After eight bags of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, two bags of Hershey Kisses, one bag of Rolos, seven bags of rice, six guacamole seasoning packages, Hershey’s Chocolate syrup (if it was acceptable by society I would drink shots of it straight out of the container), Ritz crackers (I need something to go with my cream cheese), a power converter, oatmeal and cream of wheat (both of which I know sound odd on this list), a chin-up bar and rub weight bands, I wondered where I would find space to pack my clothes. But while a week of Portillo’s beef sandwiches may have been worth the possibility of a fine for bringing perishable foods into foreign countries, airline notification of luggage which contained dry ice is required for safety reasons, thus I had room for my remaining gifts and clothes. Although my trip was short, and there were a lot of people I did not get a chance to see, it was good to spend time with my friends and family during the holidays, and I look forward to welcoming them to Bratislava once the summer arrives.
The flight home to Bratislava through Zurich was easy, however, I failed to get that coveted passport stamp at Swiss customs. With a calm and confident approach to the window, I initially just gave just my passport to the agent, but quickly cracked when asked why I was returning, and provided my Slovak residence card after being told again that I should always provide my card, thus receiving no stamp. While layovers in airports are nothing new to me, layovers in airports which the local currency has dramatically strengthened over both the US dollar and Euro are. Small cups of coffee and tea started at $6.50 US, and the BK value meals were $14, which the strength of the Swiss Franc has really affected tourism and ski resorts throughout Switzerland.
Returning to Bratislava, it is now time to start my New Years Resolutions. First, and foremost is to stop going to American fast food establishments here in Europe. Second is my P90x exercise video, which on the first video, I threw up 30 minutes into the routine after trying to keep pace without stopping (note to self, do not eat before hand), and on the third, I broke the weight band. I am looking forward to beginning the new year here and enjoying all the different seasons and things to do while living here, and we will see how well I do keeping my resolutions (which I already missed to of the exercises). Sorry, unfortunately no photos on this post...next time
No comments:
Post a Comment