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!