Chapter 7 : The drunk ferry

In Sweden all kind of alcohol is quite expensive due to high taxes. Actually these beverages are being sold only in some special state-owned stores. That's the fact no:1
And young people in Sweden, like in some many other places in the world, like to get drunk and to party. That's the fact no:2
And there are quite cheap huge cruises operating in Baltic sea, with duty free shops and music, nights clubs inside. That's the fact no:3

So what you would do if you're a nasty and young swede with some bunch of friends? Well, the practical answer is something like that :

begin;

• form a group of people, buy ticket, get on board
• explore the duty free shop inside,
  
  CHORUS
• start to drink
• dance, 
• show up on the night disco with the hope of some "hunt",
  CHORUS
  
  
• wake up in Helsinki, Tallinn or Riga with a real hangover, 
• wander around, take pictures, drink a coffee
• get back to the boat
  CHORUS(x1)

end;

Thats what we did this weekend. I was invited by some czeck people I've met on climbing wall, and the offer was quite attractive with its cheap price and the boat trip stuff.


It started like that. A big group of people from all over the world : Czeck, England, Canada, Hawaii, Estonia, and yes, Turkey.

Few more beers after... We looks more connected right?(Me somewhere in the dark there)

Then... Well, I don't know what is that.












After God knows what, we somehow decided to go indoor to enjoy the stupid disco. That was the best decision of our trip I guess. Or worst. I'm not sure.

Wait! Before going forward I have to say :

Baltic Sea rocks, especially with the sunset

The strong nordic sea-wind on your face makes you remember that you're still alive.

Now back to drunkness :

We liked the song here I suppose

or we were just drunk maybe...

I've met good people on that boat for sure. Two of them was a couple from Hawaii, USA. To hear that they were practisig wave-surfing every morning back on Hawaii was just too much for me. The life you imagine, the only thing you want to do SO much but didn't do yet, that feeling of ocean, sunset-sunrise..Arrgh! So, now atleast I know two friends in Hawaii, if I can ever manage to drop myself there. That's the life, you never know right?

By the way, especially near Stockholm and Helsinki, there are thousands of small islands. That's really gorgeous. Some of them is just big enough to handle a house or two, and some can be big enough to support a small village... It's just covered with pine trees, every houses have their own small docks and boats. I guess those were the summer houses for quite rich people, but it must be quite amazing to live there. That's the place to be a best-seller autor or to raise a legendary music band.

So, Mission No: I_dont_know_what : Go and live in one of these houses for a while.Dont forget a large supply of food, hot wine and the woman you love

In the morning of a sunny saturday, we arrived to Helsinki. Pretty beautiful, but pretty boring aswell. Or maybe I dont like any city after Uppsala now. Damn!

From the boat, it looks like that :

And like that aswell

By the way or boat was that one, ofcourse the one in the front view :

And a meaningful view of our rooms... Dont get cheated by the picture on the wall, we're on the very bottom of the cruise, surrounded by 56 ton/m2 of water around us

On the way back, I was now more experienced and obviously it was the case for all of us. We did drink a bit less, or atleast some of us did so. And I guess we had more fun that way, I mean, when you're too drunk to remember quite nothing in the morning after, it's not always good. So drink responsibly fellas!

I will finish two conversations I had saturday night.

Here is the first one, with a mature lady with a young boy (so these stuff really happens sometime, my mature_lover friends!) :

MatureLady : Hello, where are you from?
Me : From Turkey, Istanbul.. (smile) Why?
M_L : I saw you yesterday night and did think that you looks turkish. You were surrounded with girls, dancing.. (Really? I dont remember that) I got a friend who married a turkish, now they live in Marmaris. I go there sometime It's really nice, but not for living. For vacations.
Me : (Just listen, nodding, smiling)
M_L : I saw you yesterday, you were dancing. Lots of girls around you.
Me : (Really? Okay, I didnt know that)
M_L : I got a friend who married a turkish, now they live in Marmaris...

Then the young boy, most probably felt threatened with the presence of another young boy (even I wasnt doing anything to charm her!) took the M_L and they get lost of sight in the depth of the dark night. God know where

And here is the second one :

A quite drunk and middle-age man, after this conversation approached to me.

QuiteDrunkandMiddle-ageman : So you're from Turkey...
Me : Yes.
QD_MA : I've been in Turkey. Very good people. Very hostile.
Me : (Smile, nod, listen, "yes, yes")
QD_MA : You know, we swedish people are very hostile.
Me : (Keep nodding)
QD_MA : You're most welcome here. But if you attack us, we defend ourselves. You shouldn't attack us.
Me : Ofcourse, ofcourse... (Very serious face)
QD_MA : I'm a submarine commander. My heart belongs to our king.
Me : Okay






Dont worry QD_MA, I liked this country.

Chapter 6 : Catch your breath boy

Picture of the week : Me climbing like a chicken running a marathon.



Tell me what happens when you arrive to a new, quite totally unknown place for you? You look around, try to understand what is going on, analyse people and their behaviors, take it easy. Well, that's what happens most of the time.

But in my position, I guess I'm pushing things just too hard. I realise that I dont spare any time to myself, to think, to listen to myself, to remember my selfness. I'm just running around, trying to catch everything... It was working well back at home in Istanbul; but here the circumstances are different :


1) You dont know the meanings of behaviors from people with whom you make close contact.
2) Language, even if your level is good, is still a problem for expressig yourself, or understanding others. I mean, for the private issues especially =)
3) You basically dont have these "real friends", with whom you can speak (and listen to) about everything and in every way. That's something, do know the value of that.
4) The girls here are just too beautiful that it makes harder to stay while and to listen to yourself.

You know what; I just had a cup of coffee now in the big clear area, between the students flats, covered by grass and overed by some shining stars in the top. I did sing to myself, just like that. And then, on my way back to my room here, suddenly I remembered the "thing".

Catch your breath boy,
stay while and listen, do not fight with yourself for some obsession from your past,
remember who you have been, who you are, who you will be,
remember what have been told by the wise ones,
remember the blues,
remember the infinite evenings with blues, nargile, love and feelings,
remember who you are not,

and when you know what should be done but can't just make it; music will help you.

Lastly, just to give some synopsis for the guys from holywood who want to make the tv episodes of this blog :

• School is going quite great.
• I moved to some room in town last week, time management is much easier now.
• I'm climbing a lot, a bit too much I guess so I will have a rest day tomorrow.
• Climbing is cool, fun, and you meet a lot of good people there.
• Life here is very good for sometimes, then less good. I have to find those multiplier effects to use during the very good times. Actually I know what are those. "Catch your breath boy. Turn to yourself a bit. Just be cool."
• I will maybe going to Uppsala with some czeck people I've met here.

And then, life is good. Smile! That's what I'm doing now fellas.

Music, love to yourself and smile.

Those are the multiplier effects, I guess.

Well, stay tuned. Stay tuned to yourself. That's the only way you stay tuned to world.