A List of Random Things

Dobry Den! (good day...)

     It's already been a week since our last update and, as always, we have had so many adventures! This past weekend we stayed here in Prague and were able to relax a bit, see the Castle Museum ("required" homework for our Art and Architecture class...), and celebrate one of our friends' birthdays. On Sunday we connected again with Fred and Kelly Prudek, our missionary friends, and went with them to a small town about 1/2 hour outside of Prague. We had such a great time catching up with them and the drive through the countryside was really beautiful. The congregation we attended was a small church plant of attended by about 20 once a month. One of the great things was that Fred preached in English and then it was translated into Czech so we were able to hear it in both languages! Our ears perked up when we all started singing "Come, now is the time to worship..." as well- we joined in English when we couldn't figure out how to pronounce the words in Czech. Afterwards we used our very limited Czech vocabulary and spoke with a few of the members who knew bits of English. Although we are completely lost whenever Czech is spoken in sentences, it's really fun to have those moments where we can pick out some words or phrases we recognize. 

     After church, we went on a driving tour through some small towns, ate lunch, and bought tickets for a train ride home (Fred and Kelly had more to do there that afternoon). It was our first train ride experience and it involved a lot of guesswork. Fortunately, we guessed the right train to take us to Prague, UNfortunately, we got off on the wrong stop! However, we soon found a metro stop and from there were able to get back to Kobylisy to our apartment without further ado. 

     Although we've really enjoyed getting to know the other students here in the flats and in our classes, we all have noted that many of them are study abroad students from the US as well. We were pretty surprised that we didn't have more interaction with students from other countries. However, our roommate Eva from Austria has been so much fun to get to know! Last night she invited a few of her friends over, some that we had previously met, and made us all some traditional Austrian food (pork and dumplings) for supper. We found ourselves hanging out with students from Poland, Germany, Finland, and Italy- it was so much fun! Not to mention the food was great...

     Well I really enjoy telling all about what we've done, and I could go on and on, but instead I decided to write down a little list to fill you in on some random things that we experienced, or that we have been learning, on our adventures.

A List of Random Things

*Don't stand by a street with potholes when it's raining, when cars drive by they have the capability of splashing large amounts of water all over you- it doesn't just happen in the movies

*Tex-Mex food in Europe is good, but its strange to hear a Texan accent in the middle of Prague

*Don't try to buy dry baking ingredients by the look of the package, you may end up with cornmeal instead of sugar

*It's necessary to plan ahead and leave early if you want to be on time, the trams don't wait

*Milk labels here are different and its good to know what the difference is between 1.5% and 3.5% before you head to the grocery store (3.5% is almost cream)

*Small differences in pronunciation or spelling can make a huge difference in the meaning of a word, don't take it personally when people laugh at you and your attempt at language

*Always have your tram pass on you, because the guys with badges really do want to see them

*When in doubt, wear extra layers- its a lot different to stand in the cold for 15 mins. as opposed to a 3 hour tour

*Getting lost is one of the best ways to become familiar with the area, you never know what interesting things you'll stumble across

*When you order coffee, don't expect "regular drip" coffee, its much stronger than you expect it to be... side note: we are now addicted to it

*Never underestimate the importance of a neighborhood Potraviny (small grocery store), they're good for last minute groceries- especially when you have 4 girls sharing a small refrigerator

*On that note, it is possible for 4 girls to share a 6 ft. x 5 ft. bathroom

The list gets longer every day...

     To finish up, I wanted to say a huge thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes! My birthday was such a relaxing, fun day and I was so blessed by everyone's thoughts, prayers, notes, and gifts. I felt so loved!

Well I'm going to sign off here, we're headed to complete another Art and Architecture assignment this afternoon by visiting a very old part of town called Vysehrad. Hope you are all having a fantastic week! Miss you!

Laura

....in Vienna on Valentine's Day

Dobry Den!

As many of you know, we (Hannah, Laura, and I went with a couple of our friends from the other flat) went to Vienna this past weekend. Other than being cold most of the time, we really had a fabulous experience. We traveled by bus (Student Agency) and it was a very pleasant experience. We enjoyed a movie and a latte while looking the passing scenery. I don't think it can get much better than that. We arrived in the late afternoon on Friday and found our hostel, which wasn't that bad. It did lack heat but after you put all your clothes on and got under the covers it really wasn't too shabby. :) No really it worked out fine. That evening we spent just wondering around and trying to get used to the fact that the language we were now hearing was German and not Czech. I don't know about the other girls, but my brain was confused. :) We found out that a lot of the city shuts down at about 8:00 pm so that was a little different. So, because of that we ended up heading back to the hostel and going to bed earlier in order to get up good time to start our sightseeing the next morning. Saturday, Valentine's Day, started with a nice warm breakfast at a nearby cafe that was inexpensive with a coupon we got from the hostel. Afterwards we set out to explore. We found several antique stores and little shops that were very interesting to search through. (You can see pictures on Laura's facebook). The picture at the top is one of the statues at the Hofburg Palace. The palace was incredible. I want to live there. :) For lunch we just had some snacks we got at a grocery store because our breakfast was so big. We stumbled on a market (rather we went in search of) that had all sorts of veggies, fruits, clothes, scarves, and many other random things. It was a sort of flea market. It was fun but after the sun went away we descided to find a warm cafe to have some coffee in. Oh, (Uncle Jeff and Aunt Taya, you will like this) I found those chocolate eggs that you always bring back for us. :) I was so excited I bought two boxes. :) It was our Valentine's presents.
Later that evening we went out for dinner to celebrate. It ended up being hard to find a place because in Austria, most places close early on Saturday and are closed on Sundays. We did find one though and it was a lot of fun. After filling our tummys we went ice skating at this amazingly huge outdoor ice skating place. It was a lot of fun. What a fun filled Vienna Valetine's Day it was.

The next day we checked out of our hostel and took an informal tour of the city by tram. We ended up finding another palace that I can't remember the name of and a beautiful chapel that I also can't remember the name of. (For names and more places that visited, go to Laura's new albums. :)) It was relaxing and fun. The trams were warm. :) We headed back to Prague in the evening with another adventure behind us knowing that whatever you say, if it ends with "in Vienna on Valentine's Day" it will always be that much more amazing.


Love,
Gracia

P.S. Today is Laura's Birthday. :) I had fun. hehe...and so did she. We had cake, sang Happy Birthday, had gelato, opened presents, and ate pastries. Not all at one time, of course, but throughout the day we celebrated. Laura is no longer a teenager. Woowoo!

Happy Valentines Day!

Ahoj!

  Gracia, Hannah, and I are currently finishing up some packing details before we head to Vienna for the weekend! We're a little nervous since this is our first inter-european traveling, but we're excited too-as we've been saying for this whole trip, "it's an adventure!"

  Well, we just finished our first official week of classes and it was really nice to get an idea of what our semester is going to look like. We are both in a beginner's Czech course and I love being able to finally know how to pronounce things! The language is fairly complex and we may only be able to learn a few helpful phrases and such, but it is fun so far. We also share an Art and Architecture class, which will consist of lectures in class and then "field-trips" around the city to see what we are studying. The syllabus is full of excursions to museums, art galleries, and tours that will be great for helping us see more of Prague. Although we may have some difficulties figuring out how to balance homework (which isn't overwhelming, but it's there) and making the most of our experience (meaning traveling and taking opportunities we may only have once), I think we're up for the challenge! It's been really interesting to get to know more of our classmates, many of them are from the states just like us but we also have lots of students from other countries like Bulgaria, Albania, and Macedonia. With an amazing environment, it sure does make going to school easier...

  For instance, the other day I got up to go to school and left plenty early, since we don't have the tram schedule down to a science yet :) I stopped by the bakery to get some fresh bread for breakfast and waited for the tram with my earphones in, listening to some relaxing music. As huge snowflakes fell over the beautiful buildings, I couldn't help but smile as I watched the scenery out the tram window. A little old man sat across from me and smiled back at me (which was really exciting because many of the people don't hand out smiles frequently on the trams). Eating my bread from the bakery, enjoying the falling snow, I walked across the Charles Bridge and went to class... sounds like a fairy tale, right? That's what I'm thinking...

  

An update on the flowers: we have some new editions to our collection that are keeping Ruzy company now! Gracia received a package that contained some beautiful pink roses that will never die, and also three gorgeous red roses from Bradley for Valentines day! We also came home from classes late last night and found some yellow and white daisies sitting on our table from James, Caleb, and Skyler- how can you not smile with such an array! Thank you all, we feel so loved :)

Happy Valentines Day, we love you all. 

Talk to you more after Vienna!

Laura

The Life of the Traveling Pilgrims

Eeek! I found that you can change the fonts and colors! :)

So now that is out of the way...It has been a couple days since you have heard from us and that would be my fault. Our days have been full and we go to bed tired. Yesterday was very interesting and a lot fun so I will start with that. For part of our orientation our school took us on a tour of Cesky Krumlov about 2.5 hours away. We piled in a 15 passenger van and headed south. The town is a quaint small village that dates back to the 1200s. Although apartments and small businesses have been added to the outskirts of the town, the center still holds the appearance of the early decades when it was built. There is a castle and a beautiful garden that was used by the aristrocrats of the time. However, both were closed so we could only see the outside but it was still beyond gorgeous and unlike anything we had seen before. I think the most exciting moment though, was when the clouds broke a little and we were able to see the sun. It was the first time seeing its beauty since we have been here. They say that winter days are always cloudy but once Spring hits it will be sunny again. We spent the entire day there learning about the history of it. For lunch we ate at this medival restaurant that was fairly inexpensive and very delicous. After lunch we were able to venture on our own and site see a little. A couple of us went into this gorgeous historical Catholic church that had orginal architecture and paintings in it. We want to go back sometime but we will see. :)

Today Laura, Hannah, Liz (a friend from the other apartment), and I went to the International Church in Prague. The service was in English and we felt very much at home there. I think we will keep going when we are not out of the country. They have a lot of families and also students our age. During the service we heard about an opportunity to work with the English Language Program talking with Czech students who want to improve their English. We are thinking we might do that. We'll keep you posted!

Well so long for now and until next time! Thank you for your prayers. We love and miss everyone of you!

Gracia

Operation Vienna

Hello!

So we just booked buses and a hostel in Vienna, Austria for Valentines day weekend! We are really excited to get started planning our first excursion out of the Czech Republic. With a few more days under our belt of roaming around Prague, we're definitely starting to feel more comfortable and "knowledgeable" about it all. Today we had the opportunity to go on a guided tour through our school across the city and it was great fun! We discovered that many of the places we had already been to, but it was cool to hear the history behind it and actually learn about the amazing sights we had seen. A favorite stop was the St. Vitus Cathedral near the castle area; our mouths were hanging open for sure and we are planning to go back sometime because there was so much to take in (bunny trail: I figured out as soon as I stepped in the cathedral that it was the same one I had randomly chosen to base a bulletin cover drawing for Youth Sunday off of during my Jr. year... crazy!). 

Along with seeing more of the city, we've really been enjoying getting to know our fellow students along the way! Several of us have very similar interests as far as what we are looking to do while we're here and so it's nice having travel companions and English speaking students we can connect with. 

Also, we have a new exciting addition to the apartment... Hannah, Gracia, and I spent some time yesterday evening playing with markers and pastels to make pictures to hang on our otherwise white walls! They're random, but fun :) 

Love you and miss you,

Laura

Its been a week...

Well folks, we have officially been in the beautiful city of Prague for a week! If you were wondering, we are still in the Honeymoon stage of culture shock. We are not looking forward to the break down. Today was interesting in a very positive way. We had our orientation this morning and we were a little late but when am I not late? :) The orientation was only for CCIS students and there about 13 of us. Three of the students are in differnt apartments in Prague. It didn't last very long. They told us a little about changing classes if we wanted and getting our ID cards. Jana, our contact here, also took us on a tour of the campus which consisted of the building with the classrooms and offices and a building with the library and computer lab. The library is pretty awesome. Most of their books are in English and we don't have to buy our books. All we have to do is check them out. :) woowoo! So later Laura and I went back to the apartment to get my passport pictures because I couldn't find mine when Jana asked for one for our ID's. We had an adventure on our way. First we stopped in the tower that begins the Charles Bridge and for a small fee we could go to the very top. It was beyond gorgeous!!!! Lots of pictures were taken, in case you were wondering. :) When we got to our stop for the apartment we decided to stop in this little flower shop and we bought ourselves a little plant with pink flowers. We are going to name and as soon as we pick a name we will let you all know. :) At the apartment we finally finished unpacking and putting things in places. Today also included another trip to IKEA, this time with a list of things like towels and measure cups, and a trip to the grocery store to get cheep food. Buying food that is cheep and will last awhile is very hard but we managed to be very successful in getting filling food for cheep. Thank you Moms!!! Supper was delicous. Laura and I have been able to connect more with the other girls living here after hanging out with them today. It has been a lot of fun.

Address- hooray!

Hey! we just got our official address today, so here it goes...

Our Name

A1 Flats

Nad Hercovkou 9

Prague 8

182 00

Mr. Kafka

Don't forget to put USA down below the address!

Getting Settled

Ahoj friends!

Its been a busy few days (as if every day hasn't been busy so far...)!  On Sunday Gracia and I were able to go with the Prudeks to the church they attend in a village outside of Prague. It was really enjoyable to meet some people there and even take communion with them. We felt the community even though we couldn't understand a word of the service and we didn't know any of the songs- it was fun to listen at least! That afternoon we ate at the Ikea store and then spent some time looking around there. Although it was my first time to ever go to an Ikea, I felt right at home with the Swedish meatballs and lingonberries for lunch :) Later on the Prudeks drove Gracia, myself, and all of our luggage over to the apartments and helped move it all in. It was great to finally see our place, but we will definitely miss our "other home"! The apartment was really bare and unfamiliar at first but we spent some time rearranging and we're in the midst of settling in and so it's feeling more and more comfortable. While we were moving things around, some of the other students staying in the same building came down to meet us and we decided to head to a grocery store to stock up for the next few days. We had a lot of fun getting to know them a little bit and ended up playing Phase 10 for the evening in our apartment after the shopping. 

This morning we met some more of the students living here and also welcomed our 3rd roommate (yay Hannah!!). We spent the afternoon walking around the down town and showing everyone a few of our discoveries in the city, plus discovering more and more as we become more familiar with it all. It's so fun when we actually start to recognize things and feel comfortable with knowing where we're going! Sidenote: Gracia and I have found a little stand off of one of the metro/tram stops where we can buy cheap, but good, pastries! It may be our new favorite metro stop :) But anyways, this evening we all ventured out across the Charles Bridge to see some live jazz. The musicians were great and it was fun to hang out with the other students for awhile. Everyone has big plans to travel all over Europe throughout the semester- it definitely has me us thinking about where we would like to go as well! Tomorrow we will be heading to the school in the morning for our orientation. We all have SO many questions so it'll be nice to be more settled with the details, one of which being our mailing address (which we're still confused about...)!

Love you guys,

Laura