Super Bowl Sunday to the Madness of Monday

SO I know I said you wouldn’t hear from me until after Interlaken, but after the events that have happened since I last wrote (i.e. right after I posted/past 24 hours), I just couldn’t resist.

I ended up being able to go to the Red Garter with everyone thanks to Francesco, who let me know it would be okay if I came without a ticket (so much for staying in and getting better). Got there early, ate dinner, and then proceeded to find our seats. It was sponsored by Florence for Fun, who was giving away raffles throughout the game. Keep this in mind. It comes in handy later. 

We watched the game which was really comforting to be surrounded by other Americans. Kinda made me feel more at home and less across the Atlantic. We stayed until half time ended; don’t even get me started on the half time show.  After watching the past-her-prime Madonna, we were ready to go but stayed to listen to the winners of the raffles. The last trip they called out was a free trip to Interlaken. Considering I never win these type of things and had already booked my trip with my friends, I was barely listening. The guy announcing sticks his hand in the bucket with all the tickets and is flailing the tickets around until he chooses one to pick. And guess whose name it was. Yup. Yours truly! I was so shocked and embarrassed to hear my name announced but went down and picked up my prize. 

My initial thought process was ‘maybe they’ll let me use it toward something else since I’m already going to Interlaken with bus2alps.’ 

However, when my friends and I were walking (in search of a secret bakery) they kept saying that maybe Florence for Fun would just give me my money back. I replied asking why they would do that since we were going through bus2alps. Their confused faces made me realize something was not right.

Turns out they had booked Interlaken through Florence for Fun and I had booked it through bus2alps. Two TOTALLY different trips!

Panic started to settle in when I realized that I had signed up for the wrong trip. As we we’re walking the streets searching for the secret bakery, my mind was so preoccupied I hardly realized what’s going on. Alas! We find the bakery and for a few minutes I’m able to enjoy my delicious chocolate croissant that is freshly made. Seriously, these secret bakeries are AMAZING and are only open from 1-4am. i.e. perfect for when you’re drunk. And by perfect I mean tastes good, makes you fat. 

Anyway, I’m halfway done and remember the issue at hand causing me to lose a huge part of my appetite. When does anything ever take precedence over food? Pretty much never. International fatty right here. #always

I depart from my friends to go back to my apartment so that I can deal with what’s going on. Not so easy. I walk about a block by myself and see these Italian men in the street and a girl pretty much passed out on one of their motorcycles. I don’t even wanna know. Keep walking mal. WRONG. The 3 men start talking to me in italian and walk into the street in order to block me from walking any further. At this point I’m scared shitless and was really not in the mood to get mugged/robbed/gang-banged or whatever else these men had in mind. I literally do the only thing I can think of, which is run in the opposite direction back to Cassie, Ellyn, Molly and Jaclyn, hoping they haven’t made it too far. Once I reach them and explain my extremely traumatizing experience they take me home a different way. If any of you guys are reading this, thanks!

At this point I think its safe to say I’ve completely lost my appetite. I walk into my apartment, chuck what’s left of my chocolatey delicious croissant in the trash, and head straight to my computer. I e-mail bus2alps and my collegiate rep in the US. It’s 3am in italy and 9pm at home. The night of the Super Bowl– no one is gonna be able to help me. But I’m too high strung to go to sleep (even though I should since I’m sick and was falling asleep at Red Garter). I’m talking to my collegiate rep via facebook, who tells me she’ll contact me when she finds out what to do.  Now we’re creeping on 3:30, still not the least bit tired. 

Actually I’m exhausted but this stress is way too much to handle and could probably keep me going all night. 

After an attempt to pass out thanks to nyquil, and lots of tossing and turning, I wake up early to contact bus2alps and deal with my dilemma.  I seem to have forgotten that most places don’t open until noon here, which is perfect for me 99% of the time considering my never ending sleeping schedule. But today is the 1% when I wish Europe operated like they do in America: 9-5, or better yet 24/7! yeah, right. 

I refresh my e-mail numerous times but figure there’s no use in staring at my blank screen so I make my way to class since I had to pick up a book on the way.

Get to the store. Pick up my book. Easy. That is until I’m halfway to my class and realize I forgot the books for my second class at home. Mind you the class I’m on my way to is pretty much in Guam, as in a 20 minute walk from my apartment.  I book it to my apartment (pun intended), grab what I need and power walk to class so that I’m not late.

It’s cold. I’m sweating, sick, ruined my trip for the weekend, almost got mugged, etc. etc. etc. These past few hours have been overwhelming to say the least.

All I can think in my head as I speedily shuffle my feet is ‘Dear Florence, Living here should not be this stressful. You’re making this relationship very difficult. But don't worry, I won’t give up on you.’

I get to class, go to open the door and the handle completely breaks off. Go figure.

Ss soon as Italian was over I ran out of the room to go book my free trip with Florence for Fun and see if bus2alps had replied to the 5 emails I panickly (not a word, i know. but now it is) wrote at 3am.

Good news is that if I book a different trip with them I only get a 25e cancellation fee. Bad news is I need to do it by Wednesday and we haven’t really figured out what other trips we want to use b2a (new shortcut for bus2alps) for. aka its crunch time. 

I guess all in all it’s a good thing I won the trip because otherwise I probably wouldn’t have realized I booked the wrong one until the day of!  

This kind of thing would happen to me. Nevertheless, in an attempt to end this post on the optimistic side...

A blessing in disguise?