Chernobyl and Other Crap

Yesterday as I stood at my desk waiting for the IT dude to finish his magic on my computer - the graduate chair of the department and myself were discussing where Darrin and I should go for our honeymoon.

I've had this discussion before with students in Civil Engineering, when I worked there. Why not? 90% of my students were International and have done more travelling that I ever will, why not ask!

First mistake: Don't say to an Egyptian student that you want to go to Egypt for your honeymoon. At first you'll think the world ended, but then realize that your comment is just so retarded that people forgot how to react, other than having their jaws hit the ground.

I get it, maybe Egypt isn't the most romantic place on Earth - but we're leaving that all for the night of the wedding, right? Haha... Anyone who's been married is on the same page as me "you'll be too tired".

Okay, anyway - we won't get into the nitty-gritty details of our wedding night just yet. I'm sure I'll have a blog posting about that too. Just kidding. Or am I?

So apparently Egypt is really not the place I want to go. I guess I imagined a not-so-romantic-get-away for my honeymoon. I just always imagined it being an adventure. I know couples who worked in foreign countries for months for their honeymoon - just for the experience.

Personally, sitting on a beach, drinking pina colada's all day, baking in the sun, listening to the ocean bubble on the coral just doesn't sound... well actually... F*ck... now I want to go!

That's besides the point... I want to go somewhere where I'm not bored on the first day. I get antsy when I can't do anything. I want to be able to go somewhere different every day, meet new people, see different cultures, experience other lifestyles. You're only on this planet once and you want to spend the entire time in one country? Eating the same food? Listening to the same laugage? I sure as hell don't!

I'm no longer considering Egypt because, quite frankly, I'm afraid of people's reactions when I tell them that I'm going there. So to avoid awkwardness (that sadly surrounds my life no matter what I do; if you read my facebook I'm sure you're aware that I've been in meetings with my shirt undone, gone to work with pee-soaked shirts and randomly run into walls)... I'm not going.

Yesterday I was having a discussion with a few people regarding my honeymoon. In my new position - people are trying to learn new things about me as the new person and my wedding always seems to be that topic of conversation. So honeymoon talk it is.

Guess where I want to go!!! I finally figured it out, I'm all gung-hoe about it, excited to tell the world. And when I say the name... people are stunned.

"What? Why would you ever go there?"

I get it, okay? I get that it's random, weird and quiet honestly - retarded.

Chernobyl.

UMM HELLO!!! You don't want to go to an ENTIRE city abandoned for 25 years?! How eerie would that be?

I'm sorry, but that's something insanely interesting for me. I go to run-down houses and take pictures and get a high off the eerieness. If those walls could talk, I'd listen for hours. I love that type of stuff. I love that it allows your mind to wander, the possibilities of the last person who stood in the same room, what they were thinking (and in this case) what they were going thru! I love untouched things, considering we live on a planet that is touched by everything, including people, buildings, farms, roads, parking lots, houses and radiation.

It's rare that you get the opportunity to see something that hasn't had the opportunity to be taken over by man (again, in this case). It's amazing.

Anyway, I watched some Youtube videos on this place and I almost died. I want to go so badly! I want to walk around the city and imagine what it was like when it was alive, busy and happy.

Now that my decision has been made. Now that I have said it outloud. Now that EVERYONE things I'm either insane, or retarded... my next mission is: to get Darrin to agree to this.

....Wish me luck!!!