Praha

Weekend 2

27-29.Mai.2011

Although I do enjoy the weekend trips and being able to go to different countries, I do no enjoy the lengthy bus rides. We took off to Prague this weekend around one and it seemed like it took forever to get there. I spent some time trying and failing at falling asleep, eventually settling just to read for the rest of the ride. I am very happy I brought books, because some people are look completely miserable.

Before we got to Prague, we stopped at a monastery for dinner with the group. The food was good, but not very filling. I was pretty hungry even after dinner. Everything in Europe is delicious, but light and not very filling. After a short bus ride we stopped at the Prague Castle for a walking tour in the rain. I wasn’t too happy about the rain and just hid in my raincoat the whole time. Last year, it rained almost every day. I don’t know how they did it. I would be an VERY unhappy camper.

When we first got to Prague, I was pretty skeptical. When I looked out the window and every building was covered with a person’s or group’s mark. Graffiti was visible everywhere. The city looked more and more scary. It didn’t help that everyone was telling us about pickpockets and that we had to have our passport on our person at all times. Our hotel was not very nice, in fact, it was probably my least favorite so far.

Breakfast was far below par. It was awful. I hated every bite and every swallow. I’m not sure how they would pass any state food laws. The FDA would shut them down SO fast. Yuck. Again, we went into town for a walking tour around the city. Our tour ended with a boat ride down the Moldau River and lunch served on “Slapy”, the name of our boat. It was really good food, but again pretty light. I guess i’m just used to the fat, greasy American way. After lunch we had free time. Trevor took off with the guys while Alex and I roamed around. We literally had no idea where we were, but just kept walking in the general direction we thought we should be going. It was pretty humorous, but made it back to the bus on time.

After changing into some warmer clothes for the night, we went in search of a place to watch the Manchester United v. Barcelona soccer game. With about 15 people all arguing, it was difficult to find a place. Finally, Trevor, Alex, Josh Grabijas, and I went to Subway and then found a local bar that was playing the game. We were surprised that more people weren’t playing the soccer game, since soccer is so big here.

Our night ended fairly early, I went back to the hotel and had a heart to heart with another guy on the trip-Joe Hermenet. Great, great night in Prague.

Sunday morning I woke up and quickly packed for our guided tour through the Jewish part of Vienna. After that we had more free time. My one big complaint about our weekend events is that we don’t have time to go to church really. Our morning starts at 9 am. I am excited for our weekend off when I can go to church.

The bus ride home took forever, but I was again happy to be home again. I unpacked, did homework and then passed out.

T.P.

Thursday

26.Mai.2011

Thursday proved to be quite challenging. We realized that we desperately needed toilet paper and therefore, starting being very stingy. As girls, this is a very difficult thing to do. We had to call Frau Moesel soon!

On our way to class, Alex got asked directions. This was pretty epic, since now every single one of us has gotten it. I knew that it would be a start to a very good day.

When I got to class, we went on a field trip to the Belvedere. This was a summer palace of Prince Eugene, the famous man who defeated the Turks. Belvedere is now a museum for all the pieces of work that Prince Eugene collected while he was alive. The most valuable work of art there is Klimt’s famous “The Kiss”. I have seen many posters of this, but I will admit that it is much prettier in person. The original is absolutely breathtaking. When I did see this in the past, I always just thought that it was cute and didn’t pay much attention to it, but in reality, there could be a number of different interpretations to this painting. Ask me to give you my theory on it because it has changed since talking to Professor O.

After class we went back to our apartment to do homework. Unfortunately, I started reading and passed out slowly after. When I woke up, I find that Alex had also fell asleep while reading. This is one of few naps that we have taken in Vienna, there is just too much to do and too little time to be taking naps!

We quickly packed “lightly” for Prague and went to Trevor’s to do more homework and to hang out with his family. They are seriously the best family ever. We spent hours sitting on their porch and talking to the parents, after the children went to bed. Austrian culture is sure different from ours. It was fun to listen to their shock and to be shocked by the differences and also the similarities.

We just barely got back to the U-bahn in time and probably caught the last one to our house. Alex and I refuse to spend money on a taxi. So thankfully we got home in one piece and didn’t have to walk till all hours in the night. Typical college students, waiting till the last minute.

Who needs boys...

Wednesday

25.Mai.2011

For the second time, our class went to the Kunsthistorisches Museum, this time going to the second floor. Most of this floor contained painting. It had paintings from Albrecht Duerer, a German renaissance man, Peter Paul Reubens, a dominantly Baroque style artist, and Rembrandt, the famous Dutch Psychological Portrait painter. Each painting was beautiful and unique.

Our professor, Dr. O, asked us to write a journal entry about the following topic: If you could steal 3 pieces of work from the Kunsthistorisches Museum, which would they be? These were my answers

1. small bronze statue of Minerva
2. larger statue of Aphrodite and Eros
3. a still life by Maria von Oosterwijck called “Vanitas Still Life”

After class Alex had again something with her class, so Trevor and I went to see the Imperial Treasury (Alex had already gone with her class). We didn’t spend a lot of time there and I kind of wish that I had gotten a guided tour through it all, but even so, walking through it was overwhelming. Everything must have been worth my life times two. We saw jewels, crowns, even an ornate cradle in the treasury. It was the one place that all girls want to go to in Vienna. I loved it.

After waiting for Alex at the Institute, I was famished from not eating lunch yet. We grabbed food from a street vendor and sat in the park while eating our food. That park is so beautiful. It lies right along the Ring and is a nice break from the busy city.

Alex and I were very jealous of Trevor whose host family got tickets to the biggest soccer game in Vienna, but we were excited to have a girl’s night. I had some big plans in mind. Before dinner, Alex and I went to a couple shops down our street. We had high hopes for them but really didn’t find anything that we loved or were willing to pay for. After a simple dinner, Alex and I headed over to MQ (Museum Quartier). We had seen them set up for something and when we asked, the response was everything that Alex wanted and more. We went to see a ballet that night. Not just any ballet, but one using a crane and fork lifts. It was a very contemporary ballet. I found out that it was in honor of Leopold and how he met his wife. It was actually really cool and very awesome to see. I’ve never seen anything like it.

We called the night pretty early but not after getting hit on while riding the train home. Good thing I am good at voiding off boys. We got home quite safely and went right to bed.

Side Dates

I had the hardest time waking up this morning. We didn’t remember to open the window while we slept and I woke up at about 4am completely sweaty and hot. I had a very difficult time going back to sleep after that. I slept through my alarm clock or turned it off, but Alex graciously woke me up this morning.

Class was equally rough. We didn’t get to go on a field trip, rather got a lecture today. It was really difficult to sit there and just take notes instead of going to see something, but it was nice to sit and not be walking around so much. I will admit that I left my facebook open in hopes of catching one of my friends on chat. Fortunately I didn’t just catch anyone, but who popped up but my favorite baby in the whole world--Kristine! We only talked for a little, but it was the best part of my day.

We all went to Trevor’s house for a sandwich lunch and also because the kids wanted to see us. The kids are so cute. Lara asked Trevor to come to her school on Friday to show him off. When only the younger two are home, I act as the translator. The speak to me and I then relay the message to Trevor/Alex or visa versa. So my German minor is coming in handy.

After lunch and finishing our homework, with Lara and Martin probing me every 5 minutes, wondering if I am done. For about a half an hour I agreed to jump on the trampoline with Lara and that concludes my workout for the day. I am pretty much dead tired from that. She is so funny. She speaks and speaks and speaks without stopping. She is a motormouth.

Trevor and I had a little side date which involved eating pizza and watching a movie while Alex went out to dinner with her class. When Alex got back we started watching another movie and talked about life.

I think that I would be lost without Alex and Trevor. We are bonding better than I would have ever expected. I really hope that we can continue hanging out even after this trip. Both of them are amazing people and I totally am thrilled to have them here with me.

I am so blessed.

The Labyrinth

Today I came to a very depressing realization. I realized that we will never have an opportunity to sleep in (meaning past about 9am). We have to be at classes by 9:30am, meaning we have to be on the bus by 9am, meaning we have to be up by, at the latest, 8:30. Weekends are even worse. We usually are on the bus by 8:30ish. The thing is, though, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I like being done early on in the day and then being able have the day to finish homework and then go explore the city.

For class today, we went to St. Stephensdom. This beautiful cathedral lies in the heart of the city. Its intimidating towers and architecture warded me off for a long time. It seemed very dark and mysterious to me. Inside it was equally dark, but after listening to the explanations of everything. I loved that every statue and every picture and every spot in the cathedral had a legend, myth or story about it. It made the church much more intimidating and more welcoming.

After class we (Alex, Trevor, and I) went to a little carnival/amusement park. It was pretty dead, but we still were dead set on having a good time. I really wanted to go on the ferris wheel, but when we got there and round that it was pretty expensive, we opted to go on two other rides which combined prices were cheaper than going on the ferris wheel once. We climbed into the go carts and took off. The carts flew around the corner and my little brother, Craig, would be proud because I would hit the brake and drift around the corners. I learned it from the Fast and Furious movies. Then we spent the best two Euros of the day. We went through a maze and not just any maze, but a labyrinth. It was a glass maze and we all ran into a glass wall at some point in the 45 minutes that it took us to get out. Eventually, the man in charge had to help us and tell us that we were going in the wrong direction. He must have been laughing so hard. At one point I just stopped and started dancing because I felt so helpless. Definitely one of the best purchases yet.

After the amusement park, we went home and bought stuff to make dinner. Alex and Trevor both had to study or do homework, so I offered to make dinner. Thankfully I am such a good cook and our soup and grilled cheese turned out delicious. While our stomachs were digesting dinner, Alex pushed us into going to the MuseumQuartier again in hopes of Skyping her parents. I also wanted to talk with my parents, but they tend to not understand technology, let alone how to Skype. My little brother or sister will have to help them. I did blog most of the night and finish writing in my journal.

We stayed there for hours and didn’t get home until late. I was pretty exhausted and had no trouble falling asleep.

Ciao!

Salzburg

Here is the play by play of my weekend:

Friday

12:50-Left Friday

After class where we just sat in the classroom and actually learned some basics about architecture, we left for Salzburg. We grabbed a very quick vender lunch and finished it off with Zanoni and Zanoni, the best gelatto in Wien.

2:20-Melk Abbey

This beautiful abby absolutely left me breathless. It had an entire exhibit showing pieces of artwork starting hundreds of years ago. The dining room was extensive and had beautiful paintings on the ceiling. The terrace gave us a picturesque background. The two best things, however, were the library and the church. The library was the one that you only see in movies. It was filled from top to bottom with huge, gilded books. There were two levels and a spiraled staircase connecting the two. Then the church! The church at Melk Abbey was drastically different than any church I had see thus far. This church shone; it was full of colors and many gold pieces. It was nice to just sit down and look around. Like most churches, there was so much for me to look at. I could have spent hours just sitting and looking around.

6:30-Arrived in Hallein

This little town was slightly outside of Salzburg which I was a little sad about. I wish that it was closer because I would have liked to spend my free time walking around Salzburg instead of Hallein.

7:30-Dinner

Dinner was delicious. We started off with a delicious cream based soup. Alex and I really want to find the recipe because it was that good. Either that or we were just that hungry. The sad part of the dinner came with dessert. If you know me at all, you would know that I have the biggest sweet tooth ever. My teeth are still angry at me for eating so man sweets. Unfortunately I’ve had a new discovery in the last semester. I am mildly lactose intolerant. Talk about the worst thing to be while traveling to the best gelatto kiosks ever. Thank goodness for lactate pills. :)

Saturday

8:40-Bus leaves for Salzburg

Breakfasts in Austria have always been AMAZING. Talk about a huge selection. The buffet table had about 4 cereals, 5 different breads, a sweet pastry, yogurt, cheese, meat, nutella, honey, fruit, vegetables, and more. I usually would nab a roll to take with because I am just one of those people would have to eat about every 2-3 hours.

9:30-Walking tours through Salzburg

This walking tour went all through the city. I will just name a few things that we saw. We started at the Mirabell Gardens which were lush with flowers and greenery. Then we saw the birthplace and apartment of Mozart. We saw graveyards which were what they copied for filming the Sound of Music and we saw the Festspielhaus or the place where the VanTrap family performed.

Our tour ended with us walking up to see Hohensalzburg which is a fortress overlooking the city. The walk was pretty rough because it was a steep uphill, but then again I am slightly out of shape. After this trip, though, I will be in the best shape of my life...all this walking!

11-Free time/lunch

Lunch was quick because we had spent most of our free time seeing the actual church where Maria from the Sound of Music was married. It was more plain than I remember. After lunch, we were back on the bus.

2:30-Nazi Documentation Center

We reached our destination and immediately everyone became somber. It is strange how everyone became less talkative and loud college students and instead became silent and could only look and read. A audio tour took us through the entire Holocaust, from Hitler’s beginnings to the end. At the very end of the tour, we saw a bunker that Hitler used. It was pretty strange to see and to think that Hitler and many other of his guests were walking in the path that I was walking. This also would prepare us for the concentration camp that we would see the next day.

7:00-Dinner at Hotel

Again we were back at the hotel for dinner and were given free time afterwards. Dinner was chili, which I typically don’t like, but for some reason, I couldn’t get enough of it. We wanted to go to a disco that Dr. Hemenway told us about, but apparently some people from our group already tried to go and it was a high school prom and they still couldn’t get in. So we opted to just walk around town and see the river running through town.

Sunday

8:30-Bus leaves for salt mines

The salt mines were the funnest part of the trip. They almost acted like comic relief between our two events about the WWII and the like.

9:00-Tour of mines

Our tour guide seemed to really like Alex, Trevor and me. It was probably because Trevor came up with idea to parkor through the mines. This involved us (mostly just Trevor) jumping off walls and trying to do 360s and grabbing his feet while our tour guide just laughed at us. He was actually a very funny guide and even let us ride down the slides several times.

1:15-Stop for lunch

Unfortunately we gave in for lunch and ate McCafe (aka McDonalds). To be fair, though, we stopped at a rest stop and there were very limited options. It was either an overwhelming buffet of over priced food or MacCafe. So being the poor college students that we are, McCafe was our only option.

2:30-Mauthausen concentration camp

Again, everyone was silent as we made our way into the concentration camp. It was strange to me, however, that another group of students was taking it so lightly. While I was practically in tears, they were laughing and making jokes. This place was more real to me than anything I have seen in Europe so far. This building and the events that happened within didn’t happen hundreds of years ago. It happened recently and things like it are still happening today. I just couldn’t understand how they could be laughing while I was fighting back tears. We didn’t see just pictures. The most thing that impacted me the most was the stairs. The people held in the camp had to work 12 hours per day in a quary. The stone from the quary was used to pave roads and do other things for Hitler. They walked up and down these at least 4 or 5 times a day. I could hardly make it up the stairs without pausing to rest. I can’t imagine doing it while carrying a 50 lb. stone on my back or without having enough nourishment. It made me tear up a lot. The walk was both physically and emotionally painful. As I looked out to the surrounding countryside, I was also was struck by the beauty of it. When I looked at it, the view was the definition of rolling meadows. This is what I imagine I think about Sound of Music, when they are escaping from the Nazis.

5:00-Leave for home

When we left I was grateful to get on the bus and make our voyage home. “Home.” It is funny that I already look forward to going back to our apartment after a weekend away. I can’t imagine what getting back to my real home will feel like. I can’t think about that right now that right now. I just need to love where I am at and enjoy my time here as I am already doing.

7:30-Arrive home

After we arrived home, we were dead tired. After hours of trying to fall asleep and failing miserably, we were all ready to get to bed. Our intense hunger was more of a driving force than the need to sleep. We settled for the cheap route again. I spent 2 Euros on a piece of ham and corn pizza and also a odd tasting Fanta.

The rest of the night I starting writing my blog, unpacked, did homework, did laundry and then gladly passed out.

Just think, next weekend, I will be in Prague. :)

Kiddersitting

My Art class is literally the best. We have gone to places in Vienna now for three days straight. Other classes are left to sweat in the musty classrooms, but we visit all over the city.

Our destination today was the Kunsthistorisches Museum. It was awesome to say the least. We spent two hours on only the first floor of the museum. We looked at the ancient art. Specifically, my professor focused on the changing depiction of the human body. There were so many pieces of art that I would have loved to own. It took us two hours to get through only one floor and we are making two more trips there before the end of the class. I am excited to see what else they have on the other floors.

After a long day of walking, Alex, Trevor, and I went to a cafe for lunch. The little cafe sat on the outskirts of the Museum Quartier. This little courtyard area is a very popular hangout for younger people. It has big, colorful benches and cafes that surround it. It is a perfect place for me to sit and get some internet. It was nice to just sit and relax while watching the hustle and bustle pass by.

The rest of the night, Alex and Trevor and I watched the kids for a while. They are just too cute. I know that some people might think we are silly for being with the kids instead of walking around the city, but I still think that we are getting a cultural experience. Our experience is just a little different. My German is definitely happy with these experiences that we are having with the kids. We also came up with a schedule of exactly we want to do for the next two weeks. We need to come up with a plan for our weekend off. Trevor really wants to go to Rome and it would only work out if we can find a cheap enough flight or train.

Tomorrow we are leaving for Salzburg and it is going to be very long weekend. I can’t wait!

My Throat Feels Like Death

My throat feels more and more like death every day. I think I am getting slightly sick and I don’t like it. Alex and I plan to get some honey and cough drops. I am also staying on top of my asthma, so my parents shouldn’t worry! I know that isn’t asthma.

My day started with class. We went to the Romermuseum. It is a smaller museum and very kid-friendly. Everything was “touchable”. The most interesting part of the museum was hidden beneath the surface. One floor down we saw runs of Vindabona, the old Vienna. It was crazy to actually be able to see the walls of their homes. Under the floors of these homes were the original columns which were part of their heated floor system. It was incredible.

We were then rushed to the oldest church in Vienna. Ruprechtskirche ironically stood in the middle of a street full of bars and clubs. It did not fit into the surroundings. The little church was quite plain in comparison to the other very extravagant churches that we have seen. The original Romaneque style of the building fought for attention against the very Gothic addition to the church. The Gothic style of the church is seen by looking at the windows and the ribbing on the ceilings. Ruprechtskirche didn’t have very much decoration and the walls were bare, but very front of the church is home to a very unique window. This window is the oldest stained glass in all of Vienna. It was made in 1295 and still remains there today. The other windows in the church were added much later and have become very controversial for Austrians. These windows are very modern and seem to clash with the church as a whole. I liked them individually, but i agree with the people who said that they clashed with the age of the church.

The skeleton at the back of the church shocked me. After an explanation, however, I appreciated it more. Apparently it was brought there to remind the church that death is all around us. A quote that I liked said, “What I once was, you are. What I am, you will be.” Just a reminder, especially for Christians that we could die at any point and to live as God has called us to live.

Another thing that I found interesting was a sign on the balcony. It said a date and underneath said, “AEIOU.” This symbolized that Rudolf IV had built it. It stood for Austriae est imperare orbi universo. Basically, Austria over all. Rudolf IV was constantly competing with his father-in-law to build new things. This explains why he built so much and how he got his nickname of Rudolf the Founder.

Our next stop was a drastic difference from Rupertskirche. We stopped at Maria am Gestade. It is a very unique church in that it is higher than the streets surrounding it and that it is crooked. The inside of the church is lined with statues of saints. Number symbolism is seen throughout the church.

After these tours, Alex, Trevor and I went to his house to cool off, to eat a sandwich lunch and then do our homework. Unfortunately, the kids were too distracting to get any of it done, so we had to wait until they went to bed. Lara, the youngest girl, was especially lively. She has a cute little crush on Trevor and loves to jump on and wrestle him. We left right before dinner and stopped at a big mall to see if they had some cute, practical, cheap walking shoes. Alex found some, but I wasn’t so lucky (not that I really need any shoes).

Next was the most difficult thing of the night. We had to find a place to eat. At first we got off at a random stop and just started to walk, only to find that we picked the worst possible stop because there was nothing there. We opted to just go to the first district (center of the city). Even there, we were struggling to find somewhere to eat. So. Finally. After we basically walked off our meal, we found a place, sat, cleared our plates and leaned back, bellies full.

The rest of the night was pretty tame. We walked around a bit and then called it a night, meaning we had to finish the homework that we were too distracted to do earlier.

Ciao!

First Couple of Days

Here I am in the most beautiful city the ganzen Weld. The city bleeds with wine and beer at every corner, tourists taking pictures (me being one of them) and cafes within view wherever you might be. It has more history behind each wall than I can learn about in only six weeks

Before we get to Wien...
Hope College’s Vienna Summer School had its 55th orientation for us in a small town called Mörbisch, one of the sleepiest little towns that I have ever been in. We searched for the local population of anyone younger than 65, but they were no where to be found. Our search only led us to the large amount of senior citizens who ran the city. This probably explained why the town shut down at 19:00, when they all went to bed.

Vienna has proved to be quite the opposite. We have spent hours walking till late in the night, ending at the local cafe with the best cup of coffee anyone has ever had. The town is full of life and there never seems to be a dull moment.

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Before I begin to tell stories, I have a little disclaimer/rant: I feel super disconnected from my real world. In other words, I only get to look at the internet once in the morning, so I feel very out of the loop.
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First 10 Stories of my first three days in Vienna, Austria
Handing the bank teller 100 American dollars and only getting 68 Euros in return. Saddest moment of the trip so far.
Dr. Hemenway giving an illegal walking tour through Vienna. He was shuffling us around the whole time and would occasionally peak above the group and scan the area for legal tour guides who might yell at him.
Seeing the Schönbrunn, the beautiful Habsburg palace. It is both beautiful and exquisite. The rosewood and walnut woodwork, which is more expensive than my house itself, was overshadowed by the ornate furniture and paintings. The history that pour through wall, piece of furniture, and picture could be seen even without the my portable, electronic tour guide.
Living in an apartment with Alex Tyra. We literally have our own flat in a apartment complex owned by our “Hausfrau” and her son. The other three girls we were supposed to live with have their own flat on the other side of the building. It is nice to come and go as we please, but I do wish we had more contact with her. Frau Mösel is the best!
Going the wrong way on the Streetcar. We made a 5 minute ride into a 30 minute ride. On the bright side, however, we got to see a different district of the vast city.
Going to the Volksoper and seeing “My Fair Lady.” The best part of the play was looking down our row and noticing that about half our group was passed out. For their sake, I’m glad that Dr. Hemenway put us in the very back.
Going to a market and bartering with a man for a watch. Knowing the time is very important and since I didn’t have a phone yet and I forgot my watch in the states, I was sure glad to have a watch. Today, though, we all got really, really cheap phones so that we will never lose each other or we can call Dr. Hemenway when (not if) we do get lost.
Swarovski shops on every corner. We haven’t gotten the guts to actually go in and look because that would just be teasing ourselves. Alex and I have settled for just window shopping. We have memorized the jewelry in each window and just in case you were wondering, today, they put a new necklace out.
Watching two guys dressed in Mozart costumes get in an all out brawl. There are men outside of the Oper trying to get people to come to it and handing out brochures. Exactly the moment that we were passing by, two of them started throwing punches. That was our entertainment for the day.
Realizing that I ONLY have six more weeks and I have SO much to see. Let the adventures begin!

So, keep reading my blog. I will do my best to keep up and to keep you entertained! Gute nacht. Schlaf gut. Bis morgen.

Prelude

This is my prelude:
My name is Erica. I am going into my last year of undergrad at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. I am a Communications major and German minor, but I have never felt such a failure with German in my life. Being in Vienna, Austria has made me realize that my German is lacking to say the least. These next few weeks will be challenging and scary, but they will also be the best times of my life. Get ready.

Österreicher

A milestone happened today. Something that was huge. Today I was getting off the U-bahn and someone stopped me to ask directions. Me! They thought that I was an Austrian or at least someone who could spoke good German and who would know where to go. Pah! I don’t think so. I just said that I wasn’t from around there and that I didn’t know where to go. I felt pretty good about myself and my head has gotten much bigger since that little incident. Proudest moment of my life.

Today for class we went to the Wien Museum and learned about the stages and growth of this beautiful new city of mine. My first excursion to a museum. You know they always say that you become your parents. I have already seen myself morph into my mom. I laugh like her, I buy the same things as her and I walk just like her. I had yet to see my behaviors become like my fathers until this trip. My dad used to have to drag me into the field museum or to (my favorite) a national park/forest. He is going to laugh when he reads this, but I love going to everything here. Every historical or art museum, every park, every building, everything. I want to walk around and see things until my eyes get blurry or my feet send shooting pains up my entire body. So Dad, you would be so proud of me. I am like you now. I am interested in the stories behind every building and I am totally that person who asked those questions to the tour guides. Even though you don’t know it: Thank you, Dad. I am officially admitting to becoming just like my father.

I also morphed into the typical Hope College student, buying my “Universität Wien” sweatshirt. I’ve realized, though, that I will get funny looks if I wear it here and that it really is only cool in the states. The sweatshirt will have to be my lounge wear or something that I use as a layer, since the weather here is completely unpredictable.

Our day ended with the cutest little family I have ever met in my life. Trevor took Alex and I to his host family. They are a youngish couple with two little boys and a little girl. They are happy to have American people there to help them learn and also to talk to their children. We spent hours talking and eating. I am completely 100% jealous of Trevor’s living situation. I do wish that Alex and I actually have a host family, but our gig is nothing that we can complain about.

Off to roam the city and get lost!