OBAMA COMES TO PRAGUE!

Hi everyone (again)

So I should have done this right after he came, but I didn't. So now I'm going to write about my experience seeing the President of the USA!!

So we got up early, made our way down to the tram. SOOO MANY PEOPLE! We finally got to the gates where we had to go through security. I have never been more happy to see US secret police. They all spoke perfect American English. It was a perfect way to start the day with Obama! SO we get through security and for some reason, we got in the VIP section. Everyone around us was wearing nice clothes, and had looked liek they showered. My roommates and I just through on pants and ran out the door! (Yes, we did brush our teeth...=)) We kind of felt out of place, we whatever WE WERE GOING TO SEE OBAMA! Finally Obama comes out and gives his GREAT speech! At the end I cried. His speech was about nuclear proliferation. This was give RIGHT after North Korea launched it's so called satalite. BEst line of the speech was, "North Korea broke the rules!!" haha, i loved it.
Go OBAMA!!!!

Triangle Trip: Austria, Brno, and Bratislava

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't updated this in a while!

Brno---its the capital of Moravia, which is the other "state" in Czech Republic. Really, there was nothing in this town. But we did go to this cool Roma Culture Museum. Not alot of people in the program liked it, but I really enjoyed it. It was interesting to see a minority group that has been so heavily separated from the majority of society. It was also interesting to see the different cultural traits of the people and see how similar they are to Mexican heritage. That was one of my favorite parts of Brno. Also, we went to a wine tasting. This was NOT enjoyable. A horribly sexist man was the owner of the wine cellar. I was outraged by some of the comments that he made towards woman. This was not a good experience, but you live you learn and you grow.


we also went to these caves! This was the best part of Brno. THey were soooooo cool! This is the opening to one of the caves. It was soo cool!

Bratislava---I really wish I had more time here! We stayed on a Botel. I think that was the best part of the city! The city was really cool, and there was alot to see. We only spent one night there. this was waaay too little time to actually enjoy the city! I wish i could go back to visit more of it!Vienna---BEST PART OF THE TRIP!! This city is really pretty! It was soo enjoyable! Best part-We went to the Belvedar (sp?) and saw different artist. My favorite was "the embrace" by Shiele. It was soo pretty and so different. I couldn't stop looking at it! Another one of my favorite parts was just walking around and seeing the different buildings and seeing how different Austria was compared to Germany. I still like Germany better. I also enjoyed speaking german! =)

So that was the triangle trip. Good memories. If I could tell people to visit one city out of the three, it would DEF be Vienna!

-Katie

Krakow, my new favorite city

Hi everyone!

This weekend was spent in Krakow. By far this was one of my favorite cities visited so far. I recommend that if you are coming to central europe that you go to Krakow. It is definitely worth your time!

The main square was my favorite part! Its so huge and with so much history! There is a huge and beautiful catholic church. There is also this small Romanesque building that is a church in the square. Which was sooo beautiful. Also, there is a huge building with lots of shopping. I bought some stuff! It was soo cool!
Our hostel was also veeery fun to stay at. We stayed at "Goodbye Lenin" hostel. It was alot of fun. Interesting people, but at the end of the day, it was a hostel and we def got out money's worth! I also recommending stay at this hostel.

On Saturday we went to Auschwitz concentration camp. I will post another post just for this becuase I feel it deserves it own (or this post will be a novel).

SO---the weekend cost me basically 110 dollars including food, hostel, train ticket and shopping. It was soo worth my money and more!!

Love you all!
-Katie

krakow -Perogie-fest 2009 part one

Hi from Poland!

So we (me, kendra, annika, jelena and tara) are in Poland! We arrived at 6 30am and barely made it to our hostel at 8. Yes, we got lost. But that is a different story....

Night tram experience--We took the night train to get to Poland. WOW. Ok, so let me try to explain this experience. First, our car was this little soap box of a car. We had 5 people to fit into it. Then the beds are stacked on top of each other. So I was thinking, "Ok, well my cousin is in the navy, my boyfriend is in the navy...they have to sleep like this..so i can..." yeah...BIG FAT NO. Horrible experience. It was like sleeping on a 2X4 with an inch to breathe. NOT FUN.

Then, I had this HORRIBLE dream. Dreaming from Southern California, earthquakes are something common. SO in my dream, I dreamt that I was in this NEVER ENDING EARTHQUAKE. When I finally woke up, I couldnt figure out for hte life of my why the earthquake still hasn't stopped. YEAH---I'm on a train.

On top of the earthquake and the 2X4, I kept thinking that outlaws were going to take over the train and then the Gastapo/Dementors were going to come get us.

Finally at 6 in the morning when we woke up, I was glad to get off the train.

More to come!

-Katie

Dresden und Kutna Hora

Hi everyone!

So over the last week, I went to Dresden and a small silver mining town in the CR called Kutna Hora. First Dresden.

I went with my friend Keen and her sister. It was alot of fun! We went to the Staat Museum (City Museum) and some other cool churches. This is my second time out of Bavaria and into another part of Germany. Even though its in the same country, its totally different. There were alot more Protestant Churches than Catholic churchs, the city seemed alot smaller, and history played out a lot differently than it did in Bavaria. At the city museum, I found out that Dresden has seen alot of devastation. It was crazy to be there seeing all of the history--Nazi regime, the fire bombings of the allied forced during WWII, and then the communist regime. Its crazy that you can spend one day in a city with so much history. It was alot of fun. Best part--WienerWald.

some sights in dresden.
Kutna Hora!!! This is a famous mining town with a ossuary which is known as a "bone church." That was the only really cool thing we saw. We were supposed to go into the mining museum which is the most important part of the city, but it was closed...=( but her are some pictures...

this church is made all of human bones!!! creepy...
alright everyone! this weekend~~~POLAND! sooo excited! more to come!

Love you all!

Katie

Terezienstadt: Jewish Ghetto

HI everyone!

We went to a jewish ghetto that was used during WWII and the nazi's "final solution" to the Jewish question on saturday. We toured the town which is this military fortress. At one point in the town, every where you look you see a wall. It was creeping me out! This town was used for a departure point for all the jewish prisoners to be taken to other extermination camps. At one point, there were at least 60,000 prisoners!

Another interesting thing that I found out about Terezin was the children's art. Because there wasn't alot of things for the children to do other than besides work, they drew pictures. The childrens' art was one of the best depictions of how life was in Terezin. They drew pictures about how they had to drive the wagon that carried coffins, how much food they got, how they slept. It was incredible that those types of drawings could come out of children. I was so impressed and it only deepened my love for children.

Although the day was very rough to take, there was one point that I did have a smile on my face. that was lunch. it was not because we got to eat, it was becuase of the place that we went to. We decided on this place that helps out mentally challenged people. I dont know if all or a portion of hte proceeds go to helping mentally challenged people, but some of it definitly does go. The wait was also mentally challenged. It was the most beautiful thing EVER. If my sister was there, i KNOW she would be soooooo happy!

We also went the "concentration camp" part of terezin. That is were they held political prisioners. That was really hard to see and be around. luckly we had a funny tour guide who made it a little better, but it still was tough. I felt that just being there and seeing where so many people suffered and died was like making there life and death into a tv show or a movie. But after having time to reflect, I think that people need to see this so that it doesn't happen again and it can remind us that PEOPLE did this. just my opinion

here are some pictures

This is where the dead would get blessed before taken to the graveyard.
work makes you free. also was posted in dachau
this is where people were executed if they were found after escaping

alright i think that is enough for today! tomorrow, dresden!
love you all,
katie

The Devil and Kaca

Hi everyone!

So today I went to an opera! It was a lot of fun! The National Theater where I saw the opera "The Devil and Kara" is SOOOO beautiful! My pictures wouldn't really do it justice so there is no need to post them. We sat in the very very top level and had to look down the entire time. But that part was ok because we got to look in on the orchestra.

The Opera was about this girl who got taken away by the devil, but then she tricked him....honestly i dont know what it was about because it was in czech. But our Czech teacher told us that it was a fairy tale. But other than that, it was a good opera.

Tomorrow--Concentration Camp. I'm really looking forward to that trip. I'll tell you guys after i get back!

See ya!
-Katie