Hello.: UK

Hello, Kiev

I was in Kiev, Ukraine when Lil sent me messages from Stockholm, informing me that we're gonna meet at Arlanda Airport before we're flying to Amsterdam the next day.

"Hey, Lil and Dinie are gonna meet up with you at the airport - let's say around noon? You're already back in Stockholm by that time, right?"

I took my travel journal and looked into my flight schedules that I had written down before.

"Yeap. Gonna meet you later. Can't wait. I'm in Kiev now, gonna fly out to the UK first thing in the morning and then to Stockholm." I replied.

Lil replied with two thumbs up and a flying kiss.

Satisfied, I went on with the activity of the day : strolling around Kiev city. I was actually in Kiev because I wanted to go to Chernobyl but for some reasons, I had very limited time and I didn't get to experience the ghost town of Pripyat.

Never mind. There is still the next time.

I was intrigued to explore Kiev when I first arrived at the city. The city is magnificently beautiful, the locals was very nice and proud. Kiev or Kyiv is an important industrial, scientific, educational and cultural centre of Eastern Europe. It is home to many high-technology industries, higher education institutions and also has world-famous cultural landmarks.

As a personal self-satisfaction, I gave myself a present of exploring Kiev city. Before I came here, I read all about Kiev and the history. Ukraine has always been a fascinating dream of mine, it was really like a dream when I was on the plane from Berlin Tegel Airport, Germany heading to Borypsil Airport.

The weather was pleasant, not so cold yet I still felt warm inside. I was only in Kiev for two days as I was on a tight schedule to catch my flight back to London.

Kiev is known to be the green city as the city has two botanical gardens and numerous parks. The city also offers The Museum of The History of Ukraine in World War II to the visitors, revealing history of military overlooking the Dnieper river.

The Independence Square and Khreschatyk Street were located at the heart of the city, locals even said that the place becomes a large outdoor party place at night during summer months for the people of Kiev because there are lots of restaurants, clubs and bars nearby.

I sent a Whatsapp message to Sofe (who was in London that time), asking her to meet me in Stansted later as soon as I arrived in Heathrow Airport the next day.

"I am currently in Heathrow, will be heading to Stansted later. Care to meet me later?"

The message was seen but no replies until I was in Stansted later that night.

"Sorry, the Internet was kinda wacky. We're already here, just sat around by Burger King. Come and join us, babe."

"Coming."

08:56
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Bienvenue a Paris

Backpacking

"How many hours from Dover to Calais, Mira?"

"Two hours, maybe. I don't quite remember."

That was amongst my first attempt of bringing friends to explore Europe after being a lone wolf for so long. I only brought my sibling and Kak Mira before on my journey, I didn't know well on how to react when Farah and Dheeno asked me to bring them to Paris. Before, it was Brussels, then Paris.

On February 1st, three of us travelled from Kent to Dover and finally to Calais.

We met Rachel, a fellow traveller that was going to Amsterdam by bus. We spent few hours together while waiting for our buses to come. It was a very windy night by the sea, so freaking cold.

The clock struck at midnight, indicating a new day has begun. Almost an hour later, our bus to Paris came and to our surprise, we were the last to board because the bus kept collecting the passengers all the way from London.

We settled in our seats, waving small hello to a German friend sitting beside me. Moments later, we went into a big ferry, headed for Calais, France.

I was lucky enough to visit Paris a handful of times, and immediately fell in love with the chocolates and croissants, the Disney store in Champs Elysee, and the thrill of being in a place where everyone magically spoke in entirely foreign language. And everyone loves the Disneyland.

I was pretty sure that I had seen and experienced the best the city had to offer.

Eiffel Tower? Obvious check.

The Lourve? Of course. Who hadn't.

Notre Dame de Paris? Moulin Rouge? Arc de Triomphe? Check, check and check.

But, as I discovered on my recent trip to the City of Light, there is so much more to the city than those mainstays of Paris tourism. This time around, I aimed with intention to staying off the boulevards and out of the parks, and finding places that visitors wasn't normally visited.

Unfortunately we didn't have a luxury of time. I ended up brought them to typical tourist places. But we found hidden corners to explore, charming streets to wander around and also nooks and crannies from which you can see the world go by.

It's around seven in the morning and a little chilly out. The weather was windy, a mild one. There's something quite remarkable about a city before it fully wakes, and Paris is no exception. Walking through the Lourve around the pyramids and throwing glances to Tuileries Garden, I'm reminded that in just a few hours, these places will be swamped with tourists, cameras firmly secured around their necks, some with children in tow, all full with the steely determination of people that wanted to make the most of the time in Paris.

Starting our day early on the banks of the river has left us full of energy and enthusiasm about exploring the city. We first went to a small little cafe alongside one of those quintessentially Paris parks complete with rows of trees and artfully placed benches, the cafe was a little wonder.

My first impression of Paris, many years ago, was one of a complete urban centre. Stunning architectures and cobble stones found me craving a little of the mix in between.

We headed to the Pont de Bir-Hakeim. Many would recognized that it's a beautiful walk towards the left bank with a remarkable view of Eiffel Tower.

After a day adjusting to each other's quirks and desires : it was a fantastic trip. Farah, Dheeno and I enjoyed each other companies and we got to hang out in one of my favourite city.

My friends once said, you can never really go wrong with Paris. Exquisite murals and excellent street art abound and sit comfortably in same neighbourhoods that house precious artworks. Colours can be found anywhere, the beauty is truly amazing.

"Maybe you can bring me to Germany next? You've been there a few times, right?" Farah asked me suddenly.

I turned around, nodded. "Of course. As soon as we're done here. Or maybe on the next summer break."

"Deal."

17:17
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London to New York

Backpacking

"You're gonna go now?"

I gave her a small smile. Farah seemed a bit sad. After almost a week and half staying at her crib in Canterbury, my flight to New York finally came. The duration was eight and half hours flight from Heathrow International Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport via British Airways and I need to be at Heathrow before noon.

"Take care babe. See ya at Malaysia, soon I hope."

She smirked. "Of course. Farewell."

I boarded the train to St Pancras, heading towards the main airport. I was embarking on a post-exam backpacking trip and was looking for an adventure somewhere in North America, after visiting Farah in the UK. It was my fifth time in America since I'm currently furthering my studies in Egypt and my visa is expiring soon.

I took an early morning Southeastern train from the conveniently located Canterbury West, within bus distances from Darwin College. Having arrived a little early, Farah and I took advantage of the view ahead while relaxing on the bench. The weather was windy. After half an hour, I then headed into the station and quickly spotted the train. After boarding, I quietly took my seat and the train went away.

Goodbye Kent. Till we meet again.

The ride to St Pancras is almost an hour which gave me plenty of time to sorted out some things. I hopped on the mobile internet data and started surfing the web for places to see and restaurant to try.

Before I knew it, I arrived at the riveting St Pancras International. People kept bursting through various gates, the smell of coffee and fresh bread lingered in the air.

After I bought some hot piping coffee and scrumptious croissant for breakfast, I boarded the subway that connecting from London to Heathrow Airport.

And it took almost an hour to arrived.

I went through the check-in lounge and waited. Although the time passed by slowly, I listened to my playlists, continued my vigorous research on what to do in the US, snapped perspective shots that I found interesting and enjoyed the relaxation of watching the people go by that only airports can bring.

Arriving in New York in the middle of dead winter with only two layers of clothes, it gave you extreme chills to the core.

But I was safe and sound.

Waking up in the dark in Kak Rose's guest room (a relative) and piling on all the wooden layers and went for a walk in the eerily silent streets. Walking to Central Park just as pre-dawn glow started to illuminate and sat on the bench as the sun begun to rise. A hot black coffee in hand, I contemplated another visit in the city that never sleeps.

My mobile rang.

"You up for a roadtrip, Mira?"

"Really, Kak Rose? You have to ask me this?" I replied. "Then why would I came all the way here?"

Her laugh roared on the phone. "Fine. Come home. We still got some packing to do."

"Okay. Coming now."

04:10
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The Little Boy & his Grandmother

Backpacking

Hello.

These days, I'm really busy with medical school. Exams, classes and such. It took so much of my time and I'm pretty sure that I'm gonna be a zombie very soon. Countless sleepless nights, lots and lots of coffee, thick books to read by the end of each day, the learning process will never stop. But enough about my whining, I got time to do some blogging now hehe.

Last January, when I was in my winter break, I've travelled to the UK and France to meet up with a friend that furthering her Master studies at University of Kent, Canterbury. Being from the same motherland, it was a good opportunity to do some catch-up session. I have been away from Malaysia for almost six years now, I deserve some familiar faces to talk to.

On January 25, I arrived at Heathrow Airport in the afternoon. My class ended at 11 am on the same day and my flight was scheduled to depart at 2 pm. I was completely devastated on that day because I didn't have much time to prepared. I didn't even have enough time to take a shower *sigh*

From Heathrow, I took the subway to St Pancras to bought ticket to Canterbury West. The journey itself cost me almost 40 pound. But before I arrived in Canterbury, I had an exciting yet heart-pounding experience in the subway when I was on my way to St Pancras. A little boy boarded the subway with his grandma and they sat in front of me. The coach wasn't full that evening and people were doing their own business and I did mine : reading.

After a few minutes, I noticed that the old lady had started to panic when his grandson was slightly shaking and he vigorously shaking by sudden until he dropped from the seat. This event attracted the attentions of all passengers and the old lady has started to yell at this point. She yelled for somebody to help but unfortunately, no one came forward because there was no one with medical knowledge, I guessed.

I took some deep breaths before I came forward and told the old lady that I'm a medical student and I will try to help in any way that I can. She looked at me with full of doubt but I guess she was desperate enough when her grandson continuing experiencing seizure. At that moment, the passengers were surrounding us. A few people even encouraging me but I saw more doubts clouding in their minds. Without further ado, I made the boy lay on his back and put my jacket under his head. I loosen his shirt and turn him on his side. I have to made the boy comfortable as possible. I didn't hold the boy down hard and I paid attention to the length of the seizure. Luckily, the boy only has small seizure and it didn't last very long.

After the seizure, I placed the boy on his left side. Keep in mind that there is a small chance of post-seizure vomiting before the person is fully alert. Therefore, the person's head should be turned so that any vomit will drain out of the mouth without being inhaled. He was fully alert after that. The boy looked at me in the eyes and gave me a weak smile. I stayed with him until the coach stopped at another station and he was brought out by some personnel to get a proper medical help. The old lady hugged me in tears, saying that thank you wasn't enough. The event wasn't long, it lasted for a good few minutes but everything just happened so fast. Honestly, I didn't do much, I just help the boy with a little knowledge that I learnt in medical school.

There are types of seizure - such as generalized absence seizures or complex partial seizures which involve relatively brief episodes of unresponsiveness. If you ever find yourself caught in these situation, there are ways to help the person in need.

1. Stay calm

2. Make the person lay on his/her back

3. Put anything under his/her head

4. Loosen the tight clothes

5. Turn the person on his/her side & make him/her set

6. Prevent any injury

7. Pay attention to the length of the seizure

8. Make the person comfortable as possible & keep onlookers away

9. Do not hold the person down hard. (If a person having a seizure thrashes around, there is no need to restrain them)

10. Do not put anything in their mouth. ( A person having seizure is incapable of swallowing their tongue)

11. Do not give the person water, pills or food until he/she is fully alert

12. If the seizure continues for longer that 5-6 minutes, please call for emergency

13. After the seizure, the person should be placed on his/her left side. Keep in mind that there is a small chance of post-seizure vomiting before the person is fully alert. Therefore, the person's head should be turned so that any vomit will drain out of the mouth without being inhaled.

14. Stay with the person until he/she recovers.

For once in five years (med school), I was grateful for the lessons that I learnt in the hospital and classes or even when we had mock exams (we did the course on our classmates). I was grateful because I can at least help a person before he get a proper medical help. I was grateful because I was confident enough to offer my help even I'm not fully qualified to help (I am still a medical student). I was grateful because the old lady had put her faith in me and I exceeded her expectations to help her grandson.

All in all, it was a great experience for me. I do pray for the boy to be in a great health now.