Lost and Found

Lost and found. That seems to be the theme of my life right now. I have been studying for finals for the past week and a half in an effort to find out what I'm supposed to have learned throughout the semester. While the studying has gotten old and my brain has been worn out (and I still have four more of the dang things left!), it has been a very interesting experience. At times, I feel completely dejected. Indeed, most of the time, that is how I feel. I sat through classes all semester long listening to people try to figure out just why in the hell a judge ruled a certain way. You pick up on the explanations from the teacher and you start feeling confident that you get the idea...until you get to the next case. The very next case appears to be identical in nature and you think to yourself "This case is my biatch. I learned the concept in the last case and can apply it in this one". Only you can't. Same facts, different outcome. As it turns out, the judge in the second case was having a bad hair day due to the fact that the frogs outside her house were making too much noise the night before on the account of having received 1.5 inches of rain instead of the requisite 2 inches that would make the bugs stop flying towards the lights on the house (which were set off when a leaf went flying past the motion detector on account of the rain hitting it) which prevented the frogs from getting their weekly meal. Because of this bad hair day, the judge opted to rule differently, providing just the kind of uncertainty that I love (note the sarcasm). Right back to that good old dejected feeling.

Then the pressures of finals show up on your doorstep. You start studying the notes and outlines that you have and suddenly, you get it. You see the big picture, you get the concept. The dog snoring in the background (yes, Gus snores...ALL THE TIME!) no longer enters your brain. You have this excited feeling because you think you might survive the final. With that concept down, you move on to the next concept. In order to understand the second concept, you have to apply the first. And it's when you are applying that first concept that you realize you don't know jack.

Lost and found. Story of my life right now.

But not all of my lost and found experiences in the past couple of weeks have ended in dejectment. Recently, Hayley was thumbing through some documents of ours and she came upon something that I thought that we had lost. I was extremely excited as it was something that Hayley and I wanted to share with everyone. It was a list of things that she and I learned while living in the UK. I know it's late (a year and a half - hard to believe), but better late than never. And if you're not as excited to read them as I am to type them, tough. I'm typing them anyway.

1. Always, always, always learn how to say "thank you" in the language of the country you are visiting. They'll appreciate it.

2. The bread/olives that are put on the table that you didn't ask for will cost you. Even if they offer them, it'll cost you.

3. When driving on a toll road, always go to a toll booth, not an automated machine. It will save you the embarrassment of having to back up out of the automated machine lane.

4. If there is a chair lift, you must ride it.

5. If there is a hill you need to climb, climb it. If there is a hill you DON'T need to climb, you're going to end up climbing it anyway.

6. Don't worry about trying to blend in. You're a tourist and everyone already knows it. Trying will just result in blisters on your feet and a really heavy purse.

7. Always eat one meal of the local cuisine. You can't be picky - if it doesn't kill them, it won't kill you. If necessary, use the point and order method.

8. Get your own maps. The ones in the travel books are awful and lack key details (i.e. road names).

9. You can't take too many pictures. You never know which one will be that perfect shot.

10. Take a chance - Columbus did.

11. If you're going to the beach, take a jacket. It's always windy on the coast.

12. Don't fall for the low cost flight from the regional airports. You'll pay more in transport to and from the airports than if you paid more for the flight into a larger airport.

13. LOOK BOTH WAYS BEFORE CROSSING THE STREET!!!

14. Plan in advance for any free admissions (i.e. free Vatican Sunday, free ski lift tickets in Liechtenstein, etc.).

15. Take advantage of free drinks, food, candy, grass (not that kind! It's a long story), etc.

16. Always be on the lookout for butt crack. It truly is an art form. Sometimes it just needs to be admired (or covered up...).

17. When needing to use the toilet, seek out your nearest national gallery or fancy hotel. Free and clean, my friends.

18. When spending money in Europe, stop converting to dollars. It's expensive (except in Eastern Europe - it's CRAZY cheap there!). Get over it.

19. That church, castle or monument you are looking at is probably over 1,000 years old. Think about that.

20. When using public transportation, always abide by the European rule: There is ALWAYS room for one more. The concept of personal space is gone the minute you took off from the U.S.

21. Going along with number 20 above, contrary to popular belief, Americans are NOT the loudest, rudest, pushiest and most inconsiderate people.

22. There are no lines in Europe, only unorganized masses of people.

23. Ticket validation: I'd recommend it as the failure to read or speak the language is not an excuse when being issued a fine.

24. Of all things on this list, this one is true: Vespas and motorcycles can, and will, do what they want, when they want, on the road. Especially in Gibraltar...