Europa!

2009-07-01T16:30:00.001-07:00

I'm back in the states.

Mixed feelings....

I am- and have- become

2009-06-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

Hm, wow.

I suppose it's Day 30+ now for backpacking, and 5+ months for the total time here thus far.

Hah, I lost track. And I'm sick of counting. I sort of "finished" out the last of my backpacking trip in Italy in the last week, and took a train back to Germany to be stationary again for awhile.

Diez has definitely become a second home to me, or rather, my home away from home. The community, the people, the language, even. I find myself dreaming in German, constantly thinking in German, and when I am alone I do things like say "ja, das ist gut" to myself, or "ich denke auch", even though I'm not talking to anyone. It's like a constant recital that I'm ready to perform at any given moment. And speaking of... in my backpacking travels, when I arrived in different countries such as Poland, Croatia, Hungary, Slovenia, etc... I noticed that you could usually find a handful of young adults who spoke English, but as for the restaurants, shops, and adults I met in between, most didn't. They either spoke their native language or.... yes, you guessed it... Deutsch! Ah, who'd have thought (well, actually, makes sense)... but how convenient that I was able to still communicate by speaking German in all these other countries as an American traveller? I just found that so cool. Languages rock my world. Cultures rock my world, too! Man, I love travelling. Being on the open road (or valley, main square, field, ) is a BE-YOU-TI-FUL thing!!! love it, love it, love it.

I also love that I'm not hauling around a 35lb death sentence anymore... Or rather, it was a life sentence, as it kicked my ass and forced me to be a bit healthier! It was a love/hate reltionship with my hiking bag. It felt right when I slipped it on every morning. It felt absolutely right, like it was meant to feel exactly this way. But, then again, at the end of every evening when I dropped to my knees and let loose my aching shoulders, that, also, felt right. It's something I cannot really explain- and perhaps my love affair with my hiking bag is something you are either extremely creeped out about or have no interest in.

Either way, I certainly consider myself leaning towards a professional hill/stair climber now, although I may still be in the pre-levels of training compared to those normal woodsy people who just seem to bounce up mountainsides like they're weightless stick figures being carried by the waves of the wind. I don't get how those people do it. Yes, backpacking is HARD...for me, at least. I'm out of shape, though, so you have to give me some credit for spending a month entirely on my feet with heavy bag stuffed full of clothes and well-intentioned camping gear that wasn't used enough, and who knows what else. *sigh and stretches*...eeeh. Can't complain. S' done me real good, tho. ;) I have learned so much from this. SO much!!

Whether it was just a physical challenge, or the fact that it pushed me to be more, I am not sure. Both, I think. Also, it opened up my eyes to being forced to learn how to adapt and adjust... hopping on and off of trains and in and out of several different countries with several different curriences, languages, people, and cultures...all the while travelling by foot and alone in each destination, not sure where I am going or what I am doing day to day. It made for a great journal, and I plan to humor myself in my return to the states with attempting to slide these documentations in between the pages of a hardback, perhaps. We'll see. I doubt I'll have time on my hands, as when I return to the states, I'll be needing a full-time job to pay off the euros I've shed, both in sweat and survival, and will have to pump out one last year of university. Hmm. The days to come are ones I am not quite ready to think about.

6 months of liberation. 6 months of freedom. As of today, it's been actually about 5 months and 21 days.... but in 3 days I'll have reached 6 months. :) wow! Half of a freaking year! It's just crazy to think about.

To me, there is a timeline with these things, and certainly, after 3-4 months, you start feeling like you sort of could belong and are no longer just a "tourist" - which is how you are usually viewed for the first day-3 months. But once you hit 4 and perhaps spill over towards 5+, I think it becomes a serious thought. A serious time. A serious adjustment. And at 6, I definitely feel as though I have, how do you say, "made the shift." I no longer live day to day in an English speaking country with my native family and friends, nor do I live in my own country. I live in Europe now. I live by the seat of my pants. I live day to day. I live with no timeline. I live breathing in whatever comes my way, and in an entirely different realm than home. And here, I am happy. This is where I belong, in the moment, in the now. Everything is clear here. Everything. And in the states, I never, ever feel that way. For a number of reasons, I am sure.

"Home". I throw that word around too much. What is home for me? I don't know. For the past 6 months, home has been Diez, Vienna, several different countries, and most importantly, my hiking bag. My bag contains my entire life here, outside of my body and soul. My entire life for the past half of a year is the weight I bear on my shoulders every day, all day, and it is not only symbolic, but metaphoric as well. It certainly represents that I am presently aware of what I have here, of what I hold here, and the meaning it has for me. It simply cannot be expressed correctly in words.

I have so much more I want to say, but suddenly I feel as though this is enough for now. I am afraid that once I tip the ink jar over too far, the ink will come spilling out onto the paper and will spread and seep and soak up the empty air in front of me...and I need time. I need to stop for now.

This is one of those moments where I really believe in myself.

I left the USA, and in doing so, I approached the plane, peeled off my old skin, stepped out of it, and walked onto the plane, gasping for "air". I LEFT "me" behind in search of the real soul inside that has been longing to escape for the past 10+ years. Especially the last 4 years,which is how long it's taken me to come back here. And in reaching my destination, I stepped off the plane and INHALED. Ah. I am alive. THIS, whatever it is I am made of right now, is exactly what I am supposed to be. How to explain that to everyone back in the states who knows me as the skin I left behind... I just don't know. But it has to be made known that I don't know that person anymore. It was who I was but never wanted to be, and I need everyone reading this to remember that. I can only be who I want to be. Not who you need me to be. And I never, ever again want to be who everyone else wants me to be. Because then it's not ME. it's YOU, stepping into ME. and I am ME. YOU are YOU. And that is simply how it will always be.

Oh, there is just so much to say. Perhaps it will never be enough.

KAH-mping! yes!

2009-05-27T05:29:00.001-07:00

hey everyone...

I have been on the road for some days now... this post puts me at Day 13! I can and cannot believe this is really happening. Everywhere I go and everything I see is affecting me in some way, shape, and form. This is definitely a HUGE learning process, and soo much growth is taking place. It shocks me, really. You never have any idea until you´re doing it. It is absolutely fantastic.

Here is a short breakdown::

Left Vienna, went back to Germanyž

Left Diez and headed to Berlin for a few days.

Berlin to Krakow

Krakow to Budapest

Budapest to Ljubljana

Ljubljana to Bled (camping here)

...thats as far as I am. I am not sure what the days ahead bring...that is the both awesome and frightening thing about traveling without planning. Sometimes it works out just great and sometimes it is a long and exhausting experience, but nonetheless, it is always rewarding at the end of the day. I have not regretted any decision i have made on the road, yet.

I know people are curious as to my favorite place so far. To be honest, Prague offers the best scenic view and the greatest quaint and old-town feel. For me, it felt like anyone who stepped foot in Prague should automatically belong there. It just had that feel. Best experience, though, is Krakow...by far. definitely met some amazing people there and stayed at a great hostel. I really enjoyed the town and everything had a really good feel. It is one of those places you don´t want to leave behind, but know you have to.

Thanks for those of you that read this... I don´t update much. Sorry. I will try to get some updates pictures posted on facebook when I can find a cheap internet cafe.

over and out.

it's time to pack the bag.

2009-05-05T07:20:00.000-07:00

Right, so I haven't updated the cyberworld in a long time, but I don't have the energy or the desire right now to fill you guys in on lots of details that seem so far behind me now, so let's just cut to the chase:

- I finished my semester in Vienna in the beginning of April. It was really great overall and I took a lot from it.

- I moved back to Germany and was planning to only temporarily stay here in Diez to visit my friends, but days turned into weeks, and I'm still here. In between, my friend Matthias hooked me up with a job nannying for his older brother's kids, and it's going really well.

- I decided 5 minutes ago that I'm leaving my nanny job at the end of next week. I might give it longer, in case my knee and ankle need time to heal, (I re-sprained my ankle and cut open my knee) but I should survive.

- I'm going to travel like originally intended...I don't know all the details, but it's going to happen.

- When I'm done traveling, if I still want to stay in Europe for the summer, the family said they'd welcome me back as a nanny for the remainder of the summer. Or I'll return "home" to the good 'ole US of A.

...we'll see. So that's the updates.

Also... I really feel so distant from some people at home right now. My good friend Angie is getting married in about 2 weeks and I haven't even talked to her since around Christmas time. I really miss her, though, and wish her the absolute best on her journey ahead. Everyone's getting it together- that's for sure. Taking a hold of their lives, getting married, getting pregnant, getting "real" jobs. It's good. I'm happy for them, I really am.

...I'm not ready for that chapter, though. I'm just not ready.

Trieste, Italia!

2009-03-23T02:48:00.000-07:00

The harbor of Trieste

another picture of the beautiful harbor around sunset...

(L-R) Corrinne, me, and Hannah with Trieste in the background!

2009-03-23T02:37:00.000-07:00

Ah, I am so bad at updating this...

Alright, here are some updates for those following!:

-Went to Trieste. By far my GREATEST experience yet in Europe!!! Trieste is a port city, and overlooks the harbor of the Adriatic Sea. It is absolutely breathtaking!!! There is a piazza in the center and it's just this wide open square on the water, lined by restaurants, important buildings, and cafes. The town itself is reaaally small compared to Vienna, so that made it impossible to get lost!!

-In Trieste:

- I had Gelato for the first time!!! (real, Italian Gelato, of course. I would have to say I don't have a favorite. Every flavor I tried tasted amazing).

- I had great italian pizza. The fresh chunks of mozerella and tomato basil one was my favorite!

- We went on a beach walk along the harbor and it was one of those walks that you could look in every direction and not be able to catch your breath because of the scenic beauty! The shoreline was magnificent... so surreal. It really was just incredible. Then we visited Miramara Castle (see my facebook pictures!) and walked through a beautiful garden with Palm Trees!!

- Saw Castle San Giusto... an old ruins castle with an amazing view of the entire city!

- Enjoyed and savored the Italian lifestyle. I couldn't have felt more refreshed there! (It helped that the weather was GREAT).

- 7 students from our group are officially done with their classes here. Pretty much everyone has left to return to the states. A few are travelling with their parents or families for a couple of days and then returning, but goodbye was goodbye. I will really miss everyone, as we've all gotten along great. Friendships were formed, and I really feel blessed to have met such amazing people. The dynamics of our group are incredible. :)

- The 10 of us left have 2 more weeks of classes and are officially done with the program on April 2nd.

- After April 2nd, I begin my backpacking trip!!

- My next post will be sharing my itinerary in brief with you guys!

- I miss everyone back home. Shout-outs to y'all! (you know who you are)

Trieste!!

2009-02-25T13:29:00.000-08:00

I am going to Trieste, Italy this weekend!!!

It's our one excursion as an entire group and faculty, and I'm really rather excited!

Our train leaves the train station around 6:30am tomorrow morning (bright and early! It wouldn't have the same affect any other way...) and we arrive in Trieste about 7 hours later. We're there until Sunday, and we arrive back in Vienna late Sunday night.

Yay! I've always wanted to see Italy, and travel to different, lesser-known areas. I hope the weather stays nice, and that we're able to really take a lot from this trip.

I'll write an update sometime after I get back.

Ciao!

PRAHA!

2009-02-09T12:24:00.000-08:00

Hey pals.

I wanted to write a little bit about my experience in Praha, mostly just so that I don't forget about it...and of course, to share my thoughts with those reading as well.

You know, my intentions of faithfully writing in my journal are always so much higher than the amount of times I actually write in my journal. I do have a travel journal- two, actually- and they are both really nice. One is more of a personal, reflective journal about my experiences and different moments I encounter, see, feel, etc. while I am here. Angie Cunningham and I picked it out before I left the US, and I absolutely love it. It's really a perfect journal for traveling. My second journal is one that my parents gave me for Christmas, and this one is definitely more practical. It has waterproof seal pockets for keepsakes along the way, and a place for envelopes and letters. The pages are lines, like regular paper, and grids on the back for maps or directions or drawings...I guess for whatever I want to use it for.

Anyways... I never wrote about Praha in either journal- so I shall do so for a little bit now!

A few weekends back, 5 of us decided to go to Brno in the Czech Republic

together!

It was Andrew, Jake, Kevin, Hannah and I, and we decided we would meet at the Sudbahnhof (south train station) early Friday morning, purchase our

train tickets, and head to Brno It sounded like a good plan! We were really looking forward to it...so to celebrate the trip that lie ahead, a few of us got together to hang out and have some drinks. It ended up being more than a few of us ( 6 or 7, I think?) and we got some cheap beer and liquor from the stores and headed to someone's flat.

The night took way quickly! We were listening to music for awhile, talking, looking up weird and hilarious things on YouTube, watching Hannah's uncle become a star on YouTube (sorry Hannah, but it was kind of creepy), and playing King's cup. I had bought a thing of 9 Jägermeisters, and had downed 7 of them by the end of King's Cup. Two were drank by other people. :) They didn't seem all that strong at first, so it wasn't a big deal to me...but as the night went on, and I had two beers, some wine, and a few throwbacks of some really, really strong 80% stuff...I realized that I was getting pretty drunk. So we started playing some more good music, singing the Beatles, and taking an endless amount of pictures (which we only recalled vaguely the next day).

On our way home that night, we had an adventure. Jake was drunk, but insisted he knew where we were. We call him "Google Earth", because he originally claimed that that's his nickname, due to the fact that he never gets lost. Well, shit, it turns out, HE.NEVER.GETS.LOST. It's held it's truth thus far and proven to be quite a mystery....but, nevertheless, in my midst of being tipsy and trying to be sober, I sadly yelled "Google Earth is drunk! I am lost..." Because, I was convinced we would never get home in the conditions the three of us were in. We somehow made it to the bus stop alright and the three of us ended up huddling, hugging, and singing the Beatles really loud in unison. I can only imagine how awful we sounded, and how ridiculous we looked, but we obviously didn't care. T'was good times....We got to the stop where we needed to catch a bus back to the Sudbahnhof, which was very close to where we lived, and I think we were zoning in and out of being absolutely wasted, and being rational with the conscious awareness that we had drank too much. Either way, Hannah almost missed her stop, but then didn't, Jake thought our bus was going the wrong way, and somehow, I proudly took on the role of getting us back home safely. Even though I didn't do anything but make sure we got on and off the busses at the right time. I am still proud of myself. This is a huge thing for me. You have to understand my lack of direction in order to appreciate my new role, here.

Soo, anyways, as we all trudged back to our flats to get a few hours of good sleep, we knew we had

to get up early and pack for our weekend adventure to Brno in the Czech Republic...and thus, the real adventure began...

Jake, Hannah and I all show up at the Sudbahnhof early enough to get tickets. We text Kevin & Andrew and find out they are on their way. 10 minutes later...another text. Oops. they're on the wrong streetcar and going the opposite way. We have their tickets, and are about to be late for the train, so we leave the tickets behind and book it for our train. Thankfully, we just made it, and borded our train with one destination in mind: Brno. So, it's us 3 settling in on the train. We swap stories from the night before and laugh a lot about it...because it was much more funny the next morning. We browsed through pictures we didn't remember taking...and there were like 30 pictures of all of us together. I don't know why the hell we felt the need to take so many! It was a lot of fun. I felt great that morning, actually...which was the opposite of the others, but I guess I built a strong immunity to the alcohol the night before! I was suprised I didn't feel sick at all after all that and almost nothing to eat that whole afternoon and night.

Either way, we shared stories and talked about who knows what as we found ways to waste time. Our train ride was only supposed to be a couple of hours, so as the time ticked on, we were starting to wonder why we kept passing train stations that didn't have anything to do with Brno. When the conductor came by to check our tickets a second time, we asked when we would arrive in Brno. He laughed, and told us that if we wanted to go to Brno, we would have had to switch trains a ways back. He said "You're heading to Poland now. But Poland's nice!" Hahaha...and, our reaction wasn't much. We shrugged and were kind of like "oh, shucks, what now? Welp, guess we'll go to Poland."

during this time, Kevin and Andrew were on a different train heading to Brno at a later time than us. so we text them saying we're switching plans and heading to Poland.

then we decide to get off at the next step, which is Ostrava. Ostrava is located in the north-eastern tip of the Czech Republic....and Brno is located in the southeastern part! We knew Brno wasn't that far, but questioned whether to just turn around and go back to Brno. Then we saw trains to Prague. We wouldn't have gone to Prague, except another chunk of the group was already in Prague for the weekend, and we had decided to not join them and do our own thing...until now. The 3 of us decided to screw Brno, screw Poland, and just head to Prague. Jake was the only one who had been there before. To me, I didn't really want to go yet, b/c I wanted to do more family research, but anytime is better than none! so Prague it was. We bought tickets for the next train out of Ostrava and text the boys once more: new destination: PRAHA!

A bit of side information: Prague (Praha) is where my last name originates from. I don't know the whole story on that, but "Praha" and "Raha" sound very similar, do they not? Basically, through generations, the "P" from "Praha" was dropped and eventually my last name just became Raha. Yay! I am also Irish...and many other things...but I know my last name's origin lies within the city of Praha. This has a lot of meaning to me! Family is huge to me...and family history is even more interesting. I'm disappointed I don't know more about it, but am not giving up my search for my identity! Never!

right. so..... we're hungry, and decide to check out Ostrava. We walk around a bit, take some pictures,

and find an old restaurant. Hannah and I order

coffee, Jake orders tea. Something you have to know before I continue: Coffee is my stronghold. Fork is to knife, as Amy is to coffee. We go hand in hand. I just cannot function without it. It is a blissful fix I have; one I look forward to and hold no shame of. So, to continue... Hannah and I get our coffee....and...we stare in disbelief. The cups of coffee had spoonfulls of coffee grounds in them! What is this atrocity!?!?

It wasn't filtered- AT ALL! In fact, at first, I almost laughed...we must have ordered wrong and miscommunicated what we wanted. But then I started to wonder if maybe the culture was so different here that they possibly drank the coffee and chewed on the grounds as well. I couldn't believe I was even questioning these things as I stared at the cup. Hannah and I didn't dare drink it, so we started spooning out the grounds. I decided to try a sip, but ended up chewing on a good amount of very bad tasting coffee grounds that left an aftertaste of dirt and whiskey in my mouth. Was our coffee spiked with whiskey? It was possible. At this moment, anything seemed possible. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if a dragon came walking out of the bathroom, or if Abraham

Lincoln rose from the dead. Did they shovel dirt into our coffee cups? Were these real coffee grounds? What did we do to deserve this...and what do we do with it?!? There were too many questions, and too much to be overwhelmed with all at once. This was outrageous. I had never seen such a thing before, and my eyes were not trained to handle this well. I restrained myself, though, from saying or doing anything incredibly rude, and just quietly continued to scoop the grounds of coffee out of my cup and onto the side of my plate. Meanwhile, Jake is gleefully sipping his tea. He seemed to be enjoying it a little too much. And Hannah and I were somewhat discouraged. We were tired, and just wanted some good coffee. So after we calmed down from the initial shock, and decided to part from the cups of thick blackness without complaints, we went back to the station and ordered coffee inside...which ended up being amazing(ly hot). It was incredible, and I felt as though nothing has and ever will taste that good....because we appreciated it so much more due to the events that took place in the previous 20 minutes.

We board the train heading to Praha, and finally settle down. The guys, meanwhile, had actually gotten to Brno somehow, but were now heading to Praha to meet us as well. We assumed we'd all roll in close to the same time, since we had some major backtracking to do, and the guys were closer than us...so, now we're finally on track (no pun intended).

Fastforward 6 hours... WE'RE THERE!

HELLO PRAHA.

I'm Amy Raha. Nice to meet you. A part of you is a part of me. We should be getting along well the next couple of days, I imagine...

We search the train station anxiously for the guys, who had notified us that they were there and waiting. We looked and looked, decided to meet by the "casino" and rushed up to the casino to meet them, only to see a row of bums sitting on benches and a few people standing at the slot machines. No Kevin! No Andrew! We were tired, it was getting late by now, and we finally realize we're at two different train stations. So, Jake, Hannah and I get a transportation ticket and head to their station to meet them. By this point, I was so incredibly anxious to just see the guys that I was sure I would cry upon our reunion.

We turned a corner...and there they sat, looking just as exhausted and confused as us. Reunited! In Praha! Totally not our plan, but nonetheless, we were excited to be together as a group again...FINALLY. We all hugged, laughed over our frustrations, and then headed to conquer our next steps: Hostel, and then food. Of course, the food really came first, but we needed to make sure we had a place to sleep, therefore, Hostel took precedence.

We found the hostel, Sir Toby's, that the rest of our group was staying at, and decided it would be fun to surprise them, since they had no idea we would be there, except we didn't really end up surprising them. They saw us as we were leaving to get food. We booked our room in the same as theirs, dropped off our bags, and scouted out a close authentic Czech restaurant. We swapped childhood stories and feelings about scary movies over cheap beer, roasted duck, and dumplings. Definitely a great meal, and a great start to Praha. We decided to call it a night and just go back to the hostel to rest. We arrived back at the hostel, only to discover our maties were checking out the cozy pub downstairs. So, instead, we stayed up, drank more beer, and swapped more stories.

We climbed under the sheets well after midnight, and when my body hit my bed, I knew I was out. I ached of exhaustion, even though we didn't do anything all that exhausting. It was a good feeling, though, and once I shut my eyes, I didn't re-open them until morning.

We started out on Saturday morning with a great all-you-can-eat breakfast for only 100 czech crowns! That's like 4 or 5 dollars...which is really cheap. I definitely recommend Sir Toby's as a youth hostel for anyone traveling to Prague! It's seriously one of the greatest hostels you could ask for. It was really affordable as well! I think about 7 bucks a night? The atmosphere was unforgettable. Very comfortable, home like, with a great style. Lots of old photos and furniture. A pub downstairs with a sitting area...lots of board games. It just had a lot of character, and I really liked the feel of it and the atmosphere. It was really cool. I'm definitely going back to stay there again after Vienna! :)

Saturday consisted of walking the streets of Praha, getting familiarized with the area. We walked into what we would call the "town square" and the sun was out. It was warm, and a beautiful day. There were a group of older men playing music for a crowd of people in the town square, and it was the coolest thing! We stopped and listened for a while, and I just loved it. It was one of those moments that you feel only happen in the movies.....

we went on to see a Salvador Dali exhibit, which happened to be incredibly sweet, and also checked out the Astronomical Clock. We took pictures of the gorgeous view around us, and decided to head up to the famous cathedral at the top of the hill (St. Vitus Cathedral) for a great view. We trecked up some stairs and reached the top of the staircase, only to see this absolutely breathtaking view of Praha before us. I ddn't want to even move. It was incredible. The view was panoramic. It was priceless.

After that, we posed with the straight-faced confederate dudes, and then headed inside the cathedral to check that out as well. It was really beautiful! Nothing beat that view from the very top, though....it was an incredible rush to stand there and be able to see that far and that much of Praha. It was cool.

We walked back down, took a break on the water and listened to the birds and rushing water while we caught our breath for a good 15 minutes or so. We stopped by the Dancing House to check it out on our way to some great dinner food. Our train wasn't leaving until around midnight, so we had the entire night to enjoy ourselves still.

The rest of the night was just as adventurous as everything else we encountered. We stuffed ourselves with pizza, watched soccer, smoked cigars, and drank beer at a local bar, hit up a hidden bar Hannah and I had discovered, drank and smoked some more, and then Hannah and I decided to break off from the guys and go "take pictures"....we ended up getting lost, freaking out, asking guys to buy us drinks only to be rejected, and eventually finding our way back to the guys some hour or so later. We almost lost it...as we were tipsy and didn't know where we were, nor did we speak czech, nor did we have any cell phone service. Let's just say we were more than grateful to see the guys again, and shortly after that, we walked to the train station, hopped on a train to Vienna, and slept on and off until we arrived in Vienna.

I crawled back into my host family's flat around 7am, and crashed. It was great.

Won't let it pass me by again...

2009-02-06T09:02:00.000-08:00

It's Friday evening here. In Michigan, it's about noon. The time difference is a funny thing. I'm eating dinner and you're eating lunch. When I get up in the morning, you've all just gone to bed, or are sleeping soundly...it's just weird to think about...like, the fact that I will experience Saturday before you! :)

The weather is cooling down again. Thankfully, no snow. While I like snow, I am happy without it here. It doesn't seem to suite Vienna. At least not right now.

We are on a "long weekend" break this weekend. That means that our program (AHA) cancelled our classes Thursday, so that we could start our weekends Wednesday night and have a long weekend break. This is mostly for student travel purposes! Some people from our group are in Ireland this weekend, enjoying the vast amounts of green hills and lots of old castles and ruins. Others are in Munich right now, which is in upper Bavaria, just north of the Bavarian Alps. A small group headed to Rome to hopefully live up "When in Rome"...and the rest of us are scattered around a few parts of Austria. I think only three of us (Aaron, Jake, and I) are in Vienna this weekend! :) I would be on one of those trips in a heartbeat, but I sprained my ankle earlier this week and can't do much with it. Hopefully that passes quickly!

I've decided to take my current house arrest issue and make the most of it! Jake and Jeff have made it a lot more fun by cooking dinner at my flat twice this week. The first night we had an awesome taco soup, which was basically chili, but better; and last night we had penne pasta with spicy chilli pepper sauce (and I mean SPICY), with meat, fresh italian bread and red and white wines. It was really good! A little on the hot side for me, but the bread and pasta helped calm that down enough to actually enjoy the food! I have to say, we all agreed that we felt very civilized...cooking dinner, eating at the dinner table, and taking our time. We actually used silverware, took our time eating, held some good dinner-table conversations, and sipped our wine. I feel like any other time, we're either grabbing kebaps, bread, or sandwiches from the street vendor, rushing through the Spar ( a grocer close to our school), or making a cheap meal alone at home. Those other times are certainly fine...it's all part of the experience, and I enjoy the change of pace in my life right now; but it was still really fun to have the company and eat a good home-cooked meal. (Thanks guys!)

Since I'm in Vienna for the weekend, my goal is to see another "TOP 10 VIENNA" suggestion. I know it will take a lot longer with my ankle and the stupid crutches, but if I just aim for one thing, I think I can make it doable! I plan on figuring that out tonight or tomorrow morning and making it happen.

I'm currently waiting for LOST (S5 E3) to download from iTunes so that I can watch it. It's being slower than it's been, and I'm finding myself racked with anticipation! I just started the new season today, and gave into buying each episode from iTunes. I thought if I bought the first three, and then found a way to watch the rest, then I wouldn't be wasting my money too much. Besides, it's only 3 bucks, and that's worth it to me! I'm really glad I did this, because it's incredibly intriguing! Of course, I won't give anything away. I feel sorry for the people who never got into the show, though. I'm not a huge advocate of TV, and try to not watch it a lot..but LOST is actually one of the rare shows worth viewing on television these days. I really encourage you to watch an episode if you haven't yet! Or, if you're bored, there's 4 seasons of chaos, mystery, and awesomeness to keep you busy. You know you want to....really. watch it. You won't regret it for a second.

In other matters...

My Uncle Frank just suffered a major stroke earlier this week. He is the only brother of my father that is still alive, and I can only imagine that it's been a really difficult time back at home. Please keep my Uncle and my entire family in your thoughts and prayers! He's a tough guy, and I'm sure he can pull through this. I'll keep you guys posted on this situation as well.

I just want to say hello to everyone following my blog, and that I love you all! I can't wait to bring home great stories, memories, and life-changing events. I have grown so much already, and know there is much more to come!

Take care everyone! See you in the summer!

-Amy

John Lennon (has his own) wall

2009-01-29T01:23:00.000-08:00

Hello fellow bloggers and blog followers,

Updates from Vienna:

-There is a John Lennon wall in Prague!! I went there this past weekend, but we failed to find the Lennon wall. I intend to go back and seek it out.

-There is snow on the rooftops this morning! It's a bittersweet reaction for me. Seeing snow reminds me of our lovely winters in Michigan (hah...), but also reminds me of how I'm happy to not see snow everyday of winter. Hmm. We'll see how long it lasts here.

- We have another excursion to the UN today, which I ultimately decided to not attend, due to the fact that sleeping seemed more important to me this morning. I'm glad, though, that I did sleep. I've been coming down with something the past couple of days, and resting definitely gives me the ability to keep going...so, I'm not burned out, and I good to go for the rest of the day.

- Today, after our German course, we're visiting the Mozart Museum for our Music course! This, I am very excited for! I'm also doing a project on Mozart, which is due rather soon...so, it will be good to immerse myself in a little Mozart history.

- I've always appreciated the Arts...in some way, be it small or subtle, but being here in Vienna, my eyes are being opened to a whole new way of appreciating the Arts, and I've been enlightened, several times already, by different pieces of artwork, or classical music, or structures. There is so much history and meaning behind so many things here....and it pulls you in very quickly. I love it. I admire the people that study the Arts, because it really is so deep, and there is so much to learn and understand and know. And besides, you cannot appreciate what you do not understand. In order to understand a piece of artwork, you have to know the time it was painted, and how the painter was feeling, and the century it represented, and how society felt towards this, etc...and then, it becomes alive.

Yesterday we toured The Belvedere, which used to be a palace for the royal family, and is now a museum of classic and rare works of art. We saw a lot of Gustav Klimt's work, and there were so many pieces that just looked like "art" from the surface. You walk by, look at the painting, and tilt your head in thought for a minute or two...then shrug, decide it's nice, and walk to the next one. BUT, with Klimt, if you look beyond the painting itself and into the meaning of the painting, there is SO much more to see! It really was so fascinating. I think I'll go back, perhaps another time, and study some more of his work. It's all really great.

- Ah. It's Thursday. :) This makes me smile. Thursdays are so nice, because I know the weekend that lies ahead will be both fulfilling, productive, and rejuvenating. In all senses of the words. I plan to stay in Vienna this weekend and just see some of the highlights of the city, walk the Ringstrasse, and get familiarized with the history around me. I also intend to sit in a Viennese cafe and catch up on a lot of my readings for classes. I have my Mozart paper to do as well, and mostly just getting organized with my course papers and such. It will be nice to get things in order a little more. And I intend to just relax, take my time, and enjoy myself. I love being here, but we are always on the go, always moving, and usually rushing. It will be nice to set my own pace, take whatever train at whatever time, and walk at whatever pace to whatever destination.

I'm aiming for the Stephansdom this weekend, and maybe one of the recommended restaurants from my Top 10 Vienna book (thanks Adam and Katie!). I'd also like to catch a concert this weekend, and maybe even tour one of the many well-known museums. I'll let you know how all of that goes! :)

Alright.

I must go get some things in order, and then head to the cafe to catch up on some homework and reading before class.

Thanks for tuning into my blog! Hopefully it's not too boring. I'll try to be more descriptive and give you guys some insight on the history of some things here next time around!

Auf Weidersehen!

Roasted Chestnuts and Slow Motion.....

2009-01-15T11:38:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!

Right, so, I'm sorry I am not updating this all that often. I'm really bad at finding- not only the time, but the energy! :)

Here's a short update, though....

Today I was riding the street car home, and it was getting dark outside. I was watching out the window, looking at all the ancient buildings with beautiful architecture, lit up with numerous lights shimmering from windows...cars zooming by in a blur....people bustling along the streets and crowding at the tram stops....it was fascinating. But, as we started to approach a stop, the street car slowed down, almost to a stop, but did not stop. Everything seemed to become quiet suddenly. It was then I noticed I was one of only maybe 3 people in the street car (and they are usually pretty full). It was one of the old 50's ones. The street car was slowly rolling along, but felt as though it were floating. We were moving at such a slow pace, that it took me a moment to make sure we were actually moving... and it felt like those moments in films where the music stops, and all you hear is a beating heart, and the images on the screen move by in a slow, flowing motion. I was looking out the window, and it was as though I couldn't hear anything, except for the compression of the tires every so often as they rotated beneath me. I couldn't move. It was a moment that stood still in time. The trees were lit with white lights and lined the street outside my window, and the vast buildings that surrounded me seemed to listen to me during this moment....

It was really cool.

So. I arrived at the Sudbanhof (the south train station) which is a great central stop for me. My home is only a block and a half from it, so it's a nice walk in the evenings, and a close location for traveling and not getting lost!

I got off the street car and decided to stop at one of the local Viennese vendors to try some of their food. I bought some sort of potatoe pancake thing for a few euros, and it was incredibly greasy, but incredibly good! I also had an actual fire roasted chestnut!!! Like the Christmas song, "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..." Yeah, well, I've eaten a fresh roasted chestnut. It was delicious!!

I am incredibly exhausted. I don't even do that much, but by the end of the day, I just want to drop on my bed and close my eyes.

I have attended all the classes this week, so that I could get a feel for each class and see which ones to add or drop to my schedule! But, in doing so, that means I am at AHA from 9-5pm everyday! We have a few short breaks, but all the classes take place in the same classroom, with the same 17 people, and things just seem to become too much after about halfway through the day. My attention skills seem to lessen if I'm not energized with enough water or food, and then the afternoons sort of drag on. And by the time 5 rolls around, either everyone wants to go out and is too tired, or everyone wants to go out and does, even though they are tired, oooor no one wants to go out because they're too tired. Hah. It's usually the last one, unless we grab some food really quick!

It's sad. I have barely seen the city! I've stared at the maps for a long time, but I have yet to go inside and explore some of the greatest museums and sites and opera houses and cathedrals! :D

I also have barely taken any pictures. Outside of classes, we have not done much! I think as we all get settled, a routine will develop, and hopefully that will provide more opportunities to take pictures and spend time with the group outside of class.

Either way, I am loving it! The classes I think I'm sticking with, so far, are German, Intercultural Communications, Music: Classicism to Romanticism in Vienna, European Cities, and Freud: Psychoanalytic Theory and Interdisciplinary studies. I'm also finding the Human Rights class really fascinating as well (and the professor is great!) but, I don't want to wear myself out, or give myself too much... so I don't know! All the classes have a lot to offer essentially. I just have to make up my mind!

Hmm...I can't think of anymore updates right now, but I will hopefully update again soon!

Oh, the group! There are 17 of us- 10 guys and 7 girls, and we all get along incredibly well! We all have a lot of different character and personality to bring to the group as a whole, and it makes for a really diverse, culturalized, and interesting group! I'm really excited, and looking forward to getting to know everyone more!

Wien!

2009-01-08T01:53:00.000-08:00

Hey all!

I have arrived safely in Vienna, Austria!

We start our program tonight @ 5pm. Keep us all in your prayers! Everything has gone well so far. Vienna is great! There is so much to see!...and I've only been down 3 streets. ;)

Love you all! Keep me posted on your lives and such! And if I don't write back, no worries please! I am still reading! I will try to find time to catch up soon.

Be blessed and have fun!

Sheisse, Gesundheit!

2008-12-27T13:01:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!

I've been in Germany for about 4 days now, and already feel that I have learned so much about myself and about the culture around me. Germany is so beautiful! I love Diez... it's definitely one of those towns you feel you could move to. The community here that was a part of World Youth Day is so welcoming!

I am incredibly blessed. :)

Janina, the girl I am staying with, is absolutely wonderful. Her family makes me feel as though I am one of their own.

From the moment I got off the plane, it felt like I was finally home. It is so hard to explain, but my heart aches with joy, now that I am here! Every moment I think "I am in Germany. I have wanted this for so long, and I am here!" It is very nice.

Diez is small, like Grand Haven, but actually smaller. There aren't any fancy buildings or skyscrapers. It is quaint, with churches, gardens, parks, and cathedrals. Friday we took a walk from home and walked down the side streets into the outskirts of town. They have a waterfall/river of sorts that formed from a flood many years ago, and it was beautiful! We walked by all of these old rusty gates and garden patches...and as you walk, you can almost see the whole view of town. They have hills and dips, so if you take a winding road down, and look back, it seems as though everything is farther above you...

We walk to mass. I love that. I love that I am with Catholics. It is the same church I stayed with for World Youth Day, and as we were at Mass, I wanted to cry, because the people are so beautiful here. Everyone has the face of God. I see God in each person I meet, or watch, or walk by. It felt so good to sit in the church again and remember all the good times I had here 3 years ago. :)

When I walked out of the baggage area with my bags in Frankfurt, I looked up and saw two guys stand up at the same time to greet me. It was Michael and Matthias!!!!!!!!! These are the guys I became very close to when I was here before. We have kept in touch since then, but...my word... I tried so hard to act cool and keep it together. I felt a flood of emotion that I cannot decipher. I don't know... my life has changed since I was introduced to Diez. I am just incredibly thankful, blessed, and moved. Ahh, I missed the guys so much! It was really good to reunite. We immediately picked up where we last left off. They took me out to a coffee bar in Limburg ( a larger town near Diez) and we had coffee and sanwiches. Then we walked downtown, and there are all these street vendors selling vegetables, loaves of bread, cheeses, etc. It is really cool!! :) I wanted to just stand there and look around and soak everything in. But also, it is becoming more a reality than a dream for me. At first, I had the mindset of a tourist, but now, I feel more myself, more at home, and more relaxed. I thought I would be anxious, but if anything, I am more comfortable than before.

so we walked downtown and to a little bookstore...it was really great. They have incredible food here! I am fed well, and everything is fresh from the markets and healthy. They make their own noodles, their own bread, all of their cheese and veggies are fresh on platters at every meal. It's refreshing all around!

It is grand here. Nina, the girl I am staying with- she and her family are sooo wonderful! Her parents are so kind and so sweet! so much love and welcome and respect. :)

Their windows open out at night, and there are not any screens. There is no snow here, so the air is cool and crisp and amazingly refreshing.

Last night Janina, Michael and I all went to cocktail bar in Limburg last night. That was probably the best night I have had since I got here! I haven't laughed that hard in so long, and I just feel so comfortable and right being here. After a few drinks, everything seemed twice as funny, and we all ended up enjoying ourselves all around! Prost!!! (cheers auf deutsch!)

tonight is my last night with the Rosso's. For this, I am sad. :( I have fallen in love with Janina's family and have learned so much from them. It has been such a great experience, and I was so honored to experience Christmas with them!

Tomorrow I will stay with Matthias until the New Years, and then I will stay with Michael until I go to Vienna!

I purchased my ticket to Vienna today, and normally they are 100€ or more, but there happened to be a special today, and I got a FIRST CLASS ticket to Vienna for 59€!!! Heck yes!

I will leave Diez Jan 7. I do not want to go, but am excited for the adventures that lie ahead. When classes are over, I would like to definitely come back here for awhile. I will look for a nanny job and see about staying through the summer. :)

Okay, I must go now!

Tschüss!

.bella.

the plane has landed...

2008-12-25T09:46:00.000-08:00

Hallo!

I have arrived safely in Deutschland! I am in Diez, Deutschland right now for Christmas!

It is beautiful here. Diez is a small town in Western Germany about 45 minutes from Frankfurt. It is quaint, and serene. I love it here. I was here in 2005 during my trip for World Youth Day, and it is so great to be back! I am seeing some old friends, and it is really great.

I missed being here a lot. :) Now that I am actually here, after wanting to come back for so long... i can hardly believe it.
All is well, though.

sorry this is short. feel free to comment.

love!

I'M GOING TO EUROPE!!!!

2008-09-08T12:47:00.000-07:00

As of Friday, September 05, I have officially been accepted (under conditions that I will not allow myself to cross) into the study abroad program through the Padnos International Center at GVSU!

The program I applied for is through AHA, a partnership program.

My destination: Vienna, Austria!
My departure: Winter semester 2009!

Thank you, guys, for your support!

I'll make sure I get everyone familar with this site before I leave, so that we can keep in touch on a regular and frequent basis. (Yes, Mom, I'll show you how to upload pictures and everything). Hopefully then I won't feel so far away...

Believe it or not, I'm going to get homesick. Especially because the kids are such a big part of my life, and of course, so are you guys. Having the blessing to see my brothers and sisters and parents everyday is a great and wonderful thing that I too often take for granted. Being on my own overseas will definitely be a growing experience!...One that I am more than excited for!

Adam and Jay: You guys have to give me the rundown for Rome, so that I know which spots I have to see, and where the best Italian food is. :)

Katie: Hopefully I can get in touch with Pete, and perhaps your Mom? I talked to her the other day when I was watching the kids (she called) and we discussed the fact that she has TONS of German books and literature, and has also traveled a lot...so perhaps some tips from them could be helpful.

I'M SO EXCITED!

Okay. So this is my first official post.

To end, my countdown:

a little under 4 months!