Orange, And Its Components

Or Halloween, and basically autumn after all.

I have to admit that for a long while I didn’t really like autumn, and that Ostrava wasn’t a place interesting enough for me, for some reason I couldn’t find the beauty in the city. The people here are awesome, and all the Erasmus related people are far beyond awesome, but still, thanks to the heavy industrialisation, especially in Vítkovice, where I  live, all I could see were the ugly factories and mines. Having translated the word “důl”, which occurs in many tram and bus stops’ names, and means “pit/mine” didn’t help my bad feelings towards the city at all, for it always reminded me that beauty has a price. Not like I didn’t know it anyway, but being reminded of this on a daily basis (at least twice, for I go back and forth between the same stops usually) is a little too much for my fragile soul I believe.

[this is just a part of the industrial area I pass by if I go to the city centre]

Autumn is a little similar for me, it is the annual process of the death of the nature. And even if I know that after a long, cold and white sleep, it will be reborn, it’s a little hard for me to let summer and the green leaves go, and watch as they turn first yellow, then orange and red and brown, and then leave the boughs of the tree, as old people’s hair leave their heads. There are no more flowers, only the colourful leaves paint the ground as they make a protecting carpet for the soil as to help it survive winter. And I think this is partly why I love Scandinavia and all the pines, you can’t see the dying of the evergreens, for they are forever green.

But these feelings changed when I took a walk the other day at the Komenského sady, a beautiful and huge park on the bank of the river Ostravice. That place is wonderful, the grass is green, the trees are enormous, the leaves beautifully paint the ground, and there are many people walking their dogs there, so guess what, it’s a real heaven for me. There I didn’t feel being in the city centre, but being in the nature, surrounded by what I am, living flesh and blood, nature that breathes and what’s heart beats every time I take a step; and not dead brick, metal and plastic.

The other interesting and orange-related thing that happened was the Halloween-party we had at the Marley club yet on the 25^th of October. Even before I came to Ostrava I was super hype, I loved dressing up but for some unknown reason I always caught some cold or other illness that prevented me from going to a Halloween-party, so now I was really careful to stay healthy until the party started. I brought myself costume from home (that I had to fix the sewing of at three different places), and finally we could find a party for ourselves. Two Czech Erasmus-people were waiting for us at the tram stop, however, I was the only one who met them there, the others came later to the place where the party exactly took place. It wasn’t cheap, it cost us 70 CZK, and I have to admit that even though I planned to stay until 3, when the party was planned to end, the music was so horrible that I left at 1:30. Sure, I know, not music but people make the party, but when around 20 people (and like 30-40 more we didn’t know) agree that the party is shit, the chances are that the party is shit. We tried our best to enjoy ourselves, really, and I loved spending my time with those people, who all made real efforts to dress up as Little Red Riding Hoods, Zombies, Vampires, etc… and until the moment we were able to dance for the music, we did so, but now I don’t know what is worse, a Czech DJ or a Latino party… ^^” But even the Czechs disliked it so perhaps it was just that particular DJ who sucked (a lot. really.). But it was funny, Denisa said she really wanted me to live in Poruba (their dormitory) and have a party with them every day.

But Chris, a really adorable Polish guy I’ve already mentioned, asked me to write about this party as well, and I promised him, so here you go man! Next time we should find a better party for ourselves somewhere!

Rock’n’Roll Angel

Yes, that would be me.

When I saw the poster of Lordi coming to Ostrava my first idea was that I should go to the concert and make my groupmate, David jealous of me, because he loves them a lot more than I do (I know like 10 songs’ refrains and that’s all?), but for some (mostly financial) reason I didn’t really do anything to achieve this goal. Then yesterday someone wrote into our Erasmus-facebook group that they had a free VIP-ticket (sitting ticket, actually) and would sell it for a cheaper price (originally 890 CZK, I got it for 500) because the one who it was originally meant for couldn’t attend the concert because of health issues. We agreed on meeting in front of my dorms and he gave me the ticket.

Finally, I had to run to the tram and I almost couldn’t eat anything and finish my make up properly (I also had to wash my hair in 10 minutes and dry it in 5) so I left the dorms without lipstick on, with half wet hair and a pack of Manner neapolitaner so I could eat on the tram and do my lipstick there (you’d be amazed how true it is that practice makes perfect [lips]), but finally, when I arrived to the Garage Club of Ostrava everything was perfect, I was in time, and I could even order a beer before the concert started (but they didn’t have bottled beer… it hurt).

There were two bands before Lordi, whom I have never before heard of (shame. shame. shame. ding-ding-ding) and I basically listened to them and for real they were both good but as I didn’t know any of their songs I couldn’t enjoy them enough to go into the middle of the party (anyways, I don’t know what was wrong with the people but I could almost see no one jumping or headbanging, not even talking about pogo, that is the very base of a good concert. people of Ostrava, what’s wrong with you?!) buut when I could finally hear a song I knew (kind of; Blood Red Sandman) I decided that dammit, I want to party! And I went to the like 5^th line and started jumping and headbanging. Do you know the feeling when Mr Lordi points at you at least 5 times during the concert and looks into your eyes like 10 times? I was dead.

Of course I ended up having almost no voice from shouting for them. Anyways, have you ever been to a Lordi concert? They make real show, after every song there is either a scene or Mr Lordi himself talks to the audience, asking them if they want more and showing his language knowledge of that country’s language (of course I understood nothing from Czech apart from when he said “thanks” and “bitch”, hehe). BUT we couldn’t talk with them or get autographs or anything so I “got stuck” with the other two bands, as I didn’t really want to go home yet, I had a lot of time until the next tram left, and also I liked the first two bands enough to hang out around them.

First one of the members of the first, more gothic band, Silver Dust asked me if I wanted a picture with them (of course! I paid for the concert after all so why leave without anything personal? I couldn’t catch any drumstick or plectrum, but I was really close to catch Mr Lordi’s used towel) so we asked a Czech lady to make a picture of us (presented above); then after talking a little with them (they are really nice, for real, and their music is good, go check them out: http://www.silver-dust.net/ there is an English version as well) I headed to the other band, Shiraz Lane (facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShirazLane/) which group’s members seemed to be closer to me in age… and I was right, they’re 22-23, and I’m 20. And I met 5 sweet Finnish marshmallows, who are as crazy as I am (presented below on the picture), and I had a nice chat with them; it turned out than not only my family members are so creative that they ask me if my parents didn’t have enough money to buy me proper pair of pants when I wear torn jeans… and that also they say all the time that they are broke (I feel ya boyz, broke students feel broke musicians, especially when we are fam, since the Finnish and the Hungarians are family, and also they personally say it). And as their style was totally different from those people’s who came for the concert, I told them that even though the audience didn’t have a huge party at their concert they were really good and hopefully the audience’s musical taste will expand after hearing them. Aand at this point, when I said that “for example I listen to all these kinds of music and Korean pop music as well” it turned out that the singer, Hannes (the blondie on the first picture) likes it as well SOOO we hugged each other and it seems I have a new, Finnish oppa, who is famous and screams fucking crazily, I love him :D But the very best part of the night was the group hug the guys gave me as a farewell (and it was their idea) .___.

The only downside of the night was that I didn’t spend enough time finding a tram home and I had to walk an hour from the central bus station.

Get To Know Each Other Weekend: Sleep Even Less Than Usually

So last weekend we had the GTKEO Weekend, and within those approximately 2,5 days we surely got to know each other a little better. This weekend was the best and worst weekend of my life. Best, because I had awfully lots of fun and got to know many interesting and nice people, and worst, because during 2 night I slept 6 hours altogether, thanks to some (I must admit, mostly Mediterranean-born) people who decided to talk loudly in that area where people tried to sleep, and as they were quite illuminated they barely understood when I tried to explain them that I don’t mind them having fun as long as they let me sleep (this would have been really easy by the way). I also caught cold on Saturday – and it didn’t help my chance to fall asleep at all; and I could never ever use ear-plugs so I was doomed not to sleep. But since then two of them already apologised and I’m getting better day by day so it’s not such a big deal. Anyways, have you ever danced in slippers on a party? I tell you, you gotta try it out, it’s very weird but helps you relax more than high heels.

On Friday afternoon we left Ostrava with a charter bus and the party started almost immediately on the bus – we were talking about it with Maria that being a driver on such occasions must be a punishment. We went to Karolinka to a cottage, around 1,5 hours away from Ostrava, near the Slovakian border (and of course Ntina and I had to pee almost as soon as we left Ostrava). Luckily the Indian Summer still lasted then and we took our really warm clothing in vain, instead we needed sneakers and t-shirts.

The programme was surprisingly good and well-organized (and although I can’t remember everything I’ll try to write down everything interesting), almost as soon as we arrived our eyes were blindfolded by the organizers and The Game began. First we had to grab at a very long rope and walk up to the cottage door from the bus, all blindfolded. It took us more than 4 minutes to walk 50 meters. Then we went inside and finally got to know what on earth was going on, why was the whole cottage placated with our faces on “wanted” posters, why did all the ESN people wear elegant clothing and why were we blindfolded previously. The topic of the weekend was Mafia and we were the new candidates to join the family; but only one could join, so we had to “kill” each other. Each of us got a piece of paper with someone else’s name on it and with a task, such as “make her sit in your laps” or “make him drink beer as fast as he can”, etc; and if we accomplished the task the person was dead, we got his/her papers and our new victim was our last kill’s next victim. Some people took it bloodily seriously, some just shrugged when they were dead. Another, organized game we had was the well-known flag-game from our childhood camps, where each team has a flag and other teams have to steal it, and our lives are scarfs in our jeans as if we had tails. And despite being all grown up people attending universities we enjoyed it as not even 10-year-olds do. And the cherry on the top of the cake was when we had a night tour up to the hills, following glowing bracelets on the ground, then enjoyed the sight of the stars without any light-pollution, lying in the grass on a meadow, and then we had a campfire (after making sure the lampions we sent up to the sky didn’t burn the whole forest down, hehe).

We also had groups, or better said “families” (we were the Salieris) and we played lots of games those are for creating team-spirit, we laughed together, we tried together, we fought together, and we played against other teams sometimes (and again it turned out that I’m unbeatable by ordinary people when it comes to fast eating). Staying at topic, this weekend I could finally drink some beer, so I didn’t leave out this opportunity and drank the IQ gingko-beer I won at the Czech National Evening and the Polish cider Maria brought me from home. Both of them were good but I prefer other brands. Also, I’m not sure if I have already mentioned, but at the Czech national evening there was a fast beer drinking competition where Timo, a German guy won. He got to know that I can also drink beer really fast (one of the few talents of mine, haha) and long story short: we competed, and we finished at the same time (and my clothes were again drenched in beer, as usually when I compete in beer-drinking). He said he has almost never seen such a girl (and very few boys as well) so at the end of the semester we will have to compete again.

Additional info: this Wednesday we had a pub-crawl, again with funny tasks and small groups as teams, and it also helped us get to know each other. We had to, for example, make a group photo in the toilet mirror (unisex group – which toilet to choose? Finally we agreed that men wold freak out a little less on women being in their toilet than vice versa), or we had to make selfie with a tram driver, make strangers dance with us on the tram, etc. so we again had fun together, and now we could go home at any time we wanted from the Latino-party that our parties always end up in, since there are extremely many Spanish and Portuguese students here.