BUDAful BUDApest

I haven’t written anything about my trip to Budapest back in, um, January. Here are some pics and a speedy recap! Let’s take it back..

The One Where I Ran a Marathon

There was a point I specifically remember from about 4 years ago. I had just gotten new running shoes and was feeling particularly inspired and athletically inclined as I declared “I want to run a marathon! I’m going to do it!” I excitedly messaged my friends and family about this cool new goal I had. I then proceeded to file that idea far away in the drawer of ridiculous, spur-of-the-moment ideas not to be take seriously. A 3 mile run the next day most likely reminded me that I had no real intention of actually putting myself through 26.2 miles of pain.

Four years later, however, that idea resurfaced due to a series of events including a 70 year old Macedonian running “coach”, lots of runner friends, and an abnormal amount of free time.

So here I am, coming at you as an official “completer” of the 2018 Athens Marathon. Relive the blood, sweat, and tears with me

Wies’n Up on Oktoberfest

Everyone living within a reasonable distance of New Braunfels, Texas knows the joy of Wurstfest. We await the German beer and brat festival like Christmas and prepare to have the “WURST” time together. Year after year of carrying around plastic pitchers, gorging myself on wurst kabobs and Reuben sandwiches, inducing nausea on spinning rides, and stocking my college apartment with those iconic yellow cups was only a glimpse into the original Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, however. Oktoberfest was Wurstfest on steroids. It was the biggest party I have ever had the honor to be a part of.  Have I convinced you to go yet? Great! Here’s what I have to share.

Happy Anniversary, Macedonia

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes later. Probably close to that many cups of coffee later too.  It’s been one year since stepping off the plane, tired, jet lagged, and in the ugliest slacks that have ever existed.  I remember being desperate to stay awake and take it all in on the bus ride to our boarding school, only to have sleep overpower me about 5 minutes in.  I remember the buzz of excitement afterwards, the unknown, everything a new experience.

Guess What’s Back, Back Again

This blog’s back, tell a friend.

Alright, so that’s a little dramatic considering all like 4 people who regularly keep up with it.  That said, I figured after a long hiatus full of everything other than lugging around my ten ton laptop and writing, it was time to get back to it and share some updates.  The details are already starting to get slightly mixed up (Was that at the first or third camp I did? Where was that restaurant with the loaded nachos again? How many Netflix series did I finish?…), but I’ll try my best to work out the somewhat jumbled details of a summer on the go.  Let’s take it back to early June…

Matka and a (Half) Marathon

Last weekend I crossed two things off of My Balkans Bucket List: exploring (by kayak!) Matka Canyon and running a half-marathon!  Did I feel accomplished? Yes. Did I consider not moving for multiple days following? Also yes.

As many of my previous posts have started out, we were all in Skopje for a training…

Popping into Priština

The Fastest-Country-I’ve-Ever-Visited Award goes to…KOSOVO!  That has nothing to do with not wanting to spend more time there and everything to do with the fact that I am trying to use my Peace Corps travel days wisely because I have never-ending wanderlust and the Balkans has like a million things I want to see and do which, by the way, I want people to discover but also selfishly don’t.  I’d like to fit in as many experiences during my service as words in that last run-on sentence.

An Eggciting Easter

Cреќен Велигден (Happy Easter)! Orthodox Easter falls on April 8th and consists of dozens of egg-cellent traditions to boil down.  I’ve been scrambling around with work the past couple of weeks, but it’s about time I got crackin’ on this post.  So, enough yolkin’ around, omelette you read on without any more terrible egg puns…

Marchin’ Through Macedonia

March in Macedonia is complete, and with it, 6 months of living in this beautiful country, another year of life, my first half-marathon, and the chance to share the joy of cinnamon Altoids with people for the first time.

Fake Hair, Friends, Falls, and Floats

Two weeks ago (I’m a bit behind), I had the chance to experience all the fun that is Strumica Carnival.  To break up the recap, I’ll elaborate on the title–Fake Hair, Friends, Falls, and Floats.  Ajde!