One Trip Down

     This trip has been flying by so quickly. I can't believe that it is already the last day of March and that exactly two months from today I'll be on my way back to Nebraska. Olomouc has become home to me and I'm already sad to know that I will have to leave.
     Last weekend was our first of some group outings that they have planned for us. We spent most of our time in Prague, but we also took a quick day trip to Dresden, Germany to see a few more things. When we got to Prague we went out right away to see the City Square, Astronomical Clock, Charles Bridge, and the John Lennon wall.
 

One view from the bridge.

 

John Lennon wall. Obviously, I loved it!

Later that night, everyone went out but Karen and I had a little adventure of our own. She was a little sick so we went out to find a doctor and medicine. We ended up at a hospital where I had to wait awkwardly in the waiting room for a long time, hoping that no one badly injured or ill would come into the emergency room (I would not have handled that very well! ha) Karen was fine, she just needed some cough medicine, so we left with one of our Czech directors again to find a pharmacy that was open at night. Let's just say it's hard to find one, even in such a large city. When all was said and done, we got dumped off in the middle of the New Town center at night. Where did we end up of all places in Prague? KFC. It was nice (and we were a little ashamed) to have something familiar AND internet access, which is something I've been lacking here. The next day we went to the Prague Castle and wandered around town a little more. I'm still not used to seeing such big, old buildings!!
     On Saturday we were off to Dresden to see the war museum and walk around the city center. The day went far too fast for me; I really enjoyed being there so I want to go back there or somewhere else in Germany while I am near. It was clean and calm and had lots of big buildings like any European city does. I prefered being there to Prague, but by then I was ready to go back "home".
     This week in Olomouc was very good. It was nice to stay put and finally have a routine to things. I've been to Globus (equivalent to Walmart but a little more strange) a few times, shopping at the malls, cooking, and seeing more of the town. It is strange to not always be on my phone or computer like I used to be, but I like it. I get to enjoy my time here and worry only about what I am doing at the moment. I'm really enjoying life here in the Czech Republic =)

My first week...

     I meant to be updating my blog more often, but this past week has been absolutely insane! Things are falling into place now though, so next week should be much better than it has been. Getting to Olomouc took an excruciatingly long amount of time. From Omaha, we flew to Minneapolis; Minneapolis to New York; and New York to Prague. Once we got to Prague, we still had about a 3 hour bus ride from there! Throughout this long weekend trip, I was sure that I'd gotten about 2 hours sleep--maximum.
     The ride through the Czech Republic was very interesting. Although there were many hills and old old old villages, it reminded me a lot of home with lots of fields and farms along the way. I also noticed that all people here drive crazily!! They weave in and out of cars, drive fast, follow way too closely, and pull out in front of others. The road  to Olomouc was not like an interstate, but more like the highway and it was some of the longest 3 hours of my life.
     We arrived in Olomouc at about 1pm (which is about 7am at home) and after all the traveling we'd done, there was still no stopping. We moved into our rooms and headed downtown to look around and eat. Needless to say that by the end of the night, we were all exhausted and ready to sleep.
     My first week here in Olomouc has been a little rough on me. My credit card was flagged the first day I was here so I had no way to pay for anything. I felt bad, but there are so many nice people here who offered to pay for me when I needed it, so I am very thankful that they were willing to help me! We have also been constantly on the move; tours around town, orientation, classes, and wandering all over the place during our free time. It's been very exhausting but on the plus side, I have met some really great people and got to experience a lot already. Language has been a bit of a tough thing to work with so far (we don't know any Czech and not everyone here can understand English) but it is only our first week and I hope that our class will help improve our abilities to communicate here!
     Overall, I'm already glad that I decided to come here. Even though it has been a challenge, I love being around all of this language and diversity (my dorm houses the international students). It is interesting to see things from this new perspective; I'M a foreigner now.
      There's a lot more that has been going on, but a lack of internet in my room has kept my from using the internet often (it's driving me crazy!!) Hopefully I will get it up and working by tomorrow and give updates more often. And I'll make sure that my writing is not so scattered =)

Čau!!!

Karen and I by the fountain at Náměstí Republiky

Day 1

And so the journey begins...
I am all packed and on the rainy road to Omaha. I managed to fit everything I think I need into a suit cases, and 2 carry on bags. There is not a scale in my house so we tried to use our Wii Fit game-board to weigh it, so I hope its not overweight =)
BUT I'm worried now that I might not have it all and worried about getting more daily necessities. This may sound bad, but I had to get on the Internet and find grocery stores in Olomouc so I would be comfortable knowing I can buy the things I need there! My perception of central/eastern Europe is obviously very skewed, so I can't wait to see what it is really like.

When It Rains, It Pours

     Today has been a very trying day, to say the least. My Grandpa Jerry has had a rough journey with Parkinson's for a while and he finally made his way home to heaven this morning. Instead of packing today, I spent the day in the company of my family. We all really needed that time together.
     I leave tomorrow for Omaha so I'll be ready for my early Monday morning flight. I should be more excited to go, but now I wish I could stay here in Nebraska for a while longer. Everything seems to hit you all at once; I'm nervous, I'm excited, I'm stressed, and now sad. This next week might be a little overwhelming, but I'm ready. I am so thankful to have friends and family who love and support me and now another angel to watch over me. I couldn't do this without any of you.

We love you.