to those of you who continue to check back regularly - only to find I still haven't updated you with a new post. Much has happened since I last sat down to write. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure where to start.

First, my connection to Iowa. I was at one of the local pubs after finishing at Deacons last night. As I was waiting to order at the bar, I heard a group of people with American accents order - "Captain and Cokes." Their accents were enough to at least let me know they were form the US, but so was the way in which they ordered their drinks. Most Scottish folk would order a 'Morgans and Coke." A small difference, but considering many of my waking hours are spent working in a pub, this was enough to clue me in to their nationality. Curious as to where they were from, I asked them.

One of the guys in the group said, "We're from Iowa. Do you even know where that is?" I chuckled and pulled up the leg of my jeans to show my Tigerhawk tattoo. "I'm actually from Iowa myself," I told them. They were quite shocked and said, "What? But you have an accent!" I don't think I've quite picked up a Scottish accent - but, I think it depends who you ask.

Since sitting down last, I've said hello and goodbye to my folks. They were here just about one month ago for two weeks. We had a terrific time and spent some of our time here in Edinburgh and some of our time traveling the Highlands of Scotland. It was fascinating to get out of the city and see other parts of this country which has been my home for the past five or so months. The Highlands provide breathtaking scenery at every turn - lochs (lakes), glens (valleys), and bens (mountains) are everywhere. We hired a car and were out of Edinburgh for just over one week. It was great to again see and spend time with my parents - it was hard to believe it was six months since I had last seen them last in Ireland.

I was glad they were able to spend some time in the city with me and see where I'd spent my time for the last five months. My home, if you will. They were able to stay in the flat with Brian and I - we branded it the M & B B & B (Matt and Brian Bed and Breakfast!). They spent some time with me in Deacons and were able to see me work one evening. I took them to many of my favorite pubs. And, they got to meet Nicole - a girl who I've been seeing for the past two months or so.

If you follow the below link, you will be able to see some photos from the week.



I'm still not certain what I'm doing with my life. I'm taking it day by day. I'll have to leave Deacons at the end of this month as my visa expires. I'll most likely head to mainland Europe for a week or so before coming back into Scotland on a temporary visa. Ideally, I'll find some sort of employment and work through the end of August so I can stay in the city for the Edinburgh International Festival. But then again, who knows?

quick post

I'm not entirely certain how it has already been two weeks since my last post. Where has the month of April gone? Thanks to those of you who keep checking back ... my apologies for the lack of reading material lately.

Spring is beginning to take hold here in Edinburgh. There have been more nice days than rainy days in the past week. Something I'm not entirely used to.

So. Whats the latest? Well. You'll maybe be excited to know that I've decided what to do with my life come the end of June. Actually, thats me being sarcastic. I haven't the faintest idea. What I do know is this. As of Saturday morning, I no longer live in my wee Thistle Street flat. Brian and I moved across town to a flat where we knew some guys who were moving out. Other working holiday lads ... two Americans and a Canadian. Still a one bedroom, but significantly bigger than my old flat - plus, we have bunk beds. And a microwave.

Speaking of bunk beds. This is where my parents will be staying when they come to visit. I cannot wait to see them. We don't really have much for plans, but I'm sure it'll be a terrific two weeks. I imagine we'll do some things in and around Edinburgh for the first week or so (this way, I can still work evenings), and then either head to the Highlands of Scotland ... or catch a cheap flight to mainland Europe. Who knows.

Also, I have a quick story that again shows how amazingly small this world is. I was working at the pub the other night when this group of Americans came in. Ten or so of them ... I think they were in Edinburgh on some sort of business. One of the gents came to the bar and said to me sarcastically, "That's quite the Scottish accent you have. Where are you from?"

After finding out where I was from, he informed me there was a lady at his table who he believed was from Iowa as well. Indeed she was. She came up to talk with me and I told her I grew up in Southwest Iowa. It ends up she lived in Adair (twenty miles away). "What is your last name," she inquired.

"Kyhnn," I told her.

"No kidding. Is your dad by chance Mark Kyhnn? He did my taxes for twenty years."

What are the chances?!

I have some pictures for you all below.

me, posting to my blog in the Newcastle Airport, drinking a Newcastle Brown Ale

view of the irish countryside as I was arriving to cork ... in three months i managed to forget how unbelievably green the irish landscape is

kinsale, ireland

irish pub of the year, 2004

note to self

when I was leaving ireland, i had a 12 hour layover at the dublin airport. i didn't really want to spend the day in the busy city of dublin, so a caught a bus to this small, seaside, suburb north of the city. terrific place to spend the day.

Now. Onto pictures of my new town. Edinburgh.

a rather unimpressive view of the edinburgh castle

view of the city from atop calton hill

arthur's seat

bottom of the royal mile ... the high street in edinburgh. it stretches approximately one (go figure) mile. at the top, you have the edinburgh castle. at the bottom, you have hollyrood palace - which is where the queen stays when in scotland.

a loch in the area surrounding arthurs seat

view of the firth of forth from the top of arthurs seat

Thistle Street. You can see the entrance to the pub on the right. I lived about five doors down.

Below are pictures of my old flat. There are only three. The flat wasn't very big!

stay well, mk.

check this out.

So, sooner or later, I'll come back home to the US. When I'll do this, where I'll live, and what I'll do for employment are all pressing questions to answer on another day. For now, I decided I'd give you all an idea of what you can surprise me with ... you know, a welcome home present.

I can't think of anything better than this - check it out here.

cheers.

out of edinburgh.

On Monday, for the first time since I arrived in Edinburgh (barring my trip back to Ireland), I made it out of the city. Without a car, its difficult to go on daytrips - considering this, my day to day life consists mostly of well ... working.

During the rare day off, I often explore this town of Edinburgh which has been my home for the last four months. A beautiful town at that - on one side of town - Old Town - you have winding streets based on a medieval plan, Reformation era buildings, and of course the ominous Edinburgh Castle situated on Castle Rock. This Castle, with its commanding location overlooking Edinburgh, sits on a site which has been inhabited since the 850BC. The other side of town - New Town (where I currently stay) - is renowned as a masterpiece in city planning. Originally built to provide overflow from the populated Old Town, New Town was built in stages between 1765 and 1850. Since 1995, both sides of town have been named UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Essentially, the entire city of Edinburgh is deemed a site of, "outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humanity."

Not a bad place to live.

Nonetheless, it was great to leave the hustle and bustle of city life on Monday. My friend Nicole and I made our way south out of town the the Rosslyn Chapel. This beautifully decorated chapel built in the mid 15th Century is home to many myths, legends, and fine decorative stone carving. The chapel was made internationally popular after the publishing of The Da Vinci Code. Prior to the publication of the book - and later the movie - The Rosslyn Chapel would see around 20,000 visitors each year. Since then, they have averaged 120,000 visitors each year. Thanks Dan Brown. The Chapel sits atop a sealed crypt which is rumored to hold the mummified head of Jesus Christ, the Holy Grail, and/or the original crown Jewels of Scotland. Also interesting, among the many fine carvings in the stones of the Chapel, you can find carvings of maize - or American Corn. This is interesting considering the crop was thought to be unknown to Europe at the time of the construction of the Chapel. Some authors use this evidence to argue the fact that a team of Scotsmen actually discovered the Americas before Columbus.

We continued south to the area of Scotland known as the Scottish borders. It was shocking to see how the landscape could change in 50 - 75 miles. Shortly after leaving Edinburgh city centre, we were driving through snow covered hills and mountains. I unfortunately managed to forget my camera ... I'll do my best to get some pictures to share with you all.

In other news, my flat sold. So, come the end of the month, I need to find a new place to stay. A plethora of other decisions are lying at my feet - namely, what the hell am I going to do come the end of my UK Work Visa. Time will tell. And I'll keep you posted.

best, mk

weather.

I know you're dying to know what the weather has been like in Edinburgh. So, I'll tell you. Prior to today, Edinburgh was blessed with a couple unseasonably warm days. They were fantastic. Fifteen, maybe eighteen degrees (60sF ish). At Deacons, we had the doors open and tables outside - it was a welcome change to the typical Edinburgh day.

I used the warm days - or the day I had off - to get a little well needed exercise. One of my staff meal options at work is haggis - a traditional Scottish dish. I eat it often. Before I list the ingredients, let me assure you that the completed dish actually tastes amazing. Haggis consists of sheep's heart, liver, and lungs and is mixed with oatmeal, spices, maybe some onions. Traditional haggis is prepared in the sheep's stomach.

Aren't you dying to try a dish? If the description isn't enough to make your mouth water - here is a picture ...


So, although haggis probably isn't the healthiest dish to eat two or three times a week, I can't help but not order it at work. I mean, when will I be working and living in Scotland ever again? And it truly is delicious.

The run on my day off took me to the summit of Arthur's Seat. Arthur's Seat is an 823ft mountainesk hill that is just outside of Edinburgh. Not an easy run - or walk for that mater - but I enjoy the challenge and if nothing else the unbeatable views of Edinburgh, its suburbs, and the Firth of Forth.


The warm days last week were apparently only a taunting taste of what Edinburgh's summer will feel like. Today, as I was walking to work at 9am, I was fighting gusting winds, cold, and ... snow showers.

week in ireland

After a week long holiday in Ireland, I'm back home in Edinburgh. And, I must say, it was a terrific trip. As I mentioned in my last post, I was quite stressed in the days working up to my departure from the Burgh. I wanted a perfect week for Lauren and myself. Nearly everyone I voiced my concerns to in the days before the trip had the same response, "Matt, you're going to be in Ireland - it will be great no mater what happens."

They were probably right - plus, everything went as good as I could have planned. A special week in a special country. Numerous times we'd be driving through a small Irish village, or sitting in a small pub, or taking in the beautiful scenery that Ireland provides and I'd just smile. It was such a terrific feeling to be back in the country and taking it all in with someone who had yet to experience the Irish way - their laid back attitude, the ambiance of their pubs, the spontaneity of traditional Irish music, and of course the many beautiful landscapes on the island the size of Iowa.

Considering the time and money we had at our disposal, we saw a good deal of things in the South and West of Ireland. We kissed the Blarney Stone at the Blarney Castle. We spent two nights in the picturesque seaside village of Kinsale in the posh accommodation of Dempsey's Hostel (sarcasm). We toured one of the best surviving examples of a 17th century star shaped fort in Summercove. We somehow hired a car (when they gave me the keys I said to Lauren, "Run before they change their minds!"). We made the slow, meandering drive around the picture-perfect Ring of Kerry. We experienced Doolin and impromptu trad sessions in its three lovely pubs. We did the Cliffs of Moher. We made it back to my favorite County Galway town and had the craic with my mates. We drove the Sky Road of the Connemara which brings tears to one old Irish fisherman's eyes. The craic was mighty.

The week flew by and it was difficult to say goodbye to a face from home - but, goodbyes are never easy. It was indeed an unforgettable week. Thanks Lauren for coming to visit.