the continued travels blog post.

well, hello from Prague!...
I have officially been in prague for about 7 days now.. didn't mean to stay so long, but plans got changed and i got more time here..

The city is fantastic. I have been loving every minute of my stay here. The city is actually a lot like Budapest and gives off many of the same vibes. It's like a smaller huge city.. you have more of an ability to feel like you're at home on these streets instead of the huge bustling cities of Western Europe. By now I can actually find my way around without a map. I even proved it last night when I was going to dinner. :) I don't have a ton of news because Annie and I have been relaxing to the extreme while we have been here.. Not any museums or tours.. just parks and picnics and markets and art and paddleboats and bicycles. That's about all.

Annie left yesterday to head to Frankfurt so that she could catch her plane to the states today. She actually left about an hour and a half ago on the plane back. But I am not traveling alone. Instead, my best friend from home, Adel, came and now we will be finishing the trip. She came by train from Frankfurt two nights ago. Getting in touch after she arrived was rather difficult without cell phones since the train stations are pretty confusing and there are multiple ones, etc.. but it worked, everyone was safe, and we are happily back together.

We had all day yesterday around the major city sites so Adel could see everything that everyone talks about. We even met this awesome girl from Canada who we had dinner with at this AMAZING vegetarian restaurant.. definitely thinking that vegetarian is the way to go now.. for sure. :) She was a blast to hang out with and had many of the same interests that Adel and I had so we got along really well and am planning on seeing her as often as we can while we are here.. Today, we will go to the Communist museum and buy our train tickets to our next location. We will leave to head to Venice, more specifically, Padova, where a friend of mine is going to Medical school. It will be fun to see him and get to visit a smaller city as well as take the train in to see Venice, but for a lot cheaper! Until then, here are some pictures of Prague..

Traveling traveling.. oh my oh my..

So, as I am sure most of you know, I began traveling after school ended. So I have been on the road since May 3rd. Annie nelson is my traveling partner and it has been such fun with her.

First, we started off in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, where we completely relaxed. There were a few other Americans from the Study Abroad program there as well and we were able to have a longer goodbye with them, which was very nice. We literally did almost nothing in Vilnius. It was all about walking around to find a place to sit down where we would get up and do the same thing again. Very nice.. :)

Then, Annie and I took a train to Krakow. It was a 10 hour train ride to Warsaw. But then, we got stuck in Warsaw because we missed the last train to Krakow that night. And because it was late at night we didn't want to walk around in order to find a hostel, so we ended up staying at a very pricey hotel instead.. nice nice beds.. :)

The next day we caught our train to Krakow, which took another 3 hours. Then, we got off the train, found our hostel, and began to explore the city. It was rainy, which definitely hurt our plans for exploring. But it was still fun to see plenty of gorgeous buildings, even in the rain. Then, we went back to our hostel and made dinner and stayed inside for the evening.
The next day was all about exploring the Jewish part of town called Kazimierz. We went to an Old Synagogue, explored Yiddish bookshops, and even saw a little of the old ghetto across the river. Then, we ended our evening in the main square people watching...
The next day we went to Auschwitz 1 and Birkenau. It was a very full day of depressing, interesting facts about horrible torture and inhumane treatment of many people groups. Not the happiest day, but I had to see it. Birkenau is huge. So much bigger than I imagined. And all of that gorgeous land was used just to torture people. That's the only purpose of that land. (425 acres) Then, we met some friends that we met at the hostel for dinner. That was a nice ending to our depressing day.
The next day we had to pack up, but we left our luggage at the hostel and were able to still see more of the city. We hung out in the market square where there were many events, such as music, dancing, singing, etc. Then, we walked around the park and caught a few rays of sun. Such a relaxing day.

Our train left for Budapest at 10:15 PM. We arrived at 8:30 AM. After checking into our hostel, we were able to start exploring this new city. We decided to start off by the river and there was a boat there giving tours, so Annie and I decided that that was how we were going to start our adventures. So we went on an hour long boat ride down the Danube to get a general idea of the city, it was such a wonderful start. Then, we walked around the town and took plenty of pictures.. There are so many gorgeous buildings, it's incredible.. Ever since then we have been exploring the city. And last night we even went to an outdoor music festival that was so fun. On a monday night, there were so many young people there to party and listen to some music and dance as well.. The people here are so full of life and creativity and they are very friendly..

Tomorrow, we go to Prague on another 8 hour train ride. That is very exciting.. :)

Also, I would like to end with a little excitement.. I offiicially have gotten my first sunburn of the year! Be jealous! :) I will post pictures a little later..

Oh, May may may....

As you might have guessed, I have been avoiding writing this blog like the plague. I haven't wanted to face the fact that this will be the last blog in Klaipeda before traveling. The idea of leaving the city, school, and people that I have grown to love has definitely been haunting me. But letting those thoughts control your mind does not let you enjoy the time that you are here, so I have been trying to enjoy every moment as it comes. The only reason I am not completely breaking down in tears now is because I am so looking forward to traveling. Maybe when I get home I will cry more.. sorry mom and dad.

Anyhow, April was a fantastic month. Every part of it was beautiful and fun. I mean minus actually doing the school work... but that's just kind of inevitable. :) I have gotten to know more people so much better and found an awesome group of people to invest in. Don't get me wrong. They have blessed me more than I can express that is for sure. I have been able to have glorious weekends with my roommates to hang out and explore the city as well as times to travel with friends to see the country. There have been many times that the weather has been completely glorious where we spend the whole day out in the sun reading and avoiding homework. :) But there have also been other "study days".. (my Taylor roommates know what that means.. lots of music, occasional facebook, food, and lots of laughter with a dash of studying on the side!)

Anyways, I can't express to you how blessed I am to have found the amazing friends that I love love love! I have learned so much through their friendship and will never forget the things we have had together. The times of distress, happiness, stress, exploration, etc.. all of which have shaped me into a more understanding, kind, and loving person. None of which I am great at, but I am improving that is for sure.

I am very excited to be coming home (AZ) and going back to Taylor to show my friends and family what I have learned and what people I have met. I will never forget the stories I have heard, the lives I have shared, the lessons I have learned, and the friendships I have gained. This will not be my last time in Lithuania or Eastern Europe and this will not be the last goodbye for these people. I know that God will help me meet them again. Our friendships will last longer than this semester that is for sure!

Now, here are some pictures for your enjoyment.. a summation of my last weeks. Keep me in your prayers... these goodbyes are not easy even though I seem ok, I am honestly torn up inside. Love you.. and I will see you soon! :)

April photos!

April.. oh dang.. :(

Well, let's start out by saying that this distance thing, although it has been incredible, also majorly sucks. I miss you all and my heart is definitely crying out about it. Anyhow, I wish I could express to you in words how much God has changed me while I have been here. But I cannot. You will just have to see when I get back. God has completely changed my desires from more earthy ones to heavenly ones. I mean of course I am still sinning and such, but some little things I notice about myself are different. (Again, you will see)

Monday, I have a paper due about my semester and what I've learned and how I have changed, so I guess I am just starting to reflect on it early. I love the people here so much. I have made a home for myself. A place where I can feel safe, comforted, people who miss me when I leave, people I miss when I go away, etc. Distance is a curse. It keeps people who love each other a part for long periods of time. It makes communication with those you love nearly impossible It causes friendships to dwindle. It's horrible. And yet, God meets you in the distance. When you walk away from all you know, he's there waiting with open arms. He takes distance and makes it all worth it. He takes separation and makes it beautiful and glorious. He takes the yearning of not being with a loved one and changes you through it. He's so good Court! So, I'm not sure if that was encouraging at all, but it is to me.. so take it or leave it. Just don't let this separation a waste. Use it to feel God better and to hear him more clearly! Ok, I'm done preaching at you. I apologize for doing that...

Anyhow, three weekends ago, I went to my friend Nora's house in Latvia, which was incredible. She lives with her 2 sisters in an apartment and we got to see all around her town and her family. It was an honor to see her life like that. She's completely beautiful. I mean the type of woman you see and just leave her presence blessed every time. So, the weekend was great of course. Then, two weekends ago, I went to Germany to hang with my parents. We were in the countryside for the weekend just exploring and having fun with one another. It was relaxing to be with them again. We saw Munich and Frankfurt, which was great. Gorgeous cities. Then, this last weekend, I was in Estonia and Latvia with the study abroad group. (all of them) :) it was fun.. exploring old town Tallinn and Riga and taking plenty of pictures along the way. It was our last trip as a whole group. (SAD DAY!) They are wonderful. I have learned a lot by being with them and growing with them here. My favorite part was when we rented bikes in Tallinn and rode around for 2 hours. It was a gorgeous day and we had such fun seeing new sights and being outside.

Only 7 more days of classes, 4 days of finals, and 2 weekends left over for me here.... I'm already mourning the loss of the life I have here. I'm trying to live every moment the best I can to come back with the best memories and no regrets!

Prayers would be appreciated....
Miss you all
LOVE YOU

Update it!!

Well, hello again friends!! :)
I hope you enjoyed my pictures of Russia... what an incredible place. But coming back to Klaipeda was actually quite refreshing.. I was surprised when I walked in the door and said, "Home sweet home". I am feeling more and more at home here as I fall more deeply in love with the people and the culture.. Anyhow, classes are the same here as in the states: work, long, and not my favorite activity in the day or my favorite topic for conversation...

So, I will just tell you about my new adventures instead.. :) Last weekend (March 21st), I spent the entire weekend at my friend Ona's apartment with her family. It was so relaxing. We watched movies and cooked and talked.. great girly weekend! :) Anyways, I don't know if you remember when I wrote about meeting a Canadian lady on the street who works for Salvation Army. But she asked me to give my testimony to the youth and so last saturday I did that.

Not only did she want me to give my testimony, but she also wanted me to lead the entire time they were meeting. So for 3 hours the youth that showed up had to do whatever I told them to.. :) For the first hour and a half, I taught them a few games that we play at Taylor and that are crazy, but super fun. They think Americans are pretty silly and ridiculous now... which is pretty accurate of Taylor students, so that's ok! After games, we had banana bread (made by the Canadian lady, Bridgette) and a little fellowship with tea. Then, it was time for my testimony... I was pretty nervous and I actually have a strange philosophy about such things. Because instead of preparing like most people do, I usually just have a two sentence outline of my life in front of me and then I pray. I pray that God will give me the words to say and that they aren't my words..

I told God that these are his children and that if he wants to speak to them to please use me and my life. "Say what you want them to hear, not what I want to say." So, I started speaking and it didn't come out as smoothly as I would have liked. I stammered through my own life story actually. (Oh, did I mention the fact that Ona was translating for me the whole time... sentence by sentence) Anyhow, I finished my life story in about 25 minutes. (Even after translated!!) It was so much faster than it should've been.. They asked me to speak for an hour.. In my head I was thinking oh no! I just ruined it.. I stammered and didn't speak long enough... I just ruined my opportunity to speak truth to these youth..

But then, they started asking me questions about my life. They asked me how I saw God (because I talked about that several times). And they asked me about how I talked about wrestling with God throughout my life. And another leader was actually touched by my story and so she added a little bit to encourage what I said. Evaldas, one of the boys, isn't a Christian and he was struggling with the idea of seeing and experiencing God. So he kept asking me about that and was really cynical. But the way that he is struggling is exactly how I struggled, so I just told him to keep asking God to show himself so that he can see for himself. It actually encouraged me to see him genuinely seeking truth! Awesome!!

Then another boy, who hadn't said a word the whole time, spoke up and told about a dream he just had. He said that in his dream he saw Jesus and Jesus said, "Come, I want to be close to you." It still makes me tear up thinking about it... and at the time, it definitely gave me shivers up my spine. He said that he completely forgot about the dream until he had listened to my testimony, so he thanked me.

Anyhow, I'm not saying these things to brag about my story or how eloquent of a speaker I am. I am sharing this to show you that God is at work in this place and he's letting me see it and be a part of it! I am so lucky to be a part of it! My life story actually means something to someone. I never thought that would be the case. My years of fighting and wrestling with God is actually an encouragement for others. Thank you, God. :)