Being thankful

On satuday aside from becoming one year older i experienced my first american thanksgiving party there in Brno. I was invited by lovely american lady whom i met there in Brno over my third day there. Now i understand craziness about that celebration as traditional dinner was simply delicious - turkey, sweet potatos, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and other stuff i never tried before. Even after goodling i don't fully understand roots of that tradition, especially why in USA and Canada it has different dates.

I also started working. I love that in my job we are not allowed to gossip and to talk about company stuff, so people actually go to work at work, not to disturb others by gossiping. My team is really nice and helpful, so i expecially enjoy learning a lot. I just didn't ever thought that i will find my dream work enviroment there, in Czech republic. Guess people's character and mentality adds a lot to that. Maybe in Lithuania works is always a finght as most people are negative most of the time and just lashes out at collegues. I remember how stressful it was for me to work in female company (there was one guy, but he left for the same reason as me) while all of them was fighting and gossiping all the time, as well as drinking at work and not respecting anyone, even themselves. I think i escaped just in time before becoming negative angry woman myself.

Since i'm new at job, my first holiday will be in half a year. That means Christmas will be celebrated there. While i'm not religious person myself, i will definitely miss my grandmother, mom and my guinea pigs (they should have babies around december according to my mom). I think i will find something via Couchsurfing events as there will be many foreigners stuck there.

I'm not really disappointed by that as i learned more living on my own and had more positive experiences than while living at parent's place in Vilnius. Also now i have much better opinion about myself as well as do my relatives. Just my mom is still woried how i'm doing and constantly sending my money and asking if i eat properly. 

Couchsurfing

I decided to write one post purely about couchsurfing mostly as result of discussions in forums and my most negative experience. 

I joined this website two and half years ago when i was doing my erasmus in Tartu, Estonia. I was introduced to couchsurfing by one very stereotypical american girl, who talked about surfing and hosting with such enthusiasm that i decided to give it a try. But first time i actually used was few months later when i went to Czech republic for a week (i had money left after my erasmus and wanted to spend it travelling somewhere more far than neighbouring countries). Well second time surfing was extremely weird. I was in Prague and stayed with guy who answered emergency request. I know it was stupid not to send normal requests beforehead but in my defense i can say that i was very new and didn't get concept of cs back then.  Good talked too much for my liking (basically all the time), kept asking questions and simply stuck like wet leaf to naked ass. I like interacting with host, but i'm unable to speak constantly for few hours, especially about topics i have no interest in. When it was time to rest, i had to watch movie 'Devil wears Prada" with him in his room. he inssited that i would sit on his bed but i pretended to give myself foot massage after long day walking. When i was finally set free, he asked if i want to sleep in his bed, on floor or on sofa. I chose sofa. After i asked him to use his laptop to check some stuff, i discovered he had fake profile with photos and name of some vietnamese girl. When i woke up, i saw him watching me. Damn, that was somne crazy stuff. I was happy to get rid of him in the morning but had to return as i left some clothes in his apartment. If i wouln't have been so new, he probably would have one negative reference more (he has two already).

Another weird experience was when i hosted myself. I did it two times and both were not so pleasurable. First guests, couple from Latvia, acted like i was free hotel - no interest in hanging out together, came only for one night, kept talking in latvian. I left posite reference only because they did it first. Second was polish girl who sucked at basically everything she did. I left no reference for her and she left none for me. I feel that i had too much patience with her. First, i had to walk for half and hour home as she got wrong trolley, although i wrote correct one, and we missed last trolley. Then nex day i had to skip concert as she insisted she would come back from city to take phone charger. And managed to get wrong trolley to wrong direction again. She was unable to plan her time and wasted mine. Never said 'thanks' and well, i guess i was wrong accepting her.

Next bad experience was one i already wrote about - liar host with lack of social skills. Otherewise i just try to learn something from expriences i don't entirely like. Sometimes there's clash of opinions in forums. Sometimes people just are too stupid to read whhat's written - one time i asked question in forum - what reference one would write if experience is very negative - negative or neutral one. One guy (i agree with negative reference in his profile) just gave me few diagnoses and analysed me and my experience instead of anwering. When i pointed out he didn't answer my question, he just wrote an essay. I deleted topic when i saw it's not going anywhere. Nex time i was called egocentric and freeloader because i answered that don't think about money when i surf/host (question was if it's necessary to pay money for host) and i believe that if host thinks how much surfer cost him, he should not host at all or use AirBnB. Because of that guy analysed me and my profile. I think that person does that when he has zero arguments to prove his opinion and looks for opponent's personal faults. I just didn't answer. I like lithuanian saying "duok durniui kelią" (give idiot free way) so i liesten to it quite often. Then it gives me satisfaction as i feel smart and as a winner of argument.

I still think that couchsurfing should be about cultural exange, not money or travelling for free. And i don't feel as worse couchsurfer just because i am unable to host right now and in close future. Partly my expriences are like that because of my sarcastic 'no bullshit' personality and saying what i'm thinking, partly because some people just has different idea of it or are too stupid to read what's written. Some has mostly positive experinces. One amazing guy i met just before hitchgathering in Lithuania learns from any exprience. I think it depends on person. and country one is from. I noticed that in expensive cities and tourist destinantions, for example Copenhagen, Norway, Australia people think about money all the time but instead of using air BnB contantly brags in forums about 'freeloaders' surfers. Also there are some cultural differences. For example, i would never give copy of my document to anybody i don't know. For me it's the sign that somebody don't trust me. For others - perfectly normal procedure. I learned a lot from mine and i'm happy i joined page as i during two years i met so many great people in Vilnius couchsurfing comunity, travelled, met some great people during my trips and simply shared expriences. And human interaction, good or bad, always gives something to stay.

Enjoy

So, last days of enjoying non worker regime...
First weekend when i didn't leave the city - saturday enjoyed photo walk near my home. Weather is getting colder, but wekend was sunny and quite warm. I don't know if i'm being unreasonable but i really hate when others try to take picture of me as i know it will be uploaded somewhere but most probably i won't get original one. I made some beautiful pictures of nature and buildings (i never liked taking photos of people as i find nature and architecture much more fascinating). Later we had lunch and drinks at Pegas. I found that place quite diverse - food and beer is really good but service is plain strange. It was my second time there, different waiter but still - quite fast, but rude, it seems as if they hate their work. You don't even tell your order and he cuts in saying fake 'thank you' and just runs. Nobody left him any tip.
On saturday i went to table ggame evening organised by local CSer. It was second time and although i had great time one thing i didn't like that people arrive starving and instead of starting on time, others has to wait for one hour while hungry people prepares food. I felt like i'm wasting my time as i like to be punctual and plan my time. There's great restaurant called 'Lloyd's' near my place so if i'm hungry but too lazy to prepare my own food i just go there. Fantastic service, great food and good prices. I tried goose led for first time and was real fest for my taste buds. Have to repeat some time...
It seems that Brno never sleeps. There's always something to do. Local community is very active and organises various events - language meetings, game nights, dinners, coffee meet ups and so one. One event i really like for sunday evening is Cinema italiano/ceco. Well, i went there two times and only for czech movies but it was really great. "Loners" espcially. Also it's free event and in really great cafe, so you can just sit in comfortable chair with your kofola (or something else) and just enjoy great movie.
Before starting work i had to register to local doctor. Medicover who does medical check ups sent me to some very posh looking clinic to english speaking doctor Tomas Kobos. So i have my doctor now. He has same name as my doctor at home, so i kinda like him. Had to do medical check up for medicover today with peeing in bottle and other stuff, but i hope i did well. Well, i don't see much without glasses if i look far away (it's called shortsight i think) but i have to wear glasses only if i drive so i hope it won't be a problem. I saw some people with glasses at work. Also i had to answer some other questions and now thinking if it would have been better if i lied or just kept my mouth shut? I just hope i did well.
I like to go to couchsurfing meetings sometimes, other events as well and consider myself as pretty active member but some days ago i was accused of showing signs of freeloader because i believe that couchsurfing is not about money and if i would want to pay, i would go to hostel. Well, i still think so. I believe that if person thinks taht having guest cost a lot and they should be grateful to be allowed to surf only, such host should open hostel or use AirBnB.

Brno toastmasters

So... yesterday i decided to give Brno Toastmasters second shot as i was hugely disappointed by my frist experience there but it turned to be even worse. At first event i was told that topic for short speeches means nothing so you can waste others time and talk about whatever you want. I also was told that you have to lie to speaker - if (s)he sucks you have to tell 'bravo! was wonderful" (they call it 'encouragement'). This time one guy talked about Žalgiris battle. He kept calling Lithuania Ukraine and made huge historical mistakes. I corrected him and was told i interrupted speaker. Come on, if you don't know anything about history, just shut up instead of keeping making such mistakes. There are people who are uneducated about history so they might believe about 'Ukraine' and other nonsense. I keep hearing from idiots that in Lithuania we speak russian so i just could not understand if that guy made mistakes just to insult me or he was simply uneducated at school.
Overall, i like idea of Toastmasters but i hated route this local club is following. If you don't accept correction of your mistakesa and accept only lies even if you suck at you speech - you won't learn anything.

And there's for idiots who think we speak russian or have anything to do with slavic language group. And we are not even close to Ukraine.