the art of being far away

Let me tell you something about ongoing travels that you can't see from the always-smiling pictures tagged all around different places.

Travelling is tough.

And no, I don't mind being tired, I don't mind sleeping in a lot of new places, having to
figure out things all over again and again, or standing in a supermarket and wondering
whether a funny looking box you're holding in your hand is actually what you wanted it to
be.

Travelling is tough when it comes to maintaining relationships.

Whether it's family, friends, or a partner; all your relationships are jeopardised when you're
abroad.

Lately I feel like all I hear are stories of people who broke up or have serious problems
thanks to the distance between them. And one may say that distance is just a number, but
the truth is that whatever you had before, you will have to learn to re-create it, almost from
scratch, in a new, long-distance edition.

Family will, hopefully, always stay on your side, even if a lot of times you're too tired to stay
in touch properly, or just too busy trying to preserve the relationships that, if you don't take
a good care of, they will turn into an ugly and unwanted problem, which is likely to be
abandoned by one side sooner than fixed by both of them finally being in the same place geographically...

Friends will also adapt. A true friendship lasts even if you don't talk to each other as often
as before. Over the years I learnt that it comes in waves, sometimes you're more in touch
with one person, some other time you might talk more to someone else. And all I've got is
hope and trust that my friends know I care about them deeply and think about them
waaaaay more than I ever reply to e-mails and texts.

But the trickiest part proves to be a long-distance partnership.

Skype and whatssapp become your daily companions. Sometimes I feel like I'm in a relationship with my laptop's screen, rather than a real person on the other side.
Seeing each other after a longer break, I need a day or to to get back to the 'real person
mode'. And just when you start to feel comfortable with each other again, one of you have
to leave.
So next time you plan and book in advance, you make time and decide to meet
for longer. But even then, at the end of a 10 days long visit you will realise, that it will never
be enough. Doesn't matter if you see each other for 3 or 10 days, it will never be enough.
Never until the day you get back for good.

I can't count how many times we said it out loud. That long-distance sucks. Because it's true. And this problem touches more and more people...

If you know what I'm talking about, watch the video below. A project for all involved in a long-distance relationship.
If you haven't experienced it - be warned ;)

Straight from Hamburg,
ready to turn my Skype on,
-Kat.

"Pillow Talk is a project aiming to connect long distance lovers. Each person has a ring sensor they wear to bed at night, and a flat fabric panel which slots inside their pillowcase. The ring wirelessly communicates with the other person’s pillow; when one person goes to bed, their lover’s pillow begins to glow softly to indicate their presence. Placing your head on the pillow allows you to hear the real-time heartbeat of your loved one."  (You'll find more info by clicking here)

Hamburger* life: the beginning

* "Hamburger" is actually a German adjective coming from the name of the city. I did not mean a meaty sandwich here ;-)


Long time no post!

It's time to change that.

I arrived in Hamburg two weeks ago, at the worst time of the day - 6AM.
6AM is never a good time. Neither when that's when you start your day, nor when it is when you finish it.
And after a long sleepless night on the coach I did not know whether my day was finishing or just starting...
And neither did Hamburg.



It was a Sunday morning, so the city hasn't quite woken up yet, but the streets were actually full of people - those on their way back home.

I had some time before I could move in to my new home, so I left my luggage at Hauptbahnhof (central station) and decided to explore my new neighbourhood a little.

I was quickly reminded that the European Futball Championships were to end the same day, Germans still all-heartedly supporting their team, even though they recently had lost. (Which was a real shame, really. I was so looking forward to seeing Germany celebrate, like I was lucky to see Spain two years earlier. ;])

Being me, the first thing I had to see was where will I go to work the next day. It turned out that my new office is located in a really pretty area :)

Finally, I went to see the nearest park  (nearest looking from both my work's and my new home's perspective). I am pretty sure I will be going to Stadtpark more often on the weekends... when it finally stops raining all the time. ;-)

Those were my first impressions of Hamburg. I will try to update more regularly, but I am making no promises... not any more ;)