The thorny road to my very first HiveFest

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(Edited)

I celebrated 5 years on Hive blockchain 2 months ago. Actually, it was Steem at the beginning. And every year I salivated over general excitement about the annual Hive (Steem) Fest, but there were always more important reasons to spend my short vacation and modest wage. Also, the guilt prevented me from spending that money on myself and going out far away to have fun, while my husband would be working hard during the day and spending the rest of his time searching for ready meals and clean socks.

Dreams

But deep down, I always dreamed of attending the event and even calculated how much it might cost. And in the end, I told myself "NO", the next few months I felt bitter and jealous (if I don't confess, you still won't believe me), looking at the feed with posts about preparation, registration, etc, and then with lots of nice memories.

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To be or not to be

The line of fate sometimes makes very unexpected turns. The irony is that the year I go to the fest is the hardest year for me. Last year I took out a mortgage loan (a kind of, you'll say - a silly optimist, and you'll be right!..), and you can imagine how income and expenses have changed during wartime.

On the other hand, this is without exaggeration a unique opportunity, especially now. When I learned that Hive Fest would finally take place, a little joy, or perhaps hope, flashed in me. And then I sighed and gave myself the same reason as always, supplementing them with reminders about the mortgage and the war in my country.

However, when @arcange proposed me the same, I took it more seriously. It was as if he convinced me, but in fact, I just needed the support of an outsider who sees the situation objectively. Moreover, he.was soo.kind and offered to help, although he did not know at the time how much trouble he would have to deal with me.



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Okay, the decision is made. Where to do next? For many years I planned and organized our trips myself, but it turned out that I had lost the skills.


Hotel

I started from the end, that is, booking a hotel. Everyone was talking about the fact that there is an unprecedented surge in tourism in the post-covid world, so I need to hurry. And I was in a hurry. I looked at Airbnb and Booking and realized that the prices had changed significantly over the years since I last visited Europe. In the end, I chose the Volkshotel.


Transport quest

Next, I should solve one equation with several unknowns. How to get from Kyiv, Ukraine to Amsterdam, Netherlands. I looked at the fanciest routes, from car sharing to Flixbus. The plane turned out to be the most realistic and cheapest, and I don't depend on other people (or they don't depend on me). The plane from Warsaw, Poland.

The next quest was to get to Warsaw. Train, bus, or car, in order of preference. Train tickets appear on sale 20 days before the trip, at 8:am sharp. I made all preparations, set the alarm clock, checked the process a few days before, and created an account.

On the appointed day, I got up early, turned on my laptop, and waited for the tickets to appear. They appeared at 8:00, I quickly chose a car, a seat, added it to the cart, and clicked Checkout, or whatever. Hooray! Then entered my name and surname, selected additional options, pressed the submit button, and ... "This place is already taken." Whaaaat? No time to think, I return back to search, there are still free sits, I repeat it again... "This place is already taken." Damn it! The third try, 1 last place and... yeap, it is taken too. 8:03, and it's over.

I could decide whether should I scream or burst into tears. No, there is probably a chance to get a ticket at the central rail station. They should have a quota. I rushed to the railway station, but no, they don't have a quota. My hope vanished. At that moment, I felt every kilometer that separated me from Amsterdam.

Now, the only option was Flixbus. The option I so much wanted to avoid. Oh, and one more night to book in Warsaw, because I might not be in time for my flight, and after at least 16 hours sitting in a bus with my back, I don't know if I'll be still able to make next hop on the same day. On the way back, I will have 4 hours to get from Warsaw airport to the bus station to get on bus back home.


Presentation

One last thing, but not least, is my speech. The text, and pictures for slides. I prepared them on my laptop. It fell asleep this weekend and never woke up again. If he were a human, I would say that this is a wonderful death. But it's my work tool, damn it! Yesterday I got another one, totally empty, and I am still in the process of installation and setup. The good news is before it I uploaded my speech to Google Disk, and it's finished.


The other stuff

Small things that could hinder my trip. Like booster shot, insurance, baggage restrictions, covid test, delays, queues in airports, strikes and so on. But now I know that this is not the worst that can happen.



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When Hive Fest was announced, September seemed so uncertain. A lot could go wrong during a war. I didn't believe until the last that there would be a war, now I believe in the worst. But here I am, seems that I am to come over at last.

Finger crossed, and see you there! ❤️



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58 comments
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I very much hope you will be there! I can't imagine how hard it must be to travel from a country torn by war. If everything goes well we can have a chat in real life when we meet in Amsterdam, happy to see you there!
!LUV

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Me too, looking forward to seeing these nicknames in flash 🙂

Thanks for the token! 🤗😘

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(Edited)

I think they should award a prize for the person overcoming the most travel difficulties to attend HiveFest! I hope everything else goes smoothly for you!

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I think they should award a prize for the person overcoming the most travel difficulties to attend HiveFest!

LOL. Thank you, dear Melinda! I just realized that at this time in 7 days I will be on my way to Warsaw. Can't believe it

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I will be watching the Live feed to see you there! ♥️

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You always show so much support, since my very first post on Steemit and throughout all my road.
I very much appreciate it!
xxx

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You're a brave woman, can't wait to see youbon stage. Also you're right, this war has tough us that tomorrow is not promised.

Good luck, have a lot of fun and can't wait to see your presentation 😀

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Good luck, have a lot of fun and can't wait to see your presentation

Thank you! Will you be there? Please say you will be! 🙏🙏🙏

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Unfortunately I won't be there this year, but no worries, we're going to meet one day 😉

I'm looking forward to watching you on the stage!!! 💪

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Congratulations @zirochka! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s):

You received more than 22000 HP as payout for your posts, comments and curation.
Your next payout target is 23000 HP.
The unit is Hive Power equivalent because post and comment rewards can be split into HP and HBD

You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word STOP

To support your work, I also upvoted your post!

Check out the last post from @hivebuzz:

Our Hive Power Delegations to the August PUM Winners
Feedback from the September 1st Hive Power Up Day
Hive Power Up Month Challenge 2022-08 - Winners List
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Glad you decided to go, I am also in the crossroad, a bear market and also a rushed escape to europe will end up costing me more. I hope I can link up with someone to get an Airbnb, and hopefully get a better acomodation at a lower price.

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I wish it be settled up for you in the best way 🧡

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Good luck with the travels on the bus, I hope it will not cause you too much pain. One day I wish to go to Hive Fest, so you will be living my dream.

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Thank you. Your dream might come tru one day as well

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Yes, there is always hope.

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countdown starting, I can't wait to meet you at last !!!!

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me too, me too!! I was going to write this post long ago, thought it would inspire someone to join maybe ) but it's late for that now ) and I liked your idea of creating HF card. will they use it to make badges maybe?

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These challenges are making your first Hive Fest experience all the more memorable :) I wish you the best as you prepare and look forward to the day you're going to meet other Hivians on the fest!

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Hello beautiful friend @zirochka. I see you have had a busy few days.

Wowww friend what a process that you have had to live to fulfill this desire to attend the event after so many years. From here I give you all the good vibes in the world and that you can attend this meeting with so many dear people, after so many years of belonging to this wonderful blockchain. You will make it, I already want to see that post giving that speech and showing wonderful pictures.

Kisses hugs and many blessings. 🌹

Ah here I leave you something that I made with much affection, I do not know if it is appropriate to do so, but I did not want to mention in the post, but leave it here.💙💛

https://peakd.com/hive-189504/@dayadam/a-detail-for-ukraine-hearts-in-quilling-paper-technique-engesp

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Congratulations @zirochka! You received a personal badge!

Congratulations on the purchase of your NFT for Peace.
Thank you for encouraging peace in Ukraine and helping civilians who suffer from war.

You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking

Check out the last post from @hivebuzz:

Our Hive Power Delegations to the August PUM Winners
Feedback from the September 1st Hive Power Up Day
Hive Power Up Month Challenge 2022-08 - Winners List
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УСПІХІВ У ВСЬОМУ! Ось, що значить молодість!))) Ти виправдовуєш свій нік - СПРАВЖНЯ ЗІРОЧКА!!!

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It's great that you can finally make your dream come true! Festivals are always unforgettable experiences and pleasant meetings. I am sure your presentation will have a lot of attention.
Good luck @zirochka! 🌟

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Thank you! The most important is that this is a chanse to bring more attention to NFT For Peace project and overall situation in Ukraine.

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Definitely! As far as I understand, you are one of the initiators of this project.
I hope you will succeed!

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Ні, ідея була не моя, а Arcange, NFT малювали хлопці з команди Hivebuzz, а я вже шукаю, де і як використати кошти, і роблю звіти

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Дякую вам за роз'яснення! Ви робите велику справу. Нехай НiveFest подарує вам багато радісних і приємних емоцій.

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$WINE

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I felt stressed just reading this! Well done for your persistence. You totally deserve a break. ❤️

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Thank you! 💛
And yes, break is badly needed.

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Safe travels, enjoy every moment meeting everyone!

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Thank you, Joan 🧡
It's so exciting to first met people whome I am following for 5 years

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It will be great to have you there. I can promise you will really enjoy it.

See you in Amsterdam.

!PIZZA

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Looking forward to meeting you in Amsterdam next week!

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Oh, how exciting that you can go and I am happy for you! As long as I have followed your blog, I'd love to give you a hug, in-person, but I will not be there. I will be watching the live-stream, though, and I'm looking forward to your presentation! I hope you have a wonderful time in Amsterdam! 😊
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Have a great time there! 😀

Wow! Kiev to Warsaw - that is a long bus ride!

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Thank you! 🙂

Kiev to Warsaw - that is a long bus ride!

Yeap, but the sky is closed for civilian planes.

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(Edited)

I'm glad you've found a way to get there @zirochka! I promise you the feeling of joy and accomplishment you have when you make your speech will make it well worth it. I'm sorry to hear about your laptop dying! I bet you were in panic-mode.

I had a thorny road too (for different reasons). When I was speaking there at the 'Fest in 2016 I came down with a horrible cold on the flight over and could barely talk but somehow made it through. Also, back in '16 I had to scrap my entire speech that I prepped for weeks before because the structure of the program changed at the last minute.

Enjoy your moment on stage! You will do great. You will also look back at the memory of that moment years from now and it will make you smile.

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(Edited)

I promise you the feeling of joy and accomplishment you have when you make your speech will make it well worth it.

First came a great relief. 😄 Then, when I calmed down, I replayed it in my head, realized how much I've missed, and I was disappointed about myself. And then, people came and told me what it made them feel, and it meams that my main goal is achieved.

I can imagine how did you feel when you got sick before your presenting, all the more when had to remake it at the last moment. But your right, after years it will make me smile.

Thank you!

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Congratulations on having the courage to do it. Now, you are a part of the history of Hive. I have to find a recording of your speech to watch. I’m sure it was wonderful!

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