Experience of a life time

       You never know what you will experience when you say yes to a once in a life time opportunity. It was my last semester of my undergrad and I only needed one more class in order to graduate. I thought to myself, why stay in Kearney and take an online class, when I can take the same class 5,000 miles away. And so this began the adventure of taking life up on one of its extraordinary opportunities. Don't get me wrong though,  I was terrified to move to another country for three months where I did not know the language, didn't really know anyone who was going with me, nor would a 7 hour time difference make anything easier. But man oh man, am I so grateful to have learned and experienced so much in the past 11 weeks. You truly never know who you will meet or how much you will grow until you sit down and think, holy smokes, I just traveled all over Europe and went to seven different countries with 23 other people. It is crazy to try and wrap my head around the past three months, but I know that at the end of today, I will be leaving my home away from home.

Iced coffee with ice cream-
Last day in Olomouc

As I sit at my favorite café and drink iced coffee (made with ice cream of course) I am so very sad to be leaving tomorrow morning. The Czech has provided such a beautiful environment to enjoy and has defiantly caught me off guard more than once. For example, when I first realized how many people in the Czech do not speak English. A group of us were out to dinner and while the restaurant had English menus (a rare commodity) our waiter did not know any English. So thinking outside the box, we used hand gestures and pointed to our desired meal that was located in the same place on the Czech menu. He was very nice about it, as I'm sure we were not the first English speaking students to walk through the doors. However, my favorite part about that exchange was when our waiter asked (with gestures) if we wanted our water sparkling with the sound effect bloooop and fingers simulating how the bubbles rise in the water. Just a little side note, sparking water is not good, and we avoided it at all cost.
       We also got "used to" always having as close to exact change as possible. In the Czech currency (crowns), cents do not exist, which has been rather nice. However, when you cannot order gelato because you do not have coins or cash even, it becomes kind of a sad day. But at the end of almost 3 months, we all have really gotten the hang of it. Walking half an hour to get somewhere, cramming the essentials into your backpack for a weekend trip so you don't have to carry two bags, and even walking into the grocery store with a backpack because you have to pay extra for every plastic bag, has become part of my normal life. We are finally comfortable taking the tram by ourselves (public transportation didn't really exist in Nebraska), asking first if they speak English when we get lost, and we are not ashamed to pull out our google translate app in order to communicate. Funny how when it is time to leave, you finally understand how to do more than just get by.
       While the Czech has challenged us to adapt to the cultural differences, I am excited to be back in the states where water and toilets are free, cards are accepted everywhere, and I can drive again. I would not trade this experience for the world. It is true when people say that if you can, you should study abroad, because you attain so much more than just going to another class. You get to meet people who make you feel welcome, you get to say you took a weekend trip to another country, and most of all, you leave with so many memories that you never want to forget.

Bolzano's!!!! (Fresh cut gerber daisy every day on the tables)

Sunset right by our dorms 

Wild Poppy Flowers 

Chicken Schnitzle (favorite meal)

Favorite Cafe and pastry 

Bohemia

       This weekend we spent some time in the Czech Republic, traveling around the region of Bohemia. We started our trip in a town called Litomysl. We visited a castle and the Discovery of the Holy Cross Church. While I am pretty much at the end of my rope for visiting churches, I will say that this one I will remember. The history of the church is rooted in performances. The idea was in order to get people back into the church, it would be used for concerts and performances as well as mass. This church is very modern. The alter used lights that would bend and move around inside the table, as well has using green laser light that went through the middle of the church, and through the side of the church to make a cross. This light would go through the windows and reach throughout the town, as a welcome to the church. We also had the opportunity to go up the spiral staircase to the roof and look out over the town as well as go into the balcony of the church where the organ is located. I really enjoyed the visit. 

We also visited the town of Lezáky. This town was completely demolished during World War 2. It had been one of the places where the parachuters were hidden. When the Nazis found out that this town had helped in hiding the people who were to assassinate the Nazi official Heinrich, they destroyed it. The only thing left in the valley are crosses that mark where houses once stood. The people who hid members of the resistance put their entire families at risk of being killed. However, the men of the families often committed suicide in order to protect their family, but what they didn't know is that their families would also be killed. Only 2 people survived the destruction and one looked enough like the Aryan race that he was taken to Germany, and the other was killed. The valley where this town once stood is now covered in lushes grass and flowers, and a memorial for an entire town and people, who killed and destroyed during the war.
       After seeing the memorial in Lezáky, we continued to the town of Kutná Hora. Here we visited the bone church. Most of the bones inside the church were from those who died of the Plague and were once buried in graves containing up to 10 people in the city center. However, after the bodies were decayed after a few decades, the bones were used as decoration in the church (no one really knows why). Some of the people also died fighting during the Hussite Wars from 1421-1424. While it was really different and kind of creepy to use bones as decorations, the most fascinating part was seeing the archeologists right outside the church, unearth even more bones. After lunch we headed to the silver mine. There is only one level of the mine that is left for the public to visit because the rest of the levels have been flooded. We put on our white coats and hard hats and headed into the mines! It was so much fun to squeeze through the mines and I am very thankful for the hard hats because I am not coordinated enough to watch my step, as well as my head. We also got to walk through part of the town in all of our gear, and receive the best looks from tourists as we all walked down the street.

       The following day on our way to Česky Kremlov, we stopped in Česky Budejovice for a tour of the Budweiser Budvar Brewery. While I am not the biggest fan of beer, we got to try it before it had been filtered, and it wasn't half bad. In the Czech, 160 liters of beer per person per year is consumed. That's a lot of beer! It was really cool to see how bottles and cans are packaged and how the bottles are washed and cleaned before more beer is poured into them. The fermentation at this brewery takes 10 days and then it matures for another 40 days. I think I would have liked the tour even more, if it was learning about how wine is made instead, but it was still interesting to learn about!
       Our last stop on our regional field trip was Česky Kremlov. This town is like straight out of a fairytale book. It has a river that flows around it, and cute little bridges as well a beautiful castle and one of the only Baroque theaters still standing with most of its original pieces still inside. The theaters used candles to light the stage but everything was made of wood which meant the likelihood of the theater burning down was very high. This is what happened to most of the theaters, either a fire burned them down, or they were bombed and destroyed during the wars. We got to see under the stage and all of the mechanics that went into making a production. The stage itself is about 13 meters, but with the sets from the audience, it easily looked like 40 meters. It is really creative how they played with allusions and sound effects to make the plays as realistic and entertaining as possible. The castle we visited was the second biggest castle in the Czech Republic, only behind the Prague Castle which is 8 meters bigger. On average, 10 course meals were served in the castle, but the most courses on record was 42! That is a crazy amount of food to eat in one sitting.
       We also had the opportunity go rafting on our last day of the field trip. I fell even more in love with this little town. It was so relaxing and fun on the raft, after we figured out how to keep our raft from going in circles. There were splashing wars (of course), and we stopped about an hour into the trip to enjoy a beer and take a break. After our break, my raft was the first one to head back down the river, and we soon became the only raft on the river. We couldn't see or hear anyone in our group which meant all we could do is listen to the birds and the wind and enjoy the peacefulness of the trip. We also jammed out to Carrie Underwood and had a few heart to heart chats as we got into our rhythm of rowing. I absolutely love everything about nature, and I will definitely come back to this little town. It has a little piece of my heart.  

Česky Kremlov

Rafting :)

Interactions with the locals :)

Outside at Bolzano's!

       When we first arrived in the Czech over two months ago (it's been so long!), we were so surprised by how many people did not speak English and the overall demeanor of the people. Because of Czech history (being occupied by the Nazis, and then by the communist regime), most of the people here will not smile at you as you pass by because it was once seen as suspicious. Being from Nebraska, if you don't smile at someone as they pass by, the person you pass tends to take it personally. Here it is a little different, because not too long ago they could have been questioned if they seemed too happy. The locals also will not tell you that they are good all the time when you ask them how they are doing. This is also strange because black home, if you say something other than good, sometimes people get annoyed that you actually have something different to say. While all of this little things caught me off guard the first couple of weeks, not everyone fits this more somber description. As in every society there are the people who go out of their way to make things easier and more welcoming for you and I'd like to mention a few of those interactions.

Iced coffee with vanilla ice-cream!

       One of these locals is the owner of my favorite coffee shop, Bolzano's. While he does not know very much English, he knows enough to make conversation. The first times we walked in to his cafe we greeted him in Czech and then asked if he spoke English. When he said that he did, he accepted that we did not speak English. Usually when the locals find out you don't speak Czech, in particular older generations, it is such a hassle to try and communicate and you no longer feel welcome because of the language barrier.  However, I have not once felt that way at his cafe. Today, he even tried to help a group of us study for our Czech language final. He takes so much care to make sure that we have everything and his cafe is my absolute favorite. He makes all of the pastries from home, and even the panini's are hand made, and not from some plastic sleeve. He is probably the sweetest local I have met, and when he sees you he always greets you with a smile which is always welcoming.

"People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you make them feel."
                              - Maya Angelou
     
       While I have had an amazing experience with the owner of Bolzano's, on a daily basis, my interaction with Czech people is more limited. Because the language is really difficult to try and learn, striking up a conversation while you are waiting for the tram, is not really plausible. However, I will say that overall, most people here are willing to help you, even if you both have to pull out your translator app to actually communicate.
     
   

Saltmines, Schindlers factory, and Auschwitz-Birkenau

       This weekend we went to Poland as a class. We visited the Wieliczka salt mine, Schindler's factory, and Auschwitz-Birkenau. We toured the top 3 layers of the salt mine which when down 135 meters. There were around 800 and something stairs down the shaft and if you looked over the rail, you could see how far down you would have to climb to get to the very top layer. The mine was supported by wood logs because as time went on, the salt petrified the wood making it a very strong material to hold up each room in the mine. Horses even worked in the mine. They lived up to four years longer because the salt added vitamins to the air and there was pollution. However, once they were down in the mine, they stayed there for a couple of years before being

brought back up to the surface as the transport down caused a lot of anxiety. There are two different kinds of salt in the mine. My favorite one was called cauliflower salt (because it looked like cauliflower!). On our tour, we even got to eat some of the salt from the walls, but don't worry, I didn't lick the wall. The biggest danger to the mine was water, and in the 1990's the mine was shut down because of a water leek that flooded part of the mine. There is still quite a lot of salt left in the mine that won't be brought to the surface because it is now only used for tourism. Although 350 people are still employed to maintain it. 

"For even if you had dropped your armband
a hundred times, you would still be yourself.
You would still be a Jew."
-teacher, fighter of the ZOB

       The next day we headed to the Schindler's factory. Oskar Schindler created a list of mostly Jewish people to work in his factory for the war effort. He claimed it was another concentration camp and because he was close to higher ranking SS officers, no one bothered him about his factory. He fed all of his workers lunch and treated them rather well, especially in comparison to other camps. His factory was high in demand as all of the Jews had heard about how nice Schindler was. In the museum there was a lot of information about the Holocaust in general, including the deportations and even personal accounts of experiences. One in particular was really powerful. It was from a teacher and she talked about how there was no escape, even though that's what they were all told, was to try and escape. I really enjoyed learning more about Schindler and the Holocaust, but nothing compared to seeing Auschwitz- Birkenau. The next part of my blog might be difficult to read as I talk about my experience at Auschwitz. 

"Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it."- George Santayana

       Mothers, sisters, daughters, sons, fathers, brothers, families....were all ripped apart from each other on the platform, as they were forced off the train surrounded by barbed wire. 75% of everyone who entered Auschwitz-Birkenau were led directly to the gas chambers, told that they would get to shower, as they were led to their death. 2,000 people were crammed into the gas chamber at a time, and suffocated by the poison Zyklon B. It took up to half an hour to ensure everyone was dead because the gas had to spread to all corners of the chamber. The strongest of the prisoners had to remove the bodies and take them to crematorium. They had to remove all jewelry and cut their hair before they were burned. Try to fathom having to cut your friends or family members hair, remove any heirlooms, and then burn their body. The manipulation and psychological games that were played to lead to the extermination of an entire people's is dumbfounding. 

       When they first arrived they were told to put their name and date on their luggage so that they could find it later, even though they would never see it again. Their heads were shaved, and their arm tattooed, to destroy their identity, all forced to wear striped pajamas. We saw the pajamas that the prisoners wore....we saw all of their belongings....we saw the piles of hair that would have been used to make rugs...and the piles of shoes that once belonged to these very innocent people, including toddlers and babies. These babies did not even know what was going on, but they were drowned because they were part of a Jewish family. I still cannot wrap my head around the actions that were taken towards such innocent people. I couldn't bring myself to take a picture of the baby clothes that were left, there is such innocence in a baby, which was destroyed. 

       As a class, we walked into both camps knowing that we would walk out together. This was only a hope for those who were brought here against their will, most of which would never be given that opportunity. On January 27th, 1945 Auschwitz was liberated, but only 7,000 prisoners were left as the rest had been transported elsewhere. The gas chambers and as much evidence as possible was destroyed to cover up their crimes, but nothing compares to seeing the ruins of what is left from such a horrific part of history. 

"To the memory of the men, women, and children
who fell victim to the Nazi genocide. Here lie
their ashes. May their souls rest in peace." 

       

"For ever let this place be a cry of despair and a warning
to humanity where the Nazis murdered about one and
a half million men, women, and children, mainly
Jews from various countries of Europe."

Rruins from the gas chamber

       

Belongings of the innocent people who had been taken away from their homes and everything that they knew as part of  Hitler's "Final Solution." 

       

       

Holiday- otherwise known as Spring Break!

       Our holiday adventure started in Naples Italy. It turns out that our airbnb we had booked was a 10 minute drive to the nearest metro station, and then another 20ish minutes into the city center of Naples. This meant that we relied on our host for just about everything transportation wise, as well as making sure we caught the last metro that left at 8:20 from the center. Small fun fact is that when you take the last metro available for the day, the price triples. Anyway, on our first full day in Naples, we tootled on down to the city center and ended up in the Piazza Plebiscite which is one of the largest squares in Naples. On one side of the square was the DOM Francisco de paula and on the other was the Royal Palace that was used by the Bourbon Kings during their rule of the Two Sicilies between 1734 and 1860. We took a tour inside the Palace which had a gorgeous Grand Staircase made of marble. The ceilings of the Palace were magnificent, and there was even a theater that was used for the wedding of Ferdinand IV and Maria Carolina (the daughter of the Hapsburg Empress Maria Theresa, and sister to Marie Antoinette). The rest of the day was spent exploring the coast, eating gelato, and an amazing meat platter for dinner. 

       Day 2 in Naples was Pompeii! To get there we had to take the metro, and let me tell you, it was VERY crowded. Once we got there we ended up partaking in a 2 hour walking tour. It was really cool to see the rooms, and learn about how advanced their technology was. They had saunas with heated water that was pulled from down below using led pipes. The saunas were for the rich and were separated men and women. The baths were raised up on brick stilts so that a fire could warm the water. We also learned a little bit about what it would have been like to live there. They drank around 3 liters of alcohol, and sat on couches for all their meals (this was considered their dining room). Women were not allowed to drink when they husbands were not home, and were not given true independence as they had to get permission from their guardian (either husband or father). The women also had to sit at the feet of her husband around the dinner "table" while he sat on the couch. Pompeii was a well established city, they collected rain water in what looks like a fountain through a hole in the celling,  had a sewage type system, markets, and paintings on the wall. I really enjoyed learning about it, and we even met two ladies from San Diego who were super fun! At the end of the day we took a side stop to Torre De Greco and found a pier that went out into the sea. Very much not a tourist place, but beautiful nonetheless. 

       After two days in Naples, we headed to Split, Croatia! After a 2 hour flight delay, we finally made it! This was the only place I had in my head as a place I wanted to go before I left for Europe so I was super excited. Due to our flight delay, Sheyenne and I wandered around towards the coast. Split at night felt like a fairy tale. We had a delicious burger at a restaurant called TerminalF. It was decorated like a train terminal and was super cute. It was also nice to find a majority of the people knowing English. They also had an awesome sauce that reminded us of Raising Canes sauce but it was more dense and slightly better. The night scene of Split was beautiful, and it had probably the safest feeling environment I have yet to travel to.  Sheyenne and I booked a boat tour for the next day at the last minute, and I am so glad we did. We got to jump into the sea with jelly fish, and the water was super clear, ice cold, but definitely picturesque. We went into a few lagoons and enjoyed the sunset at the end of the day while we headed back to Split. It is probably my favorite day out of two months in Europe. It allowed me a chance to reconnect, relax, and simply enjoy the waves and the day. It didn't hurt that our boat driver was kinda cute. ;) I will for sure come back, I think I could have easily spent a week in Croatia, so a day and a half did not do it justice. 

Parthenon! 

       Last stop on my holiday was Athens, Greece! We met Paige and Nick here and it was nice to add more people to just the two of us. The first night, we stayed in an airbnb three minutes from the beach. We got there really late, but we all wend down to the water and listened to the waves and put our feet in the water. Again, the water is super cold. After some much needed sleep, we enjoyed tea and bread with jam and honey that was left for us by our host on the balcony that overlooked the water. It was quite lovely :) Check out was at noon which was kind of a bummer, but we took all our stuff and headed to a beach. We found some umbrellas and parked it for the day. I didn't have a towel so I sat on my rain coat. Even though it was a little windy and cloudy, it was nice to read and relax for  a bit. That evening, we headed into the center of Athens to prepare for a long day of walking the next day. Our hostel was really nice and even included breakfast! Once we arrived, the three os us girls went out to find some dinner. We ate outside and all had gyros for dinner. They were delicious and we paired it with some ouzo. By the way, I will never have ouzo again, it tastes exactly like black licorice and I was not a fan. Of course, we also had dessert. It was overall a really fun night with good conversations, good people, and good food. We went to bed rather late but it was worth it!

       Let day 2 in Athens begin :) After breakfast we ventured out to the Agora and saw the Parthenon, Acropolis, and went to the Acropolis museum. We got in free to all of it thanks to our student ID's :) I wish I would have known more about Greek mythology before I saw these places, because I think I missed out on truly understanding what I was seeing. We had our personal tour guide though (Nick-one of the students in our program) to lead us around and answer most of our questions. He is a history major and very interested in Ancient Greece so I learned a lot from him. We also did some shopping, and after walking past a restate about 4 times, we finally sat down for dinner and enjoyed a view of the Parthenon. We shared a pitcher of sangrias and had a fabulous last night of Spring Break. 

       I am kind of sad that we only have one more week of school, and only a few weeks left of the program. But I know that these experiences and memories will stay with me forever. I have enjoyed every part of my experience so far, and there are still a few more to have! However, with the end in sight, it will be a very bittersweet end to a phenomenal adventure. 

View of the Parthenon on our last night
 of Spring Break 

Coast of Athens :)

Lagoon in Croatia 

End of the boat ride, headed back to Split 

Split Croatia!

 

Meat platter for dinner :)

Mt. Vesuvius in the background. 

Sandy beach in Naples!

Child caught in the pyroclastic flow/surge

Used other materials to originally build the walls but covered
 them in plaster to create the illusion of a more wealthy society. 

Water collection inside a wealthier house 

 

brick pillars where fire was created to warm the water 

Slave caught in the pyroclastic flow/surge 

       

Paintings on the wall in the fish market in Pompeii

       

Vienna and Venice

St. Stephen's Basilica 

       Vienna Austria and Venice Italy were quite an adventure! We started off as on our class field trip to Vienna. We were only there for two days but got to see St. Stephens, Schoenbrunn castle, and the natural history museum (history of the earth). St. Stephen's was really beautiful. It has a really neat design on the outside and lots of stain glass. However, the stain glass was a little different. It had been replaced with colored squares because there was not enough funding to reconstruct all of the original stain glass. Inside, there was a also a portable alter. I didn't know that there are alters that could at one point been taken from place to place, or moved throughout the church. Granted, this particular one was not transported on the streets or other public places due to its large size. I really enjoy learning about the different histories of each church, such as the stain glass windows, it helps me keep them all straight and remember them better.
       We also went to the Schoenbrunn castle. This castle was initially a hunting lodge and has 1,441 rooms. We did't go inside, but walked around the gardens and hiked up a giant hill to see all of Vienna. The view was beautiful, and we got to lay on the grass and just enjoy the view. I was able to call my sister and mom and show them the amazing view. I felt really connected, being able to share one of my experiences with them. Everyone was hanging out on the grass, for probably about 45 minutes, and then we were shooed off the grass because technically no one is supposed to step on the grass. However, when you see everyone else enjoying the grass, you also follow along. Yes, I know if your friends jump off a bridge you shouldn't follow, but it was just grass I promise. It was really nice to get out of the city and just enjoy the view and the sunshine. The sunshine allowed for great food and lots of gelato. :)

Being carried after I fell down the stairs....

       We also had to make the choice between going to the natural history museum or the national art gallery. I choose the natural history museum, as it was all about the different animals and how the earth has evolved and with only twi science majors in our group, it was nice to reconnect with the science part of my brain. There were a lot of birds, and I learned that pelicans are the heaviest flying birds which I think is really interesting. They also had a super cool marine room with the lights dimmed and you could press a button to illuminate each species. I really enjoyed this museum! We were then free the rest of the day, and so I headed back to the hostel to pack and do some of my online homework for my history class. The next morning we were set to head to Venice, it was about a 7 hour drive on the bus, however, nothing can ever be easy.
       That morning (Thursday). I decided to take the stairs instead of the elevator because I knew we would be sitting on the bus for a while and I wanted to get some steps in on my fitbit. Silly me thought this would be a good idea. The staircase consisted of concrete spiral stairs and we were on the fourth floor. I was carrying my backpack and another bag, and I rolled my ankle on the last stair and fell down the stairs. I started crying and everyone came running to see what had happened. I hate being the center of attention but my ankle hurt so bad. I fell right infant of a room and the lady inside must have heard me and came out and asked if I needed a doctor. She did't speak much english but she brought out gauze to wrap my foot, cream, and even an ice pack. I am so thankful for her. Needless to say because I wanted to get some exercise, I got to experience an ER in Austria. This just happened to be the largest hospital in Europe. It was about a 2 hour visit and I kept thinking that I am making everyone wait for me so we could proceed to Venice. After about two hours of going in and out of rooms, I was told that I most likely have torn ligaments and would get to wear an air cast for 6 weeks. But, how many people can say they've experienced an ER while abroad, I feel kind of special in a weird way now that I think about it.
       Any who, after being pushed around in a wheel chair I was supposedly able to walk normally, I beg to differ. I had to walk really slow and my stance was rather wide, but at least I got to sit on the bus for 7 hours and just relax. The bus ride wasn't too bad and I was excited to get to see Venice. The original plan was for everyone to walk to our hostel, but because of the rain and me not being able to walk very fast or far, we all took a water shuttle. It was about 20 minutes and I had multiple people tell me that they were grateful they didn't have to walk, so at least someone was benefiting from me falling down the stairs.

Men women children masses for the gas chambers advancing toward 

horror beneath the whip of the executioner. Your sad Holocaust is engraved

 in history and nothing shall purge your death from our

 memories for our memories are your only grave 

        I'm not sure if you know anything about Venice, but the best part is all of the stairs and bridges. P.S. still not a fan of stairs. I was always at the back of the group and felt bad for making people wait on me to catch up, and I hate making people wait on me. However, I got to meet some people that are part of our group that I hadn't really gotten to talk to very much. We went on a gondola ride, had amazing Italian food, and of course gelato. As a class we went into St Mark's basilica and Saint Giovanni's basilica. I found out that walking on marble floor was very helpful because it was smooth and not uneven like cobblestone is. We then had the rest of the day to explore and one of the other girls and I found ourselves in the Jewish Ghetto. It was surreal to see the artwork depicting executions and a a wood call with the carvings of the names and ages of those who were deported. We always learn about the holocaust and Poland and Germany, but nothing is ever really mentioned about Jewish people being deported from Italy. We will later go see Auschwitz and I cannot imagine the felling I will have there, after the feeling I had in Italy simply being in the ghetto.
  On a lighter note, Bailee and I ended the night with dinner right by the water, with amazing calzones, wine, tiramisu, and a beautiful view. We were even given blankets because it was a little chilly right by the water. Venice is beautiful and breathtaking, and if you love the water, it is definitely a must see place, even if you are injured ;)

Stain glass window in St. Stephens 

Sitting on the grass enjoying the sun 

Gelato in Venice 

Dinner right by the water :) 

Artwork in the ghetto 

Names and ages of those deported