Na Shel Praha

The end is officially upon me. I am sitting on the plane about three hours outside of Portland, and the realization that my trip is over is hitting me pretty hard. I currently am confused on how exactly to feel. I am so excited to get into the airport, hopefully fly through customs and security, and walk through the gates to see my loved ones. But at the same time, my heart is heaving with the awareness that the city that I feel in love with is now going to be experienced only through memories. I have to return to normal life, which means going back to intricate classes, returning to work, and assuming all other responsibilities. It is is both intimidating and exciting. I am ready for the challenge, but slightly hesitant to jump back into everything to quickly. I'm so thankful that I have two and a half weeks of winter break so that I can relax, adjust, and enjoy my family and friends.

The last few days have been quite hectic. With friends leaving at all different times, "good-byes" have become apart of the norm. It is draining to become so attached to people for four months, and then suddenly say bye to them, not knowing when and if a reunion will occur. Yesterday was jam-packed with last minute activities. Meredith and I were up until four packing,  then we woke up at seven to say our farewells to our friend, and then at around eleven the staff came to our room to do a damage inspection. Immediately following, we rushed around showering, cleaning, and finishing up packing. I had some last minute I needed to grab so we headed out to spend our last time downtown. We finished our errands, and then we got to enjoy Prague. We took pictures, went to our favorite spots, and soaked up the beauty one last time. We headed back around five and finished packing. Our room was quite crazy as it is already quite small and Meredith and I had our huge suitcases in the middle of the room, as well as stuff on every vacant surface. It was sad to see our room become more and more bare. Until we packed, we hadn't realized how attached we had come to our room. Our friends were in the room with us almost the entire time. We were all so sad to be separating that we basically stayed together all day just to spend time together. At around seven, a group of our eight closest friends were to Cafe' Louvre for our final dinner together. It was surreal that this was the last time we would share a meal together. It didn't seem like we were leaving early the next morning. A friend had the idea that we would all write a letter to each other and then read them while on the plane. So after returning from dinner, we all sat down and wrote letters to each other. It was such a cool experience to sit and reflect about all of the past memories, funny stories, and touching moments we all shared. I will miss them all very much! 

As we approach Portland, every minute I get more and more excited. It will feel odd to be back in the US again, but I think I'll be very happy. There has been a lot of talk through our program about "reverse culture shock" which is exactly as it sounds, culture shock when a person returns to their home country and has to re-adjust. I consider myself fairly adaptive so I think I will be okay, but I'm a little worried. I have already noticed a few uncomfortable situations in returning. When standing in the airport waiting for our flight from Frankfurt Germany to Portland, I was overwhelmed with how much English I was hearing. In Prague, we rarely hear english except amongst ourselves. This means that everything is a lot quieter for me because while out and about I'm completely disconnected from outside conversations since I do not understand them. When we were waiting in the line, my head was oscillating from all the many conversations occurring. I was trying to keep up with all of them, just because my mind understood what they were saying, It was as if I was on "eavesdrop over-load." It was an unexpectedly awkward situation. My honest opinion is that I will adjust fine, but I'm just going to be patient with myself and take all the time I need.

I cannot believe this is my last blog entry. The end really is upon me. Studying abroad has been by far a major highlight of my life thus far. After an emotional good-bye to everyone, we loaded into the taxi and once I stopped crying my friend Chelsea and I were in awe of everything we had experience since being abroad. I am a changed person. My eyes as well as viewpoints have shifted to a global perspective. I have learned so much about different cultures, and their relation to the world. I have enhanced my perspectives deeply. I will take away invaluable qualities from being in the Czech Republic. 

Real quickly, I just wanted to thank my parents for being so amazing and financially as well as emotionally support me through the last four months. This entire experience would not have happened without them. Also, I want to thank Joe. Me being gone for so long was hard on him, but he was always positive and supportive of me. He never once showed weakness. He is my rock. And lastly, I wanted to thank everyone for reading my blog and being apart of my trip. I loved all the comments and feedback. It was a blast for me to be able to document my trip and deliver details in a fun way. 

Two hours away, and my heart is really beating fast. I am filled with anticipation as I am quickly approaching a day I have been day dreaming about for months. I cannot wait. For now, I'm going to try to close my eyes for a few minutes and try to pass the time. Na Shledanou Praha, Hello America! 

An End in Sight

It completely blows my mind that in a week from today I will be back home in the states. It seems like I just got here, and am finally settling, but now I'm preparing to leave. It is a bitter-sweet realization. I am so sad to leave this beautiful place. My life here is much different than how it is at home. Here, I walk amongst castles, cathedrals, and  beauty. However, thinking about what I will gain by leaving makes my heart skip beats. I cannot wait to jump into the arms of the love of my life, Joe. The thought of kissing Kamaya and Donovan places an instant smile on my face. The fact that I get to finally hug my parents is so exciting. Getting to see my amazing sisters and  brothers is thrilling. I am losing much, but gaining more!

Since it is my last week in Prague, I have been really busy. We have been waking up early the past few days and doing some last minute tours and spending lots of money buying souvenirs. As of last Thursday, the weather has been getting much colder. It has been snowing off and on, which has been so exciting to see. Despite our numb toes and freezing noses, it has been a blast wrapping up our trip here in Prague. Tomorrow (Sunday) everyone is going to stay in all day and prepare for the upcoming finals. I have one final Monday (Nutrition, Behavior, and Culture) and another Tuesday night (Sociology of Globalization) and then I have my last test Wednesday (Psychology of Partnership). Thursday our program has invited us to a "Farewell Dinner," which I'm really looking forward to. It is sad to think I will soon have to say good-bye to all of my friends I have met here. Friday my friends and I are going to do our "Last Supper" dinner together, and then that night we are staying up until three in the morning until our taxi comes to take us to the airport. I am traveling with Meredith ( my friend here who is also Concordia) and Chelsea, who is from Portland as well. I am flying from Prague to Frankfurt Germany, and then straight on to the Portland. I will be the happiest girl in the world at 11 in the morning on Saturday when I arrive home.  

With Christmas around the corner, and the quickly approaching departure date, I have so much to look forward too. However, closing this chapter of my life is hard to do. I will miss so much here. I feel so blessed to be able to have had this experience. I will never EVER forget the memories that were created here. 

Old Friend, New Memories

This past weekend my friend Robin came to visit. He was our German exchange student my senior year of high school. It was so great to have him come visit. In Germany, it is mandatory to do nine months of either military duty, or community service. He was healthy enough for the military, os he is currently serving his time. He has every weekend off so he took advantage of his free-time, hopped on a train, and came to Prague. He came in Friday evening at around 7:30. The train station was quite a bit bigger then expected to it took a while to track him down, but when I finally found him, I was elated! It was so great to see a familiar face in Prague. We went to this American restaurant with a group of my friends immediately after leaving the train station. The food was great. I had vegetarian chili, and everyone else had American style burgers and fries. It was really fun, because there was this big black guy who was singing blues music. He would sing for a while, chug some beer, and return to singing. It was quite entertaining. We came back so Robin could drop off his heavy bag, and headed out to "Futerum." It is a dance hangout in downtown Prague. We had a lot of fun because it was 

American 80's and 90's music. We headed back to the dorm and quickly fell asleep. The next morning, we slept in a little. When in the barracks, Robin has to be up by 4:45, so it was a luxury for him to sleep until 11. We got ready for the day, and were out the door by noon. I got to play tourist guide and show Robin all over Prague. We walked all over the city. We stopped for lunch at a bagel place, which Robin was so excited about because bagels are nearly impossible to get in Germany. After lunch, we walked across Charles Bridge, which is always filled with tourists. We entered Old Town, where Christmas spirit is in full swing. We walked through the Christmas markets and admired all the pretty Christmas decorations. We then made our way across to to Saint Wencelos Square where Robin took some pictures and shopped around a little. The day quickly passed by as we walked all over stopping to admire the beauty of Prague. At about 4:30, we headed back to the dorm to rest our tired legs. Before Robin and I made plans for him to come visit, I had signed up through my program to see the Ballet of Romeo and Juliet. It worked out that one of my friends who had also signed up could not go and gave me his ticket so Robin got to come as well. It worked out so well. I made some dinner, and then we changed into nicer clothes and headed out the door again. The theatre was gorgeous. Every aspect of it was stunning. The ballet lasted a little over two hours. It was incredible. I absolutely loved it! After the ballet, Robin and I posed for some quick pictures and then a group of six of us went to Cafe Louvre for some dessert. I had warm apple strudel with vanilla ice cream, and Robin had blueberry cake. It was so yummy. We headed back to the dorm quite tired, threw on our PJs, and watched the TV show "The Office." It was so relaxing that before I knew it I was fast asleep. The next morning, I woke up and got ready for the day. I feel bad that Robin usually has to wake up so early so I hopped on the internet and let him sleep for a while. After a little while I began the task to attempting to wake him up. After many failed tries, he finally rose to greet the day. After he was ready, we headed for Prague Castle. We stopped along the way and had some lunch. We went to a little Czech cafe that was pretty good. I had Smazeny Syr (Fried Cheese) and Robin had Weinersnitzel. With out stomachs full, we hiked up the hill to the castle. The castle is completely out-shined by the beautiful St. Vitus' Cathedral that stands tall behind it. Robin really liked the cathedral. After taking some photos, we realized it was later then we thought and headed back to the dorm so He could grab his bag and head for the train station. It was quite the journey across town to the station, but after arriving we grabbed some coffee and said our good-byes just in time for him to catch his train back to Germany to be in the barracks by ten. I was sad to see him leave. He is such a great guy, and really fun to be with. Everyone here adored him as well. It was fun to have an excuse to redo all of the tourist things in Prague since I leave next week. The weekend was great since I got see an old friend, and create new memories. Thanks for coming Robin! 

The Snow Fell In Vienna!

Well, its official. Vienna was my last weekend trip while abroad. This has both positives and negatives. This means that soon I come home! But...my amazing trip is nearing its end. As of today, I come home in two and half weeks. Okay, I cant get a head of myself. The weekend of November 21-23, I went with my program to Vienna Austria. I knew it was going to be a good trip when on our way there, it began snowing. We stopped at a gas station and I was seriously so excited. I woke Meredith up on the bus so she could see the snow. Mind you she is from Montana where she sees snow often, but I was just too excited. We had a great bus ride and arrived in Vienna around three in the afternoon. We immeditely threw our bags in our room and went out to see the city. The beautiful snowy weather quickly turned on us as it began to pour down. This was not a typical Northwest shower, this was heavy drenching rain. In order to escape, we quickly found a little cafe' were we ordered hot chocolate and warmed ourselves up. We headed back to the hotel to change our clothes and figure out dinner plans. Our friends Cort and Andrew lucked out and got a huge suite on the top floor, so we hung out in their room a lot. Meredith's and my room was quite little, so it was nice to have a place to go and stretch out. We were told by one our program directors about the restaurant around the corner from the hotel that had Austrian cuisine. Since the weather was still quite bad, we figured the closer the better. The restaurant was pretty good. As with most eateries in Europe, it was very smokey. Everyone tried weinersnitzel, but I ordered a salad. To my surprise the salad was huge. It was literally a salad for a family of four. Everyone had to end up helping me finish it since it was so massive. Following dinner, we went to the Christmas markets where they sell home-made arts, crafts, and food. It definitely got me into the Christmas spirit.  Following our outing, we put on warm cozy clothes and hung out in the boys room and played games. We had a blast. The next morning, we woke up fairly early and made it to breakfast in the hotel restaurant. We were so pleased because it was the most "traditional breakfast" we have had since leaving the US. There was scrambled eggs, toast, cereal, and the list goes on. It was great. We were then split into groups of about ten, and were led on a professional tour around the city. Our guide was a lot of fun. Many of the guides are often mono-toned and talk endlessly about history, but she was really interesting and fun. After the tour, we walked around some more on our own and visited the museum of "Crown Jewels." It was the pocessions of the Hapsberg Empire, and of course all of the jewelry and clothing was just as elaborate as it was beautiful. When we left the museum it was snowing again. We got to have a snow ball fight which was a blast. We explored the city for a little while but it was pretty cold so being outside for long periods of time was not easy to bear. We then decided to grab some quick lunch from a street vendor, which proved to be a bad idea for me. I ordered a slice of cheese and spinach pizza, which ended up not sitting so well with my tummy. I did not feel well until we returned to the hotel, and got whatever was in my stomach out! Sorry if that was graphic, but I felt a lot better. That night I got to take my first bath since leaving home, which was amazing. I was so satisfied. The next morning, we enjoyed another great breakfast and departed Vienna. We made a stop at the Hapsberg's summer palace. It was beautiful. The snow covered grounds complimented the castle well. We ate at a famous cafe', had warm apple strudel, and explored the gardens behind the palace. It was so pretty, but quite chilly. After a few hours we headed for the bus and headed back to Prague. Vienna was such a beautiful city. I would love to visit again when it is not quite so freezing outside so I could spend more time outside. The city was completely prepared for the Christmas holidays. They had lights, decorations, and Christmas trees everywhere. Though it was my last trip which makes me sad, it means that I'm one step closer to being with those I love! 

Stockholm, Sweden

Well, to begin with, I must apologize for being quite behind on my posts. My internet port was broken for about a week, and then I had midterms so I have had trouble finding time to sit down and post. But here I am! The week of the 12-16th, me and four friends flew to Sweden. We caught an early flight and arrived in Stockholm at about one in the afternoon. There is a company in Europe called "Ryan Air" and they are known for their cheap flights, so of course being cheap college students, we flew with them. This proved to be a bit of a mistake as we quickly realized upon our arrival. You know the saying "Too good to be True?" There is usually a catch when tickets are this cheap. Ryan Air cut a major corner by advertising flights to Stockholm, so one would automatically assume a flight into the city center right? WRONG! We landed into a small airport that was one and a half hours away so we then had to buy bus tickets that were almost equal to our flights and travel the distance. It turned out to be a nice ride as we got to see lots of the country side of Sweden, which was absolutely beautiful. The sun sets at about 3:3o and is completely dark outside by 4 so by the time we arrived in downtown Stockholm, it felt like it was midnight outside. We were starving so we grabbed some dinner and then walked around a bit. The city was gorgeous because it is surrounded by water. The best part was that it was all decked out for Christmas, so it made it even more stunning. We turned in for an early night from the full day of traveling. The next morning, we dressed in multiple layers anticipating the cold and headed out to greet the day. We decided to walk down to the harbor and take some pictures. It became stunningly clear to us how cold it was outside, so after a few hours of freezing, we headed for a cafe to thaw out and get a warm drink. I have really come to adore my friends here. We just sat and talked for a while and enjoyed each other's company. After a while, we decided we needed to enjoy the last few hours of daylight that was left. We walked to Parliament, The Castle, and many other tourist attractions. We noticed how expensive the city was, so we tried really hard to budget the things that we spent our money on. Compared to Prague, almost every city is expensive, so we would try to pack a lunch and then ate out for dinner. That night we ate at an India restaurant. We tried to find Swedish food, but could not find a place, and our hunger was not patient so Indian food had to do. We headed back to where we were staying, took really hot showers, and watched a movie. The third day, we got this crazy idea to go to the ferry station and see where the destinations were. We entertained our spontaniety and almost went on a 16 hour trip to Finland, but decided that would leave us with no time left in Stockholm. It would have been a blast, but in hindsight I'm so glad we stayed in Stockholm. After leaving the ferry station,  it was pouring down rain. Within minutes, we were completely soaked. While standing in the metro station, my boots we so wet, I could scrunch up the front of the shoes and wring out lots of water. We trudged through the cold and decided to visit a Museum of architecture, which was pretty cool. We grabbed some dinner and headed back. The next day we met up with some friends who were also in Stockholm and walked over to a park that was next to a lake. It was such a beautiful walk. The weather was much nicer to us, so we really enjoyed the walk, and also got some great pictures. We stopped off at a Muffin Shop, and had some muffins and tea. We then did some souvenir shopping, and decided to try to have an inexpensive dinner so we ate a little restaurant that had kebabs, pizza, and fries. After filling our stomachs we headed back to pack. The next morning we caught a bus at 6:00 and then a flight at 10:00. We made it back to our dorm around 2:00 in the afternoon. It amazes me how much comfort I have found in the Kolej. It used to feel not so cozy and very bland, but now I relish in walking in the door and feeling instant comfort. Of course this feeling does not even compare to home, but for the time being, I have come to really enjoy my room here. The trip was a blast. It is definitely in competition for one of my favorite trips. Everyone there was very friendly and found the fact that we were Americans really fascinating. One guy wanted to shake all of our hands. It was a very welcoming city, and I was sad to leave it. 

A Tragic Event- Auschwitz

I keep finding myself sitting down to write this post, and then feeling at a loss for words, and finding something else to do instead. It has been a cycle for the past few days. I just am having a hard time coming up with words that can begin to capture what I experienced there. I have come to the realization that I wont. Once I chose to study abroad in Prague, I always knew that part of the trip was a visit to Auschwitz, which was a concentration camp for Jews. Auschwitz was the final resting place for over 3 million people. It was the one thing that I was not excited about on the trip. It is not that I wanted to be naive or distant from what happened there. I just knew that standing in that place would be a horrible feeling. And it was. We woke up early Sunday and had breakfast in the hotel. We then boarded the buses and drove for about an hour south of where we were staying in Krakow Poland. People on the bus seemed to be in a good mood. No one really knew what to expect. As we pulled into the parking lot, an AIFS employee who came along for the trip stood up on the bus and tried to prepare us for what was to come. He said that it is not easy to walk around the camp, and that naturally we are going to feel upset. He said that is was fine if we needed to come back to the bus early, because it is possible that some people would not be able to handle being there for long. We then unloaded off the bus and walked in. We entered, just as the Jews did, under a large metal entryway that read "Work will liberate you." The entire place looked different than any picture I have ever seen. To walk along the paths made my stomach physically hurt. I had images flying through my mind of innocent people, lost and confused, being ordered around. Auschwitz is divided into two camps, I and II. We were currently at I where many of the buildings had been turned into museums. They walked us down to the first building, spoke for a little while, and then we were free to explore on our own. I felt as though this was something I needed to do by myself, so I went in building 11. Inside I immediately noticed that along the walls hung pictures of men. Their picture was taken in three different poses, the first facing forward, the second turned to the side, and the third looking up to the corner. It looked much like a mug shot. At the bottom of the pictures was their name, age, and occupation. All of them were people, innocent people. Many of them were early twenties and students. At the end of the hallway it was posted that all of these men had been killed. After I left this building, I walked across to building number 27. Inside was exhibits set up that brought the startling reality of how many people were killed. There was a huge glass box in the middle of the room and it was filled with eye glasses. I have never seen so many glasses in my life. When the Jews were brought in, they were intensely questioned and if they had any defects (bad eye-sight) they were almost always sent directly to the gas chambers. In the next room was a similar exhibit filled with hair brushes and combs. Those who made it past the questioning and were approved to live were stripped of all of their personal belongings. There must have been millions of combs in this one room. It was unbelievable. There was similar exhibits throughout this building, but I found myself overwhelmed so I ventured out. It was sickening to be walking around and stumble across a platform that was used for hangings. It was just sitting there up against the sidewalk. My heart hurt at the sight of this. The other buildings that I went into were filled with horrific pictures, videos, original outfits that they were forced to wear, as well as personal belongings. After a while, I could not go into any more of the buildings. I walked past a black platform where the Nazi's would perform roll call from everyday. It said on the sign that during roll call, it was common for the men to collapse because they were so famished. Often when this happened, they were immediately shot due to disrespect during a formal encounter. Next, without fully knowing what I was walking into, I found myself standing inside a crematorium. There were long brick boxes lined throughout the room. Each station was covered with candles, flowers, and ribbons. Quickly noticing how much I did not want to stand there, I quickly exited. The last building I went into was dedicated to the children of Auschwitz. This was incredibly difficult to experience. There was not a lot of pictures of the children simple for the fact that when most women and children arrived, they were almost always immediately sent to death because they could not offer the camp anything because they were to weak to work. The one thing that I read and will never forget is that at night no one could sleep because the kids that did make it were so famished and malnurished, their skin literally rested on top of bone so when they would move or shiver, it would tear their skin as it moved across the bone and they would lay and scream the whole night. Reading that made me feel sick, as I'm sure it does to you too. I walked along the outside of the camp and just hearing my feet along the gravel was disheartening. The air was clean, but it felt heavy. I realized I had enough and headed for the bus. We drove a short distance and arrived at Auschwitz II. This is the camp that most people see photographed.  The camp was in its original position, which made it even harder to handle. We walked upon a long gravel road and stopped at the gas chamber. It was constructed out of brick, but since there has been no restoration, it was badly damaged. Again, it was surrounded by candles and such. It was so hard to look at. We then entered the barracks where most of the Jews lived. There was wood bunk beds where they slept four to a bed. The room was dark, cold, and felt evil. We listened to our guide talk about the lives of the Jews there. It was almost unbearable to listen to such horrific facts and stand where this tragedy took place. The same AIFS employee from before announced that he could feel as though we had all had enough. He said that he could see a change in all of us, but they he felt it was a good idea if we left. I completely agreed. It makes me feel weak that I had such a hard time simply walking there, in comparison to all that the Jews endured there. When we got back on the bus, there was a different dynamic to everyone. It was not a typical bus ride filled with loud college students. It was a bus ride filled with people who had just received a small taste of the tragic event that had occurred not too long ago. We were all changed. I still feel as though I did not really encapsulate what I felt, but I don't think I can. Something that grievous has no words. This was a experience I will never forget. It is something that should have never happened, and has no excuses. My heart breaks for those families who are still grieving their loses today. May we always remember the innocent people who were stripped of their lives.

Po-Po-Poland!

Last night I returned from a weekend trip to Krakow Poland. We left very early Friday morning and drove about 10 hours (due to traffic and many bathroom breaks). I was really excited for this trip. I slept a good portion of the ride, and read the rest. Once we arrived, Meredith and I went straight to our hotel room to drop off our stuff and refresh ourselves from the long ride. AIFS does a great job of finding us really nice hotels. We often feel spoiled, though the hotels are probably average when compared to one's on the US. The beds were so comfortable, that once we sat down, we did not want to get up. But our growling stomachs had another agenda so soon after we found ourselves, as well as a group of friends, on our way down town to find a spot for some dinner. We walked around for a while trying to find a location that had "pierogi." Though their official country of origin is unknown, they are typically referred to as Slavic cuisine. They are basically unleavened balls of dough that are filled with cheese or meat and are boiled into the consistency of a dumpling. Try as we might, we were unable to find a place so we went to a tourist spot that had a wide selection. They were a very "meat based" country so I settled on the infamous cheese pizza. After a long day behind us and an early morning ahead of us, we decided to call it an early night. The next morning, we arose at 8, and headed out for a guided tour of the city. I am not sure what I was excepting, but Krakow definitely went above and beyond my expectations. It was a beautiful city. Krakow is the leader of Poland's science, cultural, and artistic scene. It is visited by millions of tourists a year, and though it is not the capital today, it was from 1038-1596. We walked all around the down town area where the streets were lined with modern shopping stores placed in varying types of European architecture. After walking around for a few hours, we were dismissed for a few hours of free time. What do five girls do with free time? We went shopping of course! They had a really neat tent filled with little stands of vendors selling unique goods. We bought a few souvenirs, and were on our way. We grabbed of quick lunch and headed back to meet the group for a tour of the castle as well as the Jewish quarter. It was of course beautiful. The cit of Krakow is much more religious then Prague and the other cities we have traveled too. Since last week was "All Saints Day" many of the sites were surrounded by candles, and flowers. They also had a lot of religiously affiliated statues, such as previous popes', Mary, and Jesus. Since Prague is incredibly atheist, it was nice to see such statues and such. The Jewish quarter was very interesting. After WWII many of the Jews felt very unsafe there, and fled to other cities were they felt more support. Today there are only an estimated 150 Jews still living in Krakow, which is a dramatic drop from previous times. After hours of walking and exploration, we headed back to the hotel and took a brief rest on our "oh-so-comfy" beds. We then headed out for dinner at around seven and ended up eating at a Georgian restaurant. I had a burrito with stewed vegetables. It was good food, but at this point anything other then cheese pizza is good! We went back to the hotel and Meredith, I, and our friend Josephine stayed in and hung out in our hotel room. The next morning, we were greeted by an annoying 7 am morning call and headed out for the day. We stopped a long the way at Auschwitz, and then drove about 8 hours back to the Kolej. I plan to write about Auschwitz later on this week. It was such a draining experience, I need a little longer to process it before I can put my thoughts into legible words. I promise I will though! I just got back last night, and now I have a few midterms tomorrow, and then I leave for Stockholm Sweden Wednesday morning! Boy, life sure is rough :)

The Praha Zoo

This past week it was a Czech Holiday, so we had a week and a half off of school. Lots of people took advantage of the break, and planned trips. Meredith went to Barcelona with a few friends. I choose to stay in Prague and take advantage of the few weekends left we have here. All of November, I will be traveling every weekend, so I really wanted to mark some attractions off my list. The zoo was a big one. It seems quite off to think of a medieval European city having a zoo, but Prague's zoo is actually rated the sixth best in the world, beating out the infamous San Diego Zoo. Being the devote animal lover I am, I was so excited to go. It turns out the weather was not going to give us sunshine, and rained the whole time we were there, but it was still a blast. Virtually everything we do is within the city limits, but the zoo is positioned on the outskirts, so we had to take a tram four stops, then the subway three stops, and then board a bus for about 5 stops. It was quite the journey. When we arrived, it looked a little like the Portland Zoo. Partly because of the dreary weather, but it was nonetheless very pretty. It was landscaped with waterfalls, big hanging trees, and of course beautiful exotic animals. We got to see bears, penguins, giraffes, elephants, tigers, monkeys, and basically every animal that is usually at the zoo. All of the maps, and signs were in Czech so we went in circles and got lost a few times, but it was so much fun. We stopped for lunch at a little cafe and had "smazeny syr" which translates to fried cheese. It is just as tasty as it is unhealthy. The zoo was spread out over a lot of land, so we got our fair-share of walking in for the day. Being that it is a big tourist attraction, lots of Americans were there, so it was refreshing to hear some good 'ol English. After about 4 hours of exploring, we decided we had seen enough and headed home. We were cold, muddy, and enthused on the way back. It was so much fun. I felt like a little kid again running from one exhibit to the next. Everyone is back now from their long trips. Since they do not celebrate Halloween or Thanksgiving here, they are already pulling out the Christmas decorations around the city. It is so exciting. They are telling us that it will start to snow soon. The city will look so amazing with decorations and snow. I cannot wait. Well I will be sure to write after this weekends trip to Krakow Poland! 

Sigh of Relief

Just wanted to write a quick note and let everyone know that my passport arrived this morning, and my visa is in tact. I could not be more excited. I am simply relieved, though I always knew God was in control. Thanks for all the prayers!

Germany for a Day

This past Saturday the 18th, we took a bus to Dresden for the day. It was a completely free trip, so why not right? We got up to our annoying alarm clocks at 6:30, and took off down the free-way. It was a fairly short bus ride lasting about 2 1/2 hours. Everyone else slept, but I anxiously starred out the window. Let me explain, for those of you who have not heard the great news, I was officially approved for my visa, and I had to send my passport back to the US. My mom sent it off to the Czech Embassy in LA, where it still remains. Until then , I am in a foreign country with no passport.  I am hoping they will quickly return it back to me with the visa in place.  I was told that I should be fine without it, since they have established the European Union, but I was nonetheless anxious. The way they explained it to me is that because of the EU, its like traveling in-between states within the US. Its not really that simple. Though it is easier to move about from country to country, it is illegal to do so without a passport unless you are a European citizen. Luckily, I never had an encounter with an immigration officer. Ok, back to Germany. We arrived at about 11, and went on a tour of the city. Just a little background of this special place: In 1945, during the second World War, the US bombed Dresden, which left the entire inner-city basically destroyed. It has since been rebuilt with architechture that is structured to resemble that of the past. It was such a beautiful city. It is situated around the Elbe River, which of course added to the beauty. Dresden was much like most European cities in that the buildings were incredible. The city was filled with museums, traditional German restaurants, and endless amounts of tourists taking photographs. Following the tour, we went to a restaurant and grabbed some lunch. I had onion soup and a salad, but everyone else had very Germany meals. They had sausages, pretzels, and beer. Meredith was disappointed in her lunch. It consisted of a cold slab of meat that was basically the left over meat from many different types of animals held together by a gooey gelatin. She was not satisfied. We followed up lunch with some gelato, and walked around the city to do the tourist thing. After weeks of being here, we still stand in amazement at the structures. They are absoloutely incredible. There was a sadness to think that they were not originals, but duplicates, but they were still amazing. As we walked around the city, there was pictures, both painted and photographs, of the city when it was leveled, and bodies that were killed during the explosion. It was sad to think that the US was responsible for such a tragic event, though I fully accept the fact that I am not "war" minded, and therefore I always think it is unnecessary. Anyway, after we took some photos, we did some souvenir shopping, payed 75 cents to use the bathroom ( they are never free in Europe :), and spent some time in a Beer Garden. They are very common in Germany. They are just an area, usually like a park setting, where there is tables and chairs set up and people can order a beer and some food, usually a pretzel or sausage, and sit for as long as they would like and enjoy nature. I hate beer, but I love the setting, so I had fun. After this, we explored a little more, and headed back to meet the group. After boarding our bus, we headed back for Prague. I was still a little anxious, but after multiple people told me I had nothing to worry about, I found myself fast asleep almost the whole ride back. I woke up just as we were pulling into the city. It was such a fun trip and mind-blowing to think that Saturday I was in Germany for the day. The thought never leaves my mind of how blessed I am to get this experience! 

The Kolej

I have had many occasions where people ask me about my dorm so since there is not to much going on this week, I figured it would be interesting to make a post about it. I'm not going to lie, on September 7th, when we pulled up, it took me a while to believe this was where I would be spending the next four months. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, it was just a little shocking. We live in a "kolej" which translates to student dormitory. It was constructed during the communist era in Prague, so it is simple and slightly bland on the outside. The rooms were bigger then we expected, but bigger does not always mean better! Our mattresses are very thin, and are more of a pad than an actual mattress. There are four girls that live in each suit. When you walk into the room, there is an area to hang coats, the "WC" which is the bathroom, a shower room, A small kitchenette, and two bedrooms. It is quite roomy. The bathroom is very little. There is about enough room to shut the door, spin in a circle and sit down. To flush, you put a handle that is attached to a container of water mounted to the wall. You have to close the lid before you flush, or needless to say, splashing occurs ( I learned from experience upon arriving here :). The bedrooms are very communist, for lack of a better term. Everything in the room is marked with a six digit number, so the room feels very "rented." We have pretty standard furniture, a bed, wardrobe closet, chair and a desk. It is plenty. They supply a pillow, sheet, and a blanket, which is great because I didn't being any of those. They have maids here who come every day and change the garbage, mop the floors, and every three weeks give us clean bedding. They are always really sweet, though they don't speak english, so not to much communication occurs. I am still adjusting to how common it is to smoke anywhere here. People can walk around anywhere in the Kolej and smoke. It is crazy considering how strict the US has become. There is unique smell inside of the rooms, and up until a few days ago we had no idea what it was. Last weekend three rooms flooded, and the girls were freaking out, called the resident director, and were stunned at how calm she was. Come to find out the Kolej floods often, and as a result there is now mildew in the walls. They said they will probably have to start looking for a new building to host the international students next year for health and safety reasons. I thought that was so crazy, so now I'm paranoid to leave anything on the ground. When I leave I try to put stuff on my desk, chair, or bed. I brought so many clothes, it probably would not hurt to lose a few articles of clothing though haha. As far as I can tell, the kolej is in a good, safe area of town. It is located about fifteen minutes outside of the downtown area, so we just walk up the street a few blocks and catch a tram. It is in a nice area, especially right now with all the fall leaves everywhere. There is a park across the street, and a few little markets throughout the neighborhood. A guy from Cincinnati moved to Prague and started a restaurant right behind the Kolej, which was a genius idea because he gets a lot of business from all of the international students here. Its not healthy food, but it sure tastes good. At night when we are walking around, and I see a homeless person sleeping on a bench, or on the street, suddenly I feel so thankful for the "communist bland" place that I get to come back to every night! 

My Trip to Budapest, Hungary

This past weekend, me and a few friends took a bus ride to Hungary. We have an awesome school schedule, which means no classes on Thursday or Friday, so Wednesday night we stayed up all night and then left at 5 am to head to the bus stop. The ride was interesting. There are times that I look out the window and feel like I'm in the US in a rural area, because it looks so similar. From prague to Hungary was about nine hours, but the bus was a lot like flying. There was a hostess, who served snacks and a drink. There was also movies which were in English, so the ride went by quickly. When we arrived, we spent about an hour walking around trying to find out hostel. We finally stumbled upon it, threw our stuff in the room, and headed back out to find some food. We at at this little greek place that had really good food. Everyone had a gyro, and I had a greek salad and some cheese bread. It totally hit the spot. We then wandered around the city. As with most European cities, Budapest had an incredible castle. It even had a moat surrounding it, which was still maintained. We spent a while there, just observing the amazing architechture and of course did the tourist photo taking. We spent the rest of the evening exploring the city near our hostel and then headed back, because all of the yawning got the best of us due to our no sleep. The next morning we woke up at nine and headed out to greet the day. We bought a tram pass so that we could go farther and not waste so much time walking. We rode the tram in the downtown area, and were instantly amused. The city was so incredible. Aside from the immaculate buildings and beautiful scenery, the people were so friendly. As I have mentioned before, Czech people are not fans of tourists. They are usually quite unfriendly, but the Hungarian people seemed excited that we were there. They asked questions, and went out of their way to make us feel welcome. It was also possible to cross the street in a crosswalk and have the drivers actually stop and let you safely cross. In Prague, it is a daily risk to cross the street :). Anyway, after we walked around what we thought were the important spots to see, we decided it would be fun to experience the thermal spas that Budapest is known for. The country is basically sitting on top of a hot spring, and the have developed spas where the water is pulled up and left untreated. When we walked into the building, it was really quite funny, because it did not look like the location for a spa at all. The building was very large and ornate looking. It had large columns and the ceiling was beautifully painted. It looked just like a museum, but people were walking around in speedos and white robes. There were four areas in this particular building. There was a pool inside, and a spa (hot tub) next to it, and then the same set up was outside up on top of the building. It was such a pretty view. We were there for almost three hours. It felt so good since we had been walking basically that whole day. Afterwards, we were quite hungry so we had this restaurant on while we were walking. It had to of been one of the best meals I have had since being in Europe. It was just pasta with vegetables, but for some reason, it was amazing. We also got desert. I had chocolate crepes which was so yummy. We walked back to the hostel, and met a guy who was staying the night there as well. We went out to this pub where everyone had a few beers (no worry I had one mixed drink and stuck to juice :) and the guy came along with us. He is from England and had been traveling for almost nine months. We asked him where he was going next and he didn't know, so we told him he should come see Prague, and he is now coming in three days. Its so crazy that some people have no schedule or commitments, and just plan their lives one day at a time. Saturday, we woke up to a rainy day. We walked to a little cafe and had tea and a muffin and spent the morning just talking. I have really come to adore my new friends. They are such awesome people, and we have a blast together. We stopped in a few shops and bought some souvenirs and then headed back to the hostel to pack. Chelsea and I left a day earlier then the boys because the bus for today (sunday) was sold out. We slept for half the ride and then just talked the other half. We finally pulled into Prague at about 11:30 last night. It amazes me that we have only lived here for about a month, yet getting back last night was such a relief and a comfort to be somewhere familiar again. Hungary was a blast, but so far nothing beats Prague! 

The Start of a New School Year

It blows my mind that here it is October, and I'm just now starting school. In one way, it is sad end to a long summer break, and in another way I'm excited to be back to a routine and be productive. I was mistaken in thinking the professors were from the US. They are all Czech citizens which has proved to make classes a little difficult. It is funny because whenever we talk to anyone around here who speaks English, they always ask us to slow down because our "American accent" is too strong. My initial response is to think that I do not have an accent, but of course to them I do. The teachers here are all fluent in English, but there is definitely still a language barrier. They all speak with thick accents, and very quickly, so we often have to ask them to repeat themselves or to slow down. It is not easy to zone out during class, because everyone is so concentrated just trying to understand what they are saying. It has been interesting thus far, but I'm sure as time goes on we will begin to better understand each other's accent. I'm taking five classes while I'm here. One of them was my immersion language class, which only lasted two weeks, but was five hours a day, for ten days. It was a lot to learn, but I'm really happy with it, because I can now get around the city and ask questions in Czech. I am also taking Sociology of Globalization, Psychology of Nutrition, Personalities in Times of Transition, and Art and Architecture. I am really happy with my classes so far. I go to class Monday-Wednesday, which is nice to have such long weekends, but classes are three hours long. I have about 9 weeks of classes and then a week of finals. I am thinking it is going to fly by. I am kind of a nerd who enjoys school, so I'm actually really excited to get going with my classes. 

I am leaving in the morning for Budapest, Hungary. I am going to be there until Sunday. I am traveling with four other people, whom are also in the same program as me. We found a safe and affordable hostel so it should be an awesome time. For all those who have not heard, I was finally approved for my visa, Praise the Lord! In the upcoming weeks, I will be going to Germany in a few weeks, Poland in the beginning of November, and then to Austria a few weeks later. I feel so blessed and privileged  to be able to do all of this. Thats all for now. This picture is of my school, Charles University. Sorry for the random people in the picture, but there are so many people here that is is quite difficult to get a picture with no one in the way! 

COLDPLAY!

So last night I went to the Coldplay concert, which for those of you who do not know who they are, go buy their CD now, because they are amazing. The show was in the o2 Arena in Prague, which was such a big place. Since we had no idea what the ticket said, we had a hard time finding out seat. We looked like lost puppies, and we could not ask any of the ushers because they did not speak english either. After we finally found our seats, we anxiously awaited for the band to make their appearance. When they finally did, everyone went crazy, and I mean CRAZY! It was so loud, but don't let me fool you into thinking we did not contribute to the noise! The band is so incredible. They played so many great songs. I wondered how all the Czech people, who was basically everyone besides us, got into the music since it was in English, which was refreshing to hear. After the show, the subway was crammed so tight with people. I was pretty claustrophobic, but I just watched the videos of the band, and made it through the ride. Overall, it was an amazing night! 

Czech, Colds, and Confessions

First off, sorry I have not posted in a while. To be completely honest, not much has happened lately. On Monday I began my Czech language course, which I went to Monday thru Friday for five hours a day. Just a random fact that expresses my frustration with the class: It has been said that Czech is the third hardest language to learn, following the African click, and Hungarian. This language is almost impossible. The only comfort I have in taking this class, is that everyone is just as bad at it as me! I have one more week of it, and then I'm done. I did learn basic phrases such as "Dekuju" which is "thanks" and "Prosim" which is please, but other then that, its all really a blur. Instead of just teaching us basic phrases that we need such as ordering food, or asking where the bathroom is, they are teaching us adjective tenses (affirmative and negative) and noun genders (male, Feminine, and Neutor). Needless to say, I will not be coming home speaking Czech :) 

Then yesterday both Meredith and I woke up with bad colds. We knew we had it coming, since they told us in orientation to go ahead and buy cold medicine ahead of time, because almost everyone gets sick due to the stress on the body from culture shock. They were completely right, almost everyone here is sick right now. We are being hermits in our rooms, bundled in whatever clean laundry we can find, watching movies. It is nice to get in some good rest every once in a while.

So now that I have explained the first two topics in my title, let me explain the confessions portion. I am having a BLAST here. It has been more fun that I had anticipated. I have meet the nicest people, learned how to interact in a entirely different culture, and even learned some Czech on the way! But here is my confession...I'M SOOOOOO HOMESICK! There I said it! Whew. That may not come as a surprise to some of you, but its very true. It could just be that I'm frustrated with this language course, and enduring a bad cold, but the fact of the matter is, I long for a hug from my mommy, and a good night sleep in my own bed. 

Now, do not let this alarm you. I am doing just fine. I knew I would be really homesick here, I mean come on, the most I go without seeing my family is one to two weeks, where as most college students only see their families on breaks and during the summer. However, I know that this experience is helping me grow up a lot. I am learning to do things completely by myself, which is something I know little about thanks to my parents and joe who constantly are helping me! I know that I am going to walk away from this experience so glad that I did it, as I can already see growth within myself, but know that all of you are so important to me and I miss you VERY much! 

My Weekend in Morovia

This past weekend, we took a trip to Moravia, which is a small historic region in central Europe, east in the Czech Republic. Friday we left early in the morning. It just so happened to be my birthday, so the whole bus sang to me. It was a lot of fun. We got there around 4 in the evening. Charter buses are comfortable, but nothing compared to a bed. Meredith and I headed straight for our hotel room and grabbed a nap. Before we knew it, it was 5:30. The charter bus took us into the heart of Brno, which was the city nearest us for some dinner. We walked around for a while and finally settled on this restaurant that looked nice. One thing I have learned is how different the service is over here. When I ask a waiter for something they act in a way as if they are going out of their way for you. Another difference is that this culture views meals as more than just eating, but as a time of fellowship with one another, therefore meals are expected to be a lengthy process. We were seated for about an hour and a half before we received our food. It has been an adjustment, but now we all enjoy the time. That night, being that I was officially 21, everyone wanted me to get drunk. Drinking is not really my thing, but in celebration I had one drink, and tasted a few others. Overall it was a good birthday, however I really missed my family, friends, and of course the love of my life Joe! Saturday we woke up early with lots of things to do. We toured the city of Brno with a tour guide, went to a cathedral, and toured a monastery. The best part of the day was that our program AIFS, rented out a restaurant in a wine cellar. It was so beautiful. They served wine with dinner, and had a wine tasting with grapes and cheese. It felt so classy. Sunday, we had a early check-out and headed for the road. We stopped off at a cave, which was discovered in the early 1900s. We walked through the caves and were able to take photos, and visually explore the sites. I thought it was so pretty. Then we boarded a boat and went for a boat ride through the cave, which  of course was a blast. Unfortunetly, I, not lots of people, were not dressed for the very cold weather, but we still had so much fun. The bus ride home was a mixture of catnaps and good conversations. Though I have only been here for two weeks, the apartment felt so nice to come back to. This weekend was a lot of fun! However, the intensive Czech language course began this morning, so vacation is over and now I must study hard because this language is no walk in the park. 

My First Day Off

I am so excited that today I had absolutely nothing planned as far as tours or excursions. Since I left the US I have been on a schedule. Daily, we go on tours, trips, and special events. Don't get me wrong, everything so far has been incredible to experience, but it is nice once in a while to have a lazy day, and when I say lazy I mean LAZY! The day begin with me sleeping in until noon! It was so great so sleep until I naturally woke up, versus running around, grabbing whatever I can find for breakfast, and boarding a bus full of students. Meredith and I both took our time getting read. Okay okay I didn't really get ready. I pulled a sweatshirt over my head, threw on some jeans, and pulled my hair into a ponytail. We headed out to the tram to catch a ride to the city. We had coffee, shopped a little (I finally found a purse with a zipper), and then headed back to the apartments. We both spent some time on the internet, and then had some friends over for dinner.  If you don't go out to eat, it is a little hard to find things to eat. I had a piece of pita bread with lettuce and a slice of Gouda cheese. It was interesting. We then went for a walk around the city. Can I just remark how gorgeous Prague is at night! Its seriously unreal. We went up by the Prague Castle and over to the Cathedral. I literally stand with my head cocked straight up for minutes and minutes just starring at the intricate detail. It was incredible. We headed back and now I'm packing for the weekend. We are taking a three day trip to Moravia, which I'm so excited about. I'm really loving it her more and more. I try my best not to let myself get to homesick by staying busy. Tomorrow may be a little tough since its my birthday and I'm so far away. I have met amazing friends who I know are going to make it special! Thats it for now! 

Terizin

Today we went on different trips all over the city. The trip I went on was to the two of Terizin. Terizin is a area that was inhabitated with a large Jewish population. We toured all over the city. We began in the heart of the city, which was called town square. It was little, but nice. Later we walked up to a museum, and if you have ever been to a Holocaust museum, you can can relate to the heaviness I felt as I walked around looking at the images. We got to visit the towns chapel, as well as a few other buildings. Then the hard part started. We took a short bus ride to the concentration camp that was built in the town. We stopped off and walked along the railroad tracks that carried the Jews from the town to various concentration camps. Our guide explained that the Jews had no idea where they were being taken at first. It was so hard to listen to these words, now knowing the fate that most of them had ahead of them. We actually got to go inside the camp and see where they lived. They slept in wooden bunk beds, four aligning the width. I will never complain about my hard bed here in Prague again. We also go to see where the resistant Jews were put in solitary confinement. The room was so small, and cold. There were words on the brick walls of the camp that read in English, "Work Will Liberate You." We all know that was deceitful lies. I can only imagine the hope they felt as they read those words. We also went into a room that had metal piping hanging from the ceiling. Our guide asked us what we thought the room was, and we all could tell it was there they showered. He said sadly no, though thats what the soldiers wanted people to think. The Red Cross would tour the facilities, so the soldiers would fake them out and put in "humane" features, but in reality, none of the Jews were allowed to shower in there. I was disgusted when I heard that. The part of the tour that was the hardest was when we walked through an underground tunnel, which our guide explained was the tunnel to death. The Jews would walk through this tunnel hand-cuffed, knowing their life would soon end. As we walked the half mile, there was little noise. I imagined what went through their heads, and what they were feeling inside. When the end of the tunnel came, there was three structures. A grassy knoll in front of a brick wall, which the Jews would be forced to stand and be shot, a station where they were hung, and the gas chamber. The whole day was obviously humbling. I feel so grateful for everything I have. I do not understand how the German soldiers justified what they were doing. All I know is that my heart breaks for each and every Jewish individual involved. 

The Beautiful City of Prague

Its official....I'm in love with Prague. Its so beautiful here. The streets are made of cobblestone and brick. The buildings are either castles or extremely ornate. It almost seems like an unreal place. However the insane amount of smoke, car honking, and people shoving me out of the way quickly brings me back to reality. Almost everyone uses public transportation, whether it is the tram or the underground tracks, they are packed with people. Bring that we are Americans and everything is so new to us, the locals seem to be irritated with our constant picture taking and the always present "ohhhhs" and "ahhhhs." Being such a touristy city, one would think english would be more prevalent, but it is actually quite difficult to find someone who we can ask a  question or get some help from. Meredith (the girl who is also here from my school) keeps telling me I was too sheltered, because I am constantly taken back by the rudeness  of people. I just think everyone should respect every other persons space and presence. Apparently the people in Prague disagree with my thinking :). I have been trying to find a purse that zips, because pick pocketing is very common here. The locals will actually team up on a tourist and one will bump into them roughly, and while the tourist reacts, the other will grab their wallet, or other belongings. Still all of the negatives cannot over shadow the unique beauty that this city holds! 

Europe, I Have arrived!

Sorry I have not posted in forever! I have not had an internet connection until ten minutes ago. First off, Thanks for all the prayers for my safe traveling. I had no problems. I first went to Munich, Germany for two days. It was such a pretty city. We went on a professional tour and visited a beer garden (no worries, beer is not my thing), which was so cool. Its a gathering of a huge group of people, who sit at picnic tables in a park and eat, drink, and get to know others. The food of course was much different that the US. They were into sausage, pretzels, and beer. Anything outside of that was hard to come by. The next day we drove in a charter bus to Prague. We stopped on the way at a brewery called "Pilsner," which is supposedly very famous. We had lunch there and pulled into our apartments around six. After we looked around a little, we found a really cheap pizza place and had some dinner. The language barrier is pretty tough. We do not live in the touristy part of Prague, so finding someone who speaks english is proving to be more and more difficult every day. The Czech people are not to friendly. The seem to be annoyed with out questions, and picture taking. As I begin to unpack, the realization that I am not going anywhere for four months is starting to hit me. This is it for now. I'll post more frequently now that I have internet! 

Preparing For Take-off!

Hello All,

Just wanted to write you all a quick note. This is my official blog to keep you updated on what I am doing while in Prague. Due to the nine hour time difference, it will be difficult to maintain regular communication so this will make it easy to hop on and check out what I have been up to when its convenient for you! I will be quite busy over there so I will try to post as often as possible but for sure once a week. Though I am so excited to go, the reality of not seeing any of you for this long is also hitting me. I will miss you all VERY much!

One last note...This blog is not meant to replace personal communication. This just a quick way to see pictures and hear about general events from me. PLEASE email me at blessed3111@yahoo.com and I will for sure write back. I also have a web cam to stay in touch with. My skpye name is Kayla Weathers. I am totally anticipating homesickness so always feel welcome to contact me!

That's it for now! I leave in 11 days and have so much to do. My next post will be within the first week of September when I am slightly settled. Thanks for all the support and prayers!