I've Come From A Land Down Under

G'day Mate! Just returned home from one of my best layovers to date: Sydney, Australia! Visiting Australia has always been a dream of mine, but in recent years it has become more of a priority since meeting one of my best friends while interning at Walt Disney World, Dean, who was born, raised, and currently lives in Sydney.

Dean, being the awesome friend that he is, took off an entire day of work upon hearing the news that I'd be gracing his city with my presence, and planned a jam packed day of adventure and site seeing. We started off our day with breakfast at a cute little cafe close to my hotel. As all world travelers know, days of non stop adventure are only successful if you begin them with a carb overload. Therefore I had no other choice, but to indulge in one of the world's largest slices of banana bread known to mankind. Yep, it was delicious!

After breakfast we headed down to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, where we stood and admired the 440 feet high structure safely from the ground...and then decided to connect a bunch of harnesses onto ourselves and scurry to the top of the bridge that is famously nicknamed "The Coathanger." Before I continue, let me explain a little something...I have a very real fear of heights, now I know, I know, what a ridiculous statement for someone who spends the majority of her time well above 30,000 feet. For whatever reason, airplanes don't bother me, it's roofs, cliffs, the clear plastic step out box on the observation deck of the Sears Tower, and things with ledges I could fall off of that freak me out! And yes, bridges just so happen to fit into this category as well.

So after arriving at the bridge climbing facility, Dean and I were issued grey full body suits (grey in order to camouflage ourselves with the bridge, and minimize distractions to drivers on the bridge), and instructed to remove jewelery, hair pins, and anything else that could do some serious damage if dropped from the top of the bridge onto innocent pedestrians below. Usually, one bridge climbing leader takes up groups of twelve people at a time, however, since Dean and I are international celebrities were the only ones who registered for the 9:40 A.M. session, our small but mighty group consisted of just the two of us.

The climb was not nearly as scary as I had planned it out to be in my head! We were hooked to safety harnesses throughout the entire trek, and actually spent much more time walking on an enclosed slope than actually climbing up steep stairs. Despite the strong winds that greeted us at the top, the view of Sydney was incridible. We were able to see the entire harbor, the Sydney Opera House, and most importantly, the building where Dean works! Fear of heights, you are dead to me!

After our climb, it was time to refuel again, so we grabbed a quick lunch at a local Australian pub before taking a short ferry ride across the harbor, and ended up at Wild Life Sydney, a zoo featuring a wide array of native Australian creatures. We saw wallabies, wombats, crocodiles, and my personal favorite, Koalas. Unfortunately, the Kangaroo exhibit was temporarily closed for "refurbishments." Suspiciously enough, the gift shop was running a special on Kangaroo jerky.... The best part of Wild Life Sydney? Being able to speak Steve Irwin style for an entire two hours! Right, Dean?

After hanging out with the koalas, who just so happened to be in the midst of their mating season (with every lustful stare I went into a slight panic that Sir Treehugger was about to leap off his branch and have his way with my golden locks), we drove down to the famous Bondhi Beach. It's currently winter in Australia, but that didn't stop up from ending our fabulous day with ice cream cones on the beach =)

September cover of Knock Knees Weekly

The only thing on the Sydney Itinerary that did not get crossed off was me taking Dean's car for a whirl on the left side of the road. Although he was completely willing to turn over the keys (I really have no idea why), I decided that due to rush hour traffic coupled with the fact that I'm not exactly a great driver on the right side of the road, I'd go ahead and skip that little activity. All in all, first trip to Australia=a success!

 

And now a word from Grief Watch 2012. This past week marked the sixth month anniversary since we lost mom. If found, please return to...I kid, I kid. It wasn't a horrible day, but I noticed, and she was on my mind more than usual that day. Part of me is really proud of how well we've all done in the past six months. Part of me is just really, really sad that six months have passed since I woke up to an email from my mom. The email was in response to me telling her I had lost the slip of paper that had my current address written on it. She shared with me this vital information that, being the great mom was was, she had filed away. She then wrote, "Little girl, didn't I ever teach you to memorize your own address? Have a good day, pumpkin!"

Always the care taker.

 

Part of me is mad, but a bigger part than that is just really grateful. Grateful for all the mom love I do have in my life, like my aunts and my mom's close friends who continue to send me emails to check on me. And my friends' moms from all over the world, many of whom I've never met, sending me sweet notes, homemade pillows, tea sets, angel necklaces, and most recently an authentic Australian bracelet (thanks, Mrs. Morgan), just to let me know they are thinking of me. I'm grateful for all my friends and family who let me cry and reminisce as much as I want to. Grateful for all the signs that my mom continues to give me, just to let me still know she's around, like my hotel room number I was assigned on the night of her six month anniversary, 1415 (her cell phone was ***-***-3114, mine was ***-***-3115). Overall, the past six months have made me realize just how cool it was that I got to spend 24 years being raised by someone who seeped kindness, loved everyone, and just overall excelled at life, and despite how many more "six months" go by, I STILL get the priviledge of calling her my mom! And for that, I think I will be forever grateful!

 

Have a great week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





Germany Take One

As I write this post on the backside of a Dusseldorf city map, while sitting on a random park bench a few miles from my hotel, I think it's safe to say that I have never felt like I belonged in a foreign country as much as I have here in Germany.I know, I know my family has been residing in the land  of the free for well over 100 years now. However, I do know we still have cousins over here because I've seen at least 50 people who look exactly like my brother Chad and me. A couple people that I saw so closely resembled us that I actually waited until they finished their beer, and secretively stuck their DNA covered mug into my purse in order to use for future testing... I kid, I kid. But seriously, everywhere I look, blond hair, blue eyed tall people! It feels like I'm at a family reunion over here!

The best way to describe Germany is that it's quaint. The local food, the cobblestone streets lined with pubs, the kind and friendly people (minus the hormone enraged, slightly drunk 20 something lad  I encountered last night who "casually" bumped into me and did a full blow ass grab. He was too friendly...), it's just simple here, and I love it!

I was luckily placed on this trip with a German captain who is very familiar with the Dusseldorf area. Last night he offered to take the crew out for dinner, drinks, and a short tour of the the city. Since guten tag is the extent of my German language, I jumped at the opportunity to see the city with a local. As our hotel is located quite a ways from any city center, we hopped on the metro, then the subway, and finally reached an area known as old town Dusseldorf. As we were climbing the stairs from the subway, we heard loud music pumping out of the nearby pubs, and upon reaching street level, it appeared that a huge street party festival was taking place. Much to my surprise the captain informed me that, nope, it was just a typical Wednesday night for these Germans!



Our group of six gathered in one of the outside seating areas, and the captain educated us on German beer drinking protocol. Basically, the servers come around with large trays filled with glasses of the local brew. If he sees your glass is empty, he'll replace it immediately and mark a tally on your coaster in order to keep track of your tab. When you've finished drinking, you simply place your coaster on top of your glass to notify the waiter that you are no longer drinking. Kinda nifty, eh?

Keeping Track of The Tab...German Style



Disclaimer: This girl is not a beer drinker, but I am a trooper! I tried one gulp of the dark disgusting liquid, and politely informed the waiter that I'd be sticking to my white wine.

The food was delicious! I had a schnitzel (think fried pork chop), but our entire group shared the generous portions. By the end of the evening I had tried, schnitzel with fried egg on top, fish fillet, sausage and mashed potatoes in a mushroom sauce, and creamed sour kraut. Yum! After we finished our meal, we wondered down by the river front, which reminded me slightly of the lake front in Chicago (minus all the bums). Around 1:30 AM local time, our exhausted tour group called it a day, and headed back to our hotel.

I am always one for an adventure, even if its a solo quest, however I am a realist. I had most of today free, which would have been ideal for hoping on the train and exploring more of the city. However, I am aware that I have a slight history of getting lost. It's not my fault, it's genetic.

Many moons ago, on a trip out of state trip to visit my aunt, my mom and I decided go on a shot walk around my aunt's block. Four hours and many miles later, we ended up at some poor soul's house, hot and slightly dehydrated in middle of no where Virginia, begging to use some random family' phone, and asking if there was any way they could spare a cold glass of lemonade to us weary travelers. Due to lacking a sense of direction, combined with all German signage and a non negotiable evening departure time, I opted to stick close to the hotel today.

There is not a ton of things to see and do in the area near the hotel we stay in, so after my morning workout at the hotel gym and my Starbucks coffee, I grabbed an area map and headed out on my own. As it turned out, the area is residential and there is not much more to see or do, but I had a great two hour walk checking out German houses and exchanging well wishes with fellow walkers, bicyclists, and joggers. Alas, ending up in this park :)

Yes, I did have a random passerby take this picture. It's cool though, we're cousins...probably.



And now for a random fact: I've always known my last name "Schutz" was very German, but for most of my life, I wasn't sure what it actually meant. Several months ago I was swim suit shopping in London, and as I was pulling up my bikini bottoms, I saw a clear plastic liner that read first in English "Sanitary Protection." It then listed, what appeared to be the same verbiage in several other languages. I immediately noticed blah blah blah Schutz. It was a 50/50 shot on whether my proud, bold, and strong family name meant sanitary or protection. I went with protection, and as the German speaking captain confirmed, I was correct! Wheh, Kelsey Sanitary...just doesn't have the same ring to it. Here's ther real kicker, APPARENTLY my family has been mispronouncing our last name for years! Schtuz (shoots) is actually Schutz (shuts) due to the lack of double dots over the U. I feel like my entire life has been a lie! I'll truly understand if you no longer consider me to be a credible individual and quit following my adventures on this here blog...Shuts and Scores.

Til next time folks,

Kelsey (if that's even my real name ) Schutz, Schütz, Shuts????

I Gradumacated!

This week's big event was my graduation ceremony. After successfully completing six months within the Emirates company, flight attendants are no longer considered to be on probationary status, and are promoted just one level above the very bottom of the totem pole.

As a result of some unforeseen circumstances (thanks, mom), I was unable to graduate with the group of friends I had been with since day one of Kelsey's life in Dubai. So, I was partially unexcited about the graduation ceremony because I only knew about 10 of the 150 people who were graduating with me. I also felt like the big "to do" was a bit unnecessary for a simple degree in tea and coffee.

The big day finally came this week, and it was actually nice to catch up the group I had finished my last week of training with. The best part of the day, however, was when my friend Rajeev surprised me by showing up at the graduation ceremony, even after I had assured all of my friends that their presence at the ceremony was 100% unnecessary. Despite my best attempts at not being super emotional, I legit almost teared up when I saw his happy self snapping pictures in the audience, just like a proud little parent!

As per usual, I have no idea what my future holds...career wise, relationship wise, living location, where I will eat dinner tonight, etc. And even though I think the whole graduation process was a bit silly,  I couldn't help but feel a little proud as my name was called and I strutted across the stage for my five seconds of glory. I felt proud that in just a little six months I was able to move overseas knowing no one, start a new job, make new friends, mourn the loss of my mom, and travel all over the globe without completely letting my cheese slip off the cracker. So call me crazy, but I think that is something to celebrate, at least a little bit. And we did....with cake :)





Yours Truly,

Kelsey Schutz, Bachelors of Tea and Coffee

And It's Been A Month...

Karim Ramadan!

For most of my adult life I've probably glanced at my Hallmark calendar and noticed that printed on a specific date during one of the summer months were three simple words, First Of Ramadan. Never in my life had I paid those words attention, mostly because I had no idea what Ramadan was. This year, however, as I'm living in a Muslim country, July 20th rolled around and sh** got real! They took away my Starbucks during daylight hours!

Ok, ok so it's a little bit more meaningful than that. Ramadan is the 30 days each year in which Muslims observe strict fasting from sunrise to sunset. It is supposed to make them better understand suffering and become more peaceful. Personally it makes me grouchy, as NO ONE is allowed to drink or eat in public during daylight hours. Restaurants, such as my beloved Starbucks, located next door to my building, are open for take away only. People watching while sipping my Starbucks is the whole reason I pay for their overpriced coffee in the first place!

The upside to Ramadan is Iftar, the evening meal where Muslims break their fast. Obviously I'm not fasting, but it's kind of like a huge party when all the restaurants open and everyone is out on the streets again. It's been interesting to experience, and once again I'm learning something new about the Arab culture.

LA Layover Take 20

The week before my leave started I went to Los Angeles for yet another layover. Two of my friends from Spirit flew out to spend the two days with me. We had a great time catching up, eating too much, and biking the 40 mile route to Santa Monica.

The Journey Home

As soon as my flight landed from LA, I rushed to my apartment where I unpacked, repacked, showered and headed back to the airport. From Dubai I flew to Kuwait City, a place I was very thankful I did not get stranded! After Kuwait I flew to Washington DC in business class on United (flat bed seats, ahhhh). Once I landed in DC, I was slightly panicked as the sole United flight to STL was oversold. The gate agent was even bargaining with passengers to give up their seat in exchange for future flight vouchers. Just as I had pretty much decided I was stuck in DC for the day, my name was called for the approved standby list. Still NOT sure how that happened! When you find a penny, heads up on the sidewalk, do you ask why it's there or take it and run? Exactly!

10 Days, Illinois Style 

From the moment my dad picked me up from the airport, my visit home was jam packed. I had planned it that way, as there were so many people I wanted to see and things I wanted to do, I didn't want to waste a single minute! I had a huge cookout with family and friends (complete with a hayride and fireworks), watched Ice Age III at the drive in with my crazy nieces and friends, ate an amazing homemade spaghetti meal at my Aunt Traci's, went on bike rides and runs, cooked a ton (for my party of one standards at least), ran in a 10k race, attended Allison's baccalaureate party in Chicago, went boating, and tried to soak up as much family and friend time as possible in between. It was a GREAT visit home, just unlike any other visit home that I had ever had before.

I've been living away from home for the past six years, so I would pretty much say I have the whole coming back home for visits routine down pat. Big meals will be had, friends will be over, and a week long party will commence.

My mom's been gone five and a half months. As Forest Gump would say, "She's on vacation!" I miss our Skype conversations, waking up to her morning emails, and receiving random pieces of mail from her terribly, but I have had five months to get used to the sucky sucky truth that those things are no longer a part of my life here in Dubai.

What I have not had time to get used to is walking into my mom's dream house...and her not being there. Waking up every morning, and not hearing her cheery, "Mornin', Princess." No one cackling loudly as Dad and I watch late night reruns of King of Queens. Pulling into the driveway after midnight and all the lights in the house being turned off, as she is no longer up late working on one of her many miscellaneous projects. I've not had five months to adjust to her no longer being in the house, the house that she always made my home.

It was awesome to be surrounded by family and friends, and it was wonderful to be back for over a week, but it was hard. Really, really hard. I have faith that next time will be a little bit easier, and the time after that, just a little bit easier than the time before. This time though, I just really missed my mom. And I'm not quite sure how Heaven works, but I'm almost certain, she missed me too.

Mom and I Boating-Summer of 1990

"A child on a farm sees a plane fly overhead and dreams of a faraway place. A traveler on the plane sees the farmhouse, and dreams of home." -Carl Burns

My mom, an avid newspaper clipper, had this quote taped to the inside cover of her 1999 planner.

Meanwhile In Dubai

I've been back in Dubai for four days now, and as nice as it was to be home, it's honestly nice to be back...which is a good sign, I think. So far I have done one flight to Cairo, Egypt, three loads of laundry, lots of sleeping, caught up with friends, and today I crossed a big one off the ol Dubai Bucket List....indoor snow skiing! Tis good to get back to a normal routine :)

Since I Last Wrote I....

Watched my very first Euro Cup! Go Spain...or was it Italy that won???

Traveled to the Island of Seychelles, and despite the rainy weather, enjoyed my own private porch that was just steps away from the ocean.

Took part in Monday Night Madness, all you can eat and drink, at one of our favorite Irish pub's in Dubai, Fibber McGee's!

Went boating with my friend Georgina and two Emirates pilots, and actually skied for the first time. I've probably tried skiing at least 10 times before, so I was beyond excited to finally stand up. I think the buoyancy of the sea water definitely worked in my favor!

Traveled back to the land of tea and crumpets and watched one of my very favorite musicals, Chicago, on London's West End (the Broadway of London). It was SOOOO good! My mom and I both loved theatre, and had actually gone to see this show in Springfield several years ago. I did not tear up during the opening number of All That Jazz....ok fine I did.  

After that week of fun, I'm now lying in the comfort of my own bed, with no plans of getting up anytime soon. I vaguely remember signing up to run a 10k, that is now just a little over two weeks away. Maybe if I think real hard about running, I'll be mentally training, which is supposedly half the battle...right? 

RIGHT!!!!

This past week I traveled, yet again, to the great state of California. Although I love the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Hollywood sign, and Grauman's Chinese Theatre as much as the next gal, I figured my past three visits would tide me over for quite sometime. The one thing on my Los Angeles layovers that I never tire of is this....

the bike path along the Pacific Ocean. So for much of my 50 hour layover, this is where I was. During my first day, three fellow flight attendants went along with me as we peddled 30 miles round trip to Marina Del Rey. Once we reached Marina Del Rey, we earned back every single calorie we had burnt, and devoured massive amounts of Mexican food! Yum!

As I am currently training for a 10k in August, I woke up early the next morning and completed a four mile run in the area surrounding my hotel. It felt so good to be able to run outside, and skip the hamster wheel AKA treadmill I'm forced to run on in Dubai, where the current temperature is in fact hotter than hell.

After my run I had planned to meet up with some other crew members and embark on yet another day of sightseeing in Hollywood. I am a big believer in the old saying, "Everything happens for a reason." So when the hotel elevator jammed, and caused me to miss the departure time for day-o-sightseeing, I was honestly fine with it. I had my rented bicycle, (complete with a basket and a bell), beautiful weather, and over forty miles of paved, beachside bicycle path.

Not that I'm a huge fan of spending extended period of time alone all the time, but I seriously LOVED my day...party of one style and all. I biked twenty miles to the Santa Monica Pier, where I ate some fish and chips for lunch. Naturally, I wanted some ice cream while on the pier, so I sat next to the carosol filled with kids and enjoyed my cone. It wasn't until I was down to the last lick of cookies 'n creame that it dawned on me that, perhaps, being a full grown adult, hanging out at the carosol, kidless is probably considered to be semi creepy. Alas, I gathered up my backpack, and saddled up on the ol bike for my 20 mile ride back to my hotel.

Six hours and 40 miles solo leaves a person with a lot of time to think. As I rode next to the ocean, quite simply, I thought about life. I thought about how thankful I am to be young and healthy. I thought about how much I genuinly miss my girlfriends from home. Occasionaly, I'd think about how sore my buttocks was going to be in the morning. I thought about my mom, and how flat out pissed I am that she died, and how much my heart just aches for her sometimes. I thought about the things that I still hope to achieve in my life like, write a book, open a coffee shop, have a family, have a dog. And then, to be completely honest, I spent a lot of time thinking about how good tanned, muscular, male, beach volleyball players look!

So, there you have it, another recap of Los Angeles. Feel like you just can't get enough of reading about these LA layovers? Well, you're in luck my friend, you can read all about it in just three short weeks when I go back for yet another trip to LA!

"You cannot be lonely if you like the person you're alone with." -Wayne Dyer

Texas and The Top

This past week's adventure led me to the great state of Texas, Dallas to be exact. Thanks to my best good friend Drea, I was able to meet up with her cousin Tyler, who lives in the area, and he graciously served as my Dallas tour guide for the two days I was in town. While in Texas I saw the JFK memorial, viewed the area where JFK was assassinated, ate some good ol fashioned pork barbecue (a delicacy after living in a Muslim country), did a little shopping at Wally World (oh how I miss that place), and had a great run outside in shorts and a tank top without feeling condemned (again, it's the little things I miss)!



Dinner At Sonny's BBQ

My trip to Texas was quickly followed by two same day return flights, and now I've been blessed with a full week off, insert choir of angels singing here. Thus far the highlight of my week was finally going to the top of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building. I'm becoming quite the discount finder, and last night was no exception. Wednesday night is ladies night at Atmosphere, the club housed on the 123rd floor of the building, so my friend Sara and I were not only given free admission, but also two free drinks! It's always fun to find free ways to enjoy activities that are normally expensive! It was a slightly cloudy day, so the view wasn't quite as great as I was expecting, but none the less it was still an awesome sight.

View From Nearly 2,717 Feet Above The Ground

Sara and I Pretending We're Members Of The Rich And Famous Club

And now a riddle for you.... Who has a scar on her right thumb, is currently still in bed at noon, will be home in ONE month and ONE week from today, and is really, really excited about it????

Give up?

THIS GIRL!!!!!