New Land, New Life

As promised, there was (is!) more travelling on the horizon, and said horizon has been met!

Greetings from Szczecin, Poland, where I have chosen to hang my hat.

And I do, in fact, have a hat to hang; not just clothes.

Speaking of clothes...

I own 2 very nice, very large duffle bags in which to carry my earthly belongings. The black one, I ordered from an online merchant, albeit warily, because customer reviews stated that the construction of said bag was rather flimsy.

Many reported the bag actually tearing on the side with the wheels; the panel that acts as a base when the bag is stood upright.

I invested in a roll of Gorilla Tape to reinforce the bottom. After boarding no fewer than 4 planes, three buses and one train, that tape-covered bag base shows wear, but only a little.

The better reinforced bag that I bought in a store did not fare so well.

The stitching is still fine and the base side is mildly scuffed but... imagine my surprise when I opened the bottom compartment and found my clothes wet and moldy smelling!

Either being parked on the floor of a leaky roof’s house during Hurricane Florence or, somehow, in my travels, without the bag coming open at all, that compartment apparently flooded and it was up to my clothing to absorb it all.

And, arriving here on Thursday night, I saw no need to unpack everything because I would only be in this admittedly cute studio apartment for five days.

It was only in scrounging on Saturday night for something to wear when meeting the realtor on Monday morning that I felt compelled to inventory my wardrobe, thus discovering the horrible smell that permeated a quarter of my wardrobe!

All of that hand-washing to remove said smell did not do my arthritis any good, let me tell you!

I got way ahead of myself, there. Let’s backtrack a bit so you can hear all about the journey.

The train ride, from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to Penn station in New York went off without a hitch. Actually, there were several hitches, it being a rather long train, but there weren't any problem. Does that make things clearer?

That was a good thing because the panic and feeling of being overwhelmed the morning of my travels forbade any breakfast or peaceful thought.

Getting from Penn Station to JFK airport was only mildly stress inducing.

I had decided to cab it because I did not envision myself wrestling two large duffle bags, a backpack and a small lunchbox onto New York City’s public transportation in the rain.

That would have entailed a subway ride and two different buses: could there not have been an easier way to transit to the airport besides a cab? Nope!

That ride was a one step up from highway robbery.

True enough, the car’s decal advertised a flat fare to JFK, but I still questioned why the driver did not engage the meter.

“It maybe cost more use meter” he said.

I have a bit of experience with drivers who do not engage the meter. In China, before all cabs were outfitted with video and RF units, it was common practice for drivers to cheat passengers in that manner, especially if they were foreigners.

Had he not said ‘maybe’, I would not have wondered. As it was, I wondered but, already tired, felt it wasn’t worth the argument.

I did argue though, when he dropped me off. He complained about the $10 tip – after explicitly and repeatedly saying that tipping is optional! I sure gave him a piece of my mind... 

As that ride took all but $5 of my cash money, it was a good thing indeed that I had that lunchbox and all of the goodies therein. (thanks so much, Marjorie!)

Next came the airline. As I had made it a point of being at the airport extra early, intending to drop my bags off and head to a terminal with free WIFI access so that I could work on my Superprof assignment, I discovered that that counter wouldn’t be staffed until sometime around 9PM.

I arrived there at 5... and spent a significant amount of time wondering why only one terminal was outfitted with free WIFI; not all of them.

Unwilling to lug my bags half the length of the entire airport, I resigned myself to doing what I could: sending last minute messages to loved ones.

Oh, yeah: and calling the bank to let them know I was traveling. wouldn’t do for them to freeze my account on account of there being card activity in London and Poland.

I have to comment on this...

The young lady addressing my banking concerns was quite nice and very thorough; as she went through the steps to ensure I would stay liquid on my travels, she informed me that she wanted to celebrate her 30^th birthday in Dubai next year. That would be her first trip abroad.

“So... London is in... France?” she asked me, certifying my itinerary. No, I’m not kidding!

I hope you will join me in marveling at the fact that the person protecting my bank account is geographically challenged, yet has to power to revoke my access to my money and would have, had I not appealed to her.

Our plane out of JFK was late so I actually had time to chat a bit with those loved ones that were still awake, mainly those in other time zones than Eastern.

Around 2AM, it was time to board. Not surprisingly, totally exhausted, I soon fell asleep on the plane.

But not before fighting for the aisle seat I had paid extra for. This was a budget airline where everything costs, even a small bottle of water. 

Because we were late taking off, I worried that I would not make my connection in Reykyavik.

Fortunately, that plane was late too, so I actually got to set foot on Icelandic soil, if only for a few minutes, in their smoking area.

And then, after another minor skirmish for the aisle seat I had paid for, it was off to London.

I knew I would have a 23-hour layover and I anticipated just overnighting in the airport.

Ironically, even though I planned and prepared for every step of this journey, I didn’t think to check Sleeping in Airports. Had I done so, I would have learned that Stansted airport, in North London, does not permit anyone sleeping on the floor or anywhere else.

I probably wouldn’t have hit the floor, but it was a good thing that there was a hotel within walking distance of the airport. Making use of the free airport WIFI after collecting my luggage, I booked myself into one of the few rooms they had left.

At nearly $200, that was a pricey stay! But so well worth it because I was simply exhausted, and there would be breakfast the next morning. And, I wrote 2 articles in one sitting!

That’s a good thing because I am so far behind on my assignment this month... fortunately, my boss is really understanding. 

Finally, at 3:30PM, it was back on a plane, this time bound for Szczecin.

In flight I reflected on my difference in attitude in moving here, as opposed to moving to China.

Not that I have anything against Europe or Europeans, but China is where I wanted to be. On China-bound flights I could hardly sleep for excitement; on these flights it seemed all I did was sleep.

Nevertheless, arriving here held eager anticipation.

By this time in my world travels I know better than to let preconceived notions cloud my mind; I was quite matter of fact – not gleeful at all – when the customs agent stamped my passport, entitling me to a 3-month sojourn here.

I got a stamp in London, too. These stamps look so nice among my collection!

As I was able to prearrange everything from transport to lodging online, all I had to do was sashay out of the terminal with my bags, ask the waiting driver if I may take a minute to get some money out of the ATM and then sit back while he whisked me to my hotel.

As when I moved to China, everything here is uncertain: I don’t speak the language and I don’t know the culture. Unlike moving to China,  where I had an advocate, Sam, who arranged everything for me; here, I will have to take care of everything myself.

Let’s take a minute to think about this whole situation.

I am now in a foreign land where I know nobody and my chances at communication and human interaction are virtually nil at this point.

Nevertheless, I was able to secure transportation and lodging online and, within my first 24 hours here, managed to buy food at a grocery store, get phone service and engage a realtor to help me find a permanent place to live.

None of this lands me any accolades; technology gets all of the credit.

I feel emboldened because I typed a few phrases in my phone’s translator, screen-shotted them and, when I need to use them, I simply whip out my phone, select the right picture and show it to whoever I am trying to communicate with.

Ok, I’ll take credit for a bit of ingenuity in thinking that plan up.

So far, I’ve been able to buy a bottle of water from a vendor and order food in a restaurant, all without saying a word.

Well, I do say dziecuje – thank you.

People seem really happy to hear that.